By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 1 May 2022 at 5:07 pm
Photos by Tom Rivers
ALBION – Motorcyclists head south on Main Street in Albion this afternoon at the start of a 50-mile safety and awareness ride throughout Orleans County.
Members of ABATE (American Bikers Aimed Toward Education) in Orleans County organized the event that included about 50 motorcyclists.
They gathered at the steps of the Orleans County Courthouse for the rally and start of their ride. The police-escorted trek ended at the VFW in Medina
These motorcyclists include, from left: Lorrie Simons of Holley, Rhonda Starling of Hamlin and Jessica Ornt of Holley. They are members of the Old Crow Motorcycle Club of Orleans County, which is based in Kent.
Chuck Persons, president of ABATE in Orleans County, addresses the group of motorcyclists. He introduced Assemblyman Steve Hawley and County Legislator John Fitzak who shared proclamations declaring May as “Motorcycle Safety and Awareness Month.” Hawley thanked the group for promoting safety on the local roadways.
Fitzak said ABATE has helped to prevent accidents through awareness programs aimed at all drivers, acted as liaison on behalf of motorcyclists with government agencies, and promoted good citizenship by encouraging members to use their right to vote.
Chuck Persons and other speakers addressed the group from the top of the courthouse steps.
ABATE reminds the public that motorcyclists are out and drivers should, “Look twice, save a life.”
The caravan of motorcycle riders head out on their safety and awareness ride. There was a light rain at the start of the ride at about 2:30 p.m.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 1 May 2022 at 1:07 pm
ALBION – The Village Board on Friday passed a $7,153,178 budget for 2022-23 that will increase taxes by 3.2 percent.
The tax levy – what the village collects in taxes – will increase from $2,761,524 to $2,851,056. The tax rate will go up from $17.85 to $18.46 per $1,000 of assessed property.
The budget includes $4,106,279 in the general fund, $1,797,521 in the water fund and $1,249,377 in the sewer fund.
The tax increase is below the state-imposed tax cap by $14,476, partly because the village was able to carry over $42,901 from previous budgets that were below the tax cap, according to the budget documents.
Mayor Angel Javier Jr. is taking a $1 salary which reduced the mayor’s budget expense by $10,322, and Trustee Tim McMurray is only taking a dollar, cutting that expense by $6,176.
The village fiscal years starts June 1 and ends May 31. The budget won’t include any of the new changes in assessments. In this budget, the village’s total tax base actually decreased by $249,927 – from $154,707,229 to $154,457,302.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 30 April 2022 at 10:39 am
Speakers at schools, churches share message; Matt Lockett’s family from 7 generations ago owned Will Ford’s as slaves
Photos by Tom Rivers
ALBION – Will Ford, right, shares how the family of Matt Lockett, left, once owned Ford’s as slaves. The photo on screen shows portraits of Napoleon and Mary Lockett during the Civil War era. The Lockett family once owned 126 slaves.
Lockett and Ford met at a rally against abortion in Washington DC about 17 years ago. They became close friends and after a decade they both traced back their family lineage. Ford saw in the past some of his ancestors had the last name Lockett before his grandfather changed the name to Ford because he didn’t want the last name of a family that held his in bondage.
Lockett’s brother was actively trying to learn about the family’s history. The two found the last battle of the Civil War was fought at the Lockett farm in Virginia on April 6, 1865. After the war, the family dispersed to Kentucky and Louisiana.
Ford said he felt anger towards Lockett, his friend, when he realized the Locketts once enslaved Ford’s ancestors.
“For me it was the first time there was a face connected to a painful story,” he said.
He needed to go to a deeper level of forgiveness to find healing.
“I was confronted with the reality of this historic pain,” Lockett told about 150 people at the First Presbyterian Church in Albion on Friday night. “I wasn’t there 150 years ago, but Will’s pain is still real.”
Matt Lockett speaks during Friday’s 2 ½ hour event at the First Presbyterian Church in Albion. Ford and Lockett also spoke during assemblies at Albion and Medina high schools on Friday. The last battle of the Civil War was fought at Sailor’s Creek at the Lockett farm in Virginia.
The two have remained close friends. They believe relationships are the key to moving the country forward through so many divisions.
“The first one to love wins,” Ford said.
Ford brought a cast-iron kettle that has been in his family for seven generations. That family artifact is a powerful connection to when the family once was enslaved.
He shared how he has been called racial slurs, pulled over by police “for driving while Black” and faced suspicious for living in a mostly white suburban neighborhood in Dallas, Texas.
