By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 17 May 2023 at 8:09 am
Photos by Tom Rivers
ALBION – There are seven “Hometown Hero” banners up for soldiers from Albion who were killed in the line of duty, including William Barnum who was killed on July 14, 1944. (His brother Eugene Barnum also was killed in World War II.)
Albion is placing seven of the banners up before Memorial Day. They are placed on Route 31 near the middle school campus where there is a Vietnam War Memorial and also where the community’s Memorial Day service is held.
Jason Johnston is the last soldier from Albion to be killed in the line of duty. He was 24 and a specialist and paratrooper in the Army when he was killed by a roadside bomb in Afghanistan on Dec. 26, 2009.
The banner behind him shows the portrait of Rick Engle, who was killed in Vietnam when he was 19 on Feb. 2, 1968.
The Albion Department of Public Works also set up the banner in the downtown on Tuesday to promote the upcoming Strawberry Festival on June 9-10. Vance VanSkiver and Scott Bradshaw, DPW workers, put up this banner.
After the festival, the other Hometown Hero banners will be displayed and should be up until November. There are about 100 banners of soldiers in all.
Vance VanSkiver (in orange) and Scott Bradshaw work together to put up this banner in front of the Pullman Memorial Universalist Church on Main Street. The upcoming Strawberry Festival will be the 35th time for the festival. For more on the Strawberry Fest, click here.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 16 May 2023 at 6:45 am
Photos by Tom Rivers
ALBION – Womba Africa performed at Hoag Library on Monday evening. The group is from the town of Nungua in Ghana, West Africa.
They now live in Rochester. They perform in the region, promoting West African music and culture and seek to empower indigenous cultural groups to share their heritage through preforming arts.
Womba Africa performed in Albion as part of the new Hoag Music Series. The library doesn’t charge admission for the concerts and is welcoming musical artists to Orleans County who haven’t performed in Albion before.
Womba Africa is a cultural drum and dance group formed in the town of Nungua. The members are part of the Ga Adangbe People in greater Accra, Ghana, a tribe with a very rich history and culture quite distinct from other major ethnic groups.
The Hoag concerts include funding from the Statewide Community Regrant Program, a regrant program of the New York State Council on the Arts and administered by GO ART!
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 15 May 2023 at 9:27 am
Photos by Tom Rivers
ALBION – Mary McCormick, an Albion student, reads “The American’s Creed” on Saturday during a book unveiling celebration about Mount Albion Cemetery.
Students in Tim Archer’s seventh-grade service learning class worked to create the book that is about 50 pages and includes many details about the historic cemetery on Route 31 that opened in 1843.
Adelaide Pettit hands out copies of the book to people who attended the book unveiling celebration. The Orleans County chapter of DAR paid for the costs to print 200 of the books. They are available on a first come, first served basis at Hoag Library.
Julia Graham, an Albion seventh-grader, shares how the cemetery was accredited as an arboretum in 2022. The cemetery has more than 1,100 trees in 66 different species. Graham also spoke about the Soldiers and Sailors Monument, a Civil War memorial that is 68 feet high and lists 466 people from Orleans County who were killed during the Civil War.
Other students speakers included Aniela Wilson, Cordelia Rivers, Sophia Bouchey, Omer Fugate and Adelaide Pettit.
Tim Archer, the service learning teacher, thanked the students and many people who contributed to the book, providing documents, photos and other information.
Archer’s class has done several preservation projects in the community in the past two decades, including at Mount Albion.
Some historical facts about the cemetery include:
The Village Board appointed committee on April 12, 1842 to find land suitable for a public cemetery.
Mount Albion established on Sept. 7, 1843 with Marvin Potter serving as the landscape engineer.
First lots for Mount Albion sold on Sept. 11, 1843.
More than 25,000 graves
Listed on the National Register of Historic Places on Sept. 27, 1976, first site in Orleans County to go on the list.
310 obelisks, 1,167 trees, three entrances, eight mausoleums, 10 hitching posts, six horse foot stompers and nine marble slabs in the Civil War memorial tower.
68-foot high tower, in honor 466 Orleans County residents killed in the Civil War
The First Baptist Church in 1859 offering vault to cemetery to store bodies during the winter. • • In 1881, the sandstone archway with iron gates constructed at the entrance.
More recently, in 1982 the spring house and lagoon were dedicated to firefighters who have departed from the Albion Fire Department.
