Photos by Tom Rivers

ALBION – The band, Bad Sign, performs at the Bullard Park amphitheater this afternoon, singing “Born in the Bayou” by Creedence Clearwater Revival.

The band includes lead singer Erika Horning of Batavia, guitarist Erick Horning of Batavia, bass player Clint Worthington of Holley, drummer Joe Maino of Pembroke, and keyboardist Ron Bordinaro of Batavia.

Today is the 11^th Rock the Park or Albion Summer Music Festival. Admission inside the beer tent is $5 for the day of music.

The lineup of performers includes

• 1 p.m.: V3
• 2 p.m.: Bad Sign
• 3 p.m.: Mixed Experience
• 4 p.m.: Who Dats
• 6:30 p.m.: Songbirds, a Fleetwood Mac tribute act
• Closing: Knight Patrol, a cover band that performs the greatest hits from the ’80s

Ron Bordinaro sings “Can’t You See” by the Marshall Tucker Band.

Bad Sign performs on sunny day in Albion. Lead singer Erika Horning is next to guitarist Erick Horning, right, and bass player Clint Worthington, left.

Photos by Tom Rivers

KNOWLESVILLE – Celes Paratore, left, holds the trophy after winning the small animal grand master showman title this morning at the Orleans County 4-H Fair. Bailey Gonzalez, right, is the reserve grand master showman.

The two are both 18 and have been showing animals at the fair since they were 5 and Clover Buds.

The Small Animal Grand Master competition includes the top two showmen in Dog, Rabbit, Poultry and Mini Horse. All master and reserve showman in those four species compete for the Small Animal Grand Master title.

Paratore, a Corfu resident, qualified after winning the poultry and rabbit showmen competitions. Gonzalez, an Albion resident, won the dog showman event.

Paratore was the reserve grand master showman last year, finishing second to her sister, Evelyn. Celes said she has accumulated years of knowledge in showing and learning about many breeds and species of animals. She started as a 4-Her showing a chicken, and then added a rabbit, goats and a cow.

“I like the self confidence it gives you,” she said about showing animals. “It promotes self awareness, whether you win, lose or draw.”

She will be studying teacher education at GCC in the fall. She currently works as a nutrition educator for the Cornell Cooperative Extension in Orleans County. Paratore also will be competing in the large animal grand master showmen competition beginning at 4 p.m. today.

Bailey Gonzalez said she has enjoyed the friendships she’s made through the Orleans County 4-H Heelers Dog Club. She is comfortable showing dogs, rabbits and the mini horses, but showing poultry is a challenge.

“The chickens are squirmy, and they are a lot different with feathers and two legs,” she said.

Gonzalez graduated from Albion a year ago. She works at a kennel in Batavia.

The participants in the small animal grand master competition pose for a photo after the event. From left include Robert Hofmann, 14, of Albion, reserve master showman for dogs; Celes Paratore, 18, of Corfus, small animal grandmaster showman and master for poultry and rabbits; Madelyn Meyer, 12, of Attica, master showman for miniature horses; Bailey Gonzalez, 18, of Albion, the reserve grand master and master showman for dogs; Eveyln Paratore, 14, of Corfu, reserve master showmen for poultry and rabbits; and Alizabeth Murray, 17, of Medina, the miniature horse reserve master showman.

The judges commend the participants for their showmanship skills and knowledge of the animals. Nicole Dabney, wearing hat, is speaking. She is the horse judge. Other judges included Antonia Garcia for dogs, Dave Gerling for poultry and Susie Gerling for rabbits.

Photo courtesy of Danielle Schmidt: Four out of five generations of Beatrice’s Young’s family have been active participants in the Orleans County 4-H Fair.  They gathered here on opening day of the Orleans County 4-H Fair. Front row, from left, are Chantelle Blackburn (4th generation), her daughter Karsyn Blackburn (5th generation), Young (first generation) and Marsha Cook (3rd generation).  In back are 4th generation Hollee Cook and Leigha Kidney, both currently active 4-H members.

