By Matthew Ballard, Orleans County Historian Posted 18 April 2015 at 12:00 am
ALBION – This photograph shows Charles W. Howard playing an unusual role; that of the secretary of the Orleans County Fair Association.
Taken sometime in the late 1910s, Charlie is shown standing on the race track of the old county fairgrounds in Albion. A number of men are lined up in the background, sitting atop the fence.
Born and raised at the family homestead on the corner of Route 31 and Gaines Basin Road, his earliest years were spent partaking in household chores and working the family farm. He was active in local agricultural societies and the Orleans County Fair Association for many years.
In 1926 Howard suffered injuries to his legs after falling from the top of a silo, 20 feet to the cement ground. After taking the plunge, he was rushed to the local hospital where it was discovered that he had broken his leg and broken bones in the other foot.
Around 10 years later, he suffered another fall, this time from atop a loaded hay wagon. After resting for four days, he returned to work performing his usual farm jobs. It was nearly three weeks later that he traveled to Rochester for x-rays, only to have the doctor exclaim, “My gosh, man, you’ve got a broken neck!” His neck was placed in a cast and he quickly returned to laboring on his farm.
Both injuries would have a lasting physical effect on Charlie. Despite this, he still went on to establish his famed Santa Claus School in 1937, operate his beloved Christmas Park, and enjoy the distinction of being one of the most adored men in the world. Howard has been an inspiration for many; a man of love, charity, and kindness – a true local legend.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 18 April 2015 at 12:00 am
Photo courtesy of Genter family – Betty Genter is pictured with her daughter Alexandra in this photo from 2010.
ALBION – Clark Shaffer believes his four years living with Betty and Adolf Genter may have saved his life, putting him on the right course.
Shaffer is one of six foster kids who lived with the Genters. Adolf and Betty also had a son Joseph and a daughter, Alexandra, who they adopted from Russia.
Shaffer stayed with the Genters from fourth through eighth grades. He remembers the first ride home with Mrs. Genter. They stopped at the store to buy him clothes.
“Without her, who knows what would have happened to me,” Shaffer said. “She’s been everything.”
Genter was 79 when she died on April 11 following a long illness. She was a prolific local author, writing about growing up on a muck farm in Clarendon, restoring cobblestone structures, and her experiences adopting Alexandra and providing a home for Eddie Stone, a local orphan who would become a colonel in the U.S. Army. He gave the keynote address at her funeral on Friday.
Shaffer said Genter had a big heart full of love.
“I did a lot of mess-ups when I was younger but she always stuck by me,” Shaffer said.
Genter attended a one-room schoolhouse in the Manning hamlet in Clarendon. She worked for Albion Central School for 34 years, first as an elementary teacher, then as reading coordinator, assistant superintendent and principal of two elementary schools.
“She was very popular with the students,” said Linda Spierdowis, a long-time friend and teacher. “She had a way with the kids, especially the wayward kids.”
She remembers Genter going to student’s homes to find out why they weren’t in school. Sometimes she would have a carload of kids and take them for ice cream.
She used her caring nature and sense of humor to win them over. Spierdowis remembers Genter dressing up as a fox, a wolf and robin to make learning more fun for the elementary students. She felt drawn to children struggling, perhaps due to a difficult home environment.
“She just wanted to give them a better life,” Spierdowis said. “She could sort out the ones who needed the extra attention. She saved a lot of them. Her goal was to get as many kids to succeed as possible.”
When Genter was a small child, doctors said she wouldn’t ever walk because she was missing a hip joint. One leg was much shorter than the other. She would walk, but did so with a limp and it became more difficult in recent years.
“She was very strong-willed,” her daughter Alex said. “Whatever she wanted to achieve, she did. I always admired her determination. She was the strongest woman I knew.”
Alex has cerebral palsy and she wasn’t walking when she was in the orphanage in Russia. Betty believed Alex would walk, and she felt drawn to a child that didn’t have a family.
Alex, now 27, learned to walk and would become a college graduate. She and her husband Kevin Andrews welcomed their first baby, Bowen, about 2 weeks ago.
Genter’s husband said his wife always wanted a big family. The Genters owned a farm house on Brown Road and Mrs. Genter thought it could be an oasis for children, filling them with love.
