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Albion accepts bid for new fire truck

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 9 July 2015 at 12:00 am

ALBION – The Albion Fire Department will have a new fire truck in its fleet next year.

The Village Board on Wednesday approved a $668,796 bid from Churchville Fire Equipment, a Pierce Manufacturing dealer, to build the new triple combination pumping engine.

The new truck will replace two vehicles for the Albion Fire Department: a pumper from 1974 and a smaller truck used to respond to motor vehicle accidents. That truck from 2004 has extrication equipment.

The fire department pushed for a new fire truck that is a pumper and also has extrication equipment. That will save the department in maintenance costs and also reduce some manpower needs, Fire Department leaders told the board.

Albion received two other bids for the new truck, but those bidders didn’t meet all the specifications for the new truck, Village Clerk Linda Babcock said today.

The Village Board is expected to soon approve a bond to pay for the truck. The Fire Department paid off the debt on one truck in 2014-15, freeing up money for the new one.

The department has an aging fleet with a pumper from 1992 and a ladder truck from 1995. Fire Chief Harry Papponetti said he expects to get another decade out of those trucks. At a recent Village Board meeting, he praised village mechanics, Dusty DeCarlo and Ray Smith, for giving the fire trucks such an extended life.

Trip to Adirondack camp leads to encounter with famed bounty hunter

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 8 July 2015 at 12:00 am

‘Dog’ was looking for escaped convicts

Provided photo from Maria Strathearn – Duane “Dog” Chapman, star of a reality TV series, poses with Aaron Strathearn at a gas station in Saranac Lake. Aaron, 14, of Holley was headed to camp and Dog was looking to track down a prison escapee.

HOLLEY – Aaron Strathearn, 14, was leaving for a week-long camp in Saranac Lake, the rewards for being on the High Honor Roll and being active in his 4-H Club.

There was a glitch: The camp in the Adirondacks was close to the manhunt for prison escapee David Sweat, a convicted cop killer. Sweat, 35, and Richard Matt, 49, broke out of Clinton Correctional Facility and had been on the loose for about three weeks.

Matt was tracked down on June 26 and fatally shot by a federal agent.

Aaron was heading to camp while Sweat was still on the run.

“I was a bit nervous sending Aaron to camp with the manhunt focusing 40 miles away,” said Aaron’s mother, Melissa.

On the way to Camp Colby in Saranac Lake, the Strathearns stopped at a gas station. They met a famous person, Duane “Dog” Chapman. He is a star of a reality TV series that shows him kicking in doors and capturing wanted people. Click here for more on Chapman’s show.

Dog gave Aaron a high five for being on the High Honor Roll.

When they made it to Saranac Lake, the Strathearns saw vehicles racing with lights and sirens, on the main road across the lake. While walking to Aaron’s cabin, they saw a helicopter fly overhead.

“When we got back to the car we learned that David Sweat had been captured,” Strathearn said.

Aaron went on to have a great week at camp, his mother said. At the DEC camp, he went canoing, fishing, birding, swimming and was able to try archery and build a shelter.

“He made a lot of friends,” his mother said.

Hawley criticizes Cuomo for 3-day moratorium on road work

Posted 8 July 2015 at 12:00 am

Press Release, State Assemblyman Steve Hawley

Assemblyman Steve Hawley (R-Batavia) today criticized Gov. Cuomo’s moratorium of roadwork done by private contractors during the Independence Day weekend.

The governor announced in a press release last week that private contractors working on state roads and highways would have to cease work and remove equipment not behind a permanent barrier starting July 3 at 6 a.m. until July 5 at 10 p.m.

“I certainly understand the need to make last weekend’s travels as convenient as possible for motorists but it is unfair and burdensome to small businesses to ban them from making a profit for three days,” Hawley said. “This added a large cost to local businesses by denying a potential three days of work and mandating that equipment be moved without reimbursement from the state. Gov. Cuomo should not be penalizing the private sector for a bad traffic experience he had during a holiday weekend several years ago.

“This is another example of how Downstate issues are projected throughout the state and inconvenience those in Western New York who are only marginally affected. If we are truly open for business, we should keep our actions consistent with our words and stop burdening small businesses trying to survive.”

