Photo courtesy of Ken Heye
SHELBY – Ken Heye of Medina was out for a drive this morning when he spotted a snapping turtle along Podunk Road, at the south end of Townline Road. Heye took a picture of the turtle laying eggs.
Photos by Tom Rivers
ALBION – Gary Kent opens a kestrel box today and discovers two baby birds in the bird house on a telephone pole in the town of Gaines.
Kent is a leader of the Orleans County Bluebird Society and also a director with the Albion Betterment Committee. The groups have put up about 150 bluebird houses in the past decade and 45 kestral boxes.
The kestrel boxes are mounted about 15 feet high on a telephone pole. The bluebird houses are on metal poles about 7 feet high.
Kent climbs a ladder to check on a kestrel box this morning in the town of Albion.
Kent wants to encourage birds in the county. He believes the birdhouses are paying off with a greater concentration of birds, especially kestrals and bluebirds.
“We’re trying to capitalize on some of our assets in Orleans County and wildlife is one of the principal assets,” he said today.
Two Albion High School seniors, Chris Rivers (left) and Moises Garzo, joined Kent today. They helped set up the ladder and retrieve tools while Kent cleaned out or made repairs some of the boxes. Some of the boxes are being taken down and replaced with new ones made by students in Doug Mergler’s middle school shop class.
Rivers met Kent 10 years ago when Kent and volunteers from Habitat for Humanity helped build a house for Rivers and his family on Lydun Drive.
Garza admitted he didn’t pay too much attention to birds before helping Kent. This was Garza’s second day out with Kent.
“We’re learning about all the different birds and how they nest,” Garza said.
He noticed a large bird fly overhead and asked what is was. Kent told him it was a turkey buzzard.
Three kestral eggs are in one of the boxes.
When a new box is mounted on a tree, Kent will add cedar shavings to give birds a soft spot to lay their eggs.
Kent has been checking on the boxes and saw many with eggs or hatched babies.
He has 143 more bluebird boxes that were made by students at Oakfield-Alabama. He wants to get those installed and also wants some out for wood ducks. He knows of one with 12 babies. (Kent asked that specific locations not be published because some people will raid the boxes if they know they have eggs or babies.)
He would like the wood duck boxes to go near the many farm ponds in the area. A more active bird population coexists nicely with local agriculture. Kent said many of the birds will eat voles, mice and other rodents that can damage crops.
The boxes gain quick acceptance by the birds. He has been checking them since 2004, and most of them are used every year. Besides kestrals and bluebirds, Kent has seen starlings and screech owls in the birdhouses.
“Kestrals are supposed to be in decline in New York State, but they’re not in Orleans County, I can tell you that,” he said.
Shaina Schmigel
MEDINA – When Shaina Schmigel is escorted home through Medina later today she will likely be accompanied by at least 100 motorcyclists in the Patriot Guard Riders.
The group provides a presence for a soldier’s homecoming, during calling hours at funeral homes, during services and at the burials in cemeteries.
“It’s all about the men and women who wear the uniform,” said Bill Blainard, a ride captain with the Patriot Guard.
Schmigel, 21, died in a training exercise at Fort Bragg on May 30. Her body is scheduled to arrive at the Buffalo Niagara International Airport at 5 p.m. The Patriot Guard Riders will be at the airport and will lead her back through Medina, coming up from Route 77 to Main Street in Medina at about 6:30 p.m.
“I’m expecting a great turnout with 100 to 150 motorcycles,” Blainard said about the ride later today. “There will be a lot of people who want to come out and honor this young lady.”
After being escorted through Medina, Schmigel will be taken to Batavia at The Michael S. Tomaszewski Funeral & Cremation Chapel. The Patriot Guard will be outside the funeral during calling hours on Tuesday from 2 to 8 p.m.
Tomaszewski’s is located at 4120 West Main Street Rd. The site also will be used for Schmigel’s funeral at 11 a.m. on Wednesday. After the funeral, Schmigel will be buried with full military honors at Evergreen Hill Cemetery in Corfu.
Blainard said many of Patriot Guard Riders will use vacation time to provide a presence for Schmigel and her family.
“We’ll do it with as much honor and respect for her,” Blainard said. “It’s not about us. We want people to see the flags and know there are patriots out there who care about the military.”
Debbie Johnson is another Patriot Guard ride captain. She lost her son Aram Bass, a staff sergeant, in the Iraq War in 2005. She joined the Patriot Guard in 2006.
