Photos by Cheryl Wertman – Albion’s Abby Squicciarini (6 )works the ball up field against Medina defender Hannah Adams (5). Squicciarini scored one of Albion’s six goals.
Albion boys and girls soccer both won their Homecoming games on Saturday, while Kendall boys edged rival Holley to improve to 11-0.
See the full sports report, including coverage of Holley’s football game, by clicking here to go to local sports.
Holley’s Tyler Chmylak (3) and Kendall’s Deandre Nauden (5) battle for control of the ball in a 2-1 game won by Kendall.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 5 October 2013 at 12:00 am
Photos by Tom Rivers – Bob Brown stands next his wife Deborah while praising his ancestors, including Orleans County pioneer Bathshua Brown, for settling in an area that was such a dense forest it was known as the Black North.
CARLTON – Bob Brown often thinks of Bathshua Brown, who 209 years ago was left to tame a forest, start a farm and raise a family, all without her husband Elijah. He died on a boat while the family moved from Sodus to near the Oak Orchard River not far from Lake Ontario.
“Her most important piece of equipment was an ax,” Brown said today when the family dedicated a peace garden, part of a trail of gardens that has emerged to celebrate more than 200 years of peace between the United States and Canada.
Each of the peace garden sites tell a story, recalling life from two centuries ago. The garden at Brown’s Berry Patch includes an interpretive panel. It notes the family’s eight generations of work as farmers. It focuses on Bathshua Brown and her “pioneer tenacity.”
When Bathshua and her 12 children settled in Carlton, the area was a dense forest. Trees were thick the area was known as the “Black North,” because the sun could barely penetrate the dense canopy, Orleans County Historian Bill Lattin said.
Former State Assemblyman Charlie Nesbitt served as master of ceremonies during the dedication of a peace garden today at Brown’s Berry Patch.
This marker notes Brown’s Berry Patch is now part of the Bicentennial Peace Garden Trail.
“The early days were not comfortable,” Lattin said. “It took a great deal of tenacity to get through the early days.”
Bathshua was a determined woman. The family had already met hardship. The interpretive panel at the new garden tells the family’s story. Before Elijah died on the journey to Carlton, he and his wife rented a farm off Fishers Island off the shore of Connecticut. They lost all of their livestock, possessions and buildings to a British captain in 1776 during the Revolutionary War. The Browns moved to Sodus before purchasing the farm in Carlton in 1804 from the Holland Land Company.
“During the War of 1812 the British had several armed vessels on Lake Ontario to hinder commerce along the south shore,” according to the panel. “During one of the raids a British captain foolishly found himself captured and subsequently brought up to Bathshua Brown, the matriarch of the area. To her surprise he was the same captain who plundered the family on Fishers Island. Bathshua gave him three choices: be turned over to the American forces at Ridge Road, let her sons have at him, or return to his ship and never come back to this area again. He chose to leave and was never seen again.”
Bathshua and her pioneering spirit is also noted on a historical marker in front of Brown’s Berry Patch.
Bob Brown said he thinks of her hardships and how they compare when he gets annoyed when a cell phone doesn’t work or when there are other minor inconveniences.
“As a society we need to stop and count our blessings,” he said.
The garden shares an inspiring story of Bathshua Brown. It also highlights a beautiful and fun area with the farm market and adventure course at Brown’s Berry Patch, said Paula Savage, the Peace Garden Foundation president.
Paula Savage, the Peace Garden Foundation president, congratulates Bob and Deborah Brown for creating a honorary peace garden at Brown’s Berry Patch. The Brown’s garden has been recognized by the Peace Garden Foundation and is now part of a peace garden trail.
She helped create a peace garden in Batavia last year. There are 18 in New York state, and they highlight the friendship between the U.S. and Canada, she said.
The gardens tell stories, and that heritage can be a draw for tourists, said Wayne Hale, the Orleans County tourism director. Counties and regions are tapping heritage tourism as an economic development tool, he said.
“It’s all about the story,” he said.
Former State Assemblyman Charlie Nesbitt served as master of ceremonies for the garden dedication. Albion High School student Elijah Van Epps sang the United States anthem while student Zach Shaffer sang the Canadian anthem.
State Assemblyman Steve Hawley presented the Browns with a citation for working to create the garden and for choosing to celebrate peace between the two countries.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 5 October 2013 at 12:00 am
Photos by Tom Rivers – Matthew Prawel stands by the new sign he had erected for Camp Rainbow on Townline Road in Ridgeway. He also sanded and repainted the gates in back.
