By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 7 June 2024 at 1:41 pm
Photos by Tom Rivers
ALBION – Jay Santillo has fried dough and funnel cakes ready at the Santillo’s concessions stand at the Strawberry Festival. Santillo’s has been a vendor at the Strawberry Fest for about 15 years. They come from Prattsburgh. They also have blooming onions, sausage and lemonade.
“We love the Strawberry Fest,” Santillo said the Albion event.
He didn’t mind a little rain around noon.
“The weather doesn’t bother us,” he said. “We’re here for the people.”
Scott Mann of Mann vs. Food in Albion checks the pork belly burnt ends in the smoker. Mann started a food vendor at the Strawberry Festival in 2019. Last year he sold out of everything.
He has scaled back his events this year, but didn’t want to miss the local festival.
“It’s our hometown,” he said.
Bob Renko of Kendall has been a vendor at the Strawberry Festival for about a dozen years. He is at his concessions stand in the food court with his wife Cathy. Renko, 78, owns Renko’s Meat Processing.
He has reduced his schedule this year, but like Mann, kept the Strawberry Fest on the short list.
Today’s schedule includes:
Food court and craft booths open from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Family Fun Center open from 3 to 8 p.m. with “I Got It!” and face painting, Jeff Mann Drums, bounce houses, caricatures, trackless train and other kids’ games.
Chicken barbecue and strawberry social from 4 to 6:30 p.m.
Sky Cats band from 4 to 6:30 p.m. at food court
Kendall Community Band from 5 to 7 p.m. at courthouse
Triple Play band from 6 to 8:30 p.m. at food court
Ryan Klatt Duo from 7 to 9 p.m. on Main Street at Marti’s on Main art gallery
Click here to see the schedule for Saturday, including the parade at 10 a.m.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 7 June 2024 at 11:02 am
Albion students urged to be responsible, show care for each other during season of prom, grad parties
Photos by Tom Rivers
ALBION – Firefighters and medics tend to Alonzo Figueroa Fuentes, an Albion senior in a DWI crash simulation this morning outside the high school. Fuentes was removed from the vehicle with cutting tools and then placed on a stretcher and taken by ambulance.
The simulation was before the senior prom this evening at Hickory Ridge Country Club.
Local first responders and the high school wanted to show what could be the tragic results of driving while drunk, distracted or overly tired. The time from Memorial Day to Labor Day is considered the “100 most deadliest days” for driving, with many high schoolers and young adults out late at parties.
Jackie Santiago Garcia, an Albion senior, wore a formal gown and makeup to look bloodied. She checks on a friend in one of the smashed up vehicles.
Willem De Ruysscher, in back, checks on Gina Sidari who was splayed on the front hood.
Dominick Sidari, an Albion firefighter, checks on Jackie Santiago Garcia during the simulation. She was treated for a wound to her arm.
Albion firefighters have helped with the simulation on the day of the prom for many years. Albion firefighter Pete Sidari told students that firefighters respond to many serious car accidents each year.
Cory Martindale, a deputy with the Orleans County Sheriff’s Department, administers a breathalzyer to Willem De Ruysscher after he struggled to walk in a straight line.
Amy Sidari, mother of Gina Sidari, is overcome seeing her daughter lying on the car. Gina in the simulation was pronounced deceased by County Coroner Scott Schmidt, who was assisted by Paula Fuller, a funeral director with Mitchell Family Cremations and Funerals.
After the accident simulation, there was a court proceeding at the LGI in the high school. About 100 students saw Willem De Ruysscher be arraigned and then sentenced by Albion Town Justice Joe Fuller to 12 to 15 years in state prison for first-degree vehicular manslaughter and aggravated unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle. De Ruysscher also had his license revoked and was ordered to have no contact with the Sidari family.
District Attorney Joe Cardone, standing next to De Ruysscher, said that although De Ruysscher has no prior criminal background, and has shown remorse, a fatal accident from drunk driving will affect his life forever and result in incarceration.
Assistant District Attorney Susan Howard acted as the prosecutor and said the crime warrants substantial incarceration.
