ALBION – A corrections officer from the Orleans Correctional Facility in Albion has been recognized with a “Valor Award” by the state-wide union representing COs.
The New York State Correctional Officers & Police Benevolent Association recognized Tommy Brice. He was pumping gas on May 16 at about 3:15 p.m. at Crosby’s gas station in Albion.
He observed a girl, 16, walking past a Rite Aid towards a motel as an older man approached her and appeared to start asking her questions. The girl attempted to walk faster, almost appeared to be running away from the man, whom eventually managed to get in front of her, according to the union.
Brice sensed something wasn’t right, drove over and asked the girl if anything was wrong. The girl turned to CO Brice and started to cry. He knew something was wrong and called the police and followed the suspicious man back to his room at the motel until police arrived.
Subsequently, the police entered this man’s room and found 4 knives on the bed. The suspect stated to the police that his intent was to abduct the girl, the union said.
These actions display honor and the true meaning of being a peace officer, and that his tour doesn’t end when he punches out at 3 p.m., NYSCOPBA said.
ALBION – The Orleans County Clay Crushers, a youth shooting team consisting of 47 area boys and girls, completed their 10th Scholastic Clay Target Program (SCTP)/Scholastic Action Shooting Program (SASP) Season on Aug. 7.
Members of the team come from Orleans, Genesee, Monroe and Wyoming counties. The SCTP and SASP are youth development programs in which NRA certified coaches and other volunteers use the shooting sports of Trap, Skeet, Sporting Clays and Action Pistol to teach and demonstrate sportsmanship, responsibility, honesty, ethics, integrity, teamwork and other positive life skills.
The Clay Crushers sent 29 kids, representing 81 of the total competitors, at New York State SCTP Championship at the Rochester Brooks International Trap and Skeet Club on June 25-26. Other athletes were from the Bridgeport, Camillus and DeWitt Gun Clubs.
• Trap Shooting
In the Trap Shooting competition the Varsity Squad of Anthony Tomassetti (Holley), Jacob Bensley (Medina), Jared Atwell (Albion), Jenna Coyne (Pittsford) and Zach Brazzell (Medina) broke 446 of 500 targets to earn first place honors. The Clay Crusher squad of Jack Burgoon (Albion), Hayden London (Albion), Zach Monagan (Albion), MacKenzie Donahue (Albion) and Jacob Kuhman (Medina) came in third place.
Individually the top 3 finishers in the Varsity Division were Clay Crushers. In first place was Jared Atwell (97/100), ssecond place went to Jenna Coyne (91/100) and third place to Zach Brazzell (90/100).
In the Junior Varsity Division, the Clay Crusher squad of Patrick Brien (Albion), Mitchell Knaak (Albion), Alex Rustay (Albion), Thomas Rada (Batavia) and James Hapeman (Albion) broke 369 of 500 targets to come in first place.
The Junior Varsity Clay Crusher Squad of Bryan Bale (Medina), Victor Benjovsky (Albion), Jacob Delamarter (Albion), and Mitch Gonyea (Byron) shot their way to a third place finish. There was a tie for the Junior Varsity Individual High Gun between Clay Crushers Patrick Brien and Alex Rustay. Both shooters broke 91 of 100 targets. After a shoot off between the two of them Patrick Brien bested Alex Rustay to take first place.
The Clay Crusher Intermediate Advanced squad of Cole London (Albion), Jacob Long (Elba), Andrew Caldwell (Albion) Austin Aman (Albion) and Ryan Krenning (Albion) broke 364 of 500 targets to earn a second place finish. The Individual High Gun was Clay Crusher Jacob Long breaking 88 of 100 targets.
In the Intermediate Entry Division the Clay Crusher squad of Madison Bale (Medina), Shane Hastings (Albion), Max Hapeman (Albion), and Jordan Boccacci-Philips (Albion) took first place breaking 271 of 500 targets.
• Skeet Shooting
In the Skeet competition the Clay Crusher Varsity squad of Jared Atwell, Zach Brazzell and Bryan Bale won their division. Individually the top three shooters in the Varsity Division were Clay Crushers. In first place was Jared Atwell (97), second place was Bryan Bale (90) and third place was Zach Brazzell (89).
The Junior Varsity squad of Patrick Brien, Jacob Delamarter and Madison Bale came in second place. Individually, Patrick Brien earned first place honors and Madison Bale third place.
• Sporting Clays
In the Sporting Clays Competition Varsity Division, first place went to Jared Atwell (90/100), second place Bryan Bale (68/100) and third place to Anthony Tomassetti (57/100).
The Junior Varsity winner was Patrick Brien (71/100) followed by Alex Rustay (55/100). The Intermediate Advanced winner was Madison Bale (63/100). The Intermediate Entry winner was Mitch Gonyea (63/100).