In 2022, the cemetery was officially accredited as an arboretum with over 1,100 trees and 66 species.
The book includes highlights of about 50 notable residents of the cemetery. Rufus Bullock, who was elected governor of Georgia in 1868, is among those included. More recently, Craig H. Anderson was buried in the cemetery in 1973. He died of leukemia following his senior year after a standout career in Albion as a student athlete. The high school gym is named in his honor. Donna Rodden, a former Albion mayor who advocated for historical preservation, died in 1985. The cemetery chapel is dedicated in her memory.
25 miles of avenues, roads, walks and pathways
The book also lists about 80 other cemeteries in the county, including several with less than 10 burials.
There also is a list of caretakers and superintendents in the cemetery’s history. Jason Zicari has served in the role for 27 years since 1996. (Archer thanked Zicari, the superintendent foreman, for his dedication to the upkeep of the cemetery. “This is a beautiful place,’ Archer said. “It is not easy to maintain.”)
Matt Ballard, a former Orleans County historian who now works at Davidson College in North Carolina, wrote the epilogue for the book. He also spoke during Saturday’s ceremony.
“This cemetery stands not only as a sanctuary for the mourning, but as a destination for community gathering and shared experience,” Ballard writes in the book’s epilogue. “Despite the common end for all those who rest eternally within the gates of Mount Albion, the grounds represent both an end and a beginning, where those who are gone are never forgotten.”
Ballard, during his remarks, said walking in Mount Albion in the spring, when the flowers and trees are in bloom, “is one of my most cherished memories.”
DAR members attended the celebration, including from left Patrice Berner, the chapter’s treasurer and a national officer; Penny Nice, a member and state officer; and Sharon Schneider, the local DAR regent.
The DAR was happy to contribute to the project highlighting Mount Albion.
“Our objectives are education, historic preservation and patriotism, and this fits those objectives,” Nice said about the book.
Penny Nice of the DAR thanked the students and Mr. Archer for their work on the book celebrating Mount Albion Cemetery. Behind here are Boy Scouts from Troop 164 – Jax Gotte, Stryker Braley and Owen Monaghan.
Bill Lattin, retired Orleans County historian, led a tour of Mount Albion after the book unveiling. Here Lattin and the group stop by the grave of Stewart John Flintham. His collection of bird eggs from more than a century ago is on display at Hoag Library. Flintham was killed in a California forest fire in 1925.
They are shown just west of the chapel. Lattin noted that structure is symmetrical and one of the chimneys is fake and was included to give balance to the building.
Lattin also discusses Amos Clift and the statue of a dog that is symbolically guarding Clift’s grave. Clift’s gravestone and the dog were recently cleaned are are nearly white, compared to others nearby that need a cleaning. Clift was a farmer by the canal in the Gaines Basin. He died in 1872.
Lattin shared many anecdotes, humorous and poignant, about other residents in the cemetery in a 45-minute tour.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 14 May 2023 at 10:39 pm
Jeremy Graham takes over as new fire chief for AFD
Photos by Tom Rivers
ALBION – Albion Deputy Chief John Papponetti, left, and outgoing Fire Chief Rob Conner present the firefighter of the year award to Emma Klaver during the ALD installation banquet and awards presentation on Saturday evening at the Carlton Rec Hall.
Klaver was praised for completing training to serve as an interior and exterior firefighter, and also as an EMT (emergency medical technician).
Klaver, 19, joined the department almost two years ago and pushed to complete training to better serve the department an community. She is among the top responders for the fire department, and also works full-time for Mercy Flight EMS based in Albion. She also is working on a college degree in equestrian management.
“When I join something I like to push it as far as I can go,” she said.
Klaver said she has made many friends through the Albion Fire Department and Mercy Flight, and the groups have been very welcoming.
She joined the fire department partly through her boyfriend AJ Fisher’s involvement. He was the department firefighter of the year for 2021-22. Klaver also said she was inspired by her grandfather Paul Gillette, a long-time member of the Barre Volunteer Fire Company.
Jeremy Graham, shown in this file photo from January 2018, is the fire department’s new chief, taking over for Rob Conner, who served two years in the role. Graham’s term was effective beginning May 1.
Graham, 43, was the department first lieutenant in 2022-23, and previously served five years as a deputy chief.
He joined the department soon after the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks that killed nearly 3,000 people, including 343 New York City firefighters.
