Photos by Michael Karcz
KENDALL – The school district celebrated homecoming over the weekend, including a carnival on Friday where Kendall students and teachers took pies in the face.
The carnival also included a bounce house and other games and activities. The school district had a parade on Saturday and graduates were welcomed back to participate in alumni soccer and baseball games.
ALBION – It’s our darkest day, Sept. 28, 1859.
It was supposed to a joyous, fun-filled occasion. The annual Orleans County Fair drew waves of people to Albion, and the celebration included a wire-walker, who would attempt to walk across the canal. A rope was strung just west of the Main Street bridge, reaching from the top of a hotel to a block of stores.
There was a wire-walking frenzy back in those days. Jean Francois Gravelet, “The Great Blondin,” walked across Niagara Falls on a tight rope on June 30, 1859. A bunch of copycats sprang up, including one in Albion three months later during the county fair.
The Main Street bridge was packed with 250 people and five horses to watch a wire walker, “a young adventurer from Brockport,” according to a newspaper account. The wirewalker didn’t get far. With a mass of people crowding to see the spectacle, he made it 10 feet. Then the wooden bridge gave out, plunging the crowd into the canal.
At least 15 people died, and many more were maimed and seriously injured.
Here are some of their names:
Perry G. Cole, aged 19, Barre
Augusta Martin, aged 18, Carlton
Mrs. Ann Viele, aged 36, Gaines
Edwin Stillson, aged 16, Barre
Joseph Code, aged 18, Albion
Lydia Harris, aged 11, Albion
Thomas Handy, aged 66, Yates
Sarah Thomas, aged 10, Carlton
Harry Henry, aged 22
Ransom S. Murdock, aged 17, Carlton
Adelbert Wilcox, aged 17, West Kendall
Sophia Pratt, aged 18, Toledo, Ohio
Thomas Aulchin, aged 50, Paris, C.W.
Jane Lavery, Albion
Orleans County Historian Bill Lattin and the Orleans County Historical Association put up a marker near the canal in 2002, noting the canal tragedy. I would like to see the community do more, to remember these children, young mothers and other county residents.
I think a memorial fountain by the canal between the two lift bridges in Albion would be a more fitting recognition of this horrible event. The fountain would also beautify the canal and help draw people to the downtown area.
But this is more about paying our respects.
Albion students are doing their annual Ghost Walk today at Mount Albion Cemetery from 5 to 9 p.m. I know Jane Lavery, who died in the bridge collapse, will be featured.
The bridge collapse was widely covered from newspapers throughout the country. To read accounts from the tragedy, click here.
Lisa Cox of Medina makes a “mud angel” near the end of today’s Mud Run. Her son Austin also completed the course.
Photos by Tom Rivers – Jenny McKenna descends a muddy slope near the canal as part of today’s Mud Run. Jenny completed the course with her sister Kerri and their mother Iva.
MEDINA – Skyler Smith turned 14 today. She told her father her wish: for the two of them to finish the Mud Run together.
So that’s what they did, running and crawling through mud pits, climbing over fallen trees, navigating through a field of tires and conquering a host of other obstacles.
“It was definitely fun,” Mr. Smith said. “It’s a really good family obstacle course.”
The Orleans County YMCA organized the event for 75 participants. It was the Y’s first Mud Run, events that are gaining popularity for their daring feats.
Skyler Smith of Albion leads her father Steve through the file obstacle course in a mud pit in today’s Mud Run to benefit the Orleans County YMCA. Skyler asked for the adventure on her 14th birthday.
Participants climb over logs, one of the many obstacles on the course.
Organizers were happy with the 75 participants, by Y leaders are already considering a shift to the spring, when they think more participants will be eager to conquer the course after being holed up during the winter.
Lisa Cox and her son Austin both completed the run, which took participants through fields, the towpath and trails in the woods. Cox, 34, made a “mud angel” in the volleyball court at Sacred Heart Club, where the race ended.
She didn’t mind all of the obstacles, including a slope off the towpath that was hosed down by firefighters to make extra muddy.
