By Mike Wertman, Sports Writer Posted 15 October 2025 at 10:01 am
Photo by Cheryl Wertman – Kolton Fletcher and his Medina teammates will host Cleveland Hill in an important C North Division game at 7 p.m. Friday at Vets Park.
Battling to stay in the chase for a sectional playoff berth, Medina faces a must win game Friday as the Mustangs close out the C North Division campaign by hosting Cleveland Hill at 7 p.m. at Vets Park.
Medina is currently locked in a five-way battle for four sectional playoff spots.
Frontrunning Barker/Roy-Hart currently leads the way at 4-0 with Akron at 4-1, Eden at 3-1 followed by Maritime and Medina both at 3-2.
Barker/Roy-Hart has two C North games remaining home against Alden on Friday and at Maritime in the regular season finale on October 25. Eden also has two division games remaining against Tonawanda on Thursday and at Alden on Oct. 24. Medina, Maritime and Akron each have just one game remaining. Akron hosts JFK Friday.
Quarterback Preston Woodworth, who has passed for 994 yards and 12 touchdowns, leads the Medina offense. Kolton Fletcher, who has 23 receptions for 434 yards and 5 touchdowns, leads the Mustangs receiving corps while Christian Moss, who has rushed for 885 yards and 11 touchdowns, leads the ground attack.
Medina will close out the regular season by hosting Batavia in a non league game on Oct. 24.
C North Standings: Barker/Roy-Hart 4-0, 5-1; Akron 4-1, 4-2; Eden 3-1, 5-1, Maritime 3-2, 4-2; Medina 3-2, 4-2; JFK 1-3, 2-4; Alden 1-3, 2-4; Cleve Hill 1-3, 1-5; Tonawanda 0-5, 0-6.
Albion hosts East Aurora Thursday
Albion will kickoff the week’s football action as the Purple Eagles host East Aurora in a B2 Division contest.
The Purple Eagles will be looking to snap a season long six game losing streak while the Blue Devils are 1-4 in the division and 1-5 overall.
Holley visits St. Mary’s Saturday
Holley will visit St. Mary’s of Lancaster at 2 p.m. Saturday. The Hawks are 0-5 after having to forfeit last weekend’s scheduled game against Attica due to some player suspensions.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 15 October 2025 at 9:27 am
Landmark Society official touts preservation for community identity, economic benefit
Photos by Tom Rivers: Winners of Preservation Awards from the Cobblestone Society & Museum include, front row, from left: Andrew Meier, Donald & Linda Prince, Cynthia Waters (regent for the DAR in Orleans County), and Sue Beamer. Back row: Rosalind Starkweather, Susan Starkweather Miller, Doug Miller, John and Melissa Gailie, and Henry Beamer.
LYNDONVILLE – The Cobblestone Society and Museum honored six local preservation winners for their many years of effort to maintain and safeguard important buildings in the community.
The Society and Museum welcomed just over 100 people on Friday for the annual preservation awards dinner at the White Birch Golf Course in Lyndonville.
The group also heard from Megan Hillyard, director of preservation service for the Landmark Society of WNY. She presented the keynote address on how preservation is important to community identity and pride, and also pays off with economic benefits through tourism and other initiatives.
This year’s nominees are:
Joseph Hart home of Rosalind Starkweather, and Dougl Miller and Susan Starkweather Miller at 323 S. Main St., Albion.
The Joseph Hart house was constructed between 1820-23 in the federal style. It was built to replace a log cabin which Joseph Hart erected in 1811/12 as an early settler. The home is situated on its third site, still on land purchased by Joseph Hart in 1811 from the Holland Land Company. This parcel was originally part of the town of Barre.
In 1921, the home was moved to its third and current location at 323 South Main St. The Joseph Hart home has been in the Starkweather family since June 1974, when it was purchased by Sue’s parents, Duane and Rosalind Starkweather.
