By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 23 July 2014 at 12:00 am
ALBION – The board of trustees at Hoag Library in Albion will interview three finalists this evening for the library director position.
Any of the three could step in immediately and be an effective leader for the library, said Kevin Doherty, president of the board.
Doherty and the other board members will interview each of the finalists. A search committee narrowed an initial pool of 19 applicants to the three finalists.
“We want someone who is good at personnel and budget management, but who isn’t a bean counter,” Doherty said. “The director will need to also be an excellent media specialist and librarian.”
HOLLEY – The Holley Rotary Club was recently recognized by Rotary International and Rotary District 7090 for having the highest retention rate in D7090, which includes Rotary clubs in Western New York and Southern Ontario.
The Holley club lost no members during the 2013-2014 Rotary year. The club has held this distinction for two straight years. Pictured above (left to right) with the citations are Past President Robert Miller and current club President John Pedley.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 23 July 2014 at 12:00 am
Photos by Tom Rivers – Bo Parton, 2, sits on the shoulders of his uncle Ethan Bannister during last night’s Orleans County 4-H Fair. Bo’s aunt Jayne Bannister is participating in several livestock showing events.
Special Event: Orleans County 4-H Fair 2nd Annual Motorcycle Cruise-In. Free admission for bikes parking in the Buzz Hill Education Center Lot.
Special Event: Senior Citizen Coffee, free Coffee for Senior Citizens from 1pm to 4pm, compliments of the Orleans County 4-H Senior Council
Strolling Entertainment: Amazing Magic Joe, throughout the grounds, 5-9 p.m.
8 am: Senior Council Stand Opens
8 am: Goat Show (Dairy, Companion, and Pack) – Knights Building
9:30 am: Dressage Horse Show – Carlos Marcello Arena
10 am: $5 Admission per car Starts
John Gabalski, left, of Byron and Ian Smith of Lyndonville watch while the judge, Jim Goodrich, looks over their rabbits. They had three entered in the meat pen competition, which judges rabbits in groups of three. The rabbits will be part of Saturday’s market animal auction at 4 p.m.
10 am: All Buildings Open
10 am: Bread and homemade butter demonstration – Trolley Building
11 am to 1 pm: Nutrifare Senior Luncheon with Al Howe (Food will be served at 12:00pm) – Curtis Pavilion
12 pm: Leader’s Pie Stand Opens
12 pm to 2 pm: Pottery by Megan Demos with pottery wheel – Trolley Bldg.
1 pm: Story Time: Sponsored by the Holley Community Library – Trolley Building
2 pm: Orleans County 4-H Fair Photography Contest (open to public with advance entry. Call 585-798-4265) – Trolley Bldg.
2 pm: Poultry Knowledge Bowl – Orleanshub.com Center Stage
3 pm: Story Time: Sponsored by the Holley Community Library – Trolley Building
3 pm to 8 pm: Orleans County 4-H Fair 2nd Annual Motorcycle Cruise-in – Education Center parking lot
Lydia Piazza sings “Giddy On Up” by Laura Bell Bundy during’s Tuesday’s karaoke competition. Singers will compete Thursday in the karaoke finals at 8 p.m., when $1,000 in prizes will be awarded.
3 pm to 10 pm: Midway Rides of Utica $20 unlimited rides wristband – Midway
3 pm: Dog Knowledge Bowl – Orleanshub.com Center Stage
4 pm: Dairy Cattle Showmanship – Show Arena
4 pm: Chainsaw Chix – Log Cabin
4 pm to 7pm: Pottery by Megan Demonstrations with pottery wheel – Trolley Building
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 22 July 2014 at 12:00 am
Photos by Tom Rivers
KNOWLESVILLE – Emma Rose Mathes, 12, of Barre brushes out a sheep at about noon today. Emma will be showing three sheep during Thursday’s sheep show at 6 p.m.
The sheep lets out a “bah” while Emma Rose Mathes brushes it out today. Emma also is showing a beef cattle, dairy cow, chicken and goat during this week’s fair at the 4-H fairgrounds.
