By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 4 June 2016 at 12:00 am
MEDINA – The Canal Village Farmers’ Market kicked off its second season today with 11 vendors at 127 West Center St., across from the Post Office.
Baker Farms from Beals Road in Medina is among the new vendors this season. The farm specializes in pork products, eggs, garlic and herbs in containers that are the bottoms of pop bottles. The Bakers include Ken, right, and his wife Rose. Their niece, Bethany Pfenning, joined them for the day at the market.
The Orleans Renaissance Group manages the market. Every Saturday there should be 11 to 13 regular vendors. Additional vendors will rotate, including wineries taking turns each week of the month. Altogether, market manager Gail Miller said there will be about 20 vendors throughout the market season, which continues through October.
Gail Miller center, is manager of the Canal Village Farmers’ Market. She is pictured with Jackie Lonnen of Lyndonville, left, and Gina Miller of Carlton. They both completed a master food preservation program. They gave demonstrations today on canning strawberries. The Cornell Cooperative Extension has workshops throughout the year in home food preservation, including a workshop Monday on strawberry jam from 6 to 9 p.m. at the fairgrounds.
The master food preservers will do other demonstrations at the farmers’ market this year.
Lindsay Heck and her father Tom represent Herbalty Cottage, a Main Street business in Medina that sells organic products, including vinegars, olive oils, teas and other products, including Himalayan lamps (in front of Tom Heck).
Herbalty Cottage is one of the new vendors at the market. The Hecks said they wanted to reach out to more customers by coming to the market.
Bob Renko of Kendall is back for another season at the market. He has run a meat processing business the past 15 years, after working 27 years at Kodak.
The market gives customers access to locally grown produce and other farm products as well as WNY wines, mead and craft beers.
“We are thrilled to be opening our second season with so many terrific new additions,” said Miller, the market manager. “As the season progresses, we will have even more to offer.”
Provided photo
New signs have been added to the entrances of the village to promote the farmers’ market.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 4 June 2016 at 12:00 am
GAINES – Gretchen Schweigert of the Leonard Oakes Estate Winery in Medina serves wine on Friday to Alex Green, back left, Leanne Serrato and Peggy Barringer. The Cobblestone Museum hosted its second First Friday art show at the Cobblestone Church on Ridge Road.
The art show featured retired Holley art teacher Tony Barry. He has been traveling in recent years to places he often talked about as a teacher. He is pictured with a painting of the Blue Dome of the Santorini in Greece and men playing cards in Sicily.
Barry travels with his wife Annette, a retired school librarian at Holley.
Barry is pictured with Georgia Thomas of Medina, who bought this painting of maple sugaring in Edinboro, Pa.
This painting shows a scene from Venice. Barry will paint a small watercolor on site, and then do a larger oil painting when he gets home. He said it’s too difficult to travel with all of his art supplies.
This painting shows a cafe in Paris. Barry said the city is “block after block” of outdoor cafes.
“As an art teacher I was dying to see some of these places I’ve been telling the kids about,” he said.
Barry lives in Holley, which he said is a beautiful place. Some of his paintings show canal scenes. He was happy to see the clock hands restored last year to the former church bell tower in the Public Square. He did this painting on location.
Cobblestone Museum President Matt Ballard said the organization is working to establish strong partnerships in the community. He welcomes the First Friday art shows, as well as Leonard Oakes Estate Winery and an ongoing partnership with Tillman’s Village Inn. (People who attend a July lecture series at the museum, paying $5, will get a $2 coupon for The Village Inn.)
The series runs July 8, 15, 22 and 29. Ballard will speak at 7 p.m. on July 8 about the local World War I effort. on July 22, Ballard will highlight notorious criminals from the county’s history.
Bill Lattin, the former county historian and museum director, will give lectures on July 15 about infamous fake Victorian paintings and on July 29 about “church stories you don’t hear in church.”
By Matthew Ballard, Orleans County Historian Posted 4 June 2016 at 12:00 am
Volume 2, Issue 23
Memorial Day was a weekend for self-reflection for many Americans, while others find enjoyment in spending time with family, vacations, and cook-outs.
One noticeable presence during this past holiday weekend was the outcry of citizens asking for the greater community to remember the true meaning of the day; an opportunity to honor those men and women who gave everything for our country. Winston Churchill’s famous quote, “Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few,” stands as a statement that every American should memorize.
One thing that Orleans County does not lack is the appreciation and support of our veterans and members of the U.S. Armed Forces. In October of 2008, the Company F Memorial Committee dedicated a monument to the memory of those men who served out of Medina’s Armory with the 3rd N.Y. National Guard and the 108th U.S. Infantry. The beautiful sandstone memorial contains five bronze tablets which include the names of men who served during the Spanish-American War, Mexican Border Incursion, World War One, World War Two, as well as the names of men who served during the Cold War.