The club would lie to thank the following for their support this season: Barre Sportsmen’s Club, The Niagara Frontier Friends of the NRA, The Midway USA Foundation, Hunters Landing – Batavia NY, The St. Mary’s Archers Club, VFW Post #4635, The Holley Rod and Gun Club, The Medina Conservation Club, The Junior Wilson’s Sportsmen’s Club and the Black North Rod and Gun Club.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 15 August 2016 at 3:00 pm
Photo by Tom Rivers
ALBION – Kyle Thaine, 18, is pictured by the Ingersoll Memorial Fountain on Sunday after a tour of Mount Albion Cemetery. Thaine has created three walking guides for sections of the historic cemetery.
The guides, which include maps and highlights of notable residents, are available at the cemetery or online by clicking here.
Thaine has seen first-hand the popularity of the annual Ghost Walk at Mount Albion Cemetery. Thaine has portrayed several of the Albion residents buried in the historic cemetery.
The Ghost Walk is put on by Albion students and draws about 500 people to the cemetery. Thaine also attends some of the walking tours led by historians Matt Ballard and Bill Lattin. Those tours draw a crowd of people interested in the backgrounds of residents in the cemetery.
Thaine decided to create three walking guides for people who aren’t able to attend the walking tours or Ghost Walk events.
The guides highlight prominent business leaders, politicians, soldiers and others who were victims of tragedies, such as the bridge collapse on Sept. 28, 1859. The bridge collapsed when 250 gathered to watch a tightrope walker over the canal. At least 15 people died in the calamity.
Photo by Tom Rivers
Thaine portrays Rufus Bullock, who grew up in Albion, was a railroad official in George and was elected that state’s governor in 1868. He was instrumental in the reconstruction of Georgia after the Civil War. Thaine portrayed Bullock in the 2014 Ghost Walk at Mount Albion.
Kyle Thaine during the 2015 Ghost Walk portrayed his great-uncle, Eugene Barnum, who was killed during World War II after shooting down two German planes.
Thaine graduated from Albion High School in June and will major in history in college at Albany. He worked on the Mount Albion guides as part of an internship project his senior year with Sue Starkweather-Miller, the school district’s grants manager and internship coordinator.
Photo by Kim Pritt
“I wanted to do a history project,” Thaine said about creating the guides and a website about Mount Albion. “This is for people who can’t make the Ghost Walks or the tours.”
Thaine also helped with two new interpretive panels that are expected to be added to the cemetery this fall.
He was a seventh-grader when he and his classmates researched and set up a permanent memorial for residents of the Alms House, the precursor to the county nursing home.
ALBION – The Orleans County Chamber of Commerce today announced the winners of its annual business awards. The award-winners will be recognized during a Sept. 16 celebration dinner.
Here are the winners:
• Business of the Year: Freeze Dry Foods of Albion. This award is presented to a business that has experienced significant overall achievements/success throughout the year.
• Lifetime Achievement: Gabrielle Barone (vice president of business development for the Orleans Economic Development Agency). This award is presented to an individual with a long-term record of outstanding business achievements.
• Phoenix Award: The Print Shop, owner Ken Daluisio, who expanded the Medina business on East Center Street, renovating a dilapidated storefront. This award is presented to an organization or business that has successfully adapted or re-used an existing facility.
• New Business of the Year: Brushstrokes Studios of Medina (owners Tim and Crystal Elliott). This award is presented to a business or organization that has opened in the past year.
• Community Service Award: Lions Clubs in Orleans County (Albion, Clarendon, Kendall, Lyndonville and Medina) & Cindy Robinson of Medina. Robinson is president of the Medina Business Association. This award is presented to a business, organization or individual that has provided meaningful contributions to the community in either professional or non-professional spheres.
• Agricultural Business of the Year: Root Brothers Farm in Albion. This award is presented to an agricultural business that has experienced significant overall achievements/success throughout the year.
• Business Person of the Year: Ward Dobbins of H.H. Dobbins in Lyndonville. This award is presented to an individual who has had outstanding accomplishments within their own business/businesses and who has made notable contributions to our local business sector.
• Small Business of the Year: Paper Boys (owners Ryan Pritchard and Chasen Lee). This award is presented to a small business that has experienced significant achievements/success throughout the year.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 4 August 2016 at 6:44 pm
File photos by Tom Rivers –Andrew Meier is pictured inside the second floor of the Robert H. Newell Building, which is now home to the law offices of Webster, Schubel and Meier.
MEDINA – Andrew Meier is a finalist for an award that recognizes people in the Rochester region with “civic spirit, persistence and determination that translates visions into reality.”
Meier, a former Medina mayor, was nominated for his efforts to revive the former Robert H. Newell Building on West Center Street in Medina. He was fresh out of law school when he bought the run-down historic building in 2005.