“This inflicted dire consequences on everyone involved,” Howard said.
Mary Wright, a prevention education with UConnectCare (formerly GCASA), discussed “Red Watch Bands” which were given to the students to remind them about the dangers of binge drinking.
Boys (men) are in danger of losing consciousness if they have five or more alcoholic drinks in two hours, while girls (women) could suffer alcohol poisoning with four or more drinks within two hours.
Wright urged the group to look after each other, and call for help immediately if they see someone who is vomiting from alcohol, or if they don’t respond when shouted at, if they have very slow breathing, can’t stand up, have pale/bluish skin or an irregular/slow pulse.
“Have a culture of respect and care because that is someone’s child and loved one,” Wright said. “We are a community here. We love each other. We want to take care of each other.”
File photo by Tom Rivers: Maison Albion has ornaments made in the likeness of the building at 13800 County House Rd., formerly known as The Pillars.
ALBION – Maison Albion, the luxurious events venue housed in a historic Victorian mansion, today announced the launch of its first Artist in Residence program.
Beginning Feb. 1 through March 29, 2025, the program will provide an unparalleled creative retreat for professional artists across a variety of disciplines.
The Artist in Residence program welcomes applications from professional and emerging artists within literature, visual arts, music composition, performance art, film, and more. In exchange for the invaluable creative time, artists will be requested to gift one original piece of work inspired by their experience at Maison Albion.
“We are honored to open the exceptional Maison Albion estate as a creative sanctuary for artists from all nations and backgrounds,” said Kerri Glover, Maison Albion’s owner. “This program reflects our deep respect for the arts and our commitment to fostering an environment where creative brilliance can flourish.”
As long-standing patrons of the arts, the owners of Maison Albion are thrilled to support the creative process by offering residencies that provide world-class accommodations, exceptional amenities, and a richly inspiring environment. Selected artists will enjoy a transformative experience with:
1 to 3 week residency options in well-appointed double rooms
Complimentary housekeeping services and grocery provisions
24/7 access to a historic mansion, 7 acres of gardens, an open studio/piano space
Full use of a screening room, billiards room, library and sitting rooms
Courtesy transportation from airports and train stations
Inclusive excellence remains a core value, and Maison Albion encourages applications from underrepresented groups. Prospective artists can find full details and apply online (click here) by Oct. 1, 2024. Questions may be directed to Kerri Glover at bonjour@maisonalbion.com.
About Maison Albion
Maison Albion is a 1878 mansion features a breathtaking ballroom and parklike grounds reminiscent of a late 19th century French estate. Close to Buffalo, Rochester, Toronto, and New York City, but located in the quaintest town of Albion, New York, you will find the most magical wedding and event venue. With elegant interiors and lush gardens, the historic estate provides an exceptional backdrop for life’s most meaningful celebrations and creative pursuits.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 6 June 2024 at 9:02 am
New basketball courts will host 3-on-3 tournament on Saturday
Photo by Tom Rivers: These two play a pickup game last month on the new basketball courts at Bullard Park. The courts have been busy since they opened last October.
ALBION – The new basketball courts at Bullard Park will host a 3-on-3 youth basketball tournament on Saturday during the Strawberry Festival.
There will be trophies for winning teams, and T-shirts for all participants. The cost is $20 per player, and the tourney is open to boys and girls ages 9 to 18. The deadline to register is 10 p.m. on Friday. Click here for more information or email Susan Oschmann, tournament organizer, at susanoschmann@gmail.com.
This is the first tournament on the new courts, which opened last October. Last year the tourney was held during the festival on a closed off section of Main Street, between Bank Street and Beaver Alley.
The tournament is part of a fundraising push for lighting and fencing for the new basketball courts, and also to add two pickleball courts. There currently is fencing on the south side facing East Avenue.
The basketball courts also were intended to be used for pickleball, with a portable net brought out. But the courts are consistently in demand for basketball, making it a challenge for pickleball players.
“The courts are always packed and hard to get on to play basketball let alone pickleball,” said Oschmann, who is chairwoman of the Bounce for Bullard effort.
