Photos by Tom Rivers

ALBION – The new 24-foot-long mural of Santa Claus in his sleigh over Albion was completed on Friday. The mural went up on Thursday at Waterman Park, a half block south of the Erie Canal.

Photo courtesy of Ingrid LaMont

Artist Stacey Kirby Steward, an Albion native who now lives in Spencerport, was back on Friday to add her signature and paint on over the bolt used to hold the mural on a metal frame.

The mural highlights the Courthouse Square, downtown and the Erie Canal, which are all nationally recognized historic districts and landmarks.

The Albion Rotary Club coordinated the project and wanted to highlight the historic districts and small town charm on main Street.

The mural also honors Charles Howard, who ran a Santa Claus School in Albion from 1937 to 1966. Howard also created Christmas Park in Albion, and served as the Macy’s Thanksgiving Santa in New York City for nearly 20 years.

Howard remains a revered figure among people who play Santa Claus. Albion hosted a Santa Claus conference in 2010 and 2015. The Rotary Club is hopeful the mural will provide an extra incentive for the Santas to return.

These reindeer fly past the First Presbyterian Church and its 175-foot spire, making it the tallest building in Orleans County.

Steward added Christmas lights to some of the Main Street storefronts.

The Erie Canal is at the far right of the mural. The canal is a National Historic Landmark that opened in 1825.

Kirby Steward included six people in the mural, who are family who have been supportive in her artistic pursuits.

She also included the “Believe” sign which was added by the Albion Betterment Committee in November 2016. The 10-foot-long sign is on the Gurney’s Olde Coach Inn at 35 North Main St.

The Betterment Committee is raising funds to have a bronze statue at Waterman Park in honor of Charles Howard.

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Photos by Tom Rivers

ALBION – A new interpretive panel was installed on Friday by the Erie Canal. The Albion Department of Public Works added the panel, which was created by seventh-grade students at Albion who are in a service-learning class taught by Tim Archer.

The students worked with County Historian Matt Ballard in researching and designing the panel which is located between the Main Street and Ingersoll Street lift bridges.

The panel highlights how the Erie Canal opened up the world to our region’s farmers. “Agricultural products and raw materials were distributed to distant locations, beyond the reach of horse and buggy,” the panel states.

“Lower costs and decreased shipping times were boon to local producers. An abundant supply of crops like wheat and apples were shipped to eager consumers in places thought unreachable before the Canal’s construction.”

Medina sandstone quarries were developed near the canal and the stone was shipped to create curbs, roads, and many buildings, including many of the most prestigious churches and public buildings in canal cities in Upstate New York. The quarries brought thousands of skilled immigrants to the community to work at cutting stone.

“The Erie Canal brought great wealth to the ‘Niagara Frontier,’ making Albion a progressive town for its time,” according to the panel. “Commerce grew and entrepreneurs prospered as Canal traffic provided a means to both export and import valuable commodities. The local populace reaped the benefits.

“Commercial buildings sprang up along the towpath as goods were transported up and down the ‘express waterway.’ The increased population spawned the need for schools, hotels, blacksmith shops and general stores, as well as jewelers, hatters, newspaper printers and druggists.”

The panel also highlights a tragic event on the canal in Albion. On Sept. 28, 1859, 15 people were killed, including 11 teen-agers or younger, when a bridge collapsed on Main Street when 250 people crammed on it to watch a tightrope walker.

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ALBION – The Orleans County Planning Board gave its support on Thursday for a proposed 40-unit housing project in the Village of Albion on Liberty Street.

The Planning Board recommended the village approve the site plan for the project and also three variances.

DePaul Properties of Rochester is proposing to demolish three unoccupied houses on Liberty Street, between the railroad tracks and Beaver Street.

DePaul needs variances for the project. It is proposing 50 parking spaces, when the village code requires 80 (two parking spots for each unit). DePaul is seeking a 5-foot rear setback when the village code requires 25 feet. DePaul also wants a fence to be 10 feet high for a sound wall on the south side of the property, instead of the 7 feet required by the village code.

DePaul anticipates the 50 spaces will be adequate based on the demand at its other apartment buildings. DePaul serves low-income individuals, veterans, and people with disabilities.

With the rear setback, DePaul will plant a row of evergreen trees for additional screening. DePaul also wants the taller sound wall to mitigate noise from the neighboring rail line.

