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The pig-greasing team at the Fair

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 16 November 2013 at 12:00 am

KNOWLESVILLE – Every night at the Orleans County 4-H Fair, teams attempt to climb a pole slathered in grease. It is a popular tradition at the fair.

Before the grease pole, the fair had a greased pig competition. Actually, the pig didn’t get greased – the competitors did.

“It’s hard enough to hold on to a pig, but when you’re all greased up you can’t hold on to anything,” said Ed Neal, who competed in the event.

I was at the fairgrounds on Friday, meeting with Jennifer Wagester, the new director of the Cornell Cooperative Extension. Wagester had a copy of an anniversary yearbook that I believe covered fair highlights from 1966 to 1991.

I flipped through it and spotted a picture of the pig-greasing team in 1969. One of the team members, Gene Smith, was my friend. Gene was on the Albion Board of Education for many years. He also served as the volunteer electrician at the fairgrounds, wiring most of the facilities and barns at the site in Knowlesville.

Gene died on April 14, 2010 at age 71. At the fair the following July, the Extension board dedicated one of the buildings in his honor. Until yesterday, I had no idea Gene was part of a greased pig team. I didn’t even know there was such a competition.

Neal, the current chairman of the board for the Extension, said the competition was short-lived, maybe for just two or three fairs.

“It was a lot of fun,” he said. “It was entertainment for the crowd. The entertainment back then was simple things.”

Scouts help stock up food pantry

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 16 November 2013 at 12:00 am

Photos by Tom Rivers

ALBION – Scouts in Albion were out this morning collecting canned and nonperishable food for the pantry at Community Action on East State Street.

After the Boy Scouts and Cub Scouts in Troop and Pack 164 collected food from houses in the village, they delivered it to the food pantry and then were given a tour of the site by Annie Skowneski (pictured below), a case manager and food pantry coordinator.

Skowneski said the pantry provides food for 100 families a month.

High wind warning issued for Orleans

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 16 November 2013 at 12:00 am

A high wind warning has been issued for Orleans County from 7 p.m. Sunday to 1 p.m. on Monday.

Wind gusts could hit 60 miles per hour and could bring down trees and power lines. The National Weather Service in Buffalo issued the warning for Orleans, Genesee, Monroe, Niagara and northern Erie counties.

Deer hunters are urged to take extra precautions from falling tree limbs.

Thanksgiving meal should be a little cheaper this year

Posted 15 November 2013 at 12:00 am

Press release, American Farm Bureau Federation

The American Farm Bureau Federation’s 28th annual informal price survey of classic items found on the Thanksgiving Day dinner table indicates the average cost of this year’s feast for 10 is $49.04, a 44-cent price decrease from last year’s average of $49.48.

“The cost of this year’s meal, at less than $5 per serving, remains an excellent value for consumers,” said AFBF President Bob Stallman, a rice and cattle producer from Texas. “America’s farm and ranch families are honored to produce the food from our nation’s land for family Thanksgiving celebrations.”

The AFBF survey shopping list includes turkey, bread stuffing, sweet potatoes, rolls with butter, peas, cranberries, a relish tray of carrots and celery, pumpkin pie with whipped cream, and beverages of coffee and milk, all in quantities sufficient to serve a family of 10. There is also plenty for leftovers.

The big ticket item – a 16-pound turkey – came in at $21.76 this year. That was roughly $1.36 per pound, a decrease of about 3 cents per pound, or a total of 47 cents per whole turkey, compared to 2012. The whole bird was the biggest contributor to the final total, showing the largest price decrease compared to last year.

In addition to the turkey, other items that declined in price included a dozen brown-n-serve rolls, $2.18; one pound of green peas, $1.54; a 14-ounce package of cubed bread stuffing, $2.67; fresh cranberries, $2.42; a half pint of whipping cream, $1.85; and two nine-inch pie shells, $2.49.

Items that showed a moderate price increase from last year included three pounds of sweet potatoes, $3.36; one gallon of whole milk, $3.66; and a 30-ounce can of pumpkin pie mix, $3.10.

Boot scraper remains part of charm at DAR House

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 15 November 2013 at 12:00 am

Photos by Tom Rivers

ALBION – This week I made a shocking discovery in Albion. There is an old boot scraper behind the DAR House in Albion.

I first encountered one of these last summer in Rochester at the Charlotte-Genesee Lighthouse, which dates back to the 1820s.

I like historic hitching posts and carriage steps. Orleans County has a lot of these, perhaps more than anywhere else.