He has gradually brought the building back. It is now home to several businesses including the Shirt Factory Café, 810 Meadworks, Webster, Schubel & Meier law offices, the Hart House, a hotel with four rooms plus two lofts for extended stays. The historic site also has an outdoor performance venue in back.
Meier has been nominated for the Reshaping Rochester 2016 Betty Strasenburgh Award for Activism. The award will be presented Nov. 17 by the Community Design Center of Rochester. The non-profit organization of design professionals promotes healthy, sustainable communities by encouraging quality design of the built environment and thoughtful use of built and natural resources.
Meier is one of six finalists for an award that “recognizes a personal effort to advance a difficult and worthwhile endeavor. This award honors leadership that encourages others to pursue challenging paths toward a productive end.”
The revitalization of the Newell building encouraged more people to invest and take a chance on downtown Medina.
Meier was 24 in 2004 when he decided to return to small-town Medina. He had just earned a law degree from Syracuse University after earning his bachelor’s at the University of Rochester. Many of his law school friends settled into jobs at law firms in the big cities.
Meier returned to his hometown, working with David Schubel and Norris Webster at their law firm on Main Street. Meier bought a house in Middleport, renovated it and sold it. He liked that challenge, of bringing life back into an old building.
“I love architecture and I really love old buildings,” Meier told Orleans Hub in a previous interview.
Meier had long admired the Robert H. Newell Building at 113 West Center St. The building for 86 years was home to the Robert H. Newell Shirt Factory, which manufactured custom-made shirts, including for many famous customers, including Winston Churchill and Bob Hope.
The Newell company left the historic building in 2004 and moved to Maple Ridge Road. The business closed in 2007.
The Village of Medina acquired the building after years of unpaid taxes. The three-story site had been neglected and was in disrepair. It was put up for sale in 2005, and Meier bought it. He was 25 at the time.
“It had great bones and potential,” Meier said about the building. “I knew the risks going in. It was an opportunity that came up that I could not pass up.”
He set about the task of methodically renovating and preserving the 14,000-square-foot building that opened in 1876, a site that was a hotel for its first 14 years before it becoming the Newell building.
The Hart House Hotel includes rooms named for famous former Newell shirt customers, including Churchhill for the British statesman. There are also rooms named for Hope (legendary comedian) and Astor (wealthy industrialist from New York City).
Meier showed faith in the community when he invested in the Newell site. Cindy Robinson, the current Medina Business Association president, told the Orleans Hub in a previous article that Meier’s example encouraged others to take a chance on Medina, and has been a big part of the downtown revitalization the past decade.
“He was one of the original risk takers,” Robinson said. “He has been a catalyst for the downtown.”
For more on the Reshaping Rochester awards, click here.
By Kristina Gabalski, Correspondent Posted 31 July 2016 at 3:19 pm
KNOWLESVILLE – Fair Royalty for 2016 was crowned during the awards ceremony Saturday afternoon at the Orleans County 4-H Fair.
The front row, includes, from left: Dominic Hinkley, prince alternate; Nate Shaw, prince; Olivia Kroening, princess; and Mackenzie McGrath, princess alternate.
Back row: Will Gregoire, duke alternate; Zac Albright, duke; Riley Seielstad, dutchess alternate; Saleya Williams, dutchess; Claudia Drechsel, queen; and Megan Blackburn, queen alternate.
Saturday also featured the top small animal showmen in eight different animals in the Small Animal Grand Master Showman competition. Rachel Gregoire of Murray, left, won the title and Amelia Sidonio of Holley was picked Small Animal Reserve Grand Master Showman.
4-H’ers in the competition were evaluated on their ability to show animals they were given (not their own) in eight different animal areas.
Nicole Mrzywka of Holley competes in the Small Animal Grand Master Showman competition Saturday morning. Nicole was the Fair’s Dog Master Showman. Those in the Saturday contest had to show a dog, chicken and rabbit.
Grant Moy of Clarendon was Reserve Dog Showman earlier in the week. Here he shows a chicken as part of the Small Animal Grand Master Showman competition.
Rachel Gregoire shows a rabbit during the Small Animal Grand Master Showman competition. Rachel was both the Rabbit and Poultry Master Showman. She was chosen Small Animal Grand Master Showman at the Saturday morning competition.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 30 July 2016 at 3:09 pm
KNOWLESVILLE – Jayne Bannister, 18, of Point Breeze shows a dairy animal and answers a question from judge Tanya Nickerson during Friday’s Grand Master Showman Competition at the Orleans County 4-H fair.
Jayne won the title, one of the most prestigious honors at the fair. The contest includes the top showman in eight different animals: horse, dairy goat, meat goat, sheep, swine, llama, dairy cattle and beef cattle.
