By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 22 November 2023 at 11:10 am
Rochester woman eyes 162 South Main St. for licensed cannabis retailer
ALBION – A Rochester woman has submitted paperwork with the Village of Albion that she intends to seek a license from the state to have a marijuana dispensary at 162 South Main St., unit 4.
That would be in the plaza that includes Subway, Family Dollar, Care Net of Greater Orleans, Rent-A-Center and Chia Sen.
Nicolene Sercu submitted a “Notification to Municipality” form to the village.
The Albion Village Board voted on Oct. 21, 2021 to opt in and allow legal marijuana dispensaries. Albion officials at the time said allowing the marijuana sites will make it easier for local residents to get the product in town, instead of driving to other communities and possibly putting others at risk on the roadways.
Village Board members also cited the potential tax benefits for the village. The state will have a 13-cent excise tax per $1 on the marijuana sales, and the village will get 3 of those cents per dollar.
However, Village Trustee Chris Barry opposed having licensed dispensaries in the village then and said at the Tuesday board meeting he continues to be against it.
The Village Planning Board on Nov. 9 had a public hearing about marijuana dispensaries and said the sites would be limited to areas in the village that are zoned general commercial – as long as they meet the regulations set by the state.
Those regulations keep dispensaries from at least 500 feet from a school and at least 200 feet from a church.
“We will use general commercial as an acceptable area but they still have to meet codes,” Karen Conn, the Planning Board chairwoman, said following a public hearing on the issue. “It’s up to them to find a spot and work with the code enforcement officer.”
Village Trustee Tim McMurray said the board will keep a close eye on the process, which he said is largely dictated by the state whether the dispensary is approved.
“We’ll follow up and do our due diligence,” McMurray said at the board meeting on Tuesday.
ALBION – The Albion Elks Lodge rejoined the Albion Midget League program as a sponsor this season. The Elks helped support a 12U team with donations to help with costs of uniforms, bats, equipment bags, helmets, catchers gear, and other equipment.
Pictured are some of the players from different age groups that the donations went to, along with some of the board members: front (catcher) Ryan Coots; standing first row: Evan Coots, Kenny Draper, Stryker Sanders, Jackson Frasier, Linda Standish and Bonnie Draper. Back row: Dan Ward, Drew Boyce, Jake Haines, Gavin Boyce, Brett Boring and Ross Kaine.
The Elks Lodge looks forward to continuing their relationship with youth baseball in Albion this coming season and seasons to come by sponsoring one team from the Elks themselves and one team from the Elks Riders, a subdivision of the Elks that will enter into a sponsorship of a youth team of players from the Albion school district who will play in the GLOW league this coming spring.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 21 November 2023 at 9:30 pm
File photo by Tom Rivers – The 1-million-gallon water tank on Route 98 will be replaced with a smaller tank at 750,000 gallons north of the village in the Town of Gaines. The village will have the 1-million gallon tank demolished. The new tank will keep the water drop design with “Village of Albion Water.”
ALBION – The Albion Village Board is moving forward with replacing a water tank on Route 98, north of the village in Gaines.
The current tank was built in 1962 and has a capacity for 1 million gallons.
The board voted to accept a construction bid this evening for a new tank that will hold 750,000 gallons. It will be a glass-fused steel tank, said Adam Rush, the village water plant chief operator.
The tank mostly serves the town of Carlton. Water is kept in the tank and backflows into the Carlton waterlines.
Statewide Aquastore from East Syracuse submitted the low bid of $1,369,000 for the project. Another bid for a concrete tank was $1,949,105.
The project will be funded with a state grant through the Water Infrastructure Improvement Act (WIIA).
The board in September also accepted a $1,527,000 bid from STC Construction of Springville for the first phase of the project, which includes demolition of current tank, and installation of new piping, valves and a meter pit.
A $1,250,000 grant from the state will cover most of the cost for the first phase. That money is from the Community Development Block Grant program, with another grant from WIIA covering 60 percent of the remaining cost or $166,200. The village expects it will pay its share through the water rates in the water fund.
The first phase needs to be done by April 9, and then the new tank will be constructed in the spring or summer, Rush said.