I’ve been looking for an old boot scraper around here. I thought if we had one it could tie into a possible hitching post-carriage step trail. I hadn’t seen any until I stopped by the DAR House on Wednesday. Mounted in a stone block by the back door stands a cast iron boot scraper.

“They are really old,” said Bill Lattin, the county historian. “These things go way back and you just don’t see them around.”

Lattin knew about the one at the DAR House. He has one at his historic cobblestone house, mounted in a curb. He also has a mobile boot scraper. His two, plus the one at the DAR, are the only ones he knows of in the county.

“They go back to a time when there were a lot of muddy streets,” Lattin said.

Folks back then would scrape off the mud, and sometimes manure, from their shoes before going inside.

The boot scraper at the DAR complements one of the finest buildings in the county.

The DAR House was first built in 1840 on North Main Street at the Linwood Street intersection. The house was enlarged by Orson Tousley in the mid-1800s. The Greek Revival building is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Tousley’s daughter Florence followed her father in owning the site. She married George Church, the son of Sanford Church, one of the most prominent people from Albion.

Florence was one of the founding members of the Daughters of the American Revolution in 1925. She left the house to her son Sanford T. Church, who sold the house to Emma Reed Webster in 1929. She then donated it a few months later to the DAR, which remains an active local organization.

I did a Google search for boot scrapers, and found these interesting articles (click here and here). If anyone knows where more of these might be locally, send me an email at tom@orleanshub.com.

Orleans wants to woo more Canadian companies

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 15 November 2013 at 12:00 am

ALBION – The Orleans Economic Development Agency did something unusual this week. It put out a press release.

I don’t recall the agency ever doing that. The EDA wanted to share some good news. A Canadian firm was working to turn a vacant warehouse on McKinistry Street in Albion into an electronics recycling operation. BoMET Holding Inc. plans to hire 30 people at the Albion site.

The company is working on renovations at the 60,000-square-foot warehouse. It will likely start operations in Albion in the spring.

This project has been covered in the local news since April. I wondered why the push to highlight it now.

Jim Whipple, chief executive officer for the Orleans EDA, wanted to get the word out that the EDA has now worked with five companies based in Canada to grow in Orleans County. (Associated Brands in Medina, Brunner in Medina, Freeze-Dry Foods in Albion and Hinspergers Poly Industries in Medina are the others.)

“We’re using this to market our success with Canadian companies,” Whipple said about the BoMET project.

Several media outlets in Western New York reported on BoMET’s Albion project this week. It seems the press release did the job.

The Orleans EDA hired Mindful Media Groupto help put together the press release and promote it with news outlets. Mindful Media works with CRFS in Albion and Medina.

Orleans is an attractive community for Canadian companies because of the county’s close proximity to the Canadian border, as well as our location near Buffalo and Rochester, and the major markets in the northeast.

Whipple also wanted to show that the EDA can craft a deal that makes it appealing to do business in Orleans County.

The press release quotes BoMET CEO Zhan Bo Zhang, praising his assistance with the EDA.

“It was my dealings with the OEDA that cemented my decision to locate in Orleans County,” he said. “From start to finish, their knowledge, expertise and guidance gave me the confidence that BoMET Recovery would be successful there.”

Whipple said another Canadian company may soon commit to a project in Orleans.

Hoag hopes to hook residents on fishing

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 15 November 2013 at 12:00 am

Provided photo – Charity Garrow, the library systems administrator, is pictured with, from left: Web Pearsall of the DEC Regional 8 Fisheries; and Sportsmen Federation members Neil Newton and Mike Elam.

Coming soon to be checked out at Hoag Library in Albion: fishing poles.

That may seem like an odd offering at the local library, but Hoag said the library is located in an area with abundant fishing resources. However, many residents may not have the money to pay for fishing poles and gear. Or maybe they want to try out fishing before commiting to buying their own equipment.

The library will rent out 12 poles and kits beginning Dec. 1. The state Department of Environmental Conservation donated the 12 fishing poles to Hoag Library . The Orleans County Federation of Sportsmen has volunteered to maintain the equipment and provide kits with bobbers and hooks.

The DEC has donated fishing equipment to a few other libraries in the region, including the pubic library in Le Roy, the only other one besides Albion in the three-county Nioga system with fishing poles.

The fishing poles can be checked out by anyone over age 13. Children under 13 will need a parent’s permission to borrow the fishing gear.

