By BEN KLEINE

Staff writer

Having lived in Herington, Angela Albin wanted to raise her children in a small town. She moved her family to Marion June 1 to connect to her roots and give her sons a chance to experience a caring community.

Noah Albin, 11, was riding his bike to football practice Tuesday. He accidentally went to the elementary school instead of the stadium. He pedaled his bike furiously, knowing he was already late, when the chain on his bike broke.

One of Noah’s future teachers stopped along the road and helped Noah repair his bike chain so he could make it to practice.

“In a bigger community they’d just go on by,” Angela said.

Angela grew up in Herington. Her mother has been a hairdresser for 16 years and Angela followed her example as a cosmetologist. She moved to Andover and worked as an instructor in the Paul Mitchell School in Wichita. Angela would also drive to Herington every Saturday to work in her mother’s salon.

Then, Angela and her husband divorced. Albin longed to open her own shop and move closer to her family. After moving to Marion, she started renting a section of Karen’s Hair Designs from Karen Mick in Lincolnville.

So far she has been able to maintain all of her customers from Herington but starting over has not been easy.

“It’s a little slow,” Angela said. “A lot of it is word of mouth.”

Noah and Christian were worried about starting over in a new town and making friends. Because the Albins moved in the middle of the summer, Noah was able to make friends on the swim team and Christian had similar social success on a tee-ball team.

Angela is also thankful that Noah will start sixth grade and Christian will be starting first grade Aug. 18 in the same school.

“It’s nice for Noah not having to start at the bottom of the totem pole,” she said.

Angela expects Noah and Christian to fit in at Marion Elementary School; she moved her family to Marion to provide a friendly and caring environment for her sons.

“Everyone is so friendly; no one knows a stranger,” Albin said of Marion residents. “Everyone is willing to help.”