Photos by Tom Rivers – Orleans County Historian Bill Lattin, right, discusses some of the stained-glass windows in Christ Church, an Episcopal congregation that was included in a stained-glass window tour today.

ALBION – The Albion Merchants Association has a series of events planned today for the second annual Hometown Holiday celebration.

I just returned from the first ever stained-glass windows tour at all seven churches in the historic Courthouse Square.

County Historian Bill Lattin led about 40 people on the tour, which included some out-of-towners. I’ll have more on the tour later.

The tour ended at St. Joseph’s Catholic Church, where a hand bell choir played a concert. Matt Ballard, right, is a member of the group.

For a list of the events today, click here.

Photos by Tom Rivers – Carson Bader gets ready to fire the puck in the net at the ice rink at Albion Central School late this afternoon. He was playing with his brother Dylan Bader, 15, and their friends Owen Foos, 14; Aleah Foos, 16; and Elliott Foos, 20. More players were expected for a scrimmage.

ALBION – The deep freeze, snow and ice has been eagerly awaited by some local residents. A group of hockey players were out this evening at the ice skating rink at Albion Central School.

The rink is behind the varsity soccer field. It can be reached by following the driveway past the elementary school. The rink froze and hockey players were out today for the first time this winter at the site.

The district lights the rink in the evening and more players were expected for a scrimmage later today.

Aleah Foos is a blur while approaching the net for a shot on goal.

Owen Foos looks for an open player while his sister Aleah provides some pressure.

Hockey players skate and get ready for a scrimmage at the ice rink at Albion Central School.

200 loaves of Hungarian Christmas bread will sweeten holidays

Photos by Tom Rivers – Hungarian Christmas bread includes old-fashioned bread dough, brown sugar and walnuts.

ALBION – Next to Santa Claus, Debbie Tokotch may be the most warmly greeted person in the Albion area during the holiday season.

Tokotch has made more than 200 loaves of Hungarian Christmas bread that are 12 to 15 inches long. She makes them all my hand, mixing together old-fashioned bread dough, brown sugar and walnuts.

She has been busy baking since mid-November. Today she was out delivering the bread, also known as Kolache.  She stopped by the Orleans Hub/Lake Country Pennysaver Office with two loaves and immediately made many new friends in our office.

“A lot of people don’t make the old-fashioned stuff anymore,” she said. “This is something different that people like.”

Tokotch

Tokotch works for Western Regional Off-Track Betting Corp. in Batavia as an assistant staff accountant. I used to cover WROTB for The Daily News in Batavia. I tried some of this bread at an WROTB board meeting last December. It’s very tasty. I asked Tokotch months ago to keep me in mind with her annual holiday baking.

She said she gets a lot of requests. She likes to make to the deliveries to older people in the community, who have a connection to the old-fashioned breads.

“I try to get them when they are unsuspecting,” Tokotch said. “Most of the people are very grateful.”

Tokotch’s grandmother is from Hungary. She moved to Buffalo and then to Orleans County. She treasured her family recipe and eventually relented and passed it on to her daughter-in-law, Tokotch’s mother.

“Grandma almost didn’t give it up,” Tokotch said laughing today.

Tokotch learned it from her mother. Baking the enormous quantity of bread and sharing the loaves has become a holiday tradition with a growing list.

“I started 10 years ago and it keeps getting bigger,” Tokotch said. “It’s a way to keep family history alive.”

When she retires from WROTB, Tokotch said she might start a bakery locally. That would be in about 10 years. Before joining WROTB in 1994, she worked in the shoe department for Ames.

“A lot of people remember me as Debbie Shoes because I was the person in the shoe department,” she said.

Press release, Albion Police Chief Roland Nenni

ALBION – The Albion Police Department has been honored with the 2013 Community Traffic Safety Platinum Award by the America Automobile Association.

The nationally recognized AAA Platinum Community Traffic Safety Award is the highest award AAA can bestow on any Police Department. It’s awarded to departments that have developed and maintained traffic safety initiatives in their communities and who have shown success in those initiatives.

The Albion Police Department has used programs such as Buckle Up New York, Selective Traffic Enforcement Program, Stop DWI and the Child Passenger Safety Seat Program to enforce vehicle and traffic laws as well as to educate and assist motorists.

Throughout 2013 the Albion Police Department conducted several targeted details that focused on specific areas of safety for both motorists and pedestrians. These details were done in non-traditional ways to increase their effectiveness.