The new tank will be smaller the current one because the village added more capacity with a 3 million gallon tank in the mid-1990s near the intersection of routes 98 and 31A.
The village also is close to completion with another project for its water system. Keeler Construction in Barre is on target to be substantially complete by Dec. 1 with a new building to store fluoride.
The village accepted a $388,000 bid from Keeler for a fluoridation building that is 14-by-14 feet, with mechanical (HVAC and plumbing) and electrical components and systems. Rush said fluoridation equipment will be moved in soon after Dec. 1.
That project is funded with $312,000 grant from the state Department of Health, with the other $76,000 from the American Rescue Plan Act.
The village was previously keeping the fluoridation chemicals in the water plant. Rush said it was a subpar setup. The village hasn’t added fluoride to the water since the summer of 2021 but will start doing that again when the new concrete building is ready.
(Editor’s Note: This article was updated from an earlier version that had the wrong company listed as the low bidder.)
Photos by Ginny Kropf: Shown is a collection of some of the many ornaments Carol Culhane has painted and donated to Hospice of Orleans County. This year’s ornament is second from left, and depicts a farmhouse, keeping with Orleans County being a farming community.
By Ginny Kropf, correspondent Posted 21 November 2023 at 11:02 am
ALBION – It is a longtime tradition for Hospice of Orleans to take time during the holiday season to honor and celebrate loved ones who are no longer living.
The community is invited to support Hospice and participate in their Light a Life celebration by purchasing an ornament, designed, painted and donated by local artist Carol Culhane.
Local artist Carol Culhane, left, presents Hospice director Marilyn Almeter-Milbrand one of the ornaments she painted and donated for Hospice’s annual Light a Life fundraiser and celebration, scheduled this year on Dec. 8.
The Light a Life Celebration is scheduled at 5 p.m. Dec. 8 in Hospice’s conference center.
Ornaments can be ordered by calling Hospice at (585) 589-0809 or logging on to hospiceoforleans.org/event-links/light-life. Residents can also stop at Hospice administration building at 14080 Route 31 West between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. Cost is $50 for an ornament or $100 if personalized. All proceeds fund Hospice’s patient care services, said Julia Alt, director of Advancement.
Culhane is a self-taught artist who grew up in Rochester. She said she could always draw and when she was in kindergarten, she came home from school one day with her school picture. She got a sheet of paper and laid down on the floor and painted her face. She won blue ribbons for her artwork in school, one for a dancing elephant in a tutu.
Her first professional job was painting campaign signs for Charles Nesbitt when he first ran for town of Barre supervisor. During her career she has painted boats, cars, ties, shirts and veterans’ memorials in Rochester, as well as the murals at Golisano’s Children’s Hospital in Rochester. She was drawn to Hospice through her job as a nurses’ aide, working with Joan Kent.
“I became familiar with death and dying,” Culhane said. “When Kent and Mary Jane Sahukar later founded Hospice, I knew both of them.”
After marrying Jerry Culhane, they owned a Christmas tree farm on Route 31A and she started painted Christmas ornaments. Since then, she estimates she has painted thousands, most of which she has donated – to wounded veterans at Walter Reed Hospital, Gold Star mothers and Hospice.
“Supporting them is a gift to me,” Culhane said.
When Hospice opened the Martin-Linsin Residence, Culhane donated her time and painted murals on the walls, depicting the four seasons.
Among the dozens of ornaments painted by local artist Carol Culhane is one of the Orleans County Courthouse, which she painted for the Governor’s Office.
“I wanted to do what I could to help Hospice, who dealt with people at the end of life,” she said.
Evana Daniels worked at Hospice at the time, and Culhane talked with her about what she could do. Culhane’s husband Jerry about that time had a friend who wanted an ornament with beer on it. That was in 1991 and it was the catalyst that spurred a decades-long relationship of supporting Hospice by painting and donating the ornaments for their fundraiser.
Her designs for Hospice have included doves, butterflies, cardinals and feathers – all designs that would be comforting to someone who had lost a loved one.
Alt said she got a call from a man in North Carolina who used to live in Orleans County and has collected nearly all of Hospice’s ornaments.