Graham works as a maintenance mechanic for the Village of Albion water treatment plant. He will lead a fire department that responds to about 500 to 600 calls a year.
“I like the Albion people and it’s rewarding to help the other people in their time of need.”
Graham will represent the fire department at Village Board meetings, monthly firehouse meetings and with the County Fire Advisory Board and with the Fire Chiefs’ Association. He praised the commitment of 50 active volunteer firefighters in the department, and also said the AFD has an experienced and dedicated group of officers.
Fred Piano presents Dylan Marx with EMS Responder of the Year.
Steven Papponetti, left, accepts the officer of the year award from Rob Conner, the outgoing fire chief.
Nathan Bloom, the Albion Fire Department president, presented the president’s award to his wife Chrissy for all of her support helping him in the role. She serves as the secretary on the department’s executive committee.
Rob Conner, right, presented a “Chief’s Award” to John Papponetti. Conner also said a “Chief’s Award” will go to Jeremy Babcock. Conner said the Papponetti and Babcock are instrumental in responding to many calls and with the departments leadership.
Babcock was unable to attend the annual banquet on Saturday. He was the department’s top responder in 2022-23. The top 10 responders based on percentage of calls, training and meetings include Babcock, followed by AJ Fisher, Rob Conner, Austin Zobel, Dylan Marks, Brianna Caldwell, John Papponetti, Fred Piano, Allyson Irwin and Steven Papponetti.
Justin Niederhofer (left) leads the officers and executive committee in taking their oaths of office. Niederhofer is the county’s emergency management coordinator.
The 2023-24 fire company officers include:
Jeremy Graham as chief
John Papponetti as deputy chief
James Peruzzini Jr. as assistant chief
Steven Papponetti as captain
Matt Francis as first lieutenant
Fred Piano as second lieutenant
Jeremy Babcock as third lieutenant
Harry Papponetti as chief mechanic
Brianna Caldwell as EMS lieutenant.
The 2023-24 executive committee includes:
Nathan Bloom as president
James Harris as vice president
Kristen Marciszewski as financial secretary
Kelly Irwin as assistant treasurer
Christine Bloom as secretary
Janet Cheverie, Dylan Marx and Kristen Marciszewski as directors.
Years of Service Awards:
5 years – Chrissy Bloom, Kristen Marciszewski, Nick Pahura and Paul Urquhart
10 years – Jeremy Babcock, Andrew Cheverie, Janet Cheverie, Dawn Marciszewski, Susan Papponetti, Jim Peruzzini, Beau Piskorowski and Barb Szklany.
15 years – Adam Fisher and Will Francis Jr.
20 years – Jenny Johnston
25 years – Scott Papponetti
40 Years – Mike Salvatore
45 years – Tim Irwin
Jeremy Graham, Albion’s new fire chief at left, presents a charred flag with a picture of outgoing Fire Chief Rob Conner with his wife Amber who is an Albion firefighter, son Hunter who is a Carlton firefighter, and young sons Lucas and Brantley. Dale Banker, second from left, served as the master of ceremonies and John Papponetti, the deputy chief, assisted with the presentation.
Rob Conner hugs Jeremy Graham after receiving the gift from the department in appreciation for his two years as fire chief.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 13 May 2023 at 10:11 pm
Photos by Tom Rivers
ALBION – Saul Harrison cooks chicken and ribs this afternoon behind the Cone Zone in Albion at 317 East Ave. Today was opening day for Daisy’s Sweet Sauce.
Harrison started the business as a tribute to his late mother. He has cooked ribs and chicken for family and friends, and for barbecues at Shiloh Church. He makes his own sauces – barbecue, Liquid Gold and butterscotch. Cooking for other people makes him think of his mother, and how she loved to cook for her family, even when she was going through dialysis. She would make family members their favorite meal when it was their birthdays.
“It’s enjoyment to feed people and get their reaction,” Harrison said.
Saul Harrison and his wife Connie take a brief pause during a busy first day for Daisy’s Sweet Sauce. They sold about 100 dinners in the first two hours. Staci Palmer is in back cooking the chicken and ribs.
Harrison and his family will be behind the Cone Zone on Saturdays from 1 p.m. until sold out, and also will be there on some Fridays.
Harrison works full-time for the county as a youth care worker, and also three night shifts for Walmart during the week.