Veteran dispatcher retires after nearly 28 years of service

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 15 November 2013 at 12:00 am

Wayne Litchfield enjoyed working with first responders

Photos by Tom Rivers – Wayne Litchfield looks over a set of instructions for Emergency Medical Dispatch, a reference guide for when callers are facing a medical crisis.

ALBION – Wayne Litchfield has given frantic residents instructions over the phone for performing CPR.

He has advised people suffering a heart attack to take an aspirin, the medical recommendation for a first course of action. He tried to calm down people in duress, telling them help was on the way.

One time he kept a man sought by the police on the phone for 45 minutes, enough time for state troopers to surround the man and take him into custody.

For 27 years and eight months Litchfield worked as a dispatcher for Orleans County. He had his last day on Oct. 31. Today the Sheriff’s Department held a party in his honor. Sheriff Scott Hess presented Litchfield with a plaque for his dedication.

Wayne Litchfield was honored with a party today at the Sheriff’s Department in Albion.

“There’s an old saying that if you love your job, it’s not work,” Litchfield said. “That’s what this was for me. I was paid to help people.”

Litchfield was a volunteer Holley firefighter and EMT when he was hired as a county dispatcher. He enjoyed working with the firefighters, police and ambulance squads, giving them instructions about emergencies and their locations.

He also fielded calls from the public, people often reeling from anxiety because of an emergency.

“He was dedicated to it,” said Steve Smith, the county’s undersheriff. “It was his chosen profession. He never looked at it as a stepping stone to do something else.”

Litchfield was part of a team of nine full-time dispatchers and five part-timers that handle about 33,000 calls a year. Litchfield personified the main qualities needed to excel at the job: patience and “the ability to stay calm when people call in a frantic mood,” said Allen Turner, the communications coordinator at the dispatch.

Erie Canal calls it a season

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 15 November 2013 at 12:00 am

Historic waterway ends 189th year

Photos by Tom Rivers

The tenders, tugboats and barges are lining up today between the Main and Ingersoll Street lift bridges in Albion, where the vessels will spend the winter before the canal reopens next May.

The canal is closing at 5 p.m. today, ending its 189th season since the waterway opened in 1825, transforming New York state into an economic powerhouse and giving birth to numerous canal towns, including Albion.

The 524-mile state canal system runs through Orleans County. I live a few blocks from the canal. I enjoy the old bridges and tugboats that are part of our landscape.

I took a lot of photos of the canal this year. I like this one of a sunset on Aug. 12 the best. It shows the Main Street lift bridge in Albion.

Feel the peace and power of Swallow Hallow

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 15 November 2013 at 12:00 am

Nature trail at wildlife refuge leads to wonderland

Photos by Tom Rivers

ALABAMA – When we all woke up to a dusting of snow on Wednesday, the first snowfall in many months, I cancelled my morning plans and headed out to the Iroquois National Wildlife Refuge.

I’ve been having an awakening of sorts in recent months to the natural wonders all around those of us who live in Orleans County. This place is stunning. My favorite time of the year may in the spring when the fruit trees are in their blossoming glory.

Nature reigns supreme on the 1.3 mile trail in the wildlife refuge.

This past summer was a joy with what felt like day after day of spectacular sunsets. They were orange, red, purple, and some had an array of colors. I have friends in the big cities and they hardly ever see a decent sunset.

Fast forward to Wednesday morning. I was going to Swallow Hollow, period. Everything else could wait about two hours.

I’ve been on this 1.3 mile loop through the woods a couple times before, both times with little kids so I couldn’t really take in nature’s glory. I couldn’t let my guard down. I had to stay vigilant in case a child fell in the swamp.

So Wednesday, after the first light snowfall of the season, I embarked on a nature hike all by myself. Swallow Hollow is part of a wildlife refuge that covers about 11,000 acres in Shelby in Orleans County and Alabama in Genesee County.

Swallow Hollow is on Knowlesville Road, east of Route 63. I hoped Swallow Hollow was in Orleans County so we could claim this as one of our assets. But I think it’s slightly to the south in Genesee County. Close enough. We have about half the refuge in our county so why quibble over a technicality?

Swallow Hollow has an elevated boardwalk over the swamp. It makes for a wild walk. I give the refuge and whoever made this happen a lot of credit. I’m sure there were some naysayers when the idea was put out there: Let’s put a boardwalk in the swamp.

I’m grateful the project became a reality and we have public access to such a special place. Swallow Hollow was closed to the public for five years until the boardwalk was upgraded for about $500,000 in 2006. This was met with great fanfare by the public when the trail reopened.

