Photo by Tom Rivers: Lisa Stratton, owner of the Hazy Jade Gift Shop in Albion, is pictured with two of the wine bottle cutouts that will promote a wine-tasting event next month.

ALBION – The Albion Merchants Association has a new leader for 2017 and an expanded lineup of events to promote the downtown and community.

Lisa Stratton last month was elected by the membership to serve as president. She succeeds Adam Johnson, who led the group in 2016. Sarah Brigham also was elected as the vice president.

Brigham is the owner of S-n-L Sweet Escapes. She doesn’t have a storefront. She has a commercial kitchen at her home in Knowlesville.

Brigham has been active in the Merchants, and is taking the lead in planning the upcoming wine-tasting event on March 11. The “Sip and Stroll” wine-tasting had been in August but was moved up to better accommodate wineries.

“I don’t have a storefront but I want to see Albion grow,” Brigham said. “There is a lot of stuff going on in Albion. We just need people to come down and support it.”

Brigham and Stratton worked together to make two 8-foot-high cutouts of wine bottles to promote the wine-tasting event. Those signs will be placed on Main Street, with one planned for the routes 98 and 31 intersection and another a few blocks north of the canal. Stratton will keep an existing one by her store, the Hazy Jade Gift Shop.

Stratton will be celebrating the five-year anniversary of her store next month. She has been active with the Merchants Association for five years, but this is her first time leading the group as president.

“I just want to see our community thrive and our businesses succeed,” she said.

She has spearheaded the downtown flower effort, making sure there are flowers in planters and hanging baskets. She also organizes a group of volunteers who water them on weekends over the summer.

Photo courtesy of Lisa Stratton: Sarah Brigham, owner of S-n-L Sweet Escapes in Albion, paints a sign promoting the March 11 wine-tasting event in Albion.

Stratton is a regular at Village Board meetings and she has pressed the Village Board to establish a downtown rental subsidy for businesses that move into the downtown. Those funds could be combined with a rental subsidy through the Orleans Economic Development Agency to help a business cover the rent while the merchant gets established.

The more businesses in the downtown, the bigger a shopping destination Albion could become, with the businesses drawing traffic for each other, Stratton said.

She would like to see more specialty shops. She said the U-Need-O Burrito store, which opened last year on July 1, has been a welcome addition to Main Street.

Brigham said Stratton has strong support of the AMA’s 32 members.

“She promotes everywhere she goes and she gets things done,” Brigham said.

Some upcoming events for 2017 include: a 14411 Doors Tour on April 22, led by Tom Rivers and highlighting Albion architecture; May 20, community yard sale; flower planting in May; June 9-10, Strawberry Festival; July 10, Cycling the Erie Canal welcome booth; Aug. 12, community yard sale and sidewalk sales; Oct. 7, scarecrow contest and shopping tour; Oct. 27, Beggars’ Night; Nov. 25, Small Business Saturday; and Dec. 9, Hometown Holiday.

“The events bring people in the shops and see what we have to offer,” Stratton said.

The Merchants welcome more members and volunteers for the events. Check the group’s Facebook page for more information.

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Photos courtesy of Elliott Neidert

ALBION – The Orleans County Courthouse has been a striking landmark in Albion since 1858. The domed structure stands out, even when looking down from the sky.

On Tuesday evening, Elliott Neidert, an Albion student, sent up a drone to get some aerial photos of the Courthouse Square and Main Street.

The Albion Rotary Club is working on a Santa Claus-themed mural. (I am the current president of the Rotary Club. I asked Elliott to get some photos from the drone. We waited until there was some snow on the ground and wanted to show the community at dusk, so there was enough light to see the buildings during a night-time scene. I was also hoping for a dramatic sunset and last evening it all worked out.)

Charlie Howard is shown as Santa during a Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York City. Howard served as the Macy’s Santa for 18 years.

Our idea for the mural is to show Charlie Howard as Santa in a sleigh, looking down on Albion. We want to show Albion landmarks, such as the Courthouse, the churches and the downtown buildings. I’m also hoping we can include the former Santa School and Christmas Park in the mural.

The Rotary Club is waiting to hear if we’ve received a grant to help pay for the project. We also will likely need some community donations to cover the entire cost.

For now, I wanted to share these stunning images. Thank you, Elliott, for helping with this project.

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Provided photo, Albion Central School

An Albion student placed first on Saturday at the Zone 5 American Legion Oratorical Competition at Mount Morris. After winning that competition, Melissa Barnosky, a sophomore, has qualified for the state event on March 11 at Sand Creek Middle School in Albany.

