Portraits and personalities from 2023, a year of many small-town celebrations

Photos by Tom Rivers

Each year I pick some of my favorite “people pictures” and others that highlight big news events or moments for the community.

In the top photo, “Santa Vern” donned a red suit and scooted down Main Street in Albion during the Strawberry Festival parade on June 10. Santa Vern was in town as a vendor for his business, Kris Kringle Kettle Korn, and sold several types of popcorn including a Christmas flavor with red cinnamon, blue raspberry and caramel.

He and his wife, “Bonnie Claus,” made the trip from Boonville in Oneida County. The parade had a theme of “Here Comes Santa” in honor of a new bronze statue of Santa being dedicated in memory of Charles W. Howard, who ran a Santa school in Albion from 1937 until 1966.

Downtown Albion has a fresh coat of snow in this photo on Jan. 25. It was a struggle for many of the downtown businesses in 2023 with the Main Street lift bridge closed for a big repair project. A lot of traffic was diverted from the downtown, which left it quieter than in years past.

The truss on the west side of the Main Street lift bridge is hoisted on Jan. 27 at about 2:30 p.m. The first one was removed with a crane at about 11:45 a.m. Both trusses were then set on a cradle on the north side of the canal for an extensive rehabilitation with the corroding steel taken off and replaced with new high-pressured beams and other steel. The rebuilt trusses were set back in place on Dec. 4.

The nearly full year without the trusses and beams was the first time since 1914 there wasn’t a bridge over the Erie Canal in Main Street in Albion.

Clark Rigging & Rental used a big crane with a 400-ton capacity to pick up and move the 53,000-pound trusses that are 115 feet long.

Brad Batz directs the junior band during the all-county music festival on Feb. 4 at Medina. Batz is director of jazz studies at Nazareth College in Rochester. He led the all-county band that included 79 students from five school districts. The band performed “Jubilance” by James Swearingen, “Dixieland USA” by Andy Clark, “Balladair” by Frank Erickson, and “Boom Boom Galop” by Randall Standridge.

Hoag Library in Albion in February unveiled a series of six new paintings by Stacey Kirby Steward, including this one of three raccoons working on a concoction while following a recipe in the popular cooking book, Joy of Cooking. It is mounted on the end of shelf with books in the Home and Family section. Kirby Steward, an Albion native who lives in Spencerport, created the paintings of animals engaged in reading. She thought of the books to pair with the animals. Betty Sue Miller, the library director, said the paintings enliven the library, filling spots where you don’t expect to see artwork. They are very pleasant surprises, she said. “It’s just magical,” Miller said. “Each book fits with the animal.”

Gary Daum, a long-time member of St. Joseph’s Catholic Church in Lyndonville, walks through the sanctuary of the church after a fire on Feb. 28 badly damaged the building at 36 Lake St. The intense heat and flames left pews covered in soot and soggy insulation. The walls peeled and the former white interior turned gray and black after the fire. The building was leveled in early November.

Natalie Herbert of Medina and other winter guard members twirl the flags during a March 12 competition at Medina, where 19 guard units performed in the high school gym. Medina performed a show called, “Mission: Graduate.” The group advised a crowd of 450 people: “Wherever you meet this place: Go into the world and do well. But more importantly, go into the world and do good.”

Elizabeth Whipple plays the role Dorothy in the Lyndonville school production of The Wizard of Oz from March 24-26. Lyndonville had 108 students in the cast, crew and orchestra. That includes 38 students in grades 1 through 6 who were Munchkins. The Follman family also let their dog Max be in the show as Toto.

Owen Toale has Medina Mayor Mike Sidari laughing in Toale’s last meeting as a member of the Medina Village Board on March 27. Sidari presented a proclamation to Toale that declared March 31 as “Owen Toale Day” in appreciation for “a lifetime of service to the Village of Medina.” Toale wrapped up 12 years on the Village Board, including seven years as deputy mayor. Toale, the former editor and managing editor of The Journal-Register in Medina, praised the board members, villages employees and department heads, and many dedicated citizens for their commitment to the community, and pushing Medina forward.