RIDGEWAY – Matthew Prawel intended to put up a new sign for Camp Rainbow. The project would be the finishing touch for him to attain Eagle Scout.
When Prawel started work on the sign at the camp, which serves children with and without disabilities, he saw a lot of other needs at the grounds. About a dozen picnic tables seemed rundown and in need of repair. The sandbox was well past its prime, and the front gates were worn.
Prawel assembled a team of about eight friends and other Scouts and they took the picnic tables apart, giving them new bolts, nuts and screws, as well as fresh paint.
The front gates were sanded and repainted. They dug out the sand box, removing rotted wood and put in a new one that’s a little bigger.
He teamed with Greg Stanton, a sign-maker from Medina, to install the new sign. On Friday, The Arc of Orleans and other community members praised Prawel for a job well done.
Matthew Prawel stands under the pavilion with his grandfather Russ Martino on Friday, when The Arc of Orleans and several community members joined for a celebration of Prawel’s Eagle Scout project. He rebuilt many of the picnic tables under the pavilion.
“This is like a little piece of Heaven in Orleans County,” State Sen. George Maziarz said about Camp Rainbow.
Maziarz, State Assemblyman Steve Hawley and County Legislator Lynne Johnson commended Prawel for the work, and presented him with government citations.
Prawel, 17, said he was grateful for the chance to help The Arc. His grandparents, Russ and Pat Martino, have been agency supporters. Mrs. Martino is a retired special education teacher at Medina.
“This wasn’t just for my Eagle project,” Prawel said. “It was about helping a great organization.”
The camp started in 1970. It is the oldest program for The Arc. The site on Townline (follow Knowlesville Road going north) has become popular not only for its five-week summer camp season, but also for graduation parties, wedding receptions and reunions.
This past summer, the town of Yates had its youth swimming program at Camp Rainbow for the first time. The Lyndonville Area Foundation paid for the program.
State Sen. George Maziarz was among the well-wishers who congratulated Prawel for completing the project.
Vickie Randall, the recreation manager for The Arc, said the camp serves about 100 children over the summer. She and other Arc officials meet with Scouts to help identify projects to improve the camp. Ben Kirby, a Scout from Albion, is also doing his Eagle project at Camp Rainbow, working on the teeter-totters and a storage building.
Prawel spent about $2,000 for the camp project, using community donations and contributions from his family. He has been active in Scouts for about a decade.
“Scouts has been a wonderful experience,” he said. “It’s given me a chance to see things and have so many experiences.”
He is currently senior patrol leader for Troop 35, and works with the younger Scouts to earn merit badges. He plans to attend Syracuse University to major in forensic science. He hopes to play in the university’s marching band.
Provided photo – “Andy” was the focus of attention during Cow Plop Bingo, a fund-raiser on Friday for the Medina Mustang Band.
Press release, Medina Mustang Band
MEDINA – The 4th annual Cow Plop Bingo raised about $2,500 for the Medina Mustang Band on Friday during Homecoming.
Andy, a 14-month-old Hereford owned by Ray Wendling, arrived at the high school at 3 p.m. Andy then grazed around a grassy grid for nearly three hours before making his “deposit” on square No. 130.
Dick Fry, who has had several grandchildren in the band, was the winner. Fry graciously donated $200 of his winnings back to the band.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 5 October 2013 at 12:00 am
Big crowd for Knights-Kaderli won’t be stopped by rain
Photos by Tom Rivers
Robert Patterson of Akron pulls Colten Cleveland, 7, in a wagon up Barber Road in today’s walk/run to benefit the Knights-Kaderli Fund.
EAST SHELBY – A big crowd gathered today at the East Shelby Fire Hall, undeterred by damp weather, and then proceeded to walk and run with purpose on a 3.5-mile loop. This group is walking up Barber Road before making a turn on Townline Road.
The 25th annual Knights-Kaderli Walk/Run drew 250 participants. The event raises money for Orleans County residents battling cancer. The Knights-Kaderli Fund distributes about $50,000 a year to residents fighting cancer who need help with their bills. Rhonda Kaderli Sloper and her brother John Kaderli are among the volunteers who help organize events and manage the fund. Their mother Sue Scharping Kaderli died from cancer in 1989. The family of Richard Knights, who died from cancer in 1984, also are active organizers for the fund.
Sarah Flower of Medina walks with her dog Lilah during today’s Knights-Kaderli Walk/Run in East Shelby.