“It was pretty fun,” Cox said. “I just wish there was more mud. I hope we get to do it again.”
Runners head down a slick slope on today’s 3.1-mile trail of challenges.
Photo by Cheryl Wertman
MEDINA – Austin Cox of Medina splashes through the last mud pit to complete his “Mud Run” today, when about 75 people took part of the first-time event for the Orleans County YMCA.
Orleans Hub will have more on this later.
Medina firefighters Josh Wolck, left, and Matt Jackson serve as the honor guard for a new firefighters’ memorial in front of City Hall.
Photos by Tom Rivers – A crowd gathered at 11 a.m. today for the dedication service for a new memorial to Medina firefighters.
MEDINA – A stone memorial in honor of Medina firefighters was dedicated today in front of City Hall, a monument that includes the names of two firefighters who died in the line of duty.
Chief James Schooly died in 1934 and Lt. Darwin Ehrenreich perished in 1954 while on calls for the department. The Fire Department also has started a memorial brick walkway that includes the names of deceased firefighters who were either full-time paid firefighters or who were callmen with at least 20 years of service. Their names are inscribed in bricks.
Fire Chief Todd Zinkievich said the names of the honored firefighters “won’t be slid in a drawer and never heard from again.” Current firefighters often share stories about their predecessors, and speak with affection of the past generation of firemen.
“Please remember your family members will live in our hearts each and every day and will never be forgotten,” Zinkievich said at the dedication, which was attended by many friends and relatives of the honored firefighters.
Medina Fire Chief Todd Zinkievich addresses about 50 people during a dedication service for a new firefighters’ memorial.
Firefighter Jonathan Higgins helped plan the memorial. He said the current firefighters are grateful to have careers where they can serve the community. Medina has 13 paid firefighters who run an ambulance service that is the primary responder for those calls in western Orleans.
Medina Mayor Andrew Meier said the memorial is a reminder of the dedication of village personnel. The department dates back to 1832.
“All of us are standing on the shoulders of those who came before us,” Meier said. “This is a legacy we have inherited from our grandfathers and fathers.”
He called on current residents of the community to keep working in service, establishing a legacy that will keep Medina moving forward.
“We need to lay a foundation for future generations just like our predecessors did for us,” Meier said.
State Assemblyman Steve Hawley was one of the speakers at today’s dedication. He praised the Medina Fire Department for protecting residents’ lives and property.
“Firefighters are the lifeblood and backbone of our community,” he said.
Don Marchner, a Medina firefighter, speaks at the podium during today’s dedication ceremony. Marchner said the names of deceased Medina firefighters who were callmen for at least 20 years. They each have their names memorial bricks in front of the firefighters’ memorial.
The fire department’s Benevolent Association paid for the monument, which includes an inscription of “The Firefighter’s Prayer.”
The memorial brick walkway includes the names of the following past career firefighters:
Assistant Chief Joseph Stillwell, who served from 1923-1947; Edward Pahura, 1941-1953; Louis Button Sr., 1941-1960; Fred Board, 1941-1961; Chief Ralph Whiting, 1941-1969; Lt. Edward Ehrenreich, 1942-1968; William Board Sr., 1944-1965; Lt. Frank Eppolito, 1947-1969; Donald Cook, 1953-1976; Lt. Richard Clark, 1960-1986; Assistant Chief Alex Hewitt Jr., 1964-1988; Lt. Jason Drought, 1965-1987; Douglas Maynard, 1968-1995; Brian Kwiatkowski, 1985-2008; and Kenneth Dunn, 1994-2007.
The following past callmen were honored:
Lous Metz, Robert Fox, Trever Reynolds, Anthony Santillo, Carl Furness, Charlie Dutcher, Shane Ackerson, Floyd Harris, Raymond Riches, Percy Renouf, Harold Miller, Walter Dillon, Steve Champlin, Robert Foss and Berard Feltz.
Brian Kwiatkowski, a Medina fireifghter from 1985 to 2008, is among those honored with a memorial brick.