He will promote other organizations and efforts in the community at Daisy’s Sweet Sauce, including recruiting for foster parents. “We’re in dire need,” he said.
Saul Harrison stands a banner that shows him with his late parents, Saul and Daisy.
The meals from Daisy’s Sweet Sauce will typically include salt potatoes and cowboy beans as sides.
Photo by Tom Rivers: Bradeen Walders, left, and Jackie Madejski will reunite for shows on May 20 at the Cabaret at Studio B in Albion and on May 21 at the Leonard Oakes Estate Winery in Medina. The two graduated from Albion in 2012. Walders is best known for her role at Albion as Mother Superior singing “Climb Every Mountain” in the Sound of Music. Madejski had the lead role in Albion’s production of Peter Pan in 2011. The two were in several musicals together.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 11 May 2023 at 12:28 pm
ALBION – Two Albion classmates starred in the theater program just over a decade ago are joining for a show later this month.
Jackie Madejski and Bradeen Walders, both 28, will perform “Duet Together” at Cabaret at Studio B on May 20, and then on May 21 at Leonard Oakes Estate Winery in Medina.
They will feature music from Chicago, Follies, Mame, Songs for a New World, Into the Woods and other shows.
The two have been close friends since they were in school, and even spent a year living together in Washington, D.C.
Provided photos: Jackie Madejski, far right, currently is part of the cast of Survivors, a production by the Jewish Community center in Rochester. The cast has been performing at schools in the Rochester region and tells the stories of 10 Holocaust survivors from the Rochester area. Madejski portrays Rosemarie Marianthal Molser and Helen Pryzsuskier Levinson. The cast includes Madejski, Sarah Malek, Miranda Rose Blood, Ged Owen, Alessandro Martellano, Evan Miller Watelet and the director, Sandi Henschel.
Madejski is best known for her role in Albion when she was Peter Pan in 2011, a role that earned her honors from the Rochester Broadway Theatre League. She works as a professional theater performer, and has been in more than 20 productions since 2016 with most in the Washington, DC area.
She lives in Fairfax, Va., but has been home for a few months because she is in the cast of Survivors, a production of the Jewish Community Center in Rochester. The cast performs the one-hour play at many local schools, telling the stories of 10 Holocaust survivors from Rochester. Click here for more information about that show, including a performance on May 24 at the JCC Hart Theater.
“I really believe in what this production is trying to do in bringing stories of these survivors to the schools,” Madejski said. “It is a message about the impact of hate and intolerance.”
She plays the roles of two of the survivors.
While she is home in Albion with her parents, Tom and Sandra Madejski, Jackie connected with Walders, who also recently moved back to Albion with her husband Sebastian Erakare, an Albion native. They are back in the area after five years in Tennessee. Walders worked a government job there, helping to process applications for Medicaid and Medicare benefits.
She also pursued her passion as an artist, but not on stage. Instead she is a painter and creates ceramic pieces.
She earned a bachelor of fine arts degree in theater performance at Niagara University, but “fell out of love with the spotlight.”
At Albion, one of her bigger roles was Mother Superior, the head nun in the Sound of Music. She gave a soaring rendition of “Climb Every Mountain.”
Bradeen Walders now is focused on building a career as a painter and ceramics artist. She lives with her husband, Sebastian Erakare, in Albion after five years in Tennessee.
Although she hasn’t been singing publicly in years, Walders still has the impressive pipes, Madejski said. The two have been rehearsing for the upcoming shows, and Madejski is amazed at Walders’ range and talent.
“It is really unfair that she sings so beautifully and can do this,” Madejski said.
The upcoming concerts includes duets and solos from the two singers.
Besides the musicals of Peter Pan and the Sound of Music, Walders and Madejski also were in The Music Man and Cats while at Albion.
The two remain grateful for their musical experiences at Albion. Gary Simboli, who is now retired as the director, led the students and theater team to not only do high-quality shows, but create a welcoming environment for everyone, Walders said.
“I don’t think I would have made it through school without it,” she said.
For information about tickets to the May 20 at the Cabaret at Studio B in Albion, click here. For information about the show on May 21 at the Leonard Oakes Estate Winery, click here.
Photos by Tom Rivers: These flags are shown this morning near the veterans’ section at Mount Albion Cemetery.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 11 May 2023 at 9:36 am
ALBION – The VFW and American Legion work together each year to place more than 2,000 flags on veterans’ graves at cemeteries in the Albion area.
