Photos by Ginny Kropf: Stacey Bancker, right, senior vice president of operations at the North Division of Healogics, presents a plaque to Lisa Albanese Klein, program director at Medina Memorial Hospital’s Wound Care Center, while medical director Dr. Joseph Canzoneri, left, and hospital CEO Marc Shurtz, left, look on. The presentation celebrates the Wound Care Center’s honor of being designated a “Wound Care Center of Distinction” by Healogics.

MEDINA – Medina Memorial Hospital’s Wound Care Center continues to earn praise for its excellent record of curing wounds.

For the second time, the Wound Care Center has been designated a “Center of Distinction” by Healogics, the nation’s largest provider of advanced wound care. The honor was earned for having achieved 82% wound mix adjusted CHR with a patient satisfaction rating of 96%.

“This is outstanding,” said Lisa Albanese Klein, program director at the Wound Care Center.

The honor was celebrated at a ceremony Wednesday afternoon, in which Stacey Bancker, senior vice president of operations at Healogics North Division, presented a plaque to Klein.

Hospital CEO Marc Shurtz welcomed guests and shared his praise for the team at the Wound Care Center. The team includes program director Lisa Albanese Klein; medical director Dr. Joseph Canzoneri; nurses Kristen Warriner, Melissa Neuman, Amanda Jakubec and Becky Flynn; and front office coordinator Budena Hess.

Next was Mayor Debbie Padoleski who read a proclamation honoring the Wound Care Center, followed by the Center’s program director Lisa Albanese Klein.

“Achieving Center of Distinction status is a reflection of the commitment, compassion, expertise and heart this team brings to our patients every single day,” Klein said. “When I look at what our wound care center has accomplished, I see far more than statistics and outcomes. I see a team that has built something extraordinary together.”

Medina Mayor Debbie Padoleski, left, reads a proclamation honoring Medina Memorial Hospital’s Wound Care Center on Wednesday. At right are medical director Dr. Joseph Canzoneri, hospital CEO Marc Shurtz and Wound Care Center program director Lisa Albanese Klein.

The Wound Care Center has grown from a small program operating just two days a week into a four-day-a-week center serving more patients than ever before.

“That growth did not happen by accident,” Klein said. “It happened because this team believed in what we could become. It happened because Kirsten and Missy, Amanda and Becky and Budena showed up day after day, determined to make a difference for our patients.”

Patients who once had to travel out of Medina to get this kind of care can now get it right here, Klein said.

“What makes me most proud is not how much we have grown, but how we have grown,” she said. “We have grown without losing the personal touch that defines this center. We have grown while maintaining exceptional healing outcomes and outstanding patient satisfaction. Center of Distinction status is not earned by one individual. It cannot be achieved by leadership alone. It is earned through teamwork, through consistency, through trust, through people stepping up for one another, supporting one another and always keeping the patient at the center of everything we do.”

Wound care is not always easy, Klein continued. The work requires patience, persistence and compassion. Every healed wound represents more than a clinical success.

“It means someone can walk again without pain or can return to work,” Klein said. “It means avoiding hospitalization or amputation. It means giving people back their quality of life.”

Dr. Canzoneri echoed Klein’s praise of the Wound Care Center.

“What makes this accomplishment so meaningful is what it means for our community,” Canzoneri said. For many years, patients in rural areas had to travel to larger cities to receive advanced wound care services. Today, because of the work this team has done, patients can receive exceptional care close to home, surrounded by their families, neighbors and support systems.

“This designation as a Center of Distinction is backed by outstanding outcomes,” Canzoneri said. “Our healing results demonstrate the high standard of care being delivered every day and our patient satisfaction score speaks volumes about the experience patients are having when they walk through our doors. As medical director, I could not be more proud of what has been accomplished by our team. This recognition reflects not only where we are today, but also where we are heading as a program and as an organization. We are proving that outstanding specialty care can thrive in a community setting, and that our patients do not need to lee home to receive exceptional treatment.”

David Kusmierczak of Medina shares his story of how the Wound Care Center at Medina Memorial Hospital determined how to cure a sore on his foot. From left are hospital CEO Marc Shurtz, Wound Care medical director Joseph Canzoneri, Kusmierczak and Lisa Albanese Klein, program director. The group was gathered for an award ceremony on Wednesday celebrating the Wound Care Center’s recent designation as a “Center of Distinction” by Healogics, the nation’s largest provider of advanced wound care.

In addition, David Kusmierczak, whose foot sore was healed at Medina after months of treatment by other medical professionals, shared his story of praise and approval for the diagnosis and care he got at Medina’s Wound Care Center.

“I am diabetic and had an open wound on the bottom of my foot,” Kusmierczak said. “After months of treatment by other doctors, my primary care doctor in Batavia said I should go to wound care. He said there was one in Batavia and Medina, and I said I would go to Medina, because I lived there.”

At Medina’s Wound Care Center, Kusmierczak said he was prepped by Melissa Newman, Kristin Warriner and Budina Hess. Nurse Practitioner Amanda Jakubec began his treatment.

“They really took care of it,” Kusmierczak said. “I had a cast for three weeks, when Amanda said she thought I had a bone spur and they sent me to a surgeon at Highland Hospital. He ground down the spur, trimmed a tendon a little bit, and the wound healed. Now I can walk naturally and pain free.”

