Photo by Tom Rivers

ALBION – Jim Horncastle, master of the Albion Renovation Lodge 97, presents an honorary membership to Don Ross on Friday evening, which was also on Ross’s 101^st birthday.

Ross celebrated his birthday at Tillman’s Village Inn with family and friends, including many local Masons. Ross is a member of the Towpath Lodge, which includes Medina and Middleport Masons.

Horncastle and the Albion Masons wanted to recognize Ross, who has been a Mason for 78 years.

“In our area he is very well known,” Horncastle said. “He’s been around for years and years. It’s very inspiring for guys like me.”

Ross, a Barre resident, ran a plumbing business for 40 years in Albion. He joined the Masons when he was 22. He was a pin boy as a kid, setting up bowling pins on two lanes owned by the Masonic Lodge. The members were always good to him, and welcomed him to join the lodge as a young adult. Ross served the lodge in many roles over the past 78 years.

Ross’s late wife, Bernadine, also has been a member of the Order of the Eastern Star for 77 years.

Provided photo: Don Ross is pictured with some of the members of the Masonic Lodge in Albion including from left: Kyle Webb, Jim Horncastle, Joe Martillotta and Tim McGee.

The Albion lodge currently has 55 members.

“We’re here to do what we can for the community,” Horncastle said. “In our lodge there are many wonderful mentors. It’s a chance to spend time with people I consider brothers.”

700 dinners are sold out, drive-through only

Photos by Tom Rivers

ALBION – Bailey Nesbitt, Albion FFA president (left) and Samantha Basinait put the secret sauce on 700 chicken barbecue dinners. Kerry Panek mixed the secret sauce from Cornell for the chicken dinners.

The dinners will be served drive-through only from 4:30 to 7 p.m. at the high school parking lot in back.

The chicken barbecue meal is back for this school election after being cancelled last year when the election was through mail-in ballots only due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

FFA members Thomas Bentley, left, and Chris Sacco flip some of the chickens that will be served later today for the FFA annual chicken barbecue dinner. The meals also include salt potatoes, brownies, cole slaw and rolls.

The price was increased from $10 to $12 due to rising costs of charcoal and the chickens, Bailey Nesbitt said.

The dinner is the FFA’s biggest fundraiser of the year and helps covers costs for summer camp, jackets for some students, a scholarship for a graduating senior, dues for FFA members, and meeting supplies.

Bryce Wilson checks on the chickens in the hot pits behind the football stadium and track.

Projects will need to meet standards for historic district

ALBION – Building owners in the downtown area have until May 24 to submit an application for Albion’s Main Street grant.

The state will cover up 75 percent of some of the projects with a maximum award of $50,000 per building owner for non-residential projects. Residential projects could be eligible for up to $100,000 through the grant.

The Main Street grant is for $388,192 total and that includes $311,079 for building renovations, $47,613 for streetscape improvements, $25,000 for administration and $4,500 for architecture, engineering and environmental costs.

The village has contracted with J. O’Connell and Associates in Clarence to administer the grant. Two representatives from that firm met with building owners last week.

They shared the building work will need to be done by contractors on an approved list. That list is easy to be on, and the companies need to carry $1 million in liability insurance, said Betty Sutherland, project administrator.

The projects also need an environmental review to show if any asbestos, radon or lead paint is present. Those materials don’t necessarily need to be removed in the projects if they are undisturbed with the work.

The projects, including replacing or repairing windows, also need review from the State Historic Preservation Office. Sutherland said SHPO won’t approve vinyl windows in the downtown, which is included on the National Register of Historic Places.

That prompted one building to get up and leave the meeting which was held at the Lockstone. He wanted to replace windows in the Gurney’s Old Coach building with vinyl, instead of wood because of the lower cost.

“I don’t know who can afford it,” the building owner said. “I can see the wrecking ball coming.”

Bill Bixler, owner of Albion Agencies on Main Street, completed projects in Medina through the Main Street program. He tried to assure the other buildings owners the required steps are manageable. He replaced a roof and windows in Medina, and did masonry repairs. He was able to keep windows with wooden frames.

“It wasn’t bad,” Bixler said about the process. “It turned out nice.”

Sutherland said the building owners could piggyback on the environmental reviews, having one contractor come to Albion and do many in one day. That should bring the cost down.

Some of the historically acceptable projects will cost more than using vinyl or other modern materials, but Sutherland noted the state is covering 75 percent of the costs.

She said the state favors projects that have a visual impact on Main Street, and also are important in helping to revitalize the district for commerce and also for residential living.

The target area for the grant includes both sides of North Main Street between Orchard Street and West State Street, and West Bank Street from North Main Street to North Liberty Street.

