By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 12 July 2013 at 12:00 am
Photos by Tom Rivers
ALBION – Cole London, 10, of Albion tries to toss a bean bag through a target as part of a Children’s Carnival today at Bullard Park. The event, which ran from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., was coordinated by the Village of Albion Parks Program and Community Action of Orleans & Genesee.
Bri Hursh, 9, of Hamlin holds still while Pam Hage, a family advocate at Community Action, paints a flower on Bri’s cheek. Face-painting and many other games and activities were part of a Children’s Carnival today at Bullard Park.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 11 July 2013 at 12:00 am
ALBION – The Village will submit an application to state to upgrade Bullard Park and also is working on an proposal to replace sanitary sewers on three village streets.
The grants are due next month. The board voted Wednesday to seek a $500,000 request from the state for Bullard Park, a project that wasn’t approved last year. Mayor Dean Theodorakos believes Albion has a better chance this funding round.
The village spent $20,000 last year upgrading playground equipment at the Pee Wee Park section of Bullard and also has $50,000 in a capitol reserve that could be spent at Bullard. He thinks that shows the village is willing to put some of its own money into the park, and not just rely on state funding.
The community also completed a comprehensive plan since the last grant application. That plan guides land use and identifies priorities in Albion, including the Bullard improvements.
The project is largely changed from a year ago when Albion sought state funding for two reseeded ball fields, new playground equipment and a 6,400-foot-long hiking trail carved through the park.
The grant wasn’t approved as part of the Consolidated Funding Application process, which places an emphasis on projects with a regional significance. The village is paying LaBella Associates of Rochester $1,000 to resubmit the grant.
The village also wants a $600,000 state grant to replace sewers on portions of Crimson Drive, Caroline Street, and East State Street between Platt Street and just past Ingersoll Street.
The village needs to do an income survey of residents in the project area to see if the majority of residents are low- to moderate-income. That would make Albion eligible for the state grant. LaBella has sent 83 surveys to residents, but only eight have returned them. The village needs at least 53 for the application.
Village Board members said they would go door-to-door to residents in the target area, explaining the grant and need for the surveys. Board members may be out knocking on doors on Saturday.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 11 July 2013 at 12:00 am
Photos by Tom Rivers – The state Department of Labor halted demolition work in April on this sandstone building in Albion.
The DOL said the work is suspended until an asbestos removal permit is secured.
ALBION – Dan Dunn in mid-April started tearing down a hulking sandstone building along the Erie Canal. The 5,000-square-foot site didn’t have a roof, a tree was growing in the middle and had been declared an unsafe structure by the village.
Dunn took out most of one wall before the work was halted by the state Department of Labor. The agency said Dunn failed to secure a proper asbestos removal permit.
Nothing has happened at the site since then and Dunn told the Village Board on Wednesday he intends to file an Article 78 court action against the DOL, contending the agency was wrong to stop the work on the building.
“It’s needed to come down for a long time,” Dunn told the Village Board. “I’ve been prepared to take it down.”
The DOL insists Dunn needs to hire a certified asbestos removal contractor. But Dunn, who works in the salvaging business, thinks he can do the work himself even though he isn’t a licensed asbestos removal contractor.
Dunn said the law allows the owner of a building that is classified as residential to remove asbestos without a certified contractor. He wants to wrap the pieces of non-friable asbestos in plastic and then have it hauled off to a landfill.
Although the building was classified as residential by the assessor, it was never used for housing and hasn’t been used in about a half century, village officials said. The building is one of the oldest commercial Medina sandstone buildings along the canal. It was once the home for a carriage-making business and later a furniture warehouse.
But the roof and floors have collapsed in the building years ago. The village wants it to come down. The Albion Historic Preservation Commission approved the site’s demolition.
Dunn said the Article 78 should force the DOL to make a decision on how the matter will proceed. He doesn’t want to hire a certified asbestos contractor and also an engineer for a job that he can do himself.
“I feel they are being unreasonable and will make it very costly,” Dunn said about the DOL.
