By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 14 June 2013 at 12:00 am
Photos by Tom Rivers – A 1939 Chevy Coupe was one of the more popular cars at the Classic Car Cruise-In at Medina’s Canal Basin on Friday night.
Medina kicked off its 17th season of Cruise-In’s last Friday. The weekly events will continue on Fridays until late August.
MEDINA – The parking lot on Medina’s Canal Basin was full of cars tonight from the previous century – Model T Fords, 1957 Chevys, Buick Convertibles, and many others.
The Cruise-In didn’t start until 6 p.m., but when I stopped by at 5:45, there were already 60 cars parked for the show, many with their hoods up.
Organizer Dave Green expected more to arrive later in the evening, likely 80 to 100 cars for the event. Medina kicked off the cruise-in series last Friday. It will continue every Friday until the end of August. Medina has been putting on the event for 17 years. Green and Donna Bushover are the organizers.
A 1939 Chevy Coupe created the biggest stir with a crowd of folks gathered around it when I was there.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 14 June 2013 at 12:00 am
Photo courtesy of Al Capurso – The Capurso family and Orleans County officials will dedicate this marker on the courthouse lawn July 6.
ALBION – Al Capurso can’t contain his excitement.
A historic marker, with a log cabin logo, arrived at his house this week. On July 6 it will be dedicated on the courthouse lawn during a 1 p.m. ceremony.
Capurso sent me a photo of the marker last night. On Wednesday he discussed the project with the Orleans County Historical Association.
The Capurso family is paying for the marker. They wanted to honor the pioneering spirit of Albion’s first residents.
In December 1810, William McAllister bought 368 acres in Albion, the east side of the village, from the Holland Land Company. The following year he built a log cabin where the current County Clerks’ Building stands next the county courthouse.
McAllister and his wife, known only in historical information as “Mrs. McAllister,” were Albion’s first settlers.
Capurso researched the history about McAllister while reading about pioneer residents in Orleans County in books that were published in the mid-1800s. He also dug into records at the Holland Land Company.
Press release, Orleans County Sheriff’s Department
ALBION – Two rollover crashes on opposite ends of the county kept Orleans County deputies busy Thursday afternoon, the Sheriff’s Department reported.
The first incident occurred at approximately 5:20 p.m., in the 3600 block of Horan Rd., in the town of Ridgeway. A 2012 Ford Taurus, operated by Zoltan M. Koleszar, 48, of Medina, was travelling north at a high rate of speed on Horan Road, when the operator lost control of the vehicle.
The car ran across the roadway and off the west side before striking a utility pole and a tree. The car then over-turned several times before coming to rest on its side.
Koleszar, the sole occupant, refused medical treatment at the scene but later complained of back and neck pain during the arrest process and was transported to Medina Memorial Hospital. He faces driving while intoxicated and other traffic charges and will appear in Town of Ridgeway court at a later date.
The incident was investigated by Deputies K.J. Colonna and J.J. Cole. Ridgeway firefighters and the Medina FD ambulance personnel also responded to the scene.
The second incident occurred at approximately 5:45 p.m., in the 16700 block of Fourth Section Rd. (Route 31A) in the town of Clarendon.
Emily A. Benson, 20, of Medina, was travelling west on 31A in a 2005 Ford Suburban, when she failed to negotiate a curve. The vehicle ran off the north side of the roadway, struck a mailbox, and went down an embankment, causing it to overturn several times before coming to rest upside down.
Benson, the sole occupant, was transported by Monroe Ambulance to Strong Memorial Hospital in Rochester. Her injuries were non-life threatening. Benson made an admission to falling asleep at the wheel. There were no other contributing factors in the crash.
The incident was investigated by Deputy T.N. Tooley and Inv. C.L. Black. Clarendon firefighters and ambulance personnel also responded to the scene.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 14 June 2013 at 12:00 am
Photo courtesy of Jeff Winters – An underground oil tank is removed from the former Medina Armory.
MEDINA – Construction crews have started work on a capital project at the former Medina Armory on Pearl Street.
Crews in about a month will start building a handicapped accessible ramp on the side of the building, which will increase access to the Orleans County YMCA.
Before the ramp is constructed, crews needed to remove a 3,000-gallon oil tank that was underneath the building. The ramp will go on top of where the tank was located.
Y officials said there was approximately 1,800 gallons of oil remaining in the tank. Jeff Winters, the Y executive director, said there was minimal soil contamination and construction will move forward on the ramp.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 14 June 2013 at 12:00 am
MEDINA – The State Senate has approved extending the Niagara Wine Trail through Orleans County all the way to Rochester, which brings the prospect of new tourists and economic development for businesses in Orleans.
