By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 21 April 2026 at 10:21 am
Foundations will be asked to support GO Barn!, which has been approved for $7.8 million state grant
Rendering by Red Green Design: The three-story GO Barn! building would have the look of a barn, with the silo having an elevator and stairs to access the three floors. GO Art! said the facility would boost arts programs, agricultural education and entrepreneurial initiatives.
KNOWLESVILLE – The Genesee-Orleans Regional Arts Council is working on applications to foundations to back a new building at the Orleans County 4-H Fairgrounds, a project that could top $20 million.
Go Art! is seeking to build the Go Barn! at the fairgrounds. It was awarded a $7,793,000 state grant in May 2025.
Gregory Hallock, the Go Art! executive director, said he is seeking $15 million more from other foundations.
“We’re applying for grants like you wouldn’t believe,” he said Friday during a celebration when Go Art! presented $165,685 in state funding to local artists and cultural programs in Orleans County.
GO Art! is proposing the new building at the fairgrounds to serve as a dynamic hub for arts, culture and community engagement in Orleans County, including: a multipurpose arts and cultural center inspired by the historic Wells Barn design; a dedicated space for fiber arts, workshops and artisan programming; and a greenhouse, designed to grow plants for fabric dyeing and art creation.
“It is happening,” Hallock said about the ambitious project. “We are still working on it. We’re raising money.”
Photos by Tom Rivers: Gregory Hallock, executive director for the Genesee-Orleans Regional Arts Council, speaks during Friday’s award presentation to artists and organizations in Orleans County. GO Art! presented $165,685 in grants for projects and programs in Orleans County. The awards celebration was held at GO Art!’s historic building at 201 East Main St. in Batavia.
The building is planned for the west end of the fairgrounds near Taylor Hill Road. The fairgrounds is an ideal location for the cultural center, located between Medina and Albion, Hallock said.
The building would have flexible or adaptable space that could be used for many things. Hallock and Go Art! envision two art galleries, artist studios and a residence where artists could bunk instead of driving home in the wee hours of the night. Hallock would like to the building to be used for many art forms – culinary, folk, horticultural, literary, visual, muli-media and more.
The facility would be accessible and inclusive to all community members, Hallock said. The GO Barn! would have hands-on programs in arts, agriculture and sustainability that would provide workforce readiness. Hallock said GO Art! wants to partner with local schools and organizations in “fostering a lifelong learning environment.”
The Go Art! website says $14,960 has been donated towards the project so far. Click here for more information on how to support Go Art!
Linda Knipe, the Go Art! board president, praised Hallock for securing several grants for arts and cultural programs in both Orleans and Genesee counties.
“Gregory has been a prolific grantwriter, and he is good at it,” she said.
Knipe would like to diversify the funding for GO Art! and be less reliant on grants. She welcomes sponsorships and donations to assist the local arts council.
“We are seeking more contributors,” she said. “We can use everyone in the two counties to really talk up GO Art! and get people to support us.”
Linda Knipe, GO Art! board president, said the organization has been successful securing grants for programs in Genesee and Orleans counties. She urged the community to support GO Art! through sponsorships and donations.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 21 April 2026 at 8:21 am
Arts organization says requests exceeded $385K allotment for 2 counties
Photos by Tom Rivers: Rob Klino, president of the Friends of Boxwood Cemetery, accepts a grant from the Genesee-Orleans Regional Arts on Friday. The funding supports a Boxwood at Night program on Oct. 3 that includes light displays, musicians and portrayers dressed in period costumes. The grant was among several presented by Jodi Fisher (center), the program director and Statewide Community Regrant co-coordinator for GO Art! Orleans County Legislator Skip Draper, right, represented State Sen. Rob Ortt and gave certificates to the grantees. Go Art! administers the funds as a regrant program of the New York State Council on the Arts. It was developed in 1977 to ensure that the state’s cultural funding would reach every part of the New York State.
BATAVIA – The Genesee-Orleans Regional Arts Council presented $165,685 to artists and organizations in Orleans County on Friday, funding that will go to concerts, arts programs and other projects boosting cultural life in the county.