You’re on the boardwalk at the beginning and the end of the trail. You spend most of your time walking on a dirt trail. (It was covered in snow on Wednesday.)

The birds are happy in the refuge. They sound like an enormous joyful chorus.

It was a chilly morning Wednesday and the autofocus didn’t work on my camera. I had to use the manual focus and a lot of photos that I thought were winners were actually slightly fuzzy. But it’s hard to walk out of Swallow Hollow without some good ones.

Orleans may strike deal for nursing home next month

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 15 November 2013 at 12:00 am

ALBION – Orleans County could reach an agreement to sell the nursing home next month.

The three-man board of Orleans County Health Facilities Corporation received two qualifying bids for the 120-bed Villages of Orleans.

The HFC, a local development corporation formed by the County Legislature to sell the nursing home, received requests to buy the site by an Oct. 16 deadline.

The Health Facilities Corporation is chaired by Russ Martino, a former Yates town supervisor and retired Lyndonville elementary principal. The LDC met today in executive session. It issued a statement this evening saying it will pursue a sale with two of the bidders.

One of the groups is led by Mordy Lahasky, Benjamin Fuchs and Benjamin Landa, which has multiple facilities in the Albany, Long Island and New York City. The other group is led by Kenneth Rozenberg and has multiple facilities across New York State.

Each bidding group will consider keeping existing employees, continue services for existing residents, maintain important community programs and continue to serve as landlord to the resident county offices, according to the news release.

The board anticipates entering a binding sale agreement in December 2013 with a change in the licensed operator as of Dec. 31, 2014.The state Department of Health will review the proposal, which often takes a year to get through Albany.

The LDC board anticipates meeting again next month to approve the final sale agreement.

County officials did not disclose the offers from the two entities.

Marker will note historic home in Albion

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 14 November 2013 at 12:00 am

Photo by Tom Rivers

ALBION – A historic marker will be erected on the right of way at 223 South Clinton St., in front of one of Albion’s grandest old homes.

The Village Board agreed to let Gar Trusselle, owner of the house, put up the marker.

Trusselle lives in the William V. N. Barlow House, a brick building that was built in the 1870s and features a mix  of architectural styles, including Second Empire, Italianate, and Queen Anne.

Barlow was a prominent architect and builder during Albion’s boom days in the mid to late 1800s. Barlow designed the county courthouse and the mansion on Main Street that later became Swan Library.

Albion dentist has tried for months to put up a bigger sign

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 14 November 2013 at 12:00 am

Photos by Tom Rivers – Karl Heuer and his son Kyle want a new sign in front of their Albion practice to indicate there are two Heuers working as dentists. They also want the address noted on the sign.

ALBION – Karl Heuer would like a new sign in front of his dental practice that notes his son Kyle has joined the practice.

The Heuers would also like the address – 313 South Main St. – listed on the sign. They have been trying since May to get up a new sign.

They had the sign designed. It’s 4.6 feet by 4.8 feet or about 22 square feet. That’s way too big, according to the zoning restrictions for businesses along South Main Street in the residential-commercial district. That area only allows for a 1 foot name plate sign.

However, the Zoning Board of Appeals has routinely approved variances for bigger signs. The ZBA said it would allow a 16 square foot sign for the Heuers.

The Heuers told the Village Board on Wednesday they want the 22 square foot sign so they can fit everything on it.

“We just want a nice-looking sign that people can read,” Karl Heuer told the board.

Kevin Allen, an attorney, told the board it should to change the sign restrictions for the residential-commercial district so the ZBA isn’t forever issuing variances, allowing certain sizes for some businesses and smaller ones for others.

Allen, who is representing the Heuers with the sign dispute, noted another dental practice in the same zoning district has a sign more than double what the Heuer’s are seeking. Plus, the All Smiles Dentistry sign is illuminated at night.

All Smiles Dentistry, at the corner of South Main Street and Allen Road, has a much bigger sign than is allowed in the residential-commercial district.

He suggested the Village Board alter the sign restrictions in the zoning district, allowing an upper level limit of perhaps 24 or 26 square feet.

“You should make it more practical and more realistic,” he said.

Other business districts in the village, without residential properties, have a top threshold of 32 square feet, although the ZBA has been giving variances for bigger signs on Route 31 and Main Street, Code Enforcement Officer Ron Vendetti told the Village Board.

Vendetti agrees the sign regulations need to be changed, to allow for larger signs.

But with the current code, the ZBA is left to its discretion in how big of a variance it wants to approve. In Heuer’s case, a 16-foot sign was allowed.

