By Mike Wertman, Sports Writer Posted 13 October 2025 at 11:47 am
Contributed Photos – Cole Callard
At the halfway point of the season Medina High graduate Cole Callard has been near perfect in the kicking department for the SUNY Cortland football team.
In the Red Dragons first five games Callard has been 23 of 23 in extra point kicks and 4 of 5 in field goals with the longest being 37 yards.
His efforts have included an 8 for 8 in extra points and a field goal in Cortland’s win over Hartwick which earned him Empire 8 Conference Special Teams Player of the Week honors.
He was also 6 for 6 and booted a pair of field goals in the Red Dragons win over Morrisville.
Cortland is currently 3-0 in the Empire 8 Conference and 4-1 overall.
Callard, who is a freshman, is majoring in Sport Management.
During his scholastic days at Medina Callard was a four year starter on the varsity football team and holds Mustangs career records for most field goals (11) and most extra point kicks (130). His longest field goal was a school record 47 yarder.
An All State place kicker, he was also a four year varsity player for the Mustangs in soccer, basketball and lacrosse.
Contributed Story Posted 13 October 2025 at 11:42 am
The Purple Eagles Wrestling Academy will be hosting an open house this Friday from 6 to 8 p.m. The Academy is located at 13939 NY-31 (the old Apollo restaurant).
Anyone is welcome to come, check out the wrestling Academy, ask questions, and register for our upcoming season. said Academy organizer Michael SAnders.
The Academy has beginner, intermediate, and advanced level classes for wrestlers from ages 4-18.
Anyone interested can also email us at PurpleEagleWA@gmail.com for further information.
The statement “youth have seen enough tobacco” is the slogan for Seen Enough Tobacco Day, an annual day of action held on October 13 in New York and led by youth members of Reality Check.
It highlights the billions of dollars the tobacco industry spends on marketing, which studies show increases the likelihood of young people starting to use tobacco products.
Despite federal regulations on tobacco advertising and sales to people under 21, the tobacco industry continues to use sophisticated and targeted marketing tactics to attract young people.
One deceitful tactic involves using appealing flavors in their products, including e-cigarettes and nicotine pouches, to attract new, young users. The vast majority of underage e-cigarette users report using flavored products. You can’t miss the huge window ads and counter displays in convenience stores in our area, bombarding young people who shop there with an ever-increasing number of enticing flavored tobacco products.
The tobacco industry also heavily promotes e-cigarettes and nicotine pouches on social media platforms like TikTok and Instagram, where age restrictions aren’t closely monitored. Studies show frequent social media use is linked to a higher risk of youth starting to use tobacco products.
In stores, tobacco products are often placed in highly visible areas, like near candy displays, or promoted with price discounts that appeal to younger people. The industry uses bright, colorful imagery on packaging and has historically used branded promotional materials and sponsorships of social events to appeal to youth.
The Seen Enough Tobacco movement is part of broader anti-tobacco efforts that have been successful in reducing cigarette smoking among youth. However, the rise of new products like e-cigarettes and nicotine pouches presents a new challenge. Join the voices who have seen enough tobacco marketing and are saying something about it – on October 13 and beyond.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 13 October 2025 at 11:00 am
ALBION – Briana Jepson sent in these photos Saturday of a bald eagle in a cornfield along Route 31 in Albion. The bald eagle is feasting on a dead animal.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 13 October 2025 at 10:37 am
Gas prices decreased an average of 5 cents per gallon of regular unleaded nationally in the past week, and are down an average of 2 cents per gallons state-wide, according to AAA.
The national average price for a gallon of gasoline is $3.08 while the average price in New York State is $3.16, AAA said today.
“According to the Energy Information Administration, demand for gasoline has fallen to a four-month low, contributing to the continued decline in pump prices,” AAA said. “With the third quarter of 2025 ending in higher gasoline inventories and the seasonal transition from summer-grade to winter-grade fuel, consumers are likely to see even lower prices at the pump in the coming weeks.”