Despite its focus on Company F, the monument stands as a testament to all men who served from Orleans County spanning over two centuries of conflicts. Those names listed with special designations recall the sacrifices of those who went above and beyond the call of duty. Men like Luke Gaffey who served during the First World War.
Awarded the Distinguished Service Cross for actions on September 28, 1918, Gaffey left the cover of shelter to rescue wounded soldiers from machine gun and artillery fire. The following day, he continued an advance on enemy positions with an automatic rifle after his entire squad was killed or wounded; he received a
bronze oak leaf cluster for his bravery.
Other men such as Archie Case, Raymond Reed, and Mahlon Ward were awarded the Distinguished Service Cross when they unselfishly left the protection of shelter during an artillery barrage on September 29, 1918 to bandage wounded soldiers and pull them back to safety.
Of course, most Medina residents are familiar with the story of Lt. John Butts who sacrificed his own life to protect the lives of his fellow soldiers on June 23, 1944. With a complete disregard for his own safety, “and seeing his platoon waver and start to fall back,” Butts urged his men uphill against a stubbornly defended area.
Capt. Lloyd Tallent of Texarkana, Texas recalled the efforts of Butts that day stating that after Butts was wounded by machine gun fire, “he knew he was dying because of his severe stomach wound dragged himself over the fire swept ground towards the enemy. All the enemy were watching him.” Wounded twice, first on June 14th of 1944 then on June 16th, his determination to remain with his men and refusal to seek treatment for wounds combined with the sacrifices made on June 23 earned him the Congressional Medal of Honor in August of 1945, which was awarded posthumously. His body was finally brought home in 1948.
The Company F Memorial Committee continues to seek support in the completion of their project. Although the beautiful sandstone memorial stands at the Medina Armory site, it represents one phase of a two phase process. The crowning achievement is a bronze statue of a Company F soldier, which will rest upon the monument tribute to all who served and as a lasting reminder of those who never came home.
Those who are interested in learning more about the project or to donate, please visit www.companyfmemorial.com. The Cobblestone Museum is sponsoring a speaker series every Friday at 7 p.m. in July, starting July 8th with a program on Orleans County and the First World War; more information is available at www.cobblestonemuseum.org.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 3 June 2016 at 12:00 am
HOLLEY – Randy Piedmonte was out with a cultivator this morning at the family’s garlic farm at the corner of North Main Street Road and Lynch Road.
Piedmonte is working an organic field of garlic. He said weeds have been a problem, and required lots of manual labor in the past. But this year he tried something new, outfitting the tractor with a cultivator that eliminates weeds, reducing labor costs.
The Piedmonte field is next to the Holley Junior-Senior Central School.
Randy works the farm with his father David, who started growing garlic about 40 years ago. Randy said last year was difficult due to an abundance of rain. This year is off to a better start, although the recent rain has weeds growing strong.
Piedmonte said growing a niche crop like garlic is a way for a smaller farm to stay viable as bigger farms acquire more land.
“It’s a way of life,” Piedmonte said. “I love it.”
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 3 June 2016 at 12:00 am
Photos by Tom Rivers
HOLLEY – Lori Passarell, mother of Holley senior Nick Passarell, grieves after seeing her son on a stretcher today during a simulation at Holley Central School. Passarell is comforted by Deputy Jeff Cole.
County Coroner Scott Schmidt and David Mitchell, left, from Christopher Mitchell Funeral Homes took Nick Passarell to a hearse owned by the funeral home.
Holley area firefighters and law enforcement put organized the simulation on the day of Holley’s prom, which is tonight at Deerfield Country Club in Brockport. Students were urged to not drink and drive, and to make smart choices behind the wheel, avoiding texting, drinking, drugs or drowsiness.
DK Autobody in Albion donated these two banged-up vehicles that were set by each other to simulate an accident.
Five Holley students wore makeup to simulate blood and injuries from the accident. One Holley student was also “arrested” for driving drunk and led away in a police car.
Firefighters used extrication equipment to free student Delilah Grathouse from the wreck. She is pictured at left on the stretcher. This is the first time in 10 years Holley area firefighters and police worked with the school district to do the DWI simulation.
Delilah Grathouse is led by stretcher to a Mercy Flight helicopter on the school campus.
A sign by the main driveway to the school urges students to be safe and responsible, especially during a season of prom and many graduation parties.
Nick Passarell is under the wreckage in this vehicle. He would be pronounced dead in front of his classmates by a coroner. Firefighters from Holley, Clarendon and Fancher-Hulberton-Murray were part of the simulation.
Although it was role playing, Nick’s mother Lori Passarell was overcome seeing her son bloodied in the wreckage.
Roland Nenni, Holley police chief, urges students to avoid drugs and alcohol. However, if they make that bad decision, he told the students to call a parent or friend if they ever need a ride.