The Greater Albion Community Recreation and Events, Inc., a non-profit organization, has received a grant to pay for the pickleball posts and nets. The G-ACRE group is trying to raise about $45,000 for the lights, fencing, benches and pickleball courts. It has a GoFundMe for people to donate.
Once the Bullard courts are complete, Greater Albion Community Recreation and Events wants to work to install smaller quarter courts in the “pocket parks” in the village.
“We believe that having basketball facilities in these parks is vital for the well-being and recreation of our community members,” Oschmann said. “Both children and adults can benefit from the joy and camaraderie that playing basketball brings.”
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 5 June 2024 at 9:18 pm
Photos by Tom Rivers
ALBION – Jim Aina, left, and Mike Rutkowski of the band Carlton Station opened the Village of Albion Summer Concert Series this evening at the amphitheater at Bullard Park.
Albion will have concerts 11 Wednesdays and all will be at Bullard Park this year, after some of the concerts have been by the canal and in the downtown in recent years.
The concerts are mainly funded with state arts money that is administered by the Genesee-Orleans Regional Arts Council. Bidleman Ford also is a sponsor of the concerts this year.
The events include food and beverage vendors. This evening there was the Albion Masonic Lodge, Wild Flour Deli & Bakery, and Last Call Cocktail Co.
Carlton Station’s Jim Aina and Mike Rutkowski performed on the amphitheater while people brought lawn chairs to the park. Chris Moore followed Carlton Station on the stage this evening.
The concerts are from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m., except on July 3 when there are two bands performing from 4:30 to 8:30 p.m.
The lineup for the rest of the year includes:
June 12: Albion Jazz Band
June 19: Triple Play
June 26: Highway 31
July 3: Ryan and Company from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m., Who Dats from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m.
July 10: Soul Street
July 17: Zackstreet Boys
July 24: Grupo IFE
July 31: Savage Cabbage
Aug. 7: Shot Gun Pauly
Aug. 14: Eclipse
Aug. 21 and Aug. 28: rain dates
The spray park was popular this evening at Bullard, providing some relief on a warm day.
Other concert series in Orleans will be getting started soon.
The Yates Community Library’s Concerts on the Lawn is on Mondays from June 24 to Aug. 26.
The Oak Orchard Neighborhood Association has concerts on Tuesdays at the Orleans County Marine Park from June 25 to July 30 (with Aug. 6 and Aug. 13 as rain dates).
Medina’s Blue Thursdays are at State Street Park on Thursdays from June 20 to Aug. 8.
The Village of Holley’s Concerts at the Gazebo are Fridays from July 5 to August. 23.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 3 June 2024 at 11:17 am
Photo by Tom Rivers
ALBION – The Albion Rotary Club has awarded $3,000 in scholarships to graduating seniors. Pictured, from left, include Meganne Moore and Jackie Santiago Garcia. Missing from photo is Gina Sidari, who was unable to attend last Thursday’s Rotary meeting at the Tavern on the Ridge.
Meganne Moore won the Dick Eddy “Service Above Self” Scholarship, a $1,250 award that is given to a student committed to community service and leadership, and who displays high potential for future accomplishment.
Meganne is the class valedictorian. She also earned her associate’s degree from Genesee Community College last month. She has been involved in student government and is the current class treasurer. She also competed in cross country, swimming and track, and has been a member of the concert band and marching band.
Meganne also is in Rotary Interact, mock trial, National Honor Society, select chorus, and has been active in 4-H. She will be attending Geneseo State College this fall working towards a career goal of becoming a wildlife veterinarian.
Gina Sidari
Gina Sidari won the $1,250 Edward Archbald Memorial Scholarship, given to a senior who shares Archbald’s love of sports, recreational activities, community service and work experience.
Gina has run cross country and competed in swimming and track, while also being involved in student government as an officer, band, FFA, National Honor Society, mock trial and Rotary Interact.
Gina also is going to Geneseo with a goal to be a veterinarian working with small and large animals.