Jayne, a past winner of the grand master showman, won the title in her final year in 4-H. She qualified for the competition after winning the swine showmanship on Monday.
Jayne in May finished her freshman year at Kansas State University, where she is a double major in animal science and agriculture education. She said showing animals the past decade at the fair has helped her in her goal of teaching the public about agriculture and how food is grown and raised.
After the Grand Master Showman competition, Jayne changed clothes to try the grease pole climbing contest for the first time.
Jesse Suttura, 16, of Greece shows a dairy cow during the Grand Master Showman competition. She qualified after winning the horse showmanship. The competition has the winners of each competition earlier in the week show all of the different animals on Friday evening.
The Small Animal Grand Master Showman competition is today at noon.
These competitors in the Grand Master Showman event hold dairy animals while keeping an eye on the judge. The four showmen in this photo include, from left: Rylie Lear, Jesse Suttura, Mel Klossner and Justin Robinson.
Justin Robinson, 16, of Albion shows a dairy animal on Friday. He qualified for the event after winning the dairy showmanship.
Natalie Mrzywka, 17, of Holley shows a sheep during Friday’s event. Natalie won the grand master showman title last year. She qualified this year by winning the meat goat showmanship.
Natalie said she enjoys the grand master showman event because she learns about so many different types of farm animals. The competition last more than two hours.
“It’s fun to be in the ring,” she said.
The showmen try to get the sheep squared and set up for the judge. The 4-H’ers include, from left: Jayne Bannister, Nicole Mrzywka (the reserve grand master showman), Justin Robinson and Natalie Mrzywka.
Rylie Lear of Waterport shows a dairy animal. She qualified after winning the beef cattle competition.
Justin Robinson leads a beef animal around the show ring while other competitors show the animals to judge Tanya Nickerson.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 28 July 2016 at 7:08 pm
James DeFilipps named NY deputy of the year
KNOWLESVILLE – James DeFilipps, a deputy with the Orleans County Sheriff’s Office, receives the 2015 “Deputy of the Year” by the New York State Sheriff’s Association from Ronald Spike, Yates County sheriff. Spike is also chairman of the New York State Sheriffs’ Association Institute Board of Directors.
The association held its annual awards ceremony in January, but DeFilipps was unable to attend the program in Albany because his wife Marie gave birth to the couple’s second child, Gianna, on Jan. 19.
Rather than have a quiet presentation at the Sheriff’s Office in Albion, Sheriff Randy Bower wanted DeFilipps to be recognized in front of the community at the Orleans County 4-H Fair.
Jim DeFilipps is congratulated on the award by Sheriff Randy Bower, center, and Undersheriff Chris Bourke, left.
“We are celebrating a true hero,” Bower told a crowd of more than 100 people at the presentation.
DeFilipps was recognized for performing an act of valor and heroism, above the normal call of duty, the Sheriff’s Association said.
It was 3 a.m. on March 21 when DeFilipps was shot twice following a high-speed chase with James Ellis of Wyoming County. DeFilipps was the first police officer on scene when Ellis wrecked his vehicle in Clarendon on Route 31A. Police were pursuing Ellis after a 911 call when he threatened an ex-girlfriend in Shelby with a gun.
After the crash in Clarendon, Ellis fled to a nearby wooded area and opened fire on DeFilipps and other deputies and police to arrive on the scene. DeFilipps, despite getting hit twice by gunfire, shot Ellis, killing him and ending his threat.
DeFilipps, after being wounded in the abdomen, kept a rifle light on Ellis so he could be found by other police officers, who gave him first aid. Ellis would die at the scene.
“Deputy DeFilipps’ quick actions that night eliminated a threat and saved other officers and civilians injuries from the crazed man,” Spike said in presenting the award to DeFilipps. “The State Sheriff’s (Association) determined that Deputy DeFilipps’ actions were exceptional while in the line of duty.”
Sheriff Randy Bower nominated DeFilipps for the NYS “Deputy of the Year.”
DeFilipps’ life was likely saved by wearing a bullet-proof vest. He suffered serious abdominal bruising. He returned to work the night shift after three months of recovery. in January, he switched to working the day shift and is currently in charge of the Marine Patrol Division.
DeFilipps, a Holley resident, started his career with the Holley Police Department. He has worked as a deputy for the Orleans County Sheriff’s Office for about 13 years.
He said the award was “overwhelming.” He said the threat of gunfire while on the job “is something that’s always on your mind.”
Marie DeFilipps holds Gianna DeFilipps, who was born on Jan. 19.
Spike also praised the other responding law enforcement officers during the incident on March 21, 2015 in the middle of the night. Spike said dispatchers, volunteer firefighters and other first responders also should be commended.
“Orleans County can be proud to have such dedicated public safety members of this community,” Spike said.
