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By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 24 August 2024 at 8:07 pm
Photos by Tom Rivers
KNOWLESVILLE – Zyann Pore sings “Praise” with other members of the Shiloh Youth Choir during today’s Gospel Fest at the Orleans County 4-H Fairgrounds.
About 500 people attended the event, which included the sale of 200 chicken barbecues dinners. Trellis Pore, pastor of the Shiloh Church in Albion, cooked the chicken dinners which were paired with corn casserole made by his mother, Brenda Gabrielson.
Proceeds from today’s event will go to a building expansion fund for the Shiloh Church.
The Shiloh Youth Choir sings “Lion” during the Gospel Fest.
The “Good News” band performed first, followed by the Shiloh “Littles” who are young children at the church. After the youth choir, the adult choir from Shiloh sang religious and uplifting music.
Trellis Pore, pastor of the church, preaches from the stage. He urged people to “let go and let God.” Pore said people need to get out of a religious routine and instead strive for a relationship with God.
I am beginning to see a current trend occurring in this column that I find disturbing. The Hub has a forum for the opinions of our area residents.
At the moment, our presidential elections are only a few weeks away. I am seeing a lot of mud-slinging from the progressive left. OK, you’ve written and have had your comments published.
It seems to me that if anyone dare to write and have published a different opinion, these contributors are verbally attacked …as if they’re not allowed to have their own political opinion.
I find this being unfair and narrow-minded. No one will ever see everything the same way and that’s what makes everyone unique and with value. Please be kind to one another in this column.
Ms. Major was unfairly attacked in the letter she contributed to this column. Be fair to one another. Please, all have the right to their opinion.
Photo by Tom Rivers: The Main Street lift bridge, show on July 31, has been closed to traffic since Nov. 14.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 24 August 2024 at 10:05 am
ALBION – The Albion Betterment Committee said the delayed reopening of the Main Street lift bridge has hurt many independent businesses in the downtown area.
The group has a letter ready to go to state officials, and is welcoming more signatures from the community. They will be at the Hoag Library today from 10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.
The bridge has been closed to traffic since Nov. 14. It was expected to be an 18-month project with the bridge to reopen in the spring 2024.
But there have been issues with some materials being off-size and other supply-chain challenges. Village officials say the state Department of Transportation is now eyeing a mid-December completion for the project.
The Betterment Committee is sending a letter to Gov. Kathy Hochul, State Sen. Rob Ortt and Assemblyman Steve Hawley, urging them to seek a speedy completion to the project.
“We are trying to help the downtown merchants,” said Gary Kent, an ABC director.
The bridge from 1914 is getting an extensive rehabilitation. It is part of a $28.3 million project that includes the Main Street lift bridge in Brockport.
By Mike Wertman, Sports Writer Posted 24 August 2024 at 9:46 am
Contributed Photos – A trio of local graduates are members of the Alfred University Western Equestrian team. From left are Brooke Boyko a Holley grad who is a junior Business Administration major, Arie Decker a Roy-Hart grad who is a sophomore Biochemistry major and Audrey Pask, an Albion grad who is a sophomore Ceramic Engineering major. Decker has also been a member of the Alfred Hunter Seat and Dressage Equestrian teams and Boyko the Hunter Seat team.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 24 August 2024 at 9:12 am
Provided photos: (Left) Nick Joy of the Medina Police Department speaks during Friday’s graduation of the Niagara County Law Enforcement Academy. Joy served as president of the 82nd Basic Class. (Right) Tanner Ferris of the Medina PD is congratulated for completing the six-month program.
MEDINA – Two Medina police officers on Friday graduated from a six-month police academy.
Nick Joy and Tanner Ferris were among 21 graduates in the 82nd Basic Class of the Niagara County Law Enforcement Academy.
The new graduates, Nick Joy at left and Tanner Ferris at right, are pictured with Medina Police Chief Todd Draper.
The two officers were hired by Medina in February. Now that they have completed the six-month academy at Niagara County Community College, they will do field training with the Medina PD.
