The noted Civil War photographer, Mathew Brady, took this picture at Camp Cameron in Washington, D.C. during 1861.
The men are identified from left as Pt. Samuel Sherman, F.E.T. Cotter, William H. Gibson, Captain William H. Smith, Pt. R.P. Gibson and William H. Lent.
Captain Smith of the 151st Infantry was a volunteer from Gaines.
In this tent scene we note a sign on the tent which states, in part: “Crow’s Nest!”
A cook stove with stove pipe shows to the left rear of the picture.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 3 July 2014 at 12:00 am
ALBION – Nine farms in two watersheds will share $204,812 in matching grants to plant cover crops after the main crop has been harvested. The cover crops will reduce soil erosion and improve soil health, likely boosting farmers’ yields, said Dennis Kirby, manager for the Orleans County Soil & Water Conservation District.
Soil & Water was awarded the grant and will distribute the funding over three years to two farmers in the Johnson Creek Watershed and seven farms in the Sandy Creek Watershed.
Johnson Creek Watershed is in the towns of Carlton, Yates, Ridgeway and Shelby. The Sandy Creek Watershed is mostly on the eastern end of the county and the town of Albion.
The grant to Orleans was part of $13.8 million in state grants approved for more than 200 farmers in 32 counties.
“Investing in our farms will help keep our agricultural industry competitive while maintaining the high standards of agricultural products that the Empire State is known for,” Gov. Andrew Cuomo said. “By enhancing conservation methods, we are ensuring the continued economic success of our farms as well as the protection of our natural resources. These grants will not only have an immediate effect on our agricultural sector but will also make New York a cleaner, greener, more sustainable state for future generations.”
The grant in Orleans will help pay for the costs of planting cover crops after farmers harvest corn, vegetables or other cash crops, Kirby said.
“By keeping a living crop growing on the land as long as possible, the soil biology is improved, helping the next cash crop to grow and yield better,” he said. “The growing cover helps storm water soak into the soil, rather than run off taking sediment and nutrients with it.”
Cover crops also recycle nutrients left from the cash crop, making them available for the next crop. The cover crop will often help suppress weed growth and diseases, while encouraging beneficial insect habitat, Kirby said.
“This will result in reduced pesticide use in the future,” he said.
Soil and Water obtained a similar grant last year for nine farms in the Oak Orchard Watershed in the towns of Barre, Albion, Ridgeway, Gaines and Carlton.
Photos by Sue Cook – Sensei George Kiefer encourages students to kick high. Sensei is the title for someone with a 3rd degree black belt.
By Sue Cook, staff reporter
LYNDONVILLE – Sensei George Kiefer began his training in Hilton in 1989. He joined the Hilton karate school at age 19 during his first year of college. He saved his own to learn karate.
His mother questioned where he was going off to, concerned he was getting himself into trouble. Despite living in a small town, there were plenty of easy opportunities to make bad choices. His mother finally dragged the answer out of him. He was sneaking off to karate classes. He was afraid to tell his father who might be angry about the way he was spending his money.
His mother was far from upset and explained that he needed to keep doing what he was doing. She had noticed in the six months since his mysterious disappearances began that he was the best-behaved kid she knew. He never stopped his pursuit of the martial art.
Today, Kiefer passes on his training to students in his dojo or school. He wants students to benefit from his teaching, even after one class. Teachers and parents notice changes in behavior after their kids begin a class with Kiefer. Students also come away with more confidence in their day-to-day lives.
The karate style that Kiefer teaches is called kyokushin, which is a style that incorporates most of the body. Other martial arts tend to focus on one portion of the body and train with mostly kicks or mostly punches. Kiefer’s chosen style is much more like a full-body workout.
Q: Tell me about your life outside of your dojo.
A: I’m a father of four girls – two teenagers, 15 and 16, and two preteens, 10 and 11. They all go to school here. We live in Waterport. I originally come from Hilton in Monroe County. I work for Baxter Healthcare in Medina. I’m a Senior Purchasing Agent.
Kiefer and his students stand in front of Lakeside Karate on South Main Street in Lyndonville.
