By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 29 August 2015 at 11:32 pm
Photos by Tom Rivers
CARLTON – Justin Niederhofer, first lieutenant for the Carlton Volunteer Fire Company, was one of the first at the scene of a big brush fire in Carlton tonight that spread to a hedgerow.
Firefighters were dispatched to the field at 9:27 p.m. The field is 1939 Oak Orchard Rd., near the Ricci Meadows Golf Course.
Carlton firefighters brought a fire truck down a lane to the spot in the field. These firefighters ran a hose near the fire and they’re waiting for the water to kick in.
Carlton firefighter Tom Niehaus directs water on the fire.
Tom Niehaus, left, and Cheyenne Tackley manned the hose while knocking down the fire.
The firefighters make sure the smoky scene is under control without danger of moving down the hedgerow.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 16 August 2015 at 12:00 am
Photos by Tom Rivers
POINT BREEZE – Ham radio operators from throughout the world, including at Point Breeze in Orleans County, are communicating with each other this weekend as part of International Lighthouse Weekend.
The Orleans County Amateur Radio Club has been sending and receiving signals by the Oak Orchard Lighthouse. They were there on Saturday when a “solar storm” made it difficult to get signals from out of the country.
Jim Salyer of Gasport, left, and Paul Mulford of Le Roy make a connection with a ham operator at a Long Island lighthouse on Saturday morning.
The ham operators are back today until 5 p.m. Last year they made 400 contacts around the world. This weekend, due to weak signals, they may only get about 100 contacts.
“We’re having fun,” Mulford said. “That’s what this hobby is all about.”
Jim Salyer said many of the ham operators are creative, building their own radios and antennas.
The ham operators, as part of the international weekend, want to promote lighthouses and also their hobby of amateur radio.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 16 August 2015 at 12:00 am
Holley man catches second biggest fish in derby, wins $700
Photos by Tom Rivers
CARLTON – Paul Czarnecki holds a 29-pound Chinook salmon that won the Orleans County Fishing Derby, which started Aug. 1 and continued until Aug. 16.
Czarnecki is a charter boat captain and owner of Tri-State Charters. He took Georgia Barkdoll of McConnellsburg, Pa., out fishing and she reeled in the 29-pound fish, which won the $4,000 grand prize in the fishing derby.
Barkdoll was unable to attend today’s awards ceremony at the Carlton Recreation Hall. Czarnecki said the fish was caught about 300 feet below the surface of Lake Ontario just off the shore from Point Breeze.
Bill Silpoch of Holley holds a 26-pound, 8-ounce Chinook, which won the $500 prize for first place in the salmon disvision and also another $200 for biggest fish caught by an Orleans County resident.
Silpoch, a senior building maintenance worker for Holley Central School, caught the fish on Friday at about 5 p.m. off Point Breeze. He was fishing on the Intimidator Sport Fishing charter owned by Mike Lavender.
Silpoch said he takes about three charters a year with family, including his sons, ages 11, 10, and 7. The winning fish was the biggest one he’s ever caught. It was about a 20-minute battle to land the salmon after it was hooked.
Mike Ayotte, former owner of Captain’s Cove in Carlton, caught the biggest rainbow trout at 12 pounds, 14 ounces. Ayotte now lives in Port Charlotte, Fla. Each of the division winners received a $500 check for first place.
Jared Wise, 17, of Rochester was fourth in the lake trout divsion with this fish that weighed 15 pounds, 0 ounces.
There were 644 participants in the derby, which is organized by the Albion Rotary Club. There were $8,800 in checks given to the top five anglers in four fish divisions, plus the grand prize winner.
Stan Allen, one of the derby volunteers, reads off the winning number for a prize held by Bill Downey, president of the derby. The Albion Rotary Club has been organizing the derby for more than 30 years.
For more information on the leaderboard and the derby, click here.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 13 August 2015 at 12:00 am
POINT BREEZE – A 29-pound Chinook salmon caught by a Pennsylvania resident is the new leader of the Orleans County Fishing Derby with only three days left in the contest.
Georgia Barkdoll of McConnellsburg, Pa., reeled in the 29-pound, 0-ounce fish on Thursday. It is in the lead for the $4,000 grand prize. It knocked a 25-pound, 5-ounce salmon off the top of the leaderboard.
The derby started on Aug. 1 and continues until Aug. 16. The Albion Rotary Club puts on the annual event.
Other division leaders include:
Salmon: 25 pounds, 5 ounces – Joseph Miller of Harrisburg, Pa.;
Rainbow trout: 12 pounds, 14 ounces – Michael Ayotte, Port Charlotte, Fla.;
Brown trout: 14 pounds, 5 ounces – Chad Kennedy of Marlborough, Mass.;
Lake trout: 17 pounds, 12 ounces – Mike Engle of Hamlin, NY.