KNOWLESVILLE – Beatrice “Bea” Young got a surprise on opening day of the Orleans County 4-H Fair. When she arrived to watch her great-grandchildren show their animals, she learned they were going to take a family picture.

Four generations of Young’s family have been active in 4-H and most were all gathered for the picture. Only the second generation is not represented, as those children all chose to go into scouting, Young said.

Starting with Young, who showed pigs at the fair in the early 1950s, were Chantell Blackburn, Leigha Kidney and Hollee Cook, 4th generation members; Marsha Cook, third generation; and Karsyn Blackburn, 5th generation.

The family’s involvement in 4-H goes back to Young’s youth. She grew up on a farm on County House Road, the former Beatrice Axtell. She had two sisters and a brother Kenneth who was a 4-H leader.

Young and her husband Don had five children and lived on a farm, where they raised a variety of animals. She said 4-H provided a great opportunity for youth to not only learn, but to interact with their friends.

“Kids need a positive way to socialize,” she said.

On Monday morning, Young, 90, drove herself to the fair, expecting to watch the children show their animals.

“Marsha asked me if I wouldn’t like to see what the kids were doing,” Young said.

Cook is a volunteer camping coordinator.

Karsyn showed rabbits, while Hollee showed goats, chickens and rabbits and Leigha showed goats.

Chantelle showed rabbits, chickens, sheep, goats and beef cows.

The youth also had exhibits in the Trolley Building, Cook said.

Not pictured were a 4th generation cousin, Albert and Chantelle’s sister Kendyll, who showed cows, rabbits and goats. She will age out of 4-H this year, Young said.

Photos by Tom Rivers: A crowd gathered in the parking lot by the Education Center to watch a laser light show, which had a patriotic theme for the 250th anniversary of the United States. The laser show replaced fireworks on Friday night.

Daily: Agri-Puppet Farm Truck Strolling the Grounds

All day: Main event amusements $35 unlimited ride wristband with rides open 1 p.m. to 10 p.m. with scheduled closure from 5 to 6 p.m. at Midway

9 to 11 a.m. – 4-H Senior Council Stand breakfast hours  at 4-H Senior Council Stand

8 a.m. – Open Class Llama and Alpaca Show at Livestock Show Arena

9 a.m. – 4-H Gymkhana horse show at Carlos Marcello Arena

10 a.m. – Paid public admission begins at Taylor Hill Road parking lots, buildings open to the public

4-Hers dressed their goats up in costumes for a fun contest on Friday.

10 a.m. – Small Animal Grandmaster Showmanship Competition at Knights Building

10 a.m. – VE testing for ham radio at Education Center

10:30 a.m. – 4-H Fry Stand opens     at Fry Stand

11 a.m. – Public Contest- Register at Event: Paint Wars by the Junior Fair Committee at east end of Swine Barn

11 a.m. – Senior council 4-H food booth hamburgers, hots, and cold drinks at 4-H Senior Council Stand. Proceeds support teen award trips and programs.

11 a.m. – “Iron chef” 4-H youth cooking contest starts at Orleans Hub Stage

12 p.m. – “Iron chef” 4-H youth contest judging at Orleans Hub Stage

12 p.m. to 10 p.m. – Blacksmith demo at Beadle building

Robert Batt, executive director of the Cornell Cooperative Extension in Orleans County, gets drenched with a big bucket of cold water from 4-Hers Helen Schofield, left, and Kaylee Lasher, both of Holley. Batt drew a crowd of people who wanted to see him get wet in the dunk challenge on Friday.

1:30 p.m. – Public Contest- Register at Event: Dunk Bucket by the Junior Fair Committee at Tram Stop, featuring Aeddon Cayea, Community Programs leader for Orleans CCE, from 1:30 to 2 p.m. and then Steve Cooley, Medina fire chief, from 2 to 2:30 p.m.

