ALBION – Saint-Gobain ADFORS, a global leader in manufacturing customized reinforcement solutions, announced today that they have begun producing FlexScreen, the world’s first flexible window screen.
FlexScreen, as seen on the popular television show Shark Tank, is an innovative window screen that is designed to spring into place.
Last October, ADFORS announced its partnership with the company FlexScreen, which gave them the exclusive rights to sell their products in home improvement stores, like The Home Depot and online at flexscreenretail.com. Now ADFORS is producing FlexScreen products at their Albion plant from start to completion.
“Producing the FlexScreen product locally allows us to control the process and ensure we deliver a cost-effective, quality product” said Jim Griffin, Sales & Marketing Director for Saint-Gobain ADFORS. “Plus, its creating local jobs with a product that gets distributed nationwide,” Griffin stated.
The FlexScreen segment will be airing a repeat episode tonight on Shark Tank on ABC at 8 p.m. EST. To learn more about FlexScreen, visit flexscreenretail.com.
ALBION – Assemblyman Steve Hawley (R,C,I-Batavia) will be concluding his series of visits to local small businesses to commemorate National Women’s Small Business Month by visiting Roots Hair Salon and Milk & Honey Boutique in Albion this Wednesday, whose owners have gone above and beyond to promote everything Albion has to offer.
Roots Hair Salon, owned by local resident Amber Mogle, has been operating in Albion since 2017, and offers hair, nail, and other beauty services to local residents. The business employs numerous local stylists and retains a loyal following of customers who appreciate the friendliness of the staff. Amber has been active in promoting the greater business community of Albion, aside from her own business. She worked in 2019 with the owner of Milk and Honey Boutique, Courtney Henderson, to have the town featured on HGTV’s “Hometown Takeover” program by putting together a video showcasing the town’s charm and discussing the impact the program’s support could have on the lives of all who live there.
Milk and Honey Boutique, also owned by a local resident, Courtney Henderson, has operated in Albion since April of 2018. The boutique sells unique fashions for women and children that can’t be found anywhere else, and offers an opportunity for women to shop with their young daughters to find something truly special. As a mother herself of three young children, Courtney sought to create a business that welcomes mothers and their children with affordably-priced, uniquely-designed selections.
“After a great month of visits to local women-owned businesses representing numerous sectors of the economy, I look forward to ending October on a high note by visiting two more businesses that have gotten their start in the last five years and have managed to keep their doors open through the pandemic,” Hawley said.
Assemblyman Hawley will be visiting the Roots Hair Salon, located at 29 E Bank St., Albion on Wednesday, Oct. 27 at 2:30 p.m. Hawley will then travel directly to visit Milk and Honey Boutique at 3:15 p.m., which is located at 49 North Main St., Albion.
During these visits, the assemblyman will discuss with each business owner their experiences opening and operating their businesses, as well as the difficulties they’ve faced in recent years as they contended with shutdowns, changing restrictions and guidelines, and other obstacles that threaten the continued success of their operations. While visiting, he will also be honoring them for their work promoting Albion as they attempted to have the town featured on HGTV’s “Hometown Takeover.”
“Surviving through everything the pandemic entailed economically, while getting through a months-long shutdown and then having to comply with ever-changing state mandates and guidelines is laudable, so I look forward to hearing about how these local women were able to help their businesses succeed during these unprecedented times,” Hawley said. “What they did to promote Albion to HGTV is impressive and appreciated, so I’m grateful to have an opportunity to thank them for their efforts.”
The assemblyman previously visited Gilliana’s Diner in Batavia, Revival Beauty Parlor in Medina, and The Dog Wash “Do-It-Yourself” Bath House in Brockport earlier in the month of October.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 24 October 2021 at 8:56 am
Dave Mogle and Chris Glogowski partner in The Coffee Joint
Photos by Tom Rivers: Chris Glogowski, left, and Dave Mogle opened The Coffee Joint on Friday at 59 North Main St. The two are longtime members of the Albion Police Department.
ALBION – Dave Mogle and Chris Glogowski have worked together for years in the Albion Police Department.
Glogowski said Mogle, the Albion police chief, encouraged him to pursue a career in law enforcement about a decade ago.
The two are friends and enjoy a good cup of coffee. They also have entrepreneurship in their blood.
Glogowski encouraged Mogle to team with him in opening The Coffee Joint at the HeBrews 5:9 location. Jim Nowaczewski opened HeBrews 5:9 in Albion about a year ago and last month opened a second HeBrews shop in Medina.
“Jim had a very good client base,” Glogowski said. “He is a very personable guy.”
