Kim's Thoughts
Just a few thoughts I feel worthy of jotting down!
2015 Albion Strawberry Festival
This past weekend our town enjoyed the much anticipated annual Strawberry Festival! Every June the village puts on a huge celebration marking the start of the strawberry season with a two day festival and the best and largest local parade in the area! Here are just a few of the photos taken over the course of the two days that give a hint of the fun and excitement had by all:
Lunch crowd at the food court – Day One:
Lunch crowd at the food court – Day Two (after parade):
The parade:
The Hitmen entertaining the crowd awaiting the parade:
Lots of local groups, like these little leaguers…
…and these dance students
…and fun drill teams, like the Kendall Lawn Chair Ladies:
….and clowns:
…and a lot of local “flair”:
….and lots of marching bands….
…and, OF COURSE, our own Albion HS Purple Eagles Marching Band:
The festival:
Lots of variety of music throughout both days:
….and games and fun for kids:
….and adults:
….and….the main attraction….FOOD….LOTS of FOOD….
Dedication and unveiling of the International Peace Pole:
Located at the Albion Presbyterian Church, this International Peace Pole, one of over 200,000 around the world, is a symbol of international peace. This particular peace pole is 8 feet high and includes the words “May Peace Prevail on Earth” in eight different languages representing many of the immigrants who settled in and helped build Orleans County – including: Italian, Polish, English, Gaelic, Spanish, German, Latin and Hebrew.
See you next year!!!
Pink Flamingos
I always used to think having pink flamingos in your yard was corny – something you see in retirement communities in Florida or your grandparents home……in fact, I do believe I remember my grandparents having pink flamingos adorning a bird bath at their summer cottage! But, lately, I seem to be drawn to them! Maybe they’re making a come-back so they are around more…..or maybe I just seem to have a new interest in them so I see them more…..don’t know, but I find I see them everywhere I go and I LOVE THEM!!! All of a sudden, I find them to be a symbol of fun and nostalgia and I can’t seem to get enough of them!
Here are some recent examples of ones that have caught my eye:
A fashionable flamingo found at the Kazoo Factory Museum in Eden, NY
Found at a yard ornament vendor at the Albion Strawberry Festival
Another one at the same vendor – I like this one much better – so fancy!
I couldn’t resist putting a set of mini flamingos in my fairy gardens
Soooooooo…….I finally broke down and purchased a pair for my gardens!!! But, I couldn’t just put a regular old set of plastic pink flamingos out there……nope…..they had to be ones with a little personality!!! Meet Priscilla and Penelope – the newest residents in my lovely gardens:
Priscilla
Penelope
And…..I’ll close with this……I could not resist trying on Priscilla’s glasses!
Have a great day and smile at every pink flamingo you see…..
As seen along the way….
What fun is an adventure that only has one focus? I typically like to expand my fun on the way, around, and on the way back, if at all possible! You never know what you might find along the way!
When I drove to Eden, I set Gabby to avoid toll roads so she wouldn’t keep trying to get me to go on the thruway – nothing great to see on the thruway! As usual, it paid off……here are a few of the things I discovered along the way:
The coolest looking Subway shop I’ve ever seen!!! This was in Eden just before I got to the kazoo factory.
An army helicopter and war memorial at the American Legion Post in Eden!
A lovely park across the street from where I had lunch!
Every little railway town has a depot – the one in Eden Center is in really nice shape!
I had lunch at the Four Corners Cafe in Eden – love the corner focus of the building!
And, the building on the opposite corner of the same intersection was cool looking, too!
Notice the name of the pizza parlor next door to the Four Corners Cafe – if you can’t read the sign, it says “Eatsa Pizza”…..hahaha!!!
Now, on to Hamburg, NY…..this wall mural of a train over a tressle was between Eden and Hamburg!
This optometrist in Hamburg has a cool sense of humor……giant glasses in the trees!!!
Love the art work in front of this veterinarian in Hamburg!
These two wall murals were in an alley in downtown Hamburg!
I sat on a bench to rest while wandering around downtown Hamburg across from this beautiful building – it was once a lodge of some kind and is now used as an assisted living home – note all the residents out on the patio enjoying the sun and watching the world go by!
I usually love to find horse or cow statues – none to be found on this trip, but this buffalo on top of a restaurant roof was a good substitute!!!
That’s all for now…….