Jackie Santiago Garcia was awarded the $500 Rotary Career Advancement Prize for a senior committed to community service, school activities and work experience. Jackie has played soccer and tennis for Albion, and has been in the drama club, diversity club, National Honor Society, Latin Club, Interact and FFA. She also earned her degree from GCC last month.
She will be attending Brockport State College and working towards a career goal of becoming an immigration lawyer.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 3 June 2024 at 10:24 am
Photos by Tom Rivers
BATAVIA – Jami Allport, executive director of the Genesee-Orleans Ministry of Concern, speaks to about 130 people on Saturday night during a black tie gala for “The Agency of Last Resort.”
The Ministry of Concern started a gala benefit in 2019 to raise funds for the agency and expand its base of supporters.
The Ministry of Concern has expanded its services for people in need, including reaching out to those who are homeless or in danger of becoming homeless.
GOMOC in late March moved into its new offices in the First Presbyterian Church of Albion after 15 years at the Albion Visitor’s Center on the third floor at 121 North Main St.
The Buffalo party band, Captain Tom and the Hooligans, provided high-energy music for the evening. Trevor Jennings, an Albion, is drummer for the band that plays polka, Celtic folk, folk rock and other genres.
These interns, Micky Stowell (left) and Abigail Kinkaid, pull the tickets and announce the winners for about 25 items and baskets up for auction. Jami Allport and her husband Geno are at right.
Chris Forrester was one of the keynote speakers at the event.
One of the keynote speakers during the gala, Chris Forrester, shared how GOMOC was critical in getting her through a rough patch.
“They helped hold me together,” Forrester said, noting former director Nyla Gaylord and board member Sister Delores O’Dowd. “They didn’t judge me.”
Forrester said she was living by the canal bank when GOMOC helped her secure housing, set goals and get back on track.
She is now an active volunteer with GOMOC, and makes it a personal mission to help the local homeless population.
She will drive at night looking for people who are homeless, especially during the cold weather months, and will try to connect them to the warming center or other housing.
Jami Allport, the executive director, said GOMOC assists people in unexpected emergencies, and helps people in other crises, including mental health, domestic violence and addiction.
“We are here to fight alongside people,” Allport said. “Remember, they are people.”
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 3 June 2024 at 9:19 am
Photos by Tom Rivers
ALBION – Sarah Thom, a member of Albion’s Class of 2024, reads 1 John 3: 1-2 during a baccalaureate service on Sunday evening at the First Baptist Church of Albion.
About 30 seniors attended the service, which is optional. There were 11 local clergy members who participated in the baccalaureate which is organized by the Albion Ministerium. About 180 people attended.
The Rev. Jason Tarnowski, pastor of Community of Hope (Albion Free Methodist Church), gives a prayer of blessing for the graduates.
He asked the students to face the crowd and for family and friends to stretch out a hand to show their support.
In his prayer, Tarnowski asked God “to love, guide and protect these graduates in everything they do. Please watch over them as they move on to new adventures.”
The Rev. Susan Boring, pastor of the Eagle Harbor United Methodist Church, stands with graduates, including Liana Flugel, as they lit candles. The students were told God’s light and love with be with them at all times, even in dark places. Graduates were also offered a cross necklace.
The Rev. Susan Thaine, pastor of the First Presbyterian Church, gives a blessing to Auston Johnson.
Jason Anstey performed a trumpet solo, “The Church’s One Foundation.”
Father Mark Noonan, pastor of a family of Catholic parishes including in Albion, gave the keynote address. He said choosing positive words and encouragement builds strong and confident people.
He told the graduates that no matter what happens in their lives Jesus, the Good Shepherd, will always love them.
“Every one of you is a beloved child of God,” Noonan said. “That defines you more than anything else.”
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 2 June 2024 at 8:24 am
Albion village sets June 10, June 17 informational meetings about fire district
Photo by Tom Rivers: The Albion Fire Department ladder truck is from 1997 and the fire department would like to replace it soon. A new truck could top $2 million.
ALBION – Petitions have been turned in to try to force a public vote on whether a new Albion Joint Fire District should be created serving the towns of Albion and Gaines.