I think the most important thing I can say is I strive very hard for balance. I have a big family and it’s a lot of responsibility. I love my family, so the dojo, the school, is secondary to my family. We’re only open two nights week because the other nights of the week we’re running kids around. My wife Barbara works, too, so we juggle, juggle, juggle.
Q: Did you start Lakeside Karate?
A: I am the one who started it. My wife and I own the business together.
Q: When did you start the business?
A: In 2004 I started teaching in the Lyndonville Presbyterian Church. There’s not a lot of real estate in Lyndonville. I taught there for a couple years and then at the Crosby-Whipple building, the old gas station (in Lyndonville).
Crosby-Whipple went out of business, so I took that as a sign that I needed to find another place, so I found this place.
Q: What was it like to open a business here in rural Lyndonville?
A: It was interesting. I wasn’t sure how it was going to go, to be honest, but I’ve been involved in martial arts since 1989. Twenty years or so ago we moved to Waterport. I did a self-defense class in school the first couple years I was here. When my kids were grown up and started going to school, I wanted to do something here.
Kiefer (center) warms up with the students.
Q: So it was a conscious choice to open a school in Lyndonville?
A: This was a conscious choice to be in a small community, to give my kids and other kids an opportunity to do something that they don’t have to travel miles and miles to do. I want to be part of this community. I’m not interested in conquering in the world with my karate.
There’s a dedication up on the wall that says a little bit about it. I stopped doing karate for a little while and my wife saw that I was very restless and that I needed to do something other than work. My wife was like “Just do it.” So in my dedication to her, I say she’s the one that gave me the faith in myself to do it.
I also mention my dad in it because he helped out. Most of us would agree our fathers play a big role in who you become and what you do. If there’s anything my father taught me it was perseverance. I was one of four boys and he worked himself to the bone to support us, and my parents stayed married all those years. It was the discipline to see it through that came from him.
And then obviously my instructor. My instructor was at times my biggest friend and at times he was my father. His name was Sensei Jim Grafe (1954-2002). He was kind of a teddy bear kind of guy. He had a special way with kids which was unbelievable. He had a very big heart.
Q: Is your training for your students similar to how you trained?
A: Martial arts is different today than it was even 20 years ago. Our style is a very hard Japanese style. When I trained it was more of the Japanese mentality, which is very militaristic. We didn’t ask questions or raise our hands and we did what we were told. We fought hard, we trained hard. You learned by throwing yourself out there.
When I first got my black belt, I was nasty. I didn’t care if you were five or 55, if you couldn’t hack it then get out. With my instructors’ help and other people’s help they showed me that’s not always the best.
So we have a very different approach. We still train hard, we still fight hard, but we encourage questions and discussion.
Kiefer explains why blocks are performed at 45-degree angles. It is to cause the attack to slide off the arm instead of getting hit in the head.
Q: What is the philosophy of the dojo?
A: (Senpai Ken Anderson, Assistant Instructor) For me, I started karate when it was at the Presbyterian Church with my son. He was seven years old and I figured I should get him into something where he could learn to use his body and get a little discipline. My philosophy was I should take it with him. Seeing and feeling everything within this dojo kept me going.
I started out older than my sensei, but I took a joy to it and saw how much I could ever better myself at the age of 39, so much that my daughter started it a year later.
My body can’t do what the young kids can do, but there is still a chance for me to learn enough and utilize how my body works to defend myself. My goal was I wanted to teach and learn how to give that back to the students.
A: (Kiefer) The main philosophy is that I don’t care if somebody is my student for an hour or nine years, I want them to get something out of it. Karate isn’t for everybody. Everybody finds their talent in something. The goal here is they learn something that they can take with them and help them sometime later in their life.
Q: How many students do you have on average?
A: I probably average 25 students at a time. They come and go.
Q: How young is your youngest student?
A: The youngest I will take is a mature 4-year-old. We have a Tiger Cubs class for 4- to 6-year-olds. That class is geared toward motor-skill development. It’s what the kids need at that age. Balance and coordination, that type of stuff. We mix in some martial arts and sprinkle in things to get them ready to transfer to the other class.
