Photos by Tom Rivers

ALBION – The Flock of Uncles perform “The First Noel” during today’s concert at the First Presbyterian Church in Albion. The Uncles include the Smith brothers, from left: Calvin, Lucas and Oliver.

About 400 people attended the concert, which featured several Albion alumni musicians and current high school band and chorus students.

Today’s concert was organized by the Eastman at Albion Courthouse Square Committee and sponsored by Christopher-Mitchell Funeral Homes. The concert is a benefit Albion High School Alumni Foundation’s music scholarships.

The Flock of Uncles, with Oliver Smith at far right, sing “God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen.”

Alec Sherman sings “How Great Thou Art.”

Charlie Nesbitt, a member of the Eastman at Albion Courthouse Square Committee, welcomes a big crowd to the Presbyterian Church. This photo was taken from the balcony.

Joe Sacco sings “O, Holy Night” with Harriette Greaser accompanying. Sacco, an Eastman graduate, recently recorded a CD that was available for sale at the concert.

Other Albion graduates to perform in the concert include Marcy Downey and Gary Simboli. The crowd sang several sing-alongs during the concert.

Photos by Tom Rivers

ALBION – About 500 people are expected for three shows today of the sixth annual Nicholas Kovaleski Hometown Christmas. The top photo shows Rachel Curtin, principal of the Ronald L. Sodoma Elementary School, singing “Heaven Everywhere.”

She is among about 50 different performers today in the Hometown Christmas shows at the Holy Family Parish Lyceum.

Marcy Downey sings “Baby, It’s Cold Outisde” next to a cutout of Dean Martin.

There are 17 acts in the show, which is nearly two hours long.

Michayla Kovaleski and her mother Kelly sing a duet, “Hallelujah (Light Has Come)” during the noon show.

Hometown Christmas raises money for a memorial scholarship for Nicholas Kovaleski, who fought leukemia before passing away at age 15 on June 29, 2011. He was a popular student at Albion, excelling at football, swimming and tennis.

About $10,500 in scholarships in memory of Nicholas have been awarded to graduating Albion seniors. They write essays about community service and living with a purpose.

Mikayla Yaskulski, front, and Kate Krieger are part of a group that danced to the song, “Hello” by Adele. Many of the performers are dancers in the Gotta Dance by Miss Amy studio.

Rose Allen sings “Amazing Grace” to the crowd at the Lyceum.

Lauren Thomas dances to “Maybe I’m Amazed.” Michayla Kovaleski and Laiken Ricker also are in that group dance.

Photos by Tom Rivers

ALBION – The Friends of Hoag Library held its annual Tasty Treats fund-raiser on Thursday night with chocolate, cookies and other baked goods prepared by S-n-L Sweet Escapes owner Sarah Brigham.

The Friends raise about $2,500 each year to support library programs with most of those dollars raised from an ongoing sale of used books. Proceeds from the Tasty Treats event will be used to pay for a holiday party for library staff, trustees and volunteers.

The Friends contributed $12,500 to the construction of the new library. The group welcomes more volunteers, said President Mary Anne Braunbach. Stop by the library for more information about joining the Friends or click here.

Lily Brigham, daughter of the S-n-L owner, serves some of the treats to Kae Wilbert during Thursday’s event. Lily’s brother Sawyer also has a tray of goodies in back.

The Friends are also selling ornaments and coffee mugs with an image of the former Swan Library. The Hoag Library opened in July 2012.

File photos by Tom Rivers – Marcy Downey will be a featured performer on Sunday during a Christmas concert with Albion alumni and current high school music students.

ALBION Generations of hometown musicality will ring in the holiday season this Sunday as several Albion High School alumni take the stage in the annual community Christmas concert.

The event, organized by the Eastman at Albion Courthouse Square Committee and sponsored by Christopher-Mitchell Funeral Homes, benefits Albion High School Alumni Foundation’s music scholarships. It begins at 3 p.m. at Albion Presbyterian Church, 29 E. State St.