“He said he looks forward to Carol’s ornaments every year,” Alt said.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 19 November 2023 at 9:25 pm
Photos by Tom Rivers
ALBION – This photo shows Butts Road near the Moore Street intersection in Albion.
The Albion Town Board last week agreed to use up to $60,000 of the town’s American Rescue Plans Act funds to install about 800 feet of waterline, with the pipe going on Moore Street from near the village line going east to Butts Road, and then a small section of Butts Road.
The project would go by seven parcels of land, which includes four houses with residents. The new waterline increases the chances for the vacant land to developed in the future, said Town Councilman Terry Wilbert.
The town will tie into the new waterline near the former Braley Street, now Riley Place on Moore Street. Highway Superintendent Mike Neidert said the town highway crew can install the line without a private contractor. He expects the project will be complete next spring or summer.
Neidert said the project will also include valves, hydrants, a meter pit and service connections.
The use of the federal ARPA funds is enough to cover the entire project so there won’t be any annual debt service charges like there are with a typical water district.
Albion has used some of its ARPA funds to put a new roof on the town hall, and have a new fence put on the baseball field behind the town hall, the Albion Midget League Field.
After the waterline project, Neidert and the Town Board said about $15,000 is left in ARPA which could be used to upgrade and repair the concessions building at the baseball field, and also do some work on the dugouts and bleachers at the field.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 18 November 2023 at 3:35 pm
Photos by Tom Rivers
ALBION – Makenzie Cook, left, is Frog and Sophie Kozody is Toad in the Albion Middle School production of “A Year With Frog and Toad.”
There were performances Friday evening and at noon today with a final show this evening at 7 in the middle school auditorium. Tickets are $5.
The musical is over an hour and follows the woodland adventures of two amphibious friends, the worrywart toad and a perky frog. In the course of a year, they encounter many hopping, crawling and flying companions, including bees, a mouse, snail, turtle, lizards, squirrels and moles.
Julia Graham, center, plays the role of Snail. She is joined by the Snow Dancers (Nicole Loney, left, and Kendall Peruzzini.)
The Snail is happy after successfully delivering a letter from Frog to Toad.
Makenzie Cook (Frog) writes a letter to Toad after Toad said he has never received any mail.
Sophie Kozody (Toad) at right sings “Cookies” with two birds, Aniela Wilson, left, and Ayme Vallejo Morales.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 17 November 2023 at 8:13 am
Towns not choosing Mercy despite lower cost and higher level of service
Photo by Tom Rivers: A Mercy EMS ambulance is decorated with lights for Medina’s Parade of Lights
ALBION – Mercy EMS officials are puzzled they aren’t being considered for an ambulance contract in central and eastern Orleans County.
Barre and Albion have already voted for Monroe Ambulance for 2024. They are the first of the seven towns to approve a $300,000 total contract.
Mercy EMS is willing to provide ambulance coverage for $180,000. That’s with two advanced-life support ambulances dedicated to the county, 24-7. Monroe is committing to one ALS ambulance in Albion and a second basic life support ambulance that would be in Holley 12 hours a day, and then just outside the county in Brockport for 12 hours. Monroe also can draw on other ambulances as needed from Monroe County.
“It’s very frustrating,” said Scott Wooton, executive vice president for Mercy Flight. “We were excited and charged up to think we would be given a real shot at the contract.”
He has heard the towns are portraying Mercy as being slow to respond with a contract proposal, or submitting a higher cost than Monroe Ambulance. When the Albion Town Board voted 5-0 to approve Monroe on Monday, board members said they wanted at least a full year with Monroe to evaluate the call data and to better scrutinize Monroe’s performance.
Albion agreed to pay $155,820 to Monroe Ambulance in 2024, which is up from the $84,400 Albion paid the Rochester-based company in 2023. The towns are divvying up the shares of the $300,000 based on percentage of overall call volume.
Mercy was asked by the towns how much the contract would be if it also had a fly car with a paramedic as well as the two ambulances. That fly car would respond to EMS calls but can’t transport patients.
With a fly car and two ALS ambulances, Mercy submitted a proposal for $495,000 from the seven towns. If it’s one ALS ambulance, one BLS and a fly car, Wooton said the proposal is $405,000.
