Photos by Sue Cook – Diana Dudley stands with her drawings. She focuses mostly on human faces.

By Sue Cook, staff reporter

ALBION – Three new artists are featured at Marti’s on Main art gallery at 229 North Main St. For all three, it is their debut show as artists.

Brandon Blount-Carpenter is a local photographer and sculptor that Kim Martillotta approached to ask about having space in the gallery.

“I saw some of his photography through a friend on Facebook, and I told him that I liked his stuff,” Martillotta said. She kept an eye on his creations.

“Last fall, I said to him ‘Perhaps you should sign up and have a show,'” said Martillotta.

Blount-Carpenter’s works focus on detail that people often overlook in nature. Brandon spends five or six hours in the woods at a time. He sets out looking for mostly fungi, but captures other photographs as he goes along.

A lot of his art stems from his time in the woods with his grandfather, the late Don Cook. His grandfather, a wildlife photographer, taught him patience and to look for the subtle. Blount-Carpenter captures things that he wants to share with the world.

“My photos are capturing not just the big picture, but also the little small-scale macro pictures, stuff that people overlook,” he said. “Within each of the images are tiny details that sneak out at you. It gives people an idea of what they can see if they just go for a walk, relax, enjoy themselves and really open their eyes and look.”

Brandon Blount-Carpenter stands with his photograph of fungi inside a rusted-out can. Fungi are his main focus, but he finds several other subjects to photograph on his trips into the woods.

Brandon uses items found in nature, such as wood, skulls or feathers, and incorporates them into sculptures.

“I reclaim a lot from nature,” he said. “Whatever I find I tend to use in my sculpture work. It’s sort of an ironic satirical take on how man treats nature and nature’s resilience and it’s ability to bounce back to kind of become something else that man didn’t think it really was.”

Diana Dudley brought Martillotta drawings to look at before. Dudley had been coming to the shows at Marti’s for six years, and it was suggested that she make a premiere show at the gallery. Dudley then suggested that her son Mark Robinson should also have his first show at the same time. Martillotta thought it was a great idea.

Dudley draws mostly people and faces, though she also has a select number of still-life pieces displayed as well.

“I was born with the ability to sketch people. I reproduce what I see. I have to be looking at something. I don’t do anything out of my head,” she said.

She added,” If you really take a look at faces, you notice how very different they are.”

Mark Robinson explains that this painting, “Monacelli’s Quarry” is located right here in Albion. He sees it when he walks his dog and enjoys the way the elements of light and water come together in the setting.

Mark Robinson draws and paints with a wide variety of subjects, both real and surreal. Most of his paintings are of landscapes.

“When you have a live figure to work from, it kind of juices you up,” he said.

“Landscapes can be the same way. Another thing that keeps people happy and alive is just to be in nature. If you go for a walk in the park, you get an immune boost that’s way above what you get walking on a treadmill. If you have a painting of an outdoor scene, it helps give you just a little of that boost.”

Robinson continued, “I draw my inspiration from people who are very competent like Albrecht Durer or M.C. Escher. Everybody alive today has the opportunity to learn from all these teachers of the past. You don’t have to limit it to your teacher or your class. The world is your class. Take your lessons there.”

Marti’s on Main does not have set hours. Instead, the public is invited to stop by during the day throughout the month to view the works.

Photos by Tom Rivers

ALBION – Bullard Park in Albion is abuzz this morning and early afternoon with lots of children playing games in a carnival-like setting.

In the top photo, Chris Porter, left, tosses a rubber chicken into a basket while his friend Scotty McMullen watches. There are many other games set up, as well as a bonce house, cotton candy, hot dogs, a fire truck and other activities.

Josue Serafin, one of the park supervisors, juggles while waiting for a participant in the milk can toss competition.

Al Sorochty, a member of the Albion Masonic Lodge, cooks some hot dogs while Charlie Daniels serves up French fries with help from Jean Shervin.

Ethan Ashton, front, gives the chicken toss a try while his brother Jayce watches. Sebastian Piedmont, one of the park supervisors, is running that game.

ALBION – A big rally is planned for Saturday to register people to vote and support the Constitution. Several prominent people will speak at the event outside the St. Mary’s Athletic Club on 536 Moore St.