GO Art! presented funding awards on Saturday to Genesee County artists and organizations. Altogether the two counties for the second straight year received $385,000.
This year’s funding allowed for an increase in the maximum awards, up from $5,000 to $7,500. The program also allowed for restoration of a mural for the first time. Arthur Barnes, an artist from Millville, will use a grant to give a major facelift to his iconic mural in the Medina Canal Basin of two mules pulling a packet boat. That mural is at least 25 years old.
Gregory Hallock, executive director for GO Art!, said the two counties together receive the largest amount of funding outside of Manhattan in the State Council of the Art’s regrant program. The Statewide Community Regrant Program (SCR) was developed in 1977 to ensure that the state’s cultural funding would reach every part of the New York State.
Hallcok said there were more applications in the two counties this year, and the $471,955 in requests topped the amount available. That should help GO Art! when it applies for funding next time. GO Art! can show the state there is more demand in the two counties than the existing funding levels.
The $385,000 in both 2025 and 2026 is above the $336,000 in grants for artists and community events that celebrate the arts in 2024. That was up from $210,000 in 2023, and well above the $70,000 that was available for the two counties back in 2019.
Lyndonville Lions Club leaders David Godfrey and Lynne Johnson accept the grant for a summer concert organized by the Lions Club. The grants were presented by Jodi Fisher and Orleans County Legislator Skip Draper.
GO Art! distributes the funds on a 60-40 split between Genesee and Orleans, with Genesee getting about 60 percent based on its larger population. In the 2020 Census, Genesee had 58,388 residents compared to 40,343 in Orleans County.
Hallock said he hopes the state will continue to boost the funding for the program in 2027.
“I don’t know what will happen next year,” he said at Friday’s grant award celebration. “We’ve been on a steady increase and hopefully that will continue.”
He praised Jodi Fisher, the program director and Statewide Community Regrant co-coordinator, for her extra work in assisting the many applicants through the grant process.
Linda Knipe, GO Art! board president, also said Hallock has been very successful in applying for grants to boost arts and cultural programs in the two counties.
Kendall Town Board members David Gaudioso, center, and Barb Flow, left, accept the grant for the Town of Kendall to add murals on the south side of the Town Hall.
The grant recipients in Orleans County include:
• Lee-Whedon Memorial Library – Finally Fridays! Concert series during winter
• Yates Community Library – More Than Just Books concert series
• Brandi Zavitz – For the Love of Dogs Mural II at the Medina Dog Park
• Lyndonville Lions Club – I Hear the Music concert
• Village of Holley – Village of Holley Canal Series and festivals
• Arthur Barnes for restoration of a mural of two mules pulling packet boat in Medina Canal Basin
John Grillo, the Village of Albion recreation director, accepted three grants for programs in the community, including a summer concert series on Wednesdays at Bullard Park, a July 3rd Independence Day celebration at Bullard, and the Albion Summer Festival on Aug. 1 at Bullard which will feature six bands.
• Oak Orchard Lighthouse Museum which is adding music to nightly light show at the Oak Orchard Lighthouse
• Greater Albion Community Recreation and Events – Albion Summer Festival featuring Rock the Park
• Village of Albion – Village of Albion Summer Concert Series
• Friends of Boxwood Cemetery – Boxwood at Night, “See the Cemetery In a New Light” on Oct. 3
• Albion – July 3rd, Independence Day Celebration
• Sheyanza Basheer – Brush & Giggles arts program at Lyndonville Central School
• Tegan Leach – Sharing the wonder of fiber arts, workshops at Hoag Library
• Laura Jackett – Art in library workshops
Brandi Zavitz receives a grant to expand a mural at the Medina Dog Park. She created a mural last year that is 32 feet long. She painted portraits of 69 dogs, 3 cats and Orly the Ox (the county’s bicentennial mascot). The mural will get bigger this year with 50 more dog portraits to be added.