Emma Ambrose of Medina clears a hurdle with her horse during this morning’s horse show at the fairgrounds.
Jessica Suttera of Rochester competes in the hunter over fences junior competition at the fair. She finished third and fourth in this morning’s competitions.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 22 July 2014 at 12:00 am
Photo by Tom Rivers – Robert Ortt, the North Tonawanda mayor who is running for State Senate, stops by the Republican booth at the Orleans County Fair on Monday evening and chats with Nancy Spychalski, left, and Kathy Case.
KNOWLESVILLE – Robert Ortt stopped by the Orleans County 4-H Fair on Monday. He will be back on Thursday for the chicken barbecue. He said local residents can expect to see him in Orleans often.
“You’ll be sick of seeing me because I’ll be here so much,” he said Monday evening while talking with people next to the Republican Party booth.
Ortt, 35, is running for the State Senate. He stepped in and was endorsed by Republican Party leaders in three counties after George Maziarz’s sudden announcement last week that he wouldn’t seek re-election.
Ortt has been North Tonawanda’s mayor the past 4 ½ years. He served in the National Guard and was deployed to Afghanistan from March to December 2008. Prior to being elected mayor, he served as the city’s treasurer and then clerk-treasurer.
Those experiences as a leader would make him an effective advocate for the area, whether seeking state resources for local communities or pushing to repeal unpopular and unconstitutional laws such as the SAFE Act, Ortt said.
At the Orleans Fair he signed a pledge to work to repeal the SAFE Act. He met with local leaders of the Shooters Committee for Political Education and then signed the pledge.
Maziarz signed a bill to repeal the SAFE Act. Ortt said he would do the same and would also try to work with other state legislators, including Democrats, to build support to oppose the law.
“This isn’t an issue that will just go away,” Ortt said. “In Orleans and Niagara there are a number of sportsmen. It’s a very important issue to them. There are a number of law-abiding gun owners.”
Republicans in the State Senate currently have a small majority and Gov. Cuomo has made wresting the Chamber to Democratic control a priority for this November’s election. Ortt said if the Senate switches to Democratic control, the SAFE Act will stand.
“We want to keep the Senate in Republican hands so we have a shot at repealing it,” he said. “There are some Democrats out there, hopefully, they would be for repealing it especially because of the way it was passed. It left a bad taste in a lot of folks’ mouths.”
The law was passed without public hearings.
His experience as mayor of a city of about 30,000 people shows him how the impact of state mandates, and their impact on local government budgets, he said. The mandates, without state funds to pay for them, is the prime driver for property taxes at the local level, Ortt said.
“Unfunded mandates that come out of Albany and are passed down to localities,” he said. “These unfunded mandates are a major reason there are high property taxes in Upstate New York.”
Localities need more options and discretion for providing state-mandated services, and more resources to implement the programs, he said. Otherwise it will be difficult to reduce the property taxes.
“The state needs to tackle local government issues,” Ortt said. “A better environment for local governments would bring down taxes.”
New York Power Authority and the state also should use more low-cost hydropower to keep and attract businesses for Western New York, and profits from the power plant should also be used to reduce electricity rates in the region, Ortt said.
“We need more low-cost power to provide jobs,” he said. “It’s a huge incentive for providing jobs.”
Ortt faces a Sept. 9 primary against Gia Arnold of Holley. She will be at a booth at the fair all week. She would like to have a series of debates with Ortt in the 62nd District, which includes all of Orleans and Niagara counties, as well as the towns of Sweden and Ogden in Monroe County.
Arnold said defeating Cuomo, who has a big lead in the polls over Rob Astorino, would be the best way to repeal the SAFE Act.
“Realistically you need Gov. Cuomo out of office and you have to build support from the other legislators,” she said.
Arnold, 24, knows she is viewed as a long-shot candidate but she and her supporters have been encouraged by recent upset defeats of incumbent Republicans, including Eric Cantor, the House majority leader from Virginia.
When Cantor lost in June, Arnold said her inbox filled with messages from her supporters.
Photos by Sue Cook – Senior showman Janie Schutz talks to the beef show judge Andrew Hoelscher about her animal.