Kazoo Factory Adventure
Check another item off my Adventure Bucket List……I finally went to tour the Kazoo Factory and Museum in Eden, NY this week! The Original American Kazoo Company was established in 1916 right here in the small village of Eden in Western New York, where the first metal kazoo was made. This same building, with the same die presses that were in the business for other purposes since 1907 and the same process for manufacturing kazoos used since 1916, is now the only metal kazoo factory in North America. It is a true working museum where you can watch the employees manufacture kazoos exactly as they did in 1916. Visit their web site for more history and tour information – click here!
When you think of a kazoo, you likely think of a child’s toy. But, in fact, kazoos have many professional musical uses. When you hum into the end of a kazoo, it creates a vibration that turns your hum into a musical instrument. It really is very cool and fun! Like they say at The Original American Kazoo Company in Eden, NY: “If you can hum, you can play”! This is a photo of the original metal kazoo – sold to me yesterday – looks just like it did back in 1916!
Here are some photos of my adventure:
Enter through the front where the gift shop is located
You can’t miss this stunning pink flamingo just before entering the factory
All along the horseshoe shaped walkway are tutorials with step-by-step details of the process
This young man greeted me and asked if I had any questions while he worked one of the presses
This tutorial board describes step # 18 – the final step in the process
And then there are the displays of many different vintage and novelty kazoos
And displays of ads, historic information, and photos
I loved this photo above the manufacturing area – a All American Kazoo Band!!!
Visitors are invited to pin a piece of paper with their name and where they came from on this map
And, finally, the bins of various types of kazoos that are for sale in the gift shop
They also have less expensive plastic kazoos that they do not make there, but some people like that option for their kids
So, there you have it……a gorgeous day for an adventure and a very fine adventure it was!!! I’m very glad I took the time to learn all about the history of kazoos in our little corner of the world……and I got a t-shirt to prove it!!! hehehe
Fairies in the Garden!
Love fairy gardens! So, this year, I created two of my own and I am really proud of them!!! I did one in a small birdbath and put it under my weeping crab apple tree in the front yard. I did the other one in a dish to put out on the back patio.
Here they are:
Art – it’s in the eye of the beholder….
I may be many things……I fancy myself an amature writer, adventurer, and movie critic, among other things…..but, artist? Um, not so much! But…..when a friend and local downtown shop owner asked if I wanted to do a painting for a fundraiser our local Merchants Association is doing, I said, “why not, this ought to be fun”. I thought I can do as well as the famous painting monkeys and elephants (and some artists) do…..right? Well, turns out, I can…sort of!!! LOL
I knew as soon as she asked me that I was going to try to do a “fashion girl” – something I used to sketch in high school and still do in some note cards I write. They are rough and not so perfect, but fun! But, when I was sketching out some practice ones, it evolved into the “fashion girl” plus a nice sunny day scene plus I threw in the infamous “Kilroy” and his fence…..and it came out kinda cute!!! I’m sure it will never hang in the Louvre……but it just might raise the $10.00 price all the paintings will bring to help the Albion Merchants Association with their flower fund and other downtown activities! If you’re in town between May 16 – June 13, stop by the Hoag Library and see this and all the other masterpieces that will be on display and available for sale!
Black Bird Gets His Prize!
So, I was getting in my car at Walmart and saw this HUGE black bird fly in from who-knows-where carrying this big McDonald’s bag in his mouth – the bag was bigger than he was!
He lands across from me and starts circling the bag…..assessing his situation and making his plan!
Then, he gets on top of the bag and tears a hole in it…..
….then he pulls out the napkins and drops them to the ground…..
….then he pulls out the wrappers and drops them to the ground…..
….then, as he is finally getting to something worth his trouble, people start walking by – he flies a short distance away, but keeps his eye on his prize…..
….then, he goes back and circles the bag, again, before he gets back to work on his dinner…..
….then, some seagulls start to fly in circles looking for a chance to steal his treasure, but he runs them off and defends it – IT IS ALL HIS!!!
I don’t know if he ended up getting enough out of the bag to make it worth his while, but he made a heck of a mess in the parking lot and it sure was an entertaining scene to watch!!! LOL
I love that the bag is positioned on the “I’m Loving It” side…..cause he sure was….and so was I!!!
