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Ace Hardware store transforms former Jubilee in Medina

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 29 May 2013 at 12:00 am

Photos by Tom Rivers – The former Jubilee in Medina has been gutted and turned into a hardware and lumber business at 342 East Center St. Ace Hardware opened the site last month following more than a year of renovations.

MEDINA – When Roger Andrews was at the closing to buy the former Hahn Hardware in Medina, local attorney Andrew Meier asked Andrews his long-term goal for the store.

Andrews said he would likely need more space. He wanted to offer more lumber and other choices for customers. That was on April 11, 2011.

Meier, who also serves as Medina’s mayor, suggested Andrews take a look at the former Jubilee store on East Center Street. That building had been empty since 2006, closing soon after Walmart opened a Supercenter in Albion.

Andrews, 42, went to see the former Jubilee and immediately saw possibilities in the vacant and run-down property. He acquired the site from the county by paying $100,000 in back taxes.

For 13 months he worked at transforming the 26,000-square-foot building. The store was gutted, with walls taken out to accommodate an Ace Hardware. Andrews opened the Ace on April 22 to praise from the community. He held the grand-opening celebration on May 18-19.

“It’s really cleaned up that end of the business district,” Meier said.

Roger Andrews, owner of the Ace Hardware in Medina, talks with customer Gloria Short at the former Jubilee site, which was renovated in a 13-month project.

The former Jubilee is a large building at the gateway to the downtown business district, coming on Route 31 from Albion. Meier said other building owners have also invested in that part of the village. He noted improvements by Lyon’s Collision and Tom Snyder, owner of Medina Lumber and Hardware.

“It’s great to see that continued investment at the end of the village,” Meier said.

Andrews said the former Jubilee site has tripled the space for hardware supplies. The other side of the building includes room for lumber. Andrews said the site has 36,000 different products and he will add more if there is a demand for them.

“With this style and layout it is so much easier for the customers,” Andrews said. “It’s bigger and brighter. You have aisles you can walk up and down.”

Andrews also owns an Ace Hardware in Derby, south of Hamburg. He has 26 years in the business, starting as a teen-ager.

Mark Watts of Medina shops in the plumbing section at the Ace Hardware in Medina.

He praised the Medina community for the renaissance in downtown Medina, with several new businesses opening in recent years and building owners tackling big renovation projects.

“The community has done such a great job on Main Street,” he said. “It’s definitely on an upswing.”

He changed the façade of the former Jubilee to make it look like a store from the early 1900s. He said the building provides a nice transition to the historic district.

“It would have been a shame to let this building sit,” he said. “This is the right project for this spot.”

He is working with tenants to use the former Hahn site on West Avenue across from the library. And Andrews is looking at other spots in Medina for other projects. But he’s going to hold off for now after working so hard to change the former Jubilee site.

“I want to do other rehab projects in Medina,” he said. “But I promised my wife I’d take a break.”

Father, son shed 150 pounds, run half marathon together

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 29 May 2013 at 12:00 am

Photos courtesy of Thom Jennings – Thom Jennings and his son Thom Jr. both ran the Buffalo Half Marathon on Sunday, finishing the 13.1-mile course in 2 hours, 11 minutes.

ALBION – It started as a bet. Who could lose the most weight?

Thom Jennings and his two brothers-in-law had a friendly competition last year. Jennings won, losing 100 pounds through better nutrition and exercise.

This year he wanted a new goal. He set out to run a marathon. He wanted to train for the 26.2-mile race by running with his 24-year-old son, Thom Jr. The two have run five races together, with Sunday’s half marathon in Buffalo their biggest race so far. They crossed the finish line together in 2 hours, 11 minutes. There were 6,000 runners on the course.

“It was a great experience,” said Jennings, 46, of Albion. “Running has an incredible cross section of people.”

Jennings has used running to stay fit. He said he has far more energy and zest for life as a slimmer person. He works as social worker in Niagara County. He also writes music reviews and features part-time, and is a lead singer for a local band.

His son, 24, has lost more than 50 pounds since getting serious about exercise in November. Thom Jr. works for an advertising company in Buffalo. He is engaged to Erica Graham of Albion.