Mercy Flight takes off from Holley Central School.
Nick Passarell hugs his mother Lori. Nick said he hopes today’s simulation sent a strong message to his classmates and community to be safe while driving.
Lyndonville is planning a similar DWI simulation on June 8 and Albion will have one on June 10.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 3 June 2016 at 12:00 am
Photo by Tom Rivers – Michael Santoro, an inmate in the Orleans County Jail, has been drug-free for about nine months after four years of using cocaine and heroin. He is pictured with Jail Superintendent Scott Wilson, left, and Sheriff Randy Bower.
ALBION – Scott Wilson has worked 20 years in the Orleans County Jail. The jail superintendent has seen the repetitive cycle with many inmates coming in for drug offenses, or drug-fueled crimes such as burglaries. They are in jail often for a few months to a year, and then are released only to commit new crimes because of the strong pull of their addictions.
Wilson said these residents never quite get control of their drug demons, leading to years of criminal conduct and time in the county jail at taxpayer expense.
“Right now there is a very high recidivism,” Wilson said Thursday at the jail on Platt Street.
A new program has started this week in the county jail to help break that pattern of drug addiction and crime. The jail will offer Vivitrol, an injection that blocks the effects of opioids, a powerful narcotic. (The drug manufacturer is making the first injection available for free at the jail.)
The Sheriff’s Office has teamed with the Genesee-Orleans Council on Alcoholism and Substance Abuse to have Vivitrol available for six months after an inmate leaves the jail. The monthly injections when an inmate is released from jail will likely be covered by health insurance programs at $800 per injection, Wilson said.
GCASA also will have counselors to help released inmates transition into the community. GCASA recently opened transitional housing for residents fighting addictions. That transitional shelter is next to the GCASA offices on Route 31 in Albion. That site puts addicts in a supportive community where they are urged to stay drug-free.
Sheriff Randy Bower, Wilson and GCASA staff will screen soon-to-be released inmates to determine if they will be in the new Sheriff’s Transitional Addiction Management Program or STAMP.
The Orleans County Mental Health Department also is part of the new effort. Wilson and Bower said three other counties in the state offer transitional programs for addicts. Bower believes Orleans is the first to have both addiction and mental health services available for inmates.
“These are people who made a mistake and can’t quit,” Bower said. “These are people from our community that come to our jail. We need to give them the best opportunity to not come back to us.”
Bower said he is pleased to see the support for the program from jail staff, GCASA, Mental Health and other county officials. Bower said more services have been needed in the jail to help drug-addicted residents. Bower said it will ultimately save taxpayer money, should reduce crime, and improve the lives of addicts and their loved ones.
Michael Santoro will be released from the jail in two months. He is serving a six-month sentence for attempted burglary in the second degree. Santoro, 23, grew up in Medina.
He said he was addicted to heroin and cocaine for four years. He tried to quit by using prescription narcotics such as Methadone and Suboxone, which are used as painkillers. Santoro said he still had powerful drug cravings when he used Methadone and Suboxone.
He was constantly thinking about his next drug fix until he entered a drug treatment late last year and received a Vivitrol injection. Vivitrol took the cravings away by blocking the pull of opioids. Santoro said Vivitrol has been a key in helping him stay off drugs.
“I would recommend it to anyone who wants to be clean,” Santoro said Thursday while in the jail. “But you have to want it.”
Santoro admits he was a mess last August when he entered the jail after being arrested for a break-in in Ridgeway. Santoro was down to 140 pounds.
“Addiction, it destroys you mentally, physically and spiritually,” he said.
He went through withdrawal in jail, spending 55 days behind bars before entering a 28-day drug treatment program in Buffalo. That was when he was given Vivitrol to help fight the addictions.
“It was the first time in four years I didn’t go mentally insane,” Santoro said. “I could go all month without thinking about drugs. It worked wonders for me.”
Santoro now weighs about 180 pounds, up 40 pounds from last August. He is enrolled at Erie Community College and wants to be a drug abuse counselor. He moved to Cheektowaga because he said he needed to change his surroundings to not fall back into the trap of addiction. (Last month he was sentenced for the attempted burglary and has two months left in jail.)
Wilson and Bower see Santoro as a success story. They want to him to be an example to other addicts, to show the turnaround that is possible in fighting addictions.
Bower said an addict needs to hit rock bottom, and want to change. He will personally interview people who want to be in new program through the jail.
The sheriff and Wilson, the jail superintendent, said the program will be modified as they see what works and what needs improvement. Bower said the addicts now have the support services in place to help them when they are released from jail.
“The big thing is the hand-off from when they leave the jail,” Bower said.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 3 June 2016 at 12:00 am
ALBION – Carol Miller, a volunteer during Pioneer Day for Albion fourth-graders, showed students, including Jordan Brooks how to use a washboard to do laundry.