Here are the average prices today for regular unleaded in WNY counties:
Photos from Orleans County Department of History Collection – “Transportation Options”
By Catherine Cooper, Orleans County Historian
“Illuminating Orleans” – Volume 5, No. 36
The photo at top shows a lady, wearing the hat and ankle-length skirt of the era, walking along a path. Powerline poles, adorned with glass insulators, line the route.
An automobile approaches. Spooked by this noisy charging machine, the horses have to be led by their drivers. This photograph perfectly captures the old and the new, that brief time when the pivot was tilting from the horse-drawn era to the age of electric power and automobiles.
Road conditions such as those photographed above and directly below led to the formation of the Good Roads Movement in the 1880s. Rural and suburban roads were mostly dirt: muddy and soft when it rained, dusty when dry.
The campaign to improve the roads was initiated by bicyclists who were enjoying the freedom of the roads for the first time. The advent of the automobile further highlighted the problem of muddy roads, as rutted roads damaged vehicles.
“Stuck in the Mud” Burrows Collection, Orleans County Dept. of History Collection
The Good Roads Movement was not without controversy. Who would be responsible for the cost of improving roads? In New York State, some people argued that infrastructure investment had focused too much on the canal and the railroads to the detriment of rural roads. Others argued that the canal and the railroads were far more efficient in transporting goods, so why bother with investing in roads?
Much of the debate focused on whether the condition of the roads impacted farmers. Proponents argued that farmers were socially isolated and hampered in getting access to markets.
Farmers resented the imposition of an extra tax. They also felt that the tax would be used to improve roads other than the roads they needed. This debate was aired in the newspapers right through the 1920s. The Lyndonville Enterprise, for example, ran regular columns of syndicated posts on Good Roads.
In New York State, the issue of payment for road improvements was first addressed by the Higbie-Armstrong* Good Roads Act of 1898 which established cost-sharing between municipalities, counties and the state for the construction of main roads.
The Federal Aid Road Act of 1916 provided matching federal funds for road paving conducted by the states and in 1921, the Federal Aid Highway Act provided funding for paving up to 7% of roads in each state.
Lynn & Bea Burrows on a happier motoring outing. (Burrows Collection)
*Senator William W. Armstrong, who co-sponsored the 1898 Good Roads legislation, spent his early years in Albion. Educated locally, he became a lawyer and was clerk of the Orleans County Board of Supervisors in 1886 and 1887. He later moved to Rochester where he was elected State Senator from 1899-1908. He died in 1944 and is buried in Mount Albion Cemetery.
By Ginny Kropf, correspondent Posted 12 October 2025 at 7:33 pm
Photo courtesy of Scott Robinson: This photograph of a maple tree in fall colors is the kind of picture Medina Area Partnership is looking for in its new photo contest focusing on the season.
MEDINA – Medina Area Partnership has announced a new photo contest, to begin Monday and focusing on the fall season in Medina.
Scott Robinson, past president of MAP and a member of the Marketing Committee, said they developed the photo contest over the past few months as a way to highlight Medina throughout the year. A new contest will be announced each season.
“With so many community members sharing beautiful photos on Facebook, we wanted to showcase Medina through their eyes,” Robinson said. “The entire committee worked on the details and the board of directors gave their blessing and support to run with the idea.”
This week, MAP’s Facebook page will post a couple of photos showcasing Medina in its fall glory. To participate in the contest, entrants just have to comment with a photo in the thread under the original photo. By posting the photo, they agree to allow MAP to use the photo to showcase Medina, Robinson said.
The contest will run begin on Monday and run until Nov. 7, with winners announced on Nov. 10. Prizes will be awarded by the three major sponsors as follows: Hart House – $50 for Hart House Hotel, Factory Expresso, Newell Lounge or Shirt Factory; $25 for Rosenkrans Pharmacy; and $25 to Creekside Floral and Gift Shop.