“I was never into running,” Thom Jr. said “But running on the streets of Buffalo, through the first ward and past the grain mills, was such an adrenaline rush. When you’re running with thousands of other people, you’re high on life.”

The father and son are pictured in May 2011, when Thom Jr. graduated from college.

The two plan to run the June 8 Strawberry Festival race together, choosing the longer 8-kilometer distance, rather than the 5k.

“It’s one thing to have the goal of losing weight, but we’ve tried to make it fun,” Thom Jr. said.

The father and son want to run a fall marathon together. Then they’re thinking about trying an ironman event, which includes running, swimming and biking.

Albion Lions give $2,500 in scholarships, $5,000 to Y project

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 28 May 2013 at 12:00 am

Photos by Tom Rivers – The Albion Lions Club is giving five Albion High School seniors each $500 in scholarships to help pay for college. The students were invited to the club’s meeting tonight at the Masonic Lodge on Platt Street. The group includes, from left: Dennis Smith, member of the Lions scholarship committee; Sarah Papponetti; Gretta Smith; Lions Club President Wilfred Moss; Tanisha Moyer, Michael Patterson; and Bob Galbreath, member of scholarship committee. Alison O’Hearn was unable to attend the Lions Club meeting.

ALBION – A year of fund-raising, from selling geraniums to sausage, bore fruit today when the Lions Club in Albion awarded five scholarships for a combined $2,500. The club also presented a check for $5,000 to the Orleans County YMCA.

“We like to support the kids in school,” said long-time member Dennis Smith, a member of the scholarship committee.

The club awarded $500 scholarships to the following students: Tanisha Moyer, who is headed to Niagara County Community College to study psychology; Sarah Papponetti, a physical therapy major at Nazareth College; Michael Patterson, who will study engineering at Harvard University; Alison O’Hearn, a biology and pre-med major at Grove City College; and Gretta Smith, an undecided major at Monroe Community College.

The club also presented a $5,000 check to the Orleans County YMCA, which is raising money for a $400,000 capital project in Medina at the former armory. The organization has increased its efforts in Albion, running child care and summer camps.

“They’ve expanded throughout Orleans County,” Smith said. “We think it’s worthwhile to support them.”

The Lions Club also is giving $5,000 towards the $400,000 capital campaign for the Orleans County YMCA in Medina. The organization has expanded its programming in Albion. Pictured, from left: Lions Club President Wilfred Moss, Y Board President Dean Bellack, and Dan Parker, Lions vice president.

Sandstone Heritage – St. Paul’s Cathedral, Buffalo, NY

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 28 May 2013 at 12:00 am

Episcopalians built massive church with stone from Hulberton

Photos by Tom Rivers – St. Paul’s Cathedral, built in Buffalo by the Episcopal Church in 1851, was built from Medina sandstone that came from the first quarry in Hulberton.

The building is located on Pearl Street in the heart of downtown Buffalo.

BUFFALO – In 1849, the congregation of St. Paul’s Episcopal Church was told by prominent church architect Richard Upjohn to build its new church out of limestone.

The church was wealthy and had 1,000 members. But it wasn’t that wealthy. Limestone was costly because the stone is so difficult to quarry.

“The church vestry didn’t think we could afford limestone,” said Martha Neri, the church archivist.

A church member swayed Upjohn to use Medina sandstone in designing the building. Sandstone is softer, easier to quarry and the stone was prolific about 50 miles down on the canal in Orleans County. Upjohn agreed.

St. Paul’s would need a lot of stone for the cavernous Gothic revival church in the heart of Buffalo. Henry Streater represented the church and went looking for sandstone. He found it in Hulberton.

Streater bought about 3.5 acres at $80 an acre from Samuel Copeland, according to St. Paul’s church records. It was the first quarry in Hulberton.

The curved columns in the sanctuary also are made of Medina sandstone.

The stone was quarried and sent by the canal to Buffalo. It would be used to build a church that is listed as a National Historic Landmark.

I walked into St. Paul’s on Sunday for the first time. I nearly fell over walking into the sanctuary.

This place is overwhelming with its high ceiling, stained glass and curved columns made of sandstone.

Upjohn earned fame for the Gothic revival style with his design of New York’s Trinity Episcopal Church in 1846. That style has windows that are shaped to look like praying hands.