“We do it to honor those who protect our freedom and the families who have lost someone doing so,” she said.
By Bill Lattin
Orleans County Historian
ALBION – From around 1910 we see a westbound trolley car on East State Street at Main Street in Albion. The First Presbyterian Church shows in the background.
The B.L. & R. Trolley System opened in 1908 and closed down in April 1931. It connected all of the small communities along the canal to Buffalo, Lockport and Rochester.
In Albion, the tracks ran in the middle of East State and West State, making a straight run through. The B.L. & R. depot was behind the Swan Library in Albion.
Photos by Tom Rivers
Albion and Medina Fire Department ladder trucks suspend the flag over Main St.
Members of the Patriot Guard Riders and the Hogs and Heroes Foundation ride in the processional.
Calling hours will be on Tue., June 10, from 2 to 8 p.m., at The Michael S. Tomaszewski Funeral & Cremation Chapel, located at 4120 West Main Street Rd. Schmigel’s funeral will be at 11 a.m. on Wednesday at the same location. After the funeral, Schmigel will be buried with full military honors at Evergreen Hill Cemetery in Corfu.
Provided photo – The Medina Mustang Band’s student staff for 2014-2015 pose for a picture after a banquet Friday at the Sacred Heart Club.
MEDINA – The 43rd annual Medina Mustang Band Banquet and Awards Ceremony was held at the Sacred Heart Club on Friday with band members and Boosters recognized for another award-winning season.
The following were honored:
Dean Morgan and Mike Dreyfus with the “Harry L. Dinkle” award. It was established to recognize someone who is not a Booster officer but who volunteers a great deal of personal time and effort to the band and the Boosters to make the program a success.
Cameron Morgan received the NYSFBC Scholarship and Kelsey Evoy was awarded the Mustang Band Booster Service Scholarship.
Outstanding Rookie went to Kody Leno, Sarah Cochrane, Naomi Slingerland and Kyrah Baes.
Most Improved went to Chase Jenkinson, Emma Baldwin, Ben Zakes and Alexis Neuman.
Most Valuable went to Marc Vanderlaan, Jenna Brien, James Soha and Krystal Kerstetter.
Director Awards were given by Mr. Steele to Brielle Lederhouse and Charles Beach, and by Mrs. Pritchard to Shelby Martin and Caelan Holland.
The Alfred Hartway Drum Major Award was started in 1968 by his family. Mr. Hartway was a bus driver and always involved with the band. This year’s recipients were Cameron Morgan, Matt Prawel and Jenna Brien.
The Joseph C. McCain Award is given to a junior and senior to recognize their dedication and commitment to the band and reflects the ideals of its founder. This year’s recipients are Matt Prawel (senior) and Derek Donley (junior).
The highlight of the evening was the announcement of the 2014-2015 student staff:
Drum Major: Chris Keller; Assistant DM: Derek Donley and Brian Bogan; Flute Section Leaders: Krista Nellist and Briana Bellan; Clarinet SL: Bailey Allen; Saxophone SL: Brian Bogan; Mellophone SL: Kristian Snyder; Trumpet SL: Nick Dieter; Trombone/Baritone SL: Kyle Herman; Tuba SL: Ryan Webber; Pit SL: Megan Furness; Band Managers: Tristan Sanders, Jon Carlo Gonzales, Cody Taylor, Tyler Soha and Corey Strickland; Attendance Officer: Tessa White; Uniform Managers: Addison Zavitz and Andrea Toussaint; Secretary/Librarian: Amanda Lunden/Tristan Sanders; Colorguard Managers: Allison Hibbard, Marissa Pecorella and Alexis Neuman; Colorguard Captain: Krystal Kerstetter; Head of percussion: Derek Donley; and Back Field Conductor: Briale Lederhouse.
The Fall Field Show for 2014 will be a portrayal of “Miss Saigon” Work begins immediately as the students learn their music before Band Camp in August. Fundraisers also begin this summer with 4-H Parking in July, and a car wash and chicken BBQ in August.
ALBION – A Medina resident admitted in Orleans County Court today he broke into The Corner Store in Medina last October and stole items from the South Main Street location.
Michael Bauer, 28, of 730 S. Main St. could get up to 4 years in state prison when he is sentenced on Aug. 18. Bauer in court today pleaded guilty to attempted burglary in the third degree.
He was arrested on Oct. 25. Medina police said he stole the convenience store’s cash register, an undetermined number of scratch-off lottery tickets, cigarettes and other store merchandise.