Photos by Tom Rivers – Kim Lockwood, owner of Fast Fitness in Medina, cuts the ribbon for the new location of her business, a site which more than doubles the space and allows her to add more equipment and amenities. State Assemblyman Steve Hawley, left, was among Lockwood’s supporters to join in today’s grand opening.
MEDINA – Kim Lockwood led tours of a sauna, an aqua massage machine, an indoor walking and jogging trail, and she showed off numerous pieces of exercise equipment.
“It’s a dream come true,” said the owner of Fast Fitness in Medina.
Today she cut the ribbon for her new location, and welcomed a stream of guests inside the gym, which on most days is off-limits to any men.
Lockwood opened the business in Albion in 2004. She sold that location and opened a gym in Medina in 2010. Fast Fitness is a women-only gym. It has grown to about 300 members. Lockwood said the close-knit group is like a second family.
Kim Lockwood is pictured inside her Fast Fitness gym at the former Hahn Hardware in Medina.
Kim Lockwood was surrounded by many friends and family, including her daughter Alicia Thiel at right, during a ribbon-cutting celebration earlier today at the new location for Fast Fitness.
On Sept. 1 she moved from a cramped site on Main Street to the former Hahn Hardware location at 627 West Ave. The gym has more than doubled in size, allowing for more equipment and amenities.
“This gives the ladies a great place to go where they are comfortable,” Lockwood said.
Roger Andrews, owner of the building, redid the bathrooms and added showers and a locker room, while also creating space for a massage table. The building has new heating and air-conditioning, windows and siding. He plans to replace the roof next spring.
He praised Lockwood for her passion for the business, and for pushing for excellence.
Amanda Groves is one of three personal trainers working at Fast Fitness. She’s also the assistant manager.
“Our gym used to be very small with less equipment,” she said. “The women really love it here. We’re 300-plus members and we’re growing.”
Lockwood’s decision to have the gym for women only is a big attraction for the members, Groves said.
“If women are working out and trying to lose weight, they can be self-conscious,” Groves said. “We’ve created a loving, kind and nonjudgmental atmosphere.”
Photo by Tom Rivers – Two 2010 Dodge Caravans recently replaced older vans in the Orleans Joint Veterans Council’s fleet of vehicles that are used to take veterans to medical appointments. Pictured, from left, include sign maker Greg Stanton, program coordinator Gloria Kuhn and Paul Fulcomer, the county’s Veterans Service Agency director.
ALBION – Nine months ago the Orleans Joint Veterans Council put the word out that its fleet of vans was getting old. Many of the six vehicles were well past 100,000 miles.
The council sent out 150 letters, asking for help to replace some of the aging vans. One anonymous donor offered to give a 2010 Dodge Caravan to the council instead of trading it in. Many people also stepped up with financial support. That allowed the council to buy another low-mileage Dodge Caravan.
That has made it a little less stressful for the volunteer drivers and their passengers. The “new” used vans are less likely to break down on a trip to the Buffalo VA.
The council acquires and owns the vans, and the VA pays for the gas and maintenance. The service is free to veterans.
The two new vans have decals advertising the transportation service for veterans. Greg Stanton of Stanton Signs designed and put on the decals. Stanton, a veteran, has been going to the VA in recent years. He praised the quality of care.
He said more veterans should pursue medical care through the VA, which is no charge to veterans.
“At the Batavia and Buffalo (VA), everybody welcomes you,” Stanton said.
But getting to the appointments can be a challenge for many elderly vets, or younger veterans who may not drive or who battle disabilities.
In 1996, the council started the volunteer-run transportation service. That first year about 200 veterans were driven to medical appointments, mostly in Batavia and Buffalo.
The organization now has six vans that delivered 1,015 veterans to appointments in 2012, taking them to Batavia, Buffalo, Canandaigua, Syracuse and Bath. The council has eight volunteers scheduling rides and 22 driving the vans. They put in 5,210 volunteer hours last year.
Gloria Kuhn, the volunteer coordinator, praised the office crew and drivers for their dedication.
“We have a wonderful program here,” she said. “We’re very proud of what we do.”
