Vintage Aircraft Group is dedicated to preserving historic planes

Photos by Tom Rivers – An airplane comes in for a landing at Pine Hill Airport today in Barre. The airport is the only one in Orleans County with a hard-surface runway.

John Keding of Albion cooks the sausage for today’s breakfast at Pine Hill Airport. Volunteers served 700 people. The airport on Pine Hill Road in Barre has been running the breakfasts for 50 years.

BARRE – Volunteers that run Pine Hill Airport and the Vintage Aircraft Group served breakfast to 700 people at the airport on Pine Hill Road this morning. The breakfast tradition dates back to 1964, when a big crowd shows up for scrambled eggs, sausage, applesauce and coffee.

About 20 dedicated volunteers keep the airport functioning. Pine Hill Airport is the only one in Orleans County with a hard-surface runway. The airport has two breakfasts for the public each year, and the fund-raiser helps pay the bills so the site can stay open to the community, said Gene Haines, VAG president and a co-owner of the airport.

Jim Kenney of Brockport, left, and David Canham of Albion look over a restored 1946 Taylorcraft BC-12D, a plane owned by Kenney’s son Darin.

The airport is the home for many vintage planes from the World War II era, including an air ambulance and smaller aircraft used for training pilots. VAG volunteers are close to restoring a Fairchild PT 19 from 1939. That plane could be ready to fly next month.

One of the VAG members, Darin Kenney of Brockport, bought a restored 1946 Taylorcraft BC-12D. That plane was built as a private plane for flying. Kenney, 45, is a flight instructor. He likes to see visitors walk into the hangar and see the old aircraft.

“I like the idea of keeping the vintage planes going from a historical aspect,” he said. “When people come up here, their eyes light up.”

Darin Kenney of Brockport stands in a hangar at Pine Hill Airport with several vintage military airplanes, including an air ambulance from 1944 at right. That plane, a Stinson L-5G, has a spot in the back to carry wounded soldiers, as long as they didn’t exceed 150 pounds.

4 women, all 23, drove an Oldsmobile to San Fran and back

Photo by Tom Rivers – Lisa Neilans Blair returned to her hometown of Albion today with her daughter Karah Blair, 13, to sign copies of a new book, “The Trail of the Gypsy Wagon.” The book is based on a trek Blair’s grandmother, Alberta Neilans, took in 1939 with three of her friends.

ALBION – Lisa Neilans Blair remembers hearing snippets about a trip her grandmother took in 1939, a cross country trek from Buffalo to San Francisco and back, 4,500 miles total before there was an interstate highway, motels or McDonalds.

But it wasn’t until 2009 that Blair learned the extent of the adventure. She asked her grandmother, Alberta Neilans, if she had any photographs of the trip she took with three of her female friends.

They were all 23 when they embarked on a long drive in a 1938 Oldsmobile. Each woman was responsible for buying a new tire for the car.

Alberta Neilans kept a journal packed with notes, photos and mementos of the trip. She shared it with her granddaughter, who was amazed the four women were so radical and determined.

“It’s an amazing story,” said Blair, who works as an attorney in Auburn. “It shows you can do what you want without being held back. It’s a great story, particularly for women.”

Blair, a 1990 Albion graduate, compiled the journal into a book, “The Trail of the Gypsy Wagon.” She returned to Albion today for a book-signing at Bindings Bookstore.

Her grandmother was 94 when she died on Dec. 3, 2010. The journal showed Blair a new side of her grandmother.

“I read about how she danced with a cowboy named Texas at the Grand Canyon,” Blair said.

The four women in 1939 wanted to get to the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, which was hosting the World’s Fair. They kept a journal about the highlights along the way.

Neilans, the former Alberta Kleinfelder, married John Neilans in 1946. She worked as a home economics teacher in Fillmore before moving to Albion and raising four children.

Next year will be the 75^th anniversary of the cross country journey. Blair is talking about retracing the path of the four women. She may drive out to San Francisco with her aunt Marilyn Neilans and other family.

Michael O’Keefe paints with brush and the computer

Mike O’Keefe created this artwork of the tower at Mount Albion Cemetery. He sketched the scene on location and then used a computer to fill in the colors.

ALBION – Michael O’Keefe admits his art work is “different.” He favors abstract paintings, where the image isn’t so obvious.

And he likes to take familiar scenes and give them a different look, sometimes experimenting with new colors or jagged lines for the objects.

O’Keefe, a Medina attorney, has been spending more time developing his artistic passion the past five years. He does some paintings, but he prefers digitial art, where he will sketch a scene by pen, and then scan that into his computer. He will then paint or fill in the colors using a computer mouse.