2 p.m. – Free Entertainment: Agri-Puppets the Farming Singing Puppets! at Cattle Barn Lawn

2:30 p.m. – Free Entertainment: Lew-e the Clown- a show full of Magic and Laughs! at Trolley Lawn

4 p.m. – 4-H leaders’ homemade pie stand opens at Davis building

4 p.m. – Large Animal Grandmaster Showmanship at Livestock Show Arena

4 p.m. – Free Entertainment: Agri-Puppets the Farming Singing Puppets! at Cattle Barn Lawn

Bad Kitty performed rock, blues and country music on Friday night at the fair.

4:30 p.m. – Free Entertainment: Pompeyo’s Ranch- As seen on America’s Got Talent! at Knights Lawn

5 p.m. – Free Entertainment: Lew-e the Clown- a show full of Magic and Laughs! at Trolley Lawn

5 to 6 p.m. – Midway closed for dinner break at Midway

6 p.m. – Free Entertainment: Agri-Puppets the Farming Singing Puppets! at Cattle Barn Lawn

6:30 p.m. – Public Contest- Register at Event Dunk Bucket by the Junior Fair Committee at Tram Stop, featuring Bert Mathes, assistant fair manager, form 6:30 to 7:30 p.m.

Natalia Nauden, 8, of Brockport hit the target and got Kristin McAdoo wet in the dunk challenge. McAdoo, the deputy fire chief for Ridgeway, spent an hour in the cold seat on Friday evening.

6:30 p.m. – Free Entertainment: Pompeyo’s Ranch- As seen on America’s Got Talent! at Knights Lawn

6:30 p.m. – Small fry pedal tractor pull- registration ends 15 minutes before event. Located at JCH of Buffalo Food Court

6:30 p.m. – Bossy Bingo at Livestock Show Arena

7 p.m. – Free Entertainment: Lew-e the Clown- a show full of Magic and Laughs! at Trolley Lawn

7 p.m. – Empire State Wrestling at Orleans Hub Stage

7:30 p.m. – 4-H Herdsmanship, Family Consumer Science, and Royalty Awards at Livestock Arena

There were about 75 classic cars at the fair on Friday for the cruise in.

8 p.m. – Public Contest- Register at Event: Steampunk Costume Contest at JCH of Buffalo Food Court

8 p.m. – Free Entertainment: Agri-Puppets the Farming Singing Puppets! at Cattle Barn Lawn

8:30 p.m. – Free Entertainment: Pompeyo’s Ranch- As seen on America’s Got Talent! at Knights Lawn

9 p.m. – Free Entertainment: Lew-e the Clown- a show full of Magic and Laughs! at Trolley Lawn

10 p.m. – Bale Rolling Contest – teams of 1-2 ages 16 and up at Byron’s Bale Rolling Barnyard. Register at the fair office by 9:20 p.m. Immediately following qualifier, Hay Bale Rolling Contest for winners-only championship round.

10 p.m. Buildings close – goodnight fair        

Some kids enjoy the Flying Elephants midway ride on Friday night at the fair.

Provided photo and information

LYNDONVILLE – The Lyndonville Class of 1986 recently held its 40-year reunion at The Shelridge Country Club.  Members of the class get together formally every five years.

Seated from L to R: Tonia Young, Brian Marek, Nicole Dunham, Tricia Trupo Coffta, Laura Sills Merkl and Debbie Westfall Preston.

Middle row: Maria Quintern, Jacqui Schuner Young, Pamela Whittleton Allen, Julie Stalker Paul, Patti Thomas Hayes, Kimberly Lesher Stawicki and Jennifer D’Alessandro.

Back row: Brian Fisk, David Waldriff, Scott Goetze,  Jeanne Whipple Goetze,  Nicole Fisher Swallen, Randall Alan Cichocki, Robert Eddinger and John Hausler.

Class officers Nicole Fisher Swallen, Scott Goetze, Jeanne Whipple Goetze and Julie Stalker Paul organized the event.