By Sue Cook, staff reporter
KNOWLESVILLE – The Orleans County 4-H Fair’s evening events are really starting to pick up with more to do and see on the county fairgrounds.
The show arena had full bleachers for the beef showmanship competition this evening. Many of the animals will become part of Saturday’s meat auction at 4 p.m.
The novice class received one-on-one advice to help them prep for next year’s beef show.
The rabbit costume contest also took place Tuesday evening. Children were given the opportunity to dress their rabbits up in humorous ways to win awards.
Zach Albright and his rabbit dressed as a pair of Albion soccer players. Zach’s rabbit won Most Athletic.
Meagan Hardner dressed her rabbit as a dish of ice cream with a cone. She won Most Original. Behind her, Brian Shaw’s tango dancer rabbit was awarded Funniest in Show.
Adia Wachob’s rabbit wore a cute little watermelon dress and received Fruitiest in Show.
Owen Shaw costumed his rabbit as a bumblebee and won Best Insect.
Angela Wachob dressed herself as a bee and her rabbit as a flower. She received Best Owner/Animal (costumed pair).
Nate Shaw’s tuxedo and top hat rabbit received Best Dressed.
Farmer Zak tells a corny joke.
On the lawn near the Knights Building where goats and sheep are located, there is the nightly performance of the Barnyard Review.
Farmer Zak is joined by his friends as they perform a comedy, music and magic act that kids and adults will love. The group also teaches farm safety and education during the performance and asks for audience participation.
Farmer Zak and Miss Amanda dance a square dance together after she magically pops out of a box that appeared empty moments before.
Another nightly event is the Small Fry Pedal Tractor Pull. It takes place in front of the fair office on a 45-foot course.
Sophie Kroening, 4, from Knowlesville was a successful contestant making it all the way to the end.
Pedal tractors pull a sled that becomes harder to drag the farther it is moved, just like a full-size tractor pull sled. Children received water and participation ribbons for finishing the course.
Three-year-old Jacob Duffina of Medina also championed the course and went the distance.
Orleans Hub will continue to post a daily schedule of fair events, so check back to see what’s on the day’s agenda.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 22 July 2014 at 12:00 am
Canal communities urged to cater to cyclists
Photos by Tom Rivers – These four cyclists pass through Hulberton on Sunday, headed west to Albion where they said they would be staying at Dollinger’s Motel.
A new report that measures the economic impact of the Erie Canalway Trail counts $253 million in annual economic activity from the trail, with cyclists providing the bulk of that impact.
A study commissioned by Parks & Trails New York, a not-for-profit park and trail advocacy organization, found that the 360-mile-long trail also supports 3,440 jobs in canal communities through visits by 1.58 million people.
Communities can better capitalize on the trail with improved signage, amenities and lodging, according to the report. If visitors stay overnight, they spend far more in the community. Overnight guests represent 18 percent of the trail visitors, yet they generate 84 percent of overall spending.
Chris Van Dusen isn’t surprised to see the big numbers associated with the report. He opened Trailside Bicycles in Hulberton in June 2013. He sees one or two boaters pass by on the canal most days. However, he sees far more cyclists, typically 20 to 40 a day.
“Cyclists will be the lifeblood of the canal,” he said.
The village of Albion recently added four new bike racks to make the downtown more accommodating to visitors on bike. This bike rack is near the First Presbyterian Church.
Some cyclists travel in organized rides. Others travel on their own. Van Dusen believes Orleans County and other canal communities could be more welcoming and entice the cyclists into their downtowns to spend money. Each canal town should have signs pointing to lodging, restaurants, showers and other points of interests, said Van Dusen, who worked as a professional cycling guide.
“The general community doesn’t have any idea of the volume of traffic on the trail,” Van Dusen said. “The Baby Boomers are giving up their golf clubs and getting on their bikes.”
Day-trippers spend an average of $26.37 per visit on the canal, according to the report, while overnight visitors spend $531.47 per person. For the overnight visitors, 47 percent of their spending goes to lodging or camping fees, with 26 percent spent at bars and restaurants.