NY corn growers sought for lawsuit against Syngenta

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 8 July 2015 at 12:00 am

File photo Tom Rivers – Corn is pictured in Barker in this file photo from August 2013. That was a period when corn prices took a sharp fall.

ALBION – New York corn growers are being recruited to join a lawsuit against agricultural giant Syngenta, a suit that seeks damages for farmers who saw the corn market tumble in 2013 and last year.

Watts Guerra LLP, a law firm from Austin, Texas, stopped at the Village Inn this afternoon as part of several stops in Western New York to explain the lawsuit and urge farmers to sign up for compensation from Syngenta.

Linda Leibfarth, an attorney with Watts Guerra, met with about a half dozen farmers today at the Village Inn before heading to another meeting in Lockport. Leibfarth said Syngenta caused a glut of corn in the U.S. market, which depressed the price.

Swiss-based Syngenta is one of the world’s largest developers of seeds. It produced an insect-resistant variety of Viptera corn. That genetically modified corn was rejected by China in 2013 and was banned from the country up until December 2014.

Not only was that corn rejected, but China wouldn’t take other corn shipments from American growers, fearing cross-pollination of corn in fields and commingling of corn in shipments.

Syngenta has already been sued by Cargill and Archer Daniels Midland, claiming the company pushed the product to the market without a stewardship program to prevent the grain from export markets that didn’t accept the product.

ADM says it suffered “tens of millions of dollars in damages.”

The corn price fell from about $7 per bushel to $3.25 in the spring 2014. Leibfarth said Syngenta isn’t entirely to blame for the price drop because there was a bumper crop. But she said Syngenta’s disruption of the export market, where 40 percent of U.S. corn is shipped, played a big role in the price drop.

The lawsuit will need economists to debate the overall damage to corn growers. Leibfarth said she believes that could be at least $1 per bushel. That could be significant for individual farms.

Her firm has signed up 16,000 farms in the lawsuit, and Watts Guerra wants more to join the case.

That’s why she is traveling throughout New York and other states. She was joined today by Lawlor Quinlan III, a partner with Connors & Vilardo in Buffalo.

“There’s real money involved and we want to get as much money in recovery as possible for the farmers,” she said.

She has been on the road since December, explaining the case to farmers. She said they deserve to be compensated for their lost income.

“In New York, they got hurt just like every farmer in the country,” she said. “Farmers are still feeling a depressed price.”

For more information on the lawsuit, click here.

Ruddy Duck makes unusual stop in Orleans County

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 8 July 2015 at 12:00 am

CARLTON – Doug Boyer took these photos on Sunday of what he thought was a very rare duck to be at Lake Alice. Boyer did a Google search of a duck with a blue bill and was directed to Ruddy Duck.

That description seems to fit the bill. I sent the photos to Vernon Fonda, a conservation officer with the DEC, and he said the picture is of a Drake Ruddy Duck, which he said is very uncommon in these parts this time of the year.

Duck Race raises $8,300 for Hospice

Posted 8 July 2015 at 12:00 am

Photos courtesy of Hospice of Orleans – The course is set for the duck race on July 4 on Johnson Creek in Lyndonville.

Press Release
Hospice of Orleans

LYNDONVILLE The annual Ducks Ahoy! Duck Race in Lyndonville on July 4 raised $8,300, about $2,000 more than last year to support Hospice of Orleans.

Much of the credit for this increase in sales may go to “Lenny” and “Squiggy,” ducks furnished by Todd Eick and the Medina FFA. Eick is the group’s advisor.

The ducks happily swam in their pool next to the Hospice booth and delighted both children and adults with their antics.

This year Hospice also had two duck mascots in the parade. Vivian Rivers and Evan Pappalardo of Albion “duck danced” their way down the parade route handing out candy to the children. When they ran out of candy they “high fived” instead.

Mary Martin rode in the Hospice van driven by Nyla Gaylord, development director. The two added to the fun by encouraging parade goers to get their tickets before the race pointing out that the odds of winning were better than the lottery.

Vivian Rivers, left, and Evan Pappalardo of Albion dressed up as ducks during the parade on Saturday to promote the race.

Throughout the day Hospice volunteers Mary Ann Tillman, Syliva Goodstine, Cheryl Denson, Colleen Smith, Evelene Callard and Ceil Feldman could hardly keep up with the demand for tickets.