Movie Review – The Longest Ride
It has been a while since I’ve been to the movies and I was itching to go! There were several I really, really wanted to see over the winter, but the harsh weather we had for so long and some other things got in the way……now, they are no longer in the theaters! So, guess they will have to wait until they come out on OnDemand or other sources! Yesterday, I decided on the spur of the moment to head to Tinsletown! I wasn’t sure what was out right now, so I looked it up and was excited to see a new Nicholas Sparks movie!!! That was it — I grabbed my purse and off I went!
First off……for all you Nicholas Sparks fans out there……rest assured – he did it again!!! This movie has everything we’ve come to love and expect from his stories – everlasting love, heartbreak, beautiful North Carolina scenery, tears (sobs), laughter, and a well balanced mix of new love and enduring love across the years! OK…..I usually leave my rating to the end, but I’m fairly sure you’ve guessed it, so here it is…..I LOVED IT and rate it a solid A+!
The movie starts out with Sophia Danko, an art student at Wake Forest University, reluctantly attending a bull riding competition with some friends. Sophia is a city girl with her eyes on a summer internship with an influential art dealer in NYC, so she isn’t much interested in donning a pair of cowboy boots and watching a bunch of bull riders. But, she meets and is instantly attracted to one of the cowboys – handsome Luke Collins. Sophia is played by Britt Robinson – you may recognize her from the TV series Under The Dome – and she does a great job with the part. Luke is played by none other than Clint Eastwood’s son, Scott Eastwood….hubba hubba – be still my heart!!! Although Sophia is attracted to Luke (and, by the way, the attraction is just as strong on Luke’s side), she sees no sense in responding when he calls her because she will be leaving for NYC in a couple of months. But, alas, she can not resist…..she agrees to dinner with him and he treats her to a romantic evening that any girl would swoon over! On their way home, they come upon an accident and save the life of an elderly man – Ira Levinson, played brilliantly by Alan Alda (I do love Alan Alda – such a sweetie). A friendship and bond between Sophia and Ira develops as she visits him to read his old letters to him and listen to his stories of the love of his life – as told through flash backs of a young Ira and Ruth played by Jack Huston and Oona Chaplin – I don’t believe I’ve seen either of these two actors before, but really enjoyed both of their performances a lot!
No more spoilers……except to remind those who know Nicholas Sparks and to warn those who don’t — take a hefty supply of tissues or napkins in the theater with you…..you’re gonna need them!!!
I’ll say it again – I loved this movie! I highly recommend it for anyone who loves a good romantic story and I know that all the Nicholas Sparks fans won’t be disappointed at all…..so, go see it!!!
Santa Claus Came To Town!
So…..what do you do when you wake up on a drizzly Friday morning and want to do something interesting and unusual? Well, you go to a Santa Claus convention, of course!!!
You read it correctly – no need to go back and reread that last sentence….this weekend was a very special weekend, indeed. Hundreds of Santas and Mrs. Clauses arrived in our little village to participate in a Santa Claus conference/convention! Why Albion, you ask? Well, Albion, NY is home to the most revered Santa ever – Charles W. Howard, who founded the very first internationally renowned Santa Claus School and Christmas Park and was the first (and for many years the only) official Santa of the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade! How cool is that? (I wrote a blog post about Charlie Howard a few years ago – click here to read it)
The Santas and Mrs. Clauses participated in various events and conference presentations over a three day period. I was lucky enough to be able to attend some of them and meet several of the Santas. It was so exciting! On Friday morning as I was driving around town, I spotted several cars with Santas at the wheel and in the passenger seats headed to their destinations for one event or another. The first sighting was a string of about 4-5 cars with multiple Santas in each car — I got so excited (it was a good thing I was stopped at a traffic light at the time) — I swelled all up almost to the point of bursting, clapped my hands, got tears in my eyes, and called out loud, “oh, WOW, a convoy of Santas!” What a thrill to see! Then, it seemed like everywhere I went, I spotted a few Santas – even in places that weren’t part of the programs they were participating in…..like at the Village House Restaurant when I popped in for lunch on Saturday and in the Albion First Baptist Church when I was on a Stained Glass Window Tour.
So…..here are a few of the well over 100 photos I took:
At the Elks Lodge
The Elks Lodge was the home of the Santa vendors – booths where the Santas (and us regular folks) could purchase all things Santa!
