MEDINA – Lee-Whedon Memorial Library’s interior renovation project was expected to keep the library closed from Sept. 9 through Sept. 30.
But the project has been delayed due to material availability issues, library officials said today.
“Originally scheduled for September, the project has been rescheduled for October,” said Catherine Cooper, library director. “Firm dates will be announced as soon as possible. The board and staff apologize for this inconvenience.”
The project will replace ceiling tiles and carpet, and the walls will be repainted. The library also plans to upgrade HVAC controls and replace the large window in the Quiet Room.
Contributed Story Posted 4 September 2013 at 12:00 am
Photo courtesy of Holley Central School
HOLLEY – Holley Central School officials as well as local and state elected leaders joined for a ribbon-cutting celebration in front of the junior-senior high school on Tuesday evening. The district is nearly done with about $32 million in capitol improvements to the campus.
Pictured, from left, for the ribbon-cutting include: former Board of Education President John Heise, current board members Robin Silvis, Jack Welch, Norman Knight, Holley Mayor John Kenney, BOE Vice President Kellie Spychalski, State Assemblyman Steve Hawley, BOE President Brenda Swanger, Town of Clarendon Supervisor Dick Moy, Town of Murray Councilwoman Kathy Case, BOE members Sal DeLuca and Anne Winkley, and former board member Dorothy Morgan. Following the ceremony, residents, parents and students toured the campus to see new features including a new light court, library, dining hall and science labs in the junior-senior high school, plus a new bus garage and other upgrades to the schools.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 4 September 2013 at 12:00 am
Provided photo – Rachael Kiefer is pictured with Gemma, a purebred Blue Merle Sheltie. They won grand champion at the State Fair for dog agility.
LYNDONVILLE – A 16-year-old from Lyndonville and her dog Gemma, a purebred Blue Merle Sheltie, were named Grand Champion at the State Fair in the dog agility competition.
Rachael Kiefer has been training with Gemma for nearly two years. Last year she was named the novice grand champion at the State Fair.
Dog agility is a timed obstacle course for dogs with colorful tunnels, jumps, teeters and walks. Rachael and Gemma started in the Orleans County 4-H program under the direction of Ron and Pat Leight.
Gemma was purchased at a breeder and has a champion show dog bloodline, but is too small for show dog requirements.
“Gemma was the puppy hiding in the back of the litter, very timid and unsure,” said Rachael’s father George Kiefer. “Rachael took a liking to her and took the challenge to work with a timid puppy.”
Rachael met her trainer, Jim Sliker of Agility Dream Dogs, during an agility demonstration during the Lyndonville July 4 celebration. Sliker helped Rachael and Gemma become Orleans County and State Fair champions.
Rachael and Gemma also competed at Nationals in Springfield, Ohio, in June, winning several first and second place finishes for trials in the junior dog ability handler division.
“Rachael and Gemma have formed a bond that goes beyond agility and is rooted in friendship,” Rachael’s father said. “Gemma waits patiently at the door every day for Rachael to come home from school. Rachael lights up at the sight of Gemma.”
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 4 September 2013 at 12:00 am
Farm has more than 300 heirloom varieties waiting to be picked
Photos by Tom Rivers – Chris Oakes, orchard manager at LynOaken Farms, holds a Redfield apple, a variety that was developed in 1938. The apple has a red flesh and pink seeds. It’s one of the heirloom varieties in a new U-Pick orchard at the farm.
LynOaken has more than 300 heirloom varieties available in a U-Pick orchard that opened on Sept. 1. The farm believes it is the biggest collection of heirloom varieties available in one location for the public to pick.
MEDINA – More than a century ago, long before Honeycrisp and Empire apples were favorites among apple lovers, Ben Davis was all the rage.
Ben Davis was a popular apple that was tough and could endure being shipped across the ocean in a barrel. That variety faded from the public’s memory and appetite long ago.
A local fruit farm has brought the apple back, as well as about 300 other heirloom varieties, in a new U-Pick orchard on Route 104 in Medina.
LynOaken Farms partnered with a local Amish horticulturist, David Schlabach, to create a living museum of heritage apples. One of the oldest varieties, Winter White Permaine, has 13th-century roots.
“We wanted to show the genetic diversity and history of some of the apples,” said Chris Oakes, orchard manager for LynOaken.
The farm opened the new U-Pick site on Sept. 1. It will be available to the public until Oct. 27. The many apple varieties ripen at different times through the harvest season.
Chris Oakes (pictured) and his father Darrel developed the heirloom orchard with help from local horticulturist David Schlabach.
