Photos by Tom Rivers – Justin Robinson of Albion shows a cow during the dairy show on Wednesday at the Orleans County 4-H Fair. Justin was named reserve champion for showmanship.

Daily Feature: Orleans County Flower Show, sponsored by Orleans County Master Gardeners. Display located in the Lartz Exhibit Building with daily presentations at 6 p.m.

Special Event: 3 – 8 p.m. Red Cross Blood Drive in the Buzz Hill Education Center. Enter using back door.

Daily Feature Meet Michael Keene, author of five books on hidden history in New York, in the Lartz Building. 3-9 p.m.

8 a.m. Senior Council Stand Opens

8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Youth Camp Day – Sponsored by the Orleans County 4-H Fair Committee

9 a.m. Western Horse Show – Carlos Marcello Arena

10 a.m. $5 admission per car starts

10 a.m. All Buildings Open

10 a.m. Wildlife I.D. Contest. Log Cabin

10:30 a.m. Little Britches Cattle Show (open to public) – Show Arena

12 p.m. Leader’s Pie Stand Opens

Jason Clark, center, and Morgan Seielstad compete in a doughnut-eating contest on Wednesday. Contestants were challenged to eat six doughnuts.

12 to 1 p.m. Dog Agility Demonstration with Della’s Agility Dream Dogs and Guests – Show Arena

1 p.m. Story Time by Hoag Library of Albion – Trolley Building

1 to 3 p.m. P.Raising Kids Children’s Activity Center with face painting, crafts and art projects – Trolley Building

1:15 p.m. Pork Chop Review – Performing pigs and family fun sponsored by Tompkins Bank of Castile – Lawn South of the Knights Building

2 to 4 p.m. Family and Consumer Science Knowledge Bowl – Center Stage

2 p.m. The Magic of Lee Germain and Judi – West end of Lartz Building

3 p.m. Story Time by Hoag Library of Albion – Trolley Building

4-H’ers and Medina FFA members take alpaccas and llamas for a walk by the main livestock barn on Wednesday.

3 p.m. Llama/Alpaca Costume, Leaping Llama/Alpaca, Llama/Alpaca Limbo – Show Arena

3 p.m. Little Britches Llama/Alpaca – Open to Public – Show Arena

3 to 10 p.m. Midway of Utica $20 unlimited ride wristband – Midway

4 p.m. Chainsaw Chix sponsored by HealthE Links – Log Cabin

4:30 p.m. Chicken BBQ Sponsored by Orleans County Cornell Cooperative Extension – No Presale. Curtis Pavilion

4:30 p.m. Pork Chop Review- Performing pigs and family fun sponsored by Tompkins Bank of Castile – Lawn South of the Knights Building

4:30 p.m. “Madhouse!: A Hidden History of Insane Asylums in the 19th Century.” Presentation by author Michael Keene – OrleansHub.com stage

5 to 7 p.m. Dog Agility Demonstration with Della’s Agility Dream Dogs
and Guests – Show Arena

Lee Germain and Judi perform a routine with a rabbit as part of their magic show.

5:30 p.m. The Magic of Lee Germain and Judi – West end of Lartz Building

6 p.m. Sheep Show (Costume class at end) – Knight’s Building

6 p.m. Small Animal Grand Master Information Session – Wachob Pavilion

6 p.m. Registration for Small Fry Pedal Tractor Pull Ends – Fair Office

6 p.m. Chainsaw Chix sponsored by HealthE Links – Log Cabin

6 p.m. Master Gardener Presentation: Edible Flowers – Lartz Building

6 to 8 p.m. P.Raising Kids Children’s Activity Center with face painting, crafts and art projects – Trolley Building

Sophie Kroning, 5, of Knowlesville competes in the small fry pedal tractor pull on Wednesday.

6:30 p.m. Small Fry Pedal Tractor Pull. Pedal Tractor Course – Fair Office

6:30 p.m. Pork Chop Review- Performing pigs and family fun sponsored by Tompkins Bank of Castile – Lawn South of the Knights Building

7 p.m. Spanish/English Story Time by Agribusiness Child Development – Trolley Building

7 to 8:30 p.m. Local Entertainment Variety Acts – Orleanshub.com Stage

7:30 p.m. The Magic of Lee Germain and Judi – West end of Lartz Building

8 p.m. Orleans County 4-H Fair $1,000 Karaoke Challenge Finals – Orleanshub.com Stage

8 p.m. Chainsaw Chix sponsored by HealthE Links – Log Cabin

Natalie Mrzywka, 16, of Holley (left) and her friend Mikala Smith of Holley get a sheep cleaned and ready on Wednesday evening. The sheep show is at 6 p.m. today.