On Thursday, petitions were turned in to the Gaines town clerk signed by 107 people, to the Albion town clerk signed by 95 people and to the Albion village clerk signed by 259 people. Thursday was the deadline to turn in the petitions.
The town boards for the two towns plus the Albion Village Board on April 30 voted to create a joint fire district. The new district would move the fire department out of the village budget and into its own taxing jurisdiction with elected commissioners.
The two towns currently pay a fire contract to the village for fire protection. With the current budget of about $350,000 the village pays $113,456 (32 percent), the Town of Gaines contributes $120,422 (35 percent) and the Town of Albion pays $116,122 (33 percent).
Some community members want more information about the fire district, including a budget breakdown. During a public hearing on April 24 at the Albion High School LGI, residents were told the fire district budget would likely be $750,000 to $850,000 a year, well above the current $350,000 for the fire department. That $350,000 has left the fire department without a reserve fund for a new ladder truck at an estimated $2.2 million and another fire engine at about $1.1 million. Those trucks will be needed in the near future to replace aging apparatus, deputy fire chief John Papponetti said.
Laura Bentley supports a referendum on the issue. Bentley, owner of Bentley Brothers, lives in Carlton but owns property in Albion and Gaines. She didn’t collect petitions but helped with the process.
“I support a fire district,” she said on Saturday. “It needs to happen. But they need to share more information. During the public hearing, they didn’t respond to questions.”
Bentley said a big jump in the fire department budget will be hard on local taxpayers who are seeing many cost increases in taxes and other expenses.
The two towns require signatures from at least 5 percent of the registered voters in the last gubernatorial election or about 100 people. But the village requires signatures from at least 20 percent of the registered voters or about 650 people.
Bentley said the group seeking a referendum believes it met the threshold to force a public vote in the two towns. It didn’t get enough at the village level. However it is a moot point because village residents are also in either one of the two towns and it doesn’t make sense to also have a referendum at the village level when they are voting at the towns.
Gaines and Albion town officials are expected to review the petitions and meet to set a date for the referendum, which is 60 to 90 days from when the petitions are turned in.
If a vote is set for Albion and Gaines, this would be the second referendum forced by the public on an issue in Orleans County this year. Yates is having a public vote on June 20 on whether the town can spend $700,000 in grant funds to acquire 153.3 acres from NYS Electric and Gas to expand the Yates Town Park on Lake Ontario.
Albion Village Board urges support for fire district
The Albion Village Board issued a press release announcing there will be informational meetings about the fire district at 6 p.m. on June 10 and June 17 at Hoag Library.
“The intent is not to point fingers, but to provide facts about what the next steps should be,” The Village Board states in the press release. “In an effort of continued transparency, our goal is to address any remaining questions.”
The Village Board states the fire department needs a bigger budget. The board stated the following problems with the current situation and the reasons for its support of the fire district:
• When most of us took office, there were no reserves to offset larger capital projects or equipment purchases. The Albion Fire Department was forced to operate “paycheck by paycheck” with no savings for future expenses, planned or unplanned.
• The current fire department budget was not funded at proper levels to meet operational needs, and the village was not able to increase funds without significantly increasing the village tax rate. This resulted in a situation where needed improvements to facilities and equipment had to be delayed, “the can was kicked down the road.”
• The fire contract money from the Town of Albion and Town of Gaines, along with supplemental funds from the village, is keeping the fire department afloat but is not meeting current or future needs.
• We are faced with having to replace two aging apparatus (vintage 1992 & 1997). While evaluating this situation, the chief officers of the fire department proposed to the village replacing three apparatus with only two to “right size the fleet.” The Board agreed because long term, this would be a cost-saving move for the taxpayers. NFPA (National Fire Protection Association) Standards recommend that apparatus that are more than 25 years old be retired from the vehicle fleet.
• The Village of Albion does not have the ability to take on the debt for the replacement of fire apparatus, or any other necessary improvements, without significant increases in the village tax rate.
• Providing fire protection is not an optional service. It must be provided by law. Providing inferior fire protection not only puts our volunteer firefighters at risk, but it is also a letdown to those that expect a high-quality life and property saving service.