The building owners were encouraged to submit bids for work by the May 24 deadline. Bixler said those bids may end up being “guesstimates” that don’t reflect the final price tag due to rising costs with construction materials.

There were about 25 people at the meeting last week to hear an overview of the program and what is expected of the applicants. Some of the building owners were concerned some people would be left out or wouldn’t get close to what they were seeking for their projects.

A committee of local residents will review the applications and decide how to divvy up the money.

That group includes Karen Conn, Code Enforcement Officer Kevin Sheehan, Tony Wynn, Planning Board Chairman Matt Hand, Mary Sullivan from the Village Clerk’s Office, Richard Nenni and Jeannette Riley.

Conn said she would like to see everyone who applies receive some money towards improving their building.

After the applications are in, the committee is expected to meet and decide the grant amounts two to three weeks after May 24. (Many of the building owners have already identified projects and submitted them when Albion applied for the grant. They were encouraged to update those submissions now that the projects go before the local Main Street grant committee.)

The projects all need to be done within two years from the when the grant was awarded. That gives the building owners and village until March 31, 2023.

The village is looking to use the streetscape funds to expand a municipal lot of Main Street, making it also more attractive to host a farmers’ market. The village in the initial application also proposed putting 8 trees, 4 tables with seating, 15 picnic tables and 8 bike racks in the downtown area. The streetscape plan will need to go before the local committee and also SHPO for approval.

Press Release, Albion Central School

ALBION – This year, Albion Central School district will be joining the rest of New York in observing Juneteenth, commemorating the end to slavery and celebrating African American freedom.

“Here at Albion CSD we ‘value everyone, everyday, everywhere’ – it is a fundamental part of who we are as individuals as well as a district,” Albion Superintendent Mickey Edwards said. “That is why, in observance of the holiday, there will be no school on Friday, June 18.”

Last year, Gov. Andrew Cuomo designated June 19 an official public holiday in New York State. The holiday encourages “continuous self-development and respect for all cultures,” commemorating June 19, 1865, when the news of the liberation of African Americans came to Texas, more than two years after the Emancipation Proclamation went into effect.

Photo by Tom Rivers

ALBION – Sarah Papponetti and her mother Sue are out with the Albion Fire Department today, collecting money for the boot drive at the intersection of routes 98 and 31. The Papponettis were on Route 31, just west of the intersection. Many of the AFD fundraisers have been cancelled during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Band also planning for scaled-down performance for parents

Photos by Tom Rivers

ALBION – Saleya Williams, one of the drum majors for the Albion marching band, leads the group on Saturday while they prepared to be filmed for an online competition hosted by the Sherburne-Earlville school district in Chenango County.

The Albion band, like the others in the area, has seen the parade competition season cancelled this spring.  Some marching bands took the season off. Mike Thaine, Albion’s marching band director, didn’t want to lose another season after the 2020 spring season was wiped out due to Covid-19 restrictions. That kind of a gap could make it more difficult to keep the program going once the pandemic subsides.

The Albion band started rehearsing through Zoom in January. It wasn’t much fun but the students still welcomed the chance to see each other.

“The kids more than anything still wanted to meet, so we met through Zoom,” Thaine said. “Add that to the list of things I never thought I’d do – teaching marching band on Zoom.”

The band enters playing “Old Town Road” and gets into formation for the online competition on Saturday.

The drum majors – Annalise Steier and Saleya Williams – went over commands, such as attention, mark time, forward march, parade rest and others.

“The kids got sick of Zoom quickly and so did the staff,” Thaine said.

Zoom did offer a benefit of the 50 band members getting to work on the music early. This year the band is playing the popular song, “Old Town Road.” That song is a hit with many of the students.

When the group finally was able to rehearse in-person for the first time on April 15, they were ahead of the normal schedule. They have been in-person on most Thursday evenings since then, with the sounds of the band reverberating around the neighborhood, a welcome sound after more than a year absence.

Mike Thaine inspects the band from the roof of the high school with help from Lyndsey Almeter, the elementary school band teacher.

Thaine and the band have focused on playing the music, without the demands of complicated marching formations.

He is enthused by the group of 50 students, with most expected to be key performers in upcoming years.

The band will keep meeting Thursday evenings through the end of May. They are scheduled to perform for parents on May 27.

Saleya Williams has been in the band since seventh-grade, playing the trombone before shifting to drum major this year as a senior.

“It was very fun for me,” she said about being the band. Even though every one was older than me (when I was in seventh grade), they made me feel welcome, especially Mr. Thaine.”