Q: How old is your oldest student?
A: (Ken Anderson raises his hand) I’m 48.
A: (Kiefer) I’ve had older students before when I’ve taught.
Kiefer watches the students kick to ensure correct form.
Q: What are the different classes you teach here?
A: Our main classes are 4- to 6-year old Tiger Cub karate and then our traditional karate classes for 7-years-old to adult. Throughout the year we’ll do a self-defense seminar. I’m a certified trainer for a program called Just Yell Fire, which is young women’s self defense.
Q: Most kids probably want to come in doing crazy ninja stuff on the first day, so what is the first day like for an older child?
A: It’s the same as everybody else. I’m lucky and graced to have other black belts. The beginning base of our classes is all the same. We bow in, we stretch and then we do basic techniques. The second half of class is where we get into specific belt-rank curriculum. We split into groups. It’s important that white belts get a chance to train with upper belts so they know what they need to achieve and aspire to.
A: (Sterling Allis, 19, green-belt student) I remember a little bit from when I was a white belt. The reason why I joined was I was really sick in middle school. I was 40 pounds underweight. I joined with a friend of mine. We walked in and we didn’t know what was going on. Now I’m used to the routine. My parents are pretty strict. My mom is super strict, which I’m fine with. What had scared me was that it was new. I didn’t know if Sensei was scary or not.
But I liked it. It’s lots of fun and I remember really liking it. It was one of the few things that actually got me to sweat. I can remember I could run around the yard, climb trees and be fine. The first day of karate I was sweating my face off.
A: (Kiefer) Every September, we have an open house. We invite anybody that wants to come in to take class. It’s basically an open class. This September is also going to be our 10-year anniversary.
Kiefer guides the students through punches during the warm-up routine.
Q: Does your school participate in tournaments?
A: Yes, we do. We don’t chase them. There’s a couple of local tournaments that our style of karate. Some schools are trophy hunters. I believe tournaments are a learning experience. I want everyone to go to a tournament because where else can you go at a young age and be challenged in front of a gazillion people.
In the big picture of things, it doesn’t really matter. Twenty years from now, no one can remember what you won. It’s all personal. It’s about getting over your fear and going up there and performing. Getting over your fear of performing exudes into every piece of your life.
At some point you have to get a job, or you go to college and have to do a presentation. At some point you’re going to be put on the spot where the only person you can rely on is you. It’s the learning experience that I want them to have.
A: (Senpai Caitlyn Anderson, Assistant Instructor) I don’t think without doing those, I could have done any presentations.
A: (Kiefer) A lot of what we’re about is being able to build some confidence in yourself and the things you do and how to carry that confidence over.
Q: I understand your dojo also performs charity work.
A: We did Kicks For Megan, which was for a young girl that had cancer. We did a thing for Camp Rainbow. We helped a hospital give an ultrasound one year. This past year, Lyndonville had a Christmas tree-decorating event. We did that, but we put a spin on it. We made it a hat-mitten-scarf tree. We had everybody donate that type of stuff and when we were done with it, we donated it to Community Action.
For kick-a-thons, the students get sponsors for how many kicks they do. People can choose to donate a lump sum or they could encourage the student and say a nickel for every kick. It’s a good thing some of them did lump sums. We had some students that were doing hundreds and hundreds of kicks. They would have broken the bank.
Q: What are your future plans for Lakeside Karate?
A: The same as it’s always been. Make sure that people have a place to come, learn the art of karate and learn something about themselves. At the end of the day, if I see the kids walking out smiling and it helps them, then that’s enough for me.
In our other groups with other schools, you consistently hear “Those are Sensei George’s students,” and they say that in a good way, not because they’re goofing off. They have the discipline and the technique.
A: (Caitlyn Anderson) A lot of our students get pulled up front in the middle of testings to demonstrate stuff.
Q: Anything else you want to add?
A: (Kiefer) We don’t just give belts away. They have to work for it. That’s a key principle. You have to work and you have to perform. I think martial arts taught the right way is one of those lasting things that you really have to work at. You make the link between hard work and achievement.