Ford said the Christian people can make a difference in bringing racial justice to the country. Upstate New York has been instrumental in the past in the fight for abolition and women’s rights, Ford said.
He called on a united church to show love for all, and lead the way through the intense division in the country.
The Rev. Susan Thaine, pastor of the Presbyterian church in Albion, welcomes the group to Friday’s program.
“Our hope is it will become a community conservation – not a one and done – as we work towards racial reconciliation,” she said.
The two speakers will be the First Baptist Church in Medina today at 1 p.m. for a question and answer session, and then at 7 p.m. today at Roberts Wesleyan College in North Chili.
In addition Ford will speak at Sunday service at 10 a.m. at Harvest Christian Fellowship in Albion with Lockett speaking at Antioch Baptist Church in Rochester on Joseph Avenue.
Photos by Tom Rivers: Part of Albion downtown is shown in this photo in March after a dusting of snow. A group would like to close down part of Main Street for a barbecue, music and dancing in September.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 30 April 2022 at 8:56 am
ALBION – The Village Board was urged to support a dinner on a blocked off Main Street. This wouldn’t be an upscale dinner, but a barbecue with live music and dancing.
Linda Smith and Kim Remley presented the idea to the Village Board on Friday. Smith would like to highlight local fruits, vegetables, meat and other products during the event, which she suggested for early September with a fall theme.
She would like to see Main Street blocked off to traffic from State Street to the canal. The Route 98 traffic would be diverted to the Ingersoll Street lift bridge over the canal.
Medina hosted its first Farm-to-Table Dinner on a closed off Main Street on Aug. 4, 2016. The five-course dinner was supposed to be capped at 100 but demand pushed it to 137 the first time. It has grown to 200, although cancelled in 2020 and 2021 due to Covid.
Smith said the event would be different from the five-course meal at Medina’s Farm-to-Table dinner. That event is capped at 200 people and was cancelled in 2020 and 2021. Medina’s meal includes local food prepared by local restaurants with wine from the Niagara Wine Trail, including wineries in Orleans County. The tickets were $125.
Smith would like to sell the tickets at a much lower price with Albion residents known for being good cooks working on the meal. She suggested a cap of 100 people for the first time.
Smith and Remley said about 20 people have already offered to help organize and run the event.
“I think we need a fun, different adult event on Main Street,” Smith told the board.
She would like to see a temporary dance floor at the intersection of Bank and Main streets. And she would like to have some different games and activities, like pumpkin bowling and grape stomping.
While the food might be capped at 100, Smith said other the events could be open to others without a dinner ticket.
The Village Board said it would reach out the state Department of Transportation to see if the street could be closed down to traffic for several hours for the event.
“Thanks for keeping an open mind,” Smith responded.
She expects the event would be popular. She noted the art gallery reception the previous Friday at Marti’s on Main, where 150 people attended the art show.
“People are starved for cultural things,” she said.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 28 April 2022 at 11:22 am
Group asks village to move historical marker, sign to make room for bronze statue
Photos by Tom Rivers: The Albion Betterment Committee wants a bronze statue that looks like Santa Claus to go in front the of Santa mural at Waterman Park on Main Street. A historical marker and sign promoting local events would need to be moved to make room for the statue. The 24-foot-long mural will get a 3-inch border to protect the edges of the large painting.
ALBION – The Village Board agreed to let the Albion Betterment Committee put in a 3-inch metal border around a 24-foot-long mural of Santa Claus in a sleigh flying over the Orleans County Courthouse and downtown Albion.
The Betterment Committee will pay for the costs of the border, which will look like a frame for the large painting and also protect the edges.
The mural at Waterman Park on Main Street was spearheaded by the Albion Rotary Club and was completed in July 2018. The mural is on village property and given to the village by the Rotary Club.
Stacey Kirby Steward, an Albion native, painted the mural. The project commemorates the life and work of Charles W. Howard. In 1937, Howard founded a Santa Claus School in Albion, dedicating his life to establishing a high standard for Santas everywhere.
The Betterment Committee is working to add more to the site celebrating the life of Howard and promoting Albion’s Santa story.
The committee has raised $100,000 for a bronze statue of Santa. That statue is expected to be done and installed in May 2023, and then dedicated the following month during the Strawberry Festival.
Brian Porter, a sculptor from Pendleton, shows members of the Albion Betterment Committee a 6-foot-high clay mold of Santa Claus in Porter’s garage on Saturday. That statue will be cast in bronze and installed in about a year.