Nicole Goyette of Medina pushes her 2-year-old son Bradley on the 3.5 mile course. They are joined by Mia Hobbs, 8, at right and Evie Schultz, 10, both of Medina. They are pictured on Townline Road.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 4 October 2013 at 12:00 am
Photos by Tom Rivers
ALBION – High School Band Director Mike Thaine leads the pep band during tonight’s Albion football game versus Maryvale. The band and the big crowd was in a good mood as Albion rolled to a 39-6 win on Homecoming.
The game also featured the debut of a new popcorn machine run by the Albion Alumni Foundation. Ed Fancher, Class of 1983, fills a bag of popcorn from the new machine, which Fancher said was faster and did a better job than the old one.
Jean Shervin, Class of 1953, also worked in the booth. They were joined by Debbie Heuer, Class of 1970, and former Albion teacher and coach Doug Miller.
They expected to go through a 50-pound bag of popcorn tonight. The Alumni Foundation is donating the popcorn machine to the High School Student Council, but the alumni will continue to have use of it for future Homecoming football games.
Spierdowis Field is aglow as Albion faced Maryvale during tonight’s Homecoming game that filled the stands and about half of the apron by the track.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 4 October 2013 at 12:00 am
Chris VerSteeg painted this tugboat on the Erie Canal. It’s one of the paintings featured in a new art show about the canal. The opening reception is today from 5:30 to 9 p.m. at Marti’s on Main.
Tony Barry of Holley painted this Erie Canal scene. Several of his works are on display at Marti’s.
ALBION – It runs through Orleans County, the iconic Erie Canal. In the eyes of many artists, the canal and its century-old bridges are a source of inspiration, a peaceful path full of beauty.
Several Orleans County artists are sharing paintings, photographs and other art about the historic waterway during a canal-themed art show at Marti’s on Main, an art gallery at 227 North Main St.
The opening reception will be today from 5:30 to 9 p.m. as part of the monthly First Fridays reception, which gives the public a chance to meet local artists. The latest show includes 11 artists. They have photographed or painted all seasons along the canal. Some of the artwork shows boaters or people walking along the canal.
Most of the paintings show a serene location, the canal set amidst changing fall foliage or tranquil waters.
Connie Mosher painted this scene of a canal bridge during the fall.
The following local artists are part of the canal show: Gallery owner Kim Martillotta-Muscarella, Tony Barry, Susan Rudnicky, Connie Mosher, Suzanne Wells, Rose Patronski, Terry Vick, Stacey Kirby, Christine VerSteeg, Arthur Barnes and Tom Zangerle.
In addition to the canal show, Marti’s is displaying art by the Skoog Family Artists, a group artists who started painting once they retired from their careers. Laurie Groth also has featured works about horses.
The First Fridays events at Marti’s are in their fifth year.
Stacey Kirby painted this winter scene of the canal between the lift bridges in Albion, where canal barges and tugboats are kept when the canal is closed.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 4 October 2013 at 12:00 am
ALBION – Orleans County officials reported today that the State Supreme Court ruled in favor of the county in a lawsuit brought by the CSEA union, claiming the county improperly formed a Local Development Corporation that was tasked with selling the county nursing home.
This is the second time Acting Supreme Court Judge James Punch ruled in favor of the county in a legal challenge about the LDC formed to sell the nursing home, The Villages of Orleans.
“I feel that the judge has once again ruled wisely and justly,” David Callard, chairman of the Orleans County Legislature, said in a statement this afternoon. “We felt confident that we had acted appropriately and legally and the court confirmed that.”
The County Legislature, in a 6-1 vote, created the LDC on Feb. 27. Only Legislator George Bower opposed it, saying the Legislature had previously said it wouldn’t consider selling the facility until 2014.
The Legislature in a super majority vote is moving to sell the 120-bed Villages of Orleans because of the prospect of deficits that could top $2 to $4 million.
Four candidates have formed an independent “Save Our Nursing Home” party line to challenge to the incumbent Republicans in next month’s election. Those candidates say the county has overstated the potential losses and hasn’t work bring more revenue to the facility while reducing costs.
Chairman Callard has stated the best way to preserve the nursing home for the community is to sell the site so it can be run by a private operator. That would ensure a high quality of care for residents, while maintaining jobs and preserving programs, “without dire financial consequences to the taxpayers.”