Deputy Jim DeFilipps holds the “Deputy of the Year” award next to Yates County Sheriff Ronald Spike, left, and Randy Bower, the Orleans County sheriff.
“The Sheriffs of New York State have conferred upon Deputy James DeFilipps the 2015 New York State Deputy Sheriff of the Year Award for exceptional public safety service demonstrating bravery and perseverance while facing gunfire in attempting to conserve the peace in his county,” Spike said.
Bower gives a contingent from the Sheriff’s Office instructions on how to line up during the ceremony honoring DeFilipps.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 17 July 2016 at 9:00 am
Linda Redfield praised for helping many workers build a better life through education
Photos by Tom Rivers– Linda Redfield, right, is hugged by Gloria Jasso during a surprise party for Redfield on Saturday at the World Life Institute school on Stillwater Road in Waterport. Redfield started teaching English to Jasso in 1998. Many current and former students attended the party for Redfield.
WATERPORT – Linda Redfield has devoted the past two decades-plus to helping about 400 farmworkers learn English. Redfield started going to labor camps in 1994, before a school built by the World Life Institute became the base for classes in 1999.
The school on Stillwater Road offers evening courses in English, as well as computer literacy, pottery and other programs.
Many of the students return year after year to improve their English. Many have earned GEDs. Ten of the students have earned their U.S. citizenship.
Redfield is a guiding force along the way, serving as more than a teacher. Her students threw her a surprise party on Saturday at the school.
“She always encouraged me and said, ‘You can do it,'” said student Gloria Jasso, who helped plan the surprise party for Redfield. “She is so special and is just wonderful not only to me but to everybody.”
One of Redfield’s ESL students signs a poster on Saturday, thanking Redfield for her 20-plus years of teaching English to the farmworker community.
Jasso grew up in rural, impoverished Mexico and never attended school. In 1998, Redfield started teaching Jasso English at her home in Kendall.
Redfield became like a second mother for Jasso, helping her settle into the community. Jasso worked at a local farm for 19 years. She now is employed at Lifetime Assistance, working with people with disabilities.
“With her support, many of us have accomplished a lot of our dreams,” Jasso said. “She always encourages us to succeed.”
Linda Redfield is pictured with two of her first ESL students more than 20 years ago. Jose Iniguez, left, is now co-owner of a large local fruit farm and Francisco Rosario, right, owns a Mexican grocery store in Medina. His family also owns a Mexican restaurant, Mariachi de Oro, in Medina.
Jose Iniguez was one of Redfield’s first English as a Second Language students in 1994, when Redfield went to a labor cap on Densmore Road to teach English to farmworkers.
Iniguez only spoke Spanish at the time. After a long day of work in the fields, Iniguez would study English. Redfield was always patient, always encouraging, Iniguez said. She was also flexible. Farmworkers might not get to the camp until 8 p.m., and Redfield would be ready to help them learn.
Iniguez said learning English helped him to get promoted at the LaMont farm. Today, he is co-owner of Lamont Fruit Farm, a 500-acre farm based down the road from the WLI school.
“She has changed a lot of lives,” Iniguez said at the party for Redfield. “She is the type of person who will almost always never say no. She will extend a hand to anyone.”
Linda Redfield is pictured in front of a big group that attended a surprise party in her honor on Saturday.
Redfield is well regarded around the state as an ESL teacher. In 2013, she was honored in Albany as “Teacher of the Year” by the New York State Association of Adult Continuing Education Programs. Five of her students have won “Student of the year” by the association.
Redfield thanked the students for the surprise on Saturday. Some of the students who attended the party hadn’t been to the WLI site in a few years. All came to thank Redfield for her work with the migrant farmworker community.
“Each and everyone of you is very important to me,” Redfield told the group during the celebration. “What is so beautiful is that you are at the World Life Institute representing the world, representing life, and learning together in peace and harmony.”
Redfield was asked what the biggest benefit has been to her in working with the farmworker population the past 22 years.
“The people, the relationships,” she said. “And the gratitude of the students, their humility and their progress.”
Sergio Rosario thanks Redfield for helping him learn English. “Now I have more opportunities, more open doors,” he told her.
Redfield is currently pursuing a doctorate in leadership and policy development at Niagara University. She will remain active with the ESL program at the WLI, which is a partnership with the Orleans-Niagara BOCES.
Cheryl Lieberman has been teaching with Redfield in the program for more than 20 years. They often use music to help students learn English.
“This is what she loves,” Lieberman said about Redfield. “Not only is her heart in it, but she is willing to adapt.”
Redfield has seen the student base expand to workers and interns from Brazil, China, Ukraine, Bulgaria and Indonesia. They spend about a year in the local community while working and learning at Intergrow Greenhouses on Route 98 in Gaines.