“She had a love for children,” Mr. Genter said. “She wanted to give them a home.”
The Genters’ son, Joseph, is now 42 and lives in the Tug Hill area of northern New York. He remembers his mother being very positive to the children when he was growing up.
“She always said, ‘You can do it,'” Joseph said.
His mother was committed to local community in many other ways, active at Holy Family Catholic Parish, as a 4-H leader, the Clarendon Historical Society, and human service agencies.
“She touched a lot of lives,” Joseph said. “For her, children always came first.”
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 18 April 2015 at 12:00 am
Photos by Tom Rivers – Ken McPherson walks across the stage in the Albion Middle School Auditorium on Friday night to receive the Charles W. Howard Award for his efforts to keep Howard’s legacy alive in Albion and Orleans County. Howard, founder of a Santa Claus School, is pictured in lower left.
ALBION – In Orleans County, Ken McPherson is the go-to person for information and artifacts about the late Charles W. Howard, who founded and ran a Santa Claus School in Albion.
McPherson gives many talks a year to service clubs and other organizations about Howard, discussing how the Santa School founded developed standards for Santa’s dress and his interactions with children. Howard even wanted Santa to be light on his feet. That’s why he made them take dancing lessons at the school.
McPherson also has become a collector of memorabilia from Christmas Park, which Howard ran with the Santa School.
Ken McPherson of Shelby, right, is presented with the Charles W. Howard Award by Phil Wenz, founder of the Santa Claus Oath Foundation and coordinator of the Charles W. Howard Legendary Santa Claus Conference.
“No one has done more to has keep Charlie Howard’s legacy alive in his hometown,” said Phil Wenz, founder of the Santa Claus Oath Foundation.
He presented McPherson with the Charles W. Howard Award on Friday night at the Charles W. Howard Legendary Santa Claus Conference.
Howard remains a revered figure among the Santa community. In addition to establishing the Santa School, Howard served as the Santa in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, sitting atop a float and waving to more than a million people on the parade route.
That parade was also on national television and catapulted Howard into fame. Howard was the parade Santa from 1948 to 1965.
A Santa resembling Ken McPherson visits with children in Albion last December.
After Howard’s death in 1966, the Santa Claus School moved to Midland, Michigan. It continues today and bears Howard’s name.
McPherson has attended the school several times and has portrayed Santa for three decades locally, getting his first start at the Millville United Methodist Church.
McPherson works as a press operator for the Lake Country Pennysaver in Albion.
He told a crowd of about 200 Santas on Friday night it is his honor to portray Santa “in Charlie’s backyard.”
Provided photos
ROCHESTER – Cub Scouts from Pack 164 of Albion, Pack 175 of Barre, and Pack 59 of Clarendon served as color guard for the National Anthem at Friday night’s Rochester Amerks’ hockey game. It was the final regular season home game of the season.
Albion has made this an annual tradition and this year joined forces with the packs from Barre and Clarendon after Cub Masters Mike Beach (Pack 164) and Steve Hickman (Pack 175) first discussed the idea in September during the elementary school open house recruitment.
Hickman then also reached out to Sarah MacCallum who is Cub Master of Pack 59. All three are Albion graduates and friends who now volunteer their time as leaders for the boys of their packs (their own sons included).
The Albion and Barre packs will again join forces in early May for their yearly trip to Mt. Albion Cemetery and St. Joseph’s Cemetery. They assist the American Legion each year in placing the small American flags at the graves of all those who served in the military.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 18 April 2015 at 12:00 am
Photo by Tom Rivers – Rob and Debbie Monnier are pictured on Friday night at the Hickory Ridge Golf and Country Club, where they were honored as The Arc of Orleans County’s ‘Best Friends” for 2014. The couple is active in the Meals on Wheels program.
ALBION – An Albion couple who recently retired was looking for a way to give back to the community. Rob and Debbie Monnier heard The Arc of Orleans County could use volunteers for the Meals of Wheels program.
They figured they would help once a week, delivering meals to home-bound senior citizens. The Arc runs the program from the former grammar school on East Academy Street.