The Village Board has been pressing Dunn to address the site. The board agreed to wait another 30 days to see if there is a court decision or other resolution from the DOL.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 10 July 2013 at 12:00 am
ALBION – I’ve heard people joke about it before, some of the distinctively unique street signs we have in Orleans County, signs that show you’re clearly in a rural community.
Woodchuck Alley in Kendall tops the list. But I also like Johnny Cake Lane in Barre, Zig Zag Road in Gaines and Beaver Alley in Albion.
People get a kick out of these signs, and I’ve thought people would buy replicas. Call me crazy, but I’ve been brainstorming possible merchandise that promotes the area and makes a little money for some of the business owners.
I’m the chairman for the street-scape subcommittee in Albion. We’ve been tasked with coming up with a plan for spending a $50,000 NY Main Street grant.
One the projects calls for replacing the green street signs in the historic district. We don’t have a final design approved by the state DOT or the historic preservation officials yet, but we’d like the signs to be blue and white, with “Historic Albion” in a box above the street name. We thought this would help “brand” the historic district, make it stand out from the other streets.
I also thought we could have replicas made of these street signs and they might sell at the local stores, especially if we create a more inviting and interesting downtown.
I talked about this during several Village Board meeting last fall and winter. I mentioned I thought the Beaver Alley sign would be a hot-seller. Apparently I chuckled when I said this, and some folks in the audience at one of meetings thought I was making a perverse joke.
This was brought up at the Village Board meeting two weeks ago by residents Mark and Rhonda Parker. They chastised the board for laughing at what the Parkers took as sexual innuendo. Last night Trustee Eileen Banker told the Parkers she was “appalled” by their accusations. Banker asked me during the meeting what my intentions were in wanting to promote Beaver Alley.
I told her and the board I wasn’t making a sexual reference, that I thought the sign, given the street’s oddball name, could actually be a popular piece of merchandise.
I laughed during the meeting a few months ago because I knew there was a chance some people would find the idea of people buying replica street signs a little bizarre. I was nervous the Village Board wouldn’t take the idea seriously. But I do think some people would buy “Beaver Alley” because it’s an unusual name that is uniquely Albion.
The Parkers have attended the past two Village Board meetings, urging the board to take action against Village Code Enforcement Officer Ron Vendetti for what they claim is selective enforcement of the codes.
They have started a “Fix Albion” Facebook page and presented a list of recommendations to Mayor Dean Theodorakos for improving Vendetti’s job performance. Theodorakos told the Parkers he supports Vendetti.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 9 July 2013 at 12:00 am
These bike racks, which will be painted blue, highlight Albion’s canal heritage. Design by DERO Bike Rack Company.
ALBION – This fall a series of street-scape improvements will be added to downtown Albion, with new tugboat-themed bike racks, potted trees and planters, benches painted as murals, a historical marker and interpretive panel about the downtown historic district.
The street signs in the historic district will be swapped out with signs that are blue and white and say “Historic Albion” on the top. The Main Street clock will have a sandstone base and one sandstone bench will be added to a downtown sidewalk. That bench is planned to stay out year-round.
The Albion Town Board on Monday backed the list of projects and agreed to front the money for the $50,000 in improvements. The state is paying for the projects as part of a $477,000 Main Street grant awarded to the community in December 2011.
The bulk of the grant is matching funds for building projects. The state also approved the $50,000 for Albion’s street-scape, money that doesn’t require a local match. However, the town will pay for the projects and then be reimbursed by the state.
Katelin Olson, the Albion Main Street Alliance interim executive director, wrote the grant and has been administering the funding. The list of projects, with their final designs, needs to be submitted to state officials by the end of next week. It will likely take four to six weeks for state review. Then the community can begin installing some of the improvements, likely between September and November.
I’ve been the chairman of the street-scape subcommittee, which formed about 18 months ago. We’ve been trying to build on our canal and sandstone heritage with these new additions, while also adding trees and flowers to the downtown landscape.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 9 July 2013 at 12:00 am
Christine Versteeg submitted this design of a tugboat for a bench-painting art project in Albion.