• Providing inferior fire protection lowers the community’s Insurance Services Office (ISO) rating and would likely increase the insurance premium of every homeowner and may even cause an insurer to deny you coverage in some circumstances. ISO ratings reflect an area’s preparedness to prevent and extinguish fires, such as the number of firefighters, training, apparatus maintenance and reliability, water supply, emergency communication system, and fire safety education and prevention.
Benefits of forming a Joint Fire District for the Town Albion and Town of Gaines:
• The district offers a way to right the mismanagement of past fire protection service and spread the cost of this necessary service evenly across a larger tax base.
• Every registered voter in the Joint Fire District has a say and has the ability to run for commissioner.
• Every registered voter has the ability to vote for commissioners, bonding referendums, creation of reserve accounts, etc. that affect the operation of the fire district. You eliminate “taxation without representation.”
• Your tax bill will have a separate line item with the Fire District Tax. You will have peace of mind that your fire tax dollars are being spent on fire protection.
What happens if the Joint Fire District is not approved:
• If the Joint Fire District is not approved, the Village of Albion will be forced to raise village taxes about $5 per $1,000 of assessed value (a 25 percent increase in village taxes). In addition, once the fire protection contracts with the towns expire at the end of 2026, the village will be forced to negotiate higher-rate contracts with the towns to properly fund and operate the fire department. The towns will then need to increase taxes to pay the higher rates.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 31 May 2024 at 1:18 pm
Event raises funds and awareness for Special Olympics
Photos by Tom Rivers
ALBION – Albion students in Sheri Berg’s life skills class carried the torch and were part of a law enforcement torch run today in a benefit for the Special Olympics. Here they head up the main driveway leading the high school after being on East Avenue.
This is the second year the torch run was held in Albion. The students ran the first half of the course.
Law enforcement from the Albion Police Department, Orleans County Sheriff’s Office, State Police and DEC joined students on the run which went about 2.7 miles.
Albion Police Chief David Mogle holds the torch while the law enforcement officers gathered near the start line in the village’s municipal lot on Platt Street next to Dubby’s Tailgate.
Turnout was about 40 for the torch run, more than double the debut last year.
“We hope to get even more next year,” Mogle said.
Emily Lanham, an Albion student, takes a turn carrying the torch. She is surrounded by many of her classmates with local law enforcement right behind the students.
Alex Yankevich carries the torch while the group heads down Route 31 past the Cone Zone. Devon Pahuta, a deputy with the Sheriff’s Office, is in back at left.
This group, led by Michele Fitzwater with the torch, passes in front of the Middle School where many students and teachers lined the sidewalk to cheer on the group.
Jeff Wilson, a retired Border Patrol officer, carries the torch while the group runs on Main Street. Wilson is the Western New York director of the law enforcement torch run.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 31 May 2024 at 8:37 am
Photos by Tom Rivers
ALBION – Erin Weese, a senior at Albion, holds the winning poster for the upcoming Albion Strawberry Festival. The 36th annual festival will be June 7-8 and features a theme, “Out of this World.”
The festival committee picked the theme as a tie-in to all the hoopla around the solar eclipse on April 8. Weese created a poster with aliens and a spaceship. The poster will be displayed around the community to promote the two-day event which includes live music, arts and crafts vendors, food, a parade and other entertainment.
Brynn Dugan holds her poster that came in second.
Krystlin Platt created this poster that came in third place.
The Strawberry Festival also named the royalty for the event. Pictured from left includes royalty chairwoman McKenna Boyer; Allyson Bruski, princess; Anthony Napoli, prince; Lucy Rivers, queen; and Julia Button, queen.
They will be part of the parade on June 8 and serve as ambassadors for the event. See New York With Us (a travel website headed by Peter Bartula of Waterport) sponsored the royalty. The royalty needed a character reference from an Albion teacher, and needed to list some of their activities at school, ways they help their family and the community, and also tell about a person who inspires them.
Anthony is a seventh-grader who plays soccer and tries to helps his neighbors. He said soccer star Lionel Messi inspires him.
