Provided photo

ALBION – The royalty for the June 10-11 Albion Strawberry Festival has been announced. Pictured from left include Princess Anna Grillo, King Jeffrey Brown and Queen Faith Bennett.

This year’s festival has a theme of “Together We Serve.” The committee that picked the royalty looked for students active in the school and community. The students also needed to submit either a video, short story or poem about themselves.

The festival returns this year after being cancelled in 2020 and 2021. The royalty will be featured in the parade on June 11 and also serve as festival ambassadors.

Provided photo

ALBION – Braelynn Monnier, 7, of Albion stopped by the Albion fire hall on Thursday to present a framed diamond art of firefighter equipment to Albion Fire Chief Rob Conner.

Braelynn’s grandfather, Robert Monnier, worked about a month on the diamond art project, and made the wooden frame.

Braelynn wanted to show her appreciation to the local firefighters. Chief Conner let her sit in the front seat of a fire truck, which made her very happy.

ALBION – The Board of Education has been asked to maintain all of the district’s Advanced Placement courses, which are rigorous, college-level classes.

However, Albion only has a few kids in many of the classes. Albion would like to have at least 12 in the AP courses.

The district instead is shifting from some in-person AP classes to the Apex Learning platform, which offers AP classes online.

Several parents of students who want to take AP classes sent in letters to the board, asking Albion to reconsider and offer AP in-person.

(Editor’s Note: Marsha Rivers, wife of editor Tom Rivers, sent in one of the letters.)

Matt and Crystal Hand and their daughter Samantha all sent in separate letters, asking Albion to keep the AP program with in-person instruction.

Mr. Hand said the AP classes are an “important marker for college” and “help students reach their full potential.”

If a class-size minimum is needed, Hand suggested Albion better promote the program within the district and partner with other schools to offer the classes.

Mrs. Hand said many of the current sophomores and juniors in high school planned their schedules out in recent years so they could take AP classes next year, which now aren’t available.

“They shouldn’t be penalized because there aren’t enough students,” she wrote. “They rose to the challenge and are thriving.”

Jody O’Connor, mother of a student who wants to take AP next year, said Albion’s “dedicated and talented staff” have shown they can teach the classes and have their students excel.

Heidi Pask, mother of a student who wants to take AP next year, said the district should offer high-level classes for hard-working students who are going to college.

Not offering the AP classes puts Albion students at a disadvantage with students form other schools who have the AP background, she said.

Samantha Hand, a junior, wants to take AP calculus, AP physics and AP statistics next year. Those college-level will save her on tuition and prepare her for college, she wrote in her letter.

Kathy Harling, the Board of Education president, said the issue will be on the board’s agenda for its June 6 meeting and will be discussed in more detail.

Photos by Tom Rivers

ALBION – Collin Capurso, a member of the Student Council at Albion High School, serves desserts to Albion senior citizens today after lunch in the school gym.

The Student Council brought back Senior Citizen Day today after the event was cancelled in 2020 and 2021 due to Covid-19 restrictions and concerns.

About 50 senior citizens and guests attended the event today, which included performances by the jazz band and high school chorus. There also was student art on display on the monitors.

Senior citizens also ate breakfast at the school, played Bingo, painted rocks and enjoyed other activities.

Student Council members Meganne Moore, back left, and Lucy Rivers serve brownies to the senior citizens, including Jane Sidari in back. The seniors were very sociable with the students. The Office for the Aging also assisted with the event today.

“We called and they were so excited to be back,” said Sawyer Green, the Student Council advisor. “It’s a great way for our kids to connect with the community.”

Leo Bolton, left, and Nick Andrews play the trombone with the Jazz Band.

Doris Kelley enjoys dessert and the music during lunch. Donna Laubacher is at right. She served on the Board of Education for many years.

ALBION – The Albion Board of Education has been asked to have a designated day in the school year when students can drive a tractor to school.

Samantha Basinait, a junior and member of the FFA, made the request during Monday evening’s Board of Education meeting.

She said other nearby schools, including Elba and Attica, have a day where students with farm backgrounds can drive to school on a tractor.

Basinait suggested the students be allowed to do it during FFA Week, which was just celebrated at Albion from May 2-6.

“It would raise awareness for how important agriculture is to our community,” Basinait told the Board of Education.

The students wouldn’t bring the tractors down Route 31. Instead they would bring them down Clarendon Road and enter the school campus from the side parking lot by the elementary school, Basinait said.

The students would bring their tractors well before the start of the school day to avoid the bulk of the traffic at school, and leave later in the afternoon after the buses are gone.

She was joined by her mother Dawn Basinait., who went over the rules for the Attica tractor day. Students aren’t allowed to have passengers and can’t be towing anything. No garden tractor are allowed at Attica’s tractor day.

Mrs. Basinait said the students who would be driving the tractors have been using farm equipment for years and are very responsible.