Highlights of the home include a five-inch key to the original lock possessed by the family; wide board floors in the foyer, dining room and living room; an open, U-shaped staircase with landing and an additional staircase leading downstairs to the crescent-shaped breakfast nook in the back of the house; and glass-enclosed sunporch with a fieldstone floor and a floor-to-ceiling fireplace.
Roz Starkweather accepts citations for her home during a preservation awards banquet on Saturday. Her family has been caretakers of the house for the past 51 years. At right is Barry Flansburg, representing Assemblyman Steve Hawley. Hawley and the County Legislature presented commendations.
The Ebenezer Rogers house at 352 South Main St., Albion, which is the home of John and Melissa Gailie.
John and Melissa Gailie’s Ebenezer Rogers’ house is located at the southern edge of Albion and is the oldest house in the town. Building began in 1816 and was completed in 1820 for Ebenezer Rogers, who helped start the Barre Center Presbyterian Church as well as the First Presbyterian Church in Albion.
Rogers’ house is appealing through the beautiful brickwork, the welcoming front entrance and front door with its fanlight window, which opens to its original stairway and entry.
At each side of the hall and throughout the downstairs, Bible and cross double doors are unpainted originals, revealing the mellow color of the wood and Rogers’ love for his Christianity. In the living room, the early date of the house is displayed in the fireplace mantel and window trim. The delicately-scaled mantel has paired, reeded and columnettes which flank the firebox. The kitchen was remodeled in 2018, and still has the original fireplace and mantel to keep the historic feel of the house.
Melissa and John Gailie accept a preservation award on Friday from the Cobblestone Society and Museum.
The Orleans Chapter DAR house at 249 North Main St., Albion, was built circa 1845. Sitting on a spacious shaded lawn, the stately red brick Patriots House served as a residence for the Lee, Tousley and Church families until 1929.
At that time, it was purchased by Emma Reed Webster for the Orleans Chapter Daughters of the American Revolution. The Orleans Daughters are proud caretakers of the Greek Revival building that serves as their chapter house and has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Of note in the front hall are the hand-carved newel post and landing, supported by four Doric columns, a most unusual feature.
Cynthia Waters, regent for the DAR in Orleans County, accepts the preservation award on behalf of the organization.
Andrew Meier, a Medina native and local attorney, has long admired the Robert H. Newell building at 113 West Center St. Established in 1876 by Elizur Kirke Hart, a banker and U.S. Congressman from Albion, for 86 years, it was home to the Robert H. Newell Shirt Factory, which manufactured custom-made shirts, including many for famous customers, including Winston Churchill and Bob Hope.
The Newell company left the historic building in 2004 and moved to Maple Ridge Road. The business eventually closed in 2007. The village of Medina acquired the building after years of unpaid taxes. The three-story site had been neglected and was in disrepair. It was put up for sale in 2005 and Meier bought it. He was 25 at the time.
He set about the task of methodically renovating and preserving the 14,000 square-foot building, a site that was a hotel for its first 14 years before it became the Newell Building.
Meier has turned the site into commercial space for businesses on the first floor, and upper floors for boutique hotel rooms and a law office.
The oldest portion of home of Donald and Linda Prince was built of wood in 1825. A brick addition was added in 1850 to the house at 14050 State Route 31, Albion. This large house now has more than 5,000 square feet of space. Some of the early residents to call this home include the Hatch family, and later the Ricci and Perrizini families. Don and Linda acquired the home in 1986.
Hank and Sue Beamer are the third family to reside in the Shelp-Beamer House since its construction in 1836 at 10181 West Shelby Rd., Town of Shelby. The Beamers purchased the property in 1985.
This house is located just east of the Niagara-Orleans County line, near Dewey Road. It was built of field and lake-washed cobbles for John Shelp, and is one of six cobblestone structures in the town of Shelby, sitting on 145 acres.
It was built for Shelp, his wife Mary and her father Oliver Cone, a veteran of the Revolutionary War. In 2008, the house, two barns and a milk house on the grounds were listed on the National Register of Historic Places. This three-story house is considered one of the finest examples of cobblestone masonry in Western New York.