Taking away the fly car, Mercy has been consistent that the two ALS ambulances dedicated to Orleans would be $180,000. Wooton said he sent that proposal to the towns on Aug. 15, about three months ago.
One ambulance would be based out of the former COVA headquarters in Albion and the other likely in Holley at a location to be determined, Wooton said.
Mercy continues to operate the COVA base in Albion. It has kept most of the COVA employees on its payroll, responding to calls in Niagara and Genesee counties, Hamlin in Monroe, and some backup calls in the Albion area when Monroe is short-staffed or has its ambulances tied up.
Albion town officials said the block of seven towns is planning to do a formal request for proposals in mid-2024 for ambulance services in 2025 with the contract going to the lowest qualified bidder.
Wooton said Mercy would have liked that option for the 2024 contract, for a formal RFP with the providers brought in to detail their proposals in person. Mercy’s contract proposals were sent to the attorney for the Town of Barre who served as the point person for the seven towns. Wooton said none of the town officials called him directly.
“Their constituents could have better service at almost half the price,” Wooton said.
Mercy EMS took over the former COVA on Nov. 15, 2022. COVA sought some municipal support for years, but never was given any. The organization folded about a year ago.
Mercy then was the primary ambulance provider in central Orleans until Monroe was up and running on April 15, with an ambulance stationed at the Albion Town Hall.
Once Monroe took over in central Orleans, Mercy shifted those Albion-based employees primarily to Terry Corners in Gasport. Mercy had a contract to serve that area until Oct. 31, but is still assisting with ambulance services. Mercy also started a new contract on Nov. 1 to provide ambulance transports for the Catholic Health Service’s new hospital in Lockport.
The former COVA workers would prefer to be working in their home community. Mercy for now will keep the former COVA employees by responding to calls that are mostly outside of the Albion area.
“Mercy Flight was eager and excited to bring our people back to get back to do what they intended to do,” Wooton said. “We’re really disappointed.”
Provided photo: The team of Ron Ricker, Josh Bowman and Greg Daniels won the 9th annual PAWS Triples No Tap Tournament at Oak Orchard Lanes.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 15 November 2023 at 12:20 pm
ALBION – Oak Orchard Lanes hosted 85 teams this weekend in the 9th annual PAWS Triples No Tap Tournament. The event on Saturday and Sunday raised $4,000 for the PAWS Animal Shelter in Albion.
This brings the total in nine years to about $30,000 for PAWS, said Randy Hanks, owner of the Oak Orchard Lanes.
The 85 teams, with some driving two hours to play, is the most since the tournament started. Most of the bowlers, however, are regulars at Oak Orchard Lanes in a league.
The team of Ron Ricker, Josh Bowman and Greg Daniels won the tourney’s grand prize of $700.
Each team could play three games per bowler with the highest average, including a handicapped score, used to determine the winner.
There was a basket raffle that raised $1,200 as part of the total for PAWS.
“We’re just animal lovers,” Randy Hanks, Oak Orchard Lanes owner, said about supporting PAWS. “We always want to give back to the community and the bowling center is a good way to do it.”
Hanks said Curtis Foss did a lot of the work in organizing the PAWs tournament.
Oak Orchard Lanes will host the Scott Whittier memorial tournament in late January, with proceeds going to $500 scholarships for Albion students.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 14 November 2023 at 11:45 am
Albion agrees to pay 52% or $155K of contract for 7 towns
Photo by Tom Rivers: Albion resident Jason Dragon shares concerns about a new contract with Monroe Ambulance which Dragon tells the Albion Town Board disproportionally burdens Albion taxpayers among the seven towns in the agreement.
ALBION – The Town Board voted unanimously, 5-0, on Monday evening to pay $155,820 to Monroe Ambulance in 2024, which is up from the $84,400 Albion paid the Rochester-based company in 2023.
Albion is one of seven towns in an agreement with Monroe Ambulance to be the primary ambulance provider in central and eastern Orleans.
The seven-town consortium is basing each town’s share on the percentage of calls in the seven towns. Albion accounts for just over half of the total calls, which is why Albion will be paying $155,820 or 52 percent of the total cost to have Monroe station an ambulance in Albion 24 hours a day, seven days a week and one in Holley for at least 12 hours a day, seven days a week. Monroe also will draw on ambulances in Monroe County if there is a need in Orleans County.