Randall Cichocki gave a toast encouraging everyone’s attendance at the 75-year reunion,  and Laura Sills Merkl presented an updated slide show featuring our more recent lives with family, friends, and with each other on many occasions.

‘I love to see art in unexpected places’ – Selva Aparicio

(Left – Provided photo) Selva Aparicio is the artist behind an exhibit at the Medina Railroad Museum, where she will give a talk at noon Saturday. (Right – photo by Ginny Kropf) Noele Wiedemer, director of the Medina Railroad Museum, looks at a broom carved out of anthracite by artist Selva Aparicio. The exhibit is one of the features of the Medina Triennial and can be seen in a crossing booth on the grounds of the Railroad Museum. 

MEDINA – The Medina Triennial continues into the summer with a special presentation from noon to 1 p.m. Saturday at the Medina Railroad Museum by world-acclaimed interdisciplinary artist Selva Aparico, whose work centers on sculpture and installation.

Her contribution to the Medina Triennial, entitled “Maintenance,” is a broom made of anthracite coal and reclaimed steel rail fragments, an idea conceived after a visit to the Railroad Museum.

An associate professor who teaches sculpture at Alfred University, Aparico has won numerous awards, including the VILCEK Prize for Contemporary Promise in Spain.

She said she was contacted by Triennial co-curators Keri Conte and Karin Laansoo to do a work that would correspond to the Railroad Museum’s collection. She hadn’t visited Medina before, but came here a year ago to visit the museum.

“I was impressed how people helped me with the specific information I requested,” Aparicio said. “I toured the museum and the brooms really fascinated me – how they did the work and the fact they were found in the walls. It was a perfect metaphor for labor and how things that do work were thrown in the walls when they weren’t needed. They were magic treasure waiting to be told.”

With a background in stone carving, Aparacio started looking into anthracite coal and everything necessary to transform brooms into anthracite. She found a company in Bath called Homestead Coal, who agreed to sell her small amounts of anthracite coal.

“Coal is brittle and hard to carve,” the artist said. “When you connect all the pieces and you get up close, you can see the lines from a little lump of coal. This takes you back to times when coal was used to run trains.”

Her work is displayed in a historic crossing booth, resting on a reclaimed rail on the railroad museum grounds.

“It took me seven weeks to complete the carving,” Aparicio said. “I had to polish it as well. It is exciting to see contemporary art in a small town.”

Aparicio first came to America for her undergraduate degree in fine arts in Chicago in 2016. After she finished her degree, she lived in New York City, where she applied for her masters. Back in Chicago, she was hit by a truck while crossing the street, and returned to Spain for surgery. Returning to the U.S. she went to Connecticut, where she got her master’s in sculpture at Yale.

“I love to see art in unexpected places,” Aparicio said. “It is more approachable for anyone to whom galleries seem unapproachable. The Medina Triennial is a really exciting and approachable way to experience contemporary art, and I feel lucky to be a part of it.”

Aparicio added that Medina was a beautiful town and everyone had been kind and helpful to her.

“I love the town and all of Upstate New York,” she said.

Following Aparicio’s talk, visitors can view another Triennial exhibit on the Railroad Museum grounds, “Live Work Session: Faithfully Recording,” by  Lina Lapelyte, as work unfolds by a small team, who gathers to sing while constructing a sculpture from pieces of reclaimed Medina sandstone.

All exhibits in the Medina Triennial are free and open to the public Thursdays through Sundays until Labor Day.

Photos by Tom Rivers: The band Bad Sign closed out the lineup of performers during last year’s festival on Friday night last festival. Bad Sign stepped in at the last second when there was a cancellation. Bad Sign plays blues, rock and southern rock. The band includes lead singer Erika Horning of Batavia, guitarist Erick Horning of Batavia, bass player Clint Worthington of Holley, drummer Joe Maino of Pembroke, and keyboardist Ron Bordinaro of Batavia.

ALBION – There are six bands ready to rock the amphitheater on Saturday for the 11^th annual Albion Summer Music Festival.