Annalise Steier, left, and Saleya Williams gets their drum major uniforms out before Saturday’s online performance for the marching band.

Annalise Steier, the other drum major, also is a senior. She is grateful the marching band was able to get together this season, even though there aren’t any parades or travel.

“The best part is all of the relationships – the people,” she said.

Steier started in the band back in fourth grade, carrying the Purple Eagle banner in the parades.

Thaine said he looks forward to getting back to normal in the near future.

“This year we were just trying to do something to keep the kids engaged,” Thaine said. “We didn’t want to lose them for next year.”

Holley and Kendall have a combined marching band led by Zach Busch, a Holley band teacher. The group has been getting together for a performance on June 16 for friends and family at the Hawk Stadium. This will be the band’s only performance because the parades were cancelled, Busch said.

Medina’s band just started rehearsing and is focused on the fall field band season. Medina won the state championship on Oct. 27, 2019, the last time the band performed.

“With the restrictions we were not able to prepare for anything this spring and there aren’t any performance opportunities,” said Jim Steele, the band’s director. “We are excited to be back into the swing of things and the Mustang Marching Band is looking forward to performances next fall.”

Steele said he is working on a way to honor the seniors before the end of the school year.

“We are sad for our great seniors as they had a uneventful and disappointing ending to their impressive career in the program,” Steele said.

The Albion drum line gave a high-energy performance on Saturday. These three include, from left: Abby Allen, Jacob Thom and Aubrey Boyer.

The Hustl House drops the ‘e’ for no excuses

The owners of The Hustl House are working to reopen the former Albion Fitness Center at 12 North Main St.  Opening day is set for May 17. The owners are all cousins from Lyndonville. They include, right to left: John Brabon, Nick Joy and Dawson Joy. The trio is putting down new rubber flooring and has added $10,000 worth of new exercise equipment.

ALBION – Three cousins from Lyndonville are putting their business expertise, passion for fitness and optimism in the area into a new venture: The Hustl House.

John Brabon, Nick Joy and Dawson Joy are co-owners of the gym that was the Albion Fitness Center at 12 North Main St. They will reopen the site on May 17.

They have sent $10,000 for new equipment, and are planning more upgrades, including tanning beds and possibly a sauna. They also have removed the carpeting and have put down rubber gym flooring.

With the gym’s name they dropped the “e” in Hustle “because there’s no excuses.”

Brabon, 29, works as a sales manager at Orleans Ford and has been the top seller for the dealership for many months. He sees an opportunity in Albion for the gym. The population of about 15,000 in central Orleans is currently underserved with options for a gym and fitness center, he said.

Nick Joy, 30, has his own business – the Shed Express – where he hauls sheds for the Amish community to locations throughout the Northeast. He has a master’s degree in exercise science and has worked as a strength and conditioning coach for professional athletes, including the L.A. Galaxy. His passion is fitness and his goal has been to open a gym.

He was getting a haircut next door at Zach’s Barbershop in Albion when Vinny Navarra came in a few months ago and urged Joy to make an offer on the gym and building.

Joy talked with his cousins and closed on the deal last Friday with Navarra, who started the gym and owns the building.

“I’ve always been into fitness and you never know when an opportunity will come up,” Joy said. “My goal is to help everyone be healthier, whether it’s high school athletes or anyone else in the community.”

The Hustl House has added more leg weights, lower-body equipment, a new squat rack, dead lift platform, leg press and machines to work the hip flexors, hamstrings and shoulders.

Dawson Joy, 22, has been working for a local fruit farm. Joy said he is a people-person and often he would only see a few co-workers a day in the orchards.

“I really enjoy connecting with people,” he said. “I’m excited to see all of the people who will be coming in.”

He will be the gym’s day-to-day manager. The site will be open 24-7 with a keycard access system.

The owners have lowered the monthly membership costs to $30. When they open next week, they will have about 75 percent of their immediate upgrades done. Brabon said there will be more improvements the next few months.

Gyms and fitness centers have been hurt during the Covid-19 pandemic with the state closing the sites for several months last year, and then restricting the capacity, or maximum number of people allowed inside. That capacity threshold will be raised from 33 to 50 percent on Saturday.

Brabon sees gyms as a good investment. He expects more people will be looking to strengthen their bodies and become healthier, especially after the stress and isolation of the pandemic the past 14 months.

Barbon praised Navarra for his upgrades to the building. Brabon is planning to turn the upstairs office space into six or seven apartments. Navarra did a great job creating those office spaces and making the building an attractive property, Brabon said.

The Hustl House will be posting updates on its Facebook and Instagram accounts.

