‘They have been absolutely incredible.’ – Ben Curfman, pastor of North Point Chapel

Photo by Tom Rivers: Ted Newsome, a member of the Liberty Baptist Church at left on ladder, and Rick Bachorski, right of the North Point Chapel, work on a project in the kitchen at the North Point Chapel.

ALBION – A group of 20 people from a church in Mississippi raised $30,000 and traveled 1,200 miles to help a congregation in Albion this week.

The Liberty Baptist Church from Waynesboro, Mississippi has a team of people cleaning the North Point Chapel, finetuning the sound system and working on overhauling the kitchen so the church can prepare and serve meals in its fellowship hall.

Ted Newsome is a truck driver and farmer from the church in Mississippi. He and many of the other Liberty Baptist members took off work and used their vacation to make the trek to Albion. They rode in a bus, and also brought a truck and U-Haul with tools and supplies.

“We need serving as much as people need to be served,” Newsome said.

Liberty Baptist also has another group of 16 people from its church in New York City this week doing a service project at Hell’s Kitchen.

Phillip Gandy, the church’s pastor, said Liberty Baptist has been doing projects in many states for about 20 years now. Gandy was in Albion in February to check out the church and assess if Liberty Baptist could be helpful to North Point Chapel. Both churches are members of the Southern Baptist Convention.

Gandy believed Liberty Baptist could raise money and get the kitchen functioning again.

Liberty Baptist embraces the projects wanting to be of service to other churches and also welcoming the chance for Liberty Baptist members to work close together.

“This is the best team-building I know of for a church,” Gandy said about the mission trips.

Provided photo: This group from Liberty Baptist Church in Mississippi arrived in Albion on Tuesday evening and will be leaving Monday morning. They are shown outside the North Point Chapel at the former United Methodist Church at the corner of East State and Platt streets.

The Liberty group ranges in age from 13 to 78.

Newsome, one of the volunteers, said the Albion community has already shown the group kindness. Their first day on the job a neighbor brought over lasagna dinner. “It was delicious,” he said.

Ben Curfman has served as North Point Chapel pastor just over a year. He and his wife Rebekah and their six children relocated to Albion from the mountains of western North Carolina.

Curfman made other Southern Baptist churches aware the Albion site would welcome assistance with projects in a historic building, and also outreach to the community.

Besides working on the building, the group from Mississippi will team with North Point in offering a bounce house and serving cotton candy and popcorn on Saturday. Curfman expects more traffic that day due to the community yard sales in Albion.

Liberty Baptist also will be part of the praise band during the service on Sunday morning at 10:30.

Liberty Baptist brought materials to upgrade the kitchen, and even brought new appliances. Curfman said the church from Mississippi has been a blessing.

“They have been absolutely incredible,” he said.

North Point rented out a house in Waterport through Airbnb for some of the Liberty Baptist members, while others are staying with a North Point family.

Curfman said another church from North Carolina helped North Point in the spring by moving pews, reorganizing the sanctuary, and building a baptistry for people to be baptized.

North Point members also went on their own mission trip, traveling to Silver Creek in Chautauqua County for a day to help a church there get ready for a Vacation Bible School.

Curfman said he let the network of Southern Baptists churches know that North Point welcomes assistance with projects at the building and with community outreach. He said the response from out-of-state churches has left a strong impression on the North Point congregation.

‘It should be inspiring to people who can see there are people from all over the country who care about Albion,” Curfman said. “I just put the word out and explained our situation, that we want to be here a long time and be of service to the community. We’re blessed with this location in the heart of Albion.”

Photos by Tom Rivers

ALBION – The band Swooners from Rochester performed jazz and dance music on Thursday evening on Main Street in Albion, the first concert in a music series by the Albion Merchants Association.

The Merchants will have more concerts on Thursday evenings after the Village of Albion concert series ends on Aug. 30. The village series will be at Main Street next Wednesday, July 12, with the Dave Knaudt Band and then shifts to the amphitheater at Bullard Park for the rest of the summer until Aug. 30.

The Swooners get ready for their concert on Thursday evening in Albion. This photo shows the Gold Medal Flour mural on the Pratt building on Beaver Alley.

The concert was also the start of the Market in the Square on Thursday evenings. Splashes & Splinters, homemade décor and upcycled furniture by Evelyn Warren, was one of the vendors.