The graduates represented law enforcement agencies The two officers will take a six-month police academy starting Monday at Niagara County Community College then they do field training with the Medina PD.
At the academy students completed classroom instruction, physical training, defensive tactics and firearms training.
Besides Medina, the graduates include officers and deputies from the Niagara County Sheriff’s Office, Niagara Falls Police Department, North Tonawanda and Lockport police departments, and Genesee County Sheriff’s Office.
Joy has been a trainer and co-owner of the Hustl House gym in Albion and Medina. Ferris is a 2017 Albion graduate with a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice from SUNY Brockport. He was working for Keeler Construction.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 23 August 2024 at 6:28 pm
E-YAH-Pah-Hah has 3 other concerts in September, October
Provided photo: E-YAH-Pah-Hah Wind Quintet (Town Crier) includes, from left: Susan Walders, flute; Darren Pully, oboe; Maggie Warren, horn; Kae Wilbert, bassoon; and Scott Horsington, clarinet.
ALBION – A quintet that started last year performing classical Native American music has four upcoming concerts, including 7:30 p.m. on Aug. 29 at the Albion Town Hall.
E-YAH-Pah-Hah, the “Town Crier,” will do a mini premiere of three of five movements of a new piece, “Postcards of Native America,” by Native American composer Dr. Charles Shadle, Choctaw, who teaches theory and composition at MIT.
Kae Wilbert, a retired Churchville-Chili music teacher, lives in Albion and is a leader in the group as well as a bassoon player. She is a descendant of the Oklahoma Cherokee.
The group started last year, performing for the first time at Camp Asbury in Perry, a United Methodist camp. The musicians wanted to share Native music with youth. That desire has spread to sharing the music with the community.
“People rarely hear Native American classical music,” she said.
The group rehearses at the Disciples United Methodist Church in Clarendon, where Wilbert is a member.
“I’ve always loved woodwind quartets. I wanted to keep playing,” she said.
Besides the concert on Aug. 29 in Albion, E-YAH-Pah-Hah’s performance schedule includes:
Sept. 16 at 7:30 p.m. at College of Brockport Music Department
Oct. 5 at 3 p.m. at Cobblestone Church in Gaines
Oct. 27 at 3 p.m. with Daystar Dance Company, Seneca Art and Culture Center Auditorium at Ganondagan State Historic Site in Victor.
“The music is very rewarding,” Wilbert said. “The musicians are quite good and all very focused.”
Four of the musicians have college degrees in music, while the fifth member has a medical degree.
The Aug. 29 concert is also part of a classical music series at Albion that is funded with a grant from GO Art!
Other concerts in that series include the Geneseo Wind Quintet with faculty from SUNY Geneseo Music Department. They will be performing at the Albion Town Hall on Clarendon Road on Sept. 18 at 6:30 p.m.
The Music Educators Wind Ensemble will perform Dec. 12 at 7:30 p.m. at the Albion Middle School Auditorium.
Press Release, Orleans County Historical Association
ALBION – The final summer cemetery tour will be held this Sunday at Mt. Albion Cemetery. The tour will begin at 6 p.m. in front of the chapel. The tour is approximately 0.7 miles in length on mostly flat surfaces. We will tour behind the chapel and the western section of Mt. Albion.
Retired Orleans County Historian Bill Lattin and Village of Albion Historian Sue Starkweather Miller will lead the tour sharing stories of community-minded people who made a positive difference in Albion.
“One of the stops on the tour will highlight professional animal painter Peter B. West and how a painting of his led me on a journey to learning about George D. Harris, a prolific builder and contractor,” Starkweather Miller said. “Many of us may have heard of his family members, Medal of Honor recipient Charles D. Harris and Lydia Harris, who died in the Main Street bridge collapse on September 28, 1859. But I never knew about George and his accomplishments in Albion. I think people will be interested in his story.”
Donna Strickland Rodden will also be highlighted on the tour. The chapel, built in 1875, was dedicated to her in 1997. Rodden was the first female mayor of Albion, serving from 1973-1983. Her influence and care for preserving local history has made a lasting impact on our community and Mt. Albion.
