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Roy-Hart/Medina nips Barker/Lyndonville
Photos by Cheryl Wertman – Roy-Hart/Medina’s Josephine Silsby (8) and Addison Carr (4) chase after the ball along with Barker/Lyndonville’s Braelynn Dillenbeck during this evening’s game at Gasport which was won by the host Lady Rams.
Roy-Hart/Medina trimmed visiting Barker/Lyndonville 2-1 in a Niagara-Orleans League girls soccer game this evening.
Maria Trombley and Ruth Walker scored the goals for Roy-Hart/Medina.
Barker/Lyndonville’s goal was scored by Elysse Dillenbeck assisted by Villette Jary.
Both teams are now 3-5 in N-O action.
In the other N-O game front-running Wilson (7-0) downed Albion (5-4) 8-0.
Arnie Sturtevant sends the ball up field for Barker/Lyndonville as Maria Trombley defends for Roy-Hart/Medina.
Akron downs Medina; Roy-Hart bests Wilson in N-O League volleyball matches
Photos by Cheryl Wertman – Medina’s Payton Denniston goes up for a spike over Akron’s Anna Bergman during this evening’s match which saw the Lady Tigers down the host Mustangs.
Akron (5-1) scored a 25-18, 25-17, 20-25, 25-50 win at Medina (1-6) and Roy-Hart (3-4) downed visiting Wilson (4-3) 25-19, 25-21, 18-25, 25-8 in Niagara-Orleans League volleyball matches this evening.
Caliyah St. Louis had 4 spiking kills and 3 service aces for Medina as Sam Heschke and Jenna Cecchini both had 3 aces and Maya Anderson 2 kills.
Lauren Snyder had 13 kills for Roy-Hart as Tessa Degenhardt had 9 and Skylar Walker 8. Jaycie Heck added 32 assists.
Medina’s Maya Anderson goes up for a block attempt against Akron’s Kylie Mangione.
Fairgrounds hosting Scarecrow Fest on Saturday
File photo by Tom Rivers: Jennifer Slack of Medina makes a scarecrow with her children, Emma and Bradley, during last year’s Scarecrow Fest on Oct. 11, 2025. The event is organized by the Medina Lions Club.
KNOWLESVILLE – The annual Scarecrow Fest sponsored by Medina Lions is truly an event for the entire family.
From 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, the Orleans County 4-H Fairgrounds will busy with boys and girls, moms and dads and even grandparents building scarecrows, romping in the straw or just enjoying a hot dog cooked by the Lions Club.
Event chairman Jim Hancock said the event has become so popular, families are coming from all over the county, and even Middleport.
He said the Fairgrounds on Route 31 is a perfect place for the event, which in early years was held in various locations around Medina, including the YMCA, the canal basin and Roberts Farm Market.
“Here, the event goes on, rain or shine,” Hancock said.
Many individuals are involved in making this event a success. It starts with Barden Homes, who donate the wood and cut the pieces for the bodies. Then the Lions get together and screw them together into a T. The cloth for the scarecrows’ faces is cut by Lions’ members, who then take them to Medina High School, where the art class paints the faces on them.
“They are really beautiful,” Hancock’s wife Barb said. “No two are alike.”
Clothing and accessories for the scarecrows are donated by the MAAC Thrift Shop. This includes shirts, blouses, hats, belts and pants.
Straw is donated by Ed Neal and Brian Dunham. Last year the Master Gardners offered pumpkin carving during the event, and plan to do it again this year. Cost is $12 per scarecrow. Parents and grandparents may charge their creation this year, with the availability to offer credit.
The Lions will also be selling hotdogs, chips, pop and water.
Hancock said many of the club members volunteer for the event.
“It’s one of the most fun things we do,” he said.
The Lions are also contemplating a contest, where someone well-known in the community will be selected and a prize offered for the person who makes a scarecrow looking most like that person.
Medina tops Newfane in N-O boys soccer
Medina improved to 4-3 in Niagara-Orleans League boys soccer competition by posting a 3-0 victory at Newfane this evening.
Aidan Papaj scored all three goals for the Mustangs as Brayden Lewis, Bryson Ford and Izzy Anderson all had assists.
Lewis, Ford, Owen Sargent and Tyler Raduns anchored the defense.
The loss drops Newfane to 3-5.
In the other N-O game, undefeated (8-0) Wilson clinched at least a tie for a fourth straight league title by downing Albion (0-7-1) 9-0.
Hayden Fellows scored 3 goals and Trenton Kaminski 2 to lead a parade of 6 goal scorers for the Lakemen.
Barker tops Roy-Hart in N-O field hockey
Barker boosted its Niagara-Orleans League field hockey record to 7-1 with a 5-1 win over Roy-Hart (1-7) this afternoon.