Some of O’Keefe’s work will be on exhibit at the Marti’s on Main Art Gallery in Albion. There is an opening reception today from 5:30 to 9 p.m. at 229 North Main St. O’Keefe will be working on a painting during the opening reception.

“Art doesn’t have to be what you expect it to be,” said gallery owner Kim Martillotta Muscarella. “It doesn’t have to be realistic. Mike puts his heart and soul into a painting. That’s what you should see.”

Mike O’Keefe holds one of the abstract paintings on exhibit at Marti’s on Main Art Gallery in Albion.

O’Keefe grew up in an artistic house. His father Don O’Keefe worked 37 years as an art director for a Rochester television station.

Mike grew up exposed to the arts but it wasn’t until five years ago he decided to pursue it more seriously. He had his first show in his Medina law office. Muscarella and other artists in the county welcomed him into their community.

The artists encourage each other, and spur one another to be creative, O’Keefe said.

“It’s a great outlet because of the people I meet,” O’Keefe said. “That keeps the fire burning to create more art. Art also gives me more energy to focus in my legal career.”

Today’s opening reception will also include members of the Skoog Farm Artists, a group of retired residents in the Brockport area who take classes from Lori Skoog.

Photos by Tom Rivers – Gertie Albano, owner of Gertie’s Groovy Garments on East Bank Street in Albion, is among several businesses that are staying open until 7 p.m. on Thursdays. The businesses had their first extended hours Thursday today.

ALBION – A group of Albion businesses are now offering extended hours on Thursdays to give more local residents the chance to buy from hometown merchants.

Today was the debut of extended hours Thursday, when several businesses agreed to stay open until 7 p.m.

“We need some more life in the downtown,” said Maureen Bennett, one of 15 vendors at the Downtown Browsery. She helped recruit businesses to stay open past 5 p.m. on Thursdays.

“With later hours more locals can see what we have and won’t have to shop out of town,” said Bennett, who sells antiques and collectibles at the Browsery.

Other participating businesses include Gertie’s Groovy Garments, Bindings Bookstore, Viola’s Boutique, Hazy Jade, Clothesline, Knight’s Pride, Xpress Fitness and Ace Hardware. Bennett said more merchants are welcome to stay open until 7.

The Downtown Browsery includes 15 vendors on East Bank Street., including, from left: Linda Hollenbeck, antiques and collectibles; Susie Gaylard, hand-crafted purses; and Maureen Bennett, antiques and collectibles.

“It’s a good step forward,” said Carolyn Ricker, owners of Bindings. “It assures people there will be more than one business open for the extended hours.”

Ricker is president of the Albion Merchants Association. Business owners are working together planning several upcoming events.

Gertie Albano, owner of the Gertie’s Groovy Garments, praised the camaraderie among the merchants, who are working to create a shopping destination in the downtown.

“We all believe in shopping local and how it benefits the community because more of the money stays in the local economy,” she said.

Photo by Tom Rivers – Marilyn Neilans discusses her book, “Saying Goodbye to the Iris Lady,” during a book talk and signing Wednesday night at Hoag Library in Albion.

Photo by Tom Rivers

ALBION – Louise C. Smith planted and tended to 30,000 iris flowers at her garden in Williamsburg. She was an eccentric character with a tireless work ethic.

In 1996, Smith died at age 84. Her daughter Marilyn Neilans was 53 at the time, when she and her siblings were thrust into the emotional and financial strain of their mother’s final months.

Neilans has written a book about that experience. In “Saying Goodbye to the Iris Lady,” Neilans shares what she said is “a common story” of grown children becoming caregivers of their parents at the end of their lives. It may be a familiar story, but it isn’t easy, Neilans said.

In her nearly 400-page book, she writes about the emotional roller-coaster, sibling dynamics and Medicare reimbursements.

Neilans is married to Albion native John Neilans. They live near Knoxville, Tenn. They are in Albion this week visiting friends and family, and promoting the book. Neilans discussed the book last night at the Hoag Library in Albion.

“It’s a book about flowers, siblings and crazy brothers,” she told the Hoag crowd.

Neilans will have another book-signing Saturday at Bindings Bookstore on West Bank Street in Albion from 1 to 3 p.m. Her niece Lisa Neilans Blair will join her at that event.

Blair published a book about a trip her grandmother took across the country in 1939. Alberta Neilans and three of her friends drove from Buffalo to the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco and then back to Western New York, making many memorable stops along the way. Blair shares excerpts from their journal about the trip. That book is titled, “The Trail of the Gypsy Wagon.”

Albion police seek public’s help after another attempted burglary

ALBION – A State Police helicopter circled over the village for more than hour last night after another attempted break-in on the night before the first day of school.