8:30 p.m. Pork Chop Review- Performing pigs and family fun sponsored by Tompkins Bank of Castile – Lawn South of the Knights Building

9 p.m. The Magic of Lee Germainand Judi – West end of Lartz Building

10 p.m. Buildings Close

10 p.m. Greased Pole Climbing Competition (teams must pre-register at fair office). At Greased Pole

Photos by Tom Rivers

KNOWLESVILLE – The 4-H horse program in Orleans County is seeing a resurgence, 4-H leaders say. There was a big group of riders competing today in the English Horse Show at the Carlos Marcello Arena.

Kelsie Johnstone of Holley, left, and the other riders wait to compete in the Hunter hack event, where horses need to complete two jumps. There were 16 participants in the senior division today.

Makenzie Ferranti of Holley is ready to compete in the English Horse Show.

Andrew Uderitz, 10, of Albion competes in the cross rails competition on his horse, Baylee. Andrew won the event for novice riders.

The riders and their horses are lined up in the show arena.

Horses and their riders aren’t the only ones being tested at the fair today. Jacques Gregoire, 12, of Murray competes in the Rabbit and Cavy Showmanship competition. Jacques is pictured with his Guinea Pig named “Bumpy.”

Photos by Tom Rivers – Shady, a Siberian Husky owned by Megan Leight of Albion, waits in the show ring on Monday evening during the dog show. Another Siberian Husky is behind Shady.

Daily Feature – New for 2015 – the Orleans County Flower Show, sponsored by Orleans County Master Gardeners. Display located in the Lartz Exhibit Building, daily presentations at 6 p.m.

Daily Feature – Meet Michael Keene, author of five books on hidden history in New York, in the Lartz Building. 3-9 p.m.

8 a.m. Senior Council Stand Opens

9 a.m. English Horse Show -Carlos Marcello Arena

9:30 a.m. Dog Show (Classes 5-22 and C3) -Show Arena

10 a.m. $5 Admission per car starts

10 a.m. All Buildings Open

10 a.m. Horticulture I.D. Contest – Center Stage

12 p.m. Leader’s Pie Stand Opens

12 p.m. to 4 p.m. Rabbit and Cavy Showmanship – Wachob Pavilion

Five 4-H’ers compete in the junior showmanship contest with pigs on Monday evening. The group includes, from left: Jack Cecchini, Zachary Neal, Allison Mathes, Jayden Neal and Hunter Mathes. Jayden Neal of Albion was named champion junior showman of the competition.

1 p.m. Story Time with Yates Community Library of Lyndonville – Trolley Building

1 to 3 p.m. P.Raising Kids Children’s Activity Center with face painting, crafts and art projects – Trolley Building

1 to 3 p.m. The Nuts and Bolts of Nutrition with Extension EFNEP
Educator Natalie. Interactive displays and demos – Trolley Building

2 p.m. Rabbit and Cavy Knowledge Contest – Wachob Pavilion

2 p.m. Story Time with Yates Community Library of Lyndonville – Trolley Building

3 to 10 p.m. Midway Rides of Utica $20 unlimited ride wristbands – Midway

5 p.m. Beef Showmanship and Show – Show Arena

6 p.m. Registration Ends for Small Fry Pedal Tractor Pull – Fair Office

6 p.m. Rabbit and Cavy Costume Class and Cloverbud Show – Wachob Pavilion

Sisters Janie Schutz, left, and Rylie Lear of Waterport compete in senior showman competition with pigs on Monday. Jayne Bannister came in first, with Janie in second and Rylie in third.