• Shabeeha Raushad – Colors of Lake Alice, a children’s book
• Town of Kendall for murals on south side of Town Hall
• Valerie Collins – “Keepers of the Land,” paintings of family farmers to be displayed at Hoag
• Hoag Library of the Swan Library Association – 2026 Hoag Music Series
• Mary Jo Whitman for mural “Holley is Home” on Heath building in Village of Holley
• Friends of Orleans County Marine Park – 2026 OONA Summer Concert Series
• E-YAH-Pah-Hah Wind Quintet – Classical music series in Albion including 2 commissioned pieces
Sheyanza Basheer received funding for “Brush & Giggles,” an arts program at Lyndonville Central School.
• Community Free Library in Holley for art program
• Cornell Cooperative Extension in Orleans County – blacksmith demonstrations and the AppleJack Band at county fair
• Friends of Orleans County Marine Park – Popup and jam, a marketplace at the Marien Park with music and vendors on Sept. 12
• Friends of Orleans County Marine Park – artist Terri Wood is creating a fisherman selfie sign for fishermen to pose with their catch
• Orleans County Tourism – restoration of Charlie the Chinook, a 13-foot-long fiberglass fish that will remolded and repainted
• Orleans County Chamber of Commerce, Barre Betterment Committee – 2026 Barre Betterment Committee public events
• Judd Sunshine – Erie Canal Songwriting Project at Medina Central School
• Janet Klossner – leading classes on “All Things Fiber”
Robert Batt, executive director of the Cornell Cooperative Extension in Orleans County, accepts a grant to fund blacksmith demonstrations and a performance by the AppleJack Band at this summer’s Orleans County 4-H Fair.
HOLLEY – Citizens’ Climate Lobby will host a meeting in Holley on Monday, May 4, from 6 to 7 p.m.
The meeting at the Community Free Library is open to the public. The library is located at 86 Public Square. For information about the Holley meeting, contact robertdotjohnson@rochester.rr.com.
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.
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.
I am writing regarding the most recent SCOPE meeting. The opportunity for the community to come together, share concerns and seek solutions can only have positive results.
It was appreciated that our county-elected Legislators Lynne Johnson, Ed Morgan and Don Allport attended to give input and rationale to many issues presented.
However, while disagreement is often natural and necessary, practical solutions resulting in a change of mind, and or, a change of a course of action, come about when dialogue is respectful and not hostile.
While a few in the audience appeared hostile and negative, it was encouraging that most were respectful and offered constructive suggestions for many issues raised.
Hopefully future meetings will continue to emphasize transparency, civility and open discourse.
Public engagement in various issues presented are best received where people know that their input is valued and appreciated.
Thank you to all who organized and participated in last week’s SCOPE meeting.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 20 April 2026 at 6:51 pm
Parents, caregivers also welcome for child seat safety check on April 25
ALBION – The Orleans County Sheriff’s Office will again be participating in the National Prescription Drug Tack Back Day on Saturday.
People are welcome to dispose of unwanted prescriptions drugs from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Public Safety Building, 13925 Route 31 in Albion.
The Sheriff’s Office also on Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. will be offering a Child Passenger Safety Seat Check Point Event at Public Safety Building.
According to data, vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for children between the ages of 1 to 13, Sheriff Chris Bourke said.
Preventative measures, such as proper installation of car seats, booster seats and seat belts can reduce the likelihood of death and injuries. Informing and instructing parents and caregivers on child passenger safety and proper installation of car seats is critical to saving young lives, he said.
The Sheriff’s Office will have passenger safety technicians will inspect car seats and booster seats to ensure that a child is in the appropriate seat for their size and age.
Press Release, Orleans County Sheriff Chris Bourke
ALBION – The Orleans County Sheriff’s Office reports the arrest of multiple individuals following a series of investigations conducted in conjunction with the Department of Social Services into alleged public assistance fraud.
As a result of these investigations, several subjects were charged with offenses including Welfare Fraud, Petit Larceny, Grand Larceny, Criminal use of a public benefit card and Offering a False Instrument for Filing.
