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Zombies take the stage at Albion

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 8 November 2014 at 12:00 am

Photos by Tom Rivers – Emma Wadhams portrays the zombie version of Princess Leia in Star Wars. She is trying to reach across a closed door to get at the humans.

Emily Shabazz, right, plays a zombie that looks like Whitney Houston. In this scene Riley Seielstad (left) is a Michael Jackson zombie, leading the group in a dance.

ALBION – Gary Simboli is willing to try shows that are a little edgier in what he said is the twilight of his career as director of Albion High School musicals.

Simboli still has five years before he retires. But he wants to try some shows that are a little different. He found one with “Night of the Living Dead! The Musical.”

Students have makeup with lots of bruises and blood. The zombies resemble celebrities, including Michael Jackson, Liza Minnelli, Lady Gaga, Tina Turner and many others.

Three zombies were captured by humans. The zombies include from left: Riley Seielstad as Michael Jackson, Madeline Fournier as Liza Minnelli and Hailey Bader as Tina Turner.

“This is definitely different,” said sophomore Shannon Broda who played a zombie that looked like Gilligan from Gilligan’s Island. “Normally I play a really innocent character but this one is evil.”

She played a good witch in last spring’s production of “The Wiz.”

Albion High School’s drama program performed the show on Friday and will have two more shows today at noon and 7 p.m. Tickets are available at the door.

Elijah VanEpps plays a human, Tom, and sings “No Wussies Allowed.” He tries to summon courage in the humans to go fight the zombies outside their house.

Simboli promises the show “will be a bloody good time.” The musical is relatively new. It came out in 2012 and features dead celebrities, rising from the grave with a hunger for human flesh. The human characters find ways to ward off the zombies.

David Stilwell, a senior, plays an executive named Harry. Stilwell appears as a balding character with a belly. He fights off zombies with a cane.

“The more edge the better,” he said before the show on Friday. “It’s nice to bring something new to Albion. This is the most unique show we’ve done.”

Cheyanna Rain Eagle plays Judy and David Stilwell is her husband Harry. They sing “Libertarians in Love” while zombies Shannon Broda (Gilligan) and Charlyne Olick (Mozart) try to get inside the house.

The drama program brought in two makeup specialists from New York City, including Albion native Kailey Winans. She and Erica Wiederlight worked with the cast and crew on their makeup. Even Simboli appears bloodied as a zombie.

When the characters lined up in makeup and costumes for a sound check on Friday, Simboli was pleased with his choice for the musical. He doesn’t think the zombies look too scary.

“I think they look fantastic,” he said. “When they were all up there on stage, I couldn’t stop smiling.”

The cast gathered on stage for a photo by Bruce Landis before Friday’s show.

The show has some adult humor involving entertainment law and other high-browed themes. Mix that in with zombies of Michael Jackson in his Thriller outfit, Dorothy from The Wizard of Oz and a member of the Rat Pack.

“We hope that people are ready to be delightfully scared,” Simboli said.

Tickets are available at the door for the performances at the Middle School Auditorium, 254 East Ave.

Riley Seielstad as Michael Jackson is on the move as a zombie. The show utilizes strobe lights and fog machines.

Carlton fire remains under investigation

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 8 November 2014 at 12:00 am

Insurance company will help ID cause

Photos by Tom Rivers – Firefighters use the Albion ladder truck to help douse the house fire in Carlton on Friday.

CARLTON – The fire that destroyed a Carlton home on Friday afternoon remains under investigation, said Walter Batt, a fire investigator for Orleans County.

The insurance provider for the house owned by Tim and Terry Keller will have personnel on the scene early next week to help sift through the rubble and look for a cause.

Firefighters from several departments were on scene after the initial call went out at about 12:30 p.m. for the fire at 1830 Kent Rd. It took about three hours to bring the blaze under control. Firefighters struggled to snuff out the fire due to windy conditions on Friday.

Firefighters get into position to work out the fire at the back side of the house.

Cat that fled moving truck in Pa. is reconnected with family

Posted 8 November 2014 at 12:00 am

ID on collar pinpointed owner of Sam, an orange tabby

Photo by Howard Balaban – Jeff Stahl and Rachael Goldstein, left, of Harrisburg, Pa., meet with Adam and Nikki Hefner, of Watertown, Saturday morning in Batavia to return Sam, the Hefners’ cat. Sam jumped out of a moving truck unbeknownst to the couple during their move from Georgia. Stahl and Goldstein were in New York to visit his family in Medina.

By Howard Balaban
Special to the Orleans Hub

BATAVIA – For Adam and Nikki Hefner, moving from Georgia to their new home in Watertown was going to be difficult enough. The 1,100-mile trek saw both of them driving, as Adam drove a moving truck and followed behind Nikki, who was riding with her dad.

Adam is a specialist in the Army and will be stationed at Fort Drum. He has already served a tour of duty in Iraq. Several days ago, during the move, Nikki got into a small accident on Interstate 81 near Harrisburg, Pa.