ALBION – The street furniture in Albion will soon offer more than a place to sit down.
Twelve new benches will tell stories about Albion’s past, and highlight some of the community’s assets. The Albion Main Street Alliance is organizing a public art project where the benches will be painted with heritage themes.
This may include paintings about the community’s ties to the canal, sandstone quarries and agriculture.
Prominent Albionites, such as Santa Claus School founder Charles Howard, also may be depicted on a bench.
I’m helping to round up submissions from artists. There was a public meeting about this project back in May, and I’ve been connecting with artists since then.
There is still time for artists to submit proposals for this project. The deadline to submit a design is 4 p.m. July 16. Those designs could be dropped off at The Lake Country Pennysaver, 170 North Main St., Albion. Or they could be emailed to me at tom@orleanshub.com.
The rendering must be in color because local and state historic preservation officials want to see the colors.
The 6-foot-long benches will have wooden slats that are very close together. The paintings will be like mini-murals promoting the community. The benches will be outside on the sidewalks from April until late fall. Then will then spend the winter inside local businesses.
Some possible subjects for the benches include: the top of the Briggs building, Mount Albion arch and tower, apples, cobblestones, Chinook salmon, Courthouse Square, tugboats and other canal icons.
Besides Charles Howard, benches could feature Grace Bedell (the Albion girl who wrote to Lincoln, advising him to grow a beard), George Pullman (a furniture maker in Albion before his sleeping railroad car fortune) and a “Governor’s Bench,” featuring Albionite Rufus Bullock who became governor of Georgia, Medina native George Anthony who went on to be Kansas governor, and Sanford Church of Albion, who served as NY’s lieutenant governor.
Artists are welcome to submit their own ideas for a themed bench.
Artists will be paid $400 for their work. This project is part of $50,000 in street-scape improvements that are being paid for with a NY Main Street grant.
For more information, contact me at tom@orleanshub.com.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 8 July 2013 at 12:00 am
Photos by Tom Rivers
The group includes Nancy Rezabek of Columbia, Missouri, who is travelling with Elmo. Rezabek is riding the canal for the first time after doing group treks in Iowa and Missouri.
ALBION – Today is Day 2 of an eight-day journey across the Erie Canal for 525 cyclists from 34 states and five countries.
The group left Medina this early this morning and many of the cyclists were in Albion by 8. “Cycling the Erie Canal” is in its 15th year and includes a record-high 525 cyclists for the 400-mile trip this year. The event is organized by NY Parks and Trails.
The group will ride to Pittsford today with Holley an official rest stop on the journey.
Volunteers from Albion Main Street Alliance, including Judith Koehler, right, offered snacks and beverages for the cyclists this morning.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 6 July 2013 at 12:00 am
Photos by Tom Rivers – Orleans County Legislature Chairman David Callard unveils a marker in honor of Albion’s pioneer residents.
ALBION – Long before there was a lush lawn and some of Orleans County’s most treasured buildings, the Courthouse Square was wilderness.
In 1811, William McAllister and his wife arrived in Albion and began the daunting task of settling the area. Mr. McAllister chopped down trees and cleared a spot for a log cabin where the County Clerks’ Building stands today.
His wife likely made his clothes, prepared the meals, and even concocted medicine for her husband. That was the role of the pioneer wives from two centuries ago, said Dee Robinson, town of Gaines historian.
“It was her job to keep him healthy to carry on the settlement,” Robinson said this afternoon during a dedication ceremony for a marker in honor of Mr. and Mrs. McAllister.
Many markers in other communities honor pioneer residents, listing the names of men, where they came from and what their job was locally. But Robinson said the new marker in Albion is unusual in recognizing McAllister - and his wife, whose first name is not known.
“When we look as pioneers, remember there was always a woman behind the man,” she said.
