About two months ago my 7-year-old daughter planted sunflower seeds in a small patch of dirt by our house in the village of Albion. I was dubious the plants would grow. I figured they would need more space.
The sunflowers have flourished, towering 7 or 8 feet high. This morning they are in bloom.
A few feet away in the front stands a Rose of Sharon that is also is full glory.
ALBION – Dr. John Thompson, who has worked in Orleans County the past 26 years as a family physician, has announced he is leaving to provide medical care and substance abuse treatment to homeless in Arizona.
Effective Aug. 1, he is transferring his medical practice and all records to the Orleans Community Health Center, which recently opened a new facility on the corner of Route 31 and Butts Road.
Thompson said his patients will be in good hands with doctors Sandra Boehlert and Jamal Janania.
“They are primary care doctors who work at this state-of-the-art facility, and they offer continuing medical care for my patients,” Thompson said in a letter to his patients. “They are caring and well-qualified physicians. I recommend them highly.”
Thompson said is new job gives him a chance to be closer to his father, who lives in Phoenix.
Thompson, a former Orleans County coroner, will have his last day on July 31 in Albion. His office is in the former Arnold Gregory Hospital.
“It has been my honor, privilege, and joy to provide medical care for so many of you and your families during the 26 years that I have lived and worked in Orleans County,” Thompson said in his letter. “I will miss you. May God bless and keep you.”
Press release, National Weather Service
The National Weather Service has issued a heat advisory for Orleans County, effective from noon to 8 p.m. today when temperatures could reach 91 degrees.
“If proper precautions are not taken, heat exhaustion or other heat-related symptoms could develop in those exposed to the hot and humid conditions,” the Weather Service said.
Young children and elderly are most at risk. The Weather Service advises people to drink plenty of fluids, avoid the sun and stay in an air-conditioned room.
The heat advisory also includes Genesee and Niagara counties.
Press release, Orleans County Chamber of Commerce
The Orleans County Chamber of Commerce is proud to present its Annual Awards Dinner each year to recognize the contributions made by distinguished businesses, individuals, agencies and organizations that have positively impacted the quality of life in Orleans County.
Winners are selected from nominations submitted by Chamber members, which are reviewed by a committee comprised of community and business leaders. The deadline for submission for nominations is July 25.
Business of the Year: This category is for a business that is deemed to have the most significant overall achievements during the year.
Lifetime Achievement: This award is presented to an individual(s) with a long-term record of outstanding business achievements.
Entrepreneurial Excellence: A company demonstrating a unique approach to business that has resulted in a strategic advantage in the marketplace; perhaps through the use of cutting edge technology or other innovative methods.
Phoenix Award: An organization or business that has successfully adapted or re-used an existing facility.
New Business of the Year: A business or organization that has opened its door for the first time in the past year.
Community Service: A business, organization or individual with a history of meaningful contributions to the community, including both professional and non-professional, and specifically one which generates the majority of revenue from sources other than sales of physical products.
For more information, call the Chamber at 585-589-7727 or check the Chamber website by clicking here.
Courtesy of Lake Champlain Maritime Museum
MEDINA – The Medina Tourism Coomittee has been eagerly anticipating the arrival of the Lois McClure this summer, but closed sections of the canal have delayed the sailboat.
The Lake Champlain Maritime Museum, owners of the boat, announced an updated schedule for Lois McClure today and Medina is listed as a stop on Aug. 8. The boat will pass east through Orleans before staying in Brockport on Aug. 9.
Lois McClure is like a floating museum. The schooner is a full-scale replica of an 1862-class sailing canal boat, constructed by the Lake Champlain Maritime Museum in Vermont and launched in 2004.
The boat has done many tours along the interconnected waterways of New York, Vermont and Quebec. Lois McClure is modeled after two 1862-class canal schooners sunk in Lake Champlain, the General Butler and the OJ Walker.
Launched in 2004, Lois McClure serves as a regional ambassador promoting the shared heritage of Quebecois, Vermonters and New Yorkers. The schooner is named in honor of Lois McClure, who, along with her husband Mac, has been a major contributor to the sailboat and other worthy community projects in the greater Burlington, Vermont area.
For more on the boat and its schedule, click here.
Photo by Tom Rivers
MEDINA – Jerry Lewis and other Medina firefighters spent eight hours in the blazing sun today raising money for the Muscular Dystrophy Association. Lewis is pictured on Main Street, near Rotary Park.
Press release, Medina Fire Department
MEDINA – Firefighters will be at the intersection of Main and Center streets on Friday from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., passing the boot to raise money for the Muscular Dystrophy Association.