CSEA represents 135 county employees at The Villages. The lawsuit alleged the county improperly formed the LDC – the Orleans County Health Facilities Corporation – and the county’s fee title is invalid. The suit alleges other “arbitrary and capricious actions” and wrongdoing by the county, including efforts “to circumvent the stringent requirements of public health law.”
The lawsuit noted that the union has a two-year contract running until Dec. 31, 2014. The Legislature in September 2011 also passed a resolution saying the nursing home would remain a public facility, subject to public governance, until at least the end of 2014, according to the CSEA suit.
Acting Supreme Court justice James Punch dismissed the case on Tuesday. Orleans Hub didn’t hear about this until late this afternoon and was unable to get a copy of Punch’s written decision. The Hub should have more on this next week.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 4 October 2013 at 12:00 am
Orleans County is part owner of the race track
Photo from Batavia Downs’ Facebook page – Batavia Downs has been teasing images of the new $27 million expansion and renovation project through its Facebook page.
BATAVIA – Orleans County residents may not realize that our county is part owner of Batavia Downs, which today at noon will open its doors to the public following a $27 million expansion project.
The Downs is owned by Western Regional Off-Track Betting Corp., which was formed 40 years ago when 15 counties and the cities of Rochester and Buffalo entered the OTB business.
At one time, OTB parlors were a booming business, but the expansion of state-sanctioned gambling as well as a downturn in horse racing fans has put OTB parlors in a deficit. The New York City OTB has gone out of business, unable to make money anymore.
Western OTB is the only regional OTB in the state that owns a race track. Western OTB bought Batavia Downs in 1998. It seemed a doomed venture. But 10 years ago the state allowed video gaming machines (which look a lot like slots) in the race tracks. That has proven a major bonanza for WROTB. The video gaming more than offsets losses at OTB parlors and in running live horse racing meets. Some of those profits trickle down to Orleans County.
Orleans and other member counties should reap more money now that Batavia Downs has expanded the gaming floor and improved the amenities at the rack track on Park Road.
I covered Batavia Downs for about a decade for The Daily News in Batavia. There were times the organization was in financial crisis. But video gaming, where customers lose more than $40 million a year in Batavia, has proven a life-saver for WROTB, which shares about half of the revenue with the state.
I won’t be able to stop by Batavia today, but I hope to get out for the formal ribbon-cutting on Oct. 17. I’m not a gambler myself, but it is quite remarkable to see the resurgence of this old race track. If I were a betting man, I would have predicted the building would have been razed to make way for a Big Box store.
The Downs has steadily grown its business while competing against fancier Indian-owned sites in Niagara Falls, Salamanca and the Turning Stone resort in Verona. Those sites give a much smaller percentage of the profits to the state.
New York has embraced gambling, without much protest from its residents. If gambling and casinos are going to be here, I support Batavia Downs getting some of the action and investing in a local site and employing local people. Some of the profits are divvied up to WNY counties that badly need the money.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 4 October 2013 at 12:00 am
ALBION – In June, JPMorgan Chase announced 413 employees at its Albion call center would be out of jobs in September.
That set off a scramble by political leaders and officials at the Department of Labor to help those workers find other job opportunities. Chase hosted five job fairs at its Albion site, connecting employees with 25 prospective employers, including companies like GEICO, Yahoo, Paychex and AMS Servicing.
Many of those employees have found new jobs, including 110 with positions at JP Morgan Chase’s Rochester location, U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer’s office reported.
Claims Recovery Financial Services as hired 55 Chase workers, and CRFS CEO Jodi Gaines said CRFS welcomes more of the workers from Chase, who typically have a shorter transition time to the company due to their background in the banking industry. CRFS announced on Monday it is looking to fill 150 new positions as part of a move to the Chase building.
Schumer reported that GEICO offered positions to 10 former Albion employees and AMS Servicing in Buffalo has made offers to 35 former Chase workers with 28 accepting. AMS is still looking to fill up to 75 new positions over the coming months, his office reported.
“We’re not out of the woods yet, but I am proud of the progress we’ve made in finding new jobs for these workers and I’m optimistic that, with CRFS and CEO Jodi Gaines at our side, we can foster further job growth in Orleans County,” Schumer said in a statement.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 4 October 2013 at 12:00 am
Photo courtesy of Pamela Brower
MEDINA – In August, Buddy started to drag his back right leg. Pamela Brower thought her cat had pulled a muscle.
But then both back legs stopped working. The cat had to drag itself with its front legs.
A trip to the vet revealed the cat had a bulging disc and would need surgery in the thousands of dollars just to have a 50-50 chance to regain use of the back legs.