Students learning old-time skills at several stations today, including stencil work, churning butter, tin punching, candle making and other activities.
Cathy Hryhorenko, an Albion teacher, works with students to churn butter. Fourth-graders have been studying New York history this year and today’s Pioneer Day was one of the highlights.
Xavier Byrd makes a yard doll during one of today’s Pioneer Day activities.
Sara Moore, a volunteer for the day, showed students how to iron.
Teacher Mary Jane Klips showed students how to punch tin.
Pioneer Day has been a tradition for Albion fourth-graders for about 30 years.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 2 June 2016 at 12:00 am
Photo by Tom Rivers
ALBION – The 30th anniversary of the Albion Strawberry Festival, set for next week on June 10-11, will again have royalty. The festival committee picked student ambassadors to represent the festival.
The group includes, from left: Prince Garric Winterkorn, King DeClan McCue, Queen Melissa Barnosky, and Princess Ashleigh Mowatt.
To be considered for the royalty, Albion students had to write an essay about this year’s festival theme which celebrates the historic Erie Canal. The students wrote how the canal gave birth to many canal towns, including Albion, which was originally called Newport. The canal was built from 1817-1825 in one of the country’s biggest public works projects ever. The ease of transporting goods turned New York into the Empire State, Barnosky wrote in her essay.
The royalty will be included in the parade at 10 a.m. on June 11. They will also help drop the plastic turtles into the canal during the Turtle Race at 2 p.m. on June 11.
State Assemblyman Steve Hawley (R-Batavia) today announced he has signed on as a cosponsor of new legislation, coined the Charitable Gaming Act of 2016 (click here), which would allow charitable organizations and raffle holders to accept credit and legal tender for raffles as well as advertise and sell tickets online.
Hawley has also introduced his own legislation, A.10516 (click here), which he said will remedy New York’s archaic and detrimental gaming laws by allowing credit or debit cards for payment. Raffle tickets can also be purchased via the Internet or mobile application with a credit or debit card upon the account holder’s direct consent.
Current gaming regulations do not allow charitable groups and non-profits to collect raffle fees using check or credit cards and do not allow the sale of tickets outside of the county which the event will be taking place. The Stafford Fire Department previously sold tickets nation-wide for its annual car raffle and used the proceeds for charitable donations and to fund the department.
“I am eager to see this bill come to the floor for a vote,” Hawley said. “It is scheduled to pass through committee today, and being authored by a Majority member gives it that much more potential to move through the legislative process. As I’ve said before, this is an issue that affects communities and benevolent organizations all across the state. Our statutes need to catch up with technology before more damage is done, and that is exactly what this legislation aims to do.”
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 2 June 2016 at 12:00 am
Photos by Tom Rivers – Paula Shipe is the first in line this afternoon to try out the Frosty Bucket at 43 North Main St. Hilary Clark is the second customer.
ALBION – Downtown Albion has new place for a cool dessert. The Frosty Bucket opened today at 2 p.m. at 43 North Main St.
The business is owned by Adam and Tina Johnson. They are also working to renovate a site next door, hoping to turn that space into a restaurant and bar. Mr. Johnson said the family is working to have that open in the fall.
The Frosty Bucket was more do-able, and should provide revenue to help the Johnsons tackle some of the other projects in the building. Johnson is also president of the Albion Merchants Association. He expects The Frosty Bucket will draw people to the downtown business district.
“We want to make use of the building, and get more people downtown and on the sidewalk,” Johnson said just before the business opened this afternoon.
Adam and Tina Johnson are pictured with their son Tyler when The Frosty Bucket opened this afternoon.
Johnson and his employees worked a month to gut the building and put in new floors, walls, a front window, and all the kitchen equipment, which required new electrical work. He also added outdoor tables and chairs. The tables should have umbrellas soon.
Johnson pushed to have the business open in time for the Strawberry Festival, which is June 10-11.
The Frosty Bucket will have a full-time employee and a team of part-timers. The business will initially be open 2 to 9 p.m. Monday through Saturday, and noon to 9 p.m. on Sunday. Johnson said a take-out menu will be added soon and lunch hours will then be included.
For now, the Frosty Bucket has several flavors of ice cream cones, milk shakes and sundaes, as well as cold beverages.
“We just want to make an impact in the downtown,” Johnson said.
Paula Shipe placed the first order, an ice cream cone with a scoop each of Cannoli and Deep Sea Treasure. Employee Kim Fisher, left, hands the cone to Shipe.
Shipe’s son Phil works for Johnson and has been busy for several months on renovations inside the building, with the past month focused on the ice cream shop.
“They’ve worked so hard on this,” Shipe said. “It’s beautiful. They did a great job.”