Kusmierczak said he had been dealing with the sore for five years, and his foot doctor had tried everything to try and heal it.

“I can’t say enough about this group,” Kusmierczak said. “They figured out what was causing the wound not to heal. I’m so glad this organization is here.”

Bancker added her praise for the Wound Care Center’s honor, saying this award is a “quality excellence award.”

“This award embodies quality of care, she said. “Orleans Community Health had an amazing year of growth by their team.”

She added there are seven million patients with chronic wounds in the United States.

Photo courtesy of Scott Robinson: Those to attended a presentation last week by Healogics recognizing Medina Memorial Hospital’s Wound Care Center as a “Center of Distinction” are, from left, Medina mayor Debbie Padoleski, Hospital CEO Marc Shurtz, front office coordinator Budena Hess, nurses Rebecca Flynn and Kristen Warriner, medical director Dr. Joe Canzoneri, program director Lisa Albanese Klein, healed patient David Kusmierczak and nurses Amanda McDonald and Meliss Neuman.

Photos by Tom Rivers

ALBION – The royalty for this weekend’s Albion Strawberry Festival were recognized during the Albion Rotary Club meeting on Thursday.

From left include princess Kinzie Healy, king Will Plummer, queen Julia Graham and princess Hazel Bringenbay.

They will be part of Saturday’s parade at 10 a.m. and will serve as festival ambassadors.

This year’s festival theme, “Gather and Celebrate: A Big Berry 250^th in honor of our Nation’s 250^th.” The royalty candidates were asked to write a 250-word reflection on the theme.

Plummer, a senior, wrote in his essay, “Albion’s rich history and small-town character make it an ideal place to honor America’s past while looking forward to the future. Community events such as parades, historical exhibits, concerts and patriotic ceremonies can bring residents together in a spirit of gratitude and remembrance.”

Graham, a sophomore, said Albion students have helped preserve historical sites and highlight other important local history, while also beautifying the town with murals and other projects. She praised festival organizers for putting on the 38^th Strawberry Festival this weekend.

Kinzie Healy, an eighth-grader, said the festival is an opportunity to celebrate shared values of democracy, community and hope for the future. “When gathering on these historic streets we aren’t just eating strawberry desserts, we are honoring 250 years of a ‘berry’ big American journey,” she wrote.

Hazel Bringenbay, a fifth-grader, said the local parades, chicken barbecues and fireworks are all a great way to celebrate the USA’s 250^th anniversary.

Katelyn Viza, a sophomore at Albion, holds her first place poster that will be used on Strawberry Festival brochures and posters.

The second place winner is senior Rosalee McCormick, left, while freshman Bonnie Ward won third place.

Click here to see the festival schedule for June 12-13.

Peters House considered outstanding example of Queen Anne style architecture

Photos courtesy of Christopher Schmidt: This Queen Anne-style residence on Salt Works Road has been recommended by the New York State Board for Historic Preservation to be included on the State and National Registers of Historic Places.

MEDINA – A Medina home in the Queen Anne architectural style has been recommended for inclusion on the State and National Registers of Historic Places.

The NYS Board of Historic Preservation met on June 4 and recommended the approval of the Peters House at 4018 Salt Works Rd. in Medina. The Board for Historic Preservation also recommended 19 other properties and districts for State and National Registers of Historic Places.

Constructed circa-1910 by George G. and Anna Peters, the two-story wood-frame residence is considered one of the finest and most intact examples of Queen Anne architecture in Western New York, said Christopher Schmidt, the current owner of the home.

More than a century after its construction, the houses continues to retain an exceptional degree of historic integrity, preserving many of the character-defining features that make the style so recognizable, he said.

“The Peters House is a fine example of the quality and craftsmanship that characterized residential construction during Medina’s period of growth and prosperity in the early twentieth century,” Schmidt said. “Its preservation allows future generations to appreciate both the architectural heritage and community history that helped shape Medina.”

Among the home’s most notable architectural elements are its asymmetrical façade, steeply pitched box gable roof, turret, bay windows, wrap-around porch, second-story porch alcove, overhanging eaves, classical columns, and decorative mix of clapboard siding and patterned shingles.

The residence is about 1 mile from Medina’s urban core. The house retains much of its original interior craftsmanship, including pine floors, wood trim, pocket doors, staircase, four-panel doors with original hardware, and extensive parlor woodwork, he said.

The property was recognized under National Register Criterion C for Architecture, reflecting its significance as a well-preserved example of the Queen Anne style. Despite modest updates over the years, including kitchen and bathroom renovations and porch modifications, the home continues to convey its historic appearance, materials, workmanship, and sense of place.

This photo from 1955 shows the horse racing oval by the property.

Beyond its architectural significance, the property occupies a site connected to an important chapter in Medina’s history. Prior to construction of the residence, portions of the property were part of the Medina Driving Park, a popular horse-racing and recreational venue established in 1871, Schmidt said. The Driving Park served as a social and entertainment center for the community, hosting horse races, bicycle competitions, football games, and other public events that drew visitors from throughout the region.