Allyson is a seventh-grader involved in soccer, basketball, swimming and softball, as well as FFA, the Yearbook Club and Multicultural Club. She enjoys helping her family, and said her older sister inspires her.
Julia, a sophomore, plays varsity soccer and track and field. She is in the Drama Cub, Select Choir and is helps her family with chores and jumps in for community events, including the Easter egg hunt, church basket auction and modified track meets. She picked her brother Hayden as her inspirational figure.
Lucy, a senior, plays varsity soccer and tennis, and also has been involved in the drama program, Student Council as president, high school band, Girl Scouts, The Class of 2024 vice president and Rotary Interact president. She works at Walgreens, and helps her family and at community events, including annual garbage pickups along the railroad tracks. She said her brother Reuben is an inspirational person with a kind heart.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 30 May 2024 at 11:39 am
Keith Palmer creates images from wood-cut printing; Lift bridge print is fundraiser for Care Net
Photo by Tom Rivers: Albion native Keith Palmer holds a framed print of the lift bridge on Main Street in Albion that he made using a micro-chisel to carve into wood. He has 20 of the limited edition prints for sale with the proceeds to be given to Care Net of Greater Orleans. He is shown in Care Net’s Long Haul Gallery which opened a year ago.
ALBION – Since he retired as superintendent of Elba Central School about five years ago, Keith Palmer has moved from Albion with his wife Diane to Washington, DC to be closer to their adult children.
Palmer also has explored his artistic passion that he had sidelined during an busy career in public education. He also was a principal at Kendall and Pembroke.
Palmer took a silk-screen class in Washington, D.C. and enjoyed the class but his apartment in D.C. is too small to have equipment for silk-screen printing.
He then tried a wood-cut printing class at the Smithsonian. Palmer found he had a knack for using a micro-chisel to carve into wood in an old-time artform going back many centuries. Wood-cut printing also can be done at his kitchen table so space isn’t an issue.
“You need a steady hand and patience,” Palmer said.
He was back in Albion on Tuesday to drop off a framed print of the Main Street lift bridge in Albion. It will be sold by Care Net of Greater Orleans as a limited edition fundraiser. A framed print is $450, with the 10-inch by 22-inch print $300 without a frame.
Palmer spent about 175 hours on the project, carving the tiny details, including the lines between some of the sandstone blocks near the lift bridge. Once Palmer is done delicately carving into the wood, he puts ink on the surface and then prints it on paper, using the back of a spoon to press the paper against the carved wood block.
Care Net opened the Long Haul Gallery a year ago and the art work is sold to benefit the center. Wende Swick, the Care Net director, said the gallery so far has raised about $4,000 for Care Net, while also displaying some impressive works by artists.
Palmer was asked by his friend Marc O’Hearn to create a piece for Care Net. Palmer already is building a reputation in DC for his prints. He has been featured in the Washington Printmaker’s Gallery at Georgetown. One of his prints of his son Ryan’s cat was featured to promote an arts festival in Georgetown.
Palmer graduated from Houghton College with a teaching degree, and minored in art. He said he is grateful to use his art to help a cause in Albion.
“We like the city, but Albion will always be home,” Palmer said.
The Care Net center offers pregnancy testing, education and limited ultrasounds. Besides pregnancy testing and support, Care Net also offers STI testing and parenting classes for both males and females. Care Net also gives out material aid such as diapers, wipes, blankets and clothing up to size 24 months, when available.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 30 May 2024 at 9:29 am
File photo by Tom Rivers: David Warren of Kent plays Taps during a memorial service at Mount Albion Cemetery for the Albion Fire Department on June 6, 2019.
ALBION – The Albion Fire Department welcomes the community to attend the department’s annual memorial service at 10 a.m. on Saturday at Mount Albion Cemetery.
The service will be at the fireman’s memorial on the west side of the cemetery near the front by the koi fish pond.
The department will remember about 150 of its firefighters who have passed away since the department’s formation in 1831.
The memorial pond was dedicated to the Albion firefighters in 1983, when Donna Rodden was the mayor.