A range of famous and favorite Albion musicians are on the program, including Marcy Downey, Joe Sacco, Alec Sherman, Gary Simboli, and the brother-based group Flock of Uncles – this performance including three of the five Smiths: Oliver, Calvin and Lucas.

“This is a first-time, all-alumni group,” said Diane Palmer, concert coordinator. “It’s a chance to highlight some of our graduates. We have many wonderfully talented musicians in the alumni pool.”

Retired Albion teacher Alec Sherman sings “Somewhere Out There” with Megan Zambito, an elementary vocal teacher, last January during a concert to benefit a scholarship in memory of Wayne Burlison.

Several current Albion High School musicians will round out the concert on Sunday, including the flute and clarinet choirs, saxophone and brass ensembles, woodwind quartet, and select vocal groups. The audience will be invited to sing along for a portion of the program, as is tradition.

“This is a really popular concert,” Palmer said. “It’s an opportunity for the community to get together and kick off the holiday. It will be really festive.”

About 400 people typically attend the Christmas concert, now in its sixth year.

Tickets are available at Bloom’s Flower Shop and Bindings Bookstore (Albion), a lily and a sparrow (Medina), and Roxy’s Music Store (Batavia).

Photos by Tom Rivers

ALBION – When the snow comes his winter, blanketing the local landscape, sledders in the Albion area will see a new look at the Bullard Park sledding hill.

The village used dirt from the Clarendon Street bridge approaches to reshape the hill, shifting it from facing south to west. It will also have a gentler slope with hand railings and stairs on top.

The bridge was taken out this year and Keeler Construction, the contractor on that project, hauled dirt to the sledding hill.

Employees from the Village of Albion Department of Public Works and the Albion Town Highway Department worked together to assemble the stairs, welding the pieces together on Wednesday.

The sledding hill now faces west.

Photos by Tom Rivers

ALBION – Sophie Kozody, 4, of Medina shares her Christmas wish with Santa Claus this evening at Hoag Library when Santa visited with children for two hours.

Santa sang songs with the kids and also read them the story, Olaf’s Night Before Christmas. Santa encouraged the children to leave out milk and cookies on Christmas Eve.

Santa was happy to meet the kids. He gave them candy canes.

Adam Burlison of Albion has a red nose on while the group sang Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer. Santa made antlers for Adam in this photo.

Santa and Adam get the crowd involved in singing the song about Rudolph.

Provided photo – Rick Wartinger, manager of the Tops store in Albion, holds a turkey. The store again donated a Thanksgiving dinner for residents at the Martin-Linsin Residence in Albion.

Press Release
Hospice of Orleans

ALBION – Thanksgiving Day at the Martin-Linsin Hospice residence once again was celebrated with a freshly baked Thanksgiving dinner courtesy of Tops Friendly Markets.

Last year residents reported that the smell of freshly cooked turkey made it seem like a real traditional Thanksgiving even though they weren’t at home.

“These dinners are a testament to the compassion and generosity of area business such as Tops in supporting Hospice patients,” said Becky McAnn, Care Coordinator at the Residence. “They will certainly help make the day special for our patients.”

Tops District Manager Joe Salhab and Albion Store Manager Rick Wartinger both voiced their enthusiasm about the donation.

“We at Tops are pleased to be able to make this donation knowing that it will brighten the day for people who are not able to be cared for at home,” said Joe Salhab.

Rick Wartinger posed with a Tops turkey next to the Thanksgiving centerpieces to illustrate Tops commitment to providing the dinner.

The turkey dinner features a fully cooked turkey, herb stuffing, mashed potatoes, green bean casserole, turkey gravy, sweet potato casserole, cranberry orange relish and, of course, a pumpkin pie. Hospice personnel picked up the complimentary meal, valued at $74.99, around 11 a.m. on Thanksgiving Day, warmed it up for the recommended two hours, and served the waiting residents.

Photos by Tom Rivers

ALBION – Neal Muscarella, a mason from Albion, was out installing new memorial bricks at Hoag Library this morning.