Cyclists stop in Albion on the Main Street lift bridge during the July 14 “Cycling the Erie Canal” ride.
The canal trail has tremendous name recognition, yet other trails are more popular because of the amenities for cyclists. That includes coordination with bus and train companies at the beginning and end of trails some cyclists can easily bring their bikes back to a car near where they started their ride.
Van Dusen said the Great Allegheny Passage between Washington, D.C. and Pittsburgh, Pa., should be viewed as a model for being bike-friendly. The Katy Trail in Missouri has also been successful in drawing more cyclists than the canal trail, according to the report.
The Erie Canal trail could use more mile markers to let cyclists know how close they are to villages and canal towns, Van Dusen said.
Even with some shortcomings, the canal trail is popular and sought out by cyclists for its tranquil ride.
“People just love it,” Van Dusen said. “They can go on autopilot and not worry about cars and traffic.”
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 22 July 2014 at 12:00 am
Photos by Tom Rivers
KNOWLESVILLE – Whether showing pigs or performing dance, the Orleans County 4-H Fair provided a venue for displaying talent on Monday evening.
In the top photo, Justine Laverty performs to “Monster High” with other members from the Dance Theater in Medina. The group finished second in the 12 and under category at the Talent Show and advanced the State Fair.
The Swine Show drew a crowd on Monday evening. Rylie Lear, 14, of Waterport won the junior showman and then was reserve champ in the master showman event.
This trio from Lisa’s Dance Boutique in Holley dances to “Rollover Beethoven.” The dancers include, from left: Olivia Amoroso, Kamryn Berner and Emilie Weinbeck.
This group from the Dance Theater in Medina finished second in the 13 and over category during Monday’s Talent Show at the Orleans County 4-H Fair. Dominique Hughes, left, is joined by Abby Jones and Danielle Metz in performing “Ultimate Grand Supreme.” They qualified for the State Fair.
Jayne Bannister of Point Breeze won the master showman title after taking the award a year ago at the fair.
Jayden Neal of Albion competes in the junior showman event.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 22 July 2014 at 12:00 am
Photos by Tom Rivers – A boy walks across an airborne maze, one of the carnival rides at the Orleans County 4-H Fair on Monday. Midway Rides of Utica is providing the entertainment.
8 am: Senior Council Stand Opens
9:30 am: English Horse Show – Carlos Marcello Arena
9:30 am: Dog Show (Classes 5-22 and C3) – Show Arena
10 am: $5 Admission per car starts
10 am: All Buildings Open
10 am: Horticulture I.D. Contest – Center Stage
12 pm: Leader’s Pie Stand Opens
12 pm to 4 pm: Rabbit and Cavy Showmanship – Wachob Pavilion
1 pm: Story Time: Sponsored by Albion Community Library – Trolley Building
2 pm: Rabbit and Cavy Knowledge Contest – Wachob Pavilion
Don Stirk, center, of Albion joins other veterans at the opening ceremony Monday for the Orleans County 4-H Fair.
3 pm: Story Time Sponsored by Albion Community Library – Trolley Building
3 pm to 10 pm: Midway Rides of Utica $20 unlimited ride – wristbands – Midway
4 pm to 8:30 pm: Master Gardener – Lawn of Education Center
4:30 pm: Airplay Jugglers – Orleanshub.com Stage
5 pm: Beef Showmanship and Show – Show Arena
5 pm: The Barnyard Review: Entertainment for your whole family – Lawn South of Knights Building
6 pm: Registration Ends for Small Fry Pedal Tractor Pull – Fair Office
6 pm: AirPlay Jugglers – Orleanshub.com Stage
6 pm: Rabbit and Cavy Costume Class and Cloverbud Show – Wachob Pavilion
ALBION – In this picture from 1904 we see the race track, two grandstands full of people and the judges’ stand.
The photo is entitled: “Ready for the Trot at the County Fair.”
At the time horse racing was Americans’ favorite sport. The fairgrounds was located off West State Street in Albion with numerous buildings including stables and a very fine race track.