Several big names, including Lt. Gov. candidate Chris Moss, will address the crowd. Moss is sheriff of Chemung County, and the running mate for Rob Astorino. Moss will follow Conservative talk show host Bob Lonsberry, who will be the first speaker at 12:30 p.m.

Orleans County SCOPE (Shooters Committee on Political Education) took the lead in the planning the “Our Constitution & Voter Registration” rally.

SCOPE says it has a diverse lineup of speakers. In addition to Moss and Lonsberry, the following are scheduled to speak: Radio talk show host Melody Burns from Albany County, State Assemblyman Steve Hawley, SCOPE President Steve Aldstadt, State Supreme Court Justice Donna Siwek, State Sen. George Maziarz, SCOPE Chairman of the Board “Budd” Schroeder, Orleans County Legislator Don Allport, Iraq War veteran and political advocate David Bellavia, New York Revolution leader Gia Arnold, NY Revolution representative Shawn Lembke, and Gary Berntsen, a Fox News contributor and director of Concerned Veterans for America.

SCOPE wants to see more people register to vote and be involved in the political process. Speakers are expected to address the importance of voting, while sharing their views on Common Core, Second Amendment rights and the SAFE Act.

The Band Dr. Moxy will perform several patriotic pieces beginning at 11:45. The speakers are scheduled to begin at 12:30 p.m. The rally will last until 4 p.m. The public is welcome to attend.

Photos by Tom Rivers – Jessica Condes and The Sophisticats performs on East Bank Street in Albion on Thursday evening. The crowd got bigger later in the evening.

ALBION – The Albion Village Board is declaring a new downtown concert series a success and will extend it by three more events this summer.

The board on Wednesday made the decision, following good feedback from concert goers and downtown merchants. The concerts have been attracting about 200 people to East Bank Street, which is blocked off to traffic for the concerts.

“It’s a way to give back to the community,” said Eileen Banker, a village trustee.

She was at Thursday’s concert, volunteering with the Albion Fire Department by selling hot dogs and other refreshments.

Leon and Peggy Randall drove from Holley for the concert, setting up lawn chairs on the Bank Street sidewalk. The couple says they go to several of the concert series in the area.

“This is very good common sense to get the community involved and see the businesses in the downtown and on the side streets,” Mr. Randall said. “There is a lot more here than what people see on Main Street.”

Bobby Skrzypek And The Pedestrians opened for the Sophisticats on Thursday.

The series started with five concert dates and that has been extended to eight with new dates added for July 31, Aug. 7 and Aug. 14.

The board said it would spend up to $1,500 for the additional concerts, but Banker is optimistic sponsors could reduce that expense to the village. The first five concerts were funded by the village with support from the Genesee-Orleans Regional Arts Council and the Albion Rotary Club.

Lisa Stratton, owner of the Hazy Jade and a member of the Albion Merchants Association, said the business owners appreciate the village working hard to promote the downtown.

“I only hear good things about the concerts,” she said. “Everyone is excited the village is doing this.”

Gary Deiboldt of Albion plays the keyboards for the Sophisticats.

Photos by Tom Rivers – Four new bike racks, with a tugboat theme, were added to downtown Albion today.

The DPW installed two hitching posts and the foundation for an interpretive panel that explains the relics from the horse and buggy era.

ALBION – It was an interesting day for the Albion Department of Public Works. The DPW installed new bike racks with a tugboat theme in the downtown, just in time for the 500 cyclists who will be passing through Albion on Monday morning as part of the “Cycling the Erie Canal” event.

The bike racks are shiny and new. They were paid for with a Main Street grant for street-scape improvements.

The DPW also installed two hitching posts. Those sandstone relics were actually property markers from more than a century ago. A local blacksmith, George Borrelli, made rings and metal pins for the hitching posts.

Tony Russo, a stone mason from Medina, drilled holes in the posts and poured in lead to secure the rings. There are four altogether with one planned for the courthouse lawn and another headed for the sidewalk in front of Krantz Furniture.

Albion Main Street Alliance facilitated the hitching post project, raising the money and finding the specialists skilled in blacksmith and stone work.