The Village Board can’t meddle with the ZBA’s decision. The board, however, can change the restrictions for the signs. That would require a public hearing.

Mayor Dean Theodorakos said he supports an update of the sign requirements.

“We’re working on it,” he told the Heuers.

Health official says bed bugs ‘a growing concern’ locally

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 14 November 2013 at 12:00 am

ALBION – Albion homes are increasingly becoming infested with bed bugs, a problem that may be difficult to prevent because the bugs are “hitchhikers,” a public health officials told the Albion Village Board.

The Orleans County Health Department has been getting complaints about bed bugs locally since 2011, but the calls have increased this year, public health sanitarian Nancy Kelly told the Village Board on Wednesday.

“It’s a growing concern,” she said.

Bed bugs are considered a private nuisance, instead of a public health nuisance. That means the public health department isn’t very involved in the cases. When a complaint is made, Kelly will typically contact the local code enforcement officers.

Ron Vendetti, the code officer for Albion, said many local landlords have purchased steam cleaners and can take care of the problem at their properties. Other residents may turn to exterminators.

Houses and apartments that are clean can typically be rid of the bugs quickly. Homes with hoarders, with a lot of clutter, may struggle to get rid of the pests, Vendetti said.

Kelly said bed bugs bother people from all backgrounds – rich, poor and middle class. The bugs have been discovered in schools and work places. They easily can “hitch hike” from public places and come home with someone, she said.

The bugs also spread from discarded furniture. Some furniture has been left by the curb because of a bug infestation. The couch or chair often is then picked up by a passing motorist, who brings it – and bed bugs – home.

Mayor Dean Theodorakos said the village will use its newsletter to warn residents about picking up discarded furniture due to the bed bug possibility.

Kelly said Albion could also pass legislation requiring landlords and property owners to take action when there is a complaint about bed bugs. Vendetti didn’t think a new law was a good idea or would accomplish much.

“How do you legislate a bug?” Vendetti asked.

The landlords also shouldn’t be held entirely responsible for the property, Vendetti said. The residents often bring in the bugs, and their lifestyles may make it difficult to rid the places of the pests.

“We also have cockroaches and mice,” Vendetti said. “We have a number of problems that revolve around the condition of properties.”

GCC will honor ‘Heritage Heroes’ in Orleans

Posted 14 November 2013 at 12:00 am

Winners to be recognized at Civil War Encampment

Press release, GCC

MEDINA – When Genesee Community College hosts the Civil War Encampment at its Medina Campus Center next spring, organizers want to recognize the efforts of dedicated citizens who work hard to preserve the county’s history.

GCC is accepting nominations for “Heritage Heroes Awards.” Nominations will be accepted through Jan. 31, 2014.

“Residents of Orleans County take great pride in their heritage,” said Jim Simon, Associate Dean of GCC’s Orleans County Campus Centers in Medina and Albion. “We want to recognize the time and investment of individuals who are tireless advocates for local history.”

Nominees for Heritage Heroes can be any age but posthumous nominations will not be accepted. History professionals and GCC employees are also not eligible for the award, nor are those who serve on the awards selection committees. Nominees must be Orleans County residents. Nominations will not be retained for future consideration.

Derek Maxfield, the Encampment coordinator, pushed to create the award for local Heritage Heroes.

“We’re excited to initiate these awards,” Maxfield said. “When we held the Encampment in Medina last year, it became obvious how this county values its history and embraces its preservation. These efforts often go unnoticed. This is a way to shine a light on those who make many personal sacrifices in order to preserve history for future generations.”

The Heritage Heroes will be recognized during a ceremony at the annual Civil War Encampment at GCC in Medina in April 2014.

To nominate someone for the Heritage Heroes Awards, write up a brief statement outlining the person’s contributions, projects, and community affiliations. Include his/her name (anonymous nominations will not be accepted), address, phone number, and email address.

Submit the nomination to:

Genesee Community College
ATTENTION: Heritage Heroes Committee
11470 Maple Ridge Rd.
Medina NY  14103-9675

Nominations may also be emailed to Jim Simon at jsimon@genesee.edu. Please write Heritage Heroes Nomination in the subject line.

A screening committee made up of community members, history professionals, and GCC students will review the nominations and select finalists. From those finalists, a committee including GCC Associate Dean Jim Simon, Assistant Professor and Encampment Coordinator Derek Maxfield, and Orleans Hub Editor Tom Rivers will choose the Heritage Heroes.