The summer series of tours is sponsored by the Orleans County Historical Association. Please go to their website at www.orleanshistory.org for more information on upcoming events including monthly programs at the Gaines Basin Schoolhouse and a chicken barbecue fundraiser on Aug. 31.
Photo by Tom Rivers: Arthur Barnes is shown July 2 working on a mural on the back of the Community Free Library. Barnes is now nearly done with the project.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 23 August 2024 at 12:17 pm
HOLLEY – The Community Free Library in Holley is planning a 10 a.m. dedication on Sept. 7 for the second phase of a mural.
Arthur Barnes is close to being done with a mural that is 25 feet high and 21 feet wide. Barnes has an agricultural-themed mural with trees, wheat fields, and an apple orchard.
His mural blends in with artwork painted on the back of the library last year by Tony Barry. That mural features the portrait of Holley’s namesake, Myron Holley, and a Erie Canal scene. Myron Holley was an early commissioner for the canal.
A $5,000 grant awarded to the library from the Genesee-Orleans Regional Arts Council is funding the new mural.
After the dedication at 10 a.m. on Sept.7, there will be cake and punch inside the library meeting room.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 23 August 2024 at 9:41 am
Photo by Tom Rivers
MEDINA – Eager eaters go through the service line and fill their plates with vegetables from Pudgie’s Veggies and burgers from RLW Cattle Co.
The Gallagher on Route 63 hosted the event on Thursday evening where 200 meals were served in an event promoted as “burgers and brews.”
It was a fast sell-out in a collaboration among RLW, Pudgie’s, the Gallagher, Hilltop Restaurant in Lockport and The Coffeepot Café in Medina.
The Coffeepot owners, Dan and Hans Rosentreter, provided the buns for the burgers. Hilltop catered the event, preparing the food.
Patrick Woodworth shucks corn inside the Gallagher while his wife Rachel Woodworth greets people. Harris Farms in Gasport provided the corn roaster and some manpower to cook the corn.
The Woodworths started a retail beef store on Swett Road in Lyndonville this past spring for RLW Cattle Co. Patrick is a fifth-generation beef farmer. He also grows apples and grains.
“This is to support local businesses,” Patrick said about the event. “We all have something to offer.”
There were 200 tickets at $35 each. Besides the food served at the Gallagher, everyone received a pound of beef to take home.
“People are being so positive about it,” Rachel said. “It’s like a farm-to-table dinner.”
Pudgie’s Veggies owner Pudgie Bale and partner Debbie Fuller were happy to see so many people enjoying the food.
Pudgie’s provided potatoes, corn on the cob, cucumbers and tomatoes.
Bale also made it known he is planning to retire from growing vegetables after this year. He has grown vegetables for 25 years. He also worked as a heavy equipment operator and bartender. Bale said he wants more time to enjoy life, especially time with his grandchildren. He has been working 6 a.m. to 11 p.m.
“I just can’t do it anymore,” said Bale, who is 68. “I’m crawling into the house at night.”
Pudgie’s supplies eight restaurants with vegetables, and has stands outside his home on Route 63 near Boxwood Cemetery and by Lake’s Wine and Spirits at the corner of Salt Works Road and Park Avenue. Budgie’s also has a stand on Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at RLW on Swett Road.
Bale said his goal was to provide top-tier produce.
“We built this business on quality,” he said.
Tony Conrad, executive chef and owner of Hilltop Restaurant in Lockport, grills burgers outside The Gallagher. Conrad and his team of employees prepared the meals for Thursday’s dinner.
The event also included music from the Dave Stoll Band in Lyndonville.
The apple crisp were made from apples from Sandy Knoll Farms, owned by Patrick Woodworth in Lyndonville. These apples came out of storage from last year’s crop. Sandy Knoll was hit hard by a hail storm on Aug. 11.
Everett Bruning busses tables during the event. His parents, Jenna and Martin Bruning, opened The Gallagher in 2016. The site hosts about 50 weddings a year, and also is used for other parties and events.
Lane Woodworth gives one of the dinner guests a bag with a frozen pound of beef to take home.