I think too often nowadays in organized activities, kids get a trophy for showing up. Honestly, that doesn’t cut it in the real world. You have to do some hard work and perform.
ALBION – The Albion Rotary Club awarded three scholarships for $2,000 total to three graduates at Albion High School. Rotarians Bonnie Malakie, left, and Club President Cindy Perry, right, are pictured with the scholarship winners, from left: Arianna Smith, Abigail Squicciarini and Bradlee Driesel.
Squicciarini received the A. B. “Dick” Eddy Rotary “Service above Self” Scholarship. This scholarship for $1,250 is awarded in memory of Dick Eddy, a community leader, businessman, and Rotarian, who committed his life to the principle of service above self. The award goes to a senior who has demonstrated a personal commitment to community service and leadership, and displays high potential for future accomplishment.
Smith received the Edward B. Archbald Memorial Scholarship for $500. Archbald was a farmer, philanthropist, outdoorsman and a 70-year member of Rotary. This scholarship is presented to a graduating senior pursuing a college education who shares a love for sports, recreational activities, community service and work experience.
Driesel received the Rotary Career Advancement Prize for $250. The award goes to a graduating senior entering a field that doesn’t require a traditional college education, such as a technical field, agriculture, law enforcement, or business. Key factors in selecting the recipient include community service, school activities, and work experience. Driesel wants to become a full-time firefighter.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 2 July 2014 at 12:00 am
Photos by Tom Rivers – Christine VerSteeg of Kendall painted this bench that was added to the Albion downtown on Tuesday evening. She also painted a bench of a tugboat as part of Albion’s public art project.
ALBION – A new bench celebrating Albion heritage was added to the downtown last evening.
Artist Christine VerSteeg of Kendall created the painting on the bench. VerSteeg entitled the work, “Albion has heart! And, deep roots.”
The art work includes a heart in the middle of an orchard. VerSteeg painted fruit trees and wildlife – squirrels and rabbits.
This bench was placed next to a mail box on East Bank Street near the law offices for Sandy Church. It is the ninth bench to be added since last month that is painted to highlight local history and attractions.
VerSteeg also painted a bench with a tugboat at sunrise. There are three more benches in the works.
A Main Street grant paid for the benches and seven of the paintings by the artists. Resident Wayne Litchfield paid the artist fee for the latest bench by VerSteeg.
CHILDS – It was 32 years ago on July 4, 1982, that this picture was taken for the ribbon-cutting at the Liberty Pole.
The block of stone is inscribed as follows: “To the people of Gaines this Liberty Pole Replica was erected in the Year of the Eagle 1982 by the Cobblestone Society.”
The Liberty Pole is located by Farmers Hall on Route 98 in Childs, just south of Route 104.
Officials from left to right include: Richard Cook, chairman of buildings and grounds for the museum; Arthur “Dick” Eddy, Orleans County legislator; Steve Hawley, state assemblyman; James Hubbell, Gaines town councilman; Roger Rush, Gaines town councilman; Ronald “Butch” Radzinski, Gaines town supervisor; and David Vagg, Gaines town councilman. Sheret Post NO. 35 Color Guard stands in the background.
The Liberty Pole by the Cobblestone Museum is a replica of the poles that were popular during the Revolutionary War. The tall wooden poles were typically put up in town squares. They were painted red on top, a sign of defiance against British rule.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 2 July 2014 at 12:00 am
Congressman says IJC plan ‘will absolutely devastate the counties of Wayne, Orleans and Niagara’
Photos by Tom Rivers – Congressman Chris Collins joins local and state officials this morning in speaking against a new plan to regulate Lake Ontario water levels. Collins said the plan would result in more fluctuations in water levels, leading to more erosion when the water is high and inaccessible marinas and docks when the water levels are low.
POINT BREEZE – Congressman Chris Collins joined local and state officials in speaking against a new plan for regulating water levels at Lake Ontario, a plan that could lead to more extremes in lake highs and lows.
Collins said the plan, if approved by the Canadian and U.S. governments, could pose devastating consequences for southshore counties. The binational International Joint Commission approved the new plan last month, the first significant change since 1958.