The council welcomes more volunteers. Owen Toale, a retired newspaper publisher with 27 years in the military, started volunteering a few years ago. He often drives a van twice a week. He said it is very rewarding to help the vets access needed medical care.
Toale helped rally donors to replace two of the vans. He said the council needs to work on raising money to replace more vans in the near future.
For more information on the program, call (585) 589-2856.
Press release, Lee-Whedon Memorial Library
Photos by Tom Rivers
MEDINA – Today is the last day the public will see the inside of Lee-Whedon Memorial Library in Medina before the West Avenue site receives a $272,000 makeover.
Library staff have been busy boxing up the collection, which will be moved to six storage pods in the parking lot. The library will be closed beginning tomorrow for about five weeks.
In 1966, Medina opened a new public library. The inside of the 11,000-square-foot building hasn’t been altered much since then. But that will change over the next five weeks.
Lee-Whedon is paying Sicoli Construction Services of Niagara Falls $272,000 for a number of improvements, including the following:
A complete makeover of the interior including ceiling tiles, paint and carpeting. New colors, fabrics and textures will provide a pleasant and welcoming environment. Lighting fixtures will also be upgraded.
The Children’s area will be reconfigured to provide improved space for group activities. A new Teen Center will include a study area and improved technology access.
Computer capable study areas are planned. High-speed Internet access points with upgraded computer technology will assure improved speed, ease of use, and security.
The shelves and display areas will be reconfigured for increased accessibility and efficiency. All public sections of the building will be compliant with the Americans with Disabilities (ADA) Act.
Several mechanical issues will be addressed including improved exterior lighting, electronic controls for the heating and ventilation systems and upgrades to the electrical services.
Boxes are stacked on the shelves as part of the impending relocation to storage pods in the parking lot.
MEDINA – When a Mercy Flight helicopter needs to transport a patient from Medina, the helicopter lands in a grass field on Ohio Street near West Center Street.
The patient has to be pushed by stretcher over the grass, which can be a difficult trip if it’s muddy or if there’s snow on the ground. Sometimes, after it has rained, the helicopter will land and get stuck in the field.
Medina Memorial Hospital wants to rectify these problems by constructing a 40-by-40-foot helipad. The site would have a curb cut and 80-foot-long driveway so ambulance crews could drive close to the helicopter and avoid unloading patients on a busy street.
“It will be a lot better situation, a much safer situation all around,” Marty Busch, Medina’s code enforcement officer, told members of the Orleans County Planning Board on Thursday.
The board backed the new landing zone. Most of the property will remain grass. The field is often used by children for youth sports. They will only see a small area of the field paved.
The Medina Fire Department also supports the new paved helipad. The current grass field, which requires patients to be unloaded from an ambulance in the street, puts firefighters and patients at risk, according to a letter from Jonathan Higgins, a Medina firefighter. Ambulance crews then have to push patients by stretcher to the current grass landing zone.
“The emergency providers have to carry patients over snow banks and wheel the stretcher through the mud with the current situation,” Higgins said. “This makes it difficult in providing good and safe patient care.”
The new helipad will cost about $10,000. Shelby Stone, Keeler Construction and Art Hill Excavation are all either donating services and materials or offering them at a discount.
The Planning Board also supported Rick Stacey’s proposal to build a detached 64-foot by 100-foot storage building in the town of Albion at 4015 Oak Orchard Rd. The building in the Light Industrial District will be next to RS Automation.
Photos by Tom Rivers
Samuel Williams, a Cub Scout, and Daniel Grabowski, a Boy Scout, bait their hooks this evening while venturing out on a dock, trying to get closer to the fish.
ALBION – Scouts in Albion kicked off a new year this evening by going fishing in an old quarry on Keitel Road. The Albion Sportsmen’s Association owns the old sandstone site.
Sawyer Braley, 9, caught this fish near a quarry wall. His father Jeff, a Scout leader, helped get the hook out. Jeff was an Eagle Scout when he went through the Scouting program.
Jeff Baron, the father of a Tiger Cub, took a turn fishing. About 50 Scouters and their family members baited hooks with worms, corn and lures. It was a serene fall day with the leaves starting to change.