The following were charged: Anne Bennett, Lawrence Worsley, Bobbie Taylor, Caitlyn Dehond, Anthony Gross, Stella Gresham, Billie Doxey, Jason Walsh, Shunieka Williams and Edward Ladue III.
It is alleged that the individuals collectively received $35,468.69 in public assistance benefits to which they were not entitled.
All subjects were issued appearance tickets and are scheduled to appear in the Town of Albion Court at a later date.
The Orleans County Sheriff’s Office will continue to work closely with the Department of Social Services to investigate and prosecute fraud-related offenses.
By Mike Wertman, Sports Writer Posted 20 April 2026 at 12:27 pm
Photo by Cheryl Wertman – This view of snow covered Medina’s Vets Park taken this morning tells the story as the very chilly wintery like weather has caused the postponement of a large number of area high school contests including the Medina vs. Albion and Barker vs. Roy-Hart baseball games. Half a dozen softball games have also been postponed including Albion vs. Medina, Akron vs. Roy-Hart, Newfane vs. Barker, Lyndonville vs. Elba, Kendall vs. Pembroke and Wheatland-Chili vs. Holley. The Roy-Hart vs. Medina and Newfane vs. Albion tennis matches have also been postponed. The Roy-Hart at Barker baseball game is scheduled to be made up at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday following the Notre Dame at Barker softball game. The Roy-Hart at Medina tennis match is also slated to be made up on Tuesday.
To the many volunteers who took the time to brave the cold and knock on doors, thank you for your efforts in gathering petition signatures for me to get on the ballot. That was a lot of precious time and energy.
I needed 500 signatures to earn my name on the ballot this November. Together we collected over 1,000! Thank you to everyone who took the time to answer their phones to talk with me about what issues matter to you. Thank you to those who believe in me and have, in some capacity, already contributed to my campaign.
For those of you who have doubts, I would like to share some information. The only qualifications to run for state assembly are being a US citizen, 18 years old, a resident of the state for 5 years, and a resident of the district for 12 months preceding election.
My qualifications: Born in USA, 43 years old, NY resident my entire life, district resident my entire life minus a few years in my 20s in neighboring counties. If they are willing to potentially let 18 years hold the same office, I think I am more than capable of learning the job.
From the start of my activism I have always been clear that I’m not hiding. There’s resources that tell people where I am and when I’ll be there. I encourage you to come talk to me in person. You might be surprised how much we have in common.
The very first article ever written about me was last year for the April 5th Hands off protest. In the article there was a picture of me holding a sign that said “hands off our bodies.” There were definitely hundreds of other topics I could have picked instead but it was no accident choosing this one.
I knew it would be controversial and get people talking. I was immediately met with an onslaught of nasty comments and character critics from total strangers. Still I persisted. I showed up on the day of the protest and made a point to talk to as many of the 300 participants that I could.
I went on to organize a handful more protests and every time I was met with the same response. Seeing other people trying to do something, anything, in a time that is discouraging and isolating gave them hope.
As I kept meeting more and more new people, something else became a common topic, that a majority of people feel misrepresented or underrepresented by their elected officials. When I would ask them who specifically I got the same response, all of them. From the community members on the town boards to the congressional representatives, and everyone in between. People are looking for change. Too many of our races for office are uncontested. Meaning candidates were/are running unopposed, which is an automatic win.
People should have a choice. Given the state of our country we are a heavily divided nation between two parties. If anyone had a chance at getting traction as an opponent I had to run as a democrat. I have always been a no party voter and even now with a D after my name on the ballot I still vote for the better candidate. I didn’t want to primary Mr. Hawley, I wanted to run against him. If I was going to win I wanted it to be earned not handed to me because I beat him in a primary. Political races should be contested. Every race, every seat, every time.
Running for office for me isn’t difficult. Burying your best friend you had had since kindergarten at age 33. That’s difficult. Knowing they died from a completely treatable condition, because they had no health insurance and were too proud to apply for Medicaid, even though they were the exact person that system was designed for. That’s difficult.