About 100 people attended the preservation awards banquet at the White Birch.
Cobblestone Museum director Doug Farley provided an update on a new visitors center at the museum. Farley said construction could start in late October or November on the project which includes a new structure with a 99-person meeting space next to the historic brick house at the corner of routes 98 and 31. The brick house will also receive restoration work.
A garage at the brick house will be removed and an accessibility center added with restrooms.
Brenda Tremblay, an Albion native and classical morning host and producer at WXXI in Rochester, served as emcee.
She said many retirees from outside the area are choosing WNY small towns for retirement, and the historic feel of the communities is a big part of the draw.
Tremblay highlighted “the sheer grit it took to develop Orleans County. These cobblestone houses are such treasures.”
Megan Hillyard of the Landmark Society served as keynote speaker and touted the benefits of historic preservation.
Communities can identify their historic assets through a survey. The Landmark Society is doing that with a barn inventory in Victor and also the Genesee Valley towns of Perry, Mount Morris and Nunda as part of an effort to preserve farm land and agricultural resources in those communities, Hillyard said.
A historic resource survey can be the first step in getting a property or group of sites on the National Register of Historic Places. That can then lead to historic tax credits for projects to preserve and restore the sites, Hillyard said.
She also discussed the benefits of historical markers in bringing awareness to important sites in the community, and helping to develop an identity for the community and promote heritage tourism.
She highlighted organizations that have spearheaded preservation, including the Cobblestone Society that formed in 1960 to protect the Cobblestone Universalist Church and a cobblestone school on Route 104. The Cobblestone Society acquired many other properties and built a museum of many important artifacts from Orleans County.
ALBION – Citizens’ Climate Lobby will host a 6 p.m. meeting in Albion on Wednesday, Nov. 5, at Hoag Library in Albion.
The meeting is open to the public. Attendees will discuss how they feel about climate change.
We will discuss climate change, causes and effects of climate change, actions people can take to address climate change by advancing our policy agenda in the Congress and personal actions, too.
We welcome anyone who is serious about solving climate change as a volunteer. We work with members of Congress across the political spectrum to find common ground on climate change action. For more information contact robertdotjohnson@rochester.rr.com.
Citizens’ Climate Lobby is a national nonprofit organization with local chapters across the country. The group has been the primary catalyst for the energy Innovation and Carbon Dividend Act. To learn more about our work, visit citizensclimatelobby.org.
ALBION – Orleans County Legislature Chairman Lynne Johnson today announced the county has launched E-Notify, a way for county residents to be notified when new information in certain areas of county government is uploaded to the county website.
Residents need to sign up for the free service and can opt to receive the notification via email, text or both.
“We are continually looking for ways to make county government more accessible to our residents and we believe using E-Notify to proactively release information to those who wish to be alerted will greatly enhance our outreach efforts,” said Johnson. “So if you are interested in new county job postings or when DPW lists a new bid opportunity or want our latest press releases, you can choose those options.”
Right now, E-Notify offers seven different areas of county government where a person can receive notifications and Johnson said the county is looking to add others based on the areas of the website that seem to garner the most interest. These areas include emergency alerts, elections information, DPW bids and results and job postings among others.
By Mike Wertman, Sports Writer Posted 14 October 2025 at 9:20 pm
Photos by Cheryl Wertman – Kendall’s Brandon Barrett, who had a goal and an assist, sends the ball up field against CG Finney’s Zachery Miller during the Eagles overtime win this evening.
Completing a perfect 16-0 regular season in thrilling fashion, Kendall nipped visiting CG Finney 2-1 in overtime in a non league boys soccer game this evening.
Trailing 1-0, Kendall rallied to tie the game midway through the second half on a goal by Brandon Barrett.
The Eagles then claimed the victory on a goal by Tyler McCue early in the first overtime period off an assist from Barrett.
Kendall will now be the No. 1 seed for the upcoming Section V Class C2 playoffs. The Eagles captured the Section V C2 championship last fall.
Over the past two regular seasons the Eagles have now compiled a record of 30-1-1.