There is $8,800 in cash prizes up for grabs in the derby.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 9 August 2015 at 12:00 am
A Pennsylvania man is the new leader in the Orleans County Fishing Derby, which has $8,800 in prize money, including $4,000 for the biggest fish.
Joseph Miller of Harrisburg is atop the leaderboard with a Chinook salmon that weighed 25 pounds, 5 ounces. The derby started on Aug. 1 and continues until Aug. 16. The Albion Rotary Club puts on the annual event.
Other division leaders include:
Salmon: 25 pounds, 4 ounces – Thomas Huth of Mogadore, Ohio;
Rainbow trout: 12 pounds, 5 ounces – John Jankowski of Sloan, NY;
Brown trout: 14 pounds, 5 ounces – Chad Kennedy of Marlborough, Mass.;
Lake trout: 17 pounds, 12 ounces – Mike Engle of Hamlin, NY.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 8 August 2015 at 12:00 am
There is a new leader in the Orleans County Fishing Derby, which started on Aug. 1 and continues until Aug. 16 with $8,800 in prize money up for grabs.
Nicole Brown of Hummelstown, Pa., leads the derby with a 24-pound, 12-ounce Chinook salmon. Grand prize in the derby is $4,000.
The first place winners in four divisions – Chinook, rainbow trout, brown trout and lake trout – all receive $500.
The first place winners, as of the end of Friday, include Salmon: Charlie Eulitt of Oak Harbor, Ohio, 24 pounds, 5 ounces; Rainbow trout: Nicole Brown of Hummelstown, Pa., 11 pounds, 5 ounces; Brown trout: Chad Kennedy of Marlborough, Mass., 14 pounds, 5 ounces; and Lake trout: Mike Engle of Hamlin, NY, 17 pounds, 12 ounces.
Terah Slack of Medina also is leading with the $200 bonus award for biggest fish caught by an Orleans County resident. She reeled in a 22-pound, 2-ounce salmon.
Besides $4,000 for the biggest fish and the $500 for the four division leaders, there is $300 for second place, $200 for third, $100 for fourth and $50 for fifth.
CARLTON – The Orleans County Sheriff’s Office is releasing the name of last night’s apparent drowning victim in the Oak Orchard River.
William E. Rowe, 67, was a resident of Cincinnati, Ohio. He came to the area with three friends earlier this week to participate in a 3-day fishing charter on Lake Ontario.
Mr. Rowe jumped from the Kenyonville Road bridge at about 7 p.m. on Thursday after talking with teenagers who had been jumping from the bridge. Firefighters and law enforcement officers searched for his body for about 90 minutes. He was found at 8:43 p.m.
Rowe’s death is believed to be accidental, Sheriff Scott Hess said today. No foul play is suspected. The investigation by the Sheriff’s Office is continuing and includes the Monroe County Medical Examiner’s Office in Rochester.
Photo by Tom Rivers – Fire departments and law enforcement personnel search the water in the Oak Orchard River near the Kenyonville Road bridge after a man jumped and drowned this evening.
Press Release
Sheriff Scott Hess
An adult male from Cincinnati, Ohio is dead tonight, the apparent victim of a drowning in the Town of Carlton.
The incident occurred at 7:15 p.m., in Oak Orchard River off the Kenyonville Road bridge, in the hamlet of Kenyonville. The victim, who had been in the area since Tuesday for a three-day Lake Ontario fishing charter, approached a group of teenage girls who were jumping off the bridge into the river.
He asked them if he could jump too and then did so without any objection. According to the witnesses, the man surfaced briefly and then submerged. He did not re-surface.
A crew from the Carlton Fire Department recovered the body at about 8:45 p.m. He was pronounced dead by Orleans County Coroner Scott Schmidt, and taken to the Monroe County Medical Examiner’s Office in Rochester. His identity is being withheld pending notification of next-of-kin in Ohio.
In addition to the Carlton FD, crews from the Albion and Lyndonville Fire Departments assisted in the search for the deceased. The Sheriff’s Marine Unit was also on-scene.
The incident was investigated by Deputy A.A. Breuilly. He was assisted by Sgt. G.T. Gunkler, Sgt. D.E. Foeller Jr., Lt. C.M. Bourke, and Chief Deputy T.L. Drennan. State Troopers from the Albion barracks also assisted at the scene.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 6 August 2015 at 9:49 pm
Photos by Tom Rivers
CARLTON – A 67-year-old man drowned after jumping off the Kenyonville Road bridge this evening.
