ALBION – An Albion Boy Scout working on his Eagle project has proposed building a flag retirement pit at Mount Albion Cemetery.

Harrison Brown, a member of Troop 164, said the stone pit would have masonry and be permanent. He would like it to be in the veterans’ section of the historic cemetery.

Harrison has attended flag retirement ceremonies and often the flags are burned in a 55-gallon barrel.

“I don’t think that is the best way to honor the flag,” he told Village Board members on Wednesday.

Mayor Dean London said the Village Board is open to the idea and wants to consult with Jason Zicari, the cemetery superintendent. Zicari may have a location in mind for the flag retirement pit.

Harrison said the pit would be available for use by Scouts, veterans’ organizations and others in the community.

Freeman Lattin completed an Eagle Scout project at the cemetery last year, repainting all of the street signs and replacing some of nuts and bolts.

Return to top

Photo by Tom Rivers

ALBION – David Mogle was sworn in as a lieutenant for the Albion Police Department on Wednesday evening. His mother Karen holds the Bible and his father David joins them at the Village Board meeting.

Mogle’s wife Amber and their three children also attended the swearing-in on Wednesday. Village Trustee Stan Farone is in back left and Mayor Dean London is in back center.

Mogle has been an Albion police officer for about 10 years. He was promoted to sergeant and took the oath on July 9, 2014.

He has been lieutenant on a provisional basis following the retirement of Tom O’Hearn in June 2016.

Mogle no longer is in a provisional role as the department’s number two in command.

Mogle was working as a mechanic with his father at D & K Autobody when he decided to make a career change. In addition to working with the Albion Police Department, Mogle has been assigned to the Orleans County Major Felony Crime Task Force.

Return to top

Dean London

ALBION – Dean London said he won’t be seeking re-election to another four-year term as Albion mayor during the March 20 village election.

London, the retired Albion police chief, said he doesn’t have enough time to commit to the position. He works at Baxter Healthcare in Medina as a supervisor in the service department. The job keeps him busier than he expected.

London, 52, told the Village Board members today he wouldn’t be pursuing another term. Trustees Eileen Banker and Stan Farone, who are Republicans – like London, have been trying to get him to run for another term.

The Republican and Democratic parties will hold caucuses later this month to nominate candidates for the March 20 election.

Besides the mayor’s position, two trustees are up for election. Farone and Banker want to run again for four-year terms.

When London ran four years ago, he had the backing of both the Republicans and Democrats.

One project London has worked on over several years is expected to become a reality this year. Bullard Park will get a major upgrade.

The state two years ago approved a $499,605 grant for Bullard improvements with the village providing $166,370 with in-kind services or funding.

The overall $665,975 project includes a spray park, an amphitheater/performance stage, a walking/hiking trail with signage, infrastructure (water and sewer) for the spray park, a utility building, and parking lot and lighting improvements.

Return to top

Photo courtesy of Andrew Remley

ALBION – Richard Remley takes the oath of office as Albion town supervisor on Thursday while his wife Kim holds the Bible in a light-hearted moment at the Town Hall.

Remley, former owner of a printing company in Albion, just completed a four-year term at town councilman. He moved up to town supervisor and was elected to a two-year term in November. He succeeds Matt Passarell, who decided not to seek re-election to town supervisor but is staying on the board as a councilman.

Remley has been in the community with the Albion Rotary Club and Cobblestone Museum. He also was co-leader of the fundraising campaign for the new Hoag Library.

Return to top

Photos by Tom Rivers

ALBION – About 15 Christmas trees have been dropped by the backstop at Bullard Park for a Feb. 10 bonfire. Residents are welcome to drop off their trees at the park.

The Village of Albion, the Albion Fire Department, Energize Albion, Albion Merchant’s Association and United Structural, LLC are planning an event from 3 to 7 p.m. at Bullard on Feb. 10. There will be sledding, snowboarding and snowman building contests. Free hot chocolate and s’mores will be available while supplies last.

Winners for all three contests will be announced immediately prior to the lighting the bonfire. All contests and games are free.

A crowd watches the bonfire at Bullard last Feb. 18.

Return to top

Photos by Tom Rivers

ALBION – Bradley Pierce, 8, of Albion went sledding today for the first time in his life. Bradley and his family moved to Albion about a year ago after living in Oklahoma. As he started down the hill, Bradley yelled out to his mother: “This is going to be awesome.”