The library has Muscarella swap out plain bricks with the engraved ones. He does it about twice a year when there are several new ones to add.

Friends of Hoag Library sells the bricks for $75. For more information, click here.

Photos by Tom Rivers

ALBION – Students and the LIFE LEAH homeschool co-operative packed shoeboxes for needy children in association with Operation Christmas Child, an international campaign to help those in need.

The top photo shows Hannah Holcomb, 14, of Brockport and Eli Sugar, 14, of Albion with shoeboxes that they filled on Friday with pencils, notebooks, soap, wash clothes, stuffed animals and other items.

The home schoolers filled 20 boxes that will be sent overseas to children.

Jayden Neal, 12, of Albion fills a shoebox. He was looking for a variety of items that were spread on tables inside the Faith Alliance Church. The students also wrote a note for each of the children receiving a box.

Betsy Holcomb of Brockport helped to organize the effort, which homeschoolers have worked on for the past seven years. She is pictured with her sons, Jack (left) and Jeremiah (blue shirt).

Photos by Tom Rivers

ALBION – A new sign was put up today on Route 98 across from the Don Davis car dealership that notes Albion is the home of Charles W. Howard and a Santa Claus School that still bears his name.

After Howard’s death in 1966, the school moved to Michigan. Howard remains a revered figure in the Santa Claus community for his efforts to establish standards for Santa’s wardrobe and interaction with the public.

The top photo shows Michael Neidert (right), an Albion Highway Department motor equipment operator, and Clarence Winkelmann, a volunteer with the Albion Betterment Committee.

The Betterment Committee worked with the Lonowood Art Company in Albion to create the sign.

The display will include a life-size cutout of Howard. That image will be added soon.

The sign is located on the property of Gil and Donna Wolcott.

Here is a vintage photo of Howard by the sign for his Santa School on Phipps Road near Route 31 in Albion. The new sign tries to replicate some of the detail on top of the sign.

Photos by Tom Rivers

ALBION – Dancers at the Gotta Dance by Miss Amy studio have been practicing for the upcoming Hometown Christmas show on Dec. 5. This group pictured is led by Gloria Lear.

There will be about 15 acts in the show, which will be the sixth annual benefit for the Nicholas Kovaleski scholarship. Nicholas fought leukemia before dying at age 15 on June 29, 2011. He was a popular student at Albion, excelling at football, swimming and tennis.

His father Jay Kovaleski said he appreciates the hard work from the participants in Hometown Christmas, which includes three shows: noon, 3 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. The shows will be at the Holy Family Lyceum at 106 South Main St.

“They’re all doing it for a great cause,” said Mr. Kovaleski, a teacher at Albion. “No one thinks twice.”

Amy Sidari, owner of the Gotta Dance studio, works with a group practicing a jazz dance for Hometown Christmas.

The Hometown Christmas shows draw about 500 people. Proceeds from the event go to the scholarship. About $10,500 has been awarded to graduating Albion seniors. They write essays about community service and living with a purpose.

Jay and his wife Kelly and Nicholas’s siblings look over the applications for the scholarships. They are looking for students who are committed to their families and community.

“It touches us to read them,” Mr. Kovaleski said.

Nicholas’s mother Kelly and sister Michayla will both perform in the Dec. 5 show. Nicholas’s brother Matthew will be part of back stage team. The oldest Kovaleski son, Thomas, 21, is in the Army at Fort Riley in Kansas.

Mr. Kovaleski appreciates the upbeat messages in the Christmas program, and some of the fun scenes, including skits by the Boy Scouts.

Michayla Kovaleski performs as the Sugar Plum in a dance from The Nutcracker during last year’s Hometown Christmas.

“Nicholas would want people to come and enjoy themselves,” Kovaleski said.

He appreciates the community’s generosity to the scholarship fund and the all of the effort in putting on Hometown Christmas.

“Christmas comes from the heart, and everyone has their heart in this,” he said.

Sidari said she welcomes donations of baskets and cookies for the benefit. For more information about the show, click here to see the Miss Amy website.