Prime real estate could be washed away, gobbling up back yards and the tax base. During times of low lake levels, boaters may not be able to get out of harbors and into the lake, harming the fishing and recreational industries that are important economic engines for lakeshore communities.
“This will absolutely devastate the counties of Wayne, Orleans and Niagara,” Collins said during a news conference this morning in front of the Oak Orchard Lighthouse at Point Breeze.
Six southshore counties have 10,025 parcels of land with a total assessed value of $3.7 billion, said Lynne Johnson, an Orleans County legislator. If they suffer a 10 percent loss, those communities would lose $370 million in value.
“At times of extreme water levels, the damage will be catastrophic with millions of dollars of damage occurring in a single day,” Johnson said.
Orleans County Legislator Lynne Johnson speaks during the news conference this morning. She will travel to Washington, D.C. next Thursday to speak with State Department officials about the plan and its potential havoc on the southshore counties. She will be joined by David Godfrey, a Niagara County legislator.
Sportsfishing and shipping industries will suffer when the lake levels are low, Johnson said, noting that shipping companies asked IJC not to implement new plan.
“The role of government should not be to harm the very citizens it is charged to protect,” Johnson said. “This is government at its worst.”
She and David Godfrey, a Niagara County legislator, will travel to Washignton, D.C. next Thursday to meet with officials from the State Department. They also want to meet with senators Kirsten Gillibrand and Chuck Schumer.
One news reporter at today’s news conference said Gillibrand has told the media the U.S. government could help with erosion controls and property owners who suffer losses from the lake levels.
But Collins said the federal government doesn’t have the money to come to rescue if high lake waters destroy the shoreline.
“All too often both senators Schumer and Gillibrand, along with Representative (Louise) Slaughter just say, ‘Get more money, borrow it from China,'” Collins said. “My answer is not let’s borrow more money, dumping the IOUs on the backs of our kids. Let’s solve the real problems of this nation. That’s such an easy cheap shot answer. The federal government is broke.”
A boater approaches the break wall at Oak Orchard Harbor this morning.
Collins also challenged Gov. Andrew Cuomo to publicly denounce the lake level plan. The governor has the authority to veto the plan, the first major change in regulating the lake levels since 1958.
“Where do you stand, governor?” Collins said before the TV cameras and a crowd of about 50 people. “At the end of the day he can veto it.”
Adam Tabelski, communications director for State Sen. George Maziarz, said the Maziarz is working with the delegation that represents lakeshore communities to pressure Cuomo to reject the plan. Those officials will also appeal to President Obama to not support the plan, Tabelski said.
Several lakeshore property owners told Collins they have already lost big chunks of their back yards to high lake levels in the past two decades.
The federal government and Army Corps of Engineers makes it difficult for property owner to get permits for breakwalls and other protection, they said.
Godfrey, the Niagara County legislator, lives along the lake and he said he loses a foot of his property to the lake each year. The new lake plan will hasten that loss, he said.
The high waters will also swell the streams and rivers that feed into the lake, Godfrey said.
“It’s not just about the lake levels,” he said. “It’s about the feeder streams that reach far inland. The feeder streams will get higher.”
Ed Bellnier, president of the Oak Orchard Neighborhood Association, said the lake levels is a pressing concern for property owners, who fear more erosion.
“Several people are already losing land,” Bellnier said. “We don’t want to lose more property.”
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 2 July 2014 at 12:00 am
Photo by Tom Rivers – A “One Medina” sign is displayed along West Center Street. The campaign seeks to dissolve the village of Medina and merge the towns of Shelby and Ridgeway into one town.
MEDINA – Mayor Andrew Meier is refuting claims from the Ridgeway town supervisor that village tax dollars have been used for the “One Medina” campaign.
Brian Napoli, the town supervisor, criticized Meier in a chain email for not telling the truth about the funding for One Medina “after bragging that it is privately funded without taxpayer money.”
Meier has been critical of Ridgeway and Shelby for hiring a PR consultant and attorney to oppose a dissolution plan being considered by the village. He said the village hasn’t spent money on “One Medina.”