The Woodworth, Conrad and Bruning families and Pudgie’s Veggies leaders pose for a photo outside the Gallagher.
From left in front include Morgan Woodworth and Megan Fargale (from Hilltop Restaurant).
Back row includes Lane, Patrick, Rachel and Nathan Woodworth; Tony and Crystal Conrad; Debbie Fuller and Pudgie Bale; Sylvia, Aubrey, Everett, Martin and Jenna Bruning.
By Mike Wertman, Sports Writer Posted 23 August 2024 at 8:52 am
Photo by Cheryl Wertman – Veteran members of the Medina varsity squad include, in front, Ethan Carson, Brody Fry, Carter Woodworth and Kolton Fletcher. In back are Elijah Doxey, Cole Callard, Frankie Stephens, Avion Johnson and Christian Moss.
Four time C North Division champion Medina faces two big challenges – low numbers and major graduation losses – as the Mustangs begin a quest to claim a fifth straight crown.
“Numbers are our biggest concern” said Mustangs Head Coach Eric Valley whose squad numbers just 22 players when preseason practice began this week. “Our goal is to get our best 11 players on the field, stay healthy and play fast.”
Offensively, the Mustangs are led by junior running back Christian Moss who rushed for 1,362 yards and scored 18 touchdowns last year to earn C North Division Offensive Player of the Year honors.
The Mustangs also have a strong offensive weapon in senior place kicker Cole Callard who made good on 44 of 46 extra point kick attempts and 4 field goals, including a school record 47 yarder, last year.
Senior linebacker/running back Brody Fry, who earned C North Defensive Player of the Year honors, is shifting to a line position on offense as is senior tight end/defensive end Brayden McEwen-Miller to help offset major graduation losses on the line.
Those line losses included the starting quartet of Roosevelt Mitchell, Xavier King, Kole Campbell and Sawyer Kingsbury.
The Mustangs returning experience on the line includes senior Ethan Carson, juniors Xavier Moyer and Frankie Stephens and sophomore Matthew Jacobs.
Sophomores Preston Woodworth and Hadrian Batista are vying for the starting quarterback spot as Julian Woodworth and Noah Cudzilo, who took all the snaps last year, have both graduated.
At the skill positions the Mustangs also return senior Carter Woodworth and junior Avion Johnson at tight end, juniors Jerrell Nealy and Kolton Fletcher and sophomore Elijah Doxey at wide receiver and sophomore Jayzon Wills at running back.
Graduation losses at those positions included Justin Pitts and Kaedon Cleveland at wide receiver and Amari Soule, Liam Castricone, Xavier Bloom and Will Prest at running back.
Medina, which went 6-0 in the division and 10-1 overall last fall, will open the season on September 6 with a C North contest against Roy-Hart/Barker on Barker’s new artificial turf field. The Mustangs home opener will be September 13 against Newfane.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 23 August 2024 at 8:26 am
Provided photo
ALBION – The appointed treasurer and five commissioners for the Albion Joint Fire District met on Tuesday for the Albion Joint Fire District.
Pictured from left include Victoria Tabor, the treasurer; and commissioners David Buczek, Al Cheverie, Craig Lane, Joe Martillotta and Chris Kinter.
The commissioners picked Cheverie, a former president of the Albion Fire Department, to serve as the group’s chairman. A secretary will be appointed by the commissioners at the next meeting.
The joint fire district was approved in a public referendum on Aug. 6 by voters in the towns of Albion and Gaines.
Buczek was appointed by the Albion Village Board, while Martillotta and Kinter were picked by the Albion Town Board, and Cheverie and Lane by the Gaines Town Board.
The group in the coming months will be working on the 2025 budget for the joint fire district. They also will be developing policies and procedures, and setting up banking and insurance for the district. The commissioners will meet the second and fourth Thursdays.
The five will serve until the end of this year. There will be an election in December for five commissioners in terms of 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 years, depending on the vote totals for each. The highest vote-getter gets the 5-year term and then the term length goes in descending order of votes. After the December election, the commissioner election should be just one position up for election each year.