Navigating a cancer diagnosis alone, weeks after burying that friend. That’s difficult. Having cancer removal surgery a few months later and having to ask co-workers for a ride to and from the hospital, because your family couldn’t be bothered to return one day early from being snowbirds. That’s difficult. Having to support yourself, with no one else helping to pay the bills, no one to help with dishes, the laundry, the cooking. That’s difficult.
Navigating a broken healthcare system, with chronic undiagnosed medical issues and being told there’s nothing wrong with you, even though you’re living it so you know that’s not true. That’s difficult. Having to drop out of college, 12 credits from earning your bachelor’s degree, because you ran out of money and all the resources to keep going. Thus meaning having to pivot and figure something else out for your life, giving up on your hopes and dreams. That’s difficult.
Being told your whole life you aren’t good enough by the same people who are supposed to love you unconditionally. That’s difficult. Being a statistic of sexual assault by a family member and having no one believe you. That’s difficult.
So no, running for office, that’s not difficult. Dealing with internet trolls and hate speech from people who have never met me or don’t know my story. That’s not difficult. Other people’s opinions of me are none of my business.
All winter long I’ve been proving my point of not hiding by wearing my bright red coat. I’m sure you’ve seen me, I’m hard to miss, 6 feet tall bright red coat. I’m not hiding. Come talk to me. I’m sure you’ll find we have a lot more in common than you think. If I win this election I will be a representative of everyone. I want to hear from everyone, regardless of political affiliations. I want to be an advocate for the betterment of everyone. I don’t care if you have an R or D after your name. I don’t care if we don’t agree on every issue. We should work together to make a better place for everyone.
Why should people have to stay in their circumstances just because they were born into them? No one asks to be born, and no one really gets to decide where they are born. We all bleed red, we all have hearts, and lungs, and livers, and kidneys. We are all the same inside.
So why are we so divided by what’s on the outside? Hate is a learned behavior. Choose kindness, compassion and love. At the end of the day we all are going to die at some time. So why spend life making it harder for someone else? Choose kindness, compassion and love. I have worked a lot of jobs and have seen a lot of ugliness. Choose kindness, compassion and love.
I’m your Doordash driver. I know the struggles of living paycheck to paycheck, I live it every day. I also work a blue collar factory job. I know what it means to get your hands dirty or work 60+ hour weeks to keep a roof over your head and food in your belly. I’ve sat near you in local restaurants, movie theaters, and bars.
Running for office was never about me. It’s about advocating for my friends and neighbors at a table that has the potential to make a difference. I’m not afraid, I’m not hiding, so come find me. Let’s chat.
Sarah Wolcott
Batavia
Candidate for New York State Assembly District 139
Press Release, New York State Correctional Officers & Police Benevolent Association
ALBANY – Today, NYSCOPBA President Chris Summers sent a letter to Governor Kathy Hochul on behalf of the New York State Correctional Officers & Police Benevolent Association, declaring that the New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision (DOCCS) is in a full-scale systemic emergency.
The letter details an alarming surge in violence, dangerous contraband, staff assaults, overdoses, exposures, and deaths inside state prisons. Specific recent incidents include:
At Mohawk Correctional Facility, three correction officers and two National Guard members were hospitalized after exposure to an unknown substance on papers brought in by a visitor; one officer required intensive care and a ventilator.
At Clinton Correctional Facility, eight officers were injured in just six days across five separate incidents involving assaults by intoxicated incarcerated individuals and large-scale disturbances with recovered weapons.
At Coxsackie, a convicted murderer attacked officers with a broken pen, seriously injuring staff.
At Lakeview, a counselor and an officer were brutally assaulted in a classroom; the same individual later assaulted staff again at Attica while housed in a Residential Rehabilitation Unit (RRU).
At Upstate Correctional Facility, one incarcerated individual murdered his bunkmate — a preventable tragedy that a review of the perpetrator’s history shows was foreseeable.
In addition, two separate inmate-on-inmate deaths at Riverview, and Gouverneur are under State Police investigation, and DOCCS data shows 44 incarcerated deaths year-to-date as of April 1, including six suicides. Officers at Riverview recently intercepted more than two pounds of marijuana smuggled in a microwave shipment, and multiple visitors have been caught attempting to bring in contraband.