A massive fire engulfed a three-story Medina sandstone building on April 7 at 613 Main St., a site that has been used as a carpet store next to the railroad tracks. About 150 firefighters from three counties, including five aerial ladder trucks, were able to keep the fire from spreading. The building from 1901 is owned by Jeff Fuller. The building remains standing but the floors and roof caved in.

Space Monkey does a flying somersault off the top ropes to crash into Kevin Bennett during an Empire State Wrestling match on April 15 in the Medina High School gym. The three-hour event featured many daring moves in the ring and attracted about 450 people in a fundraiser for the East Shelby Volunteer Fire Company. Bennett is the ESW champion and he held off Space Monkey to keep the title.

Almeta Whitis of Rochester portrayed Harriet Tubman in a presentation on April 18 at Hoag Library. Whitis has been telling the story of Tubman’s life for 50 years. Tubman led more than 300 slaves to freedom on 22 trips on the Underground Railroad, leading many of those people to Canada. She also was a nurse, spy and was the only woman to lead troops into battle for the Union Army during the Civil War. Whitis said Tubman used songs to let Slaves know she was there and was ready to lead them to freedom up north or to Canada. “She was a force to be reckoned with as most Black women are,” Whitis said.

Dylan Coyle of Albion tosses a frisbee at a basket at Bullard Park in Albion on May 2. The village Department of Public Works put in several of the baskets that day as part of a nine-hole disc golf course. Coyle has been pushing for a disc golf course in Albion for several years. “There are no green’s fees,” he said. “It’s a great activity to get out into nature and have fun with your friends.” A new disc golf course also opened in Medina in October at Gulf Street Park.

Natalie Baron, a high school senior, joined her grandmother Donna Eisermann for songs by the jazz band during a senior citizen day at the school on May 10. About senior citizens were treated to lunch, music and games during the annual senior citizen day, a tradition that goes back to the 1970s. Natalie’s brother Zack played the drums in the jazz band. Natalie and Zack both sing in the chorus and select chorus. “I love seeing my granddaughter and grandson, and interacting with the kids,” Eisermann said.

Roger Hill, a Seneca Nation chief, urged the community to join the Seneca Nation in fighting the STAMP development. He is shown during a public hearing on May 11 at the Alabama fire hall. Many speakers at a NYS Department of Environmental Conservation public hearing were strongly against the DEC approving the plan proposed for mitigating the environmental impacts for the full build-out of the land. About 200 people attended a 2 ½-hour public hearing at the Alabama Fire Hall.

Saul Harrison cooked chicken and ribs on May 13 behind the Cone Zone in Albion at 317 East Ave. It was opening day for Daisy’s Sweet Sauce. Harrison started the business as a tribute to his late mother. He has cooked ribs and chicken for family and friends, and for barbecues at Shiloh Church. He makes his own sauces – barbecue, Liquid Gold and butterscotch. “It’s enjoyment to feed people and get their reaction,” Harrison said.

Father Richard Csizmar, a priest at Holy Family Parish in Albion, stands at the entrance of St. Joseph’s Catholic Church on June 4 with Susan Starkweather Miller after the conclusion of a baccalaureate service led by church leaders for the Class of 2023. Csizmar, a beloved priest in Albion for 28 years, announced his retirement from full-time ministry in 2023 after more than a half century as a priest. “I have felt at home here,” Csizmar said. “It has been a great run. I’ve had a lot of wonderful experiences.”

A bronze statue was unveiled in Albion on June 10 honoring Charles W. Howard, who ran a Santa School in Albion from 1937 until 1966. Mary Ida Doan, center, takes a close look at the statue depicting Howard as Santa during a June 10 celebration in Albion. Doan and her late husband, Nate Doan, both graduated from the Santa School led by Howard. She traveled from Michigan to be in Albion for the dedication. Many of Howard’s family members also get up close to see the statue.