Medina firefighters have participated in the MDA fund-raiser for the past few years. Motorists are welcome to donate some of their spare change and dollars to support the MDA.
Photo courtesy of Al Capurso – The graves for the Bailey family were moved to Mount Albion Cemetery in 1865.
ALBION – The Capurso family is continuing its efforts to honor pioneer settlers in Albion. The family unveiled a bronze historical marker for William McAllister and his wife on July 8.
The McAllisters were Albion’s first settlers. The built a log cabin where the County Clerk’s Building stands on Main Street.
The Capursos now plan to dedicate a veteran flag holder for Lansing Bailey, a pioneer settler who fought in the War of 1812. The marker will be dedicated during a 10 a.m. service on Aug. 10 at Mount Albion Cemetery. The Honor Guard of the American Legion will be there to honor Bailey.
Capurso has been researching Bailey and discovered he came to Albion in 1811 with his younger brother Joel. Bailey owned land in Gaines where Bill Lattin now lives. Capurso was able to verify Bailey’s service with the local VA.
Bailey’s brother Joel died of a fever on August 10, 1813. While plans were underway for his burial, Lansing’s wife Loda became ill from the same fever and died on August 15, leaving three children, the latter two being 3 month-old twins born in the Bailey Cabin in May 1813, Capurso said.
“Lansing buried both his brother and wife on the same day at Bailey Cemetery (where the veterans office is now on Route 31 Albion),” Capurso said. “This is the bicentennial of that sad occasion.”
The 10 occupants of Bailey Cemetery were moved to Mt. Albion in December 1865. They are located on Bitternut Path. Bitternut is also the resting place of two of Lansing’s children and Lansing’s second wife, Sylvia Pratt Bailey. Lansing died in 1866.
Capurso said Lansing was instrumental in the forming of Orleans County in numerous ways and his life is chronicled in “Pioneer History of Orleans County” by Arad Thomas and echoed by J. Howard Pratt in “Saga of the Ridge.”
Lansing’s grandfather Samuel was a Revolutionary War Veteran.Samuel is buried in Oneida County.
By Bill Lattin
Orleans County Historian
CARLTON – This picture was taken in September 1888 at the Two Bridges in the Town of Carlton. It shows the delivery wagon for the country store in the background. Stenciled on the wagon is advertising including “General Merchandise” and “G.D. Fowler Carlton, NY.”
Country stores often ran a delivery service to rural people living on the back roads years ago, perhaps going over the route twice a week. A housewife could order something from the grocer and it would be delivered the next time around.
We notice the horse pictured here is wearing a fly net to keep the horse flies from landing on its body. The Fowler store is currently Narby’s Superette and Tackle at the Bridges.
Photos by Tom Rivers – Dunkin’ Donuts wants to demolish a warehouse next to Tim Hortons in Albion for a new store that sells coffee and baked goods.
ALBION – Dunkin’ Donuts and Advance Auto Parts are both pushing forward with projects only a few buildings away from each other on Route 98 in Albion.
Dunkin’ has submitted a “concept plan” to the Village Planning Board that calls for removing a warehouse next to Tim Hortons. Dunkin’ would build a new structure with about 40 parking spaces just south of the railroad tracks. The site would have access from both Main and Platt streets, which would relieve some of the traffic on Main Street, said Ron Vendetti, the village code enforcement officer.
The two access points would also allow delivery trucks to pass through the property without having to back up.
Dunkin’ is expected to submit a formal site plan in time for the board’s next meeting, 7 p.m. on Aug. 21.
Advance Auto Parts plans to spend $140,000 fixing up the interior of a former Rite Aid at the corner of routes 98 and 31 in Albion
The warehouse is owned by Charles Breuilly. The building occupies almost the entire property. The Dunkin’ plan would add green space to the site, improving runoff and water quality, Vendetti said.
The Dunkin’ store would be run by a franchisee. Vendetti said the store could open soon after Jan. 1. Dunkin’s closest site is in Batavia.
Another major chain, Advance Auto Parts, plans to spend $140,000 on interior changes and improvements at the a former Rite Aid at the northeast corner of the routes 98 and 31 intersection. The site has been vacant for several years since Rite Aid moved to the former Eckerd building across the street.
Advance will be on the Orleans County Planning Board agenda at 7 p.m. July 25 for its plan for signage at the site. The company wants two signs on the building and a monument-style sign closer to the road.
Advance has nearby sites in Brockport, Batavia and Lockport.