Kathy Harling, the Board president, said the board doesn’t respond to requests on the spot, but it will be considered.

Photo courtesy of Marsha Rivers

ALBION – A sign is up at Bullard Park for the Wayne Burlison and Judy Christopher Memorial Walking Trail. The 3,800-foot-long crusher-run path goes around the perimeter of Bullard Park.

The Albion Running Club contributed $5,000 towards the trail, which was installed last fall by the Village of Albion Department of Public Works, with assistance from a private contractor with a milling machine.

The 5-foot-wide walking trail is the last piece of an $800,000 improvement project at Bullard, a village park on Route 31. Other upgrades include a new splash park, amphitheater, utility building with bathrooms and a pavilion.

The trail is in memory of Wayne Burlison, an Albion elementary music teacher who died at age 36 from colon cancer on March 26, 2014. Burlison was an active member of the Albion Running Club and he promoted fitness in the community and led a Couch to 5K program called Run for God.

Christopher ran Phoenix Fitness in downtown Albion and organized the first 19 Strawberry Festival races. She started the 5k and 8k races at the festival initially to give members of the gym needed a fitness .

Christopher passed away from cancer at age 70 on Aug. 3, 2013.

Her family also ran the Four C’s Marina for many years. Judy also was the first woman elected to serve on the Albion Town Board. She was a long-time member of the Albion Rotary Club and served on the Swan Library Board of Trustees.

Photo by Tom Rivers

ALBION – This photo taken at about 1 p.m. shows employees of Toth’s Sports installing a new Daktonics message display system.

It replaces a manual sign along Route 31 that promotes school events. The old sign near the tennis courts became unusable and was removed last month, said Mickey Edwards, the district superintendent.

The sign is about 10 feet wide with columns another 2 feet. The sign is about 10 feet high.

The district is using American Rescue Plan Act funds to cover the cost of $85,870 sign, which includes removal of the old sign and bushes.

That total doesn’t include the cost of a new electric line installed from the high school to the sign by Suburban Electric of Albion.

The new sign is expected to be updated daily and could be operational later this afternoon.

4 from Albion honored for outstanding performance in leading role

Photos by Tom Rivers: Leah Kania is Fiona and Rowan Ford is Shrek in Albion’s production of Shrek the Musical which received several awards on Thursday night at the Stars of Tomorrow event in Rochester. Kania and Ford also were recognized for outstanding performance in a leading role.

ROCHESTER – The Albion High School production of Shrek the Musical won many awards on Thursday night at the Stars of Tomorrow in Rochester, including four awards for outstanding performance in a leading role.

The Stars of Tomorrow is a program through the Rochester Broadway Theatre League. It judges and recognizes musicals from 25 schools in the Rochester region. Albion is up against many of the much larger suburban districts in Monroe and Ontario counties.

The Albion students recognized for outstanding performance in a leading role include: Leah Kania as Fiona, Rowan Ford as Shrek, Myles Miller as Donkey and Jeffrey Brown as Lord Farquaad.

In addition, Leah Kania, Myles Miller and Rowan Ford are candidates to represent Rochester in a New York City competition – the National High School Musical Theater Awards, also known as the Jimmy Awards. Online voting starts at noon today. Click here for more information.

Myles Miller was named an outstanding performer in a leading role for her energetic and often hysterical turn as Donkey.

Jeffrey Brown shined as Lord Farquaad, the villain of the musical. He is short in stature and a ruthless ruler with many insecurities. Here is shown facing an uprising from the Fairytale Creatures.

Albion’s performance of Shrek was honored for the following:

• Excellence in student orchestra
• Excellence in acting ensemble
• Excellence in production crew.

Other individual awards included:

Natalie Baron received a Tip-of-the-hat award for her performance as Pinnochio.

Hannah Coolbaugh starred as the Mad Hatter.

• Special Recognitions to Ethan Merrill and Hannah Coolbaugh. Ethan Merrill ran the lighting board and never missed any if the 220 cues for the production.

• In addition to being the Mad Hatter, Hannah Coolbaugh was a Duloc Dancer, one of the 3 Blind Mice, Rat Tapper and a Knight. She was dance captain and choreographed the number in 3 Blind Mice.

• Kaitlynn Basinait was a Rising Star recipient. A middle schooler, she stepped in to run one of the spotlights.

This year was a welcome return to performing in front of a live audience for the Albion drama program. The musical in 2020 was cancelled due to Covid. Last year’s show was performed without an audience and then shown online through a video. Students also were able to take the stage this time without masks.

Photos by Tom Rivers

ALBION – Emily Trapiss, a senior at Albion High School, holds the first-place poster she made to promote the 34th Albion Strawberry Festival.

The event on June 10-11 has a theme of “Together We Serve” and will highlight service clubs and volunteerism in the community. The Albion Rotary Club is one of the festival’s sponsors. The club is celebrating its 100^th anniversary this year.

