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ORCHARD PARK – The Orchard Park High School hosted the Cavalcade of Bands on Saturday, where nine bands performed. Medina was the only SS1 participant and scored 81.85.
There are two more shows before – Oct. 11 at Victor and Oct. 18 at Webster – before the championships on Oct. 26 at the Carrier Dome in Syracuse starting at 8 a.m. The SS1 Class will start at 6:46 p.m. with Medina performing at 7:12 p.m.
The Jan. 4, 1920 issue of The Buffalo Express details the fatal fire.
Edward O’Brien
MEDINA – It was bitterly cold on Jan. 3, 1920 when a fire broke out of a South Main Street house owned by Walter Crisp.
Edward O’Brien was the village’s street and water superintendent. He worried the cold temperatures would crimp water pressure, making it harder for firefighters to put out the blaze.
O’Brien was on the scene, helping a firefighter place a ladder on the house when the roof caved in. The chimney then toppled and landed on O’Brien, killing him. His 9-year-old son Francis was there for his father’s last breath before running home to get his mother, according to the Jan. 4, 1920 edition of The Buffalo Express.
File photo by Tom Rivers – Medina firefighters Josh Wolck, left, and Matt Jackson served as the honor guard for a new firefighters’ memorial in front of City Hall that was dedicated Sept. 28, 2013. There will be another memorial service at 10 a.m. today and Edward O’Brien’s name will be added to a brick by the memorial.
About a year ago the Fire Department dedicated a new memorial outside City Hall for firefighters who died in the line of duty and also unveiled memorial bricks in honor of past firefighters who have since died.
Today, O’Brien will be recognized with a memorial brick as part of a memorial service at 10 a.m. outside City Hall.
Jonathan Higgins, a captain with the Medina FD, said the department wants to honor O’Brien for his heroic efforts.
The department learned about O’Brien’s tragic death after the memorial was erected about a year ago. Some of O’Brien’s family are expected for today’s service.
The memorial service will precede the department’s annual open house from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. That will include a chicken barbecue, an opportunity to meet firefighters and tour fire trucks, experience a rollover simulator and give in a blood drive.
Photos by Peggy Barringer – Elizabeth Pearson is pictured with the new sign she made for the Kendall Community Park located across from the Kendall Elementary School.
KENDALL – The Kendall community opened a new park a few years ago with a gazebo as the centerpiece of the site. That park never had a sign and the gazebo was lacking enough places to sit down.
A local Girl Scout has met those needs for the site, building two benches and a sign for the park along Kendall Road across from the elementary school.
Elizabeth Pearson, 19, completed the projects for her Gold Award, the top honor that can be attained by a Girl Scout. She is one of only 5 percent of Scouts to earn the Gold Award.
Elizabeth worked closely with a mentor, Elizabeth Pensgen of Pittsford, to assemble the benches and sign, sanding them and then either staining or painting them.
Elizabeth was joined at a celebration Saturday for completion of the project by Ed Gaesser, a past president of the Kendall Board of Education, and Nadine Hanlon, current BOE president. The board in January supported the project.
Elizabeth Pearson also made these benches for the gazebo on Kendall Road. Each gazebo also has an etching of an eagle, the school mascot.
Elizabeth then worked to line up donations for the materials and complete the projects. She thanked Lowe’s for donating the wood and Lakeshore Luxuries in Hamlin for donating the decking screws.
She did the bulk of the work over the summer and last month. She graduated from Kendall last June and is a freshman at Monroe Community College, majoring in liberal arts.
She juggled her school work with the projects, which required a minimum of 80 hours of work to be eligible for the Gold Award.
Elizabeth lives just across the county line in Hamlin. She has been active in Troop 82089 for 10 years. She is grateful for the Scouting experiences.
“You get to be with your friends and do things you wouldn’t normally be able to do including horseback riding, whitewater rafting, camping and Christmas caroling,” she said.
She said the Gold Award projects were fun – and a lot of work.