The two hitching posts put in today are next to the Presbyterian Church by the village parking lot. That setup will also include a carriage step and interpretive panel.

ALBION – A new brochure creates a map of downtown Albion businesses, churches and government buildings, sites that are included on the National Register of Historic Places.

The new Albion Business Directory also lists businesses outside the historic district. Merchants are included on Route 31 and Route 98.

The Albion Merchants Association created the directory and had 1,000 copies printed. The directory was ready in time for the Strawberry Festival and is available at many Albion businesses.

“We wanted to help visitors and townspeople know what is here,” said Carolyn Ricker, owner of Bindings Bookstore and the Merchants Association president. “It is part of our effort to let people know what is available in Albion and to shop local.”

The directory highlights the historic Courthouse Square. Orleans Hub provided the photos for the brochure.

A new map and brochure also was created for the Route 98 corridor, sites from Albion to Point Breeze. For more information on that, click here.

Photo by Tom Rivers – Mike Whiting is pictured with his 2014 Subaru WRX, one of the cars that will be displayed today during a car show at Arnold’s from 6 to 9 p.m. at the corner of Liberty and West Bank streets.

ALBION – Most local car show typically showcase automobiles from a different era, Thunderbirds and Mustangs from a generation or two ago.

But this evening more modern vehicles, some with souped up stereos and other electronic features, will be on display outside Arnold’s Auto Parts.

The show is open to imports, sports compacts and mini trucks. For the past five years, Arnold’s has organized a car show at Bullard Park that draws about 200 to 300. That show is typically in September. This year’s event is tentatively planned for Sept. 20.

Mike Whiting, one of the show organizers and an Arnold’s employee, wanted to bring a smaller car show to the downtown. The vehicles will be on display from 6 to 9 p.m.

“It’s another event for during the week that gets people downtown in the local business district,” Whiting said.

Photos by Tom Rivers – Miguel Jimenez stands outside El Gallo, which he opened last month in downtown Albion.

ALBION – Miguel Jimenez opened El Gallo, a Mexican restaurant, in downtown Albion last month during the Strawberry Festival.

He spent four months with the help of friends and family renovating a downtown building that had been closed for most of the past two decades. He gutted the building, put in a new kitchen, floors and many utilities.

He painted the outside of the building, put on new signs and an awning.

“It was a lot of hard work to get it open,” Jimenez said today at 33 North Main St. “The town has been very supportive. Albion has a very family-friendly environment.”

The building at 33 North Main St. had been vacant for about two decades. Here is how it looked in April before being transformed into a Mexican restaurant.

Jimenez, a Lockport resident, said people are happy to have a restaurant in the downtown. El Gallo is open seven days a week from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Jimenez, 25, runs the business with two employees and some help from his family. He was teaching special education in the Buffalo City School District. He was laid off in budget cuts and decided to open his own business.

After scouting several sites, he picked Albion. He noticed there wasn’t a sit-down restaurant in the downtown. He also thought Albion had a good population size to support the business. He expected migrant farmworkers to be the base for the business, but so far other residents have been the main clientele.

Miguel Jimenez prepares a meal in the kitchen at El Gallo. He put in new kitchen equipment and did other extensive renovations at the site.

He also has plans for a food truck and would like to take that to some of the workers at farms, as well as at other community events.

Right now he is focused on getting the business off to a good start. He said El Gallo serves generous helpings of fresh food in tacos, burritos, quesadillas, tostados, huaraches and sopes. The restaurant offers seven types of meat.

“We’re starting with a smaller staff and menu and we will grow,” Jimenez said. “Eventually I want to expand to other locations but my first vision is to be in the downtown.”

For more on El Gallo, visit https://www.facebook.com/elmexicangallo.

ALBION – The district is looking for a high school assistant principal after Brad Pritchard resigned to take a job as principal of the Barker Junior/High School.

Pritchard, an Albion native, worked as a biology teacher in Albion before being named dean of students in the high school. Last year he was promoted to assistant principal.

The district is accepting applications until July 18 for the position.