Brower, an aide at Medina Central School for the past 24 years, pitched an idea to some of the students in Michael Lepkyj’s technology class. Would they try to make a walker/wheelchair for the cat?
The students in the class came up with a contraption that is helping Buddy move inside and outside of the house.
“It is helping him to go out and get around,” Brower said.
The students are now working to make the wheelchair a little wider and higher to better fit Buddy.
Brower is impressed by the students for their ingenuity and their compassion.
“Kids don’t get enough credit these days,” she said.
Click here to watch the video on Facebook of Buddy using the new walker that was created by Medina High School students in their technology class.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 4 October 2013 at 12:00 am
Fund provides about $50K annually to families fighting cancer
Provided photo – Walkers and runners join in last year’s Knights-Kaderli walk and run. About 500 people are expected for the 25th anniversary event on Saturday, beginning at the East Shelby Fire Hall at 11 a.m. Registration starts at 9:30.
MEDINA – Two families that lost loved ones to cancer have been working together for 25 years, raising money for Orleans County residents and their families fighting the disease.
The Knights and Kaderli families on Saturday will have their 25th anniversary run/walk, beginning at the East Shelby Fire Hall. The course covers about 3.5 miles. Organizers say 500 could be attend the event, which would be a record.
“It’s turned into a huge party, said Melissa Knights Bertrand.
Her father, Richard Knights, died from cancer in 1984. Five years later Sue Scharping Kaderli died from the disease.
The walk-run has raised about $200,000 since 1994, with the annual walk/run raising more money as participation has grown. It netted about $20,000 last year. A golf tournament in memory of David Millis of Albion also nets about $15,000, while a wine-tasting organized by the Zinkievich family in November raises $10,000. Other fund-raisers, including a Pink Crystal Ball, help push the fund to about $50,000 total a year.
That money helps about 50 families a year pay for out-of-pocket expenses, co-pays, transportation and other bills. Bertrand and Mary Kaderli Zelazny take requests for aid. A recipient must be undergoing a cancer treatment and must be an Orleans County resident.
“We’re a very unique fund,” Bertrand said. “You can have a check within a couple of weeks. We work really hard to get money to people because we know they are in a desperate need.”
The Knights and Kaderli families share the workload in planning events and managing the fund. Both families are well-known in the Medina area. They have worked to be inclusive, welcoming others in the community to help raise funding for families suffering a physical, emotional and financial toll from cancer.
“We’re there at a difficult time in people’s lives,” Bertrand said. “They let us in and we keep it all confidential. We give to the patients as a gift, expecting nothing in return.”
The Knights and Kaderli families expect to be committed to the fund for many years to come. The grandchildren of Richard Knights and Sue Scharping Kaderli have joined the effort.
For more information’s about the fund or Saturday’s walk/run, check the organization’s web site by clicking here.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 4 October 2013 at 12:00 am
Photo by Tom Rivers
ALBION – Painters from N. Choops Painting in Lancaster didn’t let a morning rain and Main Street traffic keep them from working on the Five Star Bank site in Albion at 102 North Main St.
After painting the back and side of the bank, N. Choops is working today on the front of the building, which is part of a downtown business district listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Several other building owners are tackling improvement projects with help from a NY Main Street grant, which is providing matching funding.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 3 October 2013 at 12:00 am
Photo by Tom Rivers
I’ve wanted to share more from last week’s quick trip to the Albany area, but it’s been a particularly busy week. I hope to have articles about the Million-Dollar Staircase in the State Capitol building, and the impressive Civil War monuments in Ballston Spa and Saratoga.
For now, I want to share a photo of three elevator plaques from the World Trade Center. They are among several 9/11 exhibits in the State Capitol that also include an American flag from the WTC site, and pieces of steel from the fallen towers. There is also a door from a New York City fire truck, a fire hose that was recovered, badges from the state Office of Tax and Finance, and other artifacts from that tragic day.
When the exhibits were unveiled on Sept. 11, 2012, Gov. Andrew Cuomo issued this statement: “Communities throughout New York, our nation, and the entire world felt the impact of the terrorist attacks of September 11th. This year, on the 11th anniversary, we remember the thousands of innocent victims and honor the countless heroes who responded on that day and in the months that followed. This exhibition will serve as a way to educate New Yorkers and those who visit our state about the tragedy that unfolded on September 11, as well as remind each of us about the bravery and courage of our first responders.”