This is the third consecutive year that the Albion Police Department has received the Community Traffic Safety Platinum Award.

The Albion Police Department is dedicated to making our highways and streets safer for all who use them. Throughout the holiday season we will continue our efforts by adding more patrols and details.

ALBION – The days of voting for Republican and Democratic candidates in village of Albion elections may be over.

The Albion Republican Committee wants to see the elections in the future limited to candidates on independent party lines. The Republican Committee last week officially voted to have candidates run on independent-only party lines.

“We think if it is nonpartisan you would get a wider range of candidates to step forward,” said Dawn Allen, the Albion GOP chairwoman.

The resolution will need the support of the Albion Democratic Committee to take effect. The next election is in March and includes the mayor and at least two trustee positions.

Democratic Party leaders have discussed the issue the past year but haven’t reached a conclusion, said Sandra Walter, the Democratic Party leader in Albion. She expects the group will meet again soon to talk about whether to support the move to independent elections.

The other villages in Orleans – Holley, Lyndonville and Medina – all have independent-only candidates, who tend to run on party lines such as “The Village Party,” “The Taxpayer Party,”“The Family Party,” as well as others.

Rather than securing the support of the Republican or Democratic Party leaders, independent candidates would pass petitions signed by a small percentage of village residents in order to be on the ballot.

Allen thinks the move would give more power to the candidates and residents. Right now both Republican and Democratic committees include some members who don’t live in the village. That means people from outside the village are currently helping to pick who runs for the village offices.

Photos by Tom Rivers

ALBION – Susie Gaylord, an administrative assistant at Hoag Library, helps serve hors d’oeuvres and entrees prepared by the Crooked Door during last Thursday’s Tasty Treats at the library.

Debbie Martillotta, co-owner of the Crooked Door with her husband Joe, is pictured at right.

The event is organized by the Friends of the Library and attracted about 60 people.

Tasty Treats started seven years ago and has become a popular tradition at the library, a way for the organization to express its thanks to the community, said organizer Grace Kent.

This year’s event included a silent auction for an oak chair from Swan Library that was painted by artist Cheryl Watson of Lyndonville. The winner will be announced on Dec. 23.

Joe Martillotta, center, talks to the group about some of the entrees at the Crooked Door. Mary Anne Braunbach, Friends president, is pictured at right by the podium.

Genesee Chorale, Albion students usher in the season

ALBION – A Christmas concert this afternoon was standing room only in the First Presbyterian Church with about 500 people filling the church pews.

The 70-member Genesee Chorale, directed by Ric Jones of Medina, performed the “Christmas Peace” concert that included several selections from Albion student musicians.

The concert is part of the Eastman at Albion series that started with three spring concerts in 2009. The group has added a Christmas concert the past four years.

Jones praised the community for turning out in force for the concert today.

“As performers you can’t imagine how awesome it is to see a slew of people in the audience,” Jones told the crowd.

The Chorale sang Christmas classics including “Go Tell It On The Mountain,” “Star In The East,” and several others.

Evan Steier plays the trumpet with other members of the brass ensemble in the balcony of the First Presbyterian Church.

Shannon Broda and the woodwind quintet perform “We Three Kings.”

Kelley Flanagan and the flute choir play “Jolly Old Saint Nicholas” while the women’s and men’s ensembles wait for their turn to sing.

The Eastman series continues in the spring with a concert by Mitzie Collins on March 9 at St. Joseph’s Catholic Church and the return of Albion native Susan Fancher, a world-class saxophonist, on April 6 at the Prebyterian Church.

Photos by Tom Rivers – Tom Zangerle of Medina has several landscape paintings on display at Marti’s on Main, an art gallery at 229 North Main St. Zangerle has paintings of local scenes in Orleans County, Letchworth State Park and Zion National Park in southern Utah.

Retired Holley teacher Tony Barry is pictured in front of two canal paintings he did in Holley and an image from a doughnut shop at a fair in Spartansburg, Pa., where he was visiting his daughter, Colleen McCray. She is shown waiting in the front of the line in the painting.

ALBION – For years they taught art in local schools. Now that they’re retired, Tom Zangerle of Medina and Tony Barry of Holley have more time to pursue their own artistic passion.

The two are the featured artists in the season finale show at Marti’s on Main, 229 North Main St.

Both artists have paintings that feature local landscapes and scenes, and locations from out of the area. Kim Muscarella, Marti’s owner, has long been a fan of both painters.

“I’m just thrilled to have such beautiful artwork here,” she said. “I love these two guys. I love their art work.”