6 p.m. Master Gardener Presentation: Companion Plants – Lartz Building

6 to 8 p.m. P.Raising Kids Children’s Activity Center with face painting, crafts and art projects – Trolley Building

6:15 p.m. Rabbit and Cavy Show – Wachob Pavilion

6:30 p.m. Small Fry Pedal Tractor Pull Pedal Tractor Course – Fair Office

6:30 p.m. Pork Chop Review- Performing pigs and family fun. Sponsored by Tompkins Bank of Castile. Lawn South of the Knights Building

7 to 8:30 p.m. Local Entertainment Variety Acts. Orleanshub.com Stage

7 p.m. Spanish/English Story Time by Agribusiness Child Development – Trolley Building

8:30 p.m. Pork Chop Review- Performing pigs and family fun. Sponsored by Tompkins Bank of Castile. Lawn South of the Knights Building

9 p.m. Orleans County 4-H Fair $1,000 Karaoke Challenge – Orleanshub.com Stage

10 p.m. Buildings Close

Medina Marching Band members are handling parking for the fair. Shelby Green, left, and Kody Leno direct a driver to an open spot on Monday. The band will be assisting with parking all six days of the fair.

Photos by Tom Rivers

KNOWLESVILLE – Adelaide Pettit, 4, of Albion (left) and Aubrey Gannon, 7, of Albion ride the Spider at the Midway at the Orleans County 4-H Fair in Knowlesville on opening day.

Midway Rides of Utica has turned part of the fairgrounds into an amusement park.

Jayne Bannister of Point Breeze shows a pig during the pig showmanship competition, which she won.

Kasey Neal, 5, of Albion made her debut showing a pig at the fair on Monday. Kasey competed as a Clover Bud. Her older brothers were in the junior showmanship competition.

These Orleans County 4-H’ers – Alanna Gordon, left, and Payton Walters, both of Kendall – compete in a clothing review with a dress and tuxedo they made of duct tape.

Sara Stewart, 10, of Medina (left) and Abby Allen, 12, of Medina get Sara’s dog “Licorice” ready for the dog show on Monday. Licorice is a Border Collie-Lab mix.

Megan Blackburn of Medina keeps her Dalmatian “Bella” calm during Monday’s dog show competition that tested 4-H’ers’ grooming and handling of the animals.

Liliana Goebel and Marli Thrash, both of Albion, perform a dance duet during Monday’s talent show.

Allison Mathes competes in the junior showmanship competition with a pig. She came in third place.

Photo by Tom Rivers These goats are ready to greet the public at the Orleans County 4-H Fair this week.

Daily Feature: New for 2015 – the Orleans County Flower Show sponsored by Orleans County Master Gardeners. Display located in the Lartz Exhibit Building, daily presentations to be at 6 p.m.

Daily Feature: Meet Micheal Keene Author of five books on hidden history of New York in the Lartz Building, 3 to 9 p.m.

8 a.m. Senior Council Stand opens

8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Commercial Exhibits in Place

9 a.m. Walk/ Trot Horse Show and Cloverbud Horse Show – Carlos Marcello Arena

9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Orleans County Master Gardener Flower Show Entries accepted – Lartz Building

10 a.m. Market Auction Weigh-In

10 a.m. Llama and Alpaca Show (classes 1-42) – Show Arena

10 a.m. to 12 p.m. Common Garden Vegetables, Market Packages, Cut Flowers, Indoor Gardening, Fruits and Nuts, Plant Collection (Preserved and Scrapbook), Landscape Pictures and Plants, Experiments, Horticulture Methods judged – Trolley Building

11 a.m. Field crops judged – Trolley Building

1 to 3 p.m. Group Exhibits, Food Preservation, Baked Goods and Visual Arts judged. Trolley Building

2:30 p.m. Goat Fitting Contest – Knights Building

3 p.m. Fair Official Meeting – Fair Office

4 p.m. Paid per car admission begins: Special Opening Day $2 price

5:45 p.m. Opening Ceremony, Presentation of Colors by Orleans County Veterans. Flag Pole Garden

6 to 10 p.m. Midway Rides of Utica $10.00 unlimited ride wristbands opening day special pricing – Midway

6 p.m. Dog Show Grooming and Handling /Showmanship, Classes 1-4 and C1 – Show Arena

6 p.m. Leader’s Pie Stand Opens

6 p.m. 4-H Clothing Revue: The Design is Mine Orleanshub.com Stage

6 – 9 p.m. Live Broadcast with 89.1 The Point. Fair Office Portico.