The Monniers have gone far above their initial commitment. They typically volunteer five days a week. They have befriended many of the seniors, who wouldn’t otherwise have a visitor on many of those days.
The Monniers will make return visits or call the seniors to check on their well-being. Often they will get their mail or newspapers for them.
“Sometimes, we’re the only ones they will see all day,” said Mrs. Monnier, a retired home health aide. Her husband is retired from Kodak and as a school bus driver.
She and her husband were honored as the “Best Friends” for The Arc of Orleans County on Friday night, when the agency recognized other volunteers and supporters.
The Albion couple started volunteering in October 2013 with The Arc. The agency has long been close to their hearts.
Their son Matthew had epilepsy and The Arc was helpful in providing him services with physical and occupational therapy at Rainbow Preschool.
Matthew was born in 1997 and had his first seizure at 6 months. The Arc bought the family a generator, which provided backup power for a machine to suction when Matthew was having a seizure and foaming at the mouth.
Matthew lived until he was 8 ½ years old. The family remains grateful for the services from The Arc.
“We’re just trying to give back because they did so much for us,” Mrs. Monnier said.
The agency praised the Monniers for their willingness to reach out to so many senior citizens and fill in on routes throughout the county.
“You meet a lot of interesting people and they look forward to seeing us,” Mrs. Monnier said.
The agency also presented the following awards on Friday:
Heritage Award – Keding Automotive in Albion for being a long-time supporter of the agency, sponsoring many Arc events.
Business Partnership Award – Tillman’s Village Inn, which hired a person with developmental disabilities in 1986. That person worked there until retiring in 2012. The Village Inn continues to hire some staff who are served by The Arc through the agency’s Supported Employment Program.
Self-Advocate of the Year – Shelley Hilbrand, who encourages her friends, works hard at her job and pushes to fulfill her dreams.
Community Worker of the Year – Jessa Pollock, who works as a teacher aide at Rainbow Preschool.
Enclave Worker of the Year – Brittany Marciszewski, who worked at Associated Brands in Medina before taking a job with the Ford Gum Enclave. She is a highly productive worker, Arc officials said.
Mobile Crew Worker of the Year – Donna Biaselli, who has worked full-time with the Medina mobile crew since 2007. “She is always ready to help wherever she is needed.”
Orleans Enterprises Worker of the Year – Benjamin Litchfield, who is dedicated to his work, performing it with a positive attitude.
Community Service Award – Emily Sorta, who volunteers in an Albion classroom, helping with crafts and other projects.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 17 April 2015 at 12:00 am
FFA concludes Agriculture Appreciation Week with lots of creatures
Photos by Tom Rivers
MEDINA – Michael Carson, a member of the Medina FFA, holds a baby duck inside the FFA classroom today. The duck is among a big collection of animals on dispaly for animal appreciation day, the conclusion of a week of activities for Agriculture Appreciation Week in the school.
Emma Watson, left, and Abby Jones hold Simone, a Great Dane ownedby the Schmidt family in Medina.
More than 1,000 students are streaming through the FFA classrooms and shop today, seeing all kinds of animals, from tiny quail and baby ducks to a horse and a llama.
There are also bearded dragons, dogs, hamsters, a tortoise, snapping turtle and many other animals.
Students take a look at two sheep brought to the high school today.
Katie Baron, a junior at Medina, is pictured with her horse, Lily.
Cattrianna Hernandez, a Medina junior, shows off a very active Chinese Dwarf Hamster.
The classroom shows baby ducks, poultry and many other animals.
Mason Eick, 7, gives his dog Buddy a break from the crowds of people. Mason’s father, Todd Eick, is FFA advisor and agriculture teacher.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 17 April 2015 at 12:00 am
Photos by Tom Rivers
GAINES – A crowd gathers on the front lawn at Fair Haven Treasures this afternoon to dedicate an International Peace Garden. Many of the attendees were Santas in town for the Charles W. Howard Legendary Santa Claus Conference.
Ray and Linda Burke, owners of Fair Haven Treasures, are pictured with members of the Claus Clan, a group of Santas who like to celebrate their Scottish heritage.
The Burkes were praised by speakers for transforming the homestead into an art gallery and co-op.