The Village of Albion Planning Board has the final vote on the site plan with the Zoning Board of Appeals to vote on the variances.

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Photos by Tom Rivers

GAINES – Karen Sawicz, right, was sworn in as the new president of the Albion Rotary Club on Thursday night by Tracy Ford, assistant district governor for Rotary District 7090, which includes about 70 clubs in Western New York and southern Ontario, Canada.

This will be the third time Sawicz will be president of the Albion Rotary Club. She is the owner and publisher of The Lake Country Pennysaver and Orleans Hub.

Mike Bonnewell, right, receives a plaque and president’s pin from Rotarian Ed Fancher after Bonnewell served the past year as the Rotary president. Bonnewell is the superintendent of Albion Central School. He also was named a Paul Harris Fellow and the club donated $1,000 in his name to the Rotary Foundation for its humanitarian work.

Members of the board of directors take their oath of office including, from left: Mary Anne Braunbach, Heidi Truschel, Doug Farley, Deb Boyer and Mike Bonnewell. Dick Remley, Bruce Landis and Becky Karls are also on the board. Tracy Ford administered the oath.

The Rotary Club on Thursday was pleased to see a large Santa mural installed on Main Street in Albion. The club had been working on that project for about two years. Sawicz said she wants to see the Rotary Club continue its efforts to help downtown Albion.

The club is the lead sponsor of the annual Strawberry Festival the second Friday and Saturday in June. Rotary has a golf tournament on July 19 and runs the Orleans County Fishing Derby from Aug. 4 to Aug. 19 with more than $8,000 in prizes will be available.

The club also gives out three scholarships each year to high school graduating seniors and serves a St. Patrick’s ham dinner to benefit a youth service program through the Interact Club at the school.

The club also is gearing up for its 100^th anniversary in 2022.

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Photos by Tom Rivers

ALBION – The Albion Department of Public Works this morning installed a mural of Santa Claus in flight in a sleigh over downtown Albion and the Courthouse Square.

Albion native Stacey Kirby Steward created the mural that is 24 feet wide by 8 feet high. It is mounted on a steel frame in Waterman Park, a half block south of the Erie Canal. The Albion Rotary Club organized the project and raised the money to get it done. Rotary paid for about half of the cost with community donations covering the other half.

The mural honors Albion’s history as home to the Charles W. Howard Santa Claus School from 1937 to 1966. Howard also ran Christmas Park in Albion. Mr. Howard passed away in 1966. The Santa School continues in his name in Midland, Michigan.

Albion DPW workers Jeff Ashbery, left, and Tim Banker attach the final panel. There are six panels that are 4 feet wide by 8 feet high.

Stacey Kirby Steward, front, and Albion Mayor Eileen Banker carry one of the panels from the firehall to Waterman Park. Steward did some of the painting on the mural at her home in Spencerport and also worked on the project in the firehall.

Some local residents check out the mural after it was installed at about 9 a.m. today.

DPW workers Tim Banker and Todd Sargent fasten a panel to the steel frame.

Steward welcomed the chance to create a mural for her hometown. She said drone photos taken of downtown Albion and Main Street at dusk were very helpful in creating the Albion scenery. Elliott Neidert, who just graduated from Albion High School, sent up his drone to get the aerial photos that were a reference for Steward.

Steward has painted many murals of Canal scenes that are in Holley, Medina, Gasport, Brockport and other locations.

The Santa mural was a dramatic change from the themes of her other large-scale paintings.

“Flying reindeer isn’t something you get to paint everyday,” she said.

Steward will be on location Friday putting some finishing touches on the mural, including painting over the tops of the bolts used to fasten the mural to the frame.

Ken McPherson of Medina is a graduate of the Charles W. Howard Santa Claus School. McPherson watched the installation this morning and praised Steward for the painting. McPherson likes how the mural showcases Albion.

“It’s Albion, New York,” he said. “That’s what’s really cool about it. You can pick out your house.”

McPherson also appreciated the vibrant expression on Santa’s face.

“I’m loving it,” McPherson said about the mural. “The Santa has a Charlie flair. Charlie wanted to overemphasize the facial expressions because that’s all that the kids see.”

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Photos by Tom Rivers

ALBION – Andrew Grillo leads a tennis camp this morning at the Albion High School tennis courts. Grillo is leading the camp each weekday this week from 10 to 11:30 a.m.