There will be plenty of more sledding opportunities.

The National Weather Service in Buffalo is forecasting another 3-5 inches of snow for Orleans County on Wednesday.

This man was out snowboarding with a parachute. The gusts of winds pulled him around Bullard Park.

Return to top

Photos by Tom Rivers

ALBION – Members of the Albion High School Select Chorus are making many stops in the community today, singing Christmas carols. This photo shows part of the group in the Orleans County legislative office in the second floor of the County Clerks’ Building. The singers include, from left: Miranda Smith, Alanna Holman, Annalise Steier, Emily Merger, Brennan Moody, Casey Starkweather and Camry Raymond.

The carolers stopped in the Orleans County Real Property Tax Services office and sang to Dawn Allen, director of the that county department.

The chorus visited businesses and county government offices on Main Street before heading to Hoag Library and later at The Village House. The chorus also sang at Rainbow Preschool, Clover Hill, The Villages of Orleans and the Nutrifare site.

Here are some of the carolers singing at the County Clerk’s Office. Alanna Holman, second from left, and Miranda Smith are up front with Santa hats.

County Clerk Karen Lake-Maynard and her staff give the singers a round of applause.

The singers joined together in a larger group to sing at Hoag Library.

Return to top

From 3,000 pounds in 2010, food drive has grown each year

Photos by Tom Rivers

ALBION – FFA students including Natalie DiCureia, a senior, were at the school at 7 this morning to load 50-pound bags of cabbage and other heavy boxes of produce on to a tractor trailer.

The FFA collected 35,000 pounds of food that was delivered to Community Action on East State Street in Albion.

The 35,000 pounds is a new record for the FFA, passing the 33,000 pounds in 2016.

Since the first drive in 2010 with 3,000, the food drive has grown each year to 9,000 pounds in 2011, 17,000 the following year and 19,000 in December 2013. The FFA reached 27,000 pounds in 2014 and reached 30,000 for the first time in 2015.

Squash awaits being packed in smaller boxes during this morning’s food drive. FFA students reached out to farmers and they responded with donations.

FFA members Harrison Brown and Rylie Lear took the lead in contacting farmers.

Barry Flansburg, a member of the FFA Alumni, was among several graduates to pitch in this morning.

FFA students Bryce Pritchard, left, and Justin Robinson stack the produce on the tractor trailer outside the ag shop at Charles D’Amico High School.

FFA students Alexis Bentley and Melissa Robinson sort apples into crates.

These Albion graduates from 2017 – Emilie Barleben, left, and Emily Blanchard – returned to help with the big effort this morning.

Return to top

Photos by Tom Rivers

ALBION – Karli Henchen of the Albion FFA passes cans of sweet corn this morning when the FFA and community members unloaded 35,000 pounds of food donated by local farmers.

The Albion FFA has been organizing the food drive for about a decade and the 35,000 pounds set a new record.

FFA members were up early today packing up the produce, which was stacked on a tractor trailer owned by Panek Farms.

The food was delivered to Community Action on East State Street. The food was divvied up among eight food pantries in the county.

“This means the world to us,” said Annette Finch, director of community services for the agency. “I don’t have enough words to say what these young people have done for our community.”

Adam Krenning, the Albion FFA advisor, tosses a bag of potatoes to volunteers. Kenning said farmers continue to be generous to the annual drive.

The following donated to the effort:

Triple G Farms – Potatoes

Root Brothers – Cabbage

Kludt Brothers – Squash

Nesbitt Fruit Farm – Apples

Orchard Dale Fruit Farm – Apples

Kreher’s – Eggs

Martin Farms – Squash

Jeff Partyka – Apples

CY Farms – Onions

Starowitz Farms – Cabbage

Torrey Farms – Onions and Potatoes

Panek Family Farm – Green Beans and Corn

Robert Colby/ Colby Farms – Potatoes and Cabbage

Bittner Singer Orchards – Apples

Orleans County Farm Bureau- Hams

Mortellaro and Sons – Onions

Costanzo’s Bakery/ Dale Root – Bread

Adam Kirby – Apples

Navarra’s Greenhouses – Crates

Call Farms – Potatoes

Barry Flansburg, left, assists the FFA this morning. Garrett Derisley, the FFA president (center), passes a box of apples to Emilie Barleben, last year’s president. She is home on break from college and wanted to help this morning.

