Voyage of Seneca Chief replica boat harkens back to early days of Erie Canal
Photo by Tom Rivers: This group passes under the lift bridge in Eagle Harbor on Friday. They are aboard a replica of the Seneca Chief. This boat is 73 feet long and is making a commemorative journey along the canal in hoor the canal’s 200th anniversary. The boat was built as a replica of the original Seneca Chief that carried Gov. DeWitt Clinton on the maiden voyage on the completed canal in 1825.
By Catherine Cooper, Orleans County Historian
“Illuminating Orleans” – Volume 5, No. 34
“View on the Erie Canal” – The New York Public Library Digital Collections from 1832.
The commemorative journey of the Seneca Chief along the Erie Canal has attracted a great deal of attention. The boat left Buffalo on Wednesday and is on a 33-day tour that ends Oct. 26 in New York City.
On the original trip, the boat was hauled by “four fully caparisoned grey horses.” That would have been quite a sight! For this voyage, the horses have been replaced by a 33-foot-long tugboat, the C.L. Churchill.
We have mentioned the novel Rome Haul by Walter D. Edmonds in a previous column. It portrays a realistic view of life in the early years of the canal. The sight of the Seneca Chief brought this passage to mind. Here Dan Harrow remembers the opening of the canal and that first voyage:
“We’d talked about the canal. It didn’t seem it would ever get to us. They’d surveyed in ’19 (1819) and the route would come close to my place….Then, first thing we knowed, in ’23, men commenced working on the route between Black Rock and Lockport…..
“I remember, two springs after that, how me and Ellen sat on the big stoop in June. A warm afternoon. The word come the water would come in from Erie. And after a while we seen it come. Brown and muddy, very slow, so’s not to rip the banks. It went by us in a little creek. We watched it rise all day. At night it was still getting up. Brown and muddy. We didn’t have no supper. We didn’t want it. We’d listen to the water eddy down below all night. In the morning it had come off blue in the sun — pretty near that color.”
“Tolls was taken on the first of October. It had been a fine farming summer. I’d had more money in than I’d expected for a single year. Then on the twenty-sixth the opening come.”
“It was a masterful event. The leaves had turned late that year, and there was still color to the woods. “They had put cannon — you know how —all along the canal and down the Hudson. There was an old ten-pounder mounted on my rise of ground, its snout pointing west, and there was one of McDonough’s sailors there to touch it off.
“The neighbors came next morning early. Ellen and the women had gotten up a big feast. The men sat on the porch, looking down the canal to the lake. I had some Jamaica and Golden Medford for them — it was a brisk morning. Cool from frost at night, but no wind at all. The smoke from our pipes hung under the roof. The children played round — noisy. The cook smells came out to us.
“The sailor, Benjy Wright, sat on the cannon’s butt… About nine o’clock Benjy cut him a hard plug with his sailor knife. He lighted his match and we stood waiting. Then a cannon sounded down by Buffalo. And Benjy touched the match to the fuse and in a minute the old gun bucked and roared, and a glass broke in the window of the parlor….Then we sat down and watched Benjy load up the cannon. And an hour and forty minutes later there was a cannon faint to eastward of us. And our gun bucked and shot again and we heard a gun boom in Buffalo. But with that sound from the eastward of us we knowed that New York knowed. The sound of it told us that.
“All to once we knowed there was other people back east who knowed about us. We were in a country as big as half the world, but with that shot it all come closer together. We weren’t alone.
“For a while there was silence.
“Clinton’s boat come along a while later when we were eating dinner. The food got burnt somehow. But we cheered him by and his four grey matched horses, and he waved to us. And we cheered the other boats.
“But nights now me and my wife hear the boats once in a while —a horn, maybe — or, when it’s still, the clink of a trace chain. Or we see the night lanterns. The railroads come in time. But here it didn’t make so much difference.”
Rome Haul by Walter D. Edmonds in 1929 is available through your local library.
Nearly 600 join in beer-tastings at Medina’s Ale in Autumn
Photos by Ginny Kropf: Members of Medina Area Partnership who volunteered at Medina Senior Center to check in participants of Ale in Autumn, posed for a picture after the crowds had thinned out. There were 565 people who purchased tickets for Ale in Autumn.