The camp and the summer parks program at Bullard Park are free to children in the Albion school district. Children are welcome to stop by and get registered. The Village of Albion Recreation Department runs the camps and summer parks program from Mondays through Fridays.

Hailey Neuman of Albion tosses the ball in the air and gets ready to serve it.

Grillo is being assisted at the camp by Owen Foos (right), one of the park supervisors.

Nolan Franzese of Albion hits the ball back over the net.

The parks program will also offer the following upcoming camps: wrestling for grades 6-12 from July 2-6; volleyball for grades 6-12 from July 2-6; baseball for grades 4-8 from July 9-13; and tennis for grades 5-12 from July 16-20.

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Photo courtesy of Char Olick

ALBION – Albion Police Officer Robert Wagner and the department’s K9, Rex, came to Bullard Park on Monday for the Village of Albion’s Summer Park Program.

Wagner and Rex were a huge hit for the more than 80 children who were in attendance at the park. Following a demonstration from the K9 team, the children engaged in a cross country fun run with in the park.

The parks program is open Monday through Friday at Bullard Park from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

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Hub readers offered 20 percent discount to compete in the race

Courtesy of Metro 10

ALBION – The designs for the medal and shirts for the Metro 10 have been unveiled. The fourth annual race will be Aug. 18 with the runners starting either a 5- or 10-mile race at 8 a.m. The runners finish at Bullard Park.

New this year will be a 10-mile cycling race that begins at 7 a.m. and will follow a similar course as the runners. There are some differences in the racing routes. The people on bikes won’t go through the apple orchard at Watt Farms or go on the towpath.

Thom Jennings, the race director, also is offering readers of the Orleans Hub a 20 percent discount that is valid until Aug. 1. When participants sign up, enter the coupon code “THEHUB” for the discount. Click here to register.

The Metro 10 race pits two unique running communities against each other in a friendly competition where every runner’s time counts. Participants choose the city closest to their hearts.

The design for the Rochester team is a red shirt with 585 in bold. Participants who register by July 20 are guaranteed to have their names in the mosaic.

The Buffalo team has a blue shirt with 716 in bold.

Rochester has one the first three Metro 10 cups, although Buffalo is closing the gap. Rochester had a big advantage in participants the first two years, but it was nearly even last year with 201 runners for Rochester and 199 for Buffalo.

Participants in the race compete for either Buffalo or Rochester. They run either 10- or 5-mile races. (The cyclists will go 10 miles.) They earn points for the city if they finish, and some runners earn added points if they finish high in their age groups. There is also a “tenacity” bonus for the final finisher of the race.

After the race there is a post-race celebration at Bullard Park with live music that is open to the community.

Last year there were 400 runners. That was the maximum for the event in 2017. Metro 10 has been growing about 30 percent annually since its first year.

Proceeds from the race go to the Warrior House of WNY.

This is the design for the Buffalo shirt.

This is the design for the Rochester shirt.

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Photos by Tom Rivers: Organizers of Rock the Park 5 promoted the Aug. 4 event during the Strawberry Festival Parade on June 9. Ron Alberton, right, is president of the Albion Lions Club, which helps to organize Rock the Park. Dylan DeSmit, front, and Zack Burgess also help help plan Rock the Park and are members of the band, Zero, which will be performing on Aug. 4.

ALBION – Organizers are looking forward to Rock the Park 5 on Aug. 4, when five bands, including headline 7th Heaven, play at Bullard Park.

The event, in its fifth year, has been expanded to include acoustic acts from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. The bands follow from 3 to 10p.m. The music festival opens at 9 a.m. with craft and artisan vendors. There will also be food vendors.

The Albion Lions Club is the leader in organizing the festival, with proceeds going to Bullard Park, specifically to put sides on an amphitheater that is headed to the park.

Organizers expect 500 to 1,000 people for the concerts.

The lineup of acoustic acts includes Dylan DeSmit, PD3, Lonesome Road, Burial Harbor, Chris Moore, Joel Russlett, Jon Strobele and Al Capurso.

The bands performing on Aug. 4 include Rock Soulgers, Zero, Shotgun Pauly and Eagle Creek with 7^th Heaven taking the stage at 8 p.m.

Alex DeSmit, a drummer for the band Delano Steele, pounds the skins during the Strawberry Festival Parade.

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