Jonathan Judd, 9, gets his hook ready. Jonathan was popular among the Scouts this evening. He brought along some extra worms.
Zack Baron, 6, attended his first Scouting meeting tonight and was happy to try his luck fishing. Zack is a Tiger Cub for first-year Scouts.
SARATOGA SPRINGS – I visited Saratoga for a good part of Wednesday, and was happy to go exploring after giving a presentation in the afternoon about farmworkers.
The American Farm Bureau Federation has a three-day Promotion & Education Conference in Saratoga. I was asked to drive out and talk about my experiences in 2008, working with farmworkers from Mexico, Jamaica and Haiti.
I gave my presentation and headed out for a look around the city. Saratoga is home to a race track, and there is horse-themed stuff everywhere, including horses mounted on top of buildings. Many businesses work horses and horse-related logos into their names.
There are horse images on numerous city signs, including those for public parking (they put a horse logo on that). One of their bike racks utilized part of an cast-iron hitching post. It was mounted in the sidewalk. I thought that was pretty cool.
The city has 34 fiberglass horses sprinkled all over town and all in different themes. Batavia has some of these, too. They look nice, and every one seems to have someone gawking at it, taking a photo.
I think a lot of us associate Saratoga with horses. But I didn’t know the city is home to the National Museum of Dance. The museum wanted some recognition, and didn’t just want people to think horses whenever Saratoga was mentioned. So the museum this year did its own public art project.
There are 5-foot-high fiberglass pointe shoes all over the city, 24 in all and many have a funky painting pattern.
I drove around hoping to see the famous race track but I couldn’t find it and got sick of the traffic. So I wandered around on foot and came across a bronze jockey on a bronze horse. It’s right on the main street in the business district.
I thought that was a smart move putting the sculpture right on the main drag, rather than in front of the race track.
Saratoga also has a history steeped in minerals. They have some nice public displays about their mineral industry. I took photos, trying to get some ideas for how we could better show off our Medina sandstone roots in Orleans County.
There are several Orleans County officials in Saratoga for a few days this week. The New York State Association of Counties has its annual meeting, and the group picked a Saratoga hotel to meet and develop its agenda for the coming year. I happened to see Jay Gsell, the Genesee County manager, out for a walk on Wednesday evening. We chatted in front of the horse hitching post/bike rack.
Photos by Tom Rivers – A monument to Civil War hero General Philip Henry Sheridan was erected next to the state capitol building in Albany.
ALBANY – I don’t have a bucket list of things I must do before I die, but if I did a trip to Albany to see the Million-Dollar Staircase would certainly be on it. Consider that one checked off.
Today I was in Albany with the main mission to see the staircase. It’s awesome. As a Medina sandstone enthusiast, the staircase in the state capitol building has left me in a near state of shock. I will write more on this in a separate “Sandstone Heritage” feature.
But I will give you a couple teaser photos before you get the full treatment. The staircase took more than a decade to build, and required hundreds of stonecutters to carve the faces of famous presidents and Americans in columns throughout this staircase.
What a bold move by the state leaders back then, pushing to tell American history through carvings in stone. I will have more on this, but you’ll have to wait.
I’m not a guy who likes driving in cities, and it took a meandering journey to get to the capitol this morning. My indirect route showed that Albany is loaded with Medina sandstone, and these buildings from the mid to late 1800s seem particularly fancy, reflections of the Empire State when New York was a powerhouse and the state capitol was overflowing with wealth.
That is clear in the state capitol building. The sprawling stone structure took 32 years to build. It was finally done in 1899 and cost $25 million. That would be about a half billion now. The building is designated as a National Historic Landmark.
One of the architects for the state capitol, Henry Hobson Richardson, had already designed the Richardson Complex in Buffalo, a massive building made of Medina sandstone. That building is considered one of the finest architectural marvels in the country. Richardson loved Medina sandstone and I bet he pushed to have so much with the state’s signature staircase. (Click here for a story on the Richardson Complex.)
Before I got to the capitol building, I encountered a statue of “Sheridan” on a horse. General Philip Henry Sheridan was a celebrated Civil War hero. He was also an Albany native and the city wanted to honor its native son.