Dave Mogle, left, and Chris Glogowski get a new batch of coffee brewing on Saturday morning.
Nowaczewski is shifting to focus on the Medina location, which has more space.
Glogowski and Mogle noticed how HeBrews brought people downtown, and gave people a place to connect in Albion.
They didn’t want to see the community lose that. On Friday they opened The Coffee Joint. Initially the hours are 7 a.m. to 11 a.m. seven days a week. They expect to stay open until 2 p.m. and add soups and sandwiches to the menu.
Mogle was busy Saturday morning getting coffee for customers. He welcomes the change of pace from his full-time job as police chief.
“This is a relief from my other job,” he said. “I come here and have fun. It’s nice to be out in the public.”
His wife Amber owns the Roots hair salon on East Bank Street and is co-owner with Courtney Henderson of Sweet Chic, also on East Bank. Mogle’s father, David Mogle, also owns DK Autobody in Albion.
Mogle said he has been friends with Glogowski for about a dozen years.
“I got him into law enforcement and he got me into coffee,” Mogle said.
Glogowski is well known in Albion, especially at the school district. He has been Albion’s school resource officer since February 2019. His father and grandfather own a surveying business in Brockport.
He was thinking about doing a coffee shop, but was expecting it would be post-retirement. But then the opportunity came up to take over the spot at the HeBrews location.
Glogowski said running the business is a way for Mogle and him to show their appreciation for being able to work in Albion.
“This community has been very supportive of law enforcement,” Glogowski said. “We want to give back.”
The two will be at The Coffee Joint on weekends. During the weekdays, the site will be run by Heidi Peterson, who worked at Burger King in Albion for more than a decade.
The Coffee Joint will have its grand opening this coming Saturday. Besides coffee, the offerings will soon include chai, blended ice coffee and espresso, with soups and sandwiches to follow.
They are brewing coffee from Finger Lakes Coffee Roasters. They also moved the bar to open up more room.
“It is more open so people can talk,” Glogowski said. “That’s the whole point of a coffee shop.”
ALBION – Albion Car Show organizers presented a check for $4,100 to Supportive Care of Orleans from the funds raised and donations of the Sept 11th car show.
Pictured from left: Paula Fuller (Christopher Mitchell Funeral Home); Rebekah Karls (car show coordinator); Elisa Chambery, Chief Executive Officer for Supportive Care; and Christine Fancher, social worker/volunteer coordinator for Supportive Care of Orleans.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 17 October 2021 at 9:13 am
Photos by Tom Rivers
ALBION – This scarecrow of the Hulk is among 30 to 35 on display in downtown Albion in a contest. Community members are welcome to vote for their favorite scarecrows.
The ballots are available at the Downtown Browsery and Krantz Furniture. The categories are: Most Traditional, Scariest, Cutest and Funniest. Voting runs through Monday, Oct. 25.
The winners will be announced in the “Dining & Entertainment” section of the Lake Country Pennysaver in the Saturday, Oct. 30 edition.
The Bigfoot scarecrow has been on the move. Here he is shown in front of the former Swan Library at the intersection of Main and State streets.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 15 October 2021 at 9:33 am
3,800-foot path last piece of upgrades at Albion site
Provided photos
ALBION – The Village of Albion is putting in a new 3,800-foot-long walking/running trail around the perimeter of Bullard Park.
The Village of Albion Department of Public Works is doing most of the work, with assistance from a private contractor with a milling machine.
The 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 village dug six inches down for the new trail, which is 5 feet wide. There will be a fabric on the bottom, then crusher run stone, with a finer stone on top. It will be similar to the Erie Canal towpath, said Jay Pahura, the village DPW superintendent. The village started digging the trail two days ago.
The Albion Running Club donated $5,000 to the village to help pay for the walking/running trail.
The new trail stays on the high ground at the park, and doesn’t go down near the lower part of the park near Sandy Creek on the west side of Bullard.
The village in December 2016 was awarded a $499,605 state grant for the Bullard projects. The village also received $97,500 from the county and $45,000 from the town of Albion, money that was through a revolving-loan fund by the Orleans Economic Development Agency. Those latter funds paid for improving handicapped accessibility at parks. Albion used the EDA money to put in sidewalks to the amphitheater and splash pad, to make them accessible to people in a wheelchair.
Photo and information courtesy of Albion Central School
ROCHESTER – Members of the Interact Club at Albion spent Wednesday giving back at Foodlink in Rochester. The students were busy sorting and stacking donated food for future distribution.
Club advisor Mr. Archer was joined by students Sarah Mathes, Allison Mathes, Samantha Basinait, Lilian Mathes, Julia Fuller and Gina Sidari.