Two members of the Betterment Committee, Joe Gehl and Natsha Wasuck, asked the Village Board on Wednesday to relocate a historic marker and also a sign that functions as a for community events. The committee wants the statue to be where those elements are. The statue shows a Santa in a welcoming pose with an outstretched hand and arm.
The marker and sign could be moved about a block south to the village municipal lot next to the Presbyterian Church, Wasuck suggested.
The committee would like the village’s help in a concrete pad that would be about 3-by-4 feet. (A local business may donate the concrete.) A sandstone slab would go on top of the concrete as the base for the statue. Village Attorney John Gavenda suggested the committee have the size of the base engineered to ensure it can hold the 800-pound statue.
Wasuck also asked for the village to run electricity to the site so lights could be displayed on the statue at night. The committee would cover those costs.
The committee also wants to work on the lower parts of the buildings adjoining Waterman Park through paint and new bricks. Conrad Cropsey told the committee he would approve of the work at the committee’s expense. The other building owner, Colleen Albright, wants to work on her own building, Wasuck said.
Mayor Angel Javier Jr. said the board wants to see the intentions of Cropsey and Albright in writing before giving any approval.
The board said it was OK with the 3-inch frame on the mural for now. There is still plenty of time to discuss the other requests from the committee because the bronze statue won’t be ready for about a year.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 28 April 2022 at 10:10 am
Lafayette and St. Joe’s will be open all the time, including at night
Photos by Tom Rivers: The gate at the entrance of Lafayette Park on West State Street is open this morning. The Village Board agreed on Wednesday to not lock Lafayette or St. Joe’s Park.
ALBION – The Village Board in a 3-2 decision agreed to not lock the gates of two village parks west of Main Street, including at night.
Trustees Chris Barry and Zack Burgess said they supported keeping the parks open during daylight, but they thought the gates should be closed and locked at night so neighbors don’t have to contend with noise.
Mayor Angel Javier Jr. and trustees Tim McMurray and Joyce Riley voted to not have the parks locked.
Susan Oschmann, a member of the Abion Recreation Committee, brought up the issue. She said she tried to take her grandchildren to St. Joe’s Park last summer and was surprised the entrance was locked.
She noticed other neighborhood parks with fences – Carosol on Ingersoll and Veterans on Linwood – weren’t locked. Bullard Park, the village’s main park, isn’t fenced in. The village will soon be adding cameras to Bullard to help deter vandalism.
“We need to invest in our neighborhoods the right way,” Oschmann said at Wednesday’s Village Board meeting. “I don’t think putting a lock on the playgrounds is the right answer.”
The village historically would lock the gates on Lafayette and St. Joe’s at night and then unlock them at 8 a.m. But often in recent years they have stayed locked all day.
Dorothy Daniels, another resident at the meeting, said it was “bad optics” to lock parks on one side of the village and not the other.
“It sends a very bad message,” she said.
Trustee Tim McMurray made the motion to not lock the two parks, including at night. If there are issues after dusk, McMurray said locking the gates at night could be revisited.
Trustee Joyce Riley said having the parks locked during the day didn’t send a welcoming message to those neighborhoods. She said the smaller parks need to open because not everyone has a car and can get to Bullard on Route 31. That site has the most playground equipment and a spray park that opened last year.
“We need to treat each other the way we want to be treated on a regular basis,” Riley said. “Let’s start by opening our parks.”
St. Joe’s Park on Clinton Street is open today after a member of the Albion Recreation Committee asked why the park is often locked with the front gate closed, even on weekends during the summer.
Shelismar Reyes won first place with this poster design.
Press Release, Albion Central School
ALBION – Albion students Shelismar Reyes, Aubrey Bruning and Misty Weese have been named this year’s winner of the annual American Legion Auxiliary Poppy Poster Contest.
Reyes, a high school sophomore, earned first place with her design. Bruning and Weese, both fifth graders, finished second and third, respectively.
The American Legion Auxiliary, Sheret Unit #35 sponsors the local event each year. The three posters that placed will now travel to Albany to be judged at the state level with the state winner moving on to the national competition.
Aubrey Bruning won second place for this poster.
Student artists must include specific elements in their posters and are judged based on poster appeal, artistic ability and neatness. Submissions are broken down into classes based on grade level.