Zangerle taught art in Medina at the Oak Orchard Elementary School. He also worked 23 years in the newspaper business in photography, the darkroom and with the press, working out of Medina, Lockport and North Tonawanda.

These days Zangerle paints, goes fishing a lot and plays guitar in two bands. He and his wife Mary traveled to southern Utah this spring and he completed several paintings that show the cliffs at Zion National Park.

“It’s jaw-dropping awesome,” he said. “The cliffs change colors. They are red, gray and bright pruple.”

Zangerle doesn’t have to go far to be inspired with his paint brush. His property backs up to the Oak Orchard River. He has paintings of a path by the river during the winter. He has several of Lethcworth State Park and its waterfalls.

This painting shows a path Zangerle walks to go fishing at the Oak Orchard River in Waterport.

“There is a lot of awesome stuff around here that is very dynamic,” Zangerle said.

Barry retired from teaching in Holley in 2005. He creates about 12 to 15 paintings a year. He loves the orchards, tugboats, lift bridges and many other local scenes.

“There is a lot of local color,” he said. “Holley is so rich, especially by the canal park.”

Barry has four daughters who are all artists. They did a combined show at Houghton College. When he travels to see them, he often comes home with a new painting. One of his favorites is at the fair in Spartansburg, Pa., where his daughter Colleen McCray lives.

He painted her waiting in line at a doughnut stand at the fair. He also painted her garage. Barry said he never knows where inspiration will strike.

Barry painted his daughter’s garage on a recent trip to see her in Pennsylvania.

Marti’s is concluding its fifth season. Muscarella has included Barry in a show every year. She was open eight months this year and featured 14 different artists.

“The fact that we’ve made it five years shows it is a success and it says a lot about our county,” Muscarella said. “It says that enough people in our county appreciate art.”

Muscarella welcomes people to stop by for a tour.

Photos by Tom Rivers – Leah Pawlak, 5, checks out the new “Socio-Dramatic Play Center” that was dedicated on Thursday in memory of Rachel Miller, a speech therapist at Rainbow Preschool for 15 years.

Photo by Tom Rivers

ALBION – Children ages 3 to 5 in the Rainbow Preschool program often have significant developmental delays. Many of the children have autism and some of them have not spoken a word by the time they enroll in Rainbow Preschool.

For 15 years Rachel Miller worked as a speech pathologist at Rainbow. She helped many of the children say their first word. She was creative using games to get children to talk and express themselves.

She had a dream for a room that would allow children to role play. She thought it would be a fun way to get kids to learn and express themselves.

That dream has become a reality. The Arc of Orleans and Rainbow Preschool dedicated the “Socio-Dramatic Play Center” in memory of Miller, who was killed on March 4 at age 53.

Rachel Miller’s children – Amanda, Roy and Cody – attended the dedication for a play room in their mother’s memory. Rachel Miller has another daughter who lives out of state. She has 16 grandchildren.

Three of Miller’s children attended the dedication and cut the ribbon for the new room. Her daughter Amanda Miller, while fighting back tears, thanked a crowd of about 50 people that attended the dedication.

“I think it’s beautiful,” Miller said about the new room.

Her mother had a big personality, a big shoe collection, and a very big heart.

“Even when she was home, she was working, thinking about the kids,” Miller said.

The new play room used to be the nurse’s station. That was moved down the second floor in the Arnold Gregory Memorial Complex. The room now resembles a grocery store with tiny shopping carts for the children, as well as shelves, plastic fruit and vegetables, a cash register and other elements.

“This was one of her dreams,” said Linda Dressler, supervisor of the speech department. “She was all about play.”

Kellie Spychalski, Arc executive director, leads the dedication service for a room in memory of Rachel Miller.

Miller used to carry big boxes full of toys and supplies, her props for dramatic play sessions with students. Now the speech therapists can use the room in Miller’s memory.

Rainbow Preschool will change the themes in the room. When it opened in October, the site resembled a zoo and children could pretend they were a zookeeper. Dressler said the site will next be changed to resemble a pizza shop.

The room includes a plaque that notes Miller’s 15 years of dedicated service.

David Friedlander, director of educational services for the Arc, joined the agency in July. He supported the effort to create the room for Miller, a project driven by her co-workers.

“I’ve heard a lot of wonderful things about her,” Friedlander said. “She was loved.”