The group prepared numerous pallets of food items over a four-hour period. The food will be handed out to needy families in the Western New York area, including in Orleans County through Community Action.
Foodlink is a nonprofit organization dedicated to ending hunger. With a ten-county service area, volunteers are crucial to the success of the food bank. As one Foodlink supervisor told Mr. Archer, “These Albion kids are some of the best workers we’ve had. Please come back!”
By Ginny Kropf, correspondent Posted 12 October 2021 at 11:00 am
Provided photo: This room is full of some of the donations received last year by Genesee-Orleans Ministry of Concern for their holiday give-away program. The agency is seeking donations again this year to help an anticipated 250-300 children.
ALBION – The Genesee-Orleans Ministry of Concern is kicking off its holiday assistance program, helping eligible families in the area.
According to Gretta Smith, client advocate/program coordinator for GOMOC, families are now welcome to come in and fill out wish lists for their children. Then, just before Christmas they may return and choose three to five gifts, depending upon the number of items available.
Smith has also issued a plea to the community to consider making a donation to the Christmas program. Gifts of all kinds are requested, including gift cards, clothing (especially winter coats, boots, etc.), toys, sheets and blankets, crafts, books, wrapping paper and money.
She requests all items be new.
The Christmas give-away program was started by GOMOC in 2015. Last year they provided Christmas presents to 279 children, Smith said, many of whom were participants in their Just Friends program. Just Friends is a youth mentoring program which provides role models to children
All families who apply for Christmas gifts will be contacted and arrangements made for them to come in and choose their gifts for children up to 18 years of age.
Anyone wishing more information may call Smith at 589-9210.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 11 October 2021 at 7:10 pm
Bigfoot and Spiderwoman Grandma among the characters
Photos by Tom Rivers
ALBION – About 20 scarecrows were made on Saturday during a fall festival put on by the Albion merchants Association. Those scarecrows, including the top one of Elsa and Olaf, are decorating Main Street this month.
Toyz n Kandy hosted pumpkin painting at the store on East Bank Street.
Matt and Crystal Hand and their daughters made the Bigfoot scarecrow, which may be moved to alternate locations throughout the month.
“Hawaiian Man” is among the scarecrows on Main Street.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 9 October 2021 at 9:03 am
Albion has by far the most with 76 while Lyndonville fewest with 3
In the first month of the school year, 165 students at the five school districts in Orleans County have tested positive for Covid-19.
Albion has by far the most cases with 76, while Lyndonville has the fewest with 3, according to the state’s COVID-19 Report Card, which was last updated on Friday.
Here is the breakdown of cases per school district in Orleans County:
• Albion has had 76 students test positive, plus six teachers and five other staff for 87 total in the school district. That includes 46 students in the high school, 7 in the middle school and 23 at elementary.
• In Holley, 36 students, two teachers and one staff member have tested positive for Covid. The students include 22 in the junior-senior high school and 14 in elementary school.
• Kendall has had 17 students, no teachers and two staff members test positive. The students include 10 in junior-senior high and 7 in elementary school.
• Lyndonville is reporting by far the fewest cases with 3 students — all in junior-senior high — and one staff member.
• Medina has had 33 students who have tested positive, no teachers and two staff members. The students include 21 in junior-senior high school, 9 at intermediate/middle school and 3 in elementary.
Here are the number of students, teachers and staff who tested positive during the 10 months of the previous school year in 2020-21.
Albion (enrollment 1,768 students) had 86 students test positive (75 were in-person students and 11 remote-only). Those students included 33 in high school, 26 in middle school, and 27 in elementary school. There were 26 teachers/staff that tested positive.
Holley (enrollment 902) reported 45 students who tested positive last year, including 43 in-person students and 2 who were remote-only. Those students included 34 in junior-senior high and 11 at elementary school. The district also had 17 teachers/staff test positive.
Kendall (enrollment 698) last school year reported 37 students tested positive for Covid with 35 on-site and 2 as remote-only students. That included 19 at junior-senior high school and 18 at elementary school. Kendall also had 4 teachers/staff test positive.
Lyndonville (enrollment 639) had 20 students test positive for Covid (15 in-school and 5 remote) and 13 teachers and staff. The Lyndonvile students included 17 in junior-senior high school and 3 at the elementary level.
Medina (enrollment 1,396) had 87 students test and the state database says 4 were in-person students and 83 were off-site students. Those students included 43 in high school, 27 at intermediate/middle school, and 14 at elementary school. The district also had 31 teachers/staff test positive for Covid.