The listing on the State and National Registers of Historic Places recognizes the Peters House as an important cultural and architectural resource. Today, the Peters House stands as an enduring reminder of the village’s rich architectural legacy and the craftsmanship of a bygone era, ensuring that one of Medina’s historic treasures will continue to be appreciated for generations to come.

State and National Register listing can assist owners in revitalizing properties, making them eligible for various public preservation programs and services, such as matching state grants and federal and state historic rehabilitation tax credits.

“I encourage other owners of historic properties to explore historic designation and celebrate the unique history of their buildings,” Schmidt said. “There are many remarkable properties that deserve similar recognition.”

Once recommendations are approved by Kathy Moser, the commissioner of the NYS Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation, the sites will be listed in the New York State Register of Historic Places and then nominated to the National Register of Historic Places, where they are reviewed by the National Park Service. If approved they will be entered in the National Register.

Some other nearby sites that were recommended on June 4 for the State and National Registers of Historic Places include:

• Cobb’s Hill Historic District in Rochester, Monroe County
• Dunkirk Macaroni and Supply Company Building in Dunkirk, Chautauqua County
• Farmers and Mechanics Savings Bank in Lockport, Niagara County
• Bennett Apartments in Buffalo, Erie County
• Gates Manor Apartments in Buffalo, Erie County
• Perry High School in Perry, Wyoming

Press Release, Orleans County Sheriff’s Office

Dean E. Smith

RIDGEWAY – On Saturday at approximately 5:51 p.m., an Orleans County Sheriff’s Lieutenant James White initiated a traffic stop on a vehicle on Ridge Road in the Town of Ridgeway.

During the stop, the operator, identified as Dean E. Smith, 62, of Lockport allegedly displayed signs of impairment. Further investigation revealed that two children, ages 6 and 10, were in the vehicle at the time of the stop.

Standardized Field Sobriety Tests were administered. Smith was subsequently taken into custody. Following a Drug Influence Evaluation, Smith was charged with the following:

• Aggravated DWI with a Child Passenger Less than 16 (Leandra’s Law) – Class E Felony
• Driving While Ability Impaired by Drugs – Unclassified Misdemeanor
• Endangering the Welfare of a Child (2 Counts) – Class A Misdemeanor
• Move From Lane Unsafely – Traffic Infraction

Smith was transported to the Orleans County Jail for Centralized Arraignment (CAP) Court. Lt. White was assisted by Deputy Michael Borrell.

Sheriff Bourke and the Orleans County Sheriff’s Office remain committed to impaired driving enforcement, striving to prevent tragedies and make our roadways safer for all those that live in, work in and visit Orleans County.

Photo by Ginny Kropf: Members of Oak Orchard Neighborhood Association get a close look at the ox Carol Culhane painted for them in her basement. From left are John Richmond, OONA president Ken Martin, Culhane, Martin’s wife Anne, Sally Leonard and Cheryl Giacherio. The ox is expected to go to the Orleans County marine park on Route 98.

POINT BREEZE – In her illustrious career as an artist, Carol Culhane has painted wildlife, landscapes, airplanes, horses, murals, portraits and vehicles. Now she has turned her talent into painting oxen, chosen last year as the mascot for Orleans County’s bicentennial celebration.

A request from the Oak Orchard Neighborhood Association to paint an ox sent her on a historical journey to trace the area’s landmarks from its early years to now.

Photos by Tom Rivers: The ox was on display on Saturday at Carlton’s Hometown Days festival outside the Carlton Rec Hall.

Her hand-painted work of art chronicles the story of the Oak Orchard River from Lake Alice to Lake Ontario back centuries to the current time.

On the left side of the animal, the river is depicted as it may have appeared long ago, before the construction of Waterport Dam and creation of Lake Alice, then known as the “Waterport Pond.”

There is also the Waterport Trestle, Point Breeze Hotel (originally known as the Orleans House) on the east side of the river, the Oak Orchard Inn on the west side and the original lighthouse at the end of the pier on the west side of the harbor.

On the right side of the ox are the “today” features – boating, fishing and kayaking; the hydroelectric site; charter boats and marine activity; breakwalls; the modern lighthouse; and wildlife.

Culhane incorporated wildlife into the design on both sides, to create interest by children. A great blue heron, turtles, lily pads, wetland vegetation and more represent the wildlife which has long depended on the Oak Orchard River ecosystem.

To be sure she was historically correct, Culhane visited Orleans County Historian Catherine Cooper and read several publications, including  Arad Thomas’s Pioneer History of Orleans County and Dee Robinson’s Historical Amnesia.

Members of OONA recently visited Culhane’s basement to see their finished ox. This included OONA president Ken Martin and his wife Anne; Cheryl Giacheriz; Penny Miller, president of Orleans County Marine Park, through whom the Go Art! grant was received to fund oxen for OONA and Orleans County Legislature; John Richmond; and Sally Leonard, both Point Breeze residents.

“The ox has a lot of interesting historic details,” Martin said of the OONA ox. “It came out well.”

In addition to dedication of the OONA ox, several visitors came to view the work, including the builder of the fiberglass oxen, Patrick Keough and his wife Gaye from Nebraska. They deliver the oxen throughout the country, in addition to other animals they build. He was going to deliver an ox to Kendall that day, also.

Culhane said the oxen took many hours of work, but she is honored she was asked to do them.