“Thank you Ray and Linda Burke for unlocking the door to a promising future,” said Carol Culhane, the Gaines town supervisor.
John Proctor named the hamlet in Gaines “Fairhaven” more than 200 years ago. Proctor is considered the Paul Revere of Ridge Road because he rode along the Ridge, warning settlers that the British were coming during the War of 1812. He had a log cabin at the corner of 98 and 104 before the large brick house was built in 1834.
Ruby Hoffey, a music therapist at Rainbow Preschool in Albion, sings the American national anthem during today’s ceremony. She also sang the Canadian anthem.
The Peace Garden celebrates the friendship between the United States and Canada and the largest unguarded border in the world.
A member of the Claus Clan watches the celebration in Gaines today.
Paula Savage, left, of Batavia is founder of the Peace Garden Foundation. She presents a certificate to Carol Culhane, Gaines town supervisor, that certifies the garden at Fair Haven is on the International Peace Garden Trail.
There is also a peace garden at Brown’s Berry Patch in Carlton. The gardens must have a connection to the War of 1812.
At the Browns, family matriarch Bathshua Brown settled in the area in 1804 when the trees were so dense in Carlton the area was known as the Black North. She helped fight off the British in the war and took one of their captains captive.
Orleans County Legislator Lynne Johnson said John Proctor and Bathshua Brown should both be considered heroes in Orleans County, and their efforts should not be forgotten.
County Legislator Lynne Johnson addresses the crowd. She cited the pioneer grit of many of the early settlers such as John Proctor and Bathshua Brown.
Johnson thanked Ray and Linda Burke for their efforts to upgrade a vacant house and turn it into Fair Haven Treasures.
The Burkes were also presented with a proclamation from State Assemblyman Steve Hawley’s office for the garden.
Georgia Thomas, a volunteer at the Cobblestone Museum, is pictured with a Santa from Gatlinburg, Tenn. Fair Haven Treasures is located in historic Gaines, which includes the Cobblestone Museum, the only National Historic Landmark in the county.
Gaines Town Justice Bruce Schmidt served as master of cermonies during today’s dedication.
These three Santas are all from New England. They said a peace garden fits perfectly with their efforts as Santa.
“People say Christmas is all about children, but it’s really all about heart and believing in the good in everyone,” said Jim Rizzio, a Santa from Ansonia, Conn.
The New York State Police began a week-long enforcement initiative targeting speeding and aggressive driving across the state. This year’s “Speed Week” campaign runs through next Wed., April 22. The goal of this campaign is to reduce speed-related crashes and improve safe travel for drivers and passengers on New York’s roads. Speeding by all vehicle types, as well as other traffic violations, will be heavily enforced throughout the week in addition to normal year-round enforcement.
New York State Police Superintendent Joseph A. D’Amico said. “The public can do their part to keep our streets safe simply by slowing down. We want everyone to follow the posted speed limits and to watch their speed. These actions will increase a driver’s chances of making it to their destination safely.”
Speed remains one of the leading causes of fatalities on our roadways, averaging approximately one third of all fatal crashes each year. Troopers will also be watching for distracted or impaired drivers, vehicle occupants who are not properly buckled up, and drivers that are violating the “Move Over Law.”
Drivers can expect to see more troopers on major highways during this detail. During the campaign, Troopers will be using both marked State Police vehicles and Concealed Identity Traffic Enforcement (CITE) vehicles as part of the operation. The CITE vehicles allow Troopers to more easily identify motorists who are violating the vehicle and traffic law. These vehicles blend in with every day traffic but are unmistakable as emergency vehicles once the emergency lighting is activated.
If someone feels another driver is endangering the public on the road, they have the option of calling 911.
During the last “Speed Week” campaign from Aug. 6, 2014 to Aug. 12, 2014, State Police issued more than 22,000 tickets.
