Raymond Santoro writes more ‘tales of mystery and the unexplained’

Photos by Tom Rivers

CLARENDON – Raymond Santoro, the Holley and Murray historian, had a line of people wanting him to signa  copy of his new book, Beyond Haunted Holley – Further Tales of Mystery and the Unexplained. Santoro held a book-signing on Wednesday evening at the Hillside Cemetery chapel.

He will be signing books and reading from the book at 5 p.m. Saturday at the Community Free Library in Holley. He has another book signing and talk at 6 p.m. on Nov. 6 at Gaines Basin Cobblestone Schoolhouse, 3286 Gaines Basin Rd., Albion. This schoolhouse is used by the Orleans County Historical Association.

Ghost-themed cookies were served Wednesday evening at the Clarendon chapel. Santoro has 500 copies of the new book available.

“Beyond Haunted Holley” costs $18 and can be purchased at Author’s Note bookstore in Medina, the Community Free Library in Holley, Murray Town Hall and Cobblestone Museum in Albion.

Santoro’s new book is a follow-up to his book from 2023 on Haunted Holley. That book has been a sellout with two printings. He wrote about paranormal experiences for people in the Holley community.

He included his email at the end of the book. He received 80 emails from people, sharing their own stories and experiences. Others have called him or told him in person that they felt encounters with ghosts or the unexplained. Santoro said Haunted Holley has generated a lot of interest, much more than he expected.

“There are plenty of local stories to fill a dozen books,” he said.

Santoro encourages people to read the stories with an open mind.

“There is so much of the world we don’t comprehend and perhaps aren’t meant to fully understand,” he writes in the introduction of the 174-page book. “I hope that reading this work as whole might shed light on some of these mysteries.”

Raymond Santoro signed a copy of his book for Gerry Rightmyer, the Murray town supervisor. Rightmyer said he found the first book on Haunted Holley to be a page-turner that he couldn’t put down.

“It is extremely interesting,” Rightmyer said. “I’m real excited to get started on reading this one, too.”

Santoro wore a black cape for added effect during a brief book talk on Wednesday evening in the Hillside chapel.

His new book shares stories from communities near Holley – Bergen, Churchville, Hulberton, Kendall and others.

Santoro was joined up front by Peter Turkow, left, the president of the Clarendon Historical Society. Turkow said Santoro has done a commendable job writing stories that have a profound impact on many people in the community.

“Everybody has a scary story to tell,” Turkow said. “He has done a great job. It’s an important and unique contribution to the history of Holley and the surrounding towns.”

Photos by Tom Rivers

ALBION – Lauren Zwifka, a Barre firefighter and 2026 Albion graduate, helps Sebastian, an Albion fourth-grader, hit a target with water from a fire hose.

A group of volunteer firefighters wrapped up a week-long fire prevention effort at the Ronald L. Sodoma Elementary School this week. After spending four days with classroom activities, firefighters joined students outside to learn about fire trucks and equipment, and test their fire prevention knowledge.

Barre firefighters Lauren Zwikfa and Barry Flansburg helped students aim at the targets.

Albion firefighters Victoria Tabor and Jeremy DiMatteo let these students get a close look at some of the tools and gear in a fire truck.

Ryan Woolston of the Carlton Volunteer Fire Company let students hold a 20-pound air bottle that holds oxygen if firefighters go inside to fight a fire.

Students crawl through a smoke simulator inside a fire safety training trailer was outside the school today. That trailer, owned by the Orleans County’s Emergency Management Office, has a fog machine to simulate smoky rooms. Students were urged to “Stay Low and Go.” Students went through the smoke when the door inside the trailer wasn’t hot.

If the door inside the trailer was hot, students were told to instead look for a way out of the room. The electrical door could be heated to simulate a hot door from fire. Thomas Bringenberg climbs out the window and down a ladder. Albion firefighter Cody Newsome was there if any assistance was needed.

The fake flames are knocked down with water sprayed by Barre firefighter Gary Rowley, left, with second-grader Dylan Feitshans and Barry Flansburg with second-grader Danny Klips.

Victims’ names not released, cause of blaze under investigation

Photo by Tom Rivers: Firefighters from multiple departments responded to the fire on Thursday night at 12625 Presbyterian St.

Press Release, Orleans County Sheriff Chris Bourke

KNWOELSVILLE –  On Thursday at 8:28 p.m., the Orleans County Sheriff’s 911 Center received multiple reports of a working house fire with two people trapped at 12625 Presbyterian St. in the Town of Ridgeway.