Patrick Keough of Nebraska, with his wife Gaye, is the builder of the fiberglass oxen painted by Culhane. They stand next to one for OONA. This is the side of the animal depicts the Point Breeze area as it appears now, with fishermen, boaters and kayakers.  She has also painted one for the county historian’s office and is working on one for the County Legislature.

Photos by Ginny Kropf: Carol Culhane shows an ox with portraits of pioneers to Isabella Zasa, digital content creator and tourism assistant for the Orleans County Tourism Department, and Catherine Cooper, the county historian. This ox is expected to go in the historian’s office in Albion.

Orleans County historian Catherine Cooper, left, and artist Carol Culhane hold historical reference books Culhane referred to when painting bicentennial oxen for the county and Oak Orchard Neighborhood Association.

Students urged to pursue kindness, service in their lives, careers

Photos by Tom Rivers

ALBION – Nisi Beltran Roblero receives a blessing and prayer from Father Mark Noonan, priest of the Holy Family Parish. The Rev. Susan Thaine, pastor of the First Presbyterian Church of Albion, and Elder John Kubiniec of the First Presbyterian also offered a blessing to graduates during Sunday’s baccalaureate service at Holy Family Parish.

The service and blessings were optional for seniors, and 30 chose to attend the service at Holy Family which was organized by the Albion Ministerium.

Father Noonan urged the graduates to choose meekness over anger.

“The world is so much in need of people who will look out for others,” he said. “Never be afraid of the adventure of following God with your full heart.”

Julia Button lights a candle at the altar. Students were encouraged to strive to be a light in the world.

“The candle is a symbol of the light in you, of the light that God placed in you and that you carry with you into the world,” said the Rev. Marsha Rivers, who is pastor of the First Baptist Church in Albion and the Gaines Carlton Community Church.

Albion High School Select Choir members sang “Lakeside Lullaby.” In front from left include Lily Brigham, Kailee Anstey and Rosalie McCormick. In back are Adelaide Pettit, Gideon Pask, Yo’Hanel Harris and Julia Graham.

The Clarinet Choir, directed by Matthew Confer, played Variations & Fugue on the Theme by Mozart.

The Rev. Susan Thaine, pastor of the First Presbyterian Church, was the keynote speaker. She delivered a message, “Overcome Evil with Good.” Thaine said the students are at “one of those threshold moments in life” at an area where the land meets the water. It is a moment of possibility. She urged them to orient their life towards a relationship with God, and strive to not let the world mold their thoughts, actions and sense of value.

Social media can give a warped view of what’s right and wrong, she said.

“Turn this world upside everywhere you go with the good manifested in your life,” Thaine said.

Kaitlynn Basinait reads a scripture, Ephesians 4: 21-25.

Other students who spoke at the service, sharing scriptures or a blessing, include Nisi Beltran Roblero, Gideon Pask and Abigail Kincaid.

Sister Dolores O’Dowd leads the group in a unison prayer.

“We look forward with hope, knowing your work is not yet accomplished. Our futures are not yet written, but our paths are secure, for you are our shepherd, and you guide us into life and love.”

The Rev. Marsha Rivers prays over Lindsay Crawford during the service at Holy Family Parish.

File photo: Ed Shorey of Albion has been a frequent vendor at the Cobblestone Museum’s annual flea market. He sells fishing lures, which have been popular with the crowd. This year’s event takes place from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. June 20.

CHILDS – The Cobblestone Museum’s annual flea market is scheduled this year from 9 .m. to 3 p.m. June 20 at the Cobblestone Church. Ample parking is available on the grounds of the Thompson-Kast Visitors Center across the street from the 1834 cobblestone church.

Vendors will be set up on the lawn around the church and nearby Ward House, according to Sue Bonafini, assistant museum director.

Small businesses, groups, organizations and individuals are still welcome to request a vendor’s application.

“We’re expecting sellers with household and holiday goods, collectibles, antiques, jewelry, a variety of merchandise hand-crafted from deer antlers, garden art, diamond art, wood and yarn crafts, baby items, workshop items, glassware, clothing and loads of books,” Bonafini said.

The Cobblestone’s Used Book Building has received two significant donations of books from an estate sale and an adult literacy organization. These items will be placed on display during the flea market for bibliophiles, bookworms or casual readers to purchase. There are titles from a wide array of genres, fiction and nonfiction, Bonafini said.

Many books are available for young readers, and Christmas books can be found in the Holiday Shoppe, which Bonafini said it bursting with Christmas-themed merchandise at highly affordable prices.

Collectors of Santas, angels or snowman and Dept. 56 Snowbabies are encouraged to stop and check out the selection. They will also find replacement lights, wrapping paper, holiday cards, ornaments and holiday décor of all kinds. Tabletop trees, Christmas mugs, holiday pillows, stockings and stocking stuffers are in good supply, Bonafini said. Merchandise is either brand new or gently used and all donated by members and friends of the Museum.

Also, assorted merchandise will be sold at White Elephant tables to benefit the Cobblestone Museum.

A food tent will be open from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., or sold out, featuring Red Osier beef-on-weck with choice of roll, potato salad, baked beans and a pickle. A meal is $12 pre-sale or $14 that day.

Special docent-led tours will be available by donation during the Flea Market at 10:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m.