Orleans County Historian Bill Lattin talks about Donna Rodden and the former Albion mayor’s efforts to preserve local history. Rodden’s daughter, Chris Capurso, is second from back right.
Mr. McAllister purchased 368 acres from the Holland Land Company in 1810. That was land on the east side of the village. The couple arrived in 1811, all alone.
Mrs. McAllister would die in 1812, and her husband would then move out of the area. She was buried near where the County Clerk’s Building stands today. That building was constructed in 1882-1883.
Her skeletal remains were discovered in 1957, when the county was doing a project at that building.
When the marker was unveiled today on the lawn of the Clerk’s Building, County Legislature Chairman David Callard lifted the cover to show the new marker. It features a log cabin logo.
Callard marveled at how quickly the area changed after the first settlers arrived. The Erie Canal opened a couple blocks away in 1825. Albion became a boomtown from the mid-1800s to the early 1900s, with quarrying and farming major industries.
Most of the buildings that went up in that era – the Courthouse, churches and downtown business district – remain.
“You can see what’s happened in 200 years with people working together for the common good,” Callard said during the dedication ceremony attended by about 50 people.
State Assemblyman Steve Hawley presented a proclamation in honor of the McAllisters and their grit in the community’s beginning.
Al Capurso and his son Dan performed three songs as a tribute to the pioneering spirit of Mr. and Mrs. McAllister, the community’s first settlers in 1811.
The Capurso family in Albion paid for the marker and organized the dedication ceremony to honor those early settlers. Al Capurso and his son Dan performed three songs in their honor: “Whole world round,” “See the sky about to rain,” and “After the storm.”
Al’s wife Chris is daughter of the late Donna Rodden, a former Albion mayor who was influential in getting the Courthouse Square listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1979.
“She recognized the importance of our local history and heritage and passed it on to the next generation,” said County Historian Bill Lattin.
He has worked to have many of the local historical markers placed in Albion and around the county.
“These few lines are just the tip of the ice berg,” Lattin said about the markers. “Volumes could be written about each one.”
Many of the markers note the contributions of prominent residents or provide a short vignette about a church or other significant public building. Lattin is pleased to see a marker for the first folks who chose Albion to live.
“It highlights the earliest aspect of our local history,” he said.
The Capurso family poses in front of the historical marker not long after it was unveiled this afternoon.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 6 July 2013 at 12:00 am
Photo by Tom Rivers – A couple snuggles on a slide at Bullard Park while the fireworks go off.
Tonawanda Indian Baptist Church served up free popcorn, cotton candy, tacos and beverages before the fireworks.
Mike Dean, in white shirt, was part of the praise band that performed at Bullard Park tonight. Dean leads the praise band at Tonawanda Indian Baptist Church in Basom, which is working to plant a church in Albion.
ALBION – The community got a second helping of fireworks tonight in Albion, two days after July 4.
The Tonawanda Indian Baptist Church in Basom treated the Albion community to a half-hour fireworks show, which was preceded by food, games and live music.
Tonawanda Indian is working to start a church in Albion. The Basom congregation hasn’t found a site for the church in Albion. It will be back in Albion this summer for backyard barbecues and Vacation Bible Schools.
A girl climbed to top of the playground in the Pee Wee Park section of Bullard Park to watch the fireworks.
Matt Dean is lead singer for the praise band at High Point Community Church in Corfu. He joined the band tonight at Bullard Park. Dave Jonathan of Elba is playing the guitar.
ALBION – Brighton Securities is holding informational seminars for the Albion community on strategies for taking the next steps following unemployment.
Brighton offered to do the seminars on Monday and July 22 after JP Morgan Chase announced it was laying off about 400 Albion employees in September.
Brighton Securities will provide advice for dislocated workers during the free seminars at Hoag Library in Albion. Topics will include tax tips, company-sponsored 401(k) plans, how to navigate unemployment, and how to maintain a steady financial well-being for you and your family.