6 p.m. Orleans County 4-H Fair Bucket of Junk Contest Judging – Lartz Building

6 p.m. Master Gardener Presentation: Floral Design Basics – Lartz Building

6 to 8 p.m. P.Raising Kids Children’s Activity Center with face painting, crafts and art projects. Trolley Building

6:30 p.m. Pork Chop Review – Performing pigs and family fun sponsored by Tompkins Bank of Castile – Lawn South of the Knights Building

6:30 p.m. 4-H Bake Sale. Blue ribbon baked goods available for a limited time – Trolley Building

6:30 p.m. Trolley Building Youth Exhibits Open – Trolley Building

7 p.m. Talent Show – Orleanshub.com Stage

7 p.m. Swine Show – Swine Pavilion

8:30 p.m. Pork Chop Review – Performing pigs and family fun
Sponsored by Tompkins Bank of Castile – Lawn South of the Knights Building

9 p.m. $1,000 Karaoke Contest – Orleanshub.com Stage

10 p.m. Buildings Close

Photos by Tom Rivers

KNOLWESVILLE – The livestock, 4-H’ers and many vendors have arrived and are ready for a busy week at the Orleans County 4-H Fair, which starts today and runs until Saturday night.

The top photo shows Joseph Cecchini, 11, of Medina cleaning a cow this morning at a new wash rack.

The wash rack was a popular place to be this morning. The new wash rack replaces a wooden one. There is also a concrete floor and better drainage.

“It’s way better,” Nicky Farruggia, 16, of Holley said about the new wash rack. In past years, she had to stand in mud to clean her cows.

Zack Farruggia, 17, of Holley cleans a cow this morning. Zack and four of his siblings will be showing animals at the fair this week, including the Dairy Show at 6 p.m. on Wednesday.

Kelsey Evoy, 19, of Medina cleaned out her horse stall as part of the morning chore routine.

Owen Shaw (left), 10, of Kent had his rabbit, Raven, out to play this morning, to the delight of Aiden Gerling, 4, of Lyndonville. The rabbits are in the Wachob Building, which has a new concrete floor.

The 4-H Senior Council Stand opened at 8 a.m. and James White, a candidate for County Legislature, was inside cooking pancakes. He is pictured with Brandon Stewart, a 4-H member from Spencerport.

White is dating Kristen Marciszewski of Lyndonville. Her mother Dawn Marciszewski helps manage the morning crew of volunteers at the stand.

Photos by Kristina Gabalski – A group of busy volunteers and 4-H’ers makes pies in the Trolley Building on the Orleans County 4-H Fairgrounds on Saturday. Pie-making volunteers met four times over the past two months to assemble and freeze pies to be baked and sold by the slice at the Leader’s Pie Stand during fair week, July 27-Aug. 1.

KNOWLESVILLE – Visitors to next week’s Orleans County 4-H Fair will get more than a tasty treat when they stop by the Leader’s Pie Stand. Those pies also support the 4-H youth program.

Thanks to the efforts of 4-H’ers, families and volunteers, slices of pie sold this year have been made by hand instead of being store bought.

For many years, 4-H families were able to bring pies made at home for the stand, but three years ago, County Health Department rules changed, meaning that pies donated to the stand had to be baked in a Health Department-approved kitchen.

The result was a challenge for volunteers and 4-H families and disappointing for fairgoers who wanted to find homemade pie at the stand.

Alexis Brege, 13, proudly displays a blueberry pie she made during the July 18 Pie Making Workshop at the fairgrounds. Alexis will be able to enter the pie in the fair before it is taken to the Leader’s Pie Stand and sold by the slice. In addition to making pies for the Leader’s Pie Stand, the Pie Making Workshop was an opportunity for 4-Hers and their families to learn pie-making skills.

“The first year, we bought 90 percent of the pies,” says Jennifer Batt, who helps to organize volunteer staffing for the stand and has worked as “project manager” to bring the number of “homemade” pies back up to 100 percent.

The 100 percent goal has been accomplished through a series of four pie-making workshops held on Saturdays and Sundays in June and July at the Trolley Building kitchen at the fairgrounds. The Trolley Building kitchen is Health Department approved.

During the workshops, pie crust was made, rolled out, with fruit fillings prepared and pies assembled before being frozen. The pies will be baked fresh throughout the fair.

Batt says last year, the “homemade” to purchased pie ratio was about 50/50.

“We won’t have to buy any this year,” she says, and notes that as of the final pie-making workshop July 18, 75 pies had been assembled. About another 45 pies will be made before and during fair to make sure there is an ample supply and variety for hungry fairgoers.