Melissa, third from left, is pictured with Emily Blanchard of Albion who came in second on Saturday. They were escorted by local members of the American Legion including Commander Wally Skrypnik, left, and Adjutant Gary Beefus.

Melissa’s prepared speech was entitled, “Constitutional Rights and Responsibilities of American Citizens.” Emily’s speech was entitled, “The Future of Our Nation.”

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ALBION – The Albion Town Board praised Highway Superintendent Michael Neidert for securing two grants, one that will replace a small bridge on Clarendon Road and the other will pay most of the cost for a new single-axle truck.

Neidert and the board discussed the grants during the Town Board meeting on Monday.

A $174,000 grant will pay 100 percent of the cost to replace a small bridge on Clarendon Road over West Branch Sandy Creek. The bridge is about 14 feet long, Neidert said.

He applied for the funding through a $200 million bridge rehabilitation program announced last July by Gov. Andrew Cuomo. Last month, Cuomo announced the money was approved for the bridge.

“I just want to congratulate you for applying and following through for something that is of no real cost to the town,” Town Supervisor Matt Passarell told Neidert.

The other board members gave the highway superintendent a round of applause.

The board also approved hiring Chatfield Engineers in Rochester to do the engineering work on the project, including preparing bid specifications, at a cost of $27,936. That cost is also covered by the grant.

Neidert had hoped the project could be completed this summer. He wants to do it while school is out of session because Clarendon Road is a busy road leading to the school.

It doesn’t look like the project will be ready to go in time for this summer, so Neidert said construction will likely be in the summer 2018. It is estimated to take 4 to 6 weeks to replace the bridge.

The town has also been approved for a $50,000 grant from State Sen. Robert Ortt through the State & Municipal Facilities Capital Program (SAM). Those funds will go towards the $80,000 cost to replace a single-axle truck

That truck won’t have plow equipment but will be useful for many projects, Neidert said.

It replaces a truck from 1993. That truck has been sold for $6,900, and proceeds from the sale will go towards the new truck’s cost.

• In other highway department issues, the board approved allowing the county and Rick Stacey, owner of the former Apollo Restaurant site in Albion, to tap into the town sewer line on Route 31. The county and Stacey are paying to bore under Route 31 and tap into the line.

• The board also approved a five-year shared service agreement with the county where both entities will document how they share equipment and manpower. Neidert said the highway departments have been sharing resources for at least 20 years, but haven’t necessarily been writing it all down. Having the documentation will allow the local municipalities to prove to Gov. Cuomo just how much the municipalities do share equipment and manpower for projects. Cuomo has said there are too many local governments in the state, and that they don’t share pavers, and other costly highway equipment.

Neidert said there has long been a spirit of cooperation locally among the highway departments at the village, town and county levels.

• The board also set 7 p.m. on March 13 for a public hearing on a local law allowing games of chance by permitted organizations within the town.

The local law is needed for the American Legion to do pull-tabs. The Legion used to get the annual permit through the village, but the organization has moved outside the village to the former Pap Pap’s Par 3 golf course on Gaines Basin Road.

• The board also agreed to a four-year lease with Toshiba where the town will pay $93.57 monthly for use of a new copier.

Photo by Tom Rivers: A marching band heads down Main Street during the Strawberry Festival last June. This year’s festival will be June 9-10.

ALBION – The Albion Town Board, which for the first time in 2015 started setting aside town funds to support the Strawberry Festival, agreed on Monday to contribute $4,000 to the two-day event in June.

That $4,000 is a boost from the $3,000 from the town the past two years. The town funds will go towards the cost of bringing in some of the marching bands for the parade on June 10.

“We’re very grateful,” Michael Bonafede, the festival committee chairman, told the Town Board when it approved the funding on Monday. “That would be so helpful.”

The volunteer-run festival operates on a $22,000 budget, which mostly goes to bringing in entertainment, including the marching bands.

The town funds will cover most of the $4,450 expense for bringing in five popular marching bands: The Hitmen, Mighty St. Joe’s, the Buffalo Stampede, Pembroke Dragons and the Scottish Pipes.

Bonafede said the festival is focused on showcasing Albion, and providing wholesome family entertainment.

This year’s festival will have a Santa theme in honor of Charles Howard, the Albion resident who ran a Santa School in Albion from 1937 to 1966. Howard also served as the Santa in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade for 18 years. He remains revered among people who portray Santa for establishing standards in how to act and dress as Santa.