In other cases in county court today:
A Medina woman was sentenced to six months in county jail for criminal possession of a controlled substance in the fifth degree, a charge that carried a maximum of 2.5 years in state prison.
Gale V. Morehouse, 51, admitted in court in March that she sold methadone from her home on Church Street in Medina on April 22, 2013. She is a first-time offender. Morehouse has since moved to Lockport.
Cody Gillette, 24, of East State Street in Albion was sentenced to six months in jail for driving while ability impaired by drugs, attempted forgery in the second degree and aggravated unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle.
Gillette, who has a prior DWI, admitted in a previous court appearance that he was driving on June 16, 2013 after consuming opiates and using marijuana. He also admitted to forging a check on June 26, 2013. He was ordered to pay $257 in restitution to Five Star Bank.
Judge James Punch also sentenced Gillette to five years probation. The judge revoked Gillette’s driver’s license for a year and also will require him for the next five years to use an interlock ignition device that measures his Blood Alcohol Content.
Mathew J. Albone, 32, of Medina can avoid going to jail if he successfully completes Drug Court. Albone last January was charged with two counts of criminal sale of a controlled substance in the fourth degree and two counts of criminal possession of a controlled substance in the fifth degree.
He pleaded guilty in court today to CPCS in the fifth degree and CPCS in the seventh degree. He admitted in court to selling prescription narcotics that were prescribed to him.
If he completes Drug Court the charge of CPCS in the 5th degree will be dismissed. That charge carries a maximum of 2.5 years in state prison. If he completes Drug Court and goes another year without drug infractions or breaking the law, the charge of CPCS in the 7th degree will also be dismissed.
Photos by Tom Rivers – Susan Rudnicky (in black), former director of the Hoag Library in Albion, is toasted by Mary Anne Braunbach, right, and about 80 other people during a reception Sunday at the Pullman Memorial Universalist Church. The event was a celebration of Rudnicky and her longtime assistant Susie Gaylard, left, who is holding her grandson Caleb Fisher.
ALBION – Two long-time library employees were showered in praise and appreciation during a reception on Sunday.
The event came three months after Susan Rudnicky, the former director at the Hoag Library in Albion, was dismissed. She worked 16 years as library director. After Rudnicky was let go by the library board of trustees, Susie Gaylard quit. She worked 28 years as administrative assistant. She helped plan programs, and also handled bookkeeping and payroll.
The Friends of Hoag Library organized the reception in honor of the two library workers on Sunday.
“They deserved it,” Mary Anne Braunbach, president of the Friends, said about the party for Rudnicky and Gaylard. “They deserved it for their long and faithful service.”
Together the two gave 44 years to the library. Rudnicky was praised for seeing through the transition from moving the library from a converted house on a Main Street to a new site in 2012 with about 2 ½ times the space.
The Friends of Hoag Library put on the appreciation event for Susan Rudnicky and Susie Gaylard. Those pictured include, from left: Friends President Mary Anne Braunbach, Rudnicky, Gaylard and Friends members Judy Manley, Cathy Moore, Grace Kent and Donna Wolcott.
Before the move to the new building, Rudnicky led the former Swan Library’s efforts to modernize, going from a card catalog to electronic organization system for tracking books. She expanded computer use for patrons and pushed for e-books at the library, said Tom Bindeman, director of the NIOGA library system.
“She was an ambassador not only for the library but for the community,” Bindeman said. “She’s a classy lady.”
NIOGA offers many support services and staff development training for libraries in Orleans, Niagara and Genesee counties. Rudnicky insisted that her staff in Albion attend many of the NIOGA programs. She wanted them to be better able to serve the public, Bindeman said.
The community gave $1.3 million in donations towards the new library. Rudnicky also wrote applications that netted about $800,000 in grants for the project.
“The community wouldn’t have supported the library without excellent library service,” Bindeman said.
Rudnicky was praised for the library’s many partnerships in the community with historical groups, literacy programs, and the community reading called A Tale for Three Counties.
Sarah Karas, a co-director at Cobblestone Society Museum, thanked Rudnicky for continuing as president of the museum board and serving as a mentor to the staff.
Rudnicky has been staying busy, preparing for a September art show in Batavia. GO ART! will feature a collection of her acrylic paintings. She said she is also job hunting.
Several speakers also praised Gaylard for her commitment to library programs, especially events for children. Gaylard’s sister Terri Miller said the two would go Black Friday shopping early the day after Thanksgiving. While most people were hunting for bargains for friends and family, Gaylard was out looking for children’s prizes for library programs throughout the year.