The farm has 5.5 acres of heirloom apples, plus U-Pick trees full of modern popular varieties, such as Honeycrisp, Jonagold and Empire apples.
Many of the heirloom varieties are smaller with rugged skins, not nearly as shiny as the popular varieties these days. Many of the varieties were grown for their hard cider qualities. They have a bitter taste resembling crab apples.
Some of the old apples are famous, including the Spitzenburg, which was Thomas Jefferson’s favorite apple. He planted 32 of those apple trees at Monticello between 1807 and 1812.
The heirloom apples are a short walk from the Leonard Oakes Estate Winery, which the Oakes family opened in 2008 at 10609 Ridge Rd.
Katie Oakes, who is married to Chris Oakes, is manager of the farm’s new outdoor pavilion which is the base for the U-Pick operation. It also will be used for special events. It was featured during last weekend’s Steampunk Festival.
Besides the new U-Pick site, LynOaken also just opened a new outdoor pavilion and special events center. Chris’s wife Katie is managing that site, where people can grab a wagon to go apple hunting.
The farm is happy to combine its roots as apple growers with its recent adoption of grape-growing and wine-making.
“We’ve come full circle,” said Jonathan Oakes, the winemaker for Leonard Oakes.
The Ridge Road site also has a wine-tasting room and gift shop.
“We’ve tried to make this a destination,” Chris said. “We have a lot of things going on.”
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 4 September 2013 at 12:00 am
Albion police seek public’s help after another attempted burglary
ALBION – A State Police helicopter circled over the village for more than hour last night after another attempted break-in on the night before the first day of school.
Albion police were dispatched at 8:48 p.m. to the 200 block of Chamberlain Street in the village for a suspicious condition, Police Chief Roland Nenni said. A citizen reported that a noise was heard and two males were seen running from the rear of a neighbor’s home.
Police discovered there had been another attempted burglary by cutting a window screen and opening the window.
Albion and several police agencies searched for the suspects, but were unable to locate them and make an arrest.
The investigation is ongoing, Nenni said. Anyone with information regarding this case or other burglaries that have occurred recently is asked to contact the Albion Police Department.
The Albion Police Department’s investigation was assisted by the Orleans County Sheriff’s Office, Orleans County Major Felony Crime Task Force, Medina Police Department K-9 Unit, Niagara County Sheriff’s Office K-9 Unit and the New York State Police Aviation Unit.
Police advise residents to secure all first floor windows and doors and to immediately report any suspicious activity.
“The investigations into the recent burglaries have revealed that many citizens have seen the suspects and their activity and failed to report it until the next day,” Nenni said. “It is crucial to report all suspicious activity when it is occurring or as soon as possible.”
YATES – A Kendall resident has been charged with second-degree attempted murder of a state trooper following a traffic stop on Tuesday night, state police reported.
Carlos J. Botello, 42, of Kendall, was stopped by Trooper Dan Metz. Botello allegedly attempted to back over the trooper. Metz avoided being struck, but Borello smashed into a state police vehicle.
Botello then fled the scene by vehicle. Metz pursued the suspect until Botello entered into a farmer’s field and became disabled, police reported.
Metz took Botello into custody without further incident and transported him to the State Police barracks in Albion. Orleans County District Attorney Joseph Cardone was consulted and recommended charging Botello with attempted murder 2nd.
Botello was arraigned in the Town of Yates Court and remanded to the Orleans County Jail on $250,000 bail.
The incident began at approximately 8:20 p.m., when Metz was dispatched to a suspicious vehicle/erratic operator on Route 18 in the town of Yates. Metz located the vehicle and attempted to effect a traffic stop.
Botello did not stop immediately and a brief pursuit ensued. The vehicle eventually pulled over and Metz cautiously approached the vehicle. The operator looked back at Metz, put the vehicle in reverse and accelerated directly at him, state police reported.
The Daily News of Batavia is reporting that Botello 19 years ago fired six shots into the home of a sheriff’s deputy. Botello has spent three terms in state prison, and is currently on post-release supervision.
Botello faces several charges in addition to attempted murder. Police charged him with two counts of driving while intoxicated, aggravated unlicensed operation, failure to keep right and unlawful fleeing from a police officer.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 3 September 2013 at 12:00 am
School district celebrates $32 million in upgrades
Photos by Tom Rivers – Holley Central School Superintendent Robert D’Angelo addresses a crowd tonight before a ribbon-cutting ceremony in front of the refurbished junior-high school. A big crowd attended an open house to see the improvements. The Holley Board of Education is pictured next to D’Angelo. Board President Brenda Swanger is holding the scissors.