As long as there is strong participation, the winter challenge will kick off the week of Thanksgiving to incorporate Olde Tyme Christmas, Small Business Saturday and all of the initial holiday festivities.
“Our plan is to continue this contest each season, helping to keep Medina’s community spirit front and center,” Robinson said.
File photo by Tom Rivers: River Jones, left, and Madelyn Elliott perform with the Medina Mustang Band during their home show on Sept. 20.
Information courtesy of Medina Mustang Band Boosters
VICTOR – The Medina Mustang Marching Band traveled to Victor on Saturday for their fifth competition this season.
The event was held indoors due to weather conditions and therefore, ratings are “excellent,” “outstanding” or “superior” (highest) instead of numerical.
Medina competes in the SSI division and was judged as “outstanding” while East Irondequoit earned a “superior” rating.
In SS3, both Falconer-Frewsburg and Marcus Whitman received “outstanding” ratings.
The LS3 class had 5 competitors: Hilton and Syracuse received “outstanding,” while Indian River, Rochester and Rome Free Academy received “excellent.”
LS2 included Greece & Lancaster with both receiving “superior” ratings.
The National Class included Webster & Victor with both receiving a “superior” rating.
Medina’s next competition is Oct. 18tat Orchard Park followed by the championships on Oct. 26th in Syracuse at the Dome.
By Ginny Kropf, correspondent Posted 12 October 2025 at 11:58 am
Photos by Ginny Kropf: Andrew Meier sits on the steps of the Newell Shirt Factory building, which he purchased and restored. His efforts over the past 20 years have earned him the Phoenix Award by the Orleans County Chamber of Commerce.
MEDINA – Receiving an award from the Orleans County Chamber of Commerce is certainly an honor, said Andrew Meier, who will be presented with the Phoenix Award at ceremonies on Oct. 23 at the White Birch Golf Course.
The award recognizes Meier’s efforts over the past 20 years in restoring the former Newell Shirt Factory into three floors of thriving businesses.
A local attorney, Meier purchased the building at 113 West Center St. in 2005 and immediately started remodeling. In 2006, the first business, the Shirt Factory Café, opened. It has since been restructured and is a restaurant and cocktail lounge known as the Shirt Factory.
Several businesses, including 810 Meadworks and a salon opened there, but moved out, creating new opportunities for Meier to try other ventures, he said. The result was creating a coffee and snack shop called Factory Espresso, which opened in the spring of 2024, and a classic cocktail bar called the Newell Lounge which opened this spring.
Total remodeling of the second floor created space for Webster, Schubel and Meier to move their law offices there.
The third floor renovation is home to the Hart Hotel, with 10 boutique rooms.
Factory Espresso serves breakfast and lunch, as well as coffees.
(Left) The portrait of Robert H. Newell is a highlight of the Newell Lounge, located in the Newell Shirt Factory building, owned and restored by local attorney Andrew Meier. (Right) Second floor of Newell Building houses the offices of Webster, Schubel and Meier, where the original safe from Newell Shirt Factory is still a prominent fixture.
The Newell Lounge also serves food and is open Sunday through Wednesday nights.
The Shirt Factory is open the other nights of the week.
Meier said their plan is to eventually have the Lounge open every day. He is expanding the kitchen and adding an outdoor event space in back of the building.
While Meier acknowledged being recognized by the Chamber is, indeed, an honor, he wouldn’t be anywhere if it weren’t for the other businesses in town all pulling in the same direction.
By Mike Wertman, Sports Writer Posted 12 October 2025 at 10:38 am
Weekly Schedule Monday Boys Soccer – Byron-Bergen at Holley, 7 p.m. Girls Soccer – Holley at Keshequa, 6:30 p.m.
Tuesday Boys Soccer – Finney at Kendall, 7 p.m. Volleyball – Batavia at Albion, Roy-Hart at Williamsville East, Holley at Byron-Bergen, Attica at Kendall, 6:30 p.m.