Gaylard is growing fruit at her home in Barre and spending more time with her business making purses, Pursenality by Susie.
Gaylard and Rudnicky both thanked the Friends and local residents for the reception on Sunday.
“It was a wonderful show of community support,” Gaylard said.
Photos by Tom Rivers – Two people embrace after a motorcade passed through downtown Medina at about 6 p.m. today. Several hundred people lined Main Street. The motorcade arrived about a half hour earlier than expected.
More than 100 motorcyclists served as escorts for Sgt. Shaina Schmigel.
MEDINA – They stood holding American flags, and many of the hundreds lined up along Main Street saluted as a motorcade passed by carrying the body of Sgt. Shaina Schmigel.
Schmigel, 21, came home this afternoon and the Medina community came out in big numbers. The motorcade was a half hour ahead of schedule when it reached downtown Medina.
“It’s important that we support our service people,” said Sherri Luthart of Medina. “I get all choked up about it. She paid the ultimate price for our freedom.”
Photos by Tom Rivers
American flags seemed to multiply on Main Street when the motorcade passed through downtown Medina.
Schmigel is a Medina native. She was killed May 30 during a night-time training drill. Schmigel was a paratrooper at Fort Bragg with the 82nd Airborne Division. She was in the Army for four years, and was promoted to sergeant in January.
“She wanted to go for all she could go for,” said Keith Gilbert, a close family friend from the town of Alabama. “She wasn’t afraid of anything.”
Schmigel was a cheerleader at Medina, a member of the Class of 2010.
“She was a sweet, sweet girl who was always smiling and always happy,” said Judy Gilbert, Keith’s wife.
Judy Gilbert holds a picture of Sgt. Shaina Schmigel of Medina.
When Schmigel was a Fort Bragg she developed a love for rodeos. She kept in touch with her family and considered her mother Karie Schmigel to be a best friend. The two got matching tattoos on their shoulder last month of a tiger lily, Mrs. Gilbert said.
“Most kids don’t want anything to do with their parents, but Shaina loved her family and would do anything for them,” Gilbert said.
As a paratrooper in the Army, she deployed to Iraq in support of Operation New Dawn from July to November 2011.
Mercy Flight followed overhead as a motorcade entered Medina. The ladder trucks for the Albion and Medina Fire Departments held a giant American flag high over Main Street.
Mr. Gilbert would ask Schmigel about jumping out of an airplane.
“She told me you just think of the free fall, opening the chute and the landing,” he said. “It takes a special breed to jump out of an airplane. You have to have no fear.”
Her awards and decorations include the Army Achievement Medal with one oak leaf cluster, the Army Good Conduct Medal, the National Defense Service Medal, the Iraq Campaign Medal, the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, the Noncommissioned Officer Professional Development Ribbon, the Army Service Ribbon, and the Parachutist Badge.
Lisa Trippensee was out along the street waving an American flag for Schmigel.
“I’ve heard amazing things about her,” Trippensee said. “She was definitely a go-getter. You couldn’t hold her down. She was very determined.”
Photos by Tom Rivers
The crowd today included many veterans and Scouts. Brian Bogan, 17, and Boy Scouts from Troop 35 in Medina stood along Main Street while the motorcade went by.
Bogan was impressed by the escort that included many police cars, a Mercy Flight helicopter and more than 100 motorcyclists.
“I’m thankful to all of them that would come out and do what they do,” Bogan said.
Local veterans’ groups tried to rally community support for the motorcade. Larry Montello, commander of the American Legion in Medina, wasn’t surprised by the turnout.
“We wanted to show her and her family that she’s not forgotten,” Montello said. “She’s a fallen comrade and we’re paying respect for her service to our country.”
That motorcade escorted Schmigel’s body from the airport in Buffalo to Medina and then to Batavia.
The Patriot Guard Riders joined the motorcade.
Calling hours will be on Tuesday from 2 to 8 p.m. at The Michael S. Tomaszewski Funeral & Cremation Chapel, located at 4120 West Main Street Rd. Schmigel’s funeral will be there at 11 a.m. on Wednesday. After the funeral, Schmigel will be buried with full military honors at Evergreen Hill Cemetery in Corfu.
The flight landed in Buffalo about a half hour early. After the motorcade passed through town, many people were still descending on the downtown. The crowd would have been bigger if the motorcade had arrived at 6:30, as scheduled.