The American Legion Auxiliary’s mission is, “to support The American Legion and to honor the sacrifice of those who serve by enhancing the lives of our veterans, military, and their families, both at home and abroad. For God and Country, we advocate for veterans, educate our citizens, mentor youth, and promote patriotism, good citizenship, peace and security.”
Learn more about the organization and the Poppy Poster Contest at www.legion-aux.org.
Misty Weese was third with this design for the American Legion Auxiliary Poppy Poster Contest.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 25 April 2022 at 11:19 am
Photos by Tom Rivers
ALBION – Marti’s on Main celebrated the opening of an art show on Friday, featuring about 100 works of art from 22 members of the Brockport Artists Guild.
About 150 people attended the three-hour season-opening show.
The gallery is located in the former Cornell Cooperative Extension building at 20 South Main St. Kim Martillotta Muscarella and her husband Neal Muscarella painstakingly and creatively remodeled the building into an art gallery. It opened for its first art show last summer.
Kim Martillotta Muscarella is planning three different art shows this year.
Kim Martillotta Muscarella, a member of the Brockport Artists Guild, poses with two of her paintings, of an acorn woodpecker and red-headed woodpecker, both acrylics on Masonite. Muscarella is a member of the Brockport Artist’s Guild.
Artwork is on display in the first and second floor of the building.
Josephine Dickerson, 10, of Hamlin looks at some of the artwork by her grandmother Suzanne Wells, an Albion art teacher from 1971 to 2005. Wells, who passed away from cancer is 2019, loved to paint flowers and portraits. Her favorite media included watercolor, acrylic and mixed media. She loved color, which could be seen in the way she dressed as well as her work.
Proceeds from the sale of Wells’ artwork in the show will go to the Pancreatic Cancer Association of WNY.
Arthur Barnes made this painting of the former CCE building, which is now the Marti’s on Main art gallery.
The former Cornell Cooperative Extension building was most recently used an outreach center for the Episcopal Church in Albion. The building was originally a house built in the 1830s.
Muscarella watched the site decline for many years, with little activity inside the doors of one of the prominent buildings in the historic Courthouse Square.
For about a decade she ran Marti’s on Main, an art gallery and studio at her home at 229 South Main St. But that site, which was half of her house, was cramped to display art and accommodate groups of people.
On a whim in December 2019, she decided to look at the old Extension building, which had been for sale for years and was listed by her friend Jim Theodorakos of Morrison Realty. Muscarella and her husband were given a tour of the building. (The Extension moved in 2007 to a new building at the 4-H fairgrounds in Knowlesville.)
The walls in the old building were all painted a very pale yellow. The floors covered in green and red carpet or asphalt tiles. The couple also noted the high ceilings, big rooms and lots of wall space. They decided to take on the building, and give it a new life as an art studio and gallery.
For more information or to request a tour, contact Muscarella at 585-589-6715 or 585-590-9211.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 24 April 2022 at 11:39 am
Statue, currently in clay form, to be cast in bronze, with unveiling expected in June 2023
Photos by Tom Rivers
ALBION – Joe Gehl, one of the directors of the Albion Betterment Committee, poses with a statue of Charles Howard as Santa Claus.
Gehl was able to see the life-size form of the statue on Saturday in sculptor Brian Porter’s garage in Pendleton, outside Lockport.
Porter has been diligently creating the 6-foot-tall clay mold in recent months. The model will be moved to the University of Buffalo’s foundry for the mold and casting process next winter with a goal of being installed in downtown Albion in time for the June 2023 Strawberry Festival.
Gehl and the Albion Betterment Committee have been raising money for the statue and working on the project since about 200 Santas came to Albion in April 2015 for a convention of people who portray Santa.
Howard is revered by the Santas for starting a school in 1937. He ran the school until his death in 1966 and the Charles W. Howard Santa Claus School continues today in Midland, Michigan.
The statue reflects the Howard design for Santa Claus suits. Porter used one of the Howard Santa suits and also received many helpful suggestions from Ken McPherson, who has been portraying Santa for more than four decades and collects many artifacts from the Santa School and Howard’s Christmas Park that was on Phipps Road in Albion.
Charles Edward Bergeman, Howard’s grandson who lives in Lewiston, praised Porter for the creation of the 6-foot-high statue.
“He just looks fantastic,” Bergeman said.
His grandfather died when Bergeman was 7. He remembers the man who was also a farmer, toy maker, community volunteer and who was very devoted to his family.
“He was more than just Santa Claus,” Bergeman said. “He did so many things.”
Brian Porter said the Santa statue is most intricate and detailed of all the statues he has created.