A commander of the Union Army of the Shenandoah Valley, Sheridan is best remembered for 20-mile gallop on his famous horse Rienze. Sheridan rallied his retreating troops to victory at Cedar Creek, Va. His cavalry also blocked General Lee’s escape at Appomattox.
The monument was dedicated in Capitol Park on October 7, 1916.
By Bill Lattin
Orleans County Historian
ALBION – Pictured here in the summer of 1943 are employees of the Birdseye Lab, which was located on South Main Street in Albion. The back of the lab building appears in the background. The McNall Funeral Home is to the far left.
Front row, from left: Charlie Byrne, Sy Pomper (s), Ruth Adamy (s), Fern Chase (s) and Jessie Nenni. Back row: Hunter Cohen (s), Helen Collins, Bill Lee, Helen DiJuilio, W. Enzie and John Swenholt. The (s) signifies the person was a summer worker. Dr. Dykstra, supervisor, was absent from the photo.
Note the glass bottles of Coca-Cola in this picture, which was taken when the employees were on break.
Photos by Tom Rivers – Holley’s Canal Park has become a popular spot for boaters, campers and others out for a stroll.
HOLLEY – David Dill, Holley’s deputy mayor, knows many people, including residents of Holley and Orleans County, drive through the village on Route 31 and don’t realize the village is home to a waterfalls, a canal park and trail linking the sites.
“You don’t know how many people live here and tell me they don’t know it’s here,” Dill said.
The attractions are widely praised once they are discovered.
The village is working to put up “wayfinding” signs on Route 31 so people are directed to the sites that are only a few blocks off Holley’s main road.
The canal park is on East Avenue, right next to Holley lift bridge on the Erie Canal.
The waterfalls are on Frisbee Terrace. Drive past Save-A-Lot, the village sewer plant and head to the end of the street to discover the waterfalls.
The Holley Waterfalls is an asset for the Holley community. The village has recently added a pavilion, grills and other amenities near the waterfalls.
The signage will be paid for through $67,500 Brownfield Opportunity Area Program grant from the state. Most of that money helped Holley complete Phase 1 of a plan to identify brownfields in the community and begin developing action steps for reusing the property.
The old Holley High School and the former Diaz Chemical sites are the most prominent locations that need attention. Dill said the plan looks at other underutilized sites in Holley or properties that may be contaminated. Holley is seeking additional funding for Phase 2 of the plan.
The first phase paid for a parking study of the business district. That report showed there are 203 parking spaces within two blocks of the Public Square, which is plenty of parking for businesses, Dill said. Those spaces include a lot next to the old school.
Photo by Tom Rivers – The fountain at Holley’s Public Square, originally erected in 1914, could be upgraded with some of $15,000 targeted for streetscape improvements in Holley.
HOLLEY Contractors will soon be at work at several Public Square sites in Holley, making improvements on buildings from more than a century ago.
The village last December was awarded a $250,000 Main Street grant from the state, which provides matching money for building projects in the downtown.
Dan and Monica Seeler are doing the most extensive project, turning the former Tagg’s Tavern into a steak and seafood restaurant.
Other building owners are tackling projects. Jonathan’s Pastry Shop and Café will have a new façade. Lisa’s Dance Boutique is replacing second-floor windows and repointing some of the roof. VP Supply is working on a vestibule for its Geddes Street building. Nancy Penna may also renovate apartments on Thomas Street.
The projects will give the downtown area a big facelift, and may encourage other building owners to invest and improve their sites, said David Dill, Holley’s deputy mayor.
“It’s going to make that end of the Square look really nice,” he said.
Holley also has $15,000 from the grant for streetscape improvements. Village officials are considering using that money to refurbish the fountain, built in 1914, and add new benches. Dill said the village is open to ideas for spending that money.
Holley also also has been awarded a $30,000 state grant for records retention. The grant will fund scanning many of Holley’s paper documents into digital files. That includes board minutes, payroll records, and birth and death records. The paperwork goes back many decades.