HOLLEY – School district residents and students walked into the middle-high school foyer this evening and many couldn’t believe the sweeping changes in the school.
The building has been transformed in the past three years, the result of $32 million in capital improvement projects. The last of the major work was completed over the summer.
“This is a very historic time for the district,” Superintendent Robert D’Angelo told about 200 people this evening during a ribbon-cutting ceremony. “Other than the exterior walls this is a brand-new junior-senior high school.”
Several hundred more people showed up after the ribbon-cutting to tour the revamped school.
“It looks so much better,” said Nicole Boyle, a junior at Holley. “It’s like a new school.”
Community members, including Village Trustee David Dill, front left, eagerly walk through the foyer and head towards the hallways.
The cafeteria was relocated away from the instructional wing and the new space includes large windows.
The school was built in the early 1970s in the “open classroom” model with most of the classrooms in the center of the school building without access to the windows and natural light on the outer walls.
Students knew the school didn’t meet the standards of buildings at many other nearby districts, Boyle said. But that is no longer the case.
“We’ll definitely be more proud of our school,” she said while passing out maps to the community as they crowded into foyer before dispersing into the hallways. “It will make the students more proud of Holley.”
The community in May 2010 approved the $27.4 million project, which followed a $4.1 million upgrade.
The improvements were spread throughout the district campus. There is a new transportation facility for buses, a new athletic field and all-weather track. The school buildings have new roofs.
The junior-high school received the most attention, with the cafeteria moved out of the instruction portion of the school. That reduces noise and disruption for teachers and students.
The hallways have new lockers and a nice shine.
The district created an inner light corridor some all classrooms now have access to existing light. The corridor includes many plants.
The new cafeteria is in an addition with big windows that let in lots of light. The district also added a “light corridor” in the center of the school to allow natural light for classrooms in the interior.
“It changes the attitude and climate of the building,” said Principal Susan Cory. “Kids will want to be here to learn.”
The changes are more than cosmetic. Classrooms are outfitted with new technology, including new science labs.
“Teachers have more technology resources,” Cory said. “They have to deal with less noise and they have more flexibility in running their classes. The focus is really on instruction.”
The project also relocated the library from a classroom wing to near the foyer in the former nurses area. The library has 10,000 books, a bigger circulation desk and the latest in technology.
“It’s a bigger space, and it’s brighter and cleaner,” said Lisa Osur, the school librarian. “It’s more purposeful.”
The library is close to the guidance counselors. If college representatives are visiting to meet with students, they can use an office in the library.
The new library, created in the former nurses wing, includes 10,000 books and lots of new technology.
John Heise was the Board of Education president while Holley secured two public votes and then all the approvals through state Education Department officials. School officials met numerous times with contractors to get the project started and finished on time without going over budget.
Heise, a former Holley principal, was on the board until June 30. He chose not to seek re-election. He greeted many of the community members today as they walked into the new-look junior-high school.
“We’ve always had a good school,” he said. “But having a building like this tells the kids they are important and valuable. So I want to thank the community for sending that message.”
Press release, Orleans County Sheriff’s Department
CLARENDON – A motorcyclist was injured this morning in a one-vehicle crash in Clarendon.
The incident occurred shortly after 9:30 a.m. in the 4600 block of Holley-Byron Road (State Route 237) in the town of Clarendon. James A. Cox, 61, was operating 1996 Harley Davidson and failed to negotiate a curve.
Cox ran off the east side of the roadway and laid the bike down in an open field. He was transported by Clarendon Fire Department Ambulance to Strong Memorial Hospital in Rochester with non-life threatening injuries.
The incident was investigated by Sergeant D.W. Covis.
WATERPORT – For the first time in seven years Project Life is welcoming the arrival of two war orphans from Afghanistan.
The children from Jalalabad will spend two months in Orleans County for Project Life’s annual War Orphans Rehabilitation Program. The young Afghan boys will join other orphans from around the world for rest and recovery in the peace of the western New York countryside.
“We are delighted and so grateful that we were able to get these Afghan orphans here,” said Linda Redfield, program director for Project Life. “The security situation in Afghanistan has been very difficult for years now, but with amazing help from local friends there and our elected representatives here we have now succeeded in restarting our Afghan program.”
Project Life is an all-volunteer, locally based program that brings small groups of orphans here every summer from international war zones. The children are hosted by local families and benefit from daily English instruction, art therapy, physical recreation, and lots of field trips in the area. They also receive free medical and dental care donated by local health professionals and medical facilities.