MEDINA – Those who bought tickets for the annual Ale in Autumn, sponsored by Medina Area Partnership, enjoyed a beautiful day Saturday walking through the streets of town, and enjoying a different ale at nearly two dozen participating businesses.
Taylor Sugar and Erin Taylor of Albion check in with Ann Fisher-Bale, head organizer of Ale in Autumn. Sugar has attended the event before and had a lot of fun, she said. But his was Taylor’s first time.
Deana Dena Anderson pours beer at The Walsh for Matt Corser of Middleport during Ale in Autumn on Saturday. This was Corser’s first time at the event, and he attended with friends from Canada.
Sarah Fisher said one lady came dressed as a cow.
A different feature this year for participants was getting their picture taken at Alexandra Peracciny Photography. They could choose from themed props and got to take their picture home in a card-like frame.
Dawn Borchet, director of Orleans County Tourism, provided juice and water bottles for the goodie bags each ticket holder received. The bags also contain their glass, pretzels, a pen, Koozie and a program.
Participants checked in at the Medina Senior Center, where Patrick Weissend checked their ID. The head of Tompkins/Bank of Castile in Medina, Weissend has had the same duties for at least 10 years, he said.
At The Walsh, Deana Dena Andersen poured ale from a small kiosk outside. The area is roped off for entertainment with chairs and a big screen TV. At the end, the band Darrel Brown and the Chill Factor provided music.
Fisher-Bale said this event brings in people from all over the area, including Canada.
Funds from this event and other fundraisers has allowed MAP to purchase the sound system downtown.
“The money we make goes toward improvements and promoting our member businesses,” Fisher-Bale said.
Ann Fisher-Bale, right, checks in Taylor Sugar and Erin Taylor at Medina Senior Center. Participants of Ale in Autumn checked in there, where they were ID’d and received a goodie bag.
Photos by Tom Rivers: Angela Rogers of Batavia and Karl Dionne of Toronto try a beer poured by Randy Huslor, co-owner of The Print Shop, which was one of the stops for Ale in Autumn.
At Modern Mercantile, beer tastings from Talking Cursive in Syracuse were served by Holly Lederhouse, left, and Bekah Osher.
A commemorative glass has a light beer, Oktoberfest, from Meier’s Creek Brewing Company in Cazenovia. This photo is inside the Medina Triennial Hub in the former NAPA building on Main Street.
Matt Hollenback pours a tasting of beer for Victoria Schicker of Medina at the Medina Triennial site.
The Medina Hemp House put out a sign celebrating a festive day in Medina.
Medina marching band competes in Oswego
Photo and information courtesy of Medina Mustang Band
The Medina Mustang Marching Band traveled to Oswego on Saturday for their third competition this season. It was a large crowd and the weather was perfect.
Medina competed in the SS1 division and was one of six schools in that class. Phoenix earned 1st place with a score of 84.15 while Medina came in 6th with a score 76.10.
In SS2, Oswego earned 1st place with a score of 78.275 and in LS3, Syracuse earned 1st place with 73.6
This coming Saturday on Oct. 4th, the Medina band travels to Webster for their fourth competition of the season.
More important than the scores are watching the students each week as their routine progresses and their skills and confidence improve.
200 join for Orleans County Walk to End Alzheimer’s
Photos by Ginny Kropf: Walkers start out from State Street Park on the annual Walk for Alzheimer’s Saturday morning. An estimated 200 participated.
MEDINA – The annual Walk to End Alzheimer’s took place Saturday morning in State Street Park, with an estimated 200 participants.
Volunteers arrived early to get ready for the 9.m. registration, set up the basket raffle and provide refreshments for the walkers.
Medina Mayor Marguerite opened the morning’s activity, saying it was a great day.
“We are all touched by Alzheimer’s, me included,” Sherman said, sharing that her mother Doris Fuller died of the disease.
A group of walkers from Park Avenue Therapy posed for a picture in the Promise Garden. They also had a booth at the Walk for Alzheimer’s on Saturday.
Retired disc jockey from WKBW, Randy Bushover, was master of ceremonies for the event for the 13th year, he said.