The band and some of the crowd are shown in the background.

The Market in the Square will be back next Thursday from 5 to 8 p.m. The vendors yesterday included the Lone Star BBQ, Pretty Sweet Bakery, Paeth Farms, Splashes & Splinters, Carol Ostrander and Red Check.

Helena Nitzsche hugs the bronze statue of Santa at Waterman Park, which is next to the area where the band plays on Main Street.

Helena, 6, is from Tacoma, Washington. She is in Albion visiting her grandparents, Gary and Claudia Deiboldt of Albion.

Photos by Tom Rivers

ALBION – Jeffrey Echevarria, 10, of Albion rides a horse today during a kickoff celebration for the summer reading program at Hoag Library.

The library will have events and activities Monday through Friday to promote the reading challenge, which ends Aug. 11.

Children who read up to 15 hours this summer will be eligible for prizes.

Jules Henchen, 6, of Carlton and Owen Merritt, 7, of Waterport pet a goat outside the library. Serenity Acres brought the animals to the library today. The Albion Lions Club also served hotdogs for free.

Hoag and the other public libraries in Orleans County are part of a statewide summer reading challenge with a theme, “All Together Now.”

There will storytimes at the Hoag in the afternoons led by Elizabeth Tuttle, the children’s librarian. Once a week a community member will also lead a storytime. Joyce Riley, the village’s deputy mayor, will do the first one at 11 a.m. on Thursday. The other storytimes from community members will be at 11 a.m. on Wednesdays.

There will be many other activities, including yoga, water wars, crafts, movies, a DPW construction equipment program, birdhouse building with Jim Babcock, and visits from the Zoomobile.

Click here to see the calendar of events at the Hoag for the summer reading program.

Lee-Whedon Memorial Library in Medina will have a kickoff celebration on Friday of its summer reading program with a petting zoo from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. There will also be cotton candy, games and ice cream from Twisted Treats (available at your own expense).

Dona Scharping, left, of Serenity Acres chats with Betty Sue Miller, the Hoag library director, while waiting for the next child to take a ride on the horse.

Photos by Tom Rivers

ALBION – The Civil War cannon at Mount Albion Cemetery returned last week after the carriage was rebuilt.

The cannon was removed in November for an overhaul of the carriage. The carriage also has new wheels.

The cannon is an iconic feature on the west side of the cemetery in the Civil War Section.

Photo courtesy of Tim Tierney

Mount  Albion Cemetery superintendent Jason Zicari and long-time employee Dale Snyder put the cannon on the carriage last Wednesday. Snyder has retired from a career working at the historic cemetery on Route 31.

The cannon is shown this morning at Mount Albion. The previous carriage had rotted after many years in harsh weather. The carriage gave out, and couldn’t handle the weight of the cannon, leaving the cannon tipped upright, said Zicari, the cemetery superintendent.

The new carriage was built out of hemlock. The cemetery workers reassembled all of the parts for the carriage, and cut notches and holes in the carriage.

ALBION – The Albion Merchants Association will be kicking off a new downtown concert series this Thursday with the band Swooners from Rochester performing jazz and high-energy dance music.

The Merchants Association is using a grant from the Genesee-Orleans Regional Arts Council for a concert series on Thursday evenings. Some of the concerts will be later after the village concert series this summer.

The Merchants is planning a “Market in the Square” with music, a food truck, a farmer with fresh fruits and veggies, sweets and treats, craft vendors and other activities.

The Merchants will use the “Square” on Main Street in the area between Beaver Alley and Bank Street. The group is trying to utilize the street while Main Street over the bridge is closed to traffic for a major lift bridge rehabilitation.

“We are hoping that in the closed off square will create more business downtown,” said Natasha Wasuck, AMA president.

Photo by Ginny Kropf: Supporters of Albion’s summer recreational program at Bullard Park gathered Friday to issue a request to the community for help in feeding the approximately 100 children who attend every day. From left are John Grillo, village of Albion Recreation director; Jeff Holler, member of Albion’s Masonic Renovation Lodge; Ykeeta Wilson and her husband, pastor Al Wilson with the Royal Body Shop Outreach Ministries; Nicole Holler; Kyle Webb, member of the Masons; and Annette Finch, Grillo’s sister and volunteer at the program.