Photos courtesy of Maarit Vaga: Bill Lattin welcomed guests to the Pullman Memorial Universalist Church during the first stop on the progressive organ tour Sunday to benefit the Cobblestone Society and Museum.
By Ginny Kropf, correspondent Posted 30 May 2024 at 7:40 am
ALBION – The fourth progressive organ concert on Sunday to benefit the Cobblestone Museum was resounding success and a pure delight, said Maarit Vaga, chair of the event.
An audience of 72 was treated to musical selections highlighting the contrasts between three organs and a melodian in three different Albion area churches – the Pullman Memorial Universalist Church, the First Presbyterian Church and the Cobblestone Church.
Scott Schmidt, organist and minister of music at the Barre Center Presbyterian Church, wove an engaging program of solo pieces and hymns, selected to demonstrate the range of each instrument, Vaga said.
“There were many opportunities for audience engagement as we sang familiar hymns, challenging ourselves to out-sing the organ and doing our best to provide four-part harmonies,” Vaga said. “The program’s interactive elements, along with Scott’s amiable approach made for a convivial afternoon of music and song.”
(Left) Organist Scott Schmidt sits at the William Johnson & Son organ in the loft of the Cobblestone Church, while concert goes fill the sanctuary. (Right) Kevin Gardner presents a short history of the Hook & Hastings organ at the First Presbyterian Church in Albion, while organist Scott Schmidt prepares to play.
The afternoon event began with a wine and cheese reception at the Pullman Church, and concluded with a scrumptious dinner at the Tavern on the Ridge, Vaga said.
“Maarit did a great job organizing the event,” said Cobblestone Museum director Doug Farley. “Our attendance was almost double what we had last year, so I am very pleased. We even had guests from as far away as Jamestown come up for the afternoon. The new Tavern on the Ridge was a pleasure to work with, and all 70-plus meals were prepared in very short order.”
Scott Schmidt demonstrated the historic melodian owned by former Cobblestone director Bill Lattin and loaned to the Cobblestone for Sunday’s Progressive Organ Concert.
Also at the Pullman Church, Bill Lattin, former Orleans County historian and director of the Cobblestone Museum, shared historical vignettes about the Pullman Church and the William Johnson & Son organ.
At the Presbyterian Church, elder Kevin Gardner presented a short history of their Hook & Hastings organ.
Farley provided a brief overview about the Cobblestone Church, saying prior to using an organ for services, the congregation sang to a melodian. On Sunday, Schmidt demonstrated the instrument loaned by Lattin, as they sang the familiar “Old Hundreth,” commonly called the “Doxology.”
Farley also described the Cobblestone’s organ, a 1904 Estey Reed organ, located in the loft of the church.
Several events are planned throughout the rest of the year, including a patriotic service at the Cobblestone Church at 11 a.m. July 7; “Back to the Garden – A Mid-summer Celebration: on July 10; a Flea Market on museum grounds July 20; Fall open house on Oct. 5; Preservation Banquet Oct. 25 at White Birch Golf Course; and “Simply Christmas” Dec. 7 at the Cobblestone Church.
Ongoing exhibits are Victorian Mourning Art, Historic Coverlets and 19th Century Orleans County Painters.
More information on any of these events can be found at www.CobblestoneMuseum.org or by calling (585) 589-9013.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 27 May 2024 at 12:35 pm
Photo courtesy of Isaac Robinson
ALBION – The honor guard is shown at Mount Albion Cemetery by the Civil War veterans’ section this morning.
The rain may have forced organizers to cancel the Memorial Day parade and an outdoor service, but the honor guard still went to 10 different sites – at cemeteries and monuments – to pay their respects to veterans.
The Honor Guard includes members of the American Legion and VFW in Albion. They went to the VFW Post, the monument at Veterans Park (at Linwood and Brown), old St. Joseph’s Cemetery on Brown Road, new St. Joseph’s Cemetery on Route 31, Mount Albion Cemetery, the Fancher War Memorial, Otter Creek Cemetery, Waterport Cemetery, Carlton Cemetery and concluded at the American Legion.