A crowd gathered on the bridge at 3 p.m. on Saturday to watch more than 2,300 plastic ducks of various colors float to the finish line in Johnson’s Creek.

John and Loyd Denniston of Albion retrieved the winners from the pool-noodle race track constructed and set by Lyndonville Department of Public Works employees, headed by Terry Woodworth.

Hospice is grateful to the Lyndonville Lions Club, the Village staff, and to all the Hospice volunteers who made the Duck Race such a success this year. Special recognition is due to Baxter Healthcare International of Medina for their very generous underwriting of the prizes and to Patti Hurd for her sponsorship.

Congratulations to the winners: Stephanie DiGiulio, $500; Nancy Canham, $300; Bonnie Walck, $200; Kay VanNostrand, $150; Michael Dudek, $125; Samantha Cali, $100; The Hughson family, $75; and J & Barbie, $50.

Missing man found after day-long search in Carlton

Staff Reports Posted 7 July 2015 at 12:00 am

CARLTON A Barre man who went missing on Sunday night was found safe on Monday afternoon, Orleans County Sheriff Scott Hess said.

The man’s family had called Orleans County 911 on Sunday night at about 11:20 after he failed to return to a campsite at Lakeside Beach State Park in Carlton, where they were staying.

The man, who was not identified by law enforcement, had left the park to take someone home, and was expected to come right back. The family further reported that the individual might be suffering from early onset dementia, Hess said.

A missing person’s report was filed and the vehicle description was disseminated to local law enforcement agencies.

The search intensified around 12:30 p.m. Monday when Lakeside Beach State Park Manager Thomas Rowland found the missing man’s truck on state park property off the west end of an unpaved park service road that is normally off-limits to park patrons.

The truck was stuck in some soft ground on the east bank of Johnson’s Creek, and appeared to have been abandoned there, Hess said. This prompted a massive search detail involving several law enforcement agencies, the Sheriff’s Marine Unit, K-9 dogs, a State Police helicopter, state park employees and the Carlton Fire Department.

Searchers located the man shortly before 4:30 p.m. and after he was checked out by EMS personnel, he was returned to his family. Hess didn’t detail where the man was located.

In addition to the Sheriff’s Office, agencies involved in the search included the New York State Park Police, state troopers from the Albion barracks, New York State Environmental Conservation Police, Niagara County Sheriff’s Office and the United States Border Patrol.

Artist shows some attitude in taking on Common Core

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 7 July 2015 at 12:00 am

Photos and article by Tom Rivers

ALBION – Jennifer Ohar Scott has found a way to funnel her outrage about what she sees as the over-testing of children and stifling of their creativity.

Scott, a Medina High School art teacher, has turned to painting to vent her frustrations with Common Core and state leaders, including Gov. Andrew Cuomo and former Education Commissioner Dr. John King. He was commissioner when the state implemented Common Core.

Some of Scott’s paintings are featured in an art show at the Marti’s on Main art gallery at 229 North Main St., Albion. There will be a closing reception there on July 24 from 5:30 to 9 p.m.

The top photo shows Gov. Andrew Cuomo with a crown of hundred-dollar bills on his head. That mixed media art work is entitled “Cuomo: The Emperor of Contingent Funding.”

It is includes a column from New York Times writer Paul Krugman, who on Feb. 23, 2015, wrote “Knowledge isn’t power.” Krugman argues that a failed education system isn’t the cause of the wealth gap in the country. Click here to see the article.

Jennifer Scott created this mixed media artwork of John King, the former state education commissioner.

“The King of Standardized Testing and Unregulated Data Sharing” depicts King wearing a crown made of a test bubble sheet.

The artwork also include portions of a letter written from Medina English teacher Karen Jones to King. She sent him a six-page letter, detailing her concerns about Common Core testing. Scott said King never responded, and his lack of a response angered her.

Her Common Core-themed artwork has been featured in Buffalo galleries. She won the “People’s Choice” award for the artwork on John King at Gallery 464 in Buffalo.

“At the very least this should provoke a conversation,” said Scott, who lives in Lockport. “I feel strongly about educating parents, but I don’t want to shove my viewpoint down their throats.”

“One Size Will Not Fit All” is a statement about standardized testing.

Scott opposes the reliance on standardized tests in assessing students’ and teachers’. Those state tests don’t measure students who may learn and test better through auditory, cognitiive and other learning styles, she said.

