Photo by Tom Rivers: Morgan Bedford of Newfane rolls in a pitch for the Toe Jammers, which won last year’s Kick Cancer’s Ballz tournament.

ALBION – A kickball tournament will be back at Bullard Park this year. The date is set for July 14.

Last year there were seven teams in the debut “Kicking Cancer’s Ballz” tournament. The event raised just over $1,000 and was given to two families with children fighting leukemia.

The local FLED Foundation planned the tournament last year in less than five weeks. Beth Webb, one of the FLED leaders and organizers for the tournament, expects more teams and a more festive atmosphere this year.

She discussed the tournament on Wednesday with the Village Board, which said it supports the tournament.

FLED – Fight Like Elaina Dixie – is a non-profit organization established by Beth and Kyle Webb, and other close friends and supporters.

Beth and Kyle Webb lost their daughter, Elaina, to leukemia on Feb. 7. She fought the disease for nine months before passing away at age 2 ½.

FLED aims to help families with out-of-pocket expenses, offering gas cards, and funds for babysitters, meals and help with household expenses. They want to connect families with counseling services, and support research into fighting childhood leukemia.

The Webbs wanted a kickball tournament to highlight one of Elaina’s favorite games.

For more on the Fled Foundation, click here.

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ALBION – An Albion Boy Scout working on his Eagle project has proposed building a flag retirement pit at Mount Albion Cemetery.

Harrison Brown, a member of Troop 164, said the stone pit would have masonry and be permanent. He would like it to be in the veterans’ section of the historic cemetery.

Harrison has attended flag retirement ceremonies and often the flags are burned in a 55-gallon barrel.

“I don’t think that is the best way to honor the flag,” he told Village Board members on Wednesday.

Mayor Dean London said the Village Board is open to the idea and wants to consult with Jason Zicari, the cemetery superintendent. Zicari may have a location in mind for the flag retirement pit.

Harrison said the pit would be available for use by Scouts, veterans’ organizations and others in the community.

Freeman Lattin completed an Eagle Scout project at the cemetery last year, repainting all of the street signs and replacing some of nuts and bolts.

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Photo by Tom Rivers

ALBION – David Mogle was sworn in as a lieutenant for the Albion Police Department on Wednesday evening. His mother Karen holds the Bible and his father David joins them at the Village Board meeting.

Mogle’s wife Amber and their three children also attended the swearing-in on Wednesday. Village Trustee Stan Farone is in back left and Mayor Dean London is in back center.

Mogle has been an Albion police officer for about 10 years. He was promoted to sergeant and took the oath on July 9, 2014.

He has been lieutenant on a provisional basis following the retirement of Tom O’Hearn in June 2016.

Mogle no longer is in a provisional role as the department’s number two in command.

Mogle was working as a mechanic with his father at D & K Autobody when he decided to make a career change. In addition to working with the Albion Police Department, Mogle has been assigned to the Orleans County Major Felony Crime Task Force.

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Dean London

ALBION – Dean London said he won’t be seeking re-election to another four-year term as Albion mayor during the March 20 village election.

London, the retired Albion police chief, said he doesn’t have enough time to commit to the position. He works at Baxter Healthcare in Medina as a supervisor in the service department. The job keeps him busier than he expected.

London, 52, told the Village Board members today he wouldn’t be pursuing another term. Trustees Eileen Banker and Stan Farone, who are Republicans – like London, have been trying to get him to run for another term.

The Republican and Democratic parties will hold caucuses later this month to nominate candidates for the March 20 election.

Besides the mayor’s position, two trustees are up for election. Farone and Banker want to run again for four-year terms.

When London ran four years ago, he had the backing of both the Republicans and Democrats.

One project London has worked on over several years is expected to become a reality this year. Bullard Park will get a major upgrade.

The state two years ago approved a $499,605 grant for Bullard improvements with the village providing $166,370 with in-kind services or funding.

The overall $665,975 project includes a spray park, an amphitheater/performance stage, a walking/hiking trail with signage, infrastructure (water and sewer) for the spray park, a utility building, and parking lot and lighting improvements.