Wednesday Boys Soccer – Wilson at Akron, 4:45 p.m.; Medina at Newfane, 6:45 p.m. Girls Soccer- Akron at Wilson, 6:30 p.m.; Newfane at Medina, Barker/Lyndonville at Roy-Hart, 6:45 p.m.; Attica at Kendall, 7 p.m. Volleyball – Roy-Hart at Medina, Albion at Wilson, Akron at Newfane, 6:30 p.m.
Thursday Football – East Aurora at Albion, 7 p.m. Boys Soccer – Holley at Northstar, 4:30 p.m.; Pembroke at Roy-Hart, 6 p.m.; Albion at Newfane, 6:45 p.m. Girls Soccer – East Rochester at Holley, 6:15 p.m. Volleyball – Lyndonville at Notre Dame, Kendall at Holley, 6:30 p.m. Field Hockey – Barker at Akron, 4:30 p.m.; Roy-Hart at Medina, Newfane at Kenmore, 7 p.m.
Friday Football – Cleveland Hill at Medina, Alden at Barker/Roy-Hart, 7 p. m. Boys Soccer – Medina at CCA, 4:45 p.m.; Williamson at Lyndonville, 6:30 p.m.; Albion at Attica, 7 p.m. Girls Soccer – CSAT at Barker/Lyndonville, 4:30 p.m. at Lyndonville; Alden at Roy-Hart, 5 p.m. Volleyball – Albion at Medina, Akron at Roy-Hart, Pembroke at Kendall, 6:30 p.m.
Saturday Football – Holley at St. Mary’s of Lancaster, 2 p.m. Field Hockey – Medina at Barker, Akron at Newfane, 10 a.m. Cross-Country – N-O All-League Meet at Lakeside State Park, 10 a.m.
Contributed Story Posted 12 October 2025 at 9:48 am
Tuning up for the upcoming playoffs, Albion scored a three game sweep over Attica in Niagara Orleans Football Association (NOFA) action Saturday.
Beginner Division Albion 33, Attica 6
Kenny Almonte had a huge game for the Beginner Eagles running for 303 yards and 4 touchdowns. Matthias Tre Ellis picked up 74 yards and a score.
Gunner Jackson, Xavier Weis and Almonte led the defense with 11 tackles a piece. Ellis was in on 7 stops, Drake Neri added 6, Jaxon Francis and Lexington Pridgen 5. Artavion Lewis, Roman Pridgen, Mason Rodden and Mayson Vosburgh each were in/ on stops.
Albion finishes the regular season 8-0. They will play Barker/Roy Hart in the North Division playoffs at Albion High School this Saturday at 10am.
Mini Division Albion 33, Attica 8
Moses Taylor had a big day for the Mini Eagles defense with 15 tackles. Mason Cornick had 9 tackles, Conor Murphy 8 and Zeus Vallejo 7. Hudson Palmer had 6, Elian Almonte 5,Roman Tisdale and Zion Richardson 4 each. Patrick Westlund, Elijah Cornick, Landon Stalker ,Greyson Roberts and Wyatt Purnell 3 each. Carter Hall has 2 tackles. Roberts and Westlund each had a interception.
Almonte picked up 124 yards and 2 touchdowns on offense. Taylor had 74 yards and a score, Westlund 59 yards, Roberts 52 and both had a score. Elijah Cornick rushed for 19 yards, Palmer 12 and Murphy 6.
Albion finishes the season 7-1. They will play Barker/Roy Hart in the North Division playoffs at Albion High School this Saturday at Noon.
JV Division Albion 31, Attica 0
Damareon Shine rushed for 124 yards, 3 scores and caught a TD pass from Jace DiMatteo. Jayce Torres rushed for 118 yards and a score, Camden Holt for 96 yards and DiMatteo 8 yards.