A line of volunteers, including Assemblyman Steve Hawley, unload the boxes.

Orleans Hub will post more pictures later today of the food drive.

Return to top

Photos by Tom Rivers

ALBION – The Albion Merchants Association has announced the winner of its window decorating contest. Serenity Tan at the corner of Main and East Bank streets won the competition.

Frontier Heating & Cooling came in a close second.

Many of the storefronts are decorated in the downtown, including the former Fischer’s News Stand. The spot was decorated by Snell Realtors.

Arnold’s Auto Parts

Krantz Furniture

Orleans Travel Bureau

Xpress Fitness

Tease

Return to top

Photos by Tom Rivers

ALBION – There are many fun activities scheduled today in downtown Albion for the annual Hometown Holidays event organized by the Albion Merchants Association. New this year is “Coffee with a Cop” at the Village Office form 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Albion police officers Daryl Robb, left, and Karol Hughes are shown chatting with Stan Farone, a village trustee. The Albion Dunkin Donuts donated the doughnuts and coffee for the event.

There are many activities on schedule until 4 p.m., with Santa stopping by the former Swan Library from 4:30 to 6 p.m.

Arianna McGurn, left, and her friend Logon Conlon are running the selfie photo station at the Village Office. They are both in ninth grade.

Lisa Stratton, owner of the Hazy Jade Gift Shop, is hosting a wine-tasting with Midgard Winery from Corfu. Michael Potoczak has several different wines available for tasting. Midgard will be back on March 3 for Albion’s annual wine tasting event.

Ariana Mateo, 12, and her sister Eva Mateo color in a Christmas-themed design at one of the stations at the Village Office.

Brushstrokes in Medina brought ornaments for children to paint. Kiri Keller, left, and Becca Lusk work on painting ornaments.

Return to top

Provided photo

ALBION – Albion police officers rang the bell for the Red Kettle today at the Tops Market. Proceeds from the Red Kettle go to Community Action to assist families in Orleans County.

Pictured from left include: Lt. Dave Mogle, Sgt. Brandon Annable, Officer Karol Hughes, Sgt. Gary VanWycke and Officer Daryl Robb.

The officers are members of the Albion Police Benevolent Association. They volunteered their time to assist the Red Kettle Campaign.

“The Albion Police Department and Albion Police P.B.A. hope that in some way they have helped a person in need,” said Roland Nenni, Albion police chief. “The job of police officers is to serve and protect. The term serve to a police officer can have many meanings. The Albion Police P.B.A. feels that to serve goes farther than just enforcing the law.”

Return to top

Photos by Tom Rivers

More than a hundred rocks, all decorated with Christmas messages and themes, were delivered today to residents of the Villages of Orleans Health and Rehabilitation Center in Albion.

Volunteers painted the rocks. Residents have been painting “kindness rocks” for the past six months, leaving them around Albion, hoping to lift the spirits of people who find them. The finders are urged to post photos of the rocks on the Albion NY Rocks Facebook page and then rehide the rocks somewhere else in the community.

Rachel Hefner of Albion holds one of the 37 rocks she painted with a Christmas theme for nursing home residents. She said she has painted 150 rocks since the summer and given them all away.

“I wanted to see somebody smile because I knew it would brighten their day,” she said.

This group delivered kindness rocks and also Christmas cards to residents of The of Villages today. They include, from left: Eli and Carly Gminski. Back row: Renee Ebbs, Rachel Hefner, Faye Smith, Lori Laine, Patti Mitchell and Jenny Gminski.

Gminski and her two children brought 120 cards to give to residents. They have also left about 200 rocks in the Holley area.

Patti Mitchell of Kent estimates she has painted 500 of the rocks since the summer. She also hides many of the rock in the community for other people who paint them.

“I’m the official rock hider,” she said.

She painted about 40 of the Christmas rocks for nursing home residents.

“It’s such an easy thing to do and it makes people so happy,” she said.

One of the rocks included the Grinch.

Lori Laine pushes a stroller full of rocks. Laine has been the lead organizer of the rock-painting effort in Albion.

She wants to keep it going in the winter, and would like to deliver more rocks to nursing homes and the VA.

“I’m just loving this,” she said about the popularity of the kindness rocks.

She handed many of the rocks to nursing home residents today and wished the residents a Merry Christmas.

Return to top