They came in vehicles befitting a true Santa
A portrait of the Beloved Charlie Howard
And they could buy all kinds of “stuff”
At the International Peace Garden Dedication
One of the events some of the Santas participated in was a dedication of an official International Peace Garden in honor of the War of 1812 and the significant involvement and impact residents in this area had on the war. A previously dedicated International Peace Garden for the War of 1812 is located at Brown’s Berry Patch – land owned by the descendants of Bathshua Brown and her 12 children. Bathshua is said to have fought off the British during the War of 1812 and even captured a British sea captain in defense of her land. (I mentioned Bathshua in a blog post I wrote a while back about the history of Point Breeze – click here to read it) This newly dedicated International Peace Garden is located on the former homestead of John Proctor, known as the Paul Revere of the Ridge because he rode on horseback along the Ridge Road warning settlers that the British were coming during the War of 1812.
John Proctor’s log cabin is no longer there, but an historic brick home has recently been restored and is the home of an Artist Co-op called Fair Haven Treasures. The International Peace Garden is located on the lawn in front of the building and is in the shape of an artist’s palette.
The Color Guard is the Claus Clan – a group of Santas who honor their Scottish heritage
Santa’s Drill Team – a group from Florida – often participate in historical events and read the legend of a huge American Flag that flew over the fighting during the War of 1812 and how Francis Scott Key wrote the “Star Spangled Banner” in honor of that flag
The Claus Clan with Ray and Linda Burke, owners of Fair Haven Treasures
Miscellaneous Photos of Santas
Me with Santa
Oh, dear……is he adding me to his “Naughty” list???
This Santa traveled all the way from Norway!!!
These Santas came from the New England area looking like they are on vacation
Just hanging out sharing Santa stories
This is an auditorium full of Santas singing Christmas Carols……I thought I’d died and went to heaven!!!
A Santa and his Mrs. Claus here from the Hoosier State
I loved this Santa and Mrs. Claus’ outfits – both hand made by Mrs. Claus – they were from Michigan
I found that Santas LOVE to have their photos taken!
Albion’s own Mrs. Claus – Valerie Elwell Rush with the Santa from Norway and her Dad….and a few other Santas photo-bombing them!
(photo courtesy of Valerie Rush)
Valerie Elwell Rush (Albion’s Mrs. Claus) with a Santa selling handmade hats
(photo courtesy of Valerie Rush)
Santas gathering at the Orleans County Courthouse for a group photo
(photo courtesy of Sarah Brigham)
A wonderful group photo (photo courtesy of Sarah Brigham)
Now……tell me you don’t believe in Santa – I’ll hunt you down and slap you! hehehe
For more photos and coverage of the Santa convention, see these links to articles on The Orleans Hub – not all inclusive – The Hub did a great job of covering the event, so search to find other articles:
http://www.orleanshub.com/news2015/Santas-many-faces-on-display-in-group-photo.htm
http://orleanshub.com/news2015/Santas-take-oath-vow-to-carry-out-mission-of-Saint-Nicholas.htm
http://www.orleanshub.com/news2015/Santas-add-6-to-their-Hall-of-Fame.htm
http://www.orleanshub.com/news2015/Santas-reconnect-kick-off-conference.htm
http://www.orleanshub.com/news2015/Local-Santa-honored-with-prestigious-Charles-W-Howard-Award.htm
Waterfalls
Today turned into a gorgeous day, so I decided to head out to some of the area waterfalls – Shelby Falls near Forrestel Farm, Holley Falls, and Clarendon Falls! I figured that all the rain we’ve been having would have them flowing heavy…..and I was correct!!! So glad I took the time to check them out! Here are some photos I shot:
SHELBY – NEAR FORRESTEL FARM
The water was so high here, it looked more like just a really rapidly raging creek than a waterfall, but the waterfall is there!!!
HOLLEY FALLS
So beautiful…..I sat there on a picnic bench just watching and listening for quite a while…..so peaceful!!! Holley has a nice park for their falls…..picnic tables, benches, a bridge over the creek, walking trail, and a small pavilion with several picnic tables!
CLARENDON FALLS
It was too muddy to get down close to the falls, but I still got a couple good shots…thanks to the zoom feature on my iPhone! Clarendon, too, has a nice parking area and a bench to view the falls.
I wish other falls would have easier access — Medina and Waterport both have amazing waterfalls, but you have to be a mountain climber to get to them! They would make great tourist attractions if they would provide easy trails and some seating so more people could enjoy them……but, as they are now, I didn’t even consider going by to check them out!
AND, NOW…..ENJOY THE PEACE AND SERENITY OF THE HOLLEY FALLS:
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