Kendall’s Brenden Eichas works to keep the ball away from the CG Finney duo of Zachery Miller and Jacob Derose.
Volleyball
Batavia downed Albion 24-15, 25-8, 25-27, 25-18 and Williamsville East bested Roy-Hart 25-17, 25-10, 25-16 in non league volleyball matches this evening.
Jillian LeBaron had 7 aces, 4 kills and 27 digs, Alivia Dumrese 5 kills and Madison Muckle 28 digs for Albion.
Grace Pearl had 9 kills and Kylie McOmber and Raegan Kern 4 each for Roy-Hart.
Photo courtesy of Robert Batt: The Trolley Building at the Orleans County 4-H Fairgrounds will get a big upgrade through a grant from the Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. Foundation.
Press Release, Orleans County Cornell Cooperative Extension
KNOWLESVILLE – Orleans County Cornell Cooperative Extension is pleased to announce it has received a $250,000 grant from the Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. Foundation to fund significant improvements to the Trolley Building at the Orleans County 4-H Fairgrounds and launch a new community collaboration program aimed at strengthening connections across the county.
The Trolley Building, a key four-season facility on the fairgrounds originally constructed in 1966, will undergo essential upgrades, including comprehensive bathroom renovations, furnace improvements, and the replacement of existing flooring.
In tandem with the physical upgrades, the grant will facilitate a new community collaboration project centered around a “Collaboration Café.” This initiative will feature monthly speakers addressing topics relevant to county needs, enhancing and adding to already existing vital platforms for local non-profit organizations to network, learn, and discuss ideas.
The goal is to foster further teamwork and advance innovative solutions stemming from these presentations and discussions.
“We are incredibly grateful to the Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. Foundation for this generous support,” said Robert Batt, executive director of Orleans CCE. “These improvements will not only modernize a cherished community asset but also provide a crucial gathering space for non-profits to work together more effectively for the public good of Orleans County.”
To further support local community efforts, Orleans County non-profits actively involved in county-wide networking efforts (such as the Capacity Café, Human Service Council, or monthly non-profit Hub call) will be granted no-cost use of the Trolley Building and the Education Center through 2029 for meetings, classes, and other events that serve the public good. Eligible organizations must meet standard contract and insurance requirements.
This opportunity allows CCE Orleans to further commitment to creating a stronger and healthier community through learning initiatives that build skills in everything from nutrition to farming & gardening to youth development to digital literacy.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 14 October 2025 at 4:02 pm
Photos by Tom Rivers
WATERPORT – An angler uses a net to help a friend bring in a Chinook salmon this morning at the Oak Orchard River.
The fish was caught by St. Mary’s Archers Club, which lets people park for $10 and gives them access to the river.
The club opens its gate at 5 a.m. every morning for about a month up until Veterans’ Day on Nov. 11. The Archers Club has coffee, doughnuts and bagels ready in the morning, and then serves hamburgers and hot dogs for lunch.
This man is happy to have landed a Chinook salmon. He released it back into the Oak Orchard.
Fishing is the county’s top tourism attraction, generating about $28 million in economic activity in Orleans, according to a report from the state DEC based on 2017 data.
There have been visiting anglers so far from Hawaii, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Massachusetts, Vermont, New Jersey, Virginia and Michigan. They make the trek for the chance to catch a big brown trout of Chinook salmon.
David Mangold of Cumberland, Maryland holds a small brown trout he caught. He let the fish go. He caught a Chinook salmon, too.
Mangold has been coming to the Oak Orchard the second week of October the past 10 years.
“It’s always a good time,” he said.
Howard Palmer, a member of the Archers Club, is up by 4 a.m. every day to go open the gate at the Archers Club, get the coffee pot brewing and to start a fire.
He has been on early morning duty the past five years or so and he said he’s never missed a day or been late.
Some of the fishermen are ready at 5. They like to claim their spot in the river. They can’t start fishing legally until a half hour before sunrise, or about 6:45 a.m.