President Summers stated:
“Our correctional facilities are no longer operating under normal conditions. They are under extreme pressure and becoming increasingly unstable and dangerous for everyone inside the walls. Our members are being assaulted. Staff are being exposed to unknown and potentially lethal substances. Contraband is flooding the system and driving disorder, medical emergencies, violence, and death. This is a crisis that demands the Governor’s direct and personal intervention.”
The letter urges Governor Hochul to immediately engage with the State Legislature and advocate for the adoption of the Statewide HALT Committee’s balanced recommendations to amend the Humane Alternatives to Long-Term Solitary Confinement (HALT) Act.
Those recommendations include expanding serious offenses eligible for segregated confinement, allowing temporary SHU or RRU placement for protective custody when safety risks are unreasonable, and permitting up to 15 days of SHU for repeated misconduct after alternative interventions have failed.
Summers further called for stronger penalties under New York’s contraband laws for smuggling drugs, weapons, and toxic materials into facilities — whether by visitors, mail, packages, or external deliveries — and for a comprehensive statewide strategy to reduce and ultimately eliminate double bunking where it compromises security and human safety.
“The safety of the men and women who work in our state prisons — and the stability of the entire correctional system — now rests on Governor Hochul’s leadership,” Summers concluded. “We implore her to use the full weight of her office to ensure these critical reforms are passed swiftly. NYSCOPBA stands ready to meet with the Governor or her staff at the earliest opportunity to provide any additional information or support required. The time for action is now.”
By Mike Wertman, Sports Writer Posted 20 April 2026 at 9:43 am
Contributed Photos – This spring’s Finger Lakes Community College baseball team includes a large group of local players. That contingent includes, from left, Medina’s Julian Woodworth, a sophomore outfielder, along with the Roy-Hart duo of Ethan Kuzma, a sophomore catcher, and Jacob Gould, a sophomore infielder.
The local FLCC diamond group also includes, from left, Kendall’s Zack Barrett, a sophomore pitcher, along with the Wilson duo of Connor Ernest, a sophomore pitcher, and Tyler Durow, a sophomore catcher. FLCC is now 21-13 overall on the season.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 20 April 2026 at 9:26 am
Photo by Tom Rivers: The price for gas at the Medina Crosby’s on Saturday included $4.19 for regular unleaded, $5.09 for premium and $5.99 for diesel.
The average price for a gallon of gas in Orleans County stayed at $4.18 a gallon today, the same price as a week ago. That price at $4.176 is the highest among the Western New York counties today.
The national average price for a gallon of gasoline is $4.05, down 8 cents from last Monday. One year ago, the price was $3.16, AAA reported today.
The state-wide average is $4.11 today, which is down 2 cents from a week ago. A year ago, it was $3.09, AAA said.
“Gas prices began to drop last week following a sharp decline in oil prices after the announcement of a two-week ceasefire between the U.S. and Iran,” AAA said this morning in a news release. “Since then, the price for a barrel of crude oil has continued to trade below $100. However, maritime traffic transiting the Strait of Hormuz remains subdued as regional tensions persist and negotiations continue.
“This morning, oil prices range from $88 to $94 per barrel. According to the latest data from the Energy Information Administration (EIA), gasoline demand is up while total domestic gasoline supply is down. Meanwhile, gasoline production is on the rise.”
Here are the average prices among WNY counties:
Orleans, $4.176
Genesee, $4.158
Monroe, $4.170
Niagara, $4.078
Erie, $4.166
Wyoming, $4.150
Livingston, $4.174
Chautauqua, $4.124
Cattaraugus, $3.877
Allegany, $4.080
The highest price in the state is in Manhattan at $4.408.
The diesel price is at $5.920 today, which is down 3 cents from a week ago. A year ago, diesel was at $3.906.
CARLTON – You may have heard of bass jumping out of the water.
But have you heard about bass jumping out of water and into a boat?