The bands play from 1 p.m. until about 11 p.m. There also will be two acoustic acts performing from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.

The festival was originally known as “Rock the Park” and started under a pavilion at Bullard. Organizers wanted to bring music to the park and raise money for upgrades. That goal has been met with Bullard seeing many improvements, including an amphitheater stage, spray park, new bathrooms and pavilion, new basketball courts, a walking trail and disc golf course. A concession stand is currently under construction.

“Everybody loves the improvements,” said Ron Albertson, chairman of the event.

The non-profit organization, Greater Albion Community Recreation and Events, runs the festival.

The music event typically draws about 1,000 people with a $5 entry fee for the beer tent. It’s free to sit outside on the grounds and listen the music.

“The whole idea is to provide an event for the community,” Albertson said. “We want to keep it as inexpensive as possible.”

The band, V3, performed at Bullard Park for the 10th Rock the Park/Summer Music Festival on Aug. 1, 2025. From left in photo include Jesse Neely on bass, lead singer Kole Moore and Alex Fitzak on guitar.

Bullard has become very popular in recent years, hosting a summer concert series on Wednesday evenings and a big July 3^rd celebration, as well as other community events.

The all-day music fest on Saturday will include six food vendors and about 25 arts and crafts vendors.

The featured performers include

• 1 p.m.: V3
• 2 p.m.: Bad Sign
• 3 p.m.: Mixed Experience
• 4 p.m.: Who Dats
• 6:30 p.m.: Songbirds: a Fleetwood Mac tribute act
• Closing: Knight Patrol: a cover band that performs the greatest hits from the ’80s

The Songbirds and Knight Patrol are both new to the Albion Summer Music Festival.

Asher Dix, 9, of Albion wins title with his mother in the top 5

Photos by Tom Rivers

KNOWLESVILLE – Asher Dix (left), 9, of Albion gave a high-energy performance on Thursday night at the karaoke finals, and won first place and a $500 prize. Asher sang “I Want You Back” by the Jackson 5. He had the crowd cheering with his spin moves, exclamation points with his hands, and high-pitched notes.

His mother Brittany Dix (right) sang “Looking Out” by Brandi Carlile and won fourth place and $75. Brittany said her children all enjoy singing. Asher made his karaoke public debut on Monday and embraced the role as a showman.

Gideon Pask of Barre sings “Folsom Prison Blues” by Johnny Cash. Gideon worked the stage and won second place for $250.

Olivia Manfredi (left) of Kendall won fifth place and $50 for her performance of “(If You’re Not in It For Love) I’m Outta Here” by Shania Twain. Manfredi, 31, has been performing in karaoke at the fair since she was a teen-ager, frequently placing in the top 5.

Tiana Mortensen, right, of Medina sings “Lose Control” by Teddy Swims. Mortensen, 33, works as the manager of the Dunkin’ Donuts in Medina. She said she hadn’t sung publicly for years until this week’s fair.

“It was a lot of fun,” she said about karaoke and seeing the audience’s enthusiastic reaction to her singing.

The competition is a popular event each night from the fair from Monday through Thursday. The top singers the first three nights advance to Thursday’s championship. Brad London serves as the deejay for the event.

Neil Samborski wore face paint while singing, “Monster Mash.” He was among 18 singers who advanced to Thursday nights finale.

Abby Pratt of Middleport sings “I’d Rather Be Me” from Mean Girls The Musical.

Madelyn Elliott (left) of Medina performs “Wide Open Spaces” by the Dixie Chicks. Colette Ruest sings “Party in the USA” by Miley Cyrus.

Phoebe Allen sings “At Last” by Etta James.

Frank “Boomer” Buell of Medina enjoyed interacting with the crowd while he performed “Slide” by the Goo Goo Dolls of Buffalo. Buell said he is from the Black Rock neighborhood of Buffalo and has long been a Goo Goo Dolls fan.

Photos by Tom Rivers

KNOWLESVILLE – The Orleans County 4-H Fair has added new events and challenges, and a race among inflatable costumed characters proved a big hit on Thursday night.