The Barre Town Board was the first of the seven towns to approve the contract. Barre voted last Wednesday to pay $13,740 in 2024, which is up from the $8,000 in 2023.
The seven towns didn’t have to budget any money for ambulance services until 2023. Central Orleans Volunteer Ambulance sought municipal support for years but the towns declined. COVA has since folded with Mercy EMS taking over that base in Albion and keeping many of the COVA employees. Mercy responds to some calls in Orleans, but also provides ambulance services in Genesee County, Hamlin in Monroe County, and Niagara County.
Albion Town Supervisor Richard Remley said the seven towns plan to put out an RFP (Request for Proposals) next year and will take the lowest bid from a qualified ambulance provider. He anticipates the RFP will go out in mid-2024.
The seven towns wanted to stay with Monroe, which started operations in April 15, with an ambulance based out of the Albion Town Hall and highway garage. Remley said a full 12 months-plus of data will be available in mid-2024 to help the towns plan for the future with ambulance services and contracts.
Jason Dragon, an Albion resident, said Albion is disproportionately bearing the burden of the contract. He said it should be based on the taxable value of each town, which would then have Albion paying 18 percent of the cost, or by percentage of population, which would put the burden on Albion at about 25 percent.
Basing it on call volume, when Albion has a nursing home and two state prisons, is unfair to Albion, which Dragon said already pays far more of its share in local taxes, especially for the village property owners.
“I don’t see how assessing towns by call volume is the most fair way,” Dragon said at the Town Board meeting. “This is an undue burden. We’re making it more and more expensive for the people of the Village of Albion.”
The additional costs for the ambulance is a big factor in the taxes going up in Albion in the 2024 budget that was approved on Monday.
The tax rate for property owners outside the village will be will be $7.45 per $1,000 of assessed property, which is up from $6.27 in 2023 and $4.17 in 2022. For a $100,000 property outside the village, taxes will increase $118 next year and are up $328 in two years.
The town tax rate for village property owners will be $5.39 per $1,000 in 2024, up from $4.69 in 2023 and $3.09 in 2022. Towns taxes for village property with a $100,000 assessment will be up another $70 in 2024, and increased $230 in two years.
“I’m concerned about the rate increase,” resident William Gabalski told the Town Board.
The town tax rate actually went down from 2009 to 2020, he said, but has now doubled in four years.
“We have very high taxes,” he said.
Highway Superintendent Michael Neidert said the highway department is managing OK in sharing some space with Monroe Ambulance. He suggested the Town Board try to get some money from Monroe to help with the utility costs with the building. Remley, the town supervisor, said he would ask Monroe if the company would contribute to those expenses – heat, electric and other utilities.
“It is cramped,” Neidert said about the shared space. “It is an inconvenience to us and them.”
Here is what the Monroe contract calls for each of the seven towns to pay in 2024, with the amount they paid in 2023 in parentheses.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 12 November 2023 at 11:27 am
New commander steps forward after loss of 2 longtime leaders
Photos by Tom Rivers
ALBION – Mike Donahue plays Taps as part of the Honor Guard on Veterans’ Day on Saturday at the American Legion post on Gaines Basin Road.
The Honor Guard observed Veterans’ Day at four other stops: The Veterans Service Agency in Albion, Orleans County Courthouse, memorial outside the middle school and the VFW post.
Rex Hults and other members of the Honor Guard fired three rounds in a 21-gun salute at each stop.
The Honor Guard is outside the American Legion on Gaines Basin Road The former clubhouse at Pap Pap’s Par 3 is now the home for the Legion. The veterans’ organization in the past year has put a new roof and siding on the building, as well as electrical and lighting upgrades, and an installation of flags from each branch of the military.
The organization has 120 members and welcomes more. They could be a veterans, son of a veteran, a member of the ladies auxiliary or a social member.
Brad Rouse, a Marine Corps veteran, is the new commander of the Legion. He was instrumental in the building improvements. Rouse also is recently retired from the Village of Albion in maintenance and as a mechanic at the sewer plant.