“A lot of girls will back off from a Gold Award because it is so much work,” she said. “I wanted to be one of the few to get the Gold Award.”
Photos by Tom Rivers – Sue Metzo (center), president of the Medina Area Association of Churches, joins 60 others in a poverty simulation Friday through Community Action of Orleans & Genesee. The “luck of the draw” gave participants a mix of good and bad surprises. Metzo’s family would be evicted in the simulation.
BATAVIA – Sue Metzo on Friday had a chance to role play as a single mother, deserted by the father of her two children. Metzo, playing a 34-year-old high school dropout named Emily Epperman, had to figure out how to keep her household going with very limited funds.
It proved a heart-pounding experience, running from appointment to appointment, trying to reverse shut-off and eviction notices.
In doing that, and enduring the long lines for assistance, Metzo was given a warning she hadn’t provided food for her family.
A participant in the poverty simulation waits in line at the utility company to discuss a shut-off notice. Freddie K. Stewart, the training and development manager for Head Start, portrays the utility company worker. Stewart said the power would be turned back on in 72 hours. Someone would need to be home that day, but Stewart couldn’t say when the utility worker would be there, whether in the morning or afternoon.
Metzo (Epperman) sold several of the assets in the house, including the microwave, for some cash while waiting for benefits to kick in.
“I’m feeling very frantic,” said Metzo, who is president of the Medina Area Association of Churches.
She joined 60 other participants in a poverty simulation at the United Methodist Church in Batavia. The event was organized by Community Action or Orleans & Genesee and the NYS Community Action Association.
With every stop in the simulation – from going to the grocery store, pawn shop, utility company and bank – participants had to use transportation passes. Their limited cash, already a challenge to stretch out for a month, could be depleted with an unexpected bill for broken refrigerator, a teen-age child needing to go to the doctor or to get bailed out of jail.
Mary Zangerle, role playing as a 17-year-old high school dropout, is in line to pay a bill.
Sylvia Riviere, another member of the MAAC church group in Medina, portrayed Metzo’s 14-year-old daughter. Riviere used bus passes applying for jobs, but couldn’t get one.
Mary Zangerle, a retired library director in Medina, was assigned the role of a 17-year-old boy who recently dropped out of school and got a girl pregnant. She tried to help Metzo brainstorm for ways to money their money last and to coordinate trips so they didn’t run out of bus passes.
When the Epperman family was given an eviction notice, they were able to keep their apartment as long as they paid a $50 late fee.
Participants went through the simulation for four weeks, which included one week of school vacation. The adults in the group had to figure out how to provide child care for kids 12 and under for that week.
Karla Digirolamo, CEO of the NYS Community Action Association, tries to destroy myths about poverty, urging more compassion from the community.
Digirolamo leads the poverty simulation on Friday for community members in Orleans and Genesee counties. The state-wide association has been doing a poverty tour throughout the state this year, leading the simulations so local officials “can confront the myths about poverty.”
She wants to see more compassion from government officials and community members towards people struggling in poverty.
In Orleans County, 13.8 percent of residents live in poverty, including 19.7 percent of children under 18. For households headed by a woman, the poverty rate jumps to 38.6 percent in Orleans County.
Some of the participants in the simulation said they considered breaking the law, either through selling themselves or drugs, for extra money to get through the month and keep their utilities on and children fed.
The family members in the poverty simulation were often scrambling, trying to get to different appointments and find ways to boost their income.
“Whether you’re a kid or parent or grandparent, everyone feels the stress of being able to stay in your home,” said Kim McMann, training coordinator for the NYS Community Action Association
People in poverty often confront unexpected bills that can deplete their cash, making them unable to pay other bills. That can result in late fees and a feeling of desperation.
EAST SHELBY – Charlene Pratt, left, of Medina joins about 250 participants in the 26th annual Knights-Kaderli walk and run this morning. The 3.5 mile course started next to the East Shelby Volunteer Fire Company.