At the end of the program the orphans return to their extended families in their home countries.
“After two months of peace and relaxation with caring American volunteers, the orphans go back happier, healthier and much more hopeful about their future,” Redfield said. “They have family at home who love them – but they also have lifelong friends here.”
Sen. Chuck Schumer and Congressman Chris Collins, through their local offices, offered invaluable assistance to Project Life and played a vital role in making it possible for the two Afghan war orphans to join this year’s program.
Press release, Orleans County Sheriff’s Department
RIDGEWAY – A noon-hour Labor Day crash sent four teen-agers from Medina to the hospital.
The incident occurred shortly after 12 p.m. in the 2500 block of Angling Road in the town of Ridgeway. A 2005 Chevrolet Cavalier was travelling north in an unpaved section of Angling Road when the driver lost control of the car. It crossed the roadway, ran off the west side and struck a utility pole.
The driver of the vehicle is identified as Austin A. Heideman, 16. The front seat passenger is identified as Michael D. Moore, 17, whose father owns the car. The rear-seat passengers were Julie M. Luczak, 17, and Summer Wisniewski, 15.
Moore and Luczak were flown to Erie County Medical Center in Buffalo by Mercy Flight helicopter. Wisniewski was transported to ECMC by ground ambulance. Heideman was transported by ground ambulance to Medina Memorial Hospital. None of the injuries are believed to be life-threatening.
Initially deputies were lead to believe that Moore was the driver of the car. However, after investigation it was determined that Heideman was behind the wheel at the time of the crash. He is facing numerous traffic charges including unlicensed operation, reckless driving, and unsafe speed. He will appear in Town of Ridgeway Court at a later date.
The incident was investigated by Deputy J.W. Halstead, with assistance by Sergeant D.W. Covis.
MEDINA – Congressman Chris Collins (R-Clarence) will stop at LynOaken Farms and Leonard Oakes Estate Winery today to discuss the Cider Industry Deserves Equal Regulation Act.
Collins, a member of the House Agriculture Committee, introduced the bipartisan CIDER Act that would change the outdated definition of hard cider in federal tax law, allowing the industry to expand and boosting demand for apples, including those grown in New York.
Collins will detail the legislation during a 4 p.m. visit at LynOaken Farms and Leonard Oakes Estate Winery in Medina, 10609 Ridge Rd.
The business both grows apples and produces hard cider. Collins will also be joined by members of Orleans County’s agricultural community.
ALBION – Sheriff Scott Hess wants to remind everyone that all area schools are back in session this week. School buses are back on our roadways, and students will be walking along streets and highways, waiting for their buses.
“This is the time of year when we ask motorists to be especially watchful in residential areas, along school bus routes, and in school zones,” Hess said. “Children and traffic are often a deadly combination because kids often make impulsive decisions that can result in grave consequences. Drivers must never assume that children walking to or from school will make responsible, mature decisions.”
The NYS Governor’s Traffic Safety Committee recommends the following:
Please watch carefully for children near school buildings, in areas where school buses are traveling, or where there are signs for school zones or bus stops.
Motorists please remember that if you are approaching a school bus from either direction, and its yellow lights are flashing, the bus is preparing to stop.
If the red lights are flashing on the school bus, you must stop. It’s the law and the penalty for violating it is severe.
The Orleans County Sheriff’s Office wishes everyone a safe return to school and continued safety throughout the school year!
School starts today for two Orleans County school districts – Kendall and Lyndonville.
On Wednesday, Albion, Holley and Medina will welcome back returning students and a new crop of kindergarteners.
Holley students will return to a campus with major renovations over the summer, including a revamped foyer, and upgraded library, dining hall, resource room and new offices.
Contractors have worked for two years on a $27 million capitol improvement project, the largest in Holley Central School’s history. Holley will celebrate the completion of the project with a ribbon-cutting in front of the high school at 5:30 p.m. today. The campus will be open for tours until 8 p.m.
The project overhauled high school side of the middle-high school, replacing roofs on that building plus the elementary school, while also tearing down the current bus garage and building a new transportation facility.
The district also built a new football field and all-weather track, and tackled a series of other improvements.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 2 September 2013 at 12:00 am
Top hats, goggles and robotic arms among the accessories
Photos by Tom Rivers – Several hundred people attended the Steampunk Festival Saturday in Medina at Leonard Oakes Estate Winery. Many of the attendees wore Steampunk outfits, including this group, from left: Angela Loveland of Niagara Falls, and siblings Adam Cordell and Katie Cordell of Mercersburg, Pa.