The Legion also put in a new concrete front patio and placed seven spent rounds, and one live round. The live round is in honor of the military currently deployed, the seven other bullets represent the gun salute from the Honor Guard, with three volleys of seven rounds.
This tribute is in front of a memorial bench for the late Jason Johnston, who was 24 when he was killed by a roadside bomb on Dec. 26, 2009 in Arghandab, Afghanistan.
His father Brad is an active member of the Legion in Albion. Jason Johnston, a specialist and paratrooper in the Army, is the only soldier from Orleans County to be killed in combat during the Afghanistan War.
The legion has added a display case with the Legion uniform for Kevin Christy, who was the group’s commander at the time of his death at age 72 on Nov. 16, 2022. Christy was a long-time leader of the local American Legion and also created the Sons of the American Legion for the organization in Albion.
Roger Ettinger made the display for Christy’s Legion and also the display case for the Army uniform worn by Gary Befus.
The uniform for Gary Befus also is in a display case at the Legion. Befus served with the Army during the Vietnam War. He died at age 76 on Oct. 3, 2022. He was involved for many years with the Legion and helped organize parades and the annual oratorical contest.
Photo by Tom Rivers: The Save-A-Lot plaza on Route 31, which includes the vacant former site for Gordmans, is zoned general commercial and is far enough away from a church or school to be a possibility for a cannabis dispensary. No one has submitted a proposal for a dispensary.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 10 November 2023 at 9:05 am
ALBION – The Village Planning Board agreed on Thursday to allow cannabis dispensaries at sites that are zoned general commercial – as long as they meet the regulations set by the state.
Those regulations keep dispensaries from at least 500 feet from a school and at least 200 feet from a church.
“We will use general commercial as an acceptable area but they still have to meet codes,” Karen Conn, the Planning Board chairwoman, said following a public hearing on the issue. “It’s up to them to find a spot and work with the code enforcement officer.”
No one has submitted a proposal for a dispensary in Albion. The regulations from the state would keep a dispensary away from the school on Route 31. It might also be hard to find a spot in the downtown area because there are several churches there.
Villages officials see the Save-A-Lot plaza on Route 31 and also the general commercial area on Hamilton Street as spots that could be considered for a dispensary.
The Village Board voted on Oct. 21, 2021 to opt in and allow legal marijuana dispensaries. Albion officials at the time said allowing the marijuana sites will make it easier for local residents to get the product in town, instead of driving to other communities and possibly putting others at risk on the roadways.
Village Board members also cited the potential tax benefits for the village. The state will have a 13-cent excise tax per $1 on the marijuana sales, and the village will get 3 of those cents per dollar.
Photo by Tom Rivers: The former Clover Hill Adult Residence in Albion will be turned into 18 apartments. The Village of Albion Planning Board approved the project on Thursday.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 10 November 2023 at 8:38 am
ALBION – A former assisted living complex on Route 98 will be turned into 18 apartments – 14 that are one bedroom and four others that are studio apartments.
The Village of Albion Planning Board approved the site plan and a special use permit for the project at the former Clover Hill Adult Residence on Thursday.
The Planning Board said a vegetative screen will be needed by the parking lot between the north side and south sides of the property at 355 South Main St.
Resident Diana Reed lives next to Clover Hill on the north side. She said a fence would be unacceptable and pushed for arborvitae trees that would be about 15 to 20 feet high.
Planning Board chairwoman Karen Conn said the board could not specify which type of trees or vegetation be planted. But it can insist on the village code which states visual screening must have vegetation at least 4 feet high and spaced no more than 3 feet apart.
A second parking also is planned for the location on the south side. The developer doesn’t want to put that in yet and has been given two years to have an asphalt lot installed with drainage.
Clover Hill closed in March 2022 as an assisted living site. Realtegic LP in Amherst, led by president Ravi Prasher, wants to the turn the site into 18 apartments. Realtegic is working with Buildmore Corporation to convert the facility into apartments. Bilal Huzair of Carlton is CEO of Buildmore.