Palmer, 80, said the Archers Club can accommodate about 80 parked vehicles. The fishermen like to be spread out. They say it’s not nearly as crowded or hectic as the salmon River up in Pulaski and Altmar.
“I’ve never met a bad fisherman,” Palmer said. “They’re interesting people.”
Tom O’Hearn, president of the Archers Club, cooks hot dogs and hamburgers today. He has a great view of the river from the grill.
O’Hearn has been the club’s president the past 10 years. The parking fees and revenue from breakfast and lunch help maintain the property. The Archers Club has upgraded the cooking area in recent years and extended the pavilion.
The anglers enjoy the great outdoors. It’s an ideal time to be out with colorful fall foliage and the changing of the seasons.
By Mike Wertman, Sports Writer Posted 14 October 2025 at 12:27 pm
Contributed Photos – This trio of local student/athletes are playing collegiate football this season. Medina graduate Joe Cecchini, left, is a senior defensive lineman at SUNY Maritime. Albion grad Amari Jones is a junior safety at Edinboro University. He has 35 tackles, 1 interception and 1 forced fumble so far this season. Roy-Hart grad Jackson West, right, is a freshman fullback at SUNY Brockport.
By Ginny Kropf, correspondent Posted 14 October 2025 at 12:26 pm
Photos courtesy of Scott Robinson: Tables are all set up at White Birch Golf Course in Lyndonville for last year’s Treasure Island fundraiser by Orleans Community Health Foundation. This year’s event is scheduled Nov. 8.
LYNDONVILLE – Plans are well underway for the 31st annual Treasure Island fundraiser sponsored by Orleans Community Health Foundation.
The event, scheduled Nov. 8 at White Birch Golf Course, benefits Orleans Community Health, and promises to be an evening filled with excitement, prizes and celebration – all in support of local health services, said Scott Robinson, director of marketing.
This year’s gala will honor several Orleans Community Health Primary Care Team members as honorary chairs. They are Vinay Aggarwal, M.D.; Syed Raza, M.D.; Leah Brenner, CPNP; Pamela Eaton, A-NP; Elizabeth Gurnsey, FNP; Cheryl Kast, PA-C; Stephanie Murphy, FNP-C; and Michelle Smith, FNP-BC.
Baskets including this one with lottery tickets are already being donated for this year’s Treasure Island.
These exceptional providers represent the heart of healthcare in Orleans County – delivering quality, compassionate care and keeping patients close to home, Robinson said.
Guests will enjoy a buffet dinner, open bar, raffles, entertainment and live and silent auctions featuring more than 100 incredible items, according to Robinson. This year’s auction lineup includes a weeklong stay in Myrtle Beach, a four-day trip to Cape Cod, Buffalo Bills tickets and countless gift certificates, experiences and local treasures.
And that’s not all. This year’s Treasure Island is brimming with exciting chances to win: a Pirate’s Pillage Raffle in which the winner gets to choose any item from the live auction lineup; Lucky Cork, in which just $20 allows the guest to pick a random cork to reveal a surprise bottle of wine or liquor (no one goes home empty handed); and a Reserve Raffle in which the guest has a shot at winning $500 in cash.
“We’re excited to invite the community back for another unforgettable Treasure Island,” said Megan Johnson, executive director of Orleans Community Health Foundation. “It’s a night of fun, laughter and generosity – all in the spirit of supporting essential, local health services. Every ticket purchased and every auction bid helps us continue providing quality care close to home for our patients, families and community.”
This year’s event is presented by Seaway Insurance Associates, with additional support from generous local sponsors, donors and volunteers, who make this tradition possible, Johnson said.
“Join us for an evening of adventure, community and giving – and help support the future of health services in Orleans County,” Johnson urged.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 14 October 2025 at 8:42 am
Photos by Tom Rivers
HOLLEY – A house at 21 Orchard St. was badly damaged by fire on Monday evening in Holley, with even extensive damage when the fire rekindled around 5 a.m. today.
Firefighters are shown at the scene around 7:30 this morning.