ALBION – A group of community members who support Albion’s Summer Recreation Program have joined forces to provide lunches for children attending the program.

John Grillo, Albion’s Recreation director, joined with Pastor Al Wilson from the Royal Body Shop Outreach Ministries and his wife Ykeeta, Jeff Holler and Kyle Webb from Albion’s Masonic Renovation Lodge and Grillo’s sister Annette Finch in asking anyone in the community to help provide lunches for the children any day from Monday through Friday until the park’s program ends on Aug. 4.

There are 146 children registered for the program so far, with an average daily attendance of 100 the first week, Grillo said.

“Many of these kids got free breakfast and lunch during school, and that was the only meal they had in a day,” Finch said.

Now some of those children go to a refrigerator outside Arnold’s Auto Parts on West Bank and Liberty Street to get food available for free. The Royal Body Shop Outreach Ministries keeps the refrigerator stocked with food. Valerie Atwell and Vickie Elsenheimer have been in charge of keeping a dozen to 20 bag lunches there every day.

Any church or organization who would like to help with a meal can contact Lisa DeCarlo at Arnold’s Auto Parts.

“My goal is to make this program better every year,” Grillo said about summer recreation in the village.

Finch commended the Wilsons and their Royal Body Shop Outreach Ministries for the support they have given the Albion community, along with the Albion Masons, Wendy Rivera (who donated $100 for pizza), and Arnold and Sandy DeCarlo, who also donated $100. Thanks also went to the Goodness Program in Buffalo, who donated drinks and snacks.

Finch contacted Foodlink in Rochester, who donated beverages and snacks.

The volunteers are now trying to collect enough donations to have tacos in a bag for lunch on a Tuesday.

Since starting their ministries in Albion a year and a half ago, Pastor Wilson said they have spent $40,000 on “spreading the love” in Albion. This includes special events and free food at Easter, Christmas, a Halloween “Trunk and Treat” event at the Arnold Gregory complex and continuing efforts to feed the homeless.

“Collaboration is the key,” Ykeeta said. “Our goal is to reach a broader population so we can help all those in need.”

Anyone wishing to make a donation toward food can log on to Cash App/Royal Body Shop or stop at Arnold’s Auto Parts.

Grillo also reminds the public of the Kids’ Carnival scheduled from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. July 19 at Bullard Park. The Masons and Royal Body Shop will be providing free hot dogs, French fries and drinks. Children are welcome from all over the area, he said.

ALBION – The Village of Albion Recreation Department’s tennis camp won’t start today due to wet courts outside Albion High School and the forecast calling for more rain.

There won’t be a tennis camp on Tuesday, the Fourth of July, but the camp will start Wednesday and continue through Friday from 10 to 11:30 a.m.

There is no pre-registration needed for the camp. Walk-up registration will be on Wednesday. An adult doesn’t need to be present for registration, but is encouraged, said John Grillo, the village’s recreation director.

Tennis experience is not required for the camp, which is funded by the U.S. Tennis Association.

Basic tennis skills will be taught to beginners along with tennis drills and low-level tennis competitive match situations. Scoring, rules and regulations will be taught along with tennis strategies, Grillo said.

Experienced tennis players will have an opportunity to drill and play matches throughout the week.

Tennis balls will be provided, and participants are encouraged to bring their own racquet. However, if players don’t have their own racquet, one will be provided.

Photos by Tom Rivers

ALBION – Leah Ou played the pipa, a Chinese folk instrument, during a noon concert on Saturday at the Hoag Library.

She performed as part of a new concert series at Hoag this year, featuring many musicians who haven’t performed in Orleans County before.

The pipa has been played for about 2,000 years. Ou in her performances emphasize pride in Chinese musical culture and authenticity of expression.

Leah Ou was born in Chengdu, China, and started her classical training at age 6. She has been performing and teaching professionally for more than a decade. She now lives in Rochester and

has performed in the World Music Concert at Eastman School of Music, the Hidden Garden Concert at George Eastman Museum, an interactive demonstration of the pipa for SUNY Geneseo Musicology students.

The Hoag concerts eries is organized primarily by Jim Doyle, an adult reference librarian at the library. He also has been running Jim’s Guitar Studio for 23 years in Albion, and is a founding member of the Rochester Guitar Club.