Upon arrival, Ridgeway Fire found a working house fire, and two victims. One victim, a resident of the house, was transported to Strong Memorial Hospital in Rochester with injuries.

A second victim, a neighbor from across the street, had become aware of the fire, ran over and entered the burning house in an attempt to rescue the remaining person in the house. Conditions forced the neighbor out of the house due to the heavy fire and smoke and was in fact on fire himself as he exited the house.

This victim had to roll and receive assistance from others in the front yard to have the fire be extinguished. The second victim was transported by Mercy Flight to Strong Memorial Hospital as well.

The third victim was deceased and located on the first floor of the residence.

Currently, the cause and origin of the fire is under investigation. Further details and names of the victims will be released when appropriate.

Public safety dispatchers sent the Ridgeway Volunteer Fire Company to the scene with automatic mutual aid from the following: Medina Fire and Ambulance, Albion FD, East Shelby FC, Shelby FC, Orleans County Emergency Management and Orleans County Sheriff’s deputies.

Additional mutual aid was called into the scene or to fill in from the following: Lyndonville FD, Mercy Ambulance, Tri-Town Ambulance Filling in at Medina, Mercy Flight to the O.C. Fairgrounds, Barre FC, Carlton FC, Orleans County Sheriff’s Animal Control, Murray Fire Dist., Batavia to fill in at Albion and Middleport to fill in at Medina.

The Orleans County Coroner’s Office responded to the scene.

Orleans County Emergency Management fire coordinators and fire investigators were on scene with EMO Director Justine Niederhofer.

NYS Fire was on scene with fire investigators, and the Orleans County Sheriff’s investigators and Sheriff’s fire investigators were on scene as well.

The fire shot out of windows, the roof and the front porch and took several hours to get under control.

ALBION – The Orleans County Sheriff’s Office will be participating in National Prescription Drug Takeback Day on Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Public Safety Building, 13925 Route 31.

The Sheriff’s Office will accept prescription medications, over-the-counter medications and pet medications, but won’t take sharps or illegal drugs.

“We encourage residents to safely dispose of unused or unwanted medications!” the Sheriff’s Office posted on its Facebook page. “Help prevent prescription drug misuse, protect our families, and keep our community safe!”

For the safety of law enforcement personnel, people bringing in medications should make sure all needles are properly capped and secured. Loose or uncapped needles will not be accepted, the Sheriff’s Office stated.

SHELBY – An ambulance crew that was filling in for the Medina Fire Department delivered a healthy baby boy last night in the back of an ambulance while en route to Unity Hospital in Rochester.

With Medina ambulance crews on scene at a fire on Presbyterian Street in Ridgeway, Tri-Town Ambulance was called to fill in for Medina.

Tri-Town, which is based in Gasport, was dispatched to Shelby for a woman who was having contractions eight minutes apart.

Tri-Town arrived and was headed to Unity with the mother. Carl Greene and Lisa Petrillo, both EMTs, were on the call with Greene driving the ambulance and Petrillo in the back, helping the mother deliver the baby.

“Mom and baby boy are comfortable resting at the hospital,” Tri-Town stated on its Facebook page. “We would like to congratulate EMT-Petrillo and Greene on a job well done. Way to make Tri-Town Proud.”

2 others injured in blaze that destroyed home on Presbyterian Street

Photos by Tom Rivers

KNOWLESVILLE – An elderly man who is confined to a wheelchair died in a fire tonight on presbyterian Road in Knowlesville.

Firefighters were dispatched to 12625 Presbyterian St. just before 8:30 p.m. They arrived to a fire with flames shooting out windows and the porch.

A neighbor across street tried to rescue the wheel-bound man from the house, but the neighbor, a man in his 60s, ran out of the house with his clothes on fire. He was taken by a Mercy EMS ambulance to a Mercy Flight helicopter zone at the fairgrounds. He has serious burns, Orleans County Sheriff Chris Bourke said.

The son of the man who perished in the fire also was injured and taken by ambulance to Strong Memorial Hospital.

Fire investigators from Orleans County and the state will try to determine the cause of the fire.

Firefighters from several departments responded to the scene. This photo shows the Shelby ladder truck. That truck used water pulled from the Erie Canal to keep a steady flow of water pouring on the fire.

The resident of the house was often spotted along the road in a motorized wheelchair, neighbor said. His dog, a husky, got out of the house safely and was located by an Orleans County animal control officer.