Provided photos: Community Action has a new Sharing Table that will have food and some household items.

ALBION – A new program bringing food to community members is gaining popularity in towns across the nation.

Anna Cruz, who moved to Albion from Long Island, learned about the Sharing Table from an online university, Western Governors’ University. She said a woman in Seaford began one last March.

Its concept is that a table is made available to the public, laden with canned food, produce, pet supplies, cleaning supplies, linens or toiletries.

People are invited to take what they want and leave what they can, even if it’s nothing. There are no requirements or income guidelines for those who frequent the Sharing Table.

Cruz shared the idea with staff at Community Action in Albion, and they liked the idea.

“This is a whole new initiative,” said Annette Finch, director of emergency services at Community Action.

The table will be available at Community Action’s Main Street Store every Saturday from 10:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.

“Our goal at Community Action is to make people self-sufficient,” said Renee Hungerford, director of Community Action. “Our hope is if someone needs help, in time they can give back.”

From left, Community Action director Renee Hungerford, Anna Cruz, Main Street Store employee Mary Yockel and director of emergency services Annette Finch discuss a new program planned for the Main Street Store in Albion.

Cruz said they plan to start a Sharing Table Club, which will meet once a month. Members will get a meal basket, which will have different themes, for example, an activity basket with popcorn and a movie.

Similar tables are cropping up across the United States, said Cruz, a clinical coordinator for Western Governors University.  She saw a shoe table advertised on Facebook.

“I thought a Sharing Table would be great to do here,” Cruz said. “I saw the table out front and called Michelle to ask if we could use that.”

Michelle George is manager of the Main Street Store. The table Cruz refers to is a fruit/vegetable stand outside the Main Street Store, which is loaded with all kinds of items, much of it surplus from the Orleans Correctional Facility. They never know what they’re going to have on the stand, Finch said. One time a tractor trailer pulled up with an abundance of salad mix. It was gone in six hours. Another time it was half a truck load of limes.

Hungerford said no one needs to feel guilty about taking anything from the Sharing Table. If they can leave $2, that would be fine, or perhaps they would like to give back by volunteering two hours in the Main Street Store.

Submitted photo: An Orleans Hub reader sent in this photo today of the Generations Bank site in the Albion Walmart.

ALBION – A banking site that has been at the Albion Walmart since the store opened in June 2006 has closed.

Generations Bank decided the close the branch, which was originally Medina Savings and Loan. Medina merged with Generations Bank, which is based in Seneca Falls, on Oct. 1, 2018.

“The business of banking is changing rapidly, driven by technological advances,” said Michael Reed, vice president and marketing officer for Generations Bank. “We have found that our customers are enjoying the convenience of banking wherever and whenever they want with services like our mobile banking app and online banking.”

Generations is seeing increasing transactions from customers, but the number is declining an the office locations, with the Albion site no exception, Reed said.

“After much analysis it was determined that we could continue to serve our customers in the Albion area via our electronic platforms, Customer Contact Center and the much larger office location in Medina (just 10 miles away from the Albion location),” Reed said. “While we are not presently seeking additional locations in Orleans County, we do evaluate opportunities as they arise.”

The employees at the Albion branch have all been retained and will be working out of the Medina location.

Graduates limited to 3 guests unless state changes guidelines

ALBON – The school district announced today there will be an in-person graduation ceremony with the entire class together on June 25. The event is being moved from the usual high school gym to outside at the football stadium.

Last year there wasn’t an in-person graduation for the Class of 2020 due to the Covid-19 restrictions. Instead, the district did in-person graduations for each student one at a time, and then compiled a video for the class. The group wasn’t together for the ceremony, but did drive around campus together the evening of commencement.

The district announced graduates will be limited to 3 guests for commencement. That could change if the state changes the guidelines and allows more people. Right now, the state guidelines allow a maximum of 500 people at outdoor venues and they don’t need to show proof of a vaccine or negative Covid test. Last year the cap for graduations was 150 people. (If the state becomes more restrictive on the crowd size, the district said it will communicate any changes as soon as possible.)

Albion has set 2 p.m. on June 26 and June 27 as potential rain dates. The ceremony also will be live-streamed on the district’s YouTube channel.

Press Release, State Sen. Rob Ortt

The Village of Albion is the recipient of over $388K in state grant money for the renovation of buildings located in the area surrounding downtown Main Street. These state grants will help cover up to 75 percent of renovation costs to commercial and residential buildings.

Made possible through the state’s Homes and Community Renewal Program, grants of $50,000, or up to 75 percent of renovation costs, will be allotted for projects that apply.