The fines for speeding on 55 mph Highway or Posted 65 mph zones are as follows:
10 mph or less over the limit – min $45/max $150
11- 30 mph over the limit – min $90/max $300
31 mph or more over the limit – min $180/max $600
Second Conviction
10 mph or less over the limit – min $45/max $300
11 – 30 over the limit – min $90 /max $450
31 or more over the limit – min $180/max $750
Third Conviction
10 mph or less over the limit – min $45/max $525
11 – 30 over the limit – min $90 /max $675
31 or more over the limit – min $180/max $975
Court Surcharges are as follows:
Town or village courts – $93
Other Courts (city traffic courts, etc.) – $88
Violation Point Structure:
1-10 mph over limit = 3 points
11-20 mph over limit = 4 points
21 – 30 mph over limit = 6 points
30 – 40 mph over limit = 8 points
over 40 mph over limit = 11 points (triggers suspension)
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 17 April 2015 at 12:00 am
Photos by Tom Rivers – New inductees of the Medina Sandstone Hall of Fame were celebrated during an induction program on Thursday. Pictured include, front row, from left: Father Michael Ferrick, rector of St. Peter Cathedral in Erie, Pa.; Stan Farone, trustee of Village of Albion which owns Mount Albion Cemetery; Jason Zicari, superintendent at Mount Albion. Back row: Keith Boerner, member of Church Council at St. Louis Catholic Church in Buffalo; Rev. Salvatore Manganello, pastor of St. Louis Church; Bill Lattin, member of the “Save The Tower” campaign in Mount Albion; and Scot Fisher, Babeville manager in Buffalo.
MEDINA – The second class of the Medina Sandstone Hall of Fame includes towering works of architecture, and structures intended to inspire worship of God or reflection on the sacrifice of the dead.
The Medina Sandstone Society inducted three churches and a Civil War memorial into the Hall of Fame on Thursday. Society President Robert Waters said the new inductees are all “magnificent.”
Robert Waters, president of the Medina Sandstone Society, is pleased with the success of the Hall of Fame, which added its second class on Thursday.
Waters praised a committee – Jim Hancock, David Miller, outgoing member John Slack and newcomer Don Colquhoun – for its efforts in researching nominations, which total 31 over two years.
Hancock is the group’s chairman and he said visiting the sites has given him a deeper appreciation of the local stone’s role in so many of the most durable civic structures in the region and beyond.
The Sandstone Society also wants to highlight the long-term stewardship with many of the buildings, and Herculean restoration efforts for many of the sites that likely would have been demolished.
The following were inducted in the Hall of Fame’s second class:
Delaware-Asbury Church (Babeville)
The church towers more than 200 feet, made of brown Medina sandstone. It was built in a Gothic Revival style between 1871 to 1876. It has one of Buffalo’s most recognizable steeples.
It was originally the Delaware Avenue Methodist Church. It remained an active church site until the 1980s. It was slated for demolition in 1995, but public opposition put off the wrecking ball.
Famed musician Ani DiFranco and her manager Scot Fisher purchased the building and now – $6.5 million dollars later – it has been transformed into a 21st century multi-purpose venue.
Fisher said the building’s new life has been part of the recent Buffalo revivial. He remembers when 20 years ago the sidewalk near the church was blocked off due to worries about falling pieces from the building.
He recalled when DiFranco walked into the church for the first time and saw the horseshoe-shaped balcony.
“What a great place for concerts,” she declared.
Fisher said the renovations have taken years. He is grateful the building has remained part of the Buffalo landscape.
“It’s no longer a church, but it’s a very special building in Buffalo,” he said. “We put our hearts and souls into saving this building.”
St. Louis Church in Buffalo
“The Mother Church” in the Buffalo Catholic Diocese was built in a Gothic Revival style from 1886 through 1889 and features the tallest open-work spire completely made of stone ever built in the United States at 245 feet high.
The two side towers are each 128 feet high. The church has room to seat 2,000 people.
The church completed a major restoration in 2002-03 that included slate roof repairs, tower restoration, exterior stone re-pointing and cleaning.
“It’s a wonderful structure and a beautiful part of the history of Western New York,” said the Rev. Salvatore Manganello, pastor of the church. “The parishioners do all they can to keep up the church as a beautiful place to visit and worship.”
St. Peter Cathedral, Erie, Pa.
It took 20 years to build, from 1873 to 1893. The Catholic Diocese based in Erie would run out of money on different occasions for the project, but Bishop Mullen kept rallying the faithful to get the project done, despite critics who deemed the church “Mullen’s Folly.”