Bonafede said he is hopeful there will be many local floats in the parade with a Santa theme, as well as other activities celebrating Howard. Bonafede said the festival committee also wanted to highlight the effort by the Albion Betterment Committee to have a bronze statue on Main Street in honor of Howard.

The festival has many activities, from a food court, craft vendors, a classic car show, turtle race, trout pond, 5k and 8k race, and a record number of business booths in 2016. Last year a chalk art festival also debuted. Bonafede said the committee is working to add a wooden boat fleet this year.

The committee welcomes more volunteers to help put on the event. For more information, check the festival’s website by clicking here.

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Photos by Tom Rivers: Kyle Webb is pictured with his daughter, Elaina, after Make-A-Wish had a new playground built for the family in their backyard. Elaina passed away Feb. 7 from cancer.

ALBION – A group of singers and dancers from the Albion community will perform in a benefit concert this Saturday at 3 p.m. Proceeds from the event will go to Elaina Webb’s family.

Elaina fought cancer for nine months. She passed away on Feb. 7 at age 2 ½. Her mother Beth Webb was a long-time dance instructor at Gotta Dance by Miss Amy.

The studio’s owner, Amy Sidari, organized the benefit concert for Saturday at the First Baptist Church, 30 West Park St.

“I want the Webb family to know that we love them,” Sidari said.

The lineup of performers include dancers from Gotta Dance, professional singer Marcy Downey, Albion High School Chorus Director Gary Simboli, the men and women’s select choirs at the school, and soloists Angela Tarricone, Evan Steier and Riley Seielstad, as well as Abel Zavitz of Medina. Kelly Kovaleski, who lost her son Nicholas to cancer, also will share a message.

The church has made some improvements for the performance, including putting in a new railing in the balcony so that space can be used. The balcony had been closed, but local contractor Jim Babcock put in the new railing, which stretches 40 feet. Babcock and his wife Linda also removed 85-year-old tattered carpet from the steps leading to the balcony, and painted the steps.

The church also opened up the platform in front, so performers have more space with fewer obstructions.

Aleka Schmidt, the church’s pastor, said she is pleased to see the church be used for a performance with a focus on “hope and love.”

She would like to see more community concerts and events at the church in the future.

A new railing has made it possible for the First Baptist Church to reopen its balcony. This group includes, from left, Aleka Schmidt, Amy Sidari and Jim Babcock.

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Photos by Tom Rivers

ALBION – Eric Flugel dances with his daughter Autumn during the 19^th annual Father-Daughter Dance this evening at the Ronald L. Sodoma Elementary School.

The event was attended by about 250 people, the largest crowd in the event’s history. Only once before did the event top 200 people. Harvest Christian Fellowship in Albion organizes the annual dance held on the Friday near Valentine’s Day.

Nate Varland of Batavia attended the dance with his daughter, Abigail, 4.

Kevin Lemcke of Albion dances with his daughter, Keira, 6.

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File photo by Tom Rivers: The Village Board would like to see most of this grassy area on Main Street, next to the First Presbyterian Church, be made into a parking lot.

ALBION – The Village Board wants to see some progress on a new parking lot on Main Street.

The village owns the land that was used for a restaurant until the building was taken down about five years ago. The site is right next to the First Presbyterian Church.

Paving most of the vacant spot for parking would create 17 spaces for vehicles, said Todd Sargent, the Albion DPW superintendent.

The project will take some work because there needs to be a retaining wall between the church and the parking lot, Sargent said. The site also needs some excavation, with a base and then pavement.

Mayor Dean London and Trustee Stan Farone asked Sargent to have cost estimates for the project for the Feb.22 Village Board meeting.

In other action during Wednesday’s Village Board meeting:

• The board authorized village attorney John Gavenda to send a letter to the Town of Barre, asking the town to have Albion supply water for Barre’s Water District No. 8 for 38 years. The village currently supplies the water for Barre’s water districts.

In the past, when the village has agreed to provide water for districts in towns, there wasn’t a 38-year commitment. But the US Department of Agriculture, which is providing a low-interest loan for the water district, would like to see the 38-year commitment. The USDA is providing financing for the district to be paid over 38 years.

London said he supports the long-term deal by the village for providing water. Albion has been trying to get towns that receive village water to make long-term commitments for village water.