He also made the statue of the soldier in Medina outside the former Armory. That statue was dedicated on Sept. 7, 2019.
Brian Porter discusses the look of the statue with Natasha Wasuck, one of the Albion Betterment Committee members. Wasuck owns Tinsel, an ice cream business on Main Street. She wants to see Albion celebrate Howard and the Santa Claus legacy of the community.
Wasuck, Gehl and the Betterment Committee will discuss the statue and other elements of Waterman Park with the Village Board this coming Wednesday. The group would like to include lighting, benches and a Santa House at the park, which is a half block south of the canal. An interpretive panel would also detail other aspects of Howard’s life and tell his impact on the Santa Claus community.
Donations for other elements of the project can be sent to Albion Betterment Committee/Charles Howard Project, 14487 Baker Rd., Kent NY, 14477. That is the address for Joe Gehl, one of the directors of the Albion Betterment Committee.
Photos courtesy of the Santa Claus Oath Foundation – Charlie Howard is shown as Santa during a Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York City. Howard served as the Macy’s Santa from 1948 to 1965.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 24 April 2022 at 7:58 am
Photos by Tom Rivers
ALBION – Volunteers have been out in canal communities throughout the state this weekend as part of Canal Clean Sweep.
This photo shows four Albion High Schools students carrying big bags of trash they picked up along the railroad tracks in Albion. These students include Sydney Mulka, Lucy Rivers, Audrey Pask and Leah Kania. They were joined by Albion Interact Club advisor Tim Archer and some members of the Albion Rotary Club. They picked up nine bags of trash.
Robert Batt, director of the Cornell Cooperative Extension in Orleans County and a member of the Albion Rotary Club, filled three bags of trash. He was joined by his wife and daughter in picking up litter along the railroad tracks, just west of Main Street.
Leah Kania and Sydney Mulka hunt for trash along Platt Street near the railroad tracks.
The Albion Lions Club also went out and cleaned up several sites on Saturday. This group includes from left: Ben Lennox, Ron Albertson, Kevin Howard, Mark Johnson, Bill Robinson, Jonathan Doherty and Henry Smith Jr.
The Medina Rotary Club also cleaned up trash and debris on the north side of the canal from Fruit Avenue bridge to Marshall Road bridge on Saturday.
The Doherty family and friends picked up on litter near the Brown Street bridge in Albion for the Canal Clean Sweep.
Other upcoming events include:
Medina Lions Club will be doing its Environmental Cleanup Day from 9 to 11:30 a.m. on May 7. Volunteers will meet at the Canal Lift bridge on North Gravel Road and then be assigned areas along the canal and village public areas to clean up trash and spread mulch.
The Holley Rotary Club and Holley Interact Club from 8 a.m. to noon on April 30 will gather with other community members to walk the canal the length that spans the school district. They will cover from the public boat launch on County Line Road at Route 31 to Transit Road. Teams will work from bridge to bridge picking up trash. If there are enough volunteers, they will try to cover the entire village for clean up as well. Volunteers are meeting at the Holley High School parking lot and disperse from there.
Photo and information courtesy of Albion Central School
ALBION – Seventeen seventh-grade students from Albion Middle School were inducted into the National Junior Honor Society during a ceremony Thursday night.
Phoebe Allen, Olivia Andrews, Lily Brigham, Adam Burgio, Shayla Cruz, Brooke Doty, Yaritza Fernandez Perez, Heidi Franco-Lopez, Loralei Gailie, Anna Grillo, Jillian LeBaron, Bradley Pierce, Meadow Smith, Jackson Snook, Mason Snook, Ava Woolston and Abigail Worsley all took the oath, signed their names and became formally recognized as members of the prestigious organization.
The National Junior Honor Society was established in 1929 and today estimates it is made up of more than one million members across the country. NJHS elevates a school’s commitment to the five pillars of membership: scholarship, leadership, service, character and citizenship.
Spanish teacher Mrs. Casey Flynn was chosen by NJHS students as the guest speaker for the ceremony. She discussed the ways students can exhibit the five pillars in their everyday lives and the value they have.
Current members led the ceremony. Those students are Kailee Anstey, Neveya Barnes, Nisi Beltran Roblero, Kaitlin Bennett, Elliot Beyrle, Julia Button, Lindsay Crawford, Abigail Ferris, Benjamin Fleisher, Kaiden Froman, Aubrey Gannon, Amiyah Jones, Justin Kania, Abigail Kincaid, Hanna Kumalac, Nathaniel Miesner, Madison Muckle, William Plummer, Pablo Rosario Reyes, Alondra Santana Gonzalez and Joshua Zayac.