“I get to use my old communication skills,” Bushover said.
Walk manager was Lynn Hughes from the Alzheimer’s Association, who greeted volunteers and oversaw their duties.
UB Neurology had a table with information on screening, assessment and other services for patients and their families dealing with Alzheimer’s.
Beth Schmidt of Albion plants a flower in the Promise Garden in memory of her mother Joanne Welch, who died of Alzheimer’s six years ago.
At one tent, manned by Carolyn Walker, flowers could be purchased in a variety of colors, to be “planted” in the Promise Garden. Each color signified different stages of Alzheimer’s Disease. Blue meant you have the disease; yellow meant you are a caregiver; purple signifies you have lost someone from the disease; orange indicates you support the vision of a world without Alzheimer’s; and white is the Hope for a Cure – the hope there will some day be a survivor of Alzheimer’s.
Mollie Radzinski was chosen to set the pace for walk, and led the estimated 200 on their way, over the Horan Road bridge, along the canal to the lift bridge and back by the Canal Basin to State Street Park.
Radzinski said when she learned they were looking for volunteers, it would be a great thing to do.
The annual walk is the biggest fundraiser locally for the Alzheimer’s Association.
(Left) Mollie Radzinski and Beth Schmidt of Albion pose with Orly the Ox on his first visit to an Alzheimer’s Walk, Saturday morning in State Street Park. Orly is the Orleans County mascot for this year’s bicentennial celebration. (Right) Randy Bushover, right, retired disc jockey from WBEN, holds the microphone for Medina Mayor Marguerite Sherman, as she speaks during opening ceremonies of the annual Walk for Alzheimer’s in Medina.
Orly the Ox poses with four ladies holding a different colored flower. Each color symbolizes a different aspect of Alzheimer’s. From left, after Orly, are Kailea Lalka, Pamela Allen, Martha Meyers and Carolyn Wagner.
Nicole Tuohey, left, her mother Mary Lou Tuohey and Mary Lou’s sister Amy Murray have actively supported Alzheimer’s for years, as both Mary Lou’s and Amy’s grandparents died from the disease.
NY awards grants for 9-1-1 to 57 counties of at least $1 million; Orleans gets $1,266,796
Press Release, Go. Kathy Hochul’s Office
Governor Kathy Hochul today announced $85 million in grant funding has been allocated to county level primary Public Safety Answering Points (PSAPs) and primary PSAP backup centers to prepare for the implementation of Next Generation 911 (NG911) in 57 counties across the state.
The NG911 Grant Program is specifically to support call handling equipment to include interfaces and software applications needed for agencies to receive and process incidents with the goal of increasing statewide capabilities to accept NG911 calls in accordance with the National Emergency Number Association (NENA) i3 standards. All eligible counties received a base amount of $1 million in funding and the remaining funds were allocated based on population.
“Public safety is my number one priority, and that means ensuring that we have the technology and equipment in place to support our first responders and their quick response to emergency situations,” Governor Hochul said. “These investments will ensure that our 911 systems are operating effectively and efficiently when any New Yorker reaches out for emergency assistance in their time of need.”
In January, Governor Hochul awarded $55 million statewide to enhance emergency communications systems, including $10 million awarded under the Public Safety Answering Point Grant Program, which encouraged the development of NG911 technologies and the Geographic Information System (GIS) data needed for NG911.
Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services Commissioner Jackie Bray said, “Governor Hochul understands that our 911 systems are key during any emergency, and this grant funding will help New York communities across the state prepare to implement NG911. The professionals who take emergency calls and dispatch responders are our first line of assistance and this funding will help support them with new equipment and software to increase their capabilities.”
New York State Association of Counties Executive Director Stephen J. Acquario said, “The transition to Next Generation 911 technology will significantly enhance our counties’ ability to respond quickly and effectively to emergencies. This $85 million commitment ensures that New York’s counties can implement the digital infrastructure needed to improve response times, enhance caller location accuracy, and ultimately save more lives. We appreciate Governor Hochul’s continued leadership in preparing our state for the future of emergency communications.”