Melissa Knights Bertrand, daughter of the late Richard Knights, welcomes the group of runners and walkers. Her niece Natalie Pellicano is at right. Natalie kicked off the race by shouting. “1, 2, 3, Go!” Bertrand helps organize the race and volunteers with for the Knights-Kaderli Fund.
The walk and run has raised about $20,000 each of the past five years. The Fund typically has about $50,000 a year to share with Orleans County residents and their families fighting the disease.
These runners take off near the start of the race. In its 26 years, the walk and run has raised nearly $250,000 for the Knights-Kaderli Fund. For more information on the fund, click here.
The fund was started by two families in honor of Richard Knights, who died from cancer in 1984, and Sue Scharping Kaderli, who died from the disease in 1989.
Todd Zinkievich, left, was among the participants in today’s walk and run. For many years the Zinkievich family has helped raise money for the Knights-Kaderli Fund.
This trio walked the course in honor of Susan Bennett of Barre, who was 67 when she died from cancer on Jan. 11. Kathy Jurs, left, is best friends with Bennett’s daughter, Amy Neal (center). Bennett’s daughter-in-law Jennifer Bennett also joined the walk today.
Photos by Tom Rivers
ALBION – Nick Reed kicks the ball during today’s Albion varsity boys soccer game.
The team wore pink socks in a show of support for two Albion teachers – third-grade teacher Dawn Arnold and middle school family and consumer science teacher Kim Toombs. Both were recently diagnosed with breast cancer.
Arnold’s son Drake plays for the varsity boys team. He is pictured during warm-ups.
The team takes the field with their pink socks. Dawn Arnold said the gesture was “very sweet” by her son and his teammates. “It takes a bunch of men to wear pink,” said Arnold, who was diagnosed on Sept. 11.
Morgan Seielstad is decked out in pink as goalie for the Albion team for tonight’s homecoming game.
A fence by the soccer field included this poster for the two teachers, and many other signs for players on the boys and girls varsity and JV teams.
Photos by Tom Rivers
LYNDONVILLE – Gretchen Albone receives a massage this morning from Stacie Bermel, a massage therapist and owner of Vitality Massage in Medina. Bermel was one of 18 vendors at a health fair put on by the Lyndonville PTA.
The health fair was part of the school district’s homecoming celebration. PTA member Stephanie Freas coordinated the health fair, wanting to promote proper nutrition, wellness and exercise in the community.
Jaime Brennan, left, of Albion is owner Tranquility Herbals and Tranquility Herbals Health Coaching. She is talking with Noreen Nelson of Lyndonville as part of the health fair, which lasted from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Photos by Peggy Barringer
KENDALL – Stars from the Silver Screen visited Kendall this year for the community’s annual scarecrow festival. This year’s theme was “Your Favorite Movie” and 15 characters were highlighted, including Charlie Brown and his gang.
Forrest Gump also was portrayed, sitting with a box of chocolates and his suitcase while waiting on a bench for a bus.
Olaf the snowman from the movie “Frozen” is a friendly face.
Chloe Dunn decorates a pumpkin as part of the festival. Some of the action shifted to the highway garage due to the drizzly weather.The festival also included live music, a scavenger hunt, a magic/balloon show, a pumpkin seed spitting contest, and a build your own scarecrow.
Bourke Balloon Show features Richard Hughson and Twistin’ Tim. In their balloon show the following were welcomed on stage: Grace Levett, princess; David P. as a bad guy; Elijah Bibby as the dragon; and William Lavender as a prince/frog.
The town is happy to celebrate the Scarecrow Festival with its welcome sign leading into the community.
A character from “The Lego Movie” celebrates the popular song from the movie.
Scarlet O-Chair-A makes an appearance in the Scarecrow Festival.
Ella Cole enjoyed the festival. Her grandmother, Becky Charland, is the festival main coordinator.
A llama named Domino also attended the festival and mingled with the crowd.
Photos by Tom Rivers
LYNDONVILLE – After a hiatus for several years, class-decorated floats returned for homecoming this week at Lyndonville.