“One style of testing is the antithesis of what I’ve learned,” Scott said. “The testing they’re doing now is not helpful. It only benefits the testing companies.”

“This is a Normal Brain” is a work by Jennifer Ohar Scott.

“This is Your Brain on Common Core” is displayed next to the other painting of a healthy brain.

Scott teaches teaches eighth grade and high school at Medina. She was recently selected as one of 25 teachers of merit by Buffalo Business First.

She said she doesn’t oppose the state wanting accountability for teachers. But she said the overreliance on test scores is not good for students, teachers or the community.

She stressed her artwork is her opinion and not the Medina school district’s. Scott said the testing issue, which prompted many students and parents to “opt out” of the most recent tests this spring, has dominated her artwork.

“Everything I’ve been doing lately is about Common Core,” she said.

For more on Jennifer Ohar Scott, visit jenniferoharscott.com.

To see the artwork at Marti’s, contact gallery owner Kim Martillotta-Muscarella at 589-6715.

Medina will welcome new farmers’ market on Saturday

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 7 July 2015 at 12:00 am

Photo by Tom Rivers – The parking lot at the corner of West Avenue and West Center Street, formerly used by a bank, will be used for a farmers’ market on Saturdays beginning July 11 and continuing through late October.

MEDINA – A new farmers’ market will debut this Saturday in downtown Medina.

The market came together after news that a previous market in the Canal Basin wouldn’t continue this year in Medina or Albion. That market was open from late June to late October for 10 years.

The new Canal Village Farmers’ Market won’t be in the Canal Basin. It will set up in a parking lot owned by the Orleans Renaissance Group at the corner of West Center Street and West Avenue. It’s across the Post Office in a busy part of Medina.

Gail Miller is the volunteer coordinator of the market, which will have about 10 vendors. That includes four or five farms, two meat producers, honey, tea, art from the local Wide Angle Art Gallery and music on some Saturdays, including opening day on July 11. The market will be open every Saturday for about four months from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Miller said the market will be convenient for residents, especially for people in the downtown who may not have transportation to the grocery stores. The market also gives farmers a venue for selling their fruits and vegetables.

“I’m hoping being in a busy trafficked area will draw more people to the market,” Miller said.

Miller said more vendors are welcome to contact her at 585-798-3904.

She said ORG members Chris Busch and Cindy Robinson pushed to have the market in the downtown. Busch created the name and designed the logo for the market.

Miller grew up on a farm in Cambria in neighboring Niagara County. She said Orleans County is a rural area with many farms.

“The local farmers need a place to sell their goods,” Miller said. “It will be convenient for the public to have them in one spot.”

Governor signs legislation combating sexual assault on college campuses

Posted 7 July 2015 at 12:00 am

Press Release, Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s Office

Gov. Andrew Cuomo today signed his “Enough is Enough” legislation to combat sexual assault on college and university campuses statewide.

The new law requires all colleges to adopt a set of comprehensive procedures and guidelines, including a uniform definition of affirmative consent, a statewide amnesty policy, and expanded access to law enforcement to ensure the safety of all students attending colleges in New York State.

“I am proud to sign into law the most aggressive policy in the nation to fight against sexual assault on college campuses,” Cuomo said. “Today, New York is making a clear and bold statement: sexual violence is a crime, and from now on in this state it will be investigated and prosecuted like one. With this law, we will better protect every student that attends college within our borders, and I am proud New York is leading the way once again.”

This legislation was first proposed by Cuomo in January and will extend the preventive policy and protections adopted by SUNY campuses to all university campuses statewide.

Specifically, the new law requires private colleges in New York State to adopt or implement:

A uniform definition of affirmative consent, defining consent as a knowing, voluntary, and mutual decision among all participants to engage in sexual activity;

An amnesty policy, to ensure that students reporting incidents of sexual assault or other sexual violence are granted immunity for certain campus policy violations, such as drug and alcohol use;

A Students’ Bill of Rights, which campuses will be required to distribute to all students in order to specifically inform sexual violence victims of their legal rights and how they may access appropriate resources. The Bill of Rights clearly states that students are given the right to know they can report sexual assaults to outside law enforcement, including the State Police;

Comprehensive training requirements for administrators, staff, and students, including at new student orientations.;

Reporting requirements for campuses to annually submit aggregate data on reported incidents of sexual violence and their adjudication and handling to the State Education Department;

House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi joined Cuomo at the bill signing today at New York University School of Law.