GO Health: Youth vaping is growing public health concern
Press Release, Genesee and Orleans County Health Departments
Vaping or using e-cigarettes is a growing and urgent public health concern in Genesee and Orleans counties.
The 2023 Youth Survey (CLYDE) survey, done by UConnectCare, shows that vaping remains a concern among local youth. In the survey, 6% of 9th graders, 5% of 10th graders, 8% of 11th graders, and 13% of 12th graders reported using a vape with nicotine in the past 30 days. Additionally, 8% of 11th graders and 10% of 12th graders surveyed indicated that they used a vape with marijuana during that same period.
“This trend is a growing concern for parents, schools, and health officials,” stated Paul Pettit, Public Health Director for Genesee and Orleans County Health Departments (GO Health). “Starting nicotine use at a young age can harm brain development, create long-term dependence, and raise the risk of future substance use.”
Protecting the youth in our community is a shared responsibility. By staying informed about vaping and talking openly at home, you can make a meaningful difference in helping young people avoid or quit vaping.
For guidance on how to effectively support youth, explore the tips and strategies below.
For parents, caregivers, and supportive adults:
- Be a role model: Set a positive example for your children by living a tobacco-free lifestyle. If you use tobacco, make efforts to quit.
- Create a tobacco-free home: Keep your children safe by preventing exposure to secondhand smoke from cigarettes, cigars, and vapes.
- Start the conversation early: Talk with your kids about the risks and harms of vaping. Keep them informed about how no form of tobacco is safe. Start the conversations early and be consistent.
- Be informed: Find the facts about vaping at trusted sites like CDC.gov/Vaping. You can also ask your child’s health care provider for more information.
How to talk to your child about vaping:
- Create a safe space: Stay calm, do not judge, and listen to your child more than you speak.
- Choose the right moment: Use everyday moments, such as seeing a vaping ad or someone vaping, to start a conversation.
- Be honest and clear: Answer questions with the truth and share science-based facts. Talk about how nicotine can harm the brain and general health.
Get Help Today
If you want to quit, or know someone who does, there is help:
- New York State Smokers’ Quitline: Call 866-NY-QUITS (866-697-8487) or visit their website to get more information and support on quitting. You may also qualify for a free starter kit with nicotine patches, gum, or lozenges, and you can talk with a quit coach.
- Drop the Vape: A free and anonymous text program for youth and young adults. Text: DROPTHEVAPE to 88709
- Talk to your healthcare provider. Ask about medications and counseling to help with cravings. Most health insurance, including Medicaid, cover services to help you quit.
Learn More About GO Health Programs and Services
Visit GOHealthNY.org or contact your local health department at:
- Orleans County: 585-589-3278
- Genesee County: 585-344-2580 ext. 5555
Follow GO Health on Facebook, Instagram and X at GOHealthNY.
Weekly high school sports schedule
Weekly Schedule
Monday
Boys Soccer – Akron at Albion, 6:45 p.m.
Girls Soccer – Kendall at Finney, 5 p.m.
Field Hockey – Medina at Akron, Wilson at Barker, 4:30 p.m.; Roy-Hart at Kenmore, 7 p.m.
Golf – Albion at Akron, 4 p.m.
Volleyball – Albion at Batavia, 6:30 p.m.
Tuesday
Boys Soccer – Medina at Roy-Hart, 6:45 p.m.; Holley at Kendall, 7 p.m.
Girls Soccer – Barker/Lyndonville at Wilson, 4:45 p.m.; Roy-Hart at Medina, 6:45 p.m.
Cross-Country – Medina at Roy-Hart, Albion and Akron at Newfane, Barker at Wilson, 4:45 p.m.
Golf – Barker at Medina, 4 p.m.
Volleyball – Newfane at Medina, Albion at Roy-Hart. Wilson at Akron, Lyndonville at Alexander, Elba at Holley, Wheatland-Chili at Kendall, 6:30 p.m.
Field Hockey – Roy-Hart at Barker, 4:30 p.m.
Wednesday
Girls Soccer – Albion at Akron, 4:45 p.m.; Holley at Pembroke, Wheatland-Chili at Kendall, 7 p.m.; CSAT at Medina, 7:15 pm.