“Absolutely no taxpayer dollars have been spent on One Medina projects,” Meier said in a mass email to village and town officials, as well as to local reporters. “It is a private group that has no affiliation with the village whatsoever.”
Meier sent the first email on Friday to village and town officials, as well as the reporters. He is trying to set up a meeting among the village and two towns to discuss shared services, consolidation and possibly dissolution. Napoli said he wants dissolution off the agenda.
Village Trustee Michael Sidari has asked Meier and the other officials to remove reporters from the emails. But Meier, in an email this morning, wants reporters to stay in the loop.
“This is a very important policy discussion, and the people deserve access to the substance of our communications,” Meier said. “Inclusion of the press promotes transparency and is wholly appropriate.”
Provided photos – Beth Skehan and Darlene Pritchard volunteer to organize the costumes and props for Holley’s theater program.
Press release, Holley Central School
HOLLEY – Each month, the Holley Board of Education honors people who have donated their time and abilities to benefit Holley schools. At last month’s Board of Education meeting, the board honored three people with Soaring to New Heights Awards.
The first award was presented to Holley residents Beth Skehan and Darlene Pritchard for the time they spent organizing the high school’s theater props and costumes. Thanks to their efforts, theater resources are now arranged, stored and ready for use next year.
The second Soaring to New Heights Award was presented to high school sophomore Cameron Benage for the work he provides to the district in running the lights and sound system in the Middle School/High School auditorium. Cameron provides this service as a volunteer and he offers his time and skill for events that take place during the day and at night.
Cameron Benage was recognized for his efforts running the lights and sound system at the Holley Middle/High School.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 1 July 2014 at 12:00 am
MEDINA – The first email went out on Friday, an entreaty by Medina Mayor Andrew Meier. He sent several potential meeting dates to village officials and members of the Shelby and Ridgeway Town Boards.
Meier’s email came after a Village Board meeting on June 23 when town officials urged the Village Board to hold off on setting a date for a public referendum on dissolution of the village government. Shelby and Ridgeway officials wanted to first discuss more shared services or consolidation of functions among the entities.
Ridgeway Town Councilwoman Mary Woodruff responded to Meier’s email, saying the full board from the municipalities should all attend. (Members of the media have been copied in these emails.)
“I cannot support partial boards meeting to discuss these pertinent topics,” Woodruff said in an email on Monday. That was the format in past shared services and consolidation talks, she said.
Village Trustee Mike Sidari suggested at the June 23 meeting that two representatives from each board meet to discuss shared services and consolidation. He said the mayor and two town supervisors should be excluded because of a lack of trust and “butt-heading” among the three leaders.
Meier on Monday agreed with Woodruff, saying the full boards should attend the meeting.
“Given the time and resources spent by the village in developing the dissolution plan, and the resources consumed by the towns in discrediting it, we owe our residents an open, transparent, and unfiltered discussion,” Meier said.
That drew a response from Brian Napoli this morning, where he insisted dissolution won’t be part of the discussion, only shared services and consolidation of services.
“As for being discredited, the plan was discredited from the beginning,” Napoli wrote. “Manipulating the choice of committee members, along with placing yourself and Mark Irwin on the committee, was blatant disregard for openness, fairness, transparency, and unfiltered discussion. Then, narrowing the focus of the committee so they could only come to one conclusion…yours.”
Napoli also criticized the Center for Governmental Research, the village’s selection as a consultant for the plan.
“The last joke was hiring second rate consultants to justify your misguided idea,” Napoli said. “The taxpayers in Medina did not get fair value for their money.”
Napoli also alleges Meier used village taxpayer dollars for the “One Medina” campaign “after bragging that it is privately funded without taxpayer money.”
After Napoli’s email at 9:37 a.m., Sidari followed with one at 10:13 a.m. He told the officials to “drop the attitudes, roll up our sleeves and come to a working solution to the problems we are facing.”
He said residents have demanded officials from the village and two towns work together on the community’s problems.
“Wrong has been done on both sides of the lines,” Sidari said. “However both sides are showing a willingness to work on the same goal.”
He urged the elected officials to come to the upcoming meeting with an open mind “and leave the attitudes at the door.”