In this file photo from June 2014, Claudio Fernandes of Brazil smiles while holding a certificate in recognition of his efforts to learn English. Fernandes worked at Intergrow Greenhouses.
The annual student recognition program included a record-high 44 students last month. They received certificates for their work in the program.
The students who surprised Redfield on Saturday made a certificate for her, in a style that she created for the students in the ESL and citizenship classes.
Redfield was honored by students, “For all of her hard work, and dedication to the Migrant Community. We couldn’t have done it without you!”
ALBION – Debbie Mirrione of Batavia sent in these photos of her grandfather, George Cond of Holley. Cond was a Santa at Christmas Park in Albion, hand-picked to play the role by Charles Howard, who developed Christmas Park and also a Santa Claus School.
The late Mr. Cond is being inducted in the International Santa Claus Hall of Fame on Sunday during a Santa Claus convention in Branson, Missouri (click here for more on the convention). The convention was in Albion last year.
The top photo shows Cond with Big Bird in Garden Plaza, Parmer, N.J.
In this photo, Cond (Santa) is pictured with Mrs. Claus (Cond’s wife, Elaine).
Cond was born in 1925 and lived until 1996. The Holley resident in the mid-1950s enrolled in the Charles W. Howard Santa Claus School in Albion.
Cond was so good at portraying Santa that Charles Howard embraced Cond as the Santa at Christmas Park in Albion, Howard’s entertainment venue at Route 31 on Phipps Road. Howard was inducted in the Santa Hall of Fame in 2010, a member of the inaugural class.
Cond is pictured with some of the key ladies at Christmas Park, including front row, from left: Elaine Cond, Santa, and Ruth Hayward. Back row: Elizabeth Babcock, Mae Wolfe, Margaret Alloway, and Sophie Bischer. Babcock made many of the Santa suits that were sold at Christmas Park.
For more on Cond from the Santa Hall of Fame, click here.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 2 July 2016 at 8:00 am
Photos by Tom Rivers– Jonathan Doherty of Albion is pictured with a can for recyclable bottles and cans that was recently added on Main Street in Albion by the Frosty Bucket. The Self Advocate All Stars collect the cans and use the proceeds to fund recreational programming and conferences for people with disabilities.
ALBION – Jonathan Doherty has been recognized as the Volunteer of the Year in the western region of the Self-Advocacy Association of New York State.
Doherty, 33, of Albion is an active community member, volunteering with the Strawberry Festival Committee, Boy Scout Troop 164, the Albion Alumni Foundation, the Eastman at Albion Concert Series, and numerous events for The Arc of Orleans County.
Doherty also was one of the driving forces a decade ago in creating the Self Advocate All Stars, a group for developmentally disabled adults who do community service projects.
“I’m never home,” Doherty said about his busy schedule. “I like to get out in the community and support the community because I live here. It’s fun to help the different groups.”
Doherty and the Self Advocate All Stars march in parades, wash cars, present at County Legislature meetings and make other efforts to reach out to the community. Last month they added cans to collect recyclable bottles in downtown Albion. They collected $38.85 worth of bottles and cans at the Strawberry Festival.
Doherty called the Mizkan vinegar plant in Lyndonville, and the company donated six cans that the All Stars turned into recyclable collectors.
The All Stars formed in 2006. One of its early goals was to rail against official government use of the “R-word.” The County Legislature in May 2010 passed a formal resolution, telling local, state and federal governments to no longer use the word “retarded” in describing people with developmental disabilities.
The R-word is a “vicious slang” that is insulting and hurtful to people with developmental disabilities and their families, legislators said in their resolution in 2010.
Doherty said the All Stars have other events and fundraisers planned, including car washes at the Save-A-Lot in Albion from noon to 4 p.m. on July 9 and Aug. 13; a garage sale on July 15-16 at the Albion Academy at 16 West Academy St. in Albion; and a picnic at Camp Rainbow in Ridgeway on Aug. 20.
Jonathan Doherty walks in Holley’s parade last June with the Self Advocate All Stars. Last month he was named Volunteer of the Year for the western region of the Self-Advocacy Association of New York State
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 30 June 2016 at 12:00 am
Photo courtesy of Fred Cond – This photo from the late 1950s shows Santa Claus portrayed by the George Cond of Holley with his three sons, Fred Cond, bottom; George Cond III, middle; and Roger Boyce, top.
ALBION – George Cond delighted in making children happy, spending the Christmas holiday season portraying Santa Claus.
“He really liked kids,” his son Fred Cond said. “He prided himself on being Santa Claus.”
The Holley resident in the mid-1950s enrolled in the Charles W. Howard Santa Claus School in Albion. At the time, Cond was working three jobs, but he gave up two of the part-time positions to become Santa. (He quit his job as a cook at a restaurant and a position at Sears, but continued to work as a setup man for the punch press machines at Delco in Rochester.)