Fruit was donated for the effort by local growers. Rock Ledge Farm in Medina donated cherries; HH Dobbins Cold Storage in Lyndonville donated apples; and Brown’s Berry Patch in Waterport donated elderberries and blueberries.

Because pies are frozen before they are baked, freezer space was also an issue in meeting the goal.

A blueberry pie awaits its top crust.

At the end of June, Orleans County Cornell Cooperative Extension Program Director Jennifer Wagester sent out an email to 4-H families and leaders seeking the loan or donation of a freezer to help hold the growing number of pies. Just three hours later, a 4-H family had donated a large chest freezer to help in the pie effort.

All proceeds from sales at the Leader’s Pie Stand go to fund 4-H activities and award trips – none of the proceeds are used for administrative costs or operating expenses, Wagester said.

The Leader’s Pie Stand will be open from noon to 10 p.m. from Tuesday through Saturday during the fair.

A blueberry pie with a crumb crust made awaits wrapping and boxing before it is frozen in advance of next week’s fair.

Photos by Kristina Gabalski – John Gabalski, left, and James Trembley prepare bread dough during activities at Monday’s 4-H Cooking Camp.

KNOWLESVILLE – A group of Orleans County 4-Hers enjoyed the yummy rewards of participation in the first 4-H Cooking Camp, held Monday and Tuesday at the Orleans County 4-H Fairgrounds.

Participants prepared their own breakfast and lunch both days, learned about nutrition, enjoyed healthy outdoor activities and took home food they had made from scratch through hands-on activities like baking bread, making strawberry refrigerator jam, fruit pie and pizza.

Campers roast hot dogs and sweet corn for lunch on Monday afternoon during the 4-H Cooking Camp held this week at the Orleans County Fairgrounds.

Campers made a breakfast of French toast on Monday and prepared breakfast over an open fire on Tuesday. Monday’s lunch included hot dogs and sweet corn roasted over a campfire and Tuesday participants made their own personal pizzas from scratch.

In addition to food preparation, participants decorated their own aprons; took part in outdoor activities and games; played “The Label is Right” – an educational game which included five nutrition activities involving food labeling and nutrition; and took part in a camp-ending contest by making edible “bouquets” with fresh fruit.

Participants in the first Orleans County 4-H Cooking Camp prep strawberries Monday for homemade refrigerator jam. The campers also baked bread to go with their jam.

Camper James Trembley shows off his edible fruit bouquet creation which he made during 4-H Cooking Camp.

Agency agrees to $150K loan to Dobbins for Yates project

ALBION – The Orleans Economic Development Agency approved a sales tax exemption today that will save Western New York Energy an estimated $80,000 as it adds a $2 million grain expansion this year.

The EDA board of directors this morning also agreed to loan $150,000 to H.H. Dobbins in Lyndonville, which is working on a $4 million expansion by adding a 26,240-square-foot controlled atmosphere storage building. The $150,000 is to be paid back by Empire Fruit LLC over 4 years at 75 percent of the prime rate (currently 2.4375 percent).

Empire Fruit, a limited liability corporation formed by the Dobbins family in 1999, will use the loan as “working capital” while it completes the expansion and adds equipment, said Jim Whipple, EDA chief executive officer.

“This is a really nice project for the Town of Yates,” Whipple told the EDA board, which unanimously backed the loan from a revolving loan fund managed by the EDA.

In the other agriculture-related project, Western New York Energy is working to expand the grain storage capacity for the ethanol plant in Medina at the corner of Bates Road and Route 31A. WNY Energy spent $89 million in developing the plant that opened in 2007.

WNY Energy will expand the capacity by 800,000 bushels. The company wants to have a new 105-foot wide by 142-foot high steel silo done by late October. A conveyor system at the top of the bin would increase the height to 155 feet.

The project includes about $1 million of taxable equipment and materials. The EDA this morning agreed to waive the sales tax, which will save the company $80,000. (The EDA will receive $4,000 in administrative costs, reducing the total savings to WNY Energy to $76,000.)

The added grain space will increase grain reserves from 17 days to 30 days, providing greater capacity when deliveries could be impeded by inclement winter weather.

The new grain bin will be on existing developed land that is south of the current corn silos that have 1 million bushels of storage space with two 500,000-bushel grain bins.