The Museum’s Holiday Shoppe and Gift Shop are open during regular Museum hours throughout the open season, which is 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday.

Holiday-themed donations are accepted throughout the year from local citizens.

To reserve a beef-on-weck meal, request a vendor’s application or donate goods to the Holiday Shoppe or White Elephant sale, call (585) 589-9013.

McQuaid Jesuit rowers passing through Orleans County today on day 1 of week-long trek

Photos by Tom Rivers

ALBION – The McQuaid Jesuit crew team was out this afternoon rowing along the Erie Canal. They are shown in a photo taken from the Presbyterian Road canal bridge.

The group left Buffalo in the morning and is headed to Brockport on day 1 of an eight-day “Row for Hope” to Albany. The team is raising money for Rochester’s House of Mercy that serves people experiencing homelessness.

The journey will cover 368 miles over the eight days. The group left Buffalo in the morning and stopped in Medina just after noon for lunch. They will stay overnight in Brockport tonight.

There are 11 boys on the team making the trek across the canal. They plan to put in about eight hours a day of rowing. The schedule also includes camping at Palmyra, Weedsport, Brewerton, Rome and Glenville.

For more information about the Row4Hope or to donate, visit http://houseofmercyrochester.org/rowforhope/.

The team heads east on the canal, with the Allen’s Bridge road canal bridge in sight.

Provided photos: The Holley-Kendall Marching Band is shown today outside the Sherburne-Earlville Elementary School.

Press Release, Holley-Kendall Marching Band

The Holley-Kendall Marching Band’s had strong showings in the 58th Gorham Pageant of Bands and the 77th Sherburne Pageant of Bands.

58th Gorham Pageant of Bands

The Gorham Pageant of Bands has returned after a several-year hiatus following the Covid-19 pandemic and dwindling participation. The Pageant, hosted by the Marcus Whitman Band and Guard Boosters, has been a long-time tradition for many band programs in both Orleans County and Western NY.

The Holley HS Jazz Ensemble competed in the 58th Gorham Pageant of Bands Jazz Fest on Friday, May 29. Enrolled in the Small School Class (total K-12 enrollment less than 3,000 students), Holley HS competed against Perry HS and Mexico HS.

Waterloo Middle School was the only band in the Middle School category and Baldwinsville High School was the only band in the Large School Category. The evening was capped with a performance by a local professional jazz group: Bill Tiberio & the Canandaigua Jazz Project.

The Holley High School Jazz Ensemble won several awards at 58th Gorham Pageant of Bands Jazz Fest.

Holley performed a varied repertoire including “Can I Be Honest With You?” by Dave Mills, “Prayer Meetin'” by Matt Harris, and “Tiger of San Pedro” by John LaBarbera.

Small School Jazz Results: 3rd Waterloo HS; 2nd Perry HS; Best Rhythm Section; 1st Holley HS; Best Saxophone Section, Best Brass Section, Best Soloist (Jax Richards-Dyson, Piano).

Saturday, May 30th

On Saturday, the Holley-Kendall Marching Band took to the streets for the first time in Small School Parade Competition at the 58th Gorham Pageant of Bands. There were a total of 9 bands in the parade, 5 of which were competing in the Small School Class. In the parade, the Holley-Kendall Marching Band performed their 2026 Show titled “OZ”, which features song selections from the Wizard of Oz, The Wiz, and Wicked.

Junior Class: 1st – The Pride of Rochester, 77.5

Small School Class: 5th – Dundee, 76.5; 4th – Waterloo, 80; 3rd – Mexico, 90; 2nd – Holley-Kendall, 90.5; and 1st – Naples, 96.5.

Best Overall Drumline/Cadence – Naples

Best Drum Major(s) – Holley-Kendall

Best Color Guard – Naples

Exhibition: White Sabers Drum & Bugle Corps

The Holley-Kendall Drum Majors won first place at the Gorham pageant. From left include Riley Passer, Madison Hults and Layla Jones.

77th Sherburne Pageant of Bands

On Saturday, June 6th, the Holley-Kendall Marching Band competed in Class AA for the 77th Sherburne Pageant of Bands.  A total of 25 Bands competed in the Parade ranging from Jr. High Bands, the High School Class D all the way up to AA.

Class AA Color Guard: 3rd (Tie) Holley-Kendall & Norwich, 83.00; 2nd – Mexico, 85.00; and 1st – Fonda-Fultonville, 87.00.

Class AA Parade: 5th – Sidney, 73.75; 4th – Fonda-Fultonville 82.375; 3rd – Mexico, 84.75; 2nd – Norwich, 88.75; and 1st – Holley-Kendall, 90.75.

By Catherine Cooper, Orleans County Historian

“Illuminating Orleans” – Vol. 6, No. 15

HOLLEY – Previous columns have highlighted Orleans County ladies who braved the conditions of war to serve as teachers or nurses:

Civil War nurse Lydia S. Johnson of Lyndonville, Minnie Goodnow of Albion, a surgical nurse in France during World War I and Irene Gibson of Holley whose fluency in French qualified her to instruct French cadets in navigation during World War II.