Students in recent years decorated halls with class themes during homecoming. This year, students and the school decided to decorate floats and have a parade down Main Street this morning. The floats and student participation will factor in the winner of the Spirit Stick, which will be presented during the Homecoming Dance this evening.
“It took a lot of work but it was worth it,” sophomore Aubrey Lewis said about her class float. The sophomores picked a “Monsters Inc.” theme.
Seniors decorated their float with a theme from “The Jungle Book.”
The Junior Class had a “Toy Story” theme with Tom Follman dressed as Buzz Lightyear, Riley Starr as the Barbie in the box and Samantha Raduns as the other Barbie (in green dress).
The sophomore class had a “Monsters, Inc.” float.
Freshmen decorated with a “Little Mermaid” theme.
The junior high – the seventh- and eighth-graders – went with a “Finding Nemo” theme for their float.
Photo by Tom Rivers
RIDGEWAY – For the past several months contractors have been working on a new Dollar General store at the northeast corner of routes 104 and 63 in the Town of Ridgeway.
The project looks nearly done with the signs on the building and site, and the parking lot installed. The new 9,100-square-foot store is owned by Development Unlimited of WNY LLC of Buffalo. It demolished a house and silo at the corner to make way for the store. The site includes 30 parking spaces.
Photo by Cheryl Wertman – A big crowd turned out for tonight’s Homecoming game in Albion. The Purple Eagles soundly defeated Lew-Port, 40-8. Albion was up 40-0 before Lew-Port finally scored. In the top picture, the team enters Spierdowis Field.
Photo by Tom Rivers – Cheerleaders Madison Flor, left, and Destiny Wolfe are pictured with the Eagle (Andre Biemans).
Photo by Cheryl Wertman – The rain stopped and the sun tried to come through the clouds before the start of the game
Photo by Tom Rivers – Albion cheerleaders go through an energetic routine at halftime.
Photo by Tom Rivers – The Albion Alumni Foundation had a photo booth for graduates to show their support for the Class of 2015. In this picture, Arianna Smith, left, and Kelsey Schmitt, both graduates of the Class of 2014, join the fun.
Photo by Cheryl Wertman – The pep band plays as the cheerleaders cheer with the music in front of the home fans.
Photo by Tom Rivers – Darien Payne, a sophomore, tries out a horn he bought to make noise at the football game. Will Hiabuch, Class of 2007, works in the Alumni Foundation booth, selling Purple Eagle merchandise.
Photo by Tom Rivers – Albion alumni were busy selling popcorn at the game, including Jean Shervin, Class of 1952, and the Heuer brothers, Kyle (left) from the Class of 2002, and Tyler, Class of 2008.
Photos by Tom Rivers
KNOWLESVILLE – Reece Stalker, 10, of Shelby Center, center, plays Connect Four with his twin brother Colvin and their stepmother Jessica Stalker during Family Fun Game Night on Thursday. About 100 people attended the event at the Trolley Building at the Orleans County 4-H Fairgrounds.
Families played board games and were able to meet the staff at many county departments, which offered activities for families to learn about county services.
John Bianchi, 8, of Albion hooks a magnetic fish at a station run by the Orleans County Tourism Department. Mike Waterhouse, the county’s sportfishing coordinator, is pictured at left. Bianchi attended Family Fun Game Night with his sister Hailey, 10, and their mother Barb and father Jim.
ALBION – In Orleans County, the costs for providing attorneys for poor residents has increased from a budgeted $493,983 in 2011 to $586,713 projected for this year.
State-wide other counties are seeing increases in the costs for legal services for the poor. Altogether, 57 counties outside New York City will spend about $175 for indigent legal services, with the state paying $35 million, said Stephen Acquario, executive director of the New York State Association of Counties.
In many other states, the cost is borne solely by the state. During its annual meeting last week, NYSAC leaders called on NY officials to have the state assume the full costs of indigent representation.
