Press Release, Orleans County Chamber of Commerce

ALBION – The Orleans County Chamber of Commerce is proud to announce the return of the annual Home, Garden & Outdoor Show, taking place March 28 and 29 at Dubby’s Tailgate, 165 S. Platt Street, Albion.

This two-day community event brings together local businesses, industry experts, and residents for a weekend focused on home improvement, gardening, outdoor living, and family-friendly activities.

The show will feature vendor exhibits, educational presentations, food vendors, raffles, children’s activities, and seasonal highlights including an Easter plant sale and visits with the Easter Bunny.

The Home, Garden & Outdoor Show provides an opportunity for local businesses to connect directly with homeowners and community members seeking products, services, and inspiration for their homes and outdoor spaces.

Vendor applications are now open, and space is limited. Businesses in home improvement, landscaping, construction, real estate, finance, décor, outdoor recreation, and related industries are encouraged to apply.

Applications are due by March 23, and interested vendors can access the application by clicking here.

For additional information about the event, vendor opportunities, or Chamber membership, please visit the Orleans County Chamber of Commerce website, email social@orleanscountychamberofcommerce.com or call 585-201-8676.

Income limit would stay at $24,700 but percentages of exemptions would go up

ALBION – The Orleans County Legislature is looking to increase the maximum exemptions for low-income seniors from 50 percent off their property taxes to 65 percent.

The county, however, isn’t proposing to increase the income limits for people 65 and older to be eligible for an exemption. That will remain at a $24,700 threshold.

The Legislature will have a public hearing at 4:25 p.m. on March 24 at the legislative chambers of the County Administration Building, 14016 Route 31 W.

The Legislature is proposing the following exemptions based on income levels:

• $16,000 or less – 65 percent exemption
• $16,000.01 to $16,999.99 – 60 percent exemption
• $17,000 to $17,999.99 – 55 percent exemption
• $18,000 to $18,999.99 – 50 percent exemption
• $19,000 to $19,999.99 – 45 percent exemption
• $20,000 to $20,999.99 – 40 percent exemption
• $21,000 to $21,999.99 – 35 percent exemption
• $22,000 to $22,899.99 – 30 percent exemption
• $22,900 to $23,799.99 – 25 percent exemption
• $23,800 to $24,699.99 – 20 percent exemption

Gov. Kathy Hochul in December signed legislation to allow local municipalities to increase the size of the exemptions from a maximum 50 percent to 65 percent.

“No New York senior should lose their home because they can no longer afford their property taxes,” Hochul said on Dec. 6 in announcing the higher exemption levels. “By signing this legislation, we are working to make New York more affordable for our seniors on fixed incomes and empowering them to age in place, at home, in the communities they know and love.”

Charlie will promote fishery at parades, other public appearances

Provided photo: Charlie the Chinook is shown on a trailer during last year’s parade in Carlton.

ALBION – For about 40 years a 13-foot-long fiberglass fish has promoted the fishery in Orleans County. Last year, the fish was named “Charlie the Chinook.”

Charlie rode on a trailer and appeared at the Carlton parade and other events. A banner declared Charlie to be “King of Orleans County.”

But Charlie has been falling apart. He was cracked and being held together with duct tape, said Ron Bierstine, the county’s sportsfishing coordinator.

The Orleans County Tourism Department is getting a new fiberglass body for a replica Charlie the Chinook float. The County Legislature on Tuesday approved spending $5,235 to Fiberglass Animals and Objects in Seward, Neb. A grant from the Genesee-Orleans Regional Arts Council will cover the cost.

County Tourism also received a $2,500 from Brookfield Power to go towards painting the fish and refurbishing a trailer for the new chinook.

Bierstine said the giant fish has been popular and well received by the public for nearly four decades.

“He jazzes people up,” Bierstine said.

The big fish was created in the early 1980s to promote a Rotary fishing derby. It was made by Jack Elam and Bob McGaffick.

For about 25 years it was on a  trailer on Route 279 in Gaines next to the Bait Barn run by the late Al Capurso. Students in the Medina FFA about a decade ago worked to bring the fish back to its original luster.

The Medina students needed to rebuild the tail, strip down and rebuild the fins, fix holes and re-do the interior wire structure. They applied many coats of paint and studied the right coloring to make the fish look like a Chinook salmon – it’s green and brown with some blue, with a gray belly and a pink stripe on the sides.

Bierstine said he looks forward to getting the new fish out to meet the public. Fishing is the county’s top tourism draw, generating about $28 million in economic impact, according to a 2017 report from the state Department of Environmental Conservation.

Photo by Tom Rivers: Here’s how the fish looked about a decade ago when it was outside the Bait Barn, Al Capurso’s shop in Gaines. The late Capurso had the fish for about 15 years before giving it to the county tourism department to promote the fishery.

Van service transporting 818 veterans to appointments in 2025

Photo by Ginny Kropf: The Medina chapter of Sons of the American Legion donated $2,000 to the Veterans’ Van Service in Albion on Thursday. Presenting the check to Phyllis Schrader, chair of the Veterans’ Van Service, and David Kusmierczak, president of the Joint Veterans Council, are, from left, Wayne Hale and Phil Rudnick, SAL members; and Scott Carlton, Medina SAL commander.