The poster created by Trapiss will be featured in promotional materials for the festival, which is back this year after being cancelled in 2020 and 2021 due to Covid restrictions and concerns.

“I wanted to make it inclusive and show everybody working together,” Trapiss said.

Jeffrey Brown, an Albion senior, holds his second-place poster.

Lily Zambito, another Albion senior, holds her third-place poster. There were about 40 entries in the contest. The prize money included $50 for first place, and $25 for both second and third.

The posters winners – Lily Zambito, Jeffrey Brown and Emily Trapiss – are shown with Don Bishop, the logistics chairman for the festival.

They were recognized at today’s Albion Rotary Club meeting at the Cobblestone Museum.

ALBION – The Village Board has approved spending $35,371 for a camera and security system at Bullard Park.

The village will pay LINSTAR in Buffalo for the security system with federal funding through the American Rescue Plan Act.

The board wants to deter vandalism at the park which has received about $800,000 in recent upgrades with a splash park, new playground equipment, an amphitheater and a utility building with bathrooms.

In other action during last week’s board meeting:

• Approved renting out the north pavilion at Bullard Park, the one by the woods, for $25 for village residents and $50 for people outside the village.

• Agreed to loan $65,000 from the General Fund to the Sewer Fund to assist with cash flow requirements.

• Approved closing East State Street and East Bank Street from Platt to Main Street on June 9 (Thursday) through the close of the Albion Strawberry Festival on June 11 (Saturday). The board also approved use of picnic tables and the Albion Police Department for the festival on June 10-11.

• Accepted a $722.86 check from Niagara Metals for the sale of scrap metal to be put into the village’s Equipment Reserves.

Photo by Tom Rivers

ALBION – The Who Dats are shown closing out Albion’s summer concert series on Aug. 19 last year. The band includes lead singer Lonnie Froman, John Borello on guitar (in back), Alona Kuhns on guitar (in back in white shorts), Ed Hilfiker on guitar and Alex DeSmit on drums.

The Who Dats will be back in this summer’s series on Aug. 18.

The Village Board last week approved the concert series featuring six performances. The village organizes the events, which receive $2,410 in funding from the Genesee-Orleans Regional Arts Council.

The concerts are on Thursdays from 6 to 8 p.m. by the canal on Platt Street, next to the fire hall.

The lineup includes:

• July 14 – Eagle Creek

• July 21 – Begging Angels

• July 28 – “A” Blues Band

• Aug. 4 – Jonesie & The Cruisers

• Aug. 11 – Trellis Cooper Band

• Aug. 18 – The Who Dats

These candidates will be on the ballot today in an election for trustees at Hoag Library in Albion.

ALBION – There are five candidates for five trustee positions in an election today at Hoag Library. Voting is from noon to 7 p.m. at the library.

Voters must be at least 18 and live in the library’s service area (towns of Barre, Albion, Gaines and Carlton).

The positions up for election include a spot recently vacated with the resignation of Anitrice Bennett. The other four positions are currently filled by Linda Weller, Jim Babcock, Kevin Doherty and Debbie DiBacco.

The top three vote-getters get four-year terms, and next two get three-year terms.

The library’s annual meeting will be at 7 p.m. today.

The candidates include:

• Mary Covell – She has worked 16 years as an accountant and her family frequently uses the library.

“I want to see the Hoag Library continue to thrive in community outreach, educational opportunities for all ages, and really become a central focus point for the Village and Town,” she said in her candidate biography. “The Library has so much to offer and genuinely can help anyone grow and further their potential. I would love to have the chance to help build up, spread the word and encourage everyone to want to come in and utilize all the resources it has.”

• Kevin Doherty – He is a long-time member of the board and was president during the building of the new library in 2012 and for several years after that. Doherty has been a technology business contractor since the 1980s.

“This facility is a great example of that which can be accomplished when personal agenda are laid aside for the community benefit,” he said in his candidate bio. “I can honestly say that I was not a user of the old Swan Library; it was not a welcoming environment. Our family has, however, embraced the programming, collections and general upbeat attitude of the new Hoag building and staff.”

• Rachel Hicks – An employee of Albion Agencies Insurance for the last 8 years, who works in agency management and accounting, in addition to insurance sales. She brings her family to many of the library events, including the summer reading program.

“I feel the library provides services and opportunities a lot of local community members haven’t even realized yet,” she said. “The weekly programs for different learning opportunities, provides a wealth of learning opportunity from ages of young to old.”

• Linda Weller – The current board president also is a member of the Albion Board of Education. She is owner of Info Advantage Inc. in Rochester.

“I would like the opportunity to serve as a member of the Library Board, and will continue to serve the community to the best of my abilities,” she said.

• James Babcock – The owner of a construction business, Babcock has volunteered with the summer reading program and other local agencies.

“My interest in serving on the board is to share my knowledge and experience with the trustees,” Babcock said. “My work experience and community involvement I believe will make me an asset to the board.”

Click here to see the candidate bios.