Cond was so good at portraying Santa that Charles Howard embraced Cond as the Santa at Christmas Park in Albion, Howard’s entertainment venue at Route 31 on Phipps Road. Christmas Park included a Santa School, toy shop, reindeer, train, motorized swans and other activities.
Charles Howard is pictured as Santa in this program promoting the Santa Claus School, which he started in 1937 in Albion.
Howard is one of the most respected Santas in the world by the men who portray Santa today, even 50 years after Howard’s death. His Santa Claus School was moved from Albion after Howard died in 1966, but the school continues today in Midland, Mich., and still bears Howard’s name.
George Cond also is held in high regard by the Santa community. Next week, Cond will be inducted into the International Santa Claus Hall of Fame during the Santa Convention in Branson, Missouri.
“A student of Howard’s Santa Claus School, Cond assumed the role of Santa at Christmas Park in late 1950s and continued until the close of the park in 1966,” according to the Hall of Fame. “With Howard busy as the Executive Director and away on business during the Christmas Season, Cond handled most of the day-to-day Santa appearances throughout the park. He appeared in and around the Western New York State region on behalf of Christmas Park.”
Fred Cond keeps one of his father’s business cards, noting his service as Santa Claus.
Cond worked as the Santa at Christmas Park for about a decade and many of the photos from that time, showing kids with a Santa at Christmas Park, actually are more likely to show Cond as Santa than Howard. Fred can tell the photos of his father.
George Cond injured his right hand and two of his fingers seemed to be permanently “frozen” in a bent position. Many of the photos from Christmas Park show a Santa waving, with middle and ring fingers in that bent position. That’s a giveaway that Cond is wearing the red suit, not Howard.
Cond wasn’t the only family member to work for Howard at Christmas Park. Cond’s wife Elaine also worked there and Fred would help as an elf.
Fred, now 63, remembers when as a boy he was asked to bring lunch to Santa. Fred carried the meal over to Santa, who was on break. Fred discovered his father in the Santa suit without the beard and wig. It was the first time Fred realized his father portrayed Santa.
“My father told me that Santa can’t be there all the time,” Fred recalled at his home in Brockport. “He said, ‘I’m helping Santa out. I’m helping him take some of the orders.'”
Fred Cond holds his father’s Santa suit, which was originally worn by Charles Howard. The suit, No. 191, bears Howard’s initials. Fred now wears the suit when he portrays Santa. (All of the suits made at Christmas Park were individually numbered.)
When Howard died, the fate of Christmas Park was uncertain. George Cond wanted to buy it and keep it viable for years. But he was outbid by an out-of-town buyer. Christmas Park didn’t last long without Howard.
Fred Cond wishes Christmas Park could have continued.
“If it was still around today, it would be bigger than Darien,” Cond said. “Charlie Howard was a very clever man.”
After Christmas Park closed, Cond continued to portray Santa for local families, schools, churches, and other venues. He was the Santa for Kodak.
He was asked to follow Howard as the Santa in the annual Macy’s Thanksgiving parade, but Cond declined out of respect for Howard.
“In his mind, Charles Howard was always Santa Claus,” Fred Cond said.
His father died in 1996. He was an active Santa until the late 1980s. The Santa Claus Hall of Fame induction is a pleasant surprise for his family, Fred Cond said.
The Santa suit used by George Cond was originally Charles Howard’s suit. It bears Howard’s initials. The wing and beard are made of yak hair.
Fred Cond continues the Santa legacy in the family. Fred first portrayed Santa as an 18-year-old at the former Ames in Albion. He continues to be Santa every Christmas season, mostly wearing the suit for friend and family.
His wife Debbie said Fred is changed every year when he brings out the Santa suit.
“Once he puts on that suit, the Christmas spirit invades him,” Debbie said.
Fred said Howard’s family has asked if he would be willing to give up the suit, but Cond said it is too important to him and the Cond family.
“There are very few things I have of my dad,” Fred said. “This was part of my life, growing up with my dad. He was a big part of Christmas Park. He was hand-picked by Charles Howard to play Santa, and my dad did it because of his love for the kids.”
This document shows Cond’s enrollment papers for the Charles Howard Santa Claus School in Albion in October 1958.
Charles Howard signed the enrollment papers for Cond in red ink.
Each student at the school received a red folder from the “Santa Claus School” in Albion, NY. Fred Cond has many of his father’s papers from when he attended the school.
ROCHESTER – Jim DeFilipps, an Orleans County deputy, addresses 1,100 law enforcement officers on June 18 during the Policeman’s Ball in Rochester.
DeFillipps, the 2015 New York State Deputy of the Year, was one of three law enforcement officers involved in critical incidents who were recognized by the Badge of Honor Association. DeFilipps was honored for going “above and beyond the call of duty.”