But Mr. Gilbert, the close family friend, said the community made its presence felt.
“I’m sure the family is very impressed,” he said. “Medina is a tight-knit community. In a small town even if you’re not family you are.”
Photos by Tom Rivers
HOLLEY – Three sisters from Hamlin race towards the finish line in the annual Jim Ferris Memorial 5-kilometer on Saturday.
Julia Cammilleri, 15, finished in 31:42, a second ahead of her sisters: Lydia, 11, and Nicolea, 9. The sisters all attend the Old Paths Bible Baptist Church in Clarendon where their father Joe is the pastor. He also ran Saturday’s race, as did many Old Paths members.
The race included 101 runners and $1,800 in prize money given to overall winners and the fastest in different age groups.
Mike Nier of Rochester led the men with a time of 17:19, while Sarah Loerch of Rochester was the fastest woman with a time of 18:12.
The race is named in honor of Jim Ferris, a late Holley resident who was one of the top runners in the region.
Jack Richardson, a retired pastor from West Barre, collects a medal as the top runner in the 80 and older category. Richardson, 81, completed the course in 43:07. He is congratulaed by Sandy Heise, the race director.
Photos by Tom Rivers – Jim Salmon, right, has been host of the Home Repair Clinic on WHAM since Dec. 15, 1988.
ROCHESTER – Jim Salmon will take your questions about any kind of malady afflicting your home – from moldy carpets, disintegrating roof shingles, soggy basements, you name it.
For 25 years he had led the Home Repair Clinic on WHAM 1180 with John Carr. Salmon lives in Barre and runs a home inspection business.
He invited me on the air for his show today to talk about the Orleans Hub and on-line news sites.
Salmon is on the radio every Saturday on WHAM from 6 to 10 a.m. and Sundays from 9 to 11 a.m. Doug Bower, a plumber in Albion, is on the second Sunday each month to talk plumbing issues with callers and also to provide some witty banter with Salmon.
Doug Bower, left, is a frequent guest on the radio show with Jim Salmon.
The two make a good team. They met at the Barre Deli and Bower has been a frequent guest on the show for about 15 years.
“Doug is really good at it,” Salmon said about Bower’s radio presence. “He’s in the trades.”
Salmon has many guests on the show who talk about home repair issues. One guest today, Tony Hettinger, discussed a LawnBott, a robot that mows a lawn.
“It’s always fun,” Salmon said about the show. “We make it entertaining first with home repair second.”
Photos by Tom Rivers – The winning team – Yankee Troller – poses with their trophies and $10,000 in prize money. The group includes, from left: Craig Hajecki, Justin Botting, Walter Piecuch, Joshua Ranaletta, Jeff Curcio (kneeling) and Rich Hajecki, the charter boater captain.
POINT BREEZE – The inaugural Oak Orchard Open completed a two-day fishing tournament this afternoon with more than $20,000 in prizes distributed to top teams.
The event whet the appetites of fishermen for competition, generating lots of talk on-line and in the fishing community.
“I think this will really take off,” said charter boat captain Paul Czarnecki, one of the organizers of the new tournament. “This will only grow. The Internet will be blowing up in the coming days about it.”
The new tournament attracted 36 teams that each paid a $400 entry fee. The tournament was put together after the Orleans County Pro Am ceased after last year.
The new tournament challenged the teams to catch 10 fish each day – five salmon and five trout. Teams would earn points for each fish they caught of the 10, with additional points for each pound of fish.
Only two of the 36 teams were able to meet the maximum of 10 fish each day.
“It was a skill tournament,” said Justin Botting of Lockport, who was a member of the first-place team, Yankee Troller.
Botting and his teammates focused on salmon from 5:30 to 9:30 in the morning before then going after trout. Fishing had to be done by 2 p.m. and the Yankee Trollers tried to catch bigger salmon after noon before the time was up.
Many other tournaments don’t require two species of fish. The Oak Orchard Open forced teams to strategize because salmon and trout generally don’t hang around together.
First-place trophies have a fishing theme.
The Yankee Trollers earned 432.27 points over the two days – 20 points for catching 20 fish and another 417.27 for the weight of the 20. That was 55.50 more than the second-place team.
Czarnecki said he only heard positive feedback from the participants. He expects to see even more people entered in the competition next year.
“We set a new gold standard for tournaments on Lake Ontario,” he said while fishermen gathered for the weigh-in outside the Black North Inn. “We brought back the fun. This will generate excitement in the tournament format.”