“You see those windows and you know it’s a church,” Neri told me.

The church has numerous stained-glass windows that are framed by sandstone. The window over the altar, which shows Christ’s ascension, was made by the Henry Holliday and Company of London. The 11 disciples are also depicted.

The Gothic revival style also is mysterious and romantic – “There’s something unpredictable around the corner,” she said.

The church opened at 128 Pearl St. in 1851, but wasn’t quite done. The 300-foot-high spire was finished in 1870, and used stone from a different Hulberton quarry owned by Alfred Squire. (The carriage step owned by the Squire family is in front of a house on East State Street in Albion, now owned by Joe and Debbie Martillotta. Mr. Martillotta rescued the carriage step a few years ago.)

St. Paul’s is a tremendous showcase for Medina sandstone. Even the pulpit is made of sandstone.

The pulpit was carved from Medina sandstone.

I’ve been trying to build a database of Medina sandstone sites on the National Register of Historic Places. St. Paul’s made the list in 1973. But that designation was upgraded in 1987, when St. Paul’s was named a National Historic Landmark. (There is one National Historic Landmark in Orleans County – The Cobblestone Society Museum.)

I showed up unannounced at St. Paul’s on Sunday. I just ran the half marathon in Buffalo. I smelled. I was disheveled, wearing jeans and an old green sweater from Dale’s Market in Albion.

St. Paul’s parishioners are a well-dressed group, but they didn’t seem put off by my appearance. I asked about the church’s history, and was directed to Neri, who then gave me an hour-long recount about Medina sandstone and its use in the church.

Neri has been coming to St. Paul’s for 25 years. The Williamsville resident loves the cathedral atmosphere inside St. Paul’s.

“Here I find refuge and renewal,” she said. “It’s quiet and sophisticated. It’s elegant and majestic. It says, ‘God is awesome.’”

The church is part of a cluster of buildings that are gaining national prominence, drawing tourists to Buffalo. The Guaranty Building, designed by Louis Sullivan, is next door and is also a National Historic Landmark. It’s one of the first steel-supported, curtain-walled buildings in the world. When it was built in 1895-96, it was the tallest building in Buffalo.

The Guaranty Building, a National Historic Landmark next to St. Paul’s, is part of a cluster of architecturally significant buildings that are drawing tourists to Buffalo.

Just last month the Society of Architectural Historians held its conference in Buffalo and a tour of St. Paul’s was on the must-see list for the 600 attendees.

Although Upjohn, the church designer, initially favored limestone, Neri said the Medina sandstone has proven remarkably durable and was an excellent choice for the cathedral. On May 10, 1888, the church was nearly destroyed by fire. Only the outer Medina sandstone walls and spires remained.

The church today has about 150 members. There are Sunday services at 9 and 11:15 a.m. Boys and girls choirs draw families to St. Paul’s, giving the church a new generation to continue its mission in the future.

The church proudly displays a marker about its designation as a National Historic Landmark.

Neri believes the church is on an upswing, and will appeal to more people as part of Buffalo’s heritage movement, where several historic buildings have been renovated in recent years. More people are moving to the downtown loft apartments, Neri said.

I told Neri about the plans for a Medina Sandstone Hall of Fame, and my dream to have quarrymen memorial sites in Medina, Albion and Holley – communities where the immigrants worked in quarries to unearth and shape the stone that is so prominent in some of the region’s finest buildings. Neri said we should be proud of the quarrying heritage in Orleans County.

“You guys are important,” Neri told me. “Where would we be without you?”

4 candidates running for Holley trustees

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 28 May 2013 at 12:00 am

HOLLEY – Four candidates, all with experience on the Village Board, are running for two trustee positions in the June 18 village election.

The group of candidates includes former mayor Stanley “Skip” Carpenter, who is running under the Independent Party. Former village trustees Nancy Penna, People’s Party, and William Quaranto, Family Party, also are vying for trustee. Incumbent Brian Sorochty, Taxpayer Party, is seeking a term. He was appointed to the board in March after Lewis Passarell resigned.

Incumbent Ross Gaylord has decided against re-election.

The trustee terms are for two years. The election will be at the village office with polls open from noon to 9 p.m.