“The historic small towns and villages located throughout Upstate and Western New York are what makes our area so interesting and unique,” said Senate Republican Leader Rob Ortt. “By investing in these historic towns and villages, we are injecting new life into our local area. Not only will we be attracting new visitors to come and patronize the quaint establishments that form Main Street, but it will also entice the younger generation, who in recent history have tended to leave, to stay, settle down, and start a family in a revitalized community. I am proud to have been a part of the legislative process to make sure that these funds were available for our residents.”

The Village of Albion will be holding a meeting Monday, May 10, at 6 p.m. at The Lockstone, located at 160 North Main St., to deliver additional information to individuals interested in applying for these state funds.

Those interested in attending this meeting should call the Village of Albion’s office at (585) 589-9176.

Photos by Tom Rivers

ALBION – Owen Monaghan, a Webelos Scout in Albion, sets a flag on a veteran’s grave at Mount Albion cemetery this morning.

A group of Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts worked together setting about 2,000 flags on veterans’ graves at Mount Albion and also St. Joseph’s Catholic Cemetery.

The American Legion provided the flags and the scouts put them on the graves in what is usually an annual tradition just before Memorial Day. However, the Scouts weren’t able to do it last year due to concerns about the spread of Covid-19.

JaiLi McPhatter, 9, was art of the scouting team this morning that set the flags at markers by the veterans’ graves.

These scouts include, from left: twin brothers Stryker and Colson Braley, and Jax Gotte.

Jeff Braley is the den leader for the group of scouts in the third and fourth grade. He said the group welcomes more members. There will be a signup in the fall. For more information about joining, contact Ben Metcalf, the cubmaster, at (585) 489-2969.

These flags were temporarily set on the grave of a Civil War soldier.

Plantings were delayed a year due to Covid-19 restrictions

Photos by Tom Rivers

ALBION – This line of about 125 shrubs was planted this week along the Erie Canal towpath in Albion. This section is just west of the Brown Street bridge.

The Canal Corp. had planned to have the shrubs and small trees planted last year but that was pushed back a year due to Covid-19 restrictions.

This is the same group of shrubs with the photo taken from the Brown Street bridge.

The Canal Corp. is planting numerous shrubs and small trees and is on schedule to have all of the plantings done by May 31, with stakes and mulch, a spokesman for the Canal Corp. said on Friday.

The Canal Corp. also is developing a plan to water the new plantings through the summer months, the spokesman said.

The new plantings are part of a vegetative management plan for the canal’s banks. The Canal Corp. in 2017 hired a company, Mohawk Valley Materials from Utica, to cut down trees next to the towpath. This photo from November 2017 shows how the section looked near the Brown Street bridge.

The Canal Corp. has since removed the trees, stumps, given the banks a smoother shape and planted grass. The Canal Corp. took down trees on 145 acres between Medina and Fairport.

The new shrubs and trees provide a vegetative screening and don’t compromise the bank’s integrity, like the larger trees with their burrowing root systems.

Here are some of the small trees and shrubs planted near the bottom of the embankment next to Sandy Creek in Albion.

These photos show the trees and shrubs in Albion earlier this week before they were planted. They were on Canal Corp. property between the Main Street and Ingersoll Street lift bridges.

Photo by Tom Rivers

ALBION – The Albion Lions Club is back raising money after Covid-19 wiped up its fundraisers last year, including the annual Mother’s Day rose sale.

That fundraiser returned this year and the club sold 250 dozen roses. These four Lions Club members – from left Jake Stinson, Lloyd Wright, Club President Dan Conrad and Ron Albertson – stopped by Wright’s garage on Friday to organize the flowers which were all pre-sold.

The club in the past used to sell 340 dozen, with the late John Keding selling close to 100 from his auto repair shop on East Avenue. Keding passed away at age 85 on Jan. 18.

The Lions Club currently has about 25 members. Wright, the long-time treasurer, said the flowers are a popular item and he expects the club will sell 300 dozen next year.

The sales help the Lions fund scholarships, support a local Little League team and other community efforts.

Wright said the club lost momentum last year in Covid, and couldn’t even meet in person for several months. But the group is reinvigorated in 2021.

It is next planning to be part of a craft fair with food vendors on June 12 to support COVA. Several food, and arts and craft vendors will be part of the event, which will help fill a void with the Strawberry Festival cancelled due to Covid-19 restrictions on large crowd sizes.

The Lions Club will be selling Italian sausage meals with peppers, onion, chips and a bottle of water. 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on June 12 at Arnold Gregory complex parking lot on South Main Street, behind COVA. The food will be served drive-by, takeout only. Law enforcement officers can stop by and get a free meal from the Lions Club that day.