Yet another candidate may be added to that list: Sara Shaw of Holley who served as a nurse in two wars and later had a distinguished career in the efforts to eliminate tuberculosis. Born on April 30, 1871, Sara was the daughter of Dennis and Ella (White) Shaw. She trained as a nurse at Bellevue Hospital in New York, a program established in 1873 which adhered to the principles of Florence Nightingale’s and emphasized strict hygienic standards.

In 1898, Sara joined the American Red Cross and was one of early volunteers for service in the Spanish-American War. She was one of nine nurses dispatched to a US Army camp in Tampa, Fla. to treat an outbreak of typhoid fever.

During the Spanish-American War, Nurse Shaw was stationed in Puerto Rico and Cuba. Conditions were far from ideal. Nurses worked 14-hour shifts and diligently tried to maintain sanitary conditions. They operated in makeshift tents, overcrowded buildings and finally, on board the S.S. Lampasas which became a hospital ship. She recalled the many deaths.

Sara Shaw of Holley responded to the American Red Cross appeal for nurses.

“It was necessary to bury the soldiers at sea, and one of our young  doctors read the burial service, and the sisters held the Flag over the bodies.”

None of the nurses in that campaign were killed in combat, but 153 died of disease. Sara contracted typhoid fever and returned home to Holley to recuperate. While on leave, she was presented with a diamond ring by the Red Cross for her service in Puerto Rico and Cuba.

The American Red Cross was not officially recognized by the U.S. Army before the Spanish-American War, but the organization’s efficiency during that campaign made it clear to the Army that trained nurses were a necessity in war. Accordingly, each of the nurses who had served were recognized as members of the Army.

In March 1899, Nurse Shaw was one of a contingent of nurses serving officially with the U.S. 7th Army Corps who left for Manila in the Philippines, a journey of over forty days through the Suez Canal. Arriving in the middle of the Insurrection, the nurses set up a hospital in a convent in Manila where they dealt with epidemics of typhoid fever and malaria.

Following her return to the U.S., Sara worked as a private nurse for several years, then later accepted a position  at Bellevue Hospital in 1909. Active again in World War I, she was appointed Chief Nurse of the Italian Commission of the American Red Cross in 1917. Shaw established a nursing center in Milan and supervised nurses in six Red Cross hospitals that served American servicemen in Italy and Sicily.

Sara returned to work at Bellevue in June 1919 and was Director of Nursing in the Tuberculosis Clinic until her retirement in June 1940. Over the years, she maintained her connection with Holley and frequently returned to holiday with family members. Her death on Feb. 5, 1948  was the subject of a New York Times obituary. She is buried in Hillside Cemetery, Holley.

Photos  and article by Natalie Baron

HOLLEY – Festival visitor Evie is all smiles as she braves the Ultimate Ninja Warrior obstacle course. It was a popular attraction at this year’s JuneFest, which also featured craft and food vendors.

JuneFest took place on June 6 along Holley’s canal park path. The festival was made possible by funds from the Statewide Community Regrant Program and was administered by GO ART!

Wendy Cruz, manager of Project Salus, a program of Community Action of Orleans & Genesee hands out free flowers. Young Carlee Dale happily experiences the booth. The pots came in four rim colors that each represented a different kind of person. For example, the red rim represented playfulness and a loving and nurturing spirit. The group also handed out free make-your-own flowers out of pipe cleaners that came in both daisy and sunflower varieties. Running with the tagline “Youth Voices Driving Change – Define Your Impact”, the project promotes positivity and finds resources for adolescents. It has afterschool programs in Lyndonville and Holley. Moving forward, Project Salus wants to do more community outreach focused on youths.

Alex excitedly receives a face painting of a rocketship, with glittery flames. Mary Jo Whitman of Far Out Faces WNY Face Painting creates the masterpiece.

Kevin Johnson of Clarendon Lions Club serves up grilled goodies. There were several food vendors at the festival. They were hard at work crafting great food and tasty beverages.

Christina Kelley and Stephanie Ridder of CK Designs sold keychains that could be custom-made with a large number of selections, as well as ready-made keychains.

Samantha and Mike were in charge of the Oak & Flora Shop booth. They had an array of nicknacks to purchase.

Lorraine of LD Designs poses with her selection of crocheted goods. There were many vendors selling delightful crocheted critters.

Dennis Lusk shows off the Lusk Tree Service booth. It included a large bucket lift.

Arianna gets a rainbow butterfly wing done by Mary Jo Whitman. Families had a wonderful time looking at all the sights and goods.

JuneFest featured several more booths. One of the vendors sold rocks ranging from blue calcite from the Adirondacks to geodes from Kentucky. Penna’s Crafts and Things provided samples of maple products from Carney Farms in Hornell and also sold crafts from Donald Penna’s shop.

Candy Mosholder’s Pink Zebra had wax melters that, when burned, produce a pleasant aroma. Author Debbie Patt was selling her book, Aurora’s Sweet Dream, about her dog. Esipova Youth Ballet Theater had a recruitment booth. It has a focus on Classic Ballet Rendezvous Style and accepts children ages three-plus, and it also offers adult classes.

Photos by Tom Rivers: Visitors of the Medina Triennial on Friday walk in “Reflection,” a piece created by artist Asad Raza of Buffalo. Raza made the 70-foot water channel in the former NAPA Auto Parts building at 345 Main St., which is the Hub for the Medina Triennial. Raza sought to mimic the Erie Canal and urges people to remove their shoes and walk on Reflection and feel the slow current. This is one of 39 works created by artists and featured in the Triennial, which opens today and runs through Sept. 7.