A ‘calming place’ takes shape in Albion

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 28 May 2013 at 12:00 am

Photo by Tom Rivers

ALBION – Lisa Bierdeman works to dig a hole for a plant while helping her mother Brenda Bierdeman create a sensory garden on Platt Street in Albion. The two spent part of Memorial Day on the project.

Bierdeman is a licensed clinical psychologist who works out of 27 South Platt St. She acquired the vacant lot next door and has been cleaning it up, and adding flowers, plants and small trees. She will include a balance beam at ground level, a slide and a bridge over a rock garden.

The garden is designed for children with autism and other sensory disorders.

“It will be a place that is really calming,” Bierdeman said.

Her daughter is a University at Buffalo doctoral student in physical therapy.

Day-old baby left with Medina FD

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 28 May 2013 at 12:00 am

MEDINA – A one-day-old baby was handed over to Medina firefighters on Saturday as part of the state’s Safe Haven Law, which allows a parent to leave a baby, up to 30 days old, “with any responsible person at a suitable location in New York.”

The Medina Fire Department then took the baby to United Memorial Medical Center in Batavia.

“It’s very, very rare,” Fire Chief Todd Zinkievich said about having a baby dropped off at the fire hall.

He praised firefighters on duty for accepting the baby, and following the parameters of the law.

“The guys absolutely did the right thing,” Zinkievich told the Village Board during tonight’s board meeting. “We’re not allowed to ask any questions.”

Mayor Andrew Meier said the baby’s mother also deserves praise for bringing the child to the fire hall.

“There were a lot of other choices the mother had,” he said.

Click here for a link about the state’s Safe Haven Law.

Meet the U.S. presidents from Buffalo

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 27 May 2013 at 12:00 am

Millard Fillmore and Grover Cleveland both led the nation

Photos by Tom Rivers – This 9-foot-high bronze statue next to Buffalo City Hall depicts Millard Fillmore, a Western New York native who served as U.S. president from 1850 to 1853.

Grover Cleveland is the only U.S. president to serve two non-consecutive terms and the only president to have his wedding in the White House. He married Medina native Frances Folsom, who was 21 at the time.

BUFFALO – The former presidents from Buffalo watch over the city, standing confidently by a busy traffic circle.

I’ve driven by the presidents before. Yesterday I took time to stop and see them.

The 9-foot-high statues of Millard Fillmore and Grover Cleveland are at opposite ends of the city hall in Buffalo in front of Niagara Square. The statues are black bronze, mounted on 6-foot-high blocks of granite.

Buffalo and upstate New York were influential in national politics more than a century ago. Besides the two presidents, William Seward of Auburn was a front-runner for president in 1860, losing to Abraham Lincoln. Seward served as Lincoln’s powerful secretary of state.

Millard Fillmore

Fillmore (Jan. 7, 1800 to March 8, 1874) served as Zachary Taylor’s vice president from 1849 to 1850. When Taylor died suddenly, Fillmore became the country’s 13^th president, the last member of the Whig Party to hold the office.

The statue of Fillmore was dedicated in 1932, when city hall opened in Buffalo.

He was president during a turbulent time with the country debating slavery, particularly whether it should be allowed in new territories annexed during the Mexican-American War. Fillmore backed the Compromise of 1850, which included the Fugitive Slave Act, requiring northerners to return runaway slaves to their southern owners. Fillmore is often rated in the bottom tier of country’s presidents.

Fillmore, a lawyer, was influential in Western New York. He was co-founder of the University at Buffalo and helped start the Buffalo Historical Society and Buffalo General Hospital. He also served in the State Assembly and U.S. Congress.

Grover Cleveland

Cleveland (March 18, 1837 to June 24, 1908) served as Buffalo’s mayor, Erie County sheriff, and New York governor before being elected as president. He served in the role from 1885-1889 and again from 1893-1897. He was the 22^nd and 24^th presidents, the only person to serve two nonconsecutive terms.

While president in 1886, he married 21-year-old Frances Folsom of Medina, the only time the ceremony was held in the White House for a president. Cleveland was a friend of Folsom’s father, Oscar. The Clevelands had five children.

The statue of Cleveland stands on a 6-foot-high granite base.