Sophia Pavlock scored 2 goals as Elise Monaco, Autumn Lewis and Jillian Maines each had 1. Milayna May chipped in with 3 assists.
Adella Dukes scored the goal for Roy-Hart.
In the other N-O game Kenmore (4-4) blanked visiting Medina (1-6) 4-0.
Tonight’s sunset was a stunner
RIDGEWAY – Kimberly Stawicki sent in this photo of this evening’s sunset. She took the photo from the Marshall Road canal bridge.
The high temperatures in the coming days include 68 on Wednesday, 64 on Thursday, 63 on Friday, and 70 on Saturday.
Barker boys cap 6-0 N-O X-C regular season
Barker swept to a doubleheader victory this afternoon defeating Roy-Hart 15-46 and Newfane 16-44 to finish the Niagara-Orleans League boys cross-country regular season at 6-0.
Newfane downed Roy-Hart 19-42 in the other portion of the meet.
Barker was led by the 1-2-3-4 finish of Peyton Wagner, Grayson Prynn, Ethan Gancasz and Chace Atwater.
The Newfane girls finished the regular season at 5-1 by downing Barker 25-32 and Roy-Hart 21-36. Barker also downed Roy-Hart 24-31.
Newfane’s Eden Hillman won the race as Barker’s Hannah Monaco was second and Roy-Hart’s Marissa Bryant third.
The Akron boys finished at 4-2 by besting Medina 27-28 and Wilson 15-50. Medina also downed Wilson 15-50.
Akron’s Quinn O’Malley won the race as the Medina duo of Jonathan Dix and Lucious Boyle finished second and third.
The Akron girls finished at 6-0 by defeating Medina and Wilson 15-50. Wilson also topped Medina 14-22.
Wilson’s Hayden Barlow won the race as Akron’s Abigail Bower and Aleece O’Malley placed second and third.
Parkitects builds new fully accessible playground for Lyndonville school
Lyndonville grad Ben Frasier owns company and wants phase 2 with a bigger playground for older elementary kids
Photos by Tom Rivers
LYNDONVILLE – Ben Frasier, a 1988 Lyndonville graduate and owner of Parkitects, checks out a new sensory dome in the playground by the elementary school. The sensory dome is an intended spot for children on the autism spectrum to get away from the activity and noise from the other parts of the playground.
Frasier and a team of 18 Parkitects employees spent most of the day installing a new playground at Lyndonville.
Frasier and Parkitects donated about $250,000 in equipment and in-kind services to the playground. The school district also was able to use $160,000 in federal American Rescue Plan Act funds for playground equipment.
Parkitects employees get wheelbarrow loads of concrete for footers to hold down the new playground equipment.
Orleans Ready Mix donated concrete for the project. Those donations were lined up by Steve Grabowski, the district’s director of facilities.
Other donations included:
Watson Construction Group with removal/demolition of all of the old playground equipment and 14 inches of mulch; Barre Stone Company with 100 tons of crusher run stone; Shelby Crushed Stone with 100 tons of crusher run stone; Town of Yates with hauling the stone to the school; and Medina Lumber & Hardware with pressure treated 2×12’s covering 228 linear feet around the perimeter.
The new playground includes a We-Go-Round, Sway Fun Glider, We-Saw and other equipment that will be accessible to kids of all abilities and mobilities. The previous playground was over 20 years old and wasn’t handicapped accessible.
A 3 1/2-inch thick rubber material will be added next week. It takes 48 hours for that rubber to cure after being poured. Ben Frasier said he expects the new playground will be open for children in about two weeks.
The playground equipment is stainless steel and manufactured by Landscape Structures. Frasier has been part of Parkitects for 29 years. The company is celebrating its 30th anniversary.
Frasier said the new playground is phase 1 of an initiative to give Lyndonville the best his company has to offer.
Frasier, during an August Board of Education meeting, said he has profound memories of growing up in Lyndonville and playing on the former wooden playground at the school. The community came together nearly 50 years ago to build that playground.
“This playground taught me about the power of community,” he said showing a photo of the former site.
Frasier wants phase 2 to a be a larger playground for older kids in the elementary school. He believes the project can happen through fund-raising, grants and donations.
Phase 2 would include some larger equipment including Super Netplex Towers, ZipKrooz, Oodles Swing, Sensory Tunnel, Rollerslide with Exit Bench, and a 7-Post Hex Net. Frasier would like to see the next phase installed in about a year.
Phase 3 could include a shelter for parents and grandparents to stay in the shade while children are on the playground.
Ben Frasier tries out the We-Go-Round. It has space for children in wheelchairs to get inside and enjoy the ride.
ESL named a 2026 Best Workplace in Financial Services and Insurance
Press Release, ESL Federal Credit Union
ROCHESTER – ESL Federal Credit Union is pleased to announce its place on the Best Workplaces in Financial Services and Insurance list on Great Place to Work and Fortune magazine’s list of large companies.