• Sargent, the DPW superintendent, said he is working on two grants to help the village plant more trees. The urban forestry grants can also help communities assess the conditions of their trees and develop a plan for maintenance and planting new trees.

• Farone, a member of Energize Albion, welcomed the community to attend a Feb. 18 event at Bullard Park. The “Bonfire at Bullard” event includes a sledding distance contest at 3 p.m., snowboarding distance contest at 3:30 p.m., snowman building contest judging beginning at 4 p.m., and lighting of bonfire at 6 p.m. There will also be food vendors at the park from 4 to 7 p.m.

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Photos by Tom Rivers: The District Office will be upgraded instead of being relocated to the middle school.

ALBION – The Board of Education accepted nearly $10 million in bids from contractors on Monday, with projects touching all three school buildings, the bus garage and athletic facilities.

The projects are part of a $14,370,548 capital project that is 91 percent covered by state funds. District residents approved the capital project on May 19, 2015 by a vote of 313-55.

Contractors last summer worked on roofs that were part of the first phase of the capital project. This year the majority of the overall project will take place.

The Board of Education on Monday approved $8,080,100 in base bids, with alternates pushing the total closer to $9.75 million.

The approved base bids include: DiFiore Construction of Rochester, $1,314,200 for site work; Willett Builders of Amherst, $272,500 for plumbing; Holdsworth Klimowski Construction of Victor, $3,713,000 for general construction; Marc Cerrone Inc. of Niagara Falls, $847,000 for environmental; Bell Mechanical Contractors in East Rochester, $514,400 for HVAC/mechanical; and Suburban Electric of Albion, $1,419,000 for electric.

Albion had some wiggle room for alternates, but not enough to tackle a full list of desired projects. The Board of Education on Monday debated which projects would go forward and which would be scrapped, for now.

The Board of Education opted against a snow melt system for the sidewalk under the front canopy of the elementary school.

The board decided to spend about $300,000 for a new dehumidifier for the swimming pool at the middle school. The dehumidifier should last 15-20 years and improve the air quality and comfort level in the room.

The Board weighed the dehumidifier versus spending $281,000 for a snow melt system under the canopy by the front entrance of the elementary school.

Contractors would have to rip out the sidewalks to install the system, and then put down new concrete, said Kirk Narburgh, managing partner and CEO of King + King Architects in Syracuse. (Narburgh also is an Albion graduate.)

The snow melt system would reduce some rock salt expense and could possibly prevent a workers’ compensation claim, said Shawn Liddle, the district’s assistant superintendent for business.

“It would be something that would be nice to have,” he said.

But some board members see the pool as a more pressing priority.

“It seems like when it comes to the pool we just do whatever we can to get by,” said Marlene Seielstad, a board member.

She said the district has “scrimped by” with the pool while “putting hundreds of thousands and millions into other athletic facilities.”

The district also has the option to fix the existing pool dehumidifier for about $55,000, and possibly get another five years out of it. The new system will be larger than the current one, and have more controls for when the pool is being used and when it’s unoccupied. The board decided to go with the big dehumidifier for $300,000.

Margy Brown, the board president, said the pool is used year-round by community members, and many students take swim classes for gym, in addition to the school’s swim teams using the site.

The board also decided against relocating the district office to the middle school, which would have required a million-dollar renovation. The district office will stay at the back of the elementary school, and will get new windows and HVAC upgrades.

The board decided to hold off on replacing the lockers in the high school.

When the district presented the capital project to the community about two years ago, new lockers in the high school were listed among the improvements. There are currently 1,200 lockers that are 9 inches wide.

The district considered replacing them with fewer lockers that would be a foot wide. That would cost $187,000.

District officials said few students use the narrow lockers. But a poll of students showed the new lockers probably wouldn’t get much use, either.

High schoolers are on a block schedule with four classes a day. Most students carry their books in backpacks throughout the day. The board decided against an overhaul of the lockers.

The work approved on Monday as part of phase two of the capital project includes:

District-wide: fire alarm updates and exterior door exit lighting with a generator.

Elementary School: (1956 section) new branch piping with heat, (1956 section) asbestos removal in the crawl space, (1956 section) asbestos removal in ceilings, (1956 section) teaching walls update, relocation of flag pole, main entrance surfacing and radiant heat, pencil post covers, solar shading system on the new wing (south), and additional site lighting (north).

Middle School: upper loading zone sidewalk, site lighting, new windows with the addition done in 2000, chimney work, and HVAC replacement for the pool.

High School: Library renovation and central boiler replacement.