Cleveland was the only Democrat elected president during an era of Republican domination, from 1861 to 1913. He fought for political reform and fiscal conservatism. His second term was plagued by the Panic of 1893 that resulted in a national depression.

Cleveland is regarded for his high principles and bold actions. He intervened in the Pullman Strike of 1894, working to keep the railroads moving. That intervention angered the labor unions. Another bit of trivia about Cleveland: He was on the $1,000 bill from 1928 to 1934.

Cleveland’s statue in Buffalo stands on a block by city hall with the inscription: “I have tried so hard to do right.”

William McKinley

An article on Buffalo presidents wouldn’t be complete without talking about William McKinley. He came to Buffalo on Sept. 6, 1901 to speak at the Pan-American Exposition, a World Fair that showcased inventions and innovations. In Buffalo, electricity was the buzz of the event more than a century ago.

McKinley was shaking hands with the public when he was shot by Leon Czolgosz, an anarchist who lost his job during the Panic of 1893. McKinley would die eight days later from the wound. Six years later a monument was erected in his memory at Niagara Square.

The 96-foot-high marble monument was dedicated in memory of William McKinley in 1907, six years after he was assassinated in Buffalo. McKinley Monument was erected in Niagara Square. Buffalo City Hall is in the background.

McKinley was visiting Buffalo for the Pan-American Exposition on Sept. 6, 1901. McKinley was shaking hands with the public when he was shot by Leon Czolgosz, an anarchist.

That 96-foot-high marble monument is in front of city hall and the two presidents from Buffalo.

There is an organization, The Association for a Buffalo Presidential Center, that wants to tell the story of Buffalo’s connection to presidential history and the region’s contribution to national affairs. For more information about that group, click here.

Area will mark Memorial Day

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 27 May 2013 at 12:00 am

Photos courtesy of Chris Busch – Medina resident Chris Busch visited veterans’ graves at Boxwood Cemetery on Sunday. He sent Orleans Hub a few photos of some of the graves that are marked with American flags.

The cemetery is located along North Gravel Road.

The community will honor veterans with parades and services throughout Orleans County today.

In Albion, a parade begins at 10 a.m. at the intersection of Main and State streets. The parade will go south on Main Street before turning east on Route 31 and ending at the front lawn of the Albion Middle School, where a service will follow the parade.

In Holley, a ceremony begins at 9 a.m. at the American Legion with a parade then starting at 10 a.m. It will go from the Legion and continue to the VFW on Veterans Drive. After the VFW, veterans will lay wreaths at Holley cemeteries.

In Lyndonville, a parade begins at 9 a.m. on Lake Avenue at the parking lot of St. Joseph’s Catholic Church and continues to Main Street where it ends by the library.

In Medina, a parade begins at 11 a.m. on Park Avenue by the Olde Pickle Factory. It continues to State Street Park where a ceremony will follow.

Busch also stopped by St. Mary’s Cemetery on North Gravel Road…

… and captured these images of graves on a sunny day.

Community celebrates Memorial Day

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 27 May 2013 at 12:00 am

Photos by Tom Rivers – Joe Gehl, second from right, and other veterans march along Main Street in Albion for today’s Memorial Day parade.

Eli Pask, a Scout in Pack 175 in West Barre, carries the flag down Main Street with other scouts in today’s parade.

The Knights of Columbus were new to the Memorial Day parade in Albion, part of the group’s effort to increase its visibility in the community. The K of C members who marched include, from left: Grand Knight Steve Karas, Alan Worgo, Pino Aldaco and Deputy Grand Knight Bob Ballard.

Allen Sanford and the drum line in the Albion Marching Band work their way down Main Street in today’s parade.

ALBION – Veterans, Scouts, firefighters and the Albion Marching Band all marched down Main Street and East Avenue to mark Memorial Day.

The parade ended in front of the middle school. Rocco Sidari, a 69-year member of the American Legion, was recognized at the service. Village Trustee Eileen Banker and County Legislator Don Allport also addressed the crowd.

Holley, Lyndonville and Medina also had parades and ceremonies today.

The flag is raised to start a Memorial Day service in Albion outside the middle school. The group includes, form left, Phil Warne of the American Legion, VFW commander Mark Roberts and Legion commander Doreen Capstick.