Join Steve Hicks, Brighton Securities Batavia financial advisor, and Alexandra Conboy, Brighton Securities CEO, during the 7 p.m. sessions at Hoag Library, 134 South Main St.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 5 July 2013 at 12:00 am
Photos by Tom Rivers – Marcy Downey checks out the sound and lighting system inside Studio B at the Gotta Dance by Miss Amy site at 28 West Bank St. Downey will be the first performer in the new cabaret on July 28.
ALBION – For 12 years Amy Sidari and her staff have worked with hundreds of students each year, teaching them jazz, ballet, tap, hip hop and other dance moves.
Gotta Dance by Miss Amy will soon expand as a talent showcase, by using one of the studios for cabaret, with professional-quality lighting and sound. Sidari will have 20 tables inside “The Cabaret at Studio B,” and will serve gourmet desserts, coffee and soda during concerts and other productions.
“They will get a high-end Rochester performance without going into the city,” Sidari said this afternoon at the Gotta Dance site at 28 West Bank St.
She has the first performance scheduled for 7 p.m. on July 28. Albion native Marcy Downey will perform her current one-woman cabaret show, “Here’s To The Divas and Dames,” which pays tribute to popular singing divas, including Barbra Streisand, Whitney Houston, Liza Minnelli, Natalie Cole, Aretha Franklin, Patsy Cline, Billie Holiday and others.
“Anything she touches is successful,” Downey said about Sidari. “I love the idea of doing something right here in Albion.”
Marcy Downey, left, and Amy Sidari pose in front of the curtains at the Cabaret at Studio B.
Sidari repainted the room, installed lights and a sound system, made the curtains and added a padded performance floor. She had a team of helpers for the project, with her father Ace Caldwell handling most of the construction.
Sidari had the lights in storage for most of the year, bringing them out for the Gotta dance annual recitals in May.
She said the cabaret will hopefully draw more people to Albion to visit local stores and restaurants before the 7 p.m. shows.
Sidari has other events planned for the cabaret. Phyl Contestable performs as The Reverend Mother on Aug. 2. Sidari’s 6-year-old daughter Gina and her friends will have a fashion show Aug. 14 with a suggested $5 donation going to COVA.
Albion native Kailey Winans and Gary Simboli, high school musical and chorus director, will perform together on Aug. 23.
For more information on tickets and prices, call 585-354-2320.
Sidari also welcomes more performers throughout the fall. They should call that number if they’re interested.
Amy Sidari is working to turn a dance studio into a venue for singing and other performers. The space will continue to be used for dance as well.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 4 July 2013 at 12:00 am
Photo by Tom Rivers – Dan Shuler served as buildings and ground superintendent at Albion for more than three decades. He is pictured inside the elementary school, which was renovated and expanded during his tenure.
ALBION – When visiting teams and their fans come to Albion Central School, they often remark about the well-kept campus, the lush lawns and clean buildings.
District Superintendent Michael Bonnewell said a lot of the credit should go to Dan Shuler, the district’s buildings and grounds superintendent for more than three decades.
Shuler retired last week after 36 years with the district. He worked in buildings and grounds for Albion since he was 19, beginning as a laborer.
Shuler played a key role in the overhaul and upkeep of the district’s 480,000 square feet of buildings. Albion has tackled several multi-million-dollar renovations in recent years as well as an expansion of the elementary school. Some districts will hire a clerk of the works to coordinate construction crews. Shuler handled the job when Albion took on the big projects.
“I’ve got awesome people,” Shuler said about the 27 employees in the B and G department. “The board has been supportive and we’ve had stable superintendents.”
During Shuler’s long career, Albion has only had four superintendents – Doug Houck, Ron Sodoma, Ada Grabowski and now Mike Bonnewell.
Many of Shuler’s counterparts in Niagara and Orleans counties see a lot of turnover at the top, which can be unsettling at a district.
“The stability at Albion has been huge because we’ve been able to keep those key people,” Shuler said.