Barnes, Beltran Roblero, Ferris, Gannon, Kincaid, Plummer and Zayac were all recognized for earning the Service Award. The advisor of Albion’s NJHS is Mrs. Lisa Castricone.
By Ginny Kropf, correspondent Posted 18 April 2022 at 8:32 pm
Photo by Ginny Kropf: Pastor Tim Lindsay from Harvest Christian Fellowship holds a book written by Will Ford and Matt Lockett, “The Dream King.” Ford and Lockett will be in Albion and Medina from April 29 to May 1 to share their story about healing America’s racial divide.
ALBION – Two men who met by chance and became friends will share their story about healing America’s racial divide in Albion and Medina on April 29 to May 1.
The Rev. Timothy Lindsay is pastor of Harvest Christian Fellowship in Albion, and a member of Pastors Aligned for Community Transformation (PACT). Pastor Lindsay was instrumental in bringing Will Ford and Matt Lockett to the area to speak in their upcoming visit.
Lindsay first heard about Ford and Lockett when he was having lunch last year with a friend in Rochester. They were discussing race relations when the friend told Lindsay he had to read “The Dream King,” a book about Ford and Lockett and how their lives are woven together, including generations ago by history.
Lindsay realized a man in his church had met Ford, who was his teacher at a Bible school in Dallas, and the pastor asked his Rochester friend to help arrange a visit. The friend contacted Ford, who then called Lindsay.
Ford and Lockett’s story is unbelievable, Lindsay said.
“Will is an African-American with intricate knowledge of his family’s life in slavery in Louisiana,” Lindsay said. “He has shared his story for years. He was in Washington, D.C. in 2005, on Martin Luther King Day, speaking in front of the Lincoln Memorial. A white man was in the audience – Matt Lockett. Will’s speech resonated with Matt and he made an effort to meet Will. This led to a friendship between the two families, which continues today.”
The two families have spent considerable time together. Lockett was very interested in ancestry and genealogy, and after 10 years, Ford and Lockett made an astounding discovery.
Lockett discovered it was his family who owned Ford’s ancestors in Louisiana.
“It was a very emotional discovery for the men,” Lindsay said. “The slave owner was a very wicked man and was terrible to the slaves. Now you’ve got a family name attached to that. It was Will’s best friend’s family. The men realized God was going to use their friendship to reconnect the nation.”
Will Ford, left, and Matt Lockett will share their story of friendship and racial reconciliation during presentations at local churches and two schools on April 29 to May 1.
Lindsay said every person in America needs to hear their story.
The coincidence doesn’t end there, however. General Lee fought his last battle in the front yard of Lockett’s family farm at Sailor’s Creek, near Appomattox.
“In reality, that’s where the Civil War ended,” Lindsay said.
Ford and Lockett will share their story at 7 p.m. April 29 at Albion First Presbyterian Church; at 1 p.m. April 30 at Medina First Baptist church; at 7 p.m. April 30 at Roberts Wesleyan College’s Cultural Life Center; and at 7 p.m. May 1 at Antioch Missionary Baptist Church in Rochester. They will also be speaking at assemblies in Albion and Medina high schools.
In addition Ford will speak at Sunday services at 10 a.m. May 1 at Harvest Christian Fellowship.
Registration to attend any of presentations is encouraged by logging on to www.UnitedAndHealed.com. A free will offering will be collected at each event.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 17 April 2022 at 9:11 am
Ron Armstrong recognized for 65 years of service to AFD
Photos by Tom Rivers
ALBION – A.J. Fisher was recognized on Saturday night as Albion’s “Firefighter of the Year” and Brianna Caldwell was named “EMS Fireman of the Year.” Both also were among the top 10 of the volunteer firefighters for responding to calls.
Fisher, 21, has been around the fire hall since he was 2. His father was an Albion firefighter. His brother James also was a long-time Albion firefighter before joining the Carlton department. Their sister Amber is married to Albion Fire Chief Rob Conner and is a 15-year member.
Fisher was praised by Chief Conner for responding to so many calls and for a willingness to help the department.
“He’s nonstop,” Conner said.
Fisher will often be working at Walmart and will clock out to go to a call, and then return to work.
“I like to help out and be involved in the community,” he said.