Golf – N-O All-League Tournament
Thursday
Boys Soccer – Roy-Hart at Wilson, Newfane at Akron, 4:45 p.m.; Lyndonville at Attica, 6 p.m.; Medina at Albion, 6:45 p.m.; Kendall at Pembroke, Wheatland-Chili at Holley, 7 p.m.
Girls Soccer – Albion vs. Barker/Lyndonville at Barker, Wilson at Roy-Hart, Akron at Newfane, 6:45 p.m.
Field Hockey – Barker at Roy-Hart, Newfane at Wilson, 4:30 p.m., Kenmore at Medina, 7 p.m.
Volleyball – Byron-Bergen at Lyndonville, Holley at Attica, Kendall at Oakfield-Alabama, 6:30 p.m.
Friday
Football – Medina at Eden, Albion at Depew, York/Pavilion at Barker/Roy-Hart, 7 p.m.
Boys Soccer – Pembroke at Medina, 6 p.m.
Girls Soccer – Kendall at Notre Dame, 5 p.m.; Alexander at Holley, 7 p.m.
Volleyball – Oakfield-Alabama at Roy-Hart, Newfane at Lyndonville, 6:30 p.m.
Saturday
Boys Soccer – Park at Lyndonville, 4:30 p.m., Holley at Wayland-Cohocton, 6 p.m.; Batavia at Albion, 7 p.m.
Girls Soccer – Wilson at Medina, 11 a.m.; Pembroke vs. Barker/Lyndonville, 2:30 p.m. at Lyndonville; Newfane at Albion, 5 p.m.
Volleyball – Kendall at Finney, 2 p.m.
Albion scores sweep in youth football
Contributed Photo – Hudson Palmer races for a first down for the Mini Division Eagles.
Albion scored a three game sweep over Oakfield-Alabama/Elba in Niagara Orleans Football Association (NOFA) action Saturday.
Beginner Division
Albion 45, OAE 7
Five different Eagles scored on the ground. Xavier Weis led the attack with 114 yards and 2 touchdowns, Matthias Ellis had 68 yards and 2 TDs. Kenny Almonte had 60 yards and a score. Gunner Jackson added 56 yards and a score. Artavion Lewis also added a 16 yard TD. Jaxon Francis picked up 10 yards, Myles Labarge 9 and Drake Neri 6 yards.
Almonte led the defense with 13 tackles, Weis had 11, Ellis and Lewis 6 each. Francis added 5 tackles, Neri Maximiliano Rivera and James Mahoney had 3 each. Lexington Pridgen and Mason Rodden were in on tackles as well.
Mini Division
Albion 40, OAE 6
The Mini Eagles also had 5 different players score on the ground. Jaidyn Harper led the rushing attack with 89 yards and 2 scores, Moses Taylor chipped in with 73 yards and a score. Patrick Westlund ran for 28 yards, Grayson Roberts 13 yards, Conor Murphy 10 yards and all added a touchdown. Elijah Cornick ran for 25 yards, Hudson Palmer ran for 20 and also added 10 receiving.
Taylor led the defense with 12 tackles, Harper 11, Murphy 8, Zeus Vallejo 7, Westlund 6, Xavier Richardson 5 and Wyatt Purnell 4. Roberts, Mason Cornick and Romam Tisdale added 3 each.
JV Division
Albion 42, OAE 0
Five TD passes help pace the JV Eagles offense. Damareon Shine and Kayden Brigham each caught a pair from Jace DiMatteo. Arthur Lewis III caught one from Cayden Farrell. Shine also had a 21 yard TD run. Camden Holt added 62 yards rushing, Farrell 37, Jayce Torres 32, Lewis 26, Jai’Kaih Drisdom 23, Owen Beecher 20.
Lewis led the defense with 8 tackles, Farrell 6, Shine 5, Kairo Bennett 4, Roman Allport 4 and Harrison Froman 3. Matthew Colmerero, Torres, Edward Hammonds, Kaydence Russaw, Parker Gardner, Dominic Westlund and Isaac Button were each in on tackles. Allport also added a interception.