The legislation would designate two state roads as wine trails. All of Route 104, between the Ferry Avenue/Route 62 intersection in Niagara Falls and Route 390 in Monroe County, would be known as “Niagara Wine Trail Ridge.” All of Route 18, between Route 104 in Lewiston and Route 390 in Monroe County, would be known as “Niagara Wine Trail Lake.”
The longer trail could be a huge asset for Orleans County businesses, said Wendy Wilson, president of the Leonard Oakes Estate Winery in Medina and treasurer for the Niagara Wine Trail.
“It connects everything between Niagara Falls and Rochester, and we’re right in the middle of it,” she said. “This will be a whole new dynamic for promoting the area.”
Orleans County could piggyback on the wine trail, creating trails for cobblestones, sandstone, antiques, quilts and perhaps the Amish and Mennonites, Wilson said. The wineries could then promote those other attractions, and those businesses could promote the wineries.
“There are a lot of things going through here,” she said. “There are a lot of things that we could build off this. This will allow us to have the needed signage.”
The Niagara Wine Trail already has state funding lined up for the wine trail signs. That was approved two years ago.
Orleans businesses will gain more exposure with the trail, and will benefit from the marketing and tourism dollars in Rochester and Monroe County, Wilson said.
Leonard Oakes is currently at the end of the Niagara Wine Trail. If the Assembly and governor approve the extension, Schwenk Wine Cellars in Kent could join. Wilson said other wineries in the county and in Monroe are in development.
The Senate approved the trail extension last year, but the Assembly never voted on it. Wilson believes any reservations in the Assembly have been addressed.
“I call upon the Assembly to approve this measure as soon as possible and stop ignoring one of the brightest areas of economic development in Western New York,” State Sen. George Maziarz said. “There is simply no reason why the Assembly has not passed this, and hopefully they will move forward in a timely fashion. We have been waiting long enough.”
There are currently 17 wineries on the Niagara Wine Trail, which started about a decade ago. Maziarz praised the growth on the trail.
“The wine industry in the greater Niagara Region is growing so fast that our laws designating the various wine trails must keep up with the pace of growth,” he said. “Signage, literature, and other tourism promotion materials need to be updated to reflect the wineries in existence now and the wineries soon to come.”
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 14 June 2013 at 12:00 am
ALBION An annual memorial service that was scheduled for Saturday has been pushed back to July 6 because of the soggy grounds by the memorial pond at Mount Albion Cemetery.
The Albion Fire Department will have the service at 10 a.m. on July 6 with a brunch following at the fire hall on Platt Street.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 14 June 2013 at 12:00 am
Community celebrates the occasion – in a big way
Photos by Tom Rivers
About 600 Holley Elementary School students marched down North Main Street, through the Public Square and to the Murray-Holley Historical Society for a program honoring the flag and students with good citizenship.
HOLLEY – They wore big smiles and red-white-and-blue outfits, and they were passionate wavers of Old Glory during a Flag Day celebration in Holley today.
About 600 Holley Elementary School students marched from the school down North Main Street, working their way through the Public Square to the Murray-Holley Historical Society for a Flag Day program.
Holley, for the 56th year, put on a festive, patriotic celebration of Flag Day. The parade route was lined with many parents, grandparents and community members, there to support the students. Bleachers were brought in at the Save-A-Lot parking lot for the crowd to watch students be honored with citizenship awards. The elementary band and chorus also performed patriotic songs, including “Fifty, Nifty United States.”
Local elected officials joined students in singing the “Star Spangled Banner.”
“It’s amazing how the entire community embraces this event,” said Robert D’Angelo, the district superintendent. “It brings the entire community together unlike any event I’ve seen.”
Local fire departments were part of the parade. Retired Holley teachers also came back for Flag Day, and they were introduced to students and community members. One retired teacher, Virginia Robb, has been to 55 of the 56 Flag Day events.
Students, after marching in a parade, joined in singing, “Fifty, Nifty United States.”
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 13 June 2013 at 12:00 am
Chase will host job fair for displaced workers on June 26, 28
ALBION – An Erie County company has agreed to hire 150 displaced workers from the JP Morgan Chase mortgage servicing center in Albion. The company, AMS Servicing, will be part of a job fair at Chase on June 26 and June 28.
Chase notified its employees last week it will shut down the mortgage servicing business in Albion, and will lay off about 400 employees in September.
AMS Servicing and other businesses will be at the job fair at the Chase center. The companies will be hiring for entry-level to managerial positions in industries from mortgage servicing and technology to insurance and telecommunications.
“We work very hard to take care of our employees when we have to make tough decisions about our business,” Kevin Watters, CEO for Chase Mortgage Banking, said in a news release. “We sought out top companies with open positions that would benefit from hiring our talented and skilled workforce.”