Eliot Zielinkski, 30, of Rochester liked the new format. His team finished in seventh place. He has been competing in fishing tournaments for seven years. He said they are intense, with the competitors focused for more than eights hours while on the water.
“You stand on the edge of the boat for the whole thing,” he said. “You’re adrenaline is just skyrocketing.”
Photos by Sue Cook – During a duet, Lexi Seewagen and Kory Puente sing “All of Me” by John Legend to each other.
By Sue Cook, staff reporter
HOLLEY – Once the tents and vendors were packed up at the June Fest in Holley, the festivities moved to the soccer field for karaoke performances by students of the community. The event was sponsored by First Niagara.
The judges were Mayor John Kenney, Roxane Gifaldi, Sue Rowcliff and Hannah Bock.
Passenger’s “Let Her Go” was fifth-grader Shashona MacPhee’s song selection. She won in the Elementary Idol category.
Students from grades 1-6 and 7-12 were separated into two categories and were given an opportunity to perform. Duets were separated into a third category.
Senior Emily Kordovich used her guitar to serenade the crowd during her category winning performance of Paramore’s “The Only Exception.”
Eighth-grader Abrianna Kruger sang “Party in the USA” by Miley Cyrus.
Hanna Waterman and Nina Dilella performed “What is this Feeling?” from the musical “Wicked” while Nina’s father records them with his phone. The pair won in the duet category.
The crowd watches eighth-grader Lindsey Allen as she sings “Automatic” by Miranda Lambert.
Here is a lineup of all the event’s singers. The participants all received medals at the end of the ceremony and the category winners were given awards.
Photos by Tom Rivers – Holley Boy Scouts toss candy from their float as part of this morning’s parade down East Avenue.
HOLLEY – The village of Holley was alive with the sound of music this morning during the Holley-Murray June Fest Parade.
Several marching bands performed including the combined Holley-Kendall Marching Band, which is now in its second season as a partnership between the two school districts.
Members of the Holley-Kendall Marching Band perform in the parade.
Jonathan Trembley and the drum line of the Albion Marching Band perform down East Avenue in Holley.
Sarah Graham and the Albion Marching Band perform “Heartbeats” in the parade at Holley. The band has won several first place awards in recent band competitions.
A Holley fire truck makes its way down East Avenue.
Members of the Kendall Fire Department march in front of fire trucks from the department.
Kim Corcoran and the Lawn Chair Ladies from Kendall delighted the crowd. The Lawn Chair Ladies will perform again at 7 p.m. tonight as part of a free Drum & Bugle Corp Show at the Woodlands soccer field.
The award winning Holley High School chorus will open the show followed by the Lawn Chair Ladies. The evening’s entertainment continues with the Kendall-Holley marching band, the Hit Men Brass Band, Ghost Riders Mini Corps, Mighty St. Joe’s and finally the Hamburg Kingsmen.
The evening concludes with a fireworks display by Young Explosives Inc.
Photos by Sue Cook – Joe Angerosa shakes his hips for the crowd while belting out an Elvis tune.
By Sue Cook, staff reporter
ALBION – Back by popular demand, an Elvis impersonator performed at the Albion Middle School on Friday.
Joe Angerosa has been performing his Elvis tribute concerts for the past 25 years at places like Atlantic City and Vegas. The sixth-grade teacher performed as a fund-raiser for the Orleans County Deputy Sheriff’s Association.
Angerosa entertained the crowd in the Albion Middle School auditorium with songs such as “Hound Dog,” “My Way” and “Don’t be Cruel.”
Deputy Sheriff’s President Erin Fuller estimates that when the money from the fundraiser comes in next month they will have raised between $5,000 and $6,000, which is the organization’s yearly average. Approximately 300 tickets were sold for the event.
“We’re a non-profit organization and we use the money for all of our charitable donations,” Deputy Sheriff’s Vice President Jim Halstead said. “Joe’s very good and I think this is his fourth or fifth time in Albion. The Fire Department has used him for a fundraiser, too.”
The money will be used for scholarships and charities in Orleans County, including the David Whittier Scholarship, the Merle D. Fredericks Scholarship and the Children and Family Services summer program.
Angerosa is a 6th-grade teacher in Oneida County when he isn’t performing on stage. His students are aware of what he does, and find it humorous.
“We get a turn out every year and a good community response,” said Deputy Meridith Papponetti. “I think it shows that we’re out here trying to do some good, fun stuff that’s very positive for everyone.”