Ridgeway firefighters were assisted at the scene by the Medina Fire Department, Albion Joint Fire District, Shelby Volunteer Fire Company, East Shelby Volunteer Fire Company, Lyndonville Fire Department Medina Fire Department ambulance, and Mercy EMS.

Other departments filled in for several of the responding departments. Those filling in included Middleport, Hartland, Oakfield, Alabama, Batavia and Tri-Town Ambulance.

Gary Watts of the Shelby Volunteer Fire Company uses a Shelby pumper to pull water from the Erie Canal and then send it through a 5-inch hose about 1,400 to the Shelby ladder truck, which sprayed the water onto the house.

The fire proved difficult to put out. Firefighters were still battling hot spots two hours after the fire tore through the house. Watts said he expected it would be an all-nighter for many of the firefighters.

State awarded village $1.345 million for project as part of $4.5 million NY Forward grant

Photos by Tom Rivers: The Canal Basin parking lot will redesigned as part of a $1.345 million grant from the state. The Medina Village Board is expected to hire an engineering firm on Monday to work on the design of the project. The new lot will have less asphalt and more green space.

MEDINA – The Medina Village Board expects to hire an engineering firm on Monday to design improvements in the Canal Basin, a project with a goal to become a “waterfront gateway” with more green space, seating areas and boater/cyclist amenities.

Six firms on Wednesday presented proposals to Medina Mayor Debbie Padoleski, Village Trustee Jeff Wagner and members of the Local Waterfront Revitalization Program – Chris Busch, Mary Lewis and Kathy Blackburn.

The redesigned basin was awarded $1.345 million of the $4.5 million from the state to Medina in the NY Forward grant. The state finalized eight projects for the $4.5 million on May 17, 2024.

The transformed parking lot received the largest grant of the eight projects.

The redesign of the basin parking lot also will include two direct-current fast chargers for electric vehicles, each with two charging spots. The state awarded Medina $245,184 in a separate grant for those chargers with National Grid also chipping in $73,000.

Rendering from Empire State Development and Governor’s Office: The Canal Basin parking lot along the Erie Canal will be turned into a “waterfront gateway” complete with green space, seating areas and boater/cyclist amenities as part of the NY Forward grant in Medina. This is not the final design for the parking lot.

The basin will become more pedestrian friendly and also more inviting to boaters. The village is looking to upgrade the entry drive from Main Street; enhance the pedestrian walkway extending from Main Street, across rear building facades, to East Center Street alleyway; add a gazebo for shade and cover; expand flexible greenspace areas for programming with amenities including seating tables, benches, bike racks, shade trees and native plantings; and add pedestrian walkways with decorative, permeable pavers.

Chris Busch, a member of the LWRP committee, said the village created a vision for the basin about a decade ago through a waterfront redevelopment plan. The state funding will give the initiative significant investment and help make the project a reality.

The firm picked by the Village Board will present options for how to spend that grant, and the community will have an opportunity to weigh in during public meetings, Busch said.

The state will also need to approve the projects for the basin. The project is expected to go out to bid to contractors next year.

“This is only the beginning of the process,” Busch said about meeting with the firms on Wednesday.

This area of the Canal Basin lot will be part of the project. The village expects to add more green space and trees to the area, and will take out about 15 to 20 parking spaces, leaving about 70.

Provided photo

POINT BREEZE – The Point Breeze Yacht Club held its annual members meeting on Saturday at the Godfrey’s Pond Clubhouse at which time Commodore Bob Bialkowski recognized Marietta Schuth of Kendall for her many years serving as secretary.

The Point Breeze Yacht Club was founded in 1973 with the idea of encouraging boating, aquatic sports and general social and recreational purposes. The club is based at the Orleans County Marine Park.

Provided photo

MEDINA – The Parade of Lights Planning Committee is working on the details for the 18^th annual lighted parade in Medina.

This year’s parade will be on Nov. 28 and will cap the Olde Tyme Christmas celebration in the village.

The committee is shown at its meeting on Wednesday night at the Lee-Whedon Memorial Library. Pictured left include Kevin DeHollander, Sue DeHollander, Cindy Robinson, Barb Hancock, Jim Hancock, Gail Miller and Reinhard Rogowski. Back row: Kathie Valley, Nicole Bensley, Todd Bensley and Mollie Mark.

The committee urges local businesses, organizations and residents to prepare a float for the parade or consider being a sponsor for the event. Entries forms to be in the parade are due by Nov. 25. Click here to see the Olde Tyme Christmas website for more information.