Joyce LaLonde, an Albion senior who won the county’s American Legion oratorical contest, reads the Gettysburg Address by Abraham Lincoln. Phil Warne, a member of the Legion, served as master of ceremonies for a service outside the middle school.

Glowing moon in Medina

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 26 May 2013 at 12:00 am

I was driving through Medina at about 4:45 this morning and stopped to take a picture of a very bright full moon.

St. John’s Episcopal Church, at 200 East Center St., is in the foreground. The church was built from Medina sandstone in 1832, making it one of the oldest churches in the county.

Crew filming horror movie in Medina

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 26 May 2013 at 12:00 am

‘Dry Bones’ expected to be released this fall

Photos by Tom Rivers – The cast for ‘Dry Bones’ includes Debbie Rochon, center, who has appeared in about 200 films. The crew is shooting a scene inside the Medina Theatre this afternoon.

MEDINA – She seems nice enough. Debbie Rochon smiles, nods her head affirmatively, and listens.

But it’s all a mirage. Rochon will transform into a demon, her true identity in a horror film that includes footage inside the Medina Theatre.

The cast and crew of about 20 filmed for several hours today inside the theater at 607 Main St. The theater has a spacious room and balcony that will allow for great camera angles, said director Greg Lamberson.

He expects to complete shooting for the film, “Dry Bones,” next week. The

Cheektowaga director will work to have the film ready by late summer, in time for horror film festivals.

He shot most of the film from his house. The Medina Theatre was added after he screened one of his films, “Slim City Massacre,” at the location in December. Lamberson immediately liked the Medina Theatre for its historical features and big open room.

Orleans County residents Richard Ferris, left, and Michael O’Keefe, center, are extras in an upcoming horror film that includes the Medina Theatre as one of three locations for the film. Filmmakers like the theater for its spacious room and balcony.

“I’m always looking for places with potential,” said Lamberson, who has directed five films and produced six others.

Today was the second day of shooting at the theater, which will include three scenes in the upcoming film.

The theater’s bar and dining area will be used to set the stage when Rochon’s character reconnects with a childhood friend played by Michael O’Hear of Niagara Falls.

O’Hear’s character was traumatized as a boy when he watched his father be eaten by a monster hiding in his home. No one believed O’Hear. That demon is a succubus that can appear human. O’Hear’s character will discover that Rochon’s character actually is the demon.

“I like movies with a little scare in them,” O’Hear said.

Rochon starred in Slime City Massacre. She lives in Novia Scotia. She has worked as an actress for nearly three decades.

“With the horror film genre, you can play very extreme characters,” she said. “You can do a lot more emotionally. With horror movies, they’re a lot more fun.”

Director Greg Lamberson is ready to announce, “Action!” About 20 actors were inside Medina Theatre today while Lamberson captured footage of bar scenes for his upcoming film, ‘Dry Bones.’

Rochon on Saturday needed six hours to be turned into the demon character. That’s how long it took to apply her makeup and prosthetics.

Rochon said horror films are gaining in popularity and going mainstream, with horror series now even on network television.

Medina attorney Michael O’Keefe is an extra in the movie. He has been in 14 films since August. O’Keefe helped line up many of the extras for the Medina footage.

O’Keefe would like to get into directing or producing. He also is interested in entertainment law.

He wants to bring more of the film business to Orleans County. Besides using local locations for films, O’Keefe would like to see more films screened at the Medina Theatre. He worked to start the Canal Town Film Festival in December at Medina Theatre. Besides screening Slim City Massacre, “Snow Shark” was also shown. Sam Qualiana, director of photography for the film, is heading that effort for Dry Bones.

Lamberson said he would like to return to Medina Theatre to screen the new film later this year.

Point Breeze finishes second as ‘Ultimate Fishing Town’

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 25 May 2013 at 12:00 am

‘We all worked together to bring up the awareness of the good fishing down here.’ – Todd Fannin, owner of Lighthouse Restaurant

Photo by Tom Rivers – Point Breeze won the northeast region as the “Ultimate Fishing Town,” and then finished second overall behind Cape Hatteras, NC. This picture from Wednesday shows the Oak Orchard Harbor and the Oak Orchard Lighthouse.

POINT BREEZE – The Point Breeze community nearly pulled it off – the title as the “Ultimate Fishing Town.”