The district has become more energy efficient behind Shuler’s lead, swapping out incandescent lights and their fixtures with new high-efficient ones. Albion installed motion sensors in the gyms and other spots, so the lights are only on whether there are people in the rooms.
“The lighting is where you get your savings,” he said. “The payback has been huge. You need to look to save every penny you can.”
That includes the exterior lights – the pole lights, shoe boxes and wall packs on the building. They all have energy-efficient lights, reducing the wattage from 450 to 72.
Albion has tackled several building projects in recent years, replacing roofs, improving classroom spaces, upgrading athletic fields and adding safety measures to its buildings. Shuler said the district also keeps up an aggressive plan every year, spending about $300,000 on various projects. That has staved off some of the bigger and more costly capitol initiatives.
Shuler remembers his early days on the job, back when the district had the Waterport Elementary School and the Grammar School on East Academy Street. There wasn’t a maintenance garage for the department in those days. There base of operations was a maintenance shed in the boiler room of the Grammar School.
A much smaller maintenance crew with far fewer tools and equipment tried to keep old boilers going. The heating system at the middle school was only 45 percent energy efficient. Some of the buildings weren’t insulated.
“The middle school was horrible,” Shuler said. “We spent more heating the middle school than we do on the whole campus now.”
Albion had a cinder track that was labor intensive to maintain, requiring 400 gallons of paint a year. That was replaced with an all-weather, rubber synthetic track that is far less time-consuming to keep up.
Shuler spent a lot of time when he started his career on small lawn mowers. He used a 1940s tractor to pull a mower early in his career. Now the district has a mower with a 16-foot cut, plus two 11-footers. That helps the crew mow 80 acres of grass on the campus.
Shuler is Albion’s third Buildings and Grounds superintendent since the district created the position in 1960, following Herb Dawson and Kevin Doherty.
Shuler was the first person Doherty hired when he led the department. Doherty, who now serves on the Board of Education, said Shuler served the district well over his career.
“He has been very good at integrating the hands-on and people skills with the business office requirements,” Doherty said.
Shuler and his department keep the buildings clean and grounds safe. The staff works hard behind Shuler, Doherty said.
“He has their respect because he has done every job,” Doherty said.
Shuler said he typically juggled 150 work orders as the B and G superintendent. His staff, many long-term employees, deserve the credit for working on a variety of projects.
“It’s a lot of work and I think my guys do awesome,” he said.
Shuler’s four children graduated from Albion. He has 12 grandchildren. A past Scout leader, Shuler said he looks forward to more time for camping. He would like to hike the 2,100-mile Appalachian Trail.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 3 July 2013 at 12:00 am
Customer helps police locate suspects from Rochester
Rothmund
Hoffer
ALBION – A masked robber took off with about $18,000 from the Bank of America shortly after 4 p.m. on Tuesday, but was arrested not long after in Holley thanks to a drive-through bank customer, who provided vehicle identification information to police.
The customer watched the suspect get into a car. The customer then provided a description of the getaway vehicle.
Albion police then alerted surrounding agencies to the vehicle, which was stopped at a Holley apartment complex by Holley police.
Police arrested Jeremy J. Rothmund, 29, and Elyse A. Hoffer, 22, both of 66 Wood Run Commons, Rochester. Albion police said Rothmund was involved in two bank robberies in the town of Greece and another robbery in Monroe County in the past three weeks.
At about 4 p.m. on Tuesday, Rothmund was allegedly masked when he entered the bank at 156 South Main St. He demanded money and threatened a clerk with what appeared to be an explosive device.
During the robbery, a bank employee signaled to a customer in the drive-thru that a robbery was in progress. The suspect left the bank with about $18,000 in cash. The customer who was alerted of the robbery exited his vehicle and approached the bank main entrance. The suspect confronted the customer outside the bank and threatened the customer with the device, Albion police reported.
Reader provided photo – Albion police descended upon the Bank of America after a robbery Tuesday afternoon.
The customer followed the suspect and witnessed Rothmund enter a vehicle driven by Hoffer, police said.