Bus Garage: site lighting, oil separator replacement and floor drains wash bay.

Grounds: football drainage, track surfacing, baseball drainage, dugout foundations, stadium lighting refresh, stadium emergency lights, and underground storage tank removal.

The phase two improvements are scheduled for this year with the bulk of the work over the summer. The district still has about $1 million remaining in the capital project for milling and paving. That is planned for 2018. The district didn’t want to do that while heavy equipment from construction companies was on campus this year.

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Photos by Tom Rivers: Jenny Johnston holds a portrait of her son, Jason, after it was presented to the family on July 27, 2015 by the Patriot Guard Riders.

ALBION – The Albion Board of Education approved a new scholarship on Monday that will honor the memory of Jason Johnston, the only soldier from Orleans County killed in combat in Afghanistan.

Johnston was 24 when he was killed on Dec. 26, 2009 in Arghandab, Afghanistan. He died from wounds sustained when insurgents attacked his unit with an improvised explosive device.

Spc. Johnston was assigned to 2nd Battalion, 508th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, Fort Bragg, N.C.

Jason was active in the Explorer program through the Albion Fire Department. His father Brad was an active leader with the youth explorer program, and Jason’s mother Jenny also volunteered with the Fire Department.

The scholarship will be $1,000 annually. It is being funded by the Albion Elks Riders with Tim Keller and Mike Reigle leading the effort. (The Elks Riders have an annual ride in Johnston’s memory in August.)

The scholarship will be awarded to a graduating senior pursuing a career where they can help others, such as a nurse, doctor, firefighter, counselor or other social services.

“The recipient of the award should be of good character, show dedication, effort and potential while working to the best of their,” according to a description of the scholarship provided by the Elks.

“Specialist Johnston believed in the Golden Rule – ‘Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.’”

Albion High School students line East Avenue in front of the school during the funeral procession for Jason Johnston on Jan. 5, 2010.

Scholarship applicants need to write an essay about why they believe in the Golden Rule and how they have demonstrated this belief in his or her life.

The $1,000 scholarship will be presented at class night with funds awarded after successful completion of first semester in college.

The Board of Education on Monday also approved a change in an annual $1,500 scholarship in memory of Robert Van Deusen, a former primary school principal in Albion who passed away at age 91 on Sept. 26, 2016. The scholarship was started in 1983. It will now continue through the Albion Alumni Foundation rather than being managed by the school district. The scholarship is awarded to a student who worked with young children, perhaps through Scouting. The scholarship winner needs to be working towards a career in human services, such as teaching or nursing.

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Photos by Tom Rivers

ALBION – Hoag Library this morning unveiled a plaque naming the children’s library in honor of Helen Rice Blissett. Her son, Dale Blissett, is pictured after the plaque was unveiled this morning.

Mr. Blissett donated $75,000 to have the children’s library named in his mother’s honor and also to support children’s programs at Hoag.

“It will be enriching the little kids’ lives for years to come,” he said during a dedication program.

Blissett is a retired Oakfield-Alabama science teacher. He lives in Albion and stops by the Hoag Library two or three times most weeks. He sees how busy the library, a site that opened in July 2012, has become.

“It’s nice to see little kids who are 2 or 3 come down and say, ‘I’m going to read a book,’” Blissett said.

Aurora Fink, 2 ½ of Bergen, looks over a book in the children’s library today. Her grandmother, Barb Kyler, works as assistant to the library director.

Dale Blissett and Library Director Betty Sue Miller, right, welcome people to the dedication of the children’s library. It’s the last room to have the naming rights claimed in the library, which opened in July 2012.

The library handed out buttons today in honor of the Helen Rice Blissett Children’s Library.

Mrs. Blissett passed away in 1999. Her son said she had an “infectious smile” and loved children.

Helen Blissett and her husband John both worked at Delco in Rochester. They moved into the village after running a farm on Hindsburg Road in Clarendon.

Their son, Dale, spent a lot of time at Swan Library as a kid, and books about science and geography opened his mind, and led him to pursue a career as a science teacher at Oakfield-Alabama.

Some of the money from Blissett will go towards paying down the mortgage on the building, and some of the funds will be dedicated to children’s programming, said Kevin Doherty, president of the library board of trustees.

Hoag is working on refinancing the mortgage, which is currently $1.4 million with a variable rate through Farm Credit. Doherty said the library is looking for a fixed rate over 20 years.

Doherty thanked Blissett for the donation, saying it was particularly meaningful coming from “a regular patron who see’s what’s going on in the library.”