Caldwell, 25, joined Albion a year ago after being a firefighter with the Barre Volunteer Fire Company. She responded to more than 250 calls last year with the Albion Fire Department.
She works from home as project manager for a software company. She enjoys being a firefighter.
“I love my community and I want to give back to it,” she said.
The department had more than 500 calls last year. The top responders included: Jeremy Babcock, 74 percent; A.J. Fisher, 65 percent; Brianna Caldwell, 50 percent; Dylan Marks, 47 percent; Rob Conner, 40 percent; Fred Piano, 40 percent; Austin Zobel, 37 percent; John Papponetti, 36 percent; Steven Papponetti, 33 percent; and Paul Urquhart, 31 percent.
Ron Armstrong was recognized with 65 years of service to the fire department and community. Armstrong is shown receiving a gift from Chief Rob Conner on behalf of the AFD.
Armstrong, 88, only recently stopped being a driver for fire and emergency calls.
Armstrong served as fire chief in 1975, and then from 1996 to 1998. He stayed very active with the department through his 70s and early 80s because he said there is a need for volunteers, especially during the work hours.
Armstrong served in the Air Force as a radio operator. He was stationed in Germany during the Korean War. He then worked 30 years as a printer at the former Eddy Printing in Albion before working another 16 years at Kodak. He has served on many of the truck committees over the years.
State Assemblyman Steve Hawley presents a certificate of commendation to Armstrong for 65 years of service and for “repeatedly demonstrating courage in the face of adversity” by responding to many fires, motor vehicle accidents and other emergencies.
The crowd gives Armstrong a standing ovation when he was recognized by Hawley.
County Legislator Ed Morgan presents a special recognition award from the County Legislature to Armstrong. He also received awards from State Sen. Rob Ortt and the Firefighters Association of New York State.
Armstrong said Albion has been fortunate to have a dedicated group of firefighters for many decades.
“We’ve always had a good crew behind us,” he said.
Dale Banker, the county’s emergency management coordinator, installs the officers and executive committee.
The officers for 2022 include: Rob Conner, chief; James Peruzzini, deputy chief; John Papponetti, assistant chief; Steven Papponetti, captain; Jeremy Graham, first lieutenant; Nathan Bloom, second lieutenant; Jeremy Babcock, third lieutenant; Harry Papponetti, chief mechanic; Fred Piano, EMS captain; and Brianna Caldwell, EMS lieutenant.
The executive committee include: Nathan Bloom, president; Austin Zobel, vice president; Dawn Marciszewski, treasurer; Kelly Irwin, assistant treasurer; Christine Bloom, secretary; and directors Jan Cheverie, Jeremy Babcock and Nathan Bloom.
Joe Grube, the outgoing president of the fire department, presents the President’s Award to Al Cheverie, who served in the role for many years and was a steady help to Grube in the past year. Nathan Bloom is the department’s new president.
Photo by Tom Rivers: Jeffrey Brown played Lord Farquaad, shown here with the Duloc Dancers, in the March 31 and April 1 production of Shrek by Albion High School. The district each year does two musicals in the middle school and two in the high school.
Posted 13 April 2022 at 11:43 am
Press Release, Albion Central School
ALBION – For the 15th consecutive year, the National Foundation of Music Merchants (NAMM) Foundation has named Albion Central School District as a Best Community for Music Education.
While 738 districts around the country received the recognition this year, few have maintained Albion’s continued success. Albion was the only school in the county to earn the award in 2022 and one of just four in the Genesee, Livingston, Orleans, Wyoming (GLOW) region, joining LeRoy, Pembroke and Perry school districts. Lockport and Roy-Hart are the only districts from Niagara County honored this year.
The award program recognizes outstanding efforts by teachers, administrators, parents, students and community leaders who have made music education part of a well-rounded education.
Albion’s music department returned to normalcy this school year, bringing live music back after Covid-19 precautions lifted. High school students in both band and chorus performed in the annual Veteran’s Day concert in early November before select seniors performed during the long-held event, Senior Tea.
November also saw the return to live shows as the high school cast and crew of Totally Not a Musical took the stage followed by the middle school’s performance of No Dogs Allowed.
Music set the holiday mood as each school held its own festive holiday concert throughout December. Many Albion students traveled to the All-County Music Festival held at Holley in February before Albion was honored to host the second All-County Festival at the beginning of March. All ages joined in song for the all-district chorus concert, also in early March.
The auditorium was packed full for the spring musicals. Alice in Wonderland, performed by the middle school, was a huge success while Shrek the Musical, presented by the high school, impressed attendees of all ages.