MEDINA – Maintaining a fleet of vans to provide free medical transportation to Orleans County veterans would likely be impossible without the support of many local organizations throughout the county.

One of these organizations is Sons of the American Legion, whose Medina chapter on Thursday morning donated $2,000 to the Veterans’ Van Service. Making the presentation to Phyllis Schrader, chair of the Veterans’ Van Service, and David Kusmierczak, president of the Joint Veterans Council, were SAL commander Scott Carlton and members Wayne Hale and Phil Rudnick.

Carlton said the SAL hold various fundraisers throughout the year, enabling them to support programs for veterans, such as the Van Service. One such fundraiser is clam night, starting at 4 p.m. today, until sold out, at the American Legion on North Main Street in Medina.

“We’ve supported the Van Service for many years,” Hale said. “This makes about $8,000 we’ve donated over the years.”

The Veterans Van Service has been in operation since 1997, an idea of local veteran, the late Jim Andre.

“Jim saw a need for such a service and the idea was developed by the late Frank Tower, then the Veterans’ Services officer, and the late Frank Berger, a legislator and a veteran,” Schrader said.

Initially, the service started Dec. 13, 1996 with a card table, a phone and one van, operating out of the county office building. The first year in operation they provided 5,184 hours of service by the all-volunteer drivers and office schedulers. They had driven 37,099 miles on the first van when a second one was acquired.

“We started with one driver and now we have 20 drivers and 10 office staff, all volunteers,” Schrader said.

For years, the late Owen Toale of Medina shopped for suitable vans.

“We only buy good, used vans,” Schrader said. “We can’t afford new ones.”

The fleet now consists of five vans.

The vans are available to transport any veteran from Orleans County to medical appointments in the Western New York area, namely Medina, Lockport, Buffalo and Rochester.

Veterans must give the Van Service two weeks’ notice of their appointment so office staff can secure a driver. The service is totally free to veterans.

Gas and maintenance of the vans is paid for by the Buffalo Veterans’ Administration, funded by private donations.

The Veterans’ Van Service operates under the Joint Veterans’ Council and now occupies its own office in the Orleans County Veterans’ Services office in Albion.

Schrader attends the Joint Veterans’ Council meeting the third Monday of each month and reports on the van service’s activity for the previous month.

Year-to-date figures for 2025 were 616 trips transporting 818 veterans; 27,334 total miles driven; and 3,874 hours by 26 volunteers.

In other news from the Veterans Service Office, clerk Jackie Lonnen announced the Jospeh P. Dwyer Peer to Peer Program will sponsor three free games of bowling for veterans on Feb. 28 at Medina Lanes. The event, from 1 to 5 p.m., will include pizza, wings and soft drinks. Veterans must RSVP by calling (585) 589-3219.

Also, on April 1 Lonnen said they will be giving away 100 hams to veterans for Easter. More details will be forthcoming.

Photos by Tom Rivers: Congresswoman Claudia Tenney speaks during Tuesday’s Orleans County Legislature meeting.

ALBION – Congresswoman Claudia Tenney spent 2 ½ hours meeting with Orleans County legislators and department heads on Tuesday, hearing about the challenges of providing services in a rural county.

Orleans is part of the 24^th Congressional District in New York, which includes all or parts of 14 counties, stretching from Niagara County to northern New York.

Tenney praised the team of county legislators and department heads and said some of the successes in the county should be emulated around the state.

Orleans County, for example, has one of the lowest error rates in SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program), Tenney said. The federal government funds SNAP, which  provides low-income individuals and families with food benefits.

President Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act of 2025 changed how SNAP is administered, with states penalized that exceed a 6 percent payment error rate.

Tenney, during Tuesday’s County Legislature meeting, said New York State has one of the highest error rates in the country, but counties like Orleans “are significantly less than the state.” She doesn’t want Orleans to be penalized based on the overall state’s error rate.

She said the new changes imposed by the federal government have put more workload on the county’s DSS staff. She favors giving the smaller counties more time to implement the changes.

Tenney said the county struggles to provide services due to a limited tax base and the crushing weight of state mandated programs, including Medicaid, which costs the county more than $8 million a year.

She would like to see the state rein in the costs of Medicaid without hurting needy people around the state.

County Legislature Chairwoman Lynne Johnson thanked Tenney for spending the afternoon in Albion meeting with the department heads and county legislators.

“You spent a lot of time in Orleans County and we can’t tell you how much we appreciate that,” Johnson said.

The congresswoman said the Orleans County team “is hitting it out of the park” for local residents, finding cost savings in providing local services.

Johnson, contacted today, said the county reached out to Tenney about stopping by and hearing the concerns from the county level.

“We appreciate her willingness to take the time to truly listen and better understand the priorities of Orleans County,” Johnson said. “She spent two and half hours meeting with our department heads and legislators, attentively hearing firsthand about the challenges and needs facing our community. Her thoughtful questions, engaged presence, and approachable demeanor made the discussion both meaningful and productive.”

Congresswoman Claudia Tenney complimented the county’s team of department heads and county legislators.