Most of those flags are placed at Mount Albion Cemetery and St. Joseph’s Cemetery, with lots of assistance from local Scouts. But the VFW and Legion also place flags at smaller cemeteries in central Orleans County – about 2,500 flags altogether.
Mike Donahue, commander of the VFW based in Albion, said it costs about $3,300 to purchase the flags and also some markers for the veterans’ graves. The flags are $1.15 each and the markers are $42.
Donahue is asking the Village of Albion and the four towns in central Orleans – Albion, Barre, Carlton and Gaines – to contribute to the expense.
He attended the Village Board meeting on Wednesday. The village has $150 budgeted to give to the American Legion and the VFW. Board members want more explanation if those funds have typically been used for flags or another effort by the veterans’ organizations.
Donahue said the VFW and Legion haven’t pressed the municipalities for support in recent years.
“With Covid everything went to pieces and we’re trying to get back,” Donahue told the Village Board.
Joyce Riley, the deputy mayor, thanked Donahue, the VFW and Legion for their efforts to honor local veterans.
Anyone interested in donating to buy flags and markers can mail a check to the VFW, 38 Platt St., Albion, NY 14411.
These flags are at the veterans’ companion section of Mount Albion. The VFW and American Legion work team with local Scouts to place about 2,000 flags on veterans’ graves at Mount Albion and St. Joseph’s Cemetery.
Photos by Tom Rivers: The Civil War cannon is shown last fall during the peak of the leaves changing color. The Civil War section is among the most iconic spots in the cemetery.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 11 May 2023 at 8:53 am
The Civil War cannon is shown after a light dusting of snow in this file photo.
ALBION – One of the most recognizable features at Mount Albion Cemetery has been missing since November.
The Civil War cannon was removed and put in the cemetery shop after the carriage gave out, leaving the cannon tipped upright, said Jason Zicari, the cemetery superintendent.
“The carriage rotted in half,” he said.
The weight of the cannon was too much for the carriage after many years in harsh outdoor elements.
A new carriage has been built out of hemlock by an Amish-owned business in Lyndonville. Zicari also had new wheels constructed recently from a company in Pennsylvania.
The cemetery workers will need to reassemble all of the parts for the carriage, and cut notches and holes in the carriage.
Zicari said he doesn’t have an exact date for when the cannon will return to its spot on a knoll on the western side of the cemetery in the Civil War section.
Mount Albion workers are busy this time of year with mowing the historic 70-acre cemetery, and getting ready for Memorial Day.
When there are rainy days in the near future, he said the workers will put the new carriage together and assemble the supports for the cannon, which he said dates back to 1841.
The site for the Civil War cannon at Mount Albion is shown this morning on the west side of the historic cemetery along Route 31. The cannon was removed in November due to a rotting carriage.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 10 May 2023 at 3:12 pm
Photos by Tom Rivers
ALBION – Mike Thaine, director of the high school jazz band, leads the group during a lunchtime concert for senior citizens.
Albion students treated about 40 senior citizens to lunch, music and games during the annual senior citizen day, a tradition that goes back to the 1970s.
“We truly celebrate all you have done for the community so thank you,” teacher Sawyer Green, advisor to the High School Student Council, told the senior citizens.
The Student Council organizes the event each year.
Natalie Baron, a high school senior, joined her grandmother Donna Eisermann for songs by the jazz band. Natalie’s brother Zack plays the drums in the jazz band. Natalie and Zack both sing in the chorus and select chorus.
“I love seeing my granddaughter and grandson, and interacting with the kids,” Eisermann said.
The jazz band performs one of their songs, “Billie Jean” by Michael Jackson.
Students are ready to serve the seniors, who also were invited to check out a student art display.
“Each and everything is just wonderful and beautiful,” said Agnes Piskorowski, one of the senior citizens.
Her friend Donna Laubacher, a former Board of Education member, said she enjoy “mingling” with the students and seeing so many of her friends.
Albion isn’t the only district opening its doors to seniors. Holley Central School hosts a senior appreciation breakfast on Thursday beginning at 9 a.m.
Photos courtesy of Sawyer Green: Albion students play bingo with senior citizens and also joined them in rock painting.
Photos courtesy of Albion Central School: The 24 members of the Class of 2023 with GPAs at 90 percent of higher were recognized on May 4 during the district’s annual Honors Convocation.