The current site has 19 parking spaces. The village code requires two off-street parking spaces per dwelling unit so there would need to be at least 36 parking spaces.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 8 November 2023 at 11:05 am
Provided photos
ALBION – Representatives from the Elks Lodge in Albion presented a ceremonial check $3,480 to PAWS Animal Shelter. The Elks also gave $3,400 collected from a basket raffle on Oct. 21 during a jamboree and barbecue cook-off to benefit PAWS.
Pictured from left include April Flesch, Carol Williams and Lynda Standish from the Elks, and Donna Vanderlaan and Patty Coffee with PAWS.
There were five cooks or cooking teams for the competition, including from left: Melvin Artis and Cortlin Artis, Chris Winters (kneeling), Tony Newland, Lee Tisdale of Romyn’s Restaurant, Bert Mathes and Dan Monacelli.
Melvin and Cortlin came in 1st place with a trip to the 1000 Islands, Bert Mathes and Dan Monacelli won 2nd place and $200, and Lee Tisdale won 3rd with $100.
The judges sample the barbecue. They include from left: Orleans County Legislator John Fitzak; Scott DeSmit from The Daily News in Batavia; Elk chaplain, food manager and Bandera band member Bonnie Draper; Medina Mayor Mike Sidari; and Orleans County Undersheriff Don Draper.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 7 November 2023 at 9:10 am
Group has ideas to build on Santa theme for Albion
Photo by Tom Rivers
ALBION – A plaque has been added next to the bronze statue of a Santa Claus in downtown Albion at Waterman Park. (This photo makes it look bigger than reality. It doesn’t quite go waist high.)
The statue was dedicated during the Strawberry Festival on June 10. It was created by sculptor Brian Porter.
The project was led by the Albion Betterment Committee as a tribute to the late Charles Howard, who ran a Santa School in Albion beginning in 1937. He remains revered by the Santa community for helping to shape the look of Santa and how people should act while interacting with children.
The group wanted a plaque to provide a snapshot of Howard’s life and impact.
This photo shows Charles W. Howard with a Santa at Christmas Park in Albion. Howard operated the Park and a school for Santa Claus in Albion until his death on May 1, 1966.
The plaque reads:
CHARLES W. HOWARD (1896-1966)
“Charles W. Howard first portrayed Santa as a boy in a classroom play. As an adult he played Santa in a store front window in downtown Albion and then, Rochester and Buffalo. This experience encouraged him to perfect the role of Santa Claus.
“Charles was disheartened by the quality of Santa being portrayed in stores. He created a ‘school’ to teach the proper appearance and demeanor of Santa. He established the world’s first Santa Claus School in the fall of 1937. His school became so popular that it was eventually recognized world-wide.
“Charles converted his farm in Albion into Christmas Park with a Christmas and Santa theme. The park provided Santa’s Castle where he trained Santas in the off-season.
“He became the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade Santa and retained that distinction for 18 years – until his death in 1966.
“One of Charles’s most famous quotes was ‘He errs who thinks Santa enters through the chimney. He enters through the heart.’
Albion Lions Club member
Santa Claus Hall of Fame Charter Member – December, 2010”
Other community members are trying to build on the Santa theme. Lori Laine put a post on Facebook and wrote a letter to the editor, encouraging people to attend a meeting on Monday evening to brainstorm Santa ideas.
The group has four projects for now, including a lighted holiday parade on Dec. 9.
“We need lots of floats, cars, wagons, golf carts all lit up!” Laine posted today on Facebook. “Don’t have a vehicle to light up? We can have marchers this year!”
Susan Oschmann is coordinating the effort and has applications for participants.
“The more the merrier, let’s light up the night!” Laine said.
The group also would like to adopt a light pole with Christmas decorations. Maureen Bennett is the person to reach out to for more information.
Laine also would like to see a tour of the churches in the historic Courthouse Square. “Many folks have never see the inner beauty of these historic churches,” she said.
The group also is planning weekly Christmas caroling in the community in an effort headed up by Karen Conn, an Albion music teacher and owner of a real estate business.
Some other ideas to promote the Christmas spirit: a 5K Santa run, sledding at Bullard Park with hot cocoa, and a “Santa Shanty” for people to meet Santa.
The group will next meet at 7 p.m. on Nov. 15 at Hoag Library to discuss the projects.