There were 17 characters in the first race with adults and older teens.

Rachel Livingston of Albion, who was dressed as a French Bulldog, was the first to dash across the horse arena.

The youth division was won by Isabella Tompkins, 6, of Olcott who wore an axolotl costume. Three adults joined her so she wasn’t by herself. One of those was her grandmother, Michelle Tompkins of Lockport, a former Medina resident. She raced as dairy cow.

Michelle Tompkins was speedy in the inflatable cow costume.

The participants make their way to the west side of the horse arena. They all brought their own costumes, and there was quite a variety of characters.

Peggy-Jo Gabalski lines up the characters and urges they to spread out by arm’s length.

These characters enjoy some pre-race banter before their sprint. There were people lined up around the fence at the horse arena.

Photos by Tom Rivers: A group of 17 inflatable costumed characters take off in the horse arena in a race that was won by Rachel Livingston of Albion, who was dressed as a French Bulldog. ‘I just ran as a fast as I could,” said Livingston, 31. She won 25 fair bucks.

8 a.m. – 4-H Ranch and Western Rail Horse Show at Carlos Marcello Arena

9 a.m. – Ag Olympics-4-H Members at east end of Swine Barn

9 to 11 a.m. – 4-H Senior Council Stand Breakfast Hours at 4-H Senior Council Stand

10 a.m. – 4-H Dog Show Agility and Fun Classes at Dog Show Tent

10:30 a.m. – 4-H Fry Stand Opens at Fry Stand

11 a.m. – Senior Council 4-H Food Booth Hamburgers, Hots, and Cold Drinks at 4-H Senior Council Stand. Proceeds support teen award trips and programs.

12 p.m. – Paid public admission begins at Taylor Hill Road Parking Lots. Buildings open to the public

These three sportsmen are in the log cabin at the fairgrounds. The log cabin is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year. It is a project of the Orleans County Federation of Sportsmen’s Clubs. From left include Jeff Atwell, Mike Elam and Chris Rice. They are shown next to Stella the Sturgeon, a fiberglass model of a 100-pound sturgeon. Elam said the sturgeon are making a comeback and he believes there are some again in Orleans County. The mounts of the Chinook salmon include a 35-pounder that Elam caught in September 1987 to win the Niagara County Derby and a 46-pound, 4-ounce Chinook caught in the Oak orchard Creek in October 1984. Elam said at the time it was the third largest Chinook caught in New York State.

12 p.m. to 10 p.m. – Blacksmith Demo at Beadle Building

1 p.m. – 4-H Cake Decorating Contest (for rules contact office) at Orleans Hub Stage

1:30 to 2:15 p.m. – Public Contest – Register at Event: Dunk Bucket by the Junior Fair Committee featuring Tom Rivers, editor of the Orleans Hub, and from 2:15 to 2:30 will feature Robertt Batt, executive director of the Cornell Cooperative Extension of Orleans County. Located at Tram Stop by the bathrooms.

2 p.m. – Goat Obstacle, costume, and other fun classes at Knights Indoor Arena

2 p.m. – Sheep Obstacle, costume, and other fun classes at Livestock Show Arena

3 to 10 p.m. – Main Event Amusements $35 Unlimited Ride Wristband at Midway

4 p.m. – Free Entertainment: Agri-Puppets the Farming Singing Puppets! at Cattle Barn Lawn

4 p.m. – Royalty questionnaires due at Fair Office

Darren Roberts was 2 for 2 in hitting the target and getting Craig Basinait wet with a dunk bucket on Thursday evening.

4 p.m. – 4-H Leaders’ homemade pie stand opens

4:30 p.m. – Free Entertainment: Pompeyo’s Ranch- As seen on America’s Got Talent! at Knights Lawn

5 p.m. – Free Entertainment: Lew-e the Clown- a show full of Magic and Laughs! at Trolley Lawn

5:30 p.m. – Market Auction Preview at Livestock Areas

5:30 to 8 p.m. – Cruisin’ in Medina @ the fair. Classic and show car cruise in at Education Center Parking Lot. Enter off Wood Road.