“Campus sexual assault is an all-hands-on-deck epidemic in America,” Pelosi said. “Today is a tipping point day, and I was proud to stand with the Governor Cuomo as he signed into law a strong tool for all the educators, administrators and women fighting to end campus sexual assault once and for all. We must confront this issue everywhere, from campus to Congress – and New York is leading the way forward for our nation.”

Additionally, the new law includes:

The creation of a new unit within the State Police called the “sexual assault victims unit,” with a focus on advanced training in responding to sexual assaults and related crimes that shall also provide assistance to campus police or local law enforcement, as well as training to college campus communities;

A commitment of $10 million to help combat campus sexual assault through various partners, split in the following manner: $4.5 million to rape crisis centers to provide services and resources to students, $4.5 million to the State Police to create sexual assault victims unit, and $1 million to colleges and universities; and

A requirement for first responders to notify survivors of their right to contact outside law enforcement.

“As state leaders and educators, our first and foremost responsibility is to ensure that our college and university campuses provide a safe haven for students as they complete their higher education and work toward a degree,” said SUNY Chancellor Nancy L. Zimpher said. “The ‘Enough is Enough’ legislation signed today is a promise of safe and secure learning environments for students attending college anywhere in New York State, and SUNY has been proud to serve as the policy model for these comprehensive reforms. With this historic bill, Governor Cuomo and the legislature have further positioned SUNY and New York to lead the nation in combating sexual assault and violence on college campuses.”

Albion man admits selling cocaine

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 7 July 2015 at 12:00 am

ALBION – An Albion man admitted in Orleans County Court that he sold cocaine and could be sentenced to state prison.

Martin Eusebio, 20, pleaded guilty to criminal possession of a controlled substance in the fifth degree. He could be sentenced to a maximum of 1 to 2 ½ years in state prison.

Eusebio was arrested in November and accused of cocaine trafficking in the Village of Albion. He was living at 201 Washington St., Apt. 1. He has been in jail since his arrest on $50,000 bail.

Eusebio had cocaine on Oct. 28 and sold it, he told Judge James Punch in court on Monday. Eusebio also said he isn’t a U.S. citizen.

He could be deported after serving his sentence. He will be sentenced on Oct. 5.

In other cases in County Court:

A former Medina resident who has been in state prison for more than two years was classified as a Level 2 sex offender.

Kawika Kamae, 30, has been in state prison since April 2013, when he was sentenced first-degree rape. Kamae allegedly had sex with a highly intoxicated 16-year-old girl. The girl was so intoxicated that she needed hospitalization. She was determined to have a blood alcohol content of .28 percent.

Kamae was designated as a Level 2 sex offender, which means he is a moderate risk of reoffending.

He is currently an inmate at Collins Correctional Facility. He is due to be released on Aug. 25.

He was sentenced to seven years of post-release supervision.

The judge is holding off on a plea deal for a Ridgeway resident, who faces charges of third-degree welfare fraud and first-degree offering a false instrument.

Kathy Mungenast, 51, of Ridgeway allegedly accepted $5,267 in welfare benefits she was not entitled to from July 1, 2012 to Nov. 30, 2013. She allegedly filed false paperwork to access those benefits, according to the District Attorney’s office.

Mungenast spent about three days a week with a boyfriend, and did not note with her application for public benefits that she wasn’t always living at her residence. District Attorney Joe Cardone said because Mungenast was living at another residence, she shouldn’t have received the full amount of welfare benefits she was getting.

Mungenast has no prior criminal record. She could face a year in jail, but Cardone has offered a plea deal where she would avoid jail and pay restitution.

However, Judge Punch wanted to see case law that someone living temporarily for a few days a week with a boyfriend isn’t entitled to what Mungenast received. Punch said Mungenast was still required to pay rent, buy groceries and maintain a household that includes two children.

Punch wanted to research the issue before allowing the plea deal.

An Albion woman who pleaded guilty in May to a drug charge was again arrested on June 18. Judge Punch said Leeanne Krull will be held without bail at the Orleans County Jail and needs a psychological evaluation.