Albion police were dispatched at 8:48 p.m. to the 200 block of Chamberlain Street in the village for a suspicious condition, Police Chief Roland Nenni said. A citizen reported that a noise was heard and two males were seen running from the rear of a neighbor’s home.

Police discovered there had been another attempted burglary by cutting a window screen and opening the window.

Albion and several police agencies searched for the suspects, but were unable to locate them and make an arrest.

The investigation is ongoing, Nenni said. Anyone with information regarding this case or other burglaries that have occurred recently is asked to contact the Albion Police Department.

The Albion Police Department’s investigation was assisted by the Orleans County Sheriff’s Office, Orleans County Major Felony Crime Task Force, Medina Police Department K-9 Unit, Niagara County Sheriff’s Office K-9 Unit and the New York State Police Aviation Unit.

Police advise residents to secure all first floor windows and doors and to immediately report any suspicious activity.

“The investigations into the recent burglaries have revealed that many citizens have seen the suspects and their activity and failed to report it until the next day,” Nenni said. “It is crucial to report all suspicious activity when it is occurring or as soon as possible.”

800 dogs compete next 2 days in AKC shows

Photos by Tom Rivers – There are about 800 dogs competing today and Sunday in dog shows at Bullard Park in Albion. The all-breed shows run from about 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. both days. They feature purebred dogs and have attracted participants from many states and Canada.

Carl Liepmann, an American Kennel Club judge, checks Sedona, an English cocker spaniel owned by Mindy Bartholomew during today’s Tonawanda Valley Kennel Club show at Bullard Park.

Jesse James, a French bull dog owned by Penny Barber of Sanborn, is all smiles after winning his event at today’s Tonawanda Valley Kennel Club dog show at Bullard Park in Albion.

Melanie Whitehair and Libby, an English bull terrier, wait for their turn in the show ring at today’s dog show in Albion. Whitehair and her husband Ty are Kendall residents. They travel to 15 to 20 dog shows a year, including two in Europe.

ALBION –  Police are investigating a string of burglaries the past two weeks in the village of Albion. Police Chief Roland Nenni advises residents to keep their doors and first-floor windows locked.

Residents are also urged to call 911 if they see suspicious activity.

“It’s very important to call while it’s going on,” Nenni said this morning. “People have observed suspicious activity and not called until the following day.”

The burglaries are taking place late at night and in the early morning hours. Burglars have cut out screens from windows to gain entry. In one instance, burglars removed an air-conditioning unit that wasn’t secure.

Village police have stepped up surveillance in recent days.

Nenni said burglars may strike outside the village as well.

“I have no doubt the suspects will go outside the village if they see an opportunity,” Nenni said.

Sid Beaty will work for free, teaming with merchants

Photo by Tom Rivers – Sid Beaty is working the next two months for free as a program coordinator for the village of Albion. The village may turn the position into a paid role in the future.

ALBION – Sid Beaty has talked with downtown business owners and village officials. She hears a lot of good ideas about historic walking trails, a concert series, a farmers’ market, and other events to promote the community.

The merchants have tried to plan some events, but the challenge of running their own enterprises has made it difficult to devote time to outside projects.

Beaty, 23, will work to turn some of those ideas into reality. She agreed to work the next two months for free as a program coordinator for the village. The position could turn into a paid role in the future.

“We’re excited to have someone who is a direct link to the village,” said Carolyn Ricker, owner of Bindings Bookstore and president of the Albion Merchants Association. “She will be helpful to get some of these things done.”

Ricker and the downtown merchants have spent months trying to put together a map of the downtown, highlighting different businesses and attractions. That project has lagged without someone being fully committed to it. Ricker was happy to hand that off to Beaty, who isn’t a stranger to the area.

Her parents, Anne and Bruce Beaty, have a cottage at Point Breeze. Beaty typically would spend three or four months a year in Orleans County. She is the granddaughter of the late Dick Eddy, a long-time community leader in Albion. Beaty is named for Dick’s father, Sid Eddy.

She earned a degree in city and regional planning from Cornell University in May 2012. She sees a lot of potential in Albion, especially Main Street and the downtown area, which is named to the National Register of Historic Places.

“Albion has beautiful buildings, it’s pedestrian friendly and there is mixed use,” she said. “There’s a lot of opportunities down here.”

During an internship about three years ago with the Albion Main Street Alliance, Beaty decided to switch her career plans, changing from a math/science major to planning.

Since graduation from Cornell, she has worked in Utica with an initiative that turns vacant city lots into green space and gardens. She also worked for an engineering firm in Ithaca, working on applications to attain energy efficiency standards for the company’s projects.