“I got out to make sure they were OK,” Adam recalled, mentioning that their small convoy pulled off on an exit to gather themselves.

The Hefners’ cat, Sam, was riding in the cab of the truck with Adam. About 20 miles back into their journey to Watertown, Adam realized that Sam must have left the truck during the commotion.

“I thought he had stayed under the seat,” he said. “I told Nikki, ‘I can’t find the cat.'”

Thankfully, the couple had put a collar with contact information on a tag on Sam. And Sam, an orange tabby, made his way to the front porch of a Harrisburg couple.

“He was on our front porch when I got home at night,” Rachael Goldstein said. “First I brought him over to the neighbor’s house because she has a lot of cats, but it wasn’t hers. Then I figured just to be safe, I’d call the number on the tag.”

The call came as a bit of shock to the Hefners.

“I was glad to hear he was okay and that we could arrange something,” said a relieved Nikki. “I thought he had been hit on 81.”

Indeed, Goldstein and her boyfriend, Jeff Stahl, had made prior plans to visit his family in Medina this weekend. She chuckled as she recalled how easily the situation unfolded, as it led to a meeting Saturday morning in Batavia, where Sam was reunited with his owners.

“It was closer for them, but it’s still a long drive,” Goldstein said. Adam said he probably would have driven to Pennsylvania for the family pet, but said he was thankful the drive was essentially cut in half.

Adam added that he was thankful to have tags on Sam, because it definitely worked. Nikki noted that Sam used to be allowed to roam wherever he wanted, but thanks to this recent adventure he will now remain an indoor cat.

As the couples parted ways, an attempt was made to compensate both Stahl and Goldstein, but neither one accepted anything.

“We just took care of him the past couple days,” Goldstein said. “He’s such a friendly cat, and we just wanted him to get back to his home. It was worth bringing him up and meeting up with his owners so we could do that.”

Firefighters battle to put out blaze in Carlton

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 7 November 2014 at 2:02 pm

Photos by Tom Rivers

CARLTON – Firefighters from several fire departments are on scene at a house fire on Kent Road. The house is fully engulfed with flames and firefighters are struggling to put it out due to windy conditions.

The house is owned by Tim and Terry Keller. They live at 1830 Kent Rd., next door to the Carlton Fire Station. Firefighters were dispatched at about 12:30 p.m.

Firefighters from throughout the county as well as from Hamlin responded to the call.

Carlton firefighters Ed Cooper and Ben Diltz direct water on the back of the house. The Albion ladder truck gets in position to spray water from up high.

The dark smoke from the blaze can be seen from miles away.

One firefighter suffered a muscle sprain in his knee and was taken from the scene by ambulance.

Heather Stone of Kent sent in this photo taken at about 1 p.m.

Little People will have to wait for Toy Hall of Fame

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 7 November 2014 at 12:00 am

Photo by Tom Rivers

MEDINA – These Little People were part of a feature on Fisher-Price toys during a discussion and display by the Medina Historical Society last month at Lee-Whedon Memorial Library in Medina.

The Little People were finalists for the Toy Hall of Fame at the Strong National Museum of Play in Rochester. But the locally made toys didn’t make the final cut. The new inductees include Bubbles, little green army men and Rubik’s Cube.

Little People were among 12 finalists for the Hall of Fame. Fisher-Price operated in Medina from 1970 to the late 1990s. I think the Little People are the first Fisher-Price toys to be in the running for the Toy Hall of Fame.

For more on the Hall of Fame, click here.

Health care law reduces uninsured in Orleans

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 7 November 2014 at 12:00 am

The Affordable Care Act has reduced the number of uninsured residents in Orleans County from 15 to 9 percent of the population, according to a report in The New York Times. (Click here to see “Obama’s Health Law: Who Was Helped Most.”)

The reduction of 6 percent in the population without health insurance was one of the biggest gains in Western New York. However, the 9 percent of residents without health insurance tops most nearby counties.

Genesee County went down from 13 to 8 percent, while Wyoming County dropped from 10 to 7 percent. Other nearby counties include Monroe (from 12 to 8 percent), Livingston (from 11 to 8 percent), Niagara (from 12 to 8 percent) and Erie (from 12 to 9 percent), according to the NYT report.

The newspaper states that 10 million people gained health insurance this year through the Affordable Care Act with the biggest gains in rural areas.

Carlton house is destroyed by fire

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 7 November 2014 at 12:00 am

Photos by Tom Rivers

CARLTON – A fire that tore through a home in Carlton was finally brought under control at about 3:30 p.m. today. (The top photo shows the scene at about 4:15 p.m.)

Firefighters battled the fire for about three hours. The house at 1830 Kent Road is owned by Tim and Terry Keller. Mr. Keller is a past chief of the Carlton Fire Company. The house is located next to a Carlton fire station.