Krull, 45, was most recently arrested with criminal mischief – intent to damage property in the fourth degree, disorderly conduct – obscene language gestures, and trespassing. She allegedly kicked in a door causing $200 in damage.

Krull on May 18 pleaded guilty to criminal possession of a controlled substance in the fifth degree, which usually carries a maximum sentence of 2 ½ years in state prison. Because Krull has a prior felony, the maximum will be 4 years in state prison. She will be sentenced for that crime on July 27.

Big rain soaks fields

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 6 July 2015 at 12:00 am

Photo by Tom Rivers

BARRE – A strong thunderstorm barreled through Orleans County a little after 7 p.m. It drenched the baseball fields at Barre and forced the postponement of a Midget League game between the Barre Cubs and St. Mary’s.

The Weather Service said the 10-minute “torrential downpour” could have left a ½ inch to an inch of rain.

Tuesday is forecast to be hot with a high of 90 degrees with a chance for thunderstorms and heavy rain. Wednesday is forecast to be mostly sunny with a high of 75.

Judge sentences 3 to jail/prison

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 6 July 2015 at 12:00 am

ALBION – Three people will spend time in jail or prison after being sentenced in Orleans County Court today by Judge James Punch.

Andre D. Shine, 31, of Starr Street in Medina received the longest sentence – five years in state prison.

Shine pleaded guilty to attempted criminal possession of a controlled substance in the third degree. As a second felony offender (criminal possession of a controlled substance in the fourth degree), the latest charge would normally carry an 8-year maximum in state prison. But as part of a plea deal, Shine was offered a maximum of five years in prison.

Shine, during his sentencing, said he takes responsibility for his actions.

Punch gave Shine the maximum sentence as part of the plea deal.

“You’ve targeted this community by spreading drugs into the community,” Punch said. “You have a long and serious criminal history. The things you have done have diminished the quality of life in this community.”

In other cases, the judge:

Sentenced Lazaro Botello, 24, of Center Road in Kendall in one to three years in state prison for driving under the influence of alcohol on Nov. 26. Punch ordered Botello to pay $250 in restitution to the Town of Kendall for damaging graves at a cemetery.

Botello had a Blood Alcohol Content of 0.21 percent, more than twice the legal limit. He has a prior conviction of driving under the influence of alcohol in June 2012 in the Town of Sweden.

His lawyer, Nathan Pace, asked that Botello not be sentenced to state prison. Pace said Botello immediately took responsibility for the crime and has received treatment through the Genesee-Orleans Regional Council on Substance Abuse.

Punch said Botello committed the crime while on Probation.

“You have been given just about every opportunity we can give you,” Punch said, calling Botello a danger on the highways.

Norman Bloom Sr., 48, of West Center Street in Medina was sentenced to a year in Orleans County Jail for driving while intoxicated. Punch said the Nov. 8 incident, which included leaving the scene of an accident, was Bloom’s fourth DWI.

“I know it was wrong and I apologize,” Bloom said.

Albion family has nice waterfalls in backyard

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 6 July 2015 at 12:00 am

Photos by Tom Rivers

ALBION – The quest for discovering some of the nicest nature spots in Orleans County continued on Sunday evening, with another waterfalls to put on the list.

Kyle and Jessy Holz invited some friends and family over to their house on Route 31 across from Bullard Park. They recently moved to the spot, and welcomed people over to watch the fireworks on Sunday.

They also told people about the big waterfalls in their backyard.

The west branch of Sandy Creek runs through here and then goes under Route 31 and passes along the west side of Bullard Park.

Fireworks cap Independence Day spectacular in Lyndonville

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 5 July 2015 at 12:00 am

Photos by Tom Rivers

LYNDONVILLE – Young Explosives put on about a 40-minute fireworks show in Lyndonville on Saturday, the biggest in the 41 years the community has hosted a July Fourth celebration.

Young Explosives does about 100 fireworks shows on the holiday weekend and Lyndonville’s is the second biggest after Rochester’s.

Lyndonville had this fire truck and a group of firefighters close by the high school sports fields while the fireworks lit up the sky.

Walt Snell, a Lyndonville firefghter, climbed on top of the truck to watch the fireworks.

A big crowd came out for the fireworks. The Lyndonville Lions Club is the main organizer for the annual festival with help from several other community groups and the Village of Lyndonville and Town of Yates.