ALBION – The Albion Police Department was recently awarded two separate grants from the New York State Governor’s Traffic Safety Committee to participate in the “Police Traffic Services Program” and the “Child Passenger Safety Program.” The statewide initiatives run from October 1, 2021 through September 30, 2022.
The first grant awarded to the Albion Police Department totals $2,288.00 and will allow the department to participate in the statewide “Police Traffic Services Program.” This grant enables the department to conduct traffic details, check points and saturated patrols in areas where speeding and aggressive driving have been observed.
This grant also allows for the Albion Police Department to participate in the Buckle Up New York initiative in May-June of 2022. The goal of the Buckle Up New York campaign is to increase the usage of seatbelts and to educate the public on the importance of wearing your seatbelt.
The second grant awarded to the Albion Police Department totals $1,900 and allows the department to participate in the statewide “Child Passenger Safety Program.” This grant will not only allow the Albion Police Department to educate citizens on the proper use and installation of child safety seats in New York State, but it will also allow the department to provide limited child safety seats to families in need that could not afford to purchase a proper child safety seat otherwise.
Through these two grants, the Albion Police Department seeks to educate the public on safe driving techniques and proper safety procedures while operating a motor vehicle. With the cooperation and assistance of the community, the Albion Police Department hopes to further reduce traffic crashes and injuries related to those crashes.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 28 September 2021 at 9:23 am
Provided photos: Orleans County Chamber of Commerce and Village of Albion officials joined Dan Conrad, owner of Toyz n Kandy, in celebrating the grand opening of the store on Monday on East Bank Street. Pictured from left include Conrad’s daughter Ryleigh, Chamber director Darlene Hartway, Conrad and his son Carter, Mayor Eileen Banker, Trustee Stan Farone and Conrad’s niece Eleana Coley.
ALBION – A toy and candy store has relocated to East Bank Street in downtown Albion after being open for four months at the Arnold Gregory Office Building on South Main Street.
Dan Conrad, owner of Toyz n Kandy, said the store is off to a good start and looks to grow more with the location on East Bank Street.
He is running the store full-time and sells lots of sweets and old-fashioned toys such as whoopee cushions, Friendship Bracelets, toy harmonicas, chalk and game balls. Conrad offers other activities – without electronics – for kids. The site has air hockey and foosball tables and the space is available to be rented out for parties.
Conrad has expanded his merchandise in the new location. He is offering deals on bundles of Halloween candy.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 27 September 2021 at 7:31 am
Photos by Tom Rivers
ALBION – Ashley Roesch, an employee with Circle B Winery, sells some of the fruit wines from Circle B on Sunday in Albion. Pamela Jenks of Pretty Sweet Bakery is in back at left. They are among about a half dozen vendors at the Albion Farmers Market.
The market, which debuted on June 13 in the downtown, has moved south to the Main Street Store parking lot across from Hoag Library.
The vendors on Sunday said the new location is working better, with more people stopping by. The site has easier parking and is more visible.
“It’s not tucked in as much,” Roesch said.
Amanda Mrzywka and Katie Mann, right, of Navarra’s Farm Market & Greenhouses were selling a variety of fruits and vegetables. This was the second week at the new location.
Mrzywka likes that the new spot has wheelchair accessibility and more parking.
The market continues on Sundays from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. until Oct. 17.
The Albion Merchants Association is the organizer of the market.
Photos courtesy of Albion Central School: Dee Robinson, the archivist at Hoag Library, shares a folder of news clippings and magazine articles about the late Charles W. Howard, who founded a Santa Claus School in Albion in 1937 and ran it until his death in 1966. The school continues in his name in Midland, Mich.
Press Release, Albion Central School
ALBION – Four seventh grade school students recently spent a day researching the life of Albion’s famous Santa Claus, Charles W. Howard.
Olivia Andrews, Brooke Doty, Grace Nesbitt and Ava Woolston visited Mt. Albion Cemetery and met with Orleans County Historian Catherine Cooper, Hoag Library Archivist Delia Robinson, former Christmas Park employee Jack Miles and former historian Bill Lattin.
The students, along with others in Tim Archer’s Service Learning class, are working on a booklet about Howard. Once finished, the booklet will be distributed to local libraries. It will be unveiled on December 10 at the Hoag Library.
Community members are welcome to attend, and anyone with artifacts from the former Christmas Park can contact Mr. Archer or the Hoag Library to showcase their items at the event in December.
Jack Miles, who is retired as Town of Albion highway superintendent, used to work at Christmas Park. He shows the students the fireplace at the former site near the intersection of Phipps Road and Route 31.