MEDINA – A major arts initiative will open today in Medina and the public is welcome to visit 39 arts installations around the village.

The Medina Triennial is free to visit, and organizers are anticipating 50,000 people will come to Medina during the Triennial’s three-month run. The project’s main sponsors include the New York Power Authority and the New York State Canal Corporation. Many other sponsors also are supporting the initiative.

It will be a busy weekend of exhibitions, performances, talks, tours, and gatherings with artists, organizers and the Medina community.

Today’s schedule

• 11:30 a.m. – Ribbon-cutting ceremony with public officials, the Medina Triennial team, and artists at the front lawn of the historic Medina High School, 324 Catherine St.

• Noon to 8 p.m. – Exhibitions open at all sites with extended hours

• 1 p.m. – Guidebook launch with designers Other Means, editor Sarah Demeuse, and writer Laura Marris at Medina Triennial Hub, 345 Main St.

• 2 p.m. – Live Work: Faithfully Recording by Lina Lapelytė at Medina Railroad Museum Grounds, 530 West Ave. Faithfully Recording unfolds through a small team of people coming together to sing while constructing a sculpture from fragments of reclaimed Medina sandstone.

• 3:30 p.m. – Curatorial Tour with Kari Conte and Karin Laansoo, co-artistic directors of Medina Triennial. The tour will be at the historic Medina High School, 324 Catherine St.

• 6 p.m. – Undigging with Futurefarmers starts at the Medina Triennial Hub, 345 Main St. The Futurefarmers will start from the the exhibition space of their artwork, 48 Encounters, and then move with props in a dérive: an un-digging of the Erie Canal.

• 8 p.m. – Opening Party at Mile 303 Cantina at 416 Main Street. Celebrate the opening of the Medina Triennial with artists, organizers, and the community. RSVP is required here.

Sunday, June 7

• Noon to 6 p.m. – Exhibitions Open

• 12 p.m. – Richard Ibghy & Marilou Lemmens talk and birdwatching at Rotary Park, 507 Main S. Ibghy and Lemmens will lead an artist talk and birdwatching session in collaboration with Iroquois National Wildlife Refuge and the New York State Bluebird Society. Beginning in front of their installation, Community Toolshed for the Birds, the artists will discuss their research into how birds use tools and transmit knowledge across generations, challenging human-centered ideas of intelligence. Afterwards, participants are invited to join the artists and local experts for guided birdwatching in nearby habitats. Binoculars will be provided to participants.

• 2 p.m. – Artist AKI INOMATA and writer Lilia Rocio Taboada will have a conversation at Medina Triennial Hub, 345 Main St., about the artist’s ongoing interest in forms of collaboration across species and environments. The artist’s ongoing project How to Carve a Sculpture, a collaboration with beavers, is on view at the Historic Medina High School.

The “Reflection” piece created by Asad Raza was popular during a preview of the Medina Triennial on Friday. He created a pebbled bottom on the 70-foot-channel that uses water from the Erie Canal. The water will be pumped out and replaced each week.

“There is something intimate and real about walking in flowing water,” Raza said.

Raza, a Buffalo resident, has been in other biennials or triennials in New York City, Cleveland and Pakistan.

He urges local residents to go see all the arts installations and they will discover a deeper appreciation for Medina.

“The Triennial gives people in an area a reason to explore their own community and see it from the eyes of an artist,” he said.

Mary Mattingly greets people who are ready to explore the “Floating Garden.” She repurposed a 30-by-80-foot industrial barge into a vessel with plants, fruit trees, herbs and vegetables. The public is welcome to forage from the plants throughout the summer.

People explore the old barge that Mattingly has repurposed into one filled with plants. Mattingly said she wants people to think about the canal as a potential food way where more fruits and vegetables could be grown for the local community. Some of the plants on the barge were shared by residents of Medina, who dug them out of their yards.

Mattingly started working on site last September and spent three months in Medina. She is one of five artists working on projects in residency as part of the Triennial.

Kari Conte, left, and Karin Laansoo are co-curators of the Medina Triennial, which has a theme, “All That Sustains Us.” They are shown inside the Triennial Hub building, greeting about 50 visitors who attended a preview tour.

Laansoo said she thinks Medina is the first smaller village to host a triennial arts project. The events are typically in large cities.

Medina was picked to host the Triennial of contemporary art partly due to its location between Rochester and Buffalo, and mainly because Medina is viewed as a model community that embraces its historic resources while welcoming offering a vibrant downtown and strong agricultural and manufacturing resources.

Kari Conte and Karin Laansoo welcome the visitors – media members and many arts professionals and partners in the Triennial.

Conte writes in a guidebook about the Triennial that Medina is the perfect place for the initiative.

“The Triennial was an ambitious idea from the start: an international contemporary art triennial in a rural, post-industrial canal village between Buffalo and Rochester, with a population of 6,000, a limited art infrastructure, and no regional precedent at this scale,” Conte writes. “However, Medina offered something more important. It had a historic Main Street with preserved sandstone buildings, a working canal, orchards and farms, and a hundred-year-old, light-filled former high school that seemed built for an exhibition. Above all, it had a community—good neighbors—that had been quietly tending these places for generations.”