This year marks the first time ESL appeared in the large-company category after growing to more than 1,000 employees. The locally owned financial institution ranked number 29 out of 50 companies. Editor’s Note: ESL has a site in Orleans County at 11182 Maple Ridge Rd., Medina.
Prior to this year, ESL garnered recognition on the list of small and medium-sized companies for a decade. The financial institution is named alongside other respected New York-based organizations, including The Bonadio Group in the large category and First American Equipment Finance in the small and medium category.
“We are honored to be named a Best Workplace in Financial Services and Insurance for the 11th consecutive year,” said Maureen Wolfe, executive vice president, chief administrative officer. “This year is especially meaningful to us, as we join the list of large companies for the first time. As we continue to grow and expand our geographic footprint, our commitment to providing a superior employee experience remains a key focus for us. At ESL, we recognize that supporting and investing in our employees strengthens our ability to serve our members and communities.”
To determine the Best Workplaces in Financial Services & Insurance list, Great Place to Work measures and benchmarks approximately 200,000 employee survey responses from Great Place to Work-Certified companies in the financial services and insurance industry.
The complete list can be viewed by clicking here.
Mediator to meet with Albion teachers’ union, district officials on Oct. 20
Bruce Pritchett, a middle school social studies teacher, holds a sign demanding a fair contract for Albion teachers. About 30 teachers attended Monday’s board meeting, with several holding signs and most wearing T-shirts in support of the teachers’ union.
Photos by Tom Rivers
ALBION – Two members of the negotiating team for the Albion Teachers Association, Josh Green at left at podium and Chris Keller, address the Board of Education during Monday’s board meeting.
The teachers have been without a contract since June 30, 2025. An impasse has been declared and a mediator will have his first session on Oct. 20 with the negotiating team of the ATA and district officials.
Green and Keller were limited to a 3-minute comment period during the board meeting. They said the district has been underspending its budget by about 25 percent the last three years or by about $10 million a year.
They said the teachers’ request for higher pay could easily be accommodated by the district if it spent the budgeted amounts for teachers.
Keller is a middle school English teacher and Green works in the high school as a social studies teacher. Green noted a 2022 report from the state comptroller that said the district had amassed reserves that were too high. AT that time the district’s reserves were about $17 million. Green and Keller said the reserves now top $50 million.
The two sides are $1.4 million apart in a five-year contract or about $300,000 a year.
Albion teachers are seeking raises that the ATA said reflects the cost-of-living increases and also the extra workload as the district demands more time each day for teachers to be in the classroom. (The first year of the contract would be an extra 10 minutes, and then 20 minutes from years 2 to 5.)
Mickey Edwards, the district superintendent, told the Orleans Hub in a recent interview that the needs to allow the district to stay within the state-imposed tax cap of about 2 percent annually. The new contract will set the floor for future contracts and the commitment from local taxpayers, Edwards said.
“My hope is we reach a conclusion that is fair and fiscally responsible for both parties and the community,” he said. “It’s about sustainability and being fair to the community.”
Bruce Pritchett, a middle school social studies teacher, holds a sign demanding a fair contract for Albion teachers. About 30 teachers attended Monday’s board meeting, with several holding signs and most wearing T-shirts in support of the teachers’ union.
Albion hasn’t increased what it collects in property taxes in 18 of the last 20 years. The district has benefitted from steady increases in state aid, but Edwards said there is no guarantee that will continue in the future with the state.
The teachers have been without a contract for over a year. They still get their regular step increases and all other benefits while there isn’t a contract except teachers on the highest step of 24 because there isn’t a step increase for them. The district said the steps are an average of 3.8 percent (ranging from 2.6 to 10.6 percent).
The district is proposing in the new contract the regular pay hikes with step increases, plus additional raises of 6.9 percent in the first year, 3.3 percent in the second year, 3.5 percent the third year, 3.3 percent the fourth year and 3.4 percent in the fifth year. The total increase over the 5 years would be 22.1 percent or $2,742,032.
The ATA is seeking a contract that would be about $1.4 million over what the district is offering. The ATA is seeking the usual salary steps plus a 4.8 percent increase the first year, and then 10 percent the second year, 5.7 percent the third year, 4.7 percent the fourth year and 4.7 percent the fifth year.
The district wants teachers to work more instructional time because the district currently is close to the 990-hour minimum for the elementary school and 900-hour minimum for secondary levels, Edwards said. If there is a snow day or other emergency, Albion is cutting it very close to meet the minimum standard, Edwards said.
That added time represents 4.7 percent more time in the classroom for teachers. The ATA said the contract should reflect that additional workload, as well as the cost-of-living increases that the ATA is putting at 3.5 percent annually.