“Counties do the best they can to ensure that justice is carried out,” Acquario said. “The tax cap and other state mandated programs make it difficult for additional local resources to be added to this program from the local level. This is a state responsibility and the state should provide enhanced aid to ensure proper representation is afforded to all.”
The state and five counties have been sued in a class-action lawsuit, Hurrell-Harring et. al. v. State of New York, where plaintiffs accuse the state and five counties for inadequately representing the poor accused of crimes in the state.
The plaintiffs are seeking changes to the indigent defense system, Including a cap on caseloads for public defenders and uniform first arraignment counsel rights.
“The United States Supreme Court has made it clear that this is a state constitutional responsibility,” Acquario said.
He cited a Supreme Court decision in the 1960s, Gideon vs. Wainwright, that the right to counsel is fundamental in the United States, and that the states are responsible for providing lawyers for those who are unable to afford them.
However, in 1965 the state shifted the financial responsibility to counties, Acquario said, to the level where more than 80 percent of the costs is now on county taxpayers.
Photos by Tom Rivers
MEDINA – If you drive down Mustang Drive to Medina High School, you may do a double-take. New this school year is a small barn and fenced-in pasture. There are llamas, sheep, a goat and a calf out munching on grass.
Students in boots are doing farm chores, hauling feed and water.
Welcome to the district’s agriculture program, which is taking students out of the classroom for more direct hands-on learning.
Justice Snook, a student in Medina’s introduction to agriculture course, pets a goat in the district’s new farm, which will enhance Medina’s agriculture program.
Monsanto approved a $25,000 grant for Medina to bolster its agriculture program. The grant paid for a small barn, a fence around the 1-acre pasture, security cameras, and a hydroponic system that will produce about 80 pounds of a feed a day.
“It’s fun to come out here and learn about it,” said Justice Snook, a freshman.
One class of students is pictured near the pasture and a new barn. The grain bins in back have been there for several decades.
In previous years, the 100 students in the agriculture classes were confined to the classroom, listening to PowerPoint presentations by teacher Todd Eick. Rather than showing the students pictures of different types of feed, the students can feel the different textures and feed the animals themselves.
This year students in Intro to Ag, Vet Science, Agriculture Engineering and Technology, and Environmental Applications will all have experience getting outside and working with the animals.
Todd Eick, FFA advisor and agriculture teacher, talks with students while inside the new barn. Chickens and rabbits are also planned for the building.
“We’ll have about 100 kids daily interacting with the animals,” said Todd Eick, the agriculture teacher and FFA advisor.
He stressed with students on Thursday the farm is highly visible to the community and will need to be kept clean, as a showcase for education.
“This is a living laboratory for us,” he said.
Chantelle Kidney, left, and Alexis Maines show the different pelletized feed for the animals. Students will learn how animals have different nutrition needs for protein, fiber, calcium and phosphorus.
The animals will be used for either their fiber – llamas and sheep – or for meat – goats, chickens and rabbits. The calf may join a dairy herd at another farm when it gets bigger.
Eick tends to the animals on the weekends and over the summer, with help from some FFA members. The FFA program has grown to 130 in the high school and another 95 in the junior FFA program.
The agriculture program also has apple trees in a partnership with local grower Jeff Smith. Eick also is working with the FFA to develop two community gardens on district property.
“Even if these kids don’t become farmers, one of my goals is for them to become more self-sufficient, to show them how much you can do on 1-acre,” Eick said.
Provided photos
MURRAY – A vacant trailer at 24 Skyline Circle in the Town of Murray was destroyed in a fire early this morning. Firefighters responded at about 2 a.m. and encountered heavy smoke from the burning trailer.
Kevin Dann, deputy chief for the Holley Fire Department, said the fire was under control in about a half hour. Holley firefighters were assisted at the scene by the Fancher-Hulberton-Murray Fire Company and Brockport Fire Department. The Kendall Fire Department filled in at the Holley fire station.
The fire is under investigation by the Orleans County Sheriff’s Department and Orleans County Emergency Management Office.