Jean Shin, an artist who works out of New York City and the Hudson Valley, has given a new purpose to more than 400 trophies on display in the gymnasium of the old Medina High School. Instead of celebrating athletic achievements, Shin now has the trophies paying homage to everyday professions: caregivers, food service employees, postal carriers, sanitary workers and others whose labor is often unappreciated.

Shin’s trophy collection was first presented in 2009. Her installations use discarded materials – pill bottles, bottle caps, old shoes, worn garments, outdated phones and broken records – which are then used for new material explorations.

Shin is one of about 30 artists with work on display in the old high school.

Selva Aparicio, a native of Spain, created this piece called “Maintenance” that features a sculpture carved from anthracite coal, steel rail fragments and a railway sleeper.

This broom was inspired when Aparicio visited the Medina Railroad Museum and learned about a set of four brooms from more than a century ago that were found between the walls of the museum, a former freight house. The brooms were discarded when they were no longer usable.

Aparicio created the broom out of coal to recognize the workers who used them. The broom is at the railroad museum.

Erica Wanecski of Medina is a tour guide for the Triennial and she showed people the broom on Friday. Wanecski said she has enjoyed meeting many of the artists at the Triennial.

“The people who come up with this kind of art are deep thinkers,” she said. “She was able to use an everyday broom to highlight the labor. The artists are trying to integrate the history of our community. It’s so cool.”

MEDINA – Today is shaping up to be a banner day at the Canal Village Farmers’ Market.

Taking place in its summer home at the corner of West Center and West Avenue, the market today will have several special features, according to market manger Gail Miller.

For the first time, there will be a food demo from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., featuring Chef Caitlin from Shelridge Country Club. She will be making a dish from local seasonal vegetables and fruit. She has previously appeared in “Chopped” on the Food Network on TV.

A new crafter who does watercolor cards will debut at the market, and Greenlief’s on the Go will be on site with a food truck

“We are very excited to have Oakfield Artisanal Cheese at the market for the first time,” Miller said. “It is very nice cheese.”

Another feature will be music by Steve Novak.

“The market will be full,” Miller said.

Summer hours are 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Photos by Tom Rivers

ALBION – Neveya Barnes, an Albion High School senior, reacts after seeing her friend Nisi Beltran Roblero badly injured on a car. It was a scene from a drunk driving simulation this morning outside Albion High School. Albion police officer Chris Glogowski was among many first responders as part of the simulation.

The school district and local first responders wanted to send a message about being safe during prom and the upcoming graduation parties. Albion’s prom is this evening at the White Birch in Lyndonville.

Holley also had a DWI crash simulation this morning.

Aubrey Gannon is led by stretcher to a Mercy Flight EMS ambulance. Albion firefighters used the Jaws of Life to extricate her from the car. Another student, Kaitlynn Basinait, also was put on a stretcher and into an ambulance as part of the simulation.

Ashleigh Stornelli, an Orleans County sheriff’s deputy and the school resource officer at Albion, gave students a simple message: “Have fun and be safe.”

The young drivers were urged to be extra careful with opportunities for late nights and drinking.

The “100 Deadliest Days” is the period between Memorial Day and Labor Day when fatal teen crashes increase dramatically. AAA used that phrase after examining troubling data regarding fatal crashes among teen drivers.

Nationwide, 6,697 people died in teen driver-related summertime crashes over a ten-year period from 2013 to 2022. That is nearly half of the total number of those killed in teen-driver crashes for the entire rest of the year in that span.

The parents of Nisi Beltran Roblero, Eladio and Loyda, are shaken after being told their daughter has been pronounced dead by County Coroner Julie Woodworth. Even though it was role playing, Nisi’s parents said they were overwhelmed by the scene.

Bogan & Tuttle Funeral Home brought a hearse to take Nisi from the scene.

There was also a mock sentencing where Gideon Pask, the driver of the vehicle that caused the accident, was sentenced to state prison, a $5,000 fine, five years of probation, and a one-year revocation of his driver’s license. Once he starts driving again, he’ll have to use an interlock ignition device that tests his BAC.

Pask is led out of the LGI in the high school by Lt. Adam hazel of the Sheriff’s Department. He was sentenced by Albion Town Justice Gary Moore.

Orleans County District Attorney Susan Howard, left, prosecuted Pask for first-degree vehicular manslaughter, aggravated driving while intoxicated and reckless endangerment in the first degree.

She pushed away a call for leniency and probation only for the Pask’s lawyer.

“This is about Nisi and her family,” Howard said. “It’s not about revenge or retribution. It’s about justice.”

Diana Fulcomer, a senior prevention educator for UConnectCare, urged students to watch over each other, especially if they see others engaging in toxic drinking where their lives could be at risk from toxic alcohol poisoning.

She told them about the Red Watch challenge where they can wear a red band to remind them to watch out for one another.

Students were urged to call for help immediately if they see someone who is vomiting from alcohol, or if they don’t respond when shouted at, if they have very slow breathing, can’t stand up, have pale/bluish skin or an irregular/slow pulse.

“Be a band of students and watch over one another, and actually care,” she said.