She was drawn to the chance to work for free in Albion because the job is more in line with her career goals, trying to draw commerce to a historic district.

“This is the kind of work that I love to do in a place that I love,” Beaty said this afternoon from the village office, where she will be based.

She finished up an application today for arts funding to help pay for entertainment for a downtown concert series next year. She also is helping to coordinate a Beggar’s Night event near Halloween.

She is talking with merchants about bringing in downtown speakers that would play music in the business district. The Village Board wants her to solicit feedback from the merchants.

Next month some of the businesses will start having extended hours on Thursdays, staying open until 7 p.m. Beaty will help them promote the later hours.

Some merchants would like to have a movie night in the downtown, perhaps using a building wall as the screen. Some community members have pitched the idea of a 5K race and other events.

“There are a lot of good ideas out there,” she said. “I’m going to help provide the follow-up.”

By Roland Nenni III, Albion Police Chief

ALBION – The Albion Police Department is investigating several burglaries that have occurred over the past two weeks. These burglaries have occurred at occupied dwellings in the late evening to early morning hours.

Entry is being made into the residences via opened or unlocked first floor windows. Screens have been cut to gain access to the windows. Force has not been used to entry locked residences.

Residents are asked to lock all first floor windows and to secure all window air conditioners. Valuables should be kept out of sight and in a location not easily accessible from windows.

Anyone who has information regarding these burglaries is asked to call the Albion Police Department. Anyone who sees suspicious activity, including suspicious persons or vehicles is asked to call 911 immediately.

Photo by Tom Rivers

The Albion Rotary Club today presented $1,000 checks to both Hoag Library for a series of historical programs and to Community Action of Orleans and Genesee for the agency’s food pantry.

Kelly Kiebala, the club’s president in 2012-13, is pictured, center, with Bonnie Malakie, director of children and youth services for Community Action of Orleans & Genesee, at left.

Susan Rudnicky, right, is director of Hoag Library in Albion. The library will use the funding for programs about local history.

Photos by Tom Rivers

ALBION – Churches around the country rang their church bells 50 times today at 3 p.m. in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King’s famous “I Have a Dream” speech that was 50 years ago today.

The First Presbyterian Church in Albion joined the chorus of church bells this afternoon.

In the photo above, Jim Mitchell, left, and his brother John ring the church bell at the Presbyterian Church.

The brothers grew up in Detroit and their father was a biology teacher in the inner city. He also was a Civil Rights supporter, and told his young sons to drink from the “Colored” water fountains and use “Colored” public restrooms.

The family often hosted members of the African-American community for meals at their house.

“Our father was a big believer in the movement,” Jim Mitchell said.

Both Mitchell brothers and their wives now live in Orleans County.

In King’s speech, he used soaring oratory to plead with Americans to come together to stomp out racism and create a land of opportunity for all.

A view looking up the church spire at the bell tower.

ALBION – Matt Passarell will have the Republican line in the Nov. 5 election for town supervisor.

The Albion Republican Committee  may have decided in April not to endorse Passarell, Jake Olles and or any candidate for the town’s top elected official.

But Passarell was able to secure the line by submitted petitions signed by Republicans in town. Passarell also has the Conservatve Party line.

Olles on Tuesday was backed by Democrats during their party caucus.

Olles and Passarell are both currently town councilmen. Passarell was elected in November 2008 with Olles elected two years later.

Olles works as a Sergeant at Attica Correctional. Passarell is an Iraq War veteran and VFW commander. He works as quality supervisor for Baxter in Medina.

ALBION – Democrats gathered for a caucus tonight and picked current Town Board member Jake Olles, a correctional officer at Attica, for town supervisor candidate.

That sets up a Nov. 5 election contest versus two current councilmen, Olles and Matt Passarell, who has been endorsed by the Conservative Party. The Republican Committee didn’t endorse a candidate for the election.

Albion Democrats also endorsed Justin Sheehan and Todd Sargent for Town Board positions. Sargent is a Republican who also has the GOP endorsement. There are three candidates running for councilmen. Richard Remley also has the Republican line. Voters will elect two to four-year terms.

Photo by Tom Rivers

ALBION – It was about 2:15 this afternoon when the storm clouds burst, drenching Orleans County.

I was in the main courtroom in the Orleans County Courthouse when the room suddenly got much darker from the stormy sky outside. Then we could hear the rain pounding against the windows.

After court was over, I took a picture through one of the windows. The County Clerk’s Building is next door to the Courthouse. Both are part of the Courthouse Square, a cluster of about 35 buildings listed on the National Register of Historic Places.