A recent Orleans Hub article about restocking fish at Oak Orchard reminded us of this true tale recorded by Helen Allen in the 1940’s. Allen was a Town of Carlton historian and a 50-year local correspondent for the Orleans Republican.
She interviewed many older residents and chronicled their recollections. John Podgers, a blacksmith, was one of her sources. At one time, he had a steamboat which he used to take passengers up and down the Oak Orchard Creek and out on Lake Ontario, charging ten cents a person. He told tales of sudden onset storms out on the lake and close calls coming into the harbor. Helen recorded and later published Podger’s absolutely true tale of the jumping bass:
JOHN PODGER’S JUMPING BASS
“One lovely summer evening, two couples from the Inn had engaged John to take them for a ride up and down the creek. They were very tired and had come to the Inn for a quiet rest. They brought banjos and mandolins with them and played and sang as they rode along. John said the music there on the water sounded beautiful and he was enjoying it immensely.
Suddenly the nocturnal harmony was shattered by a woman’s scream and the clatter of mandolins dropped to the bottom of the boat! He looked around to see what had happened. The two ladies had dropped their instruments and were crouched up on the seat. A big black bass was flopping about on the bottom of the boat. The ladies were still moaning in terror, but the men were too excited to notice.
“Will that fish jump out?” asked one.
“Well,” John said, “he jumped in so I guess he’ll jump out if he wants to.”
At that, the man made a lunge and grabbed the fish with both hands.
“I brought out fifty dollars’ worth of fishing tackles and have been fishing for a week without getting a bite,” he said, “and this fish is not getting away.”
The ladies wanted to go in but the men insisted John go up the creek again. The bass kept jumping and soon there were six big ones in the boat. By this time their wives were in hysterics and the men had to take them ashore.
One of the men found a pail to carry the fish in and he said to John, “Come up to the hotel with me for no one will believe me when I tell this story.”
At the Inn everyone admired the bass. They weighed them and found the six totaled eighteen pounds, but no one would believe that they had jumped into the boat. So, John was engaged to take all the men from the hotel on a fishing expedition the next evening. The two musical ladies were in such a state they had to be sent home but their husbands stayed to prove the truthfulness of their story.
The next evening, a jeering crowd of men rode up and down the creek for a time without anything happening, but when it became dark enough for the steamer’s headlight to shine clearly over the water, the bass started jumping again and several landed in the boat.
After that, John and his boat were in great demand. Guests from the hotels, cottages, neighbors and people from Albion and farther away went out nearly every night. Usually, the black bass were accommodating but sometimes there was disappointment as some friend or relative was brought from a distance to see the jumping fish and nary a one showed up.
One evening, Elder Brown, the Presbyterian minister was in the boat when a bass landed on the canopy on top of the boat, flopped about for a minute and then slid off the other side. When they went ashore that night, Elder Brown told his friends that the fish had now taken to jumping right over the boat.
Charles Hart hired a fishing boat and followed the steamer. Quite a crowd of men were in the two boats and John said that the black bass were in great jumping form that night. Every time one landed in either boat, the men would yell and there was great excitement to see which one would get the bigger catch.
The steamer won out but together they caught 52 fish, and a bushel basket would not hold them all. Of course, only a small proportion of the bass that jumped landed in the boats and John said that from his position in the bow looking down the beam of the light, the fish were breaking water so fast that it looked as if the whole creek was boiling.
It was a fantastic sight, the bubbling water, the many fish jumping just above the surface and many more that leaped high and then came horizontally for a few feet, straight toward the headlight, with wiggling fins and tails and wet glistening bodies as if swimming through the air, and then dropped back into the water or into the boat.
The jumping bass of Oak Orchard Creek was the chief topic of conversation in a wide area of western New York and even in more distant places for a time.
The nest year the black bass appeared to be more sophisticated and scarcely noticed the steamboat’s headlight.”
Incidentally, the Oak Orchard River Bass Anglers Club is still active; it was started in 1975 by Jack Ainslie and Mike Elam.