The Town of Carlton celebrated its bicentennial on June 17, and the festivities included a parade down Route 98 from Waterport Carlton Road to Park Avenue. The Carlton Clippers team in the Albion Midget League were in the procession behind some large farm machinery.

Amari Jones, one of the park supervisors for the Village of Albion Recreation Department, eludes a kid in a game of chase on June 29. The park was busy during the summer, regularly drawing more than 100 children for games, crafts and other activities. New in 2023 were some snacks and water provided by Foodlink in Rochester.

State Sen. Rob Ortt greets a person along the parade route during the Kendall Carnival on July 14. Several local and state officials and candidates were in the parade, as well as many local organizations.

Dairy Show judge Kelly Reynolds asks Lane Miller, 6, of Lyndonville a question during the Dairy Show on July 25 during the Orleans County 4-H Fair in Knowlesville. Lane made his debut in the show ring as a Clover Bud.

Ken Kuehne of Kent, left, brought 12 exotic snakes and other reptiles to Hoag Library on July 25 as part of a summer reading program. Kuehne and his daughter Amanda, right, let these kids hold an 11-foot-long Columbian red-tailed boa constrictor that weighs about 60 pounds. Kuehne owns Know Your Rep and does events with snakes and reptiles at schools, community organizations and businesses, and at parties. He said snakes are often portrayed as villains in movies. “We have a learned fear of snakes,” he said. “I want to get rid of that myth.”

Dan Rubinstein of Ottawa, Canada, passed through Orleans County on a paddleboard on Aug. 1. He is shown passing through Eagle Harbor headed west towards Medina. Rubinstein, 49, this summer went on an epic journey on the paddleboard, going about 25 miles a day going across the Hudson River, Erie Canal and then the Niagara River. The paddleboard expedition is part of a book he is working about our relationship with water. Not only is water critical to life, but it has the power to help people connect to themselves and nature. “When we’re on water things slow down,” he said.

Treyden Rhim of Medina throws a ball at the dunk tank target on Aug. 1 during National Night Out in Medina. Mayor Mike Sidari took a turn in the dunk tank and was sent plunging into the water several times. At least 500 people attended the event that allowed residents to connect with law enforcement, other first responders, and community organizations.

Highway 31 performed at Rock the Park in Albion on Aug. 5. They rocked to ’90s music, contemporary country and some rock, including favorites like “Footloose,” “Keep Your Hands to Yourself” and “Little Less Talk and Lot More Action.” Rich Nolan of Gasport, right, is the lead singer. Here he watches the guitar trio of from left, Aaron Clark of Holley, Clinton LaPorte of Le Roy, and Clinton’s dad Tim LaPorte Sr. of Batavia. Timmy LaPorte of Elba, Tim’s son and Clinton’s brother, is the drummer for the band. Highway 31 was the seventh of the nine performers during the music festival.

These three Albion freshmen were among the first customers at the Taco Bell, stopping in before the start of the school year on the morning of Sept. 6. They include from left: Ayden Coston, DeAvion Bloom and ChrisJen Winters. “We wanted to get the school year off to a good start,” ChrisJen said. The new 2,600-foot restaurant opened following about four months of construction. Hospitality Syracuse is the developer for the project next to McDonalds and across from Freeze-Dry Foods.

These firefighters work together to lower a giant American flag and fold it after a Sept. 11 memorial observance in Albion. The flag was displayed high on Main Street from the Albion and Medina ladder trucks.

Graham Manufacturing of Batavia’s welding instructor Bill Muoio, left, guides George Issa, an Iroquois Middle School student in Elma, in a welding demonstration on Sept. 26 at the Genesee County Fairgrounds in Batavia as part of the fifth annual GLOW With Your Hands event. There were 1,102 students at the career exploration including about 200 from Orleans County. Altogether, 30 school districts from the GLOW counties sent students for a hands-on career exploration event with businesses and organizations from the trades, manufacturing, agriculture and construction industries.