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File photo by Tom Rivers: The Villages of Orleans Health and Rehabilitation Center, which became privately owned on Jan. 1, 2015, was added to the tax rolls for the first time in 2015 at a $6,618,900 assessment. An acting State Supreme Court justice reduced the assessment to $5 million after a challenge by the new owners.

(Editor’s Note: Orleans Hub is a little late reporting the assessment legal fight for the former county-owned nursing home in Albion, but we wanted to let the community know how the issue played out in court.)

ALBION – When the former county-owned nursing home went on the tax rolls for the first time in 2015, the site was assessed for a $6,618,900.

Comprehensive Healthcare Management Services LLC paid $7.8 million on for the 120-bed Villages of Orleans Health and Rehabilitation Center on Route 31 in Albion. The sale was effective on Jan. 1, 2015.

The new owners filed a challenge to the assessment, saying the site should be valued at $2.5 million.

The site is just outside the Village of Albion so Comprehensive is spared paying the village tax rate of $17.66 per $1,000 of assessed property.

However, it pays $31.44 per $1,000 cumulative for the other tax rates (Town of Albion, $4.04; Albion Central School, $15.43; Orleans County, $9.77; Hoag Library, $1.27; and for fire protection, 93 cents).

Every $1 million in assessment accounts for $31,440 in taxes. A $6,618,900 assessment would result in a $208,098 tax bill for the nursing home owners.

The owners and the Town of Albion, which determines the assessment, reached a settlement putting the value at $5 million. Judge James Punch, acting Supreme Court justice, approved the settlement with an order signed July 15, 2016.

The settlement sets the assessment at $5 million for six years, going back to 2015-16, and keeping the value at $5 million until 2020-21, unless Comprehensive does more than $500,000 in improvements to the property.

The settlement saves Comprehensive $50,898 in taxes annually, based on a combined rate of $31.44. The taxing jurisdictions will receive $157,200 each year. When the site was owned by the county, it didn’t generate any tax revenues for the local governments.

In Medina, Orchard Manor had been tax exempt until it was acquired by Global Health Care in 2012. Orchard Manor Rehabilitation and Nursing Center on Bates Road was owned by Medina Memorial Hospital.

The site sold for $4.1 million and assessors determined that was the assessed value for 160-bed facility.

The new owners filed a tax challenge, saying assessment should be $410,000. Global Health pays about $225,000 in property taxes with a combined tax rate of about $55 per $1,000 of assessed property, which includes a $17.66 rate for being in the Village of Medina.

Global, however, has withdrawn the assessment challenge and is paying taxes on a property assessed at $4.1 million.

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Benefit planned for Saturday at Elks to assist Carr family

Provided photo: The Albion Lions Club last Friday presented a $1,000 check to Fonda and Don Carr of Barre. Lions Club President Mary Janet Sahukar, right, and Lions member Dale Brooks presented the check.

ALBION – Fonda and Don Carr said they continue to be overwhelmed by the generosity of the community following an early morning explosion at their home in Barre on Christmas.

The couple feels lucky to have escaped without serious injuries. Their house on Wilkins Road was engulfed in flames at about 4 in the morning.

The Carrs lost all of their possessions. The community has responded, giving more than $25,000 through a GoFundMe, and making other donations. The Albion Lions Club on Friday gave the Carrs a check for $1,000.

This Saturday, a chicken barbecue and basket raffle with four bands performing will be from 4 to 10 p.m. at the Elks Club, 428 West State St. The event will provide additional support for the Carr family, who did have homeowners’ insurance.

Mrs. Carr, a long-time substitute teacher for Albion and Medina, and Mr. Carr, a retired mechanic and operator from Iroquois Rock Products in Brockport, are staying in an apartment in Albion.

They are eager to rebuild at their property in Barre. The site needs to be cleared before a house can be built.

Provided photo: Fire broke out on Christmas, destroying the home of Fonda and Donald Carr at 4760 Wilkins Rd.

“People have been absolutely wonderful,” Mrs. Carr said. “Both of us are overwhelmed with the generosity, and the love and support that have been shown to us.”

The four bands performing on Saturday include The Who Dats, Eagle Creek, Chris Moore and Distant View.

Many people have also contributed to the baskets that will be up for raffle.

“I hope someday we can repay the favor,” Mrs. Carr said. “It’s a wonderful community we’re in. We’re very grateful for our family, friends and people we don’t even know who have helped us.”

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