The district’s music departments continued to connect directly to the community, too. Many current and former students and staff performed at the annual Albion High School Alumni Foundation Holiday Concert. High school band and chorus students brought their talents to the town as they took part in holiday caroling the day before winter break, another long-standing tradition.
Music will remain throughout the school year with spring chorus and band concerts and marching band performances coming soon. Community members are always encouraged to attend.
Founded in 2006, the NAMM Foundation advances active participation in music making across the lifespan by supporting scientific research, philanthropic giving and public service programs. The organization represents the generosity and philanthropy of the music products industry and is funded through trade association activities and donations. For more information, visit NAMMFoundation.org.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 12 April 2022 at 10:39 pm
Brody Stirk of Albion has a following on YouTube
Photos by Tom Rivers: Brody Stirk is filmed by his mother Janna Stirk today overlooking Sandy Creek near Bullard Park. Brody has nine YouTube videos so far about science and autism. He is working on some videos about Albion, including some off-the-beaten path.
ALBION – Brody Stirk has autism. The 10-year-old isn’t afraid to let the world know.
Some people with autism will use masking to hide their flaws or characteristics.
“I myself don’t do masking,” Brody said in a YouTube video he made about autism. “I show myself.”
Brody Stirk is shown in a video about the autism spectrum disorder. Brody urges compassion for those with autism. He said having autism isn’t a disability, but a super power.
Brody, an Albion fourth-grader, has teamed with his mother Janna Stirk to make nine videos so far on his YouTube channel – “Brody Educates – Welcome to the world of science.”
Brody, in his videos that tend to be 5 to 9 minutes, has done features on Autism Spectrum Disorder, Keuka Lake (where his parents were married), Pelicans, Dolphins, Flying Boats, Mamba Mia, Star Sailors, Ten Tickles (The Common Octopus) and Ants in my Pants.
He has 230 subscribers to his channel so far. He started posting videos about two months ago.
His mother records him on her iPhone and she edits the videos. Brody is happy to do the research for the videos, and do the talking.
He said he is bringing science – “with a sense of humor.”
His mother is amazed to see him transformed into a very confident chatterbox on the videos. He shares lots of facts and also mixes in some jokes and bloopers.
In his video about ants, Brody tells his audience some “fun facts” including that ants have five eyes – two big eyes and three little tiny eyes. They have an exoskeleton where their bones are on the outside of their body. And ants do a lot of work every day taking care of their colonies. They can carry 50 times their weight which Brody would be like him picking up his dad’s pickup truck.
Brody and his mother feel the most proud about a video released April 2 on Autism Awareness Day.
Brody shares that 1 in 44 kids have autism. He was diagnosed at 2 ½. People with autism are on a spectrum with variety of levels of function. Not everyone is affected the same.
Brody Stirk has nine videos so far posted on YouTube.
He shares that people with autism often communicate differently. It may be hard for them to pick up social cues. They often don’t get sarcasm and may avoid eye contact.
“It can make it harder to make friends,” he said.
He and others with autism will often hyper fixate, and get obsessed on ideas, which he said can be both a blessing and a curse.
Many top inventors or the richest people have autism. It helps them really focus on a task and can lead to a major breakthrough. Brody mentioned Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla Motors, and Bill Gates, the Microsoft co-founder, who are believed to be on the spectrum.
He urges people to celebrate neurodiversity, and show them compassion, empathy and understanding.
“People experience and interact with the world in different ways,” he said in his video. “There is no right or wrong way to experience the world.”
Brody also doesn’t like to hear autism referred to in a negative way, as if it’s an affliction.
“It makes me very upset when people say autism is a disorder,” Brody said. “I say it is a super power.”
Brody said many of his classmates and teachers have seen his videos and he feels like a celebrity. His video about Keuka Lake was mentioned by Finger Lakes tourism official and was shared over 100 times on Facebook. He goes to Keuka Lake with his parents, Janna and Morgan Stirk. That’s where they were married. Brody declares it the most beautiful lake in the world.
He is planning more videos about science and also wants to show off special spots in Albion, including those that are often overlooked.
He is happy to use the videos to show himself, a person with autism.
“Just don’t call autism a disorder,” he said today during an interview at Bullard Park. “It’s a different-ability.”
Brody Stirk takes a break today on the railroad tracks behind Bullard Park. He was out to see the waterfalls on Sandy Creek and the aqueduct holding the railroad over Sandy Creek.