Fire investigators are on the scene, sifting through the rubble to determine a cause. It appears to have started in a back corner of the house by a wood stove, but that hasn’t been determined as the cause.

Dan Strong, a Carlton firefighter, was taken from the scene by ambulance. He suffered a muscle strain in his knee, and has been released after being treated, Carlton firefighters said.

The fire spread through the house and took about three hours to bring under control.

Firefighters are barely visible through the smoke in this photo taken at about 1:15 p.m.

Dog has been missing since Sunday

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 7 November 2014 at 12:00 am

Provided photo

ALBION – Dallas, a Shiba Inu, has been missing since Sunday afternoon. Kathy McElwain has posted pictures of the dog around town and tried to spread the word about the missing pet.

Dallas was last seen near Allen Road and Hamilton Street. She is wearing an Invisible Fence collar.

McElwain said Dallas tends to be shy and usually doesn’t come towards people.

“I’ve been everywhere and I’ve called all the dog shelters,” she said.

Anyone with information about the dog is urged to called McElwain at 585-281-8600.

Colonna ups investment in Albion

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 7 November 2014 at 12:00 am

Photos by Tom Rivers – Jeff Colonna and his father Rich are pictured outside Squigee’s Car Wash in Albion. Colonna opened the car wash in 1996. An upgraded site opened last week at 130 West Ave.

ALBION – The out-of-town chain stores seem to be proliferating along Route 31 and on South Main Street in Albion.

But not all of the investment in Albion is coming from the chains. Rich Colonna last week opened a revamped Squigee’s Car Wash at 130 West Ave. Colonna first opened the car wash in 1996.

“It was time to do a major renovation,” Colonna said. “Investments in these are huge.”

The upgraded site includes new waterlines, pump motors, pumps and a computerized system for measuring the chemicals. The system also sends Colonna and his son Jeff updates through their phones if there is low soap temperature, a printer jam for receipts or other issues that may need trouble-shooting.

The upgraded site also takes credit and debit cards. It utilizes laser sensors to size vehicles to use the right amount of chemicals for a car wash.

“This will save in electric, water and chemicals,” Colonna said Thursday at Squigee’s.

He operates the car wash behind Colonna’s Electric and Plumbing. He opened that business 25 years ago. His son runs J-Co Driveway Sealing from the 130 West Ave. location. Jeff Colonna, 31, opened that business eight years ago.

Jeff is working with his father on the car wash. All five bays were upgraded. In the spring, Squigee’s will debut a new doggy wash. That spot will be enclosed and heated. Customers can walk their dog up a ramp and pick shampoos, tick and flea removers and a de-skunker.

A customer uses one of the car wash bays on Thursday.

Right now the focus is on the revamped car wash. The Colonnas have noticed people are keeping vehicles longer, driving them well beyond 100,000 miles. The car wash can keep a shine on a vehicle and also knock off some of the road salt that can eat away at a car.

The new setup includes striped paint design on the car wash and a perimeter fence.

“The colors, you can’t miss them,” Jeff Colonna said.

Rich Colonna also has three Washboard Willy’s Laundromats, with one each in Albion, Brockport and Medina. In about two weeks, a second Washboard Willy’s will open in Medina on Maple Ridge Road by McDonalds.

Colonna also owns commercial buildings and apartments. His building at 130 West Ave. is base for all of the operations. Even with the new computer technology, Colonna said he wouldn’t be able to juggle the different enterprises without Lisa Lonnen, his secretary the past 20 years.

“She oversees all of the activities,” he said.

Hawley says he’s ready for another term in Assembly

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 7 November 2014 at 12:00 am

Batavia resident scored decisive win in 139th District

File photo by Tom Rivers – State Assemblyman Steve Hawley speaks at a rally against the SAFE Act in Albion on Sept. 8. He said he will work to repeal the legislation.

ALBION – State Assemblyman Steve Hawley thanked voters in the 139th Assembly District for strong support at the polls on Tuesday.

Hawley received about 95 percent of the vote against Mark Glogowski, a Libertarian Party candidate from Hamlin.

Hawley, in a statement this morning, said his priorities for the next two years will include creating a better business climate in Western New York that creates well-paying jobs. He also said he will work to restore Second Amendment rights.

“I am humbled by the overwhelming support that the people of the 139th Assembly District have shown me,” he said. “I will continue to faithfully represent them by holding town halls across the district so that constituents have the chance to let me know what they want to see from our state and bringing those concerns to Albany. I look forward to keeping a good thing going representing the good people of Western New York for another two years.”

Hawley, owner of an insurance agency in Batavia, has served in the Assembly for nearly nine years. The district includes all of Genesee, all of Orleans except the Town of Shelby, and four towns in western Monroe County.

In Genesee County, Hawley received 96.2 percent of the vote compared to Glogowski. In Orleans, Hawley had 95.1 percent over Glogowski and 94.4 percent in Monroe County.