6 p.m. – Public Contest- Register at Event: Pickle Eating Contest at JCH of Buffalo Food Court

Craig Basinait, a Fair Board member, was a popular draw in the dunk bucket challenge. His wife Dawn eagerly solicited participants to pay $1 a ball in the fundraiser for the Junior Fair Committee.

6 p.m. – 4-H Market Auction at Livestock Areas

6 p.m. – Free Entertainment: Agri-Puppets the Farming Singing Puppets! at Cattle Barn Lawn

6:30 p.m. – Free Entertainment: Pompeyo’s Ranch- As seen on America’s Got Talent! at Knights Lawn

6:30 to 7:30 p.m. – Dunk Tank by the Junior Fair Committee featuring Kristin McAdoo, deputy fire chief of Ridgeway Volunteer Fire Company.

6:30 p.m. – Small fry pedal tractor pull- registration ends 15 minutes before event starts at JCH of Buffalo Food Court

7 to 10 p.m. – Live music with Bad Kitty at Orleans Hub Stage

7 p.m. – Free Entertainment: Lew-e the Clown- a show full of Magic and Laughs! at Trolley Lawn

Grace Masterson, 4, and her brother Luke, 5, of Fairport head down the giant slide at the Midway. They are the children of the former Chrissy Keeler of Albion.

7:30 p.m. – Public Contest- Register at Event: Stick Pony Rodeo at Knights Building

8 p.m. – Free Entertainment: Agri-Puppets the Farming Singing Puppets! at Cattle Barn Lawn

8:30 p.m. – Free Entertainment: Pompeyo’s Ranch- As seen on America’s Got Talent! at Knights Lawn

9 p.m. – Free Entertainment: Lew-e the Clown- a show full of Magic and Laughs! at Trolley Lawn

10 p.m. – Laser Light Show! at Education Center Parking Lot

10 p.m. – Building close-goodnight fair

10:15 p.m. – Hay bale rolling contest – teams of 1-2 ages 16 and up. Register at the fair office by 9:50 p.m. Located at Byron’s Bale Rolling Barnyard

Austin Seefeldt and Brennan Allen team to move an 800-pound hay bale through an obstacle course on Thursday night. They completed the challenge in 2 minutes and advanced to Saturday night’s championship.

County accepts $1.5 million electrical bid for project after $4.8 million in bids approved in April

File photo by Tom Rivers: The current emergency management office was built as an early 1960s bomb shelter. It has a leaking roof and a shortage of space.

ALBION – The Orleans County Legislature has accepted a $1.5 million electrical bid, the last piece for a new Emergency Management Office.

The Legislature on April 28 accepted three bids for nearly $5 million for the project: $3,931,000 for general construction by the Watson Construction Group Inc. of Albion; $360,000 for plumbing/fire protection by McGrain Mechanical of Rochester; and $547,500 to McGrain Mechanical of Rochester for HVAC.

An electrical bid was approved on Tuesday for $1,525,000 from the Watson Construction Group Inc. of Albion.

That puts the total construction expense at $6,363,500.

The new building will be one-story and 7,700 square feet. It was downsized from a proposal for a 17,000-square-foot building. Initially county officials sought a new building that was 11,000 square feet for offices and classrooms, and another 5,600 square feet for equipment storage. That complex would have topped $12 million.

The county has been awarded a $2 million federal grant secured by U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand and Congresswoman Claudia Tenney.

The new building will be west of the current structure that is about 3,000 square feet. Most of the current EMO building is underground and is prone to flooding after heavy rains. It isn’t handicapped accessible and is tight on space. County officials eventually want to have that building demolished but that isn’t part of the construction bids.

The new building will include offices for the EMO’s three full-time staff, a classroom for training for firefighters and other first responders, and space to have the backup 911 dispatch system.