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 – 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.

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?”

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.

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.

Fireworks will be launched later tonight

Photos by Tom Rivers

For the third July 5th in a row, the Tonawanda Indian Baptist Church in Basom is treating the Albion community to free food, music and later a fireworks show at Bullard Park. The fireworks will go off at dusk, likely between 9:30 and 10 p.m.

In the top photo, Erc Mileham grills hamburgers for the crowd. Mileham is a member at High Point Community Church in Corfu, a sister church of Tonawanda Indian. That church is looking to start a new congregation in Albion that will be called Northpoint Community Church.

Justine Bidell of Tonawanda Indian Baptist Church is making cotton candy in a trailer. The candy was given away for free at Bullard Park.

Guy Scribner of Medina holds his 2-year-old daughter Nakendia after she had her face painted. She has a snowman on her cheek.

Church will also provide music and free food at Bullard

File photo by Tom Rivers – A couple snuggles on a slide at Bullard Park while fireworks go off last July 5. Northpoint Community Church, which is looking to start a new church in Albion, will have food, music and fireworks at Bullard Park from 6 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. on Saturday.

ALBION – A church will pay for a fireworks show, serve free food and provide live music on Saturday at Bullard Park.

This will be the third straight year the Tonawanda Indian Baptist Church in Basom is treating the Albion community to a July 5 bash at Bullard Park. The church is looking to start a new church, Northpoint Community Church, in Albion.

“We’re just here to help the community come together,” said Robert Dean, pastor of the Tonawanda church.

The church is “very close” to opening in Albion, Dean said. Tonawanda also helped start a church in Corfu, the High Point Community Church. The churches are affiliated with the Southern Baptists.

A group from Mississippi was in Albion about a week ago leading block parties in parks and neighborhoods, and also performing “acts of kindness,” Dean said. They cleaned up yards, worked with Community Action and fixed stairs for elderly residents.

Tonawanda Indian has felt connected to Albion going back two decades, Dean said. Some of the congregation’s members have been from Albion.

The church will be serving hamburgers, cotton candy and performing music from its praise band. Dean said the group welcomes volunteers and contributions to help with the big event on Saturday which runs from 6 p.m. to 10:30 p.m.

Albion village officials have tried to spread the word about the event. Residents the past two years have said they were impressed by the activities and fireworks show, but many didn’t know it was going on.

The village has a sign by Bullard, informing motorists of the fireworks show on Saturday. The village also has taken out ads to promote the event and other activities this summer in Albion.

Photos by Tom Rivers – Christine VerSteeg of Kendall painted this bench that was added to the Albion downtown on Tuesday evening. She also painted a bench of a tugboat as part of Albion’s public art project.

ALBION – A new bench celebrating Albion heritage was added to the downtown last evening.

Artist Christine VerSteeg of Kendall created the painting on the bench. VerSteeg entitled the work, “Albion has heart! And, deep roots.”

The art work includes a heart in the middle of an orchard. VerSteeg painted fruit trees and wildlife – squirrels and rabbits.

This bench was placed next to a mail box on East Bank Street near the law offices for Sandy Church. It is the ninth bench to be added since last month that is painted to highlight local history and attractions.

VerSteeg also painted a bench with a tugboat at sunrise. There are three more benches in the works.

A Main Street grant paid for the benches and seven of the paintings by the artists. Resident Wayne Litchfield paid the artist fee for the latest bench by VerSteeg.