After winning the northeast region in an online voting contest by the World Fishing Network, Point Breeze can in second for the top crown among the top 10 in five regions. (Click here to see the Point Breeze page on the WFN.)

Cape Hatteras in North Carolina received 47,147 votes in a three-week contest that ended yesterday. Point Breeze and the Oak Orchard Harbor were next with 32,053 votes. The World Fishing Network is reviewing the votes and expects to declare Cape Hatteras the winner on June 4. The winner receives $25,000 to promote its fishing industry, as well as free publicity on WFN.

Point Breeze, as a regional winner, is due $3,500 to promote its fishery.

For the past three weeks, and during the regional competition before that, the local community has been voting for Point Breeze, and encouraging their friends to log on and show their support.

“It’s brought the community together for a reason and a purpose,” said Todd Fannin, owner of Lighthouse Restaurant at the Point. “We had a good run.”

He was among the cheerleaders, trying to round up votes for Point Breeze. He said many of his customers followed the daily leaderboard online.

The Oak Orchard Neighborhood Association, Oak Orchard Lighthouse Museum, Orleans County Tourism, Chamber of Commerce and other local groups all tried to rally votes for Point Breeze.

“We all worked together to bring up the awareness of the good fishing down here,” Fannin said. “It’s been a very good thing for the community.”

He expects local stakeholders will discuss how to spend the $3,500 prize to promote a fishery already well known for brown trout, salmon, steelhead and cohoes.

Medina cafe serves up jazz

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 25 May 2013 at 12:00 am

Photos by Tom Rivers

MEDINA – “Mr. Conrad” of Buffalo performed a jazz concert tonight in Medina at the Shirt Factory Café. Jim Beishline joined him on the keyboards.

Next Saturday, June 1, the site’s Boiler 54, an outdoor performance venue, kicks off the season at 115 West Center St.

There will be concerts at the Boiler 54 most Fridays and Saturdays through the end of the summer. For more information, visit www.boiler54.com for Boiler 54’s list of upcoming concerts.

Orleans Legislature closely watching Supreme Court case on prayer

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 24 May 2013 at 12:00 am

Photo by Tom Rivers – Orleans County Legislator Henry Smith Jr. started pushing for prayers to begin each County Legislature meeting about five years ago when he was the group’s chairman. Many local pastors have attended Legislature meetings since then, leading the group in prayer.

ALBION – When Henry Smith Jr. started as chairman of the Orleans County Legislature in January 2008, one of his first initiatives was to start each meeting with prayer.

Smith, in the five years since, has contacted many clergy leaders in the county, welcoming them to the Legislature to offer a prayer to start each meeting.

“It’s good to have everybody involved in the county, including the pastors,” Smith said. “I’ve tried to reach out to all of them.”

Catholic priests, evangelical pastors, the Unitarian-Universalist leader, jail chaplain and nondenominational church leaders have all attended at least one Legislature meeting to lead the group in an opening prayer.

County Attorney David Schubel believes the practice falls within the Constitutional parameters because the Legislature isn’t restricting churches and religions.

“It’s an open process,” Schubel said. “It’s more spiritual than religious.”

Schubel, Smith and other county officials say they will be watching a Supreme Court case with interest in the coming months. The nation’s highest court will rule whether the town of Greece’s practice of having local clergy deliver prayers at its government meetings violates the U.S. Constitution.

Opening prayers have been part of Congress and many state governing bodies for more than 200 years.

The Greece case says the town violated the Constitution by repeatedly having Christian clergy conduct prayers at the start of meetings. The Supreme Court case focuses on whether the repeated use of Christian prayers violates the first 10 words of the First Amendment: “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion.”

The Orleans Legislature has almost exclusively welcomed Christian pastors. Sometimes legislators, including Smith, will share the opening prayer and those prayers often include references to “Jesus.”

Court of Appeals judges have said public prayer is fine, but all faiths should be invited to participate. The Supreme Court will hear the case in its next term, which begins in October.

Smith said he wants to see prayer continued at the beginning of each Legislature meeting, the second and fourth Wednesdays at 4:30 p.m.

“We’re getting too sensitive in this country,” he said. “You can’t say anything. What’s wrong with a prayer?”