File photo by Tom Rivers: Terry Buchwald, an Elvis Presley impersonator, arrives in downtown Medina on a motorcycle during the Super Cruise on Sept. 5, 2018. A section of Main Street was blocked off for the car show.
By Ginny Kropf, correspondent Posted 22 August 2024 at 8:53 pm
MEDINA – After a summer of changes for Medina’s decades-old cruise-ins, the 28th annual event will end for this season next Wednesday with Super Cruise on Main Street, featuring Terry Buchwald as Elvis.
After David Green announced he was giving up heading up the cruise-ins, real estate developer Rollin Hellner and Medina businessman Tom Snyder decided to take it over and move it from the canal basin to the parking lot of the Senior Center on West Avenue.
Attendance which often reached 100 in the canal basin, dipped to the 40s or less at the Senior Center. Many of the car owners preferred the shade and proximity to the water in the basin.
Photo by Ginny Kropf: Terry Buchwald is a nimble Elvis impersonator on the stage.
Now, Hellner has announced another change for Super Cruise. Cruisers will be charged $10 to park their vehicles on Main Street. In exchange, Hellner said there will be official judges on site and trophies will be awarded for Best of Show, Best Car, Best Truck, Best Performance Vehicle, Judges’ Choice and Most Unique.
Super Cruises in the past have attracted 300 or more vehicles, and Hellner said he expects 200 to 250 next week. Drivers are advised they will have to enter Main Street on Route 63 from the North, where a station will be set up to check cars in, two at a time.
Cars are asked not to arrive prior to 4 p.m. Official start time for the show is 5:30, with Buchwald performing from 6 to 8 p.m.
Regular door prizes will be awarded and the 50/50 drawing will still take place.
Although Hellner said the weather looks great for Wednesday, the rain date will be Sept. 4.
Press Release, Genesee-Orleans Regional Arts Council
BATAVIA – The Genesee-Orleans Regional Arts Council (GO Art!) is excited to announce an exceptional opportunity for artists of all disciplines living and/or working in Genesee and Orleans Counties.
In partnership with the New York Foundation for the Arts (NYFA) and the New York State Council on the Arts (NYSCA), GO ART! is accepting applications for the NYSCA/NYFA Artist as Entrepreneur Program. The program is free to participants.
This intensive 3.5-day professional development program is designed to empower artists across all disciplines—including visual, literary, performing arts, and more—with the essential tools needed to achieve sustainability and success in their creative endeavors. Whether you’re an emerging artist looking to build a strong foundation or an established professional seeking new strategies and networks, this program offers a dynamic platform to enhance your creative practice.
Program Highlights:
Comprehensive Content: Participants will explore key topics such as strategic planning, marketing, fundraising, financial literacy, and art law. The curriculum includes materials from NYFA’s renowned textbook, The Profitable Artist.
Work Sample Reviews: Receive personalized feedback from professionals in your field, offering valuable insights into the jury selection process and your artistic presentation.
Peer Network: Join a community of like-minded peers across various disciplines, fostering connections that extend beyond the program.
Access to Experts: Engage with NYFA’s expert staff and local arts industry leaders, including funders, curators, publishers, and artistic directors.
Artist Action Plan: Develop a personalized blueprint for your practice or specific arts project, with opportunities to discuss and refine your plan within the peer group.
Engagement with the Creative Community: The program structure includes presentations, panels, interactive workshops, and breakout sessions tailored to the needs of participants.
Eligibility and Application:
Who Can Apply: Artists of all disciplines and career stages, including students, who are living and/or working in Genesee or Orleans Counties
Application Deadline: Monday, September 23, 11:59 p.m. Applications must be submitted via Submittable.
Program Dates:
Meet and Greet and Introductions: Thursday, November 7, 5 to 8 p.m.
Intensive Sessions: Friday – Sunday, November 8-10, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily
Please email questions to learning@nyfa.org with the subject line “Artist as Entrepreneur, GO ART!”
This program is made possible through New York State Council on the Arts, State & Local Partnerships with the support of the Governor’s Office and the New York State Legislature.