In addition, Chase is holding on-site hiring events today and next Friday for employees to meet company managers from Rochester and other U.S. locations to discuss 330 open positions in customer assistance and support areas. Chase is also offering career services and training sessions, including resume writing, interviewing and online skill assessments.
“I appreciate Chase’s commitment to engaging on opportunities for its employees and keeping jobs in area,” said U.S. Rep. Chris Collins, R-Clarence. “This is a good outcome for both the workers in Albion and the Western New York economy.”
AMS will be part of the June 26 hiring event from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. The company will be back on June 28 form 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. and will be joined by the following businesses looking for employees: Yahoo!, Altitude, Concentrix, Consumer Credit Counseling Services of Rochester, CRFS, Premiere Credit of North America, Sutherland Global Services and Wegmans.
“We have more work to do to help the people of Orleans County, but this is a huge step in the right direction,” Collins said. “I will continue to work with JP Morgan Chase and our partners in the private sector and at every level of government to help find jobs for each person affected.”
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 13 June 2013 at 12:00 am
Photos by Tom Rivers – Allen Sanford has turned an old hay wagon into a mobile performing arts stage as part of his Eagle Scout service project.
ALBION – Allen Sanford and his band, Route 98, have played on lawns and makeshift stages in Albion.
Sanford, 17, is grateful for the gigs, but he wants to give musicians a better showcase for their talents. He has spent the past 18 months researching, designing and building a mobile performing arts stage.
Sanford has transformed a 16-by-8-foot hay wagon into a 28-by-8-foot mobile stage. He’s nearly done and will soon turn it over to the village of Albion, which can use it for concerts downtown, at Bullard Park and other locations in the community.
“It’s to advance music in the community,” Sanford said this evening while overseeing some finishing construction work on the stage.
Sanford chose the stage for his Eagle Scout service project. He designed the plans using a CAD program. He connected with donors for the project, met with village officials, and mobilized teams of Scouts and friends to build the stage.
Allen Sanford recruited his friends Charlene Olick, left, and Amber Smarpat to help build the stage that will be given to the village of Albion.
“I saved and recycled as much as I could without jeopardizing the integrity of the stage,” Sanford said. “Part of being a Boy Scout is being thrifty.”
He found used parts and cleaned them, for some pieces of the project. He negotiated a deal on wood from Stockham Lumber, and then sized and stained the material.
Sanford will graduate next week from Albion High School. He will study physics and engineering at Rochester Institute of Technology. The project let him put his engineering and leadership skills to use.
A member of Troop 60 that meets at the First Presbyterian Church, Sanford said Scouting has been a critical program for him, teaching many life skills. He has spent three years on the National Youth Leadership Training program through Scouts, and has worked on the staff at Camp Dittmer.
“Becoming an Eagle Scout is such an honor,” he said. “I have learned so much through the Scouting program.”
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 13 June 2013 at 12:00 am
Photos by Tom Rivers – The Sanford family in Gaines proudly displays a collection of gas pumps and other gas station artifacts that were amassed by Roland and Elma Sanford on Gaines Basin Road.
GAINES – Julie and Scott Sanford will be working in their yard or out in the barn when the cars pull up by the side of the road. Folks come out with cameras, questions and sometimes a sense of awe.
“People stop all the time,” Julie Sanford told me earlier this evening, when I came over to do a story on her son Allen. He is working on his Eagle Scout project. (I’ll have an article on that a little later.)
The Sanfords have about a dozens old gas pumps sprinkled around their property. One still shows the price of a gallon of gas: 35.5 cents.
There are oil cans and other gas station artifacts from about a half century ago.
Scott’s father Roland and his late mother Elma collected the gas pumps. Once they retired from teaching, they went for drives in the country – on a mission. They found many of the old pumps in fields and ditches. They rescued them, cleaned them up and proudly displayed them on their Gaines Basin Road property.
“They’re all original,” Julie said.
She said there is a growing number of gas pump aficionados. Many want to buy the old pumps, but the Sanfords won’t sell them. Each one represents a story, and an adventure for Roland and Elma.
“They would love to talk and meet with people,” Julie said.
Brad Sanford poses with an old gas pump rescued and preserved by his grandparents, Roland and the late Elma Sanford.
Replicas of the old pumps are popular, she said. Books are written about the original gas pumps, and the different styles and companies.
Roland’s son Scott has followed suit with his father’s obsession. He is working to restore one in the barn.
Roland and Elma also saved a number of other local automobile-related artifacts, including old signs for Routes 31, 63 and 98. The family hobby has rubbed off on Allen, the Boy Scout. A musician, he named his band, “Route 98.”
Allen Sanford holds an old Route 98 sign that his grandparents saved.