Shine had 13 tackles, Roman Allport and Holt 9 tackles, Kairo Bennett 8, AJ Lewis III 7, Jayden Russo and Kyle Schomske 5 each. Cooper Traxler, Harrison Froman, Liam Saporito, Edward Hammonds and Cayden Farrell 3 each. Matthew Colmerero,Isaac Button Arkell Lewis had 2 each. Lincoln Voorhees, Kolton Berry, Tyler Patten, Blaze Worrells, Owen Beecher, Jai’Kaih, Sebastian Stritzinger and Dominic Westlund were each in on tackles.
Albion finishes the regular season at 8-0. They will play Oakfield/Elba in the North Division playoffs at Albion High School this Saturday at 2pm.
By Ginny Kropf, correspondent Posted 12 October 2025 at 9:02 am
Farm on Route 104 in Murray draws many visitors for ‘authentic’ experience
Photos by Ginny Kropf: Amy Machamer, who runs Hurd Orchards with her mother Susan Hurd Machamer, stands amid a fall display of flowers and pumpkins at the family farm.
HOLLEY – Hurd Orchards, located at 17260 Ridge Rd., is not only an eighth-generation family farm and one of a few elite EcoCertified farms, but it now claims the distinction of being named a “Hidden Gem” by the Orleans County Chamber of Commerce.
The farm will be honored with eight other businesses and individuals at an awards ceremony Oct. 23 at White Birch Golf Course.
Amy Machamer and her mother Susan Hurd Machamer are celebrating 40 years of their partnership running the farm. Amy is proud to announce her daughter Amelia is the eighth generation to run the farm, which dates back to pioneer days.
Amy Machamer sits in the 200-year-old barn at Hurd Orchards. The farm has been named by the Orleans County Chamber of Commerce as a “Hidden Gem.”
“It is very flattering to be chosen for the Hidden Gem award,” Amy said. “Mom said one of the ‘hidden’ things here is the fact we tree-ripen our fruit. There’s nothing better than biting into one of our peaches, and the juice runs down your chin.”
While the farm is constantly changing, they always stay authentic, Amy said. The barn in which they hold luncheons is 200 years old and was purchased, moved there and raised in the traditional way in 1994.
They are known for their luncheons which come from an 1895 cookbook. One of the things they make is a steamed quince pudding. A pear luncheon features the Seckel pear which they grow there.
Susan commented that it’s not everywhere one can grow the market basket they are able to, being located between the Erie Canal and Lake Ontario.
“Our farm really is a gem,” Amy said. “We are very happy someone was thinking about this beautiful area on the eastern flank of the county. It is exciting to think somebody noticed what we are trying to do here.”
In addition to her mom and daughter, Amy’s husband Joe Sidonio is very supportive of the farm’s efforts, Amy said. She also said Amelia, a recent graduate of Cornell University, is remarkably excited and invested in their farm. Amy said her dad was a geologist and they lived in many places, but always returned to the farm, which her grandparents Leland and Betty Hurd were running. When Amy graduated from college in 1984, she came back to the farm.
“I didn’t know I was going to stay, but I loved it here,” Amy said. “It was challenging in so many directions.”
“We have a beautiful team who cook and develop new recipes,” Amy said. “They are the ones who breathe new life into our farm, yet we’ve stayed ‘authentically ‘us.’”
Hurd Orchards sells their fruits commercially, have a bakery and own a jam kitchen. They raise elegant flowers and make up gift baskets to order.
“My parents and grandparents saw the possibilities and beauty here and appreciated what this farm meant,” Amy said. “We have dedicated ourselves into shaping it and carrying it on into the future. We have followed our instincts and followed things that inspired us. Maybe it has evolved because we shared these ‘hidden gems.’ We are very grateful. It is a joy to be recognized for what we do.”
The photo at top shows a lady, wearing the hat and ankle-length skirt of the era, walking along a path. Powerline poles, adorned with glass insulators, line the route.