Orleans County hosting Family Game Night on Oct. 9
Press Release, Orleans County Legislature
ALBION – The Orleans County Legislature, in conjunction with the county Youth Bureau, will be hosting its 11th annual “Family Game Night” on Thursday, Oct. 9, from 5:30-7:30 p.m. at Dubby’s Tailgate, located at 165 South Platt St. in Albion.
The event is free, however residents are asked to register in advance as seating is limited.
The event will feature free pizza, board games, prize drawings and other activities and promotions. There will be several display booths with county departments that will be providing information on various programs and services available to Orleans County families. Each family will also be given an opportunity to take home a free board game to start their own game night.
“Family Game Night has grown tremendously over the years, as many families love the idea of turning off all the electronic devices and taking part in an evening of old-fashioned fun,” said Legislature Chairman Lynne Johnson. “At the same time, the event helps us highlight important information about the programs, opportunities and services available to residents.”
For more information or to register for the event, click here. Call the Legislative Office at (585) 589-7053 or send an email to Lisa.Stenshorn@orleanscountyny.gov with your name, phone number, address and number of people attending.
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Holley splits Homecoming soccer twin bill
Holley split with visiting Canisteo-Greenwood this evening in a Homecoming soccer doubleheader.
In the opener, the Holley boys posted a 1-0 overtime win on a goal by Tarek Garrett assisted by Cam Mosier.
Dylan Warner earned the shutout in goal for the Hawks which improve to 5-4.
Canisteo-Greenwood gained a split on the evening by nipping Holley 1-0 in the girls’ contest.
The Lady Hawks are now 5-4-1.
Fall foliage showing more red, orange and yellow leaves
Photo by Tom Rivers: Two people walk along the north wall in Medina this afternoon with the Horan Road canal bridge in the background. The local foliage is still mainly green, but the more colors are starting to spread with each passing week.
Some parts of the state are getting in the beginning of peak fall foliage. That’s in the Adirondacks and Catskills.
Locally, I Love NY reports most of the GLOW region is in the “just changing” stage.
A spotter for I Love NY reports “10% change in Albion with average to bright red, orange and yellow leaves.”
I Love NY provided this update on Wednesday of fall foliage around the state.
O’Hara completes football sweep of Holley
Photos by Cheryl Wertman – Holley’s Landyn Burch intercepts a pass during the host Hawks loss to cardinal O’Hara this afternoon.
Completing a home and home season series sweep, Cardinal O’Hara downed Holley 63-14 in a non league football game this afternoon.
O’Hara, which downed Holley 33-0 at Tonawanda in the season opener, built up a commanding 35-0 half-time advantage as quarterback Josh Guerin passed for two touchdowns and ran for another to highlight the Hawks early scoring burst.
O’Hara led by as much as 49-0 late in the third quarter.
Holley’s scoring came on a 70 yard touchdown pass from quarterback Kevin Robinson to Landyn Burch and a two-point conversion run by Colton Bradley on the final play of the third quarter and a one yard TD run by Robinson late in the final quarter.
Burch also had a pass interception in the first half for the Holley defense.
Holley running back Colton Bradley reaches for more yards.
Barker/Lyndonville downs Medina; Kendall post shutout in girls soccer contests
Photos by Cheryl Wertman – Natalie Rath drives to the goal for Barker/Lyndonville against Medina defender Asia-Lynn Newhaus during this morning’s game at Barker won by Barker/Lyndonville.
Seven players contributed goals as Barker/Lyndonville downed Medina 10-0 in a Niagara-Orleans League girls soccer game this morning at Barker.
Alexa Robinson scored three goals and Natalie Rath two to lead the way for Barker/Lyndonville as Cheyanne Rouse, Braelynn Dillenbeck, Rylan Townsend, Alina Riches and Aine Davis each netted one.
Barker/Lyndonville is now 4-1-2 and Medina 0-5 in N-O action.
Kendall 3, Oakfield-Alabama 0
Kendall blanked Oakfield-Alabama 3-0 in a Genesee Region League game this afternoon on goals by Sophia Picardo, Ryleigh Denning and Alea Barrett.
The Lady Eagles are now 7-0 in the league and 9-1 overall.
Medina’s Sophia Lopez and Barker/Lyndonville’s Annalee Clark battle for control of the ball.