Walter Quinn, a chef by trade, created a futuristic costume for Saturday’s Steampunk Festival.
MEDINA – The future met the Victorian past, a clash of cultures that mixes long, lacy dresses with robotic arm extensions.
Leonard Oakes Estate Winery hosted its third annual Steampunk Festival over the weekend, and hundreds of people attended the celebration of Victorian culture in a post-apocalyptic world.
“The nice thing about the Steampunk Festival is it takes a little imagination,” said Walter Quinn, one of about 150 participants in costume on Saturday.
Quinn, 55, of Kenmore used a shower head as a arm extension for his costume. He attached the hose from the shower around his boot. He had a flashlight protruding from his googles. At the end of the flashlight, he put in a ping pong ball that looked like an eyeball.
Quinn, a chef by trade, attended with his wife Bonnie in Victorian costume and their friends.
Gerry Szymanski of Rochester pulled out a top hat and pince nez glasses for the Steampunk Fest.
Gerry Szymanski of Rochester wore a top hat from the 1870s and a pair of pince nez glasses from the 1890s, similar to the style wore by Teddy Roosevelt, for the Steampunk Fest.
“Steampunk is a mix of the 19th Century and the fantastic,” Szymanski said.
Leonard Oakes hosts the festival and promotes it with the winery’s hard cider. The business branded its alcoholic apple brew as “Steampunk Cider.” That brand taps a steampunk movement that has been growing in the past 10 years with some people embracing a world and culture that was powered by steam engines, which provided the power before the Industrial Revolution.
“It’s classy, cool and stylish,” said Adam Cordell, who drove to the Steampunk Fest from Mercersburg, Pa.
This group of friends from near Buffalo was among the crowd at Saturday’s Steampunk Festival at the Leonard Oakes Estate Winery in Medina. The group includes, from left: Dan Lelito of Orchard Park, Alyssa Barrett of Cheektowaga, and Bonnie and Walter Quinn of Kenmore.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 2 September 2013 at 12:00 am
Photos by Tom Rivers – Emily Bannister, left, and her sister Jayne are pictured with their Angus cattle that took the top two spots at the State Fair last Wednesday in Syracuse. Emily’s heifer, “Proven Queen 2056,” also was named the Supreme Champion for all female winners from the county fairs in the state.
POINT BREEZE – The Bannister sisters, Emily and Jayne, pulled off an impressive feat at the State Fair on Wednesday, winning the top two spots in the Open Angus Show.
Emily, 20, was named grand champion with her heifer, “Proven Queen 2056.” That’s big news in the beef community. It’s even bigger news because Emily’s sister Jayne, 16, won reserve champion with “QVS Georgina.”
There were about 70 entries in the competition that featured some of the top Angus in the state, as well as animals from outside New York including Canada.
“There’s a lot of quality animals at the State Fair,” said Emily, who graduated from Cobleskill State College in May with an associate’s degree in animal science. She has a concentration in beef and livestock.
She has returned home to work with her father Roger on the family farm, Excelsior Farms, a beef and fruit farm along Route 98 in Point Breeze.
The two girls have both been showing animals since they were little kids at the Orleans County 4-H Fair. They started competing at state and national events in 2011.
They have learned from the competitions and an Angus community where they say people help each other, sharing tips to improve the quality of their animals.
Emily Bannister, 20, holds the trophies she won at the State Fair last week – Supreme Champion Female and Grand Champion Angus.
Emily’s 1,100-pound heifer features many desirable traits, such as a long and straight back, wide shoulders and ribs, and other qualities that can be passed along with breeding.
Emily and Jayne have both won the grand master showman award at the Orleans County 4-H Fair. Emily aged out of 4-H after last year and couldn’t show at the fair in Knowlesville this year.
She entered the open class event in Genesee County in July and her heifer was named best female among all breeds. That earned her a trip to the State Fair, representing Genesee County. Jayne won the Orleans Fair and the two were part of a prestigious show last Tuesday, featuring 33 of the county champs around the state.
Jayne and “QVS Georgina” advanced in the early rounds before being knocked out. But Emily and “Proven Queen 2056” kept advancing. A panel of six judges would ultimately declare Emily and Proven Queen the grand champions.
“I was so excited for her and for our farm to see our stock perform so well at the State Fair,” Jayne said.
The two sisters spend hours in the barn working together with the animals. They admitted there is a sibling rivalry between the two for the most ribbons and top awards.
“There is always a friendly competition between us for bragging rights,” Emily said.
She said she will be hard-pressed to repeat next year. She looked at her sister and smiled.
“There is a lot of stiff competition,” Emily said.