If you’re interested in volunteering to help with the parade, contact parade chairman Jim Hancock at (585) 798-2118.

Photo and information courtesy of Deborah Berry, VFW Auxiliary treasurer

MEDINA – Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) Post and Auxiliary members from the VFW Lincoln Post 1483 in Medina held a Stop 22 Walk on Oct. 8 to increase the public awareness of suicide prevention for veterans.

The members walked 22 minutes along Medina Business District.  The 22 minutes represents the daily average of 22 veterans who die by suicide.

A veteran in any type of need or service is encouraged to reach out to our VFW Post 1483 at 216 East Center Street in Medina. Help is also available at the National Veteran Crisis Hotline 1-800-273-8255.

Participants were VFW 1483 Post members Patrick Little, Mike Owczarczak,and Jim Nudd;  VFW  Aux members Dave and Debbie Berry, Tammy Pogel, Stacy Newell, Jada Burgess, Thomas Burgess Jr., and Thomas Burgess Sr.; and community member Don Dubois.

Photos by Tom Rivers

HOLLEY – The Holley community celebrated a new mural today. Mary Jo Whitman, a 1995 Holley graduate, created the “Holley is Home” mural on the Geddes Street side of the Heath and Heath law offices at 66 Public Square.

Whitman said she appreciated the chance to reconnect with her hometown. She now lives in Batavia.

Mary Jo Whitman stands next to the mural she painted on the Heath and Heath law offices.

Whitman was approached by Holley mayor Mark Bower to paint the mural. He wanted it to feature local landmarks. Whitman came to Holley and photographed landmarks, printed out the photos and visualized how the mural could look.

Whitman painted the Salisbury Fountain, the Holley Waterfalls, the gazebo by the canal, the old Holley High School and the block of storefronts in the Public Square that incudes Sam’s Diner.

“She did a most spectacular job,” Bower said during the mural dedication today.

He praised Whitman for engaging with many residents while she was working on the mural.

The mayor noted the community added other new murals recently. Arthur Barnes painted a large agricultural scene on the back of the Community Free Library in 2024. Tony Barry painted a large-scale Erie Canal-themed mural on the back of the library in 2023.

Barry, a retired Holley teacher, was one of Whitman’s teachers when she was a Holley student. Barry and Barnes both attended the mural dedication today.

Doug Heath, owner of the Heath and Heath building, said Whitman did an amazing job. Doug is the fourth generation of Heaths to be a lawyer locally. His great-grandfather, Edward Heath started in Bergen in 1895, followed by his son Mark and then Doug’s father,  Robert Heath. The family has been in Holley for more than 100 years. Doug has been working as a lawyer in Holley for 41 years.

Mary Jo Whitman thanked the Holley mayor and village clerk Rainey Losee for their support of the project. Losee was a key partner in getting a grant application completed through the Genesee-Orleans Regional Arts Council (Go Art!). The project was funded with a $7,500 grant through Go Art! That money came from the New York State Council on the Arts.

Whitman thanked Clarence Moyer for loaning her use of a lift to paint the high parts of the mural.

Whitman signed the lower right corner of the mural, in a final piece of the painting.

Robyn Ottaviano shared these photos today of a journey to the waterfalls in Medina. She paddled a kayak along the Oak Orchard Creek to get here photos.

Orleans County and much of Western New York are in peak conditions for fall foliage, the state’s tourism agency reported today in its weekly fall foliage update.

“The progression of bright and vibrant fall colors across New York State continues this weekend with peak foliage throughout much of the Capital-Saratoga, Greater Niagara, Chautauqua-Allegheny and Hudson Valley regions, and near-peak and peak leaves dominating the Finger Lakes and central and southern portions of the Thousand Islands,” according to the update from I LOVE NY.

The leaves in the Adirondacks and Catskills are mostly past-peak, while foliage at midpoint of change is sweeping across Long Island, according to the report.

A volunteer observer in Orleans County reports lots of vibrant colors on the leaves.

“75% change and peak at the Cobblestone Museum in Albion with bright amber leaves,” according to the observer.

The forecast shows sunny days with highs in Orleans County of 61 on Thursday, 55 on Friday, 61 on Saturday and 65 on Sunday.

Robyn Ottaviano took a photo of the fall foliage reflected in Oak Orchard Creek today.

This map from I LOVE NY shows the fall foliage conditions around the state.