Four people who live at the house were able to safely get out on Monday evening, but one person was taken by Mercy Flight EMS to a hospital as a precaution for smoke inhalation.
The fire started in the bedroom in the northeast corner, said Rick Cary, fire chief for the Murray Joint Fire District.
The fire rekindled likely from heat trapped in insulation in the attic, Cary said. Neighbors said there were flames shooting from the roof after the fire rekindled.
Cary said firefighters left the scene at 11 p.m. only to return at 5 a.m. Murray firefighters also responded to two EMS calls, one at midnight and another around 2 a.m.
Jerry Bentley, a deputy coordinator for the Orleans County Emergency Management Office, climbs up a ladder to see the damage at the house.
Fire investigators with the county are trying to determine the cause of the fire.
Murray firefighters were assisted at the scene this morning by Clarendon, Brockport, Barre, Kendall, Hamlin, Shelby and Ridgeway.
By Mike Wertman, Sports Writer Posted 13 October 2025 at 9:22 pm
Photos by Cheryl Wertman – Holley goalie Dylan Warner goes high to try to tip the ball away but Byron-Bergen/Elba’s Cody Carlson header scored the first goal of this evening’s game at Holley won by the visiting Bees.
Byron-Bergen/Elba trimmed host Holley 2-1 in the Genesee Region League boys soccer season finale this evening.
Cody Carlson and Collin Rae each scored a goal for the Bees which finish the G-R season at 10-2.
Logan Gillespie scored the Hawks goal off an assist from Cooper Wolf.
Holley winds up the G-R campaign at 7-5.
Girls Soccer Keshequa 3, Holley 2
Keshwqua downed visiting Holley 3-2 in a non league contest.
Carsyn Mogle and Brynn Thomas each had a goal and Jayna Burris an assist for Holley which is now 8-6-1.
Holley’s Cam Mosier goes up with Byron-Bergen/Elba’s Mason Farner for a header as Erron Kimble moves in for the Bees.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 13 October 2025 at 4:30 pm
Photos courtesy of Tim Archer
ALBION – A group of Albion Middle School enrichment students recently joined Craig Lane, the Orleans County DPW Commissioner, at the cemetery for the Orleans County Alms House.
Lane is also a member of the Holley Rotary Club which donated a new flag pole for the cemetery. The Alms House was a place for the poor, indigent and infirmed from 1833 to 1960. It is located at 14064 W. County House Rd., behind the Emergency Management buildings.
The cemetery contains the graves of about 250 people, and many of the sites are marked by simple numbers or have no marker at all. The site was reclaimed and restored beginning in 2010 through projects led by Albion Middle School students and the county.
Lane is shown with student Elizabeth Colmenaro, Oliver Beyrle, Elliot Pettit, Colton Moreland and Maelynn Taylor.
The DPW installed the new flag pole which replaced one that was worn, said Tim Archer, who assists with the enrichment program and spearheaded several of the projects at the Alms House Cemetery.
Students look over some of the gravesites at the cemetery which is visible from Route 31A near Keeler Construction.
Archer was working as a service learning teacher at Albion in 2010 when his seventh-grade students became interested in the site. Bill Lattin, the county historian at the time, was speaking in Archer’s class about how there used to be the Alms or “Poor House” on County House Road from 1833 to 1960. The Alms House closed in 1960 when the county nursing home opened on Route 31 in Albion.
The Alms House was torn down and now the site is the Orleans County Emergency Management Office with a fire training tower.
Maelynn Taylor and Elizabeth Colmenaro visit the gravesite for Daniel Walterhouse, a Civil War soldier buried at the cemetery.
Walterhouse lived at the Orleans County Alms House or Poor House for about 15 years until his death in 1910.
The new headstone was unveiled during a ceremony at the cemetery on May 18, 2025. Two Albion eight-graders – Kendall Peruzzini and Mary McCormick – secured the 230-pound Civil War era headstone from the Veterans Affairs office in Washington, DC. The stone was installed by the DPW.