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Photo courtesy of Andrew Remley

ALBION – Richard Remley takes the oath of office as Albion town supervisor on Thursday while his wife Kim holds the Bible in a light-hearted moment at the Town Hall.

Remley, former owner of a printing company in Albion, just completed a four-year term at town councilman. He moved up to town supervisor and was elected to a two-year term in November. He succeeds Matt Passarell, who decided not to seek re-election to town supervisor but is staying on the board as a councilman.

Remley has been in the community with the Albion Rotary Club and Cobblestone Museum. He also was co-leader of the fundraising campaign for the new Hoag Library.

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Photos by Tom Rivers

ALBION – About 15 Christmas trees have been dropped by the backstop at Bullard Park for a Feb. 10 bonfire. Residents are welcome to drop off their trees at the park.

The Village of Albion, the Albion Fire Department, Energize Albion, Albion Merchant’s Association and United Structural, LLC are planning an event from 3 to 7 p.m. at Bullard on Feb. 10. There will be sledding, snowboarding and snowman building contests. Free hot chocolate and s’mores will be available while supplies last.

Winners for all three contests will be announced immediately prior to the lighting the bonfire. All contests and games are free.

A crowd watches the bonfire at Bullard last Feb. 18.

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Photos by Tom Rivers

ALBION – Bradley Pierce, 8, of Albion went sledding today for the first time in his life. Bradley and his family moved to Albion about a year ago after living in Oklahoma. As he started down the hill, Bradley yelled out to his mother: “This is going to be awesome.”

There will be plenty of more sledding opportunities.

The National Weather Service in Buffalo is forecasting another 3-5 inches of snow for Orleans County on Wednesday.

This man was out snowboarding with a parachute. The gusts of winds pulled him around Bullard Park.

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Photos by Tom Rivers

ALBION – Members of the Albion High School Select Chorus are making many stops in the community today, singing Christmas carols. This photo shows part of the group in the Orleans County legislative office in the second floor of the County Clerks’ Building. The singers include, from left: Miranda Smith, Alanna Holman, Annalise Steier, Emily Merger, Brennan Moody, Casey Starkweather and Camry Raymond.

The carolers stopped in the Orleans County Real Property Tax Services office and sang to Dawn Allen, director of the that county department.

The chorus visited businesses and county government offices on Main Street before heading to Hoag Library and later at The Village House. The chorus also sang at Rainbow Preschool, Clover Hill, The Villages of Orleans and the Nutrifare site.

Here are some of the carolers singing at the County Clerk’s Office. Alanna Holman, second from left, and Miranda Smith are up front with Santa hats.

County Clerk Karen Lake-Maynard and her staff give the singers a round of applause.

The singers joined together in a larger group to sing at Hoag Library.

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From 3,000 pounds in 2010, food drive has grown each year

Photos by Tom Rivers

ALBION – FFA students including Natalie DiCureia, a senior, were at the school at 7 this morning to load 50-pound bags of cabbage and other heavy boxes of produce on to a tractor trailer.

The FFA collected 35,000 pounds of food that was delivered to Community Action on East State Street in Albion.

The 35,000 pounds is a new record for the FFA, passing the 33,000 pounds in 2016.

Since the first drive in 2010 with 3,000, the food drive has grown each year to 9,000 pounds in 2011, 17,000 the following year and 19,000 in December 2013. The FFA reached 27,000 pounds in 2014 and reached 30,000 for the first time in 2015.

Squash awaits being packed in smaller boxes during this morning’s food drive. FFA students reached out to farmers and they responded with donations.

FFA members Harrison Brown and Rylie Lear took the lead in contacting farmers.

Barry Flansburg, a member of the FFA Alumni, was among several graduates to pitch in this morning.

FFA students Bryce Pritchard, left, and Justin Robinson stack the produce on the tractor trailer outside the ag shop at Charles D’Amico High School.

FFA students Alexis Bentley and Melissa Robinson sort apples into crates.

These Albion graduates from 2017 – Emilie Barleben, left, and Emily Blanchard – returned to help with the big effort this morning.

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