Albion police then alerted surrounding police agencies of the suspect and suspect vehicle information. After Holley police took the two suspects into custody, they were turned over to Albion police.
The money was recovered and the device was found to be false.
Both suspects were charged with first-degree robbery, third-degree grand larceny, and first-degree placing a false bomb or hazardous substance.
Both Rothmund and Hoffer were arraigned in the Town of Albion Court and sent to the Orleans County Jail with each on $250,000 bail. They are scheduled to re-appear at 10 a.m. on July 10.
The Albion Police were assisted by the Holley Police Department, Orleans County Sheriff’s Office, Orleans County Major Felony Crimes Task Force, Orleans County District Attorney’s Office, New York State Police and the Greece Police.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 3 July 2013 at 12:00 am
Two poetry readings scheduled for North Main St. site
Photos by Tom Rivers – Paintings by the late Polly King of Niagara Falls will be on display and for sale the next two months at the Marti’s on Main Art Gallery in Albion. King traveled to numerous countries and created thousands of paintings, many in vibrant colors. She painted portraits and abstracts, and did oil and watercolor paintings.
Kim Martillotta Muscarella, owner of the Marti’s on Main Art Gallery, holds a self portrait created by the late Polly King of Niagara Falls. Her work is featured at Marti’s, where there will be an opening reception Friday from 5:30 to 9 p.m.
ALBION – There were works from many artists on exhibit, but Kim Martillotta Muscarella said one artist seemed to really stand out at a recent show at the Kenan Center in Lockport.
Polly King painted in vibrant colors, and had a wide selection of work, using different styles and themes.
“You would have thought it was eight different artists,” Muscarella said.
King was a prolific artist who travelled the world. She died in 1993 at age 91, but her work continues to live on.
Many of her paintings are on display at Marti’s on Main At Gallery at 229 North Main St. Muscarella started the gallery five years ago. She features many local artists, but also wants to include some from outside the county.
She reached out to a gallery run by King’s family in Niagara Falls, which agreed to show some of King’s work at Marti’s. Muscarella has paintings that King made from flowers in her house, her adopted city of Niagara Falls, the construction of the power plant in Lewiston, and numerous landscapes and portraits of places and people from around the world.
There will be an opening reception for King’s work this Friday from 5:30 to 9 p.m. King’s paintings will be on exhibit for about two months.
“She painted thousands of paintings from all over the world,” Muscarella said at Marti’s today. “She was always painting.”
King’s paintings are part of more than 250 private collections. Robert Kennedy and Mario Cuomo both had her art hanging in their offices. Muscarella said she is proud to showcase the artist.
Marti’s also features paintings and artwork from 16 members of The Art Circle, a group of artists from Orleans County.
Muscarella will have her gallery open from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on most Fridays during the summer, except Aug. 6. She also will host two poetry readings. Albion native Peter Monacelli is featured 7 p.m. on July 16 and Muscarella’s sister Nicki McFarland will share her poetry 7 p.m. on Aug. 13.
Admission to the gallery is free, but donations are accepted.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 1 July 2013 at 12:00 am
Photos courtesy of Ron Mathes
ALBION – In 2000, a contractor was hired to climb to the top of the 175-foot-high spire at the Albion First Presbyterian Church, part of an inspection and repointing of the steeple.
Ron Mathes of Holley asked one of the workers to take up a camera and get some shots from up high.
Mathes, a retired Postal Service worker in Albion, unearthed these photos and shared them with The Orleans Hub.
“I watched the man climb the steeple using a long rope which he would throw around the steeple and work his way up like a lumberjack,” Mathes wrote in an email. “After the first day, he used a chair-platform that was suspended from a pulley. I was talking with him one day, and he offered to take my camera up and snap some photos for me.”
Mathes saved the photos on floppy discs. The images were recently moved to his PC.
“I especially like the close up of the top of the steeple,” Mathes said. “From the ground you have no idea how big it really is.”
The last picture shows the very top of the steeple.