The central tower stands 265 feet high with twin towers at 150 feet on each side of the main tower. It is a dominant landmark in the Erie skyline.
Hancock and the Hall of Fame Committee were awestruck by the grandeur and enormity of the church.
“We were overwhelmed by the beauty of this particular edifice,” Hancock said at the Hall of Fame induction inside Medina City Hall.
Father Michael Ferrick, rector of St. Peter Cathedral, accepted the award “on behalf of the people who worked in the quarry, on behalf of the people who built the cathedral, and on behalf of the parishioners who have cared for the church the past 122 years.”
The people in the church sacrificed to build the immense structure and to maintain it for more than a century “for the greater glory and to honor God,” Ferrick said.
There are now 10 Hall of Fame members and St. Peter Cathedral is the first outside New York State.
Soldiers and Sailors Monument in Mount Albion Cemetery
It took 11 years to raise the money and build the 68-foot-high tower on a hill in the back of Albion’s historic cemetery. The tower was ready in time for the country’s centennial celebration on July 4, 1876. It is a memorial for the 463 people from Orleans County who died in the Civil War.
It is a unique structure, with a spiral staircase leading to the top, offering a view to Lake Ontario and beyond.
The tower would gradually fall into disrepair and in the 1970s the village was considering blocking it off and perhaps demolishing it. But local citizens rallied, raising $20,000 for repairs. The tower was rededicated on July 4, 1976, the 200th anniversary of the country.
Bill Lattin, the retired Orleans County historian, was part of the “Save The Tower” campaign and delivered remarks at the rededication nearly 40 years ago.
He also spoke at the Hall of Fame ceremony, thankful for the people who worked to build the tower and those that pushed to save it.
“It remains today a pride in Mount Albion Cemetery and for our Orleans County community,” Lattin said.
Jason Zicari, the cemetery superintendent, also thanked the Hall of Fame Committee for choosing the tower.
“We’re very proud of our Soldiers and Sailors Monument,” he said.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 17 April 2015 at 12:00 am
Photo by Tom Rivers – This house at 544 East State Street, pictured in January, will be transferred from Wells Fargo to a village-owned LDC which will seek proposals from developers to buy and renovate the house.
ALBION – The reactivated Albion Housing and Economic Development Corporation will soon have two houses in its control, with one to be rehabbed and the other to be demolished to open up 4.4 acres for development for possible patio homes on Caroline Street.
Albion Housing and Economic Development Corporation is a local development corporation with members appointed by the Village Board. Albion Mayor Dean London and Village Trustee Gary Katsanis serve on the LDC with real estate broker Jim Theodorakos, former mayor Ed Salvatore and former Gaines Town Supervisor Richard DeCarlo Sr.
The LDC last week voted to accept a house at 231 Caroline St. from Wells Fargo. The house is missing some windows, but it’s a solid structure that can be rehabilitated, Code Enforcement Officer Ron Vendetti said.
He didn’t want to see a house that could be salvaged taken down, depriving the village of more tax base and revenue.
The LDC will put out a request for proposals (RFP) from developers to acquire and renovate the site.
The LDC also voted to accept a house that is part of a 4.4-acre property at 231 Caroline St. Hugh McCarthy is relinquishing the property to the village, Vendetti said.
The site has a big chunk of undeveloped land behind it, stretching back 858 feet from the road. Vendetti said the house should be demolished and an access road put in to make the land open for smaller patio homes.
There aren’t many spots left in the village for such a housing development, he said. The project could help the village attract more residents and tax base, Vendetti said.
He estimated it would cost about $20,000 to take down the house. The LDC and village should reach out to developers about the potential housing project, with developers putting in the access road.
Trustee Katsanis cast the lone vote on accepting the house from McCarthy. Katsanis said the village doesn’t have the funds in its budget for the house removal.
“The Village Board is scraping the bottom of the barrel here,” Katsanis said.
London said the village can pursue grants, donations and perhaps other funding to advance the project.
Vendetti said the project has potential to be a big boost for the village and residents looking for smaller houses.
“We could serve a need and develop new tax base for the community,” he said.