Sidari also requested the media be excluded from emails about planning for the upcoming meeting.
“I am sure they are thriving on this ongoing showing of remarks and accusations,” he said.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 1 July 2014 at 12:00 am
Photos by Tom Rivers – The hitching posts were originally property markers. A blacksmith fashioned new pins and rings, and a stone mason put them in after drilling holes and pouring lead.
ALBION – Four hitching posts arrived in the Albion Department of Public Works garage today. It’s not the normal shipment for the DPW.
Tony Russo, a stone mason from Medina, has been working on these posts, which are to be set along Main Street in Albion.
One is planned for the Courthouse lawn, two others in the grass by the village parking lot next to the Presbyterian Church, and hopefully the other in the sidewalk by Krantz Furniture (the state Department of Transportation needs to sign off on that).
The posts are from more than a century ago. They were originally property markers. They didn’t have rings, a prominent feature of the old hitching posts.
Dusty DeCarlo moves the hitching posts from a truck to the DPW garage.
I heard that Fred Pilon, an Albion contractor with a stockpile of Medina sandstone relics, had these old posts. Several community members pitched our money together and bought the four from Pilon in a project facilitated by the Albion Main Street Alliance.
But we didn’t just want four posts without the rings. We would need new rings made. Then we wanted holes to be drilled into the posts. The rings (and the pins holding the rings) would then be set in lead.
We wanted this project to highlight all of the hitching posts and carriage steps in the Albion area. I think there are ore of these in the 14411 zip code than anywhere else. Having some on Main Street would raise awareness for the all of the others on the side streets, on Ridge Road and in the cemeteries.
The two by the village lot will include an interpretive panel that explains the original purpose behind the hitching posts and carriage steps, artifacts from the horse and buggy era. We’ll also have a carriage step that was donated.
George Borrelli works on creating a ring made out of steel.
George Borrelli, a blacksmith, created new rings at his shop in Carlton. He also made the pins that are set into the hole. To bend the shape the steel into a ring, Borrelli heated the material to 1,600 degrees.
We still needed a stone mason skilled in sandstone. There aren’t a lot of these people around these days. Tony Russo, owner of Romancing the Stone, is from a family of stone workers. His grandfather Joseph Russo was a curb setter and owner of Medina Stone. Tony’s father Joseph Russo owned P & J Construction.
Tony Russo loosens the straps that secured two of the four hitching posts he delivered today to the Albion Department of Public Works.
Russo experimented with sandstone blocks in drilling into the posts. He consulted with friends at Bernz-O-Matic about heating the pin and the lead in the hole. A micro-torch with its pencil-fine flame worked perfectly in heating the lead and the metal in the narrow hole.
Russo and the Albion folks working on this project wanted to try to recreate the look from more than a century ago. We didn’t want epoxy to hold in the ring. Russo said he is thrilled with how well the four turned out.
He marveled at the detail work in the old hitching posts, the recessed edges and textured finishes.
“The design alone had to be time-consuming,” he said.
This project not only returns historic artifacts to Main Street, but celebrates the quarrymen from more than a century ago. We didn’t want to see some of their work lost. We wanted it out in the public in prominent locations.
I’d like to see Holley and Medina add some of these to their historic downtowns. If anyone has an unwanted hitching post in their garage or one they want to give to a public project, send me an email at tom@orleanshub.com.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 1 July 2014 at 12:00 am
Photos by Tom Rivers – John Robinson, left, and his friend Doug Hamlin, right, ride adaptive use bicycles along West Bank Street in Albion this morning.
ALBION – John Robinson is riding the length of the canal for the second straight year, showing people that disabled residents can achieve big dreams, too.
Robinson was born without full arms and legs. He is riding an adaptive bicycle from Tonawanda to Albany. He passed through Orleans County today, and addressed The Arc of Orleans County and its supporters this morning at the Meals on Wheels site on East Academy Street.
John Robinson addresses supporters of The Arc of Orleans County this morning in Albion.
Robinson’s mission: job opportunities for disabled residents. Whether in sheltered workshops or other jobs in the community, Robinson said people with developmental disabilities have skills that can be used in the workplace.