DeFilipps was shot twice in a shootout at 3 a.m. on March 21 following a high-speed chase with James Ellis of Wyoming County. DeFilipps was the first police officer on scene when Ellis wrecked his vehicle in Clarendon on Route 31A.
Police were pursuing Ellis after a 911 call when he threatened an ex-girlfriend in Shelby with a gun. Ellis had fled to a nearby wooded area in Clarendon and opened fire on DeFilipps and other deputies and police to arrive on the scene.
DeFilipps, despite getting hit twice by gunfire, shot Ellis, killing him and ending his threat. For his acts of valor, DeFilipps was named Deputy of the Year for 2015 by the New York State Sheriff’s Association.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 28 June 2016 at 12:00 am
ALBION – John Robinson and Doug Hamlin are riding the Erie Canal Towpath today through Orleans County, part of a 350-mile-plus journey along the Erie Canal Towpath.
The two men are using adaptive use bicycles to make the trip for the fourth straight year. Robinson and Hamlin make the long ride to highlight inclusivity, showing that people with disabilities are capable of big accomplishments.
“People with disabilities want to work, they want a family, they have hopes and dreams just like everybody,” Robinson said at about noon today while taking a short break by the canal bridge on Keitel Road.
Robinson is a congenital amputee without full arms and legs. He overcame countless obstacles to become a successful businessman, husband, father and inspirational speaker.
He is pictured with his wife Andrea today on the canal in the Town of Albion.
Robinson was inspired to undertake the first Journey Along the Erie Canal in 2013 by his wife and two children after receiving a three-wheeled, hand-operated cycle as a donation. His family helped him learn how to ride and then train for the statewide journey.
Doug Hamlin and his wife Pam are making the ride together. Hamlin uses a specialized hand cycle for the ride.
“If we can inspire one person to ride an extra mile it will have been worth it,” Hamlin said.
Robinson and Hamlin are partners in Glenmont-based Our Ability, a network of consulting, public speaking, recruitment and professional services that champions the inclusivity of people with disabilities in the workplace.
They are using the trip from Buffalo to Albany to celebrate launch of New York Business Leadership Network, a coalition among businesses in New York State interested in both hiring and building supplier diversity of businesses owned by individuals with disabilities.
Today is day 3 of the ride. The cyclists started in Medina at the Prospect Avenue Lift Bridge this morning and are going 32 miles east to Spencerport. To see the schedule, click here.
Hamlin, Robinson and the group of cyclists are off after a short break by the Keitel Road canal bridge. The trip ends on July 8 in Albany.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 27 June 2016 at 12:00 am
Marlee Diehl will lead 2,300 Rotarians in 69 clubs
Photo by Tom Rivers
ALBION – Marlee Diehl, a member of the Albion Rotary Club, was installed as the new District Governor for Rotary on Sunday, leading 69 clubs in Western New York and Southern Ontario.
About 100 people from the two countries attended the District Governor changeover celebration on Sunday at Tillman’s Village Inn. Diehl succeeds Kevin Crosby, a Lockport resident and member of the Buffalo Sunrise Club.
There are about 2,300 Rotarians in the district known as the “Best of Friends” District, the first district that included Rotary clubs in two countries.
Crosby said membership in the district held steady overall in 2015-16. The district is losing the Rotary Club in the Tonawandas after 99 years but is adding one in Hamliton.
Diehl said all of the clubs are different with their own strengths. She and Crosby unveiled the theme for Rotary in 2016-17: “Serving Humanity.”
Diehl addresses the crowd Sunday at the Village Inn, where the Albion Rotary Club has its regular weekly meetings on Thursdays at 12:15 p.m.
Diehl and her husband attended the Rotary International Convention in Seoul, Korea, on May 27 to June 1. She said she is honored to be District Governor on the centennial of the Rotary Foundation, which directs money to international aid efforts.
Diehl, a Waterport resident, has been active in many district events and committees, helping to plan and lead district conferences and training sessions. She served as assistant district governor for three years.
She has been active in Rotary since 1994, when she joined a club in Hamilton, Ontario. Diehl’s husband Bill is twice a past president of the Albion Rotary Club. They met at a Rotary conference in Toronto in 2009, when they were both at a training session for incoming Rotary presidents.
As district governor, Diehl said her focus will be celebrating Rotarians, especially those with a long commitment to helping their communities.
For about 35 years she worked as a recruiter, helping companies find executives and leaders in management. While connecting with business leaders, she noticed many wore Rotary pins or had Rotary posters on their walls.
When she was looking for an outlet for community service, she turned to Rotary and joined the Hamilton club in 1994. She is also active at the First Presbyterian Church in Albion and the Oak Orchard Neighborhood Association.