Graham Kirby, 10, of Albion served as a hoggee on Oct. 7 in a boat captained by Veronica Morgan of Albion. Morgan put together a program, “I was a hoggee on the Erie Canal.” She wanted to spotlight the role of hoggees, who were children who walked with mules that pulled boats on the canal. In this photo Graham Kirby looks to the boat captain to see if he is needed for any task. The hoggees would get the captain food and be sent for other chores on the boat when they weren’t outside walking with mules.

Dennis Moriarty, vice president of collection operations for Modern Disposal, speaks with about 125 residents from Carlton on Oct. 3 about garbage collection on private lanes or roads. Modern said many of those roads are too narrow and don’t have turnarounds for the larger garbage trucks. Residents objected to a two-tiered garbage collection system, with residents paying more on the private roads or having dumpsters placed at the end of roads. The issue remains unresolved. Moriarty thanked the crowd for their interest in the issue. “I thought it was a good conversation,” he told the group. “I love the passion about garbage.”

Kayla Neale, a senior at Holley Junior-Senior High School, holds a bald eagle she made on Oct. 29 that won first place in the state and national VFW 3-D Patriotic Art Contest. Kayla made the eagle from recycled materials – a coat hanger, fabric, buttons for eyes and sun flower seeds for talons. She won $150 in the state contest and then $2,500 in the national competition.

Josefino Paz (right), an ESL teacher at Albion, created an ofrenda in the middle school library as part of a Day of the Dead observance in the school on Nov. 2. Paz made the display in memory of his late siblings, Felipe and Vicente. An ofrenda is an altar created in Mexican homes to welcome the returning souls. An ofrenda typically features candles, wild marigolds, incense, photographs, mementos and loved ones’ favorite foods like fruit, tortillas, tamales, chocolate and bread. The Albion school hosted its first Day of the Dead observance. The Mexican Day of the Dead Celebration is a time of joyful remembrance of deceased loved ones, filled with an array of colors, scents, sounds and stories.

Will Kruger leads a cheer on Nov. 9 during a pep rally at Holley to send the girls soccer team off to the state tournament. Kruger is a member of Holley’s X-Factor, a rabid group of fans. He is leading the students in chanting, “I believe that we will win.” Holley won the Section V title by beating long-time rival, Byron-Bergen. Making it to the state tournament was unprecedented for the Holley girls.

Michael Flanagan plays the role of Leo Bloom in the Lake Plains Players’ production of The Producers from Nov. 10-12 at Roy-Hart High School Auditorium. Bloom transforms from being a shy and mousy accountant into a more confident and charismatic person when he envisions being a Broadway producer.

A massive fire broke out in the morning of Nov. 26 at Frank’s Auto on Route 31 in Albion. About 100 firefighters responded and kept the fire from spreading to a cabbage warehouse next door. The fire decimated Frank’s Auto, which was started in 1980 by Frank Strasburger.

Sara Flansburg, left, celebrated with Jaye Sullivan on Dec. 5 when Flansburg became the new owner of Blissetts Speciality Shop at 447-449 Main St. in Medina. The business started 81 years by Sullivan’s family. She said Blissetts is in good hands with Flansburg. The business sells wedding and formal dresses, and also has a children’s boutique with clothing and gifts for infants and young children. “I feel like this is a staple in the community, not only in Orleans County but beyond,” Flansburg said. “Nothing is changing. We’re here to cater to the customer to help them find the perfect dress.”

Bruce Naas of Oakfield gets his tractor decorated in lights and a wreath for the Barre Tractor Parade on Dec. 9. About 20 tractors and other farm equipment were adorned in Christmas lights for the parade down Route 98.

Albion welcomed floats and fire trucks for “Santa’s Hometown Parade” on Dec. 9, when temperatures were about 60 and many people watched the parade in lawn chairs. This photo shows the Albion Fire Department which was led Brantley Conner in the battery-operated car. He was joined by his brother Lucas Conner and mother Amber. AJ Fisher is at left.