“This is all about employment,” Robinson said this morning in Albion, when he stopped for a reception outside the Albion Academy apartment complex on East Academy Street. That site also hosts the Meals on Wheels, Nutri-fair and Arc programs.
John Robinson leads the riders along the Erie Canal, just west of Main Street.
Robinson and his entourage were led to the site by a police escort. He remembers when he was in Albion a year ago, feeling dehydrated from the humidity.
“I was tired and frustrated, and the people here waited an hour in the hot sun for us,” Robinson said.
The Albion reception was a big boost to cyclists, and Robinson shares that story during his motivational speeches.
Robinson received commendation certificates today from State Assemblyman Steve Hawley and County Legislator Bill Eick. The Legislature gave Robinson “A Special Inspiration Award.”
State Assemblyman Steve Hawley praised Robinson for helping community members to appreciate the contributions of people with disabilities.
Robinson left Tonawanda on Monday and will be traveling more than 350 miles until the ride culminates on July 11 in Albany. Robinson, who lives just outside Albany, will join a crowd expected at 1,200 people for a celebration at the state capitol. It is NYSARC’s 65th anniversary as an organization serving people with disabilities.
Jayson White, NYSARC’s director of communications, is riding with Robinson for the journey along the canal.
“This is about celebrating the abilities within all of us,” White said.
Robinson poses for a picture with Jonathan Doherty of Albion, a member of the Arc’s Self Advocacy All-Stars.
Robinson is joined for the trip by his wife and two children. His friend Doug Hamlin also is riding along in an adaptive use bicycle. Hamlin, a 28-year veteran of the software industry, is a quadriplegic as a result of an accident.
“We’ve really enjoyed the canal and been inspired by people of differing abilities along the way,” Hamlin said.
The group has about 12 cyclists for the full trip, but Hamlin said many riders will join them for part of the way, perhaps for an hour or most of a day.
“This is getting bigger and we hope to make it bigger every year,” Hamlin said.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 1 July 2014 at 12:00 am
Photo by Tom Rivers – A powerful storm tore through the county on June 17, taking down trees, including this one on Route 279 in Gaines.
Orleans Hub set new records for traffic in June. Our 4,757 daily average for unique visitors topped the previous record of 4,300.
We also set a new record with 438,579 pageviews for the month, which was up 28 percent from May. In June we averaged 14,619 page views each day. We set a new daily record on June 18 with 22,440 page views. That was a day after a vicious thunderstorm took down trees and knocked out power in Orleans County.
Photo by Tom Rivers – The community lined Main Street in Medina on June 9 when a motorcade passed through with the body of Medina native, Sgt. Shaina Schmigel, a paratrooper who died in a training accident at Fort Bragg.
June was the first month in more than a century without The Journal-Register in Medina, which ceased publication on May 30.
The top five stories for the month, in terms of page views, include:
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 1 July 2014 at 12:00 am
Photos by Tom Rivers
ALBION – A group of boaters passed through Albion along the Erie Canal this morning a little after 10. I don’t see too many caravans like this in the canal.
The big boaters passed through on a day when Orleans County is under a heat advisory. The National Weather Service says we’ll reach a high of 94 degrees today.
The heat advisory is in effect from 1 to 9 p.m. when the heat index values will range from 100 to 104.
“If proper precautions are not taken, heat exhaustion or other heat-related symptoms could develop in those exposed to the hot and humid conditions,” the Weather Service advised.
There is a little breeze today, which helps make the heat more bearable. Being on a boat would also help.
The boaters head west on the canal from the Main Street lift bridge. In the foreground is a bollard used to tie up boats.
HOLLEY – Four members of the Holley Class of 2014 were each awarded $500 scholarships by the Holley Rotary Club. The scholarship winners attended Monday’s Rotary Club meeting to meet the Rotarians.
Pictured in the photo, from left, include: Claudia Passarell, Jeff Martin (Rotary Club’s President Elect), Nicole Blackburn, Teresa Nicoletti, John Pedley (Club President) and Nicole Mauro.