Ron Armstrong plans to keep responding to fire calls

Photo by Tom Rivers – Ron Armstrong was treated with a birthday cake and much praise tonight by the Albion Fire Department. Armstrong turned 80. He has been an active firefighter for 55 years.

ALBION – One of Albion’s most dedicated firefighters just turned 80, but that milestone birthday doesn’t mean Ron Armstrong plans to retire anytime soon from the fire department.

“I’ve been blessed with good health,” he said tonight when firefighters treated him to a birthday cake in the fire hall. “Some day I will have to stop. My body will tell me.”

Armstrong served as fire chief in 1975, and then from 1996 to 1998. He said he has plenty of aches and pains. He doesn’t do interior firefighting anymore. He serves mostly as a driver of the big fire trucks.

“During the day he is our main driver,” said Fire Chief Rocky Sidari.

The fire department needs volunteers for the daytime calls when many of the firefighters are at jobs away from Albion. Armstrong knows there is a need. That’s why he has stayed active for the department through his 70s and now at age 80.

Armstrong said he is grateful for the chance to serve so long in the department. He joined back in 1958.

“I had friends who were in it,” he said.

Armstrong served in the Air Force as a radio operator. He was stationed in Germany during the Korean War. He then worked 30 years as a printer at the former Eddy Printing in Albion before working another 16 years at Kodak.

The fire department has members with longer service than Armstrong, but Lee Meisner, the fire department president, doubts anyone has ever been an active volunteer for 55 years with the department.

Many of the firefighters will pull back from the department when they have young children or when they become senior citizens. They may be members, but Miesner said they typically don’t respond to fire calls. That’s not true with Armstrong.

Photo by Tom Rivers – This 28,235-square-foot warehouse between Platt and Main streets will be torn down so the site can be used for a new Dunkin’ Donuts. This photo was taken from the Platt Street side of the property.

ALBION – In the best-case scenario, an engineer working on the new Dunkin’ Donuts in Albion predicted in October the shell of the 2,000-square-foot store might be up by now with contractors working to have the site ready for a January opening.

Village Code Enforcement Officer Ron Vendetti said the 28,235-square-foot warehouse has some asbestos remediation that needs to be done before the structure can be taken down.

“The project is still on but they may not be able to do anything until next year because of the weather,” Vendetti said. “They’re working through the process of getting their things together.”

The Dunkin’ Donuts will be operated by JFJ Holdings of North Andover, Mass. The new Albion store is planned to have 30 seats inside, 46 parking spaces, a 230-square-foot freezer next to the building, and a drive-through lane that could accommodate 10 vehicles.

The site will have far more green space and landscaping because the building is so much smaller than the current warehouse.

JFJ also is working on a project in the town of Shelby at the southeast corner of the routes 31A and 63 intersection. The site is outside the village of the Medina in the town of Shelby. That store will go on land that is currently vacant.

Photos by Tom Rivers – Twin sisters Sam Hill, left, and Sarah, both 23 and from Middleport, sing “Silent Night” during tonight’s recital at St. Mary’s Athletic Club in Albion.

A singer who goes by “Daddy Cool” performs “Celebrate Me Home.”

St. Mary’s Athletic Club hosted “A Little Bit of Christmas Recital” tonight at the Moore Street site in Albion. Performers mixed the sacred – “Silent Night” and “O’ Holy Night” – with some silly songs, such as “I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas.”

Eight performers sang 16 songs as part of the show by JNS Productions, which is led by Albion residents Nick Russo and Shellane Bailey.

This is their second effort at St. Mary’s. In August their first production was a Broadway revue. (Click here for previous story.) Tonight and Friday the show includes Christmas songs.

Albion native Lance Anderson hams it up while singing “I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas.”

“We had a really good response to the first one,” Russo said. “We want to keep building on it.”

Russo and Bailey would like to do two or three different productions a year in Albion.

Many of the performers at the Dec. 5-6 shows were part of the cast in Les Miserables. The Lake Plains Players performed that show in October. (Click here to see previous article.)

Jake Hayes of Albion sings “O’ Holy Night” during a Christmas recital in Albion.

Albion native Lance Anderson had the lead role, Jean Valjean, in Les Miserables. Anderson lives in Spencerport. He said he is grateful for a chance to keep performing with the production in Albion.

“There aren’t enough opportunities for people to perform,” Anderson said. “We need more things like this in the area.”

Tickets are available at the door for the Dec. 6 show, which begins at 7:30 p.m. St. Mary’s is located at 538 Moore St.

The cast joins for the finale of the show by singing “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas.”