Ou’s was the fourth concert in the series. The remaining schedule includes:

• Trio Ghidorah: Saturday, August 19, at noon
• Sunshine Quan: Saturday, September 23, at noon
• Maya Ana Loncar: Saturday, Oct. 14 at noon
• Rochester Mandolin Orchestra, Saturday, Nov. 4 at noon
• Dr. Lynn McGrath, Saturday, Dec. 9 at noon

The concerts are free to the public with support from the Genesee-Orleans Regional Arts Council and Friends of Hoag Library.

Photos by Tom Rivers

ALBION – Alex Krebs, president of the Albion Rotary Club for about three years, hands off the gavel to new incoming president Doug Farley during a Rotary Club meeting last week at the Thompson-Kast Visitors Center for the Cobblestone Museum.

Farley is director of the Cobblestone Museum. He said he was drawn to Rotary because of its work locally and also for its support for distance projects, including polio eradication and fresh water projects in other countries.

Locally, Farley noted the club supports an Interact Club at Albion High School and has been a Little League sponsor since 1957. Rotary recently donated $1,000 to the Orleans Koinonia Kitchen at Harvest Christian Fellowship, the proceeds from Rotary’s St. Patrick’s Ham Dinner in March.

Don Bishop, a Rotary Club member, presents Krebs with a pin that signifies she is a member of the Paul Harris Fellowship, Rotary’s highest honor. Krebs has met the standard on seven different occasions.

Krebs was praised by Albion Rotary members for keeping the club going during the challenges of the Covid pandemic, which included many Zoom meetings in 2020. The club used to meet at Tillman’s Village Inn. With the closing of that restaurant, the club is now meeting on Thursdays twice a month at the visitors center at the Cobblestone Museum.

“Change is tough but you were a good leader seeing us through,” said Bonnie Malakie,a  Rotary Club member.

The club is keeping up with many of its community service projects, including sponsoring the Albion Strawberry Festival, putting on the St. Patrick’s Ham Dinner and donating the proceeds to a worthy cause, running a golf tournament (this year on July 20) and donating most of the proceeds to support a transportation program for senior citizens.

A wine-tasting event was added this year and Rotary and Interact are part of a community cleanup effort, picking up lots of trash along the railroad tracks each spring.

Doug Farley presents Alex Krebs with a plaque in appreciation of her service as Rotary Club president.

Photos by Tom Rivers

ALBION – These kids play GaGa Ball at Bullard Park today on a busy day for the Village of Albion’s Summer Recreation Program. About 100 kids were there for games and other activities.

With GaGa Ball, players hit a ball rolling on the ground with their hands, trying to get another player out who’s hit with the ball and don’t catch it.

This is the first week of the summer recreation program at Bullard.

It runs from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday through Friday until Aug. 4. There is no charge, but children must be registered, which can be done at the park. Once the immunization records are turned in, each child will receive a free Park Recreation T-shirt. The village already has given out 75 shirts and will be ordering 50 more.

Amari Jones, one of the park supervisors, eludes one of the kids in a game of chase.

New this year are some snacks and water provided by Foodlink in Rochester. John Grillo, the recreation director, said Recreation Committee member Annette Finch made the connection with Foodlink to have the snacks, including bananas, available for kids. The Albion Masonic Lodge holds the food and brings it over each day.

Grillo said parents and guardians are encouraged to pack a lunch for the kids. The snacks and water are just to supplement those lunches.

On Friday, the Royal Body Shop Outreach Ministries will be providing pizza for the kids at the park.

These kids wait under the big bucket of water at the Splash Pad.

The water comes crashing down on the kids, to their delight.

Park supervisor Faith Bennett, left in yellow, and Nikki Creasey lead these kids in playing Simon Says. A new pavilion is under construction at Bullard.

Hailey Crawford, left, and Parker play a game of Connect Four at the pavilion.

Faith Bennett leads these kids in an egg racing game. They tried to keep the egg on a spoon and see who could go the fastest.

Hailey Crawford and Nick Andrews, park supervisors, join this group of kids on the swings.

Next week the recreation program will be offering a tennis camp at the Albion Central School from 10 a.m. to about 11:30 a.m.