Posted 9 May 2023 at 8:38 am
Press Release, Albion Central School
ALBION – Academic honors seniors were recognized Thursday, May 4, at the annual Honors Convocation held in the high school gymnasium.
The dinner hosts graduating seniors with a cumulative weighted grade point average of 90% or higher, along with their families, administrators and board of education members.
2023 academic honors students are Nicholas Andrews, Natalie Baron, Samantha Basinait, Natalie Bertsch, Clara Bolton, Hailey Crawford, Dallas Ecker, Keyonna Hamilton, Samantha Hand, Nicholas Harling, Amari Jones, Maya Knaak, Ulises Ledesma, Abigail Mancuso, Vincent Molisani, Audrey Pask, Sarina Payne, Jamie Penna, Jessica Penna, Daisy Perez Reyes, Corleone Plain, Grace Plank, Brianna Sample and S’koi Sanders-Smith.
The honors students were called to the stage individually by board of education members, received their certificate, and then were adorned with their honors cords from their parents/guardians.
Gary Simboli, a retired vocal teacher and musical director at Albion, gave the keynote message to the honor grads.
Mr. Gary Simboli, ’81, was the guest speaker for the evening. Simboli worked at Albion for 35 years and was involved in Signor Prize, served as a summer reading and math specialist, directed Swing Choir, Acapella Choir, Women’s and Men’s Select Choir and supported numerous student groups.
As the advisor for the high school drama club, he produced 69 stage shows in addition to directing music for graduation, Senior Tea and accompanying for multiple other events and groups. Simboli was named Educator of the Year by the district for the 1997-1998 school year. His commitment and service to the Albion Central School district and the local community is still felt today.
In his speech, Simboli reflected on resilience, telling the Class of 2023 how they have shown great perseverance while being faced with the Covid-19 pandemic throughout their entire high school careers. He shared personal stories of his own resilience and how they shaped him and led him to where he is today.
The class of 2023 is set to graduate on June 23 with a rain date scheduled for June 24.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 8 May 2023 at 12:53 pm
ALBION – The school district once again won’t be increasing the amount of money it collects it taxes. The district’s proposed $41,814,847 budget sets the tax levy at $8,449,039, the same as the current 2022-23 school budget. This is the 15th time in the past 17 years the school taxes have either stayed the same or gone down.
Wayne Wadhams, president of the Board of Education, said the budget provides well-rounded, student-centered educational programs while being responsive to the financial realities of the community.
“It has been our long-term goal to either decrease or keep the tax levy unchanged,” Wadhams said in the district’s budget newsletter. “We continue to strive to ensure a strong financial base that can withstand swings in state funding in order to ensure continuity and improvement in instruction and programs.”
The budget goes to a community vote on May 16. Districts residents 18 and older are eligible to vote if they have lived in the district for at least 30 days before the vote.
Voting will be from noon to 8 p.m. at the elementary school, conference room A near the community entrance at the back of the school.
There will be a public hearing on the budget Tuesday at 7 p.m. in the high school LGI.
The district’s budget increases spending by $3,516,157 or 9.2 percent. A 10.3 percent increase in state aid or by $3,045,607 to $32,473,384 will offset most of the increase. State aid covers about 78 percent of Albion’s total school budget.
The vote on May 16 also includes the following propositions:
Authorization to spend up to $550,000 from the school’s bus purchase reserve fund to purchase buses.
Authorized to collect $654,510 for Hoag Library.
Authorization to establish a transportation reserve fund to acquire school buses and similar vehicles in the future.
There is also one seat on the Board of Education up for election. Mary Brown isn’t seeking re-election to a five-year term. Porsche Taylor in the lone candidate on the ballot.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 8 May 2023 at 9:34 am
This is the cover of the 52-page booklet created by Albion service-learning students in the middle school.
ALBION – Students from Albion Middle School will unveil a 52-page booklet about Mount Albion Cemetery during a ceremony at 11 a.m. on Saturday by the Ingersoll Fountain at the .
Students in Tim Archer’s serving-learning class have worked on the project throughout the school year. The booklet includes a history of the 70-acre cemetery that opened in 1843, photos, notable burials, caretakers and superintendents, the Civil War memorial tower, military sections, mausoleums, tree varieties/arboretum certification, old documents, and many other details.