Photos by Tom Rivers – David Mogle takes the oath as sergeant for the Albion Police Department during this evening’s Village Board meeting. His father David Mogle holds The Bible. Mayor Dean London, back left, and Trustee Gary Katsanis observe.

ALBION – David Mogle was sworn in this evening as sergeant in the Albion Police Department. He started six years ago with the Albion PD as a patrolman. He was promoted with the impending retirement of Joe Fuller later this month.

“He’s been a solid member of the staff,” Police Chief Roland Nenni said about Mogle, who has also been assigned to the Orleans County Major Felony Crime Task Force.

Mogle was working as a mechanic with his father at D & K Autobody when he decided to make a career change.

“I like the interaction with the people,” Mogle said. “I’m meeting new people and learning new things every day.”

Mogle joins William Scribner and Gary Van Wyke as sergeants. The department has one sergeant on each shift and the sergeant supervises the operations for that shift.

David Mogle takes the oath in front of other leaders in the Albion Police Department, including Police Chief Roland Nenni, Lt. Tom O’Hearn and Sgt. William Scribner.

ALBION – The school district continues to sock away money for one of its biggest financial liabilities – health insurance for retired employees.

Teachers and school workers often retire with many unused sick days. Those days can then be used to earn paid health insurance – long after people retire from the district. For every 25 days of unused sick days, employees can earn a year of health insurance coverage.

Albion says that cost is $12.3 million as a potential liability. That is up about $600,000 from a year ago.

The Board of Education wants to commit to having about two-thirds of that liability in the bank. The board on Monday voted to shift $821,000 in unexpended funds to an account for post retirement health costs.

“The $12.3 million is a large number, it’s a significant number,” Shawn Liddle, the district’s assistant superintendent for business, told the Board of Education on Monday.

Districts since about 2006 have had to list the potential expense as a liability on their books. Some districts have set aside little money for the cost, Liddle said.

Margy Brown, the board president, said Albion is fortunate to have been stashing away funds each year so the district isn’t hit with a huge expense with not enough in reserves.

Albion would like to limit its liability with the post retirement costs in the future through employee contracts. The district wants to cap the post retirement health benefits at a 10-year maximum. Liddle said some districts allow the benefit after 10 years of retirement.

The district also is trying to negotiate a higher employee cost share with health insurance. Right now, employees pay 15 percent towards the costs of their health insurance, the same rate followed by retirees who earn post-retirement health coverage.

The district would like to push that cost share even higher. It’s been an issue in employee contract negotiations. The union representing support staff – aides, building secretaries, physical therapists and registered nurses in the schools – is now two years without a contract.

The CSEA union for custodians and maintenance workers also had its contract expire on June 30.

“Health insurance is always an issue,” Liddle said. “How much does the employee pay?”

Photos by Tom Rivers

ALBION – The Albion community was treated to a fireworks show as well as free food and games on Saturday night thanks to the Tonawanda Indian Baptist Church in Basom.

Albion firefighter Carmen Quatro (top) watched the fireworks while standing on top of a fire truck at Bullard Park.

Fred Piano, another Albion firefighter, also watched the fireworks from the top of the fire truck.

The fireworks brought out young families to Bullard Park. The Tonawanda Indian Baptist Church paid for the fireworks show for the third straight year on July 5.

Before the fireworks show, Pastor Bobby Dean from Tonawanda Indian Baptist Church shared a message with the crowd. Dean is also pastor of High Point Community Church in Corfu, a sister church of Tonawanda Indian. The churches would like to start a new congregation in Albion. The two churches had about 30 volunteers in Albion today and they served about 1,000 free hamburgers before the fireworks.

A man leans on his bike while watching the fireworks at Bullard Park.

Matt Dean, Bobby Dean’s son and a worship leader for the church, sings with the praise band. Dean said Tonawanda Indian would like to have a church soon in Albion. The service might be on Saturday evenings. “We’re just waiting for God to work things out,” Dean said.

Bullard Park drew a crowd Saturday night for the fireworks show.

Mike Dean sang and played the guitar in the praise band. His father is pastor of Tonawanda Indian Baptist Church in Basom and High Point Community Church in Corfu.

The fireworks finale was explosive and lit up the sky.