The booklet will be available for free on a first come, first served with the expense to print 200 copies covered by the Orleans Chapter of the DAR, Christopher-Mitchell Cremations & Funerals, and Brigden Memorials. Some of the copies will be set aside and distributed to local libraries, schools and historians.
Matt Ballard, a former county historian who now lives in North Carolina, will speak at the program about some of the notable residents in the cemetery.
After the program, retired county historian Bill Lattin will give a tour of the cemetery, which was the first site in the county to be listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1976. That tour will start at approximately 11:30 a.m.
This is the final service-learning project for Tim Archer, who is retiring next month. He has led many projects with his students in the Albion community, including several at the cemetery.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 7 May 2023 at 3:41 pm
ABATE president: ‘Keep an eye out for us. We’re back out riding.’
Photos by Tom Rivers
ALBION – The Orleans County chapter of ABATE (American Bikers Aimed Toward Education) held a motorcycle safety and awareness rally at the Orleans County Courthouse this afternoon and then went on an awareness ride throughout the county.
“Keep an eye out for us,” said Chuck Persons of Medina, president of ABATE. “We’re back out riding.”
Persons has led the local ABATE chapter the past 15 years. He said the motorcyclists “are a very tight group.”
He enjoys the camaraderie among the other motorcyclists, and loves to be on the road.
“It’s the freedom,” Persons said. “It’s the wind in your face.”
County legislators John Fitzak and Skip Draper presented this proclamation from the County Legislature to leaders of ABATE in Orleans County :
“Whereas, ABATE of New York, Inc. is a Not-For-Profit organization dedicated to rider education and freedom of the road; and
“Whereas, ABATE of New York’s Aims and Purposes are as follows:
To act as a legislative monitor with the intent to inform members of pending legislation and promote favorable motorcycle legislation at federal, state, and local levels;
To improve road conditions by informing the department of transportation of potential hazards;
To help prevent accidents through awareness programs aimed at all drivers;
To promote good citizenship by encouraging members to use their right to vote;
To act as liaison on behalf of motorcyclists with government agencies;
To discourage misrepresentation of motorcyclists in the media;
To present and promote a better public understanding of motorcycling in America; and
“Whereas, this organization has dedicated its efforts and does encourage all motorcyclists to become involved in preserving their rights, safety and freedoms,
“Now, therefore, we as Legislators of the County of Orleans do hereby proclaim the month of May 2023 as: Motorcycle Safety and Awareness Month in Orleans County.”
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 7 May 2023 at 7:54 am
Photos courtesy of Megan Gotte
ALBION – Scouts on Saturday morning placed about 2,000 flags at veterans’ graves at Mount Albion and at St. Joseph’s Cemetery. They joined members of the American Legion and VFW in the duty before Memorial Day on May 29.
The Scouts placing the flags include members of 82261 and 82007, the Daisy and Girl Scouts, and the Boy Scouts and Cub Scouts with 164 in Albion.
The Scouts covered the area throughout Mount Albion and St. Joseph’s, cemeteries on Route 31.
Photos courtesy of Albion Central School: Albion students Iris Rosario Reyes, Marli Woods, Samantha Hand and Dylan Narburgh volunteer and give out blankets at the OK Kitchen at Harvest Christian Fellowship on Route 31 in Albion.
Posted 2 May 2023 at 2:56 pm
Press Release, Albion Central School
ALBION – The high school Diversity Club and National Honor Society teamed up to bring Blankets of Hope to members of the community.
Blankets of Hope is an educational nonprofit that helps students practice empathy and kindness in an impactful service-learning experience. The organization ships blankets to schools for free, then students participate in a 30-minute kindness workshop. Students then write handwritten notes of encouragement and deliver the blankets and notes to those in need.
Students from both clubs brought 60 blankets to the Orleans Koinonia Kitchen where they were quickly distributed. The Diversity Club has a long-standing relationship with the kitchen, as students have frequently spent time helping with meals in the past. The food pantry and community kitchen serves meals every Thursday evening with different local groups stepping up to serve and provide.
Diversity Club members with staff show off this year’s signed banner.
The service project was part of diversity week in the high school. The week culminated in the annual banner signing during lunches where students were encouraged to pledge to embrace diversity and stand against racism. Every year, the banner is displayed in the library until the next year’s is complete.
The Diversity Club has been successful in bringing speakers, authors and events to the district in an effort to celebrate our differences and make sure every person of every background is welcome in our schools and community.