Several fire departments and law enforcement agencies responded to the recovery effort. The man was found at 8:43 p.m. near the two boats at the far right in the top photo, the west side of the bridge on Oak Orchard River.
The man is from Cincinnati and was in town with friends for a charter fishing trip, one of his friends said. The man had been drinking and went for a walk down the bridge. He was staying with four other friends at the Lake Alice Cottages by the bridge.
Several teen-agers were out on the bridge in late afternoon and early evening, jumping into the Oak Orchard River. The man’s friends thought he was just going for a walk on the bridge. But then he jumped from the bridge.
“I don’t know why,” one of his friends said.
The bridge is a popular spot for people, mostly teen-agers, to jump. The water is about 20 feet deep near the bridge.
A 9-1-1 call went out and firefighters were dispatched to the scene at 7:18 p.m.
The bridge is a popular spot for teen-agers during the summer, neighbors said. One woman drove by the bridge at 4 p.m. today and she said there were about 15 teens on the bridge, jumping off.
“We need more police patrols,” she said.
There is signage warning people to not swim or dive, but neighbors said the teens do anyway.
“This should put a scare into the kids,” a neighbor said. “If one of them slipped on the guard rail and hit their head, they’d be gone.”
The man from Cincinnati and his friends had a big day on a charter boat, catching several big Chinook salmon, one of the friends said. They had planned to go to a casino in Niagara Falls tonight, before boarding their plane for home tomorrow.
One of the visiting fishermen instead called the wife of the man who drowned, telling her about the tragic death of her husband.
Firefighters and law enforcement officers tried to keep onlookers from getting on the bridge.
Firefighters searched both sides of the bridge until the man was found about 90 minutes after he drowned.
There is a new leader in the Orleans County Fishing Derby after a Pennsylvania man reeled in a 23-pound, 4-ounce Chinook salmon on Tuesday.
Mark Cippel of Ford City hooked the fish that holds the top spot – the $4,000 grand prize in the fishing derby that continues until Aug. 16.
There were other additions to the leaderboard after Tuesday, including Jeff Newman of Lyndonville. He leads the salmon division with a 21-pound, 7-ounce Chinook. He also is in the lead for the $200 bonus prize, given to the Orleans County resident who catches the biggest fish in the derby.
The leaderboard also includes a 14-pound brown trout caught by April Johnson of Rochester to lead that division and 17-pound, 12-ounce lake trout by Mike Engle of Hamlin.
The derby is still waiting for its first fish in the rainbow trout division.
The derby, which is sponsored by the Albion Rotary Club, gives out $8,800 in total prize money. Besides $4,000 for the biggest fish, the four division leaders each get $500, followed by $300 for second, $200 for third, $100 for fourth and $50 for fifth.
Day 2 of the Orleans County Fishing Derby brought changes to the leaderboard.
A 17-pound, 12-ounce lake trout caught by Mike Engle of Hamlin is the new leader in the derby, which started on Saturday and runs until Aug. 16. The angler who catches the biggest fish in the derby wins $4,000.
The leaderboard also includes a 14-pound brown trout caught by April Johnson of Rochester to lead that division.
The top lake trout include a 15-pounder caught by Jared Wise of Rochester, and a 14-pound, 1-ounce lake trout reeled in by Garrett Rusin of Brockport.
The derby is still waiting for its first fish in the Chinook salmon and rainbow trout divisions.
The derby gives out $8,800 in total prize money. Besides $4,000 for the biggest fish, the four division leaders each get $500, followed by $300 for second, $200 for third, $100 for fourth and $50 for fifth.
There is also a $200 prize to the Orleans County resident who catches the biggest fish.
The derby is sponsored by the Albion Rotary Club. Last year, a 27-pound, 7-ounce Chinook salmon won the derby.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 22 July 2015 at 12:00 am
Photos by Tom Rivers – Breeze Inn Again co-owner Nicole Bellnier, right, and waitress Jennifer Viza are pictured inside the restaurant on Route 98.
POINT BREEZE Nicole and Ed Bellnier debated earlier this spring whether they should enjoy a summer of leisure with their boat on Lake Ontario or commit to reviving a former restaurant site and running that demanding business.
The couple loves the Point Breeze community, and they saw the restaurant as an important gathering spot for the community. They decided to sell their boat, and use that money to help get the restaurant off the ground.
They opened the Breeze Inn Again restaurant and café on May 22. The site is at 928 Point Breeze Rd., near the northern end of Route 98.
“We wanted to give something back to the community,” Mrs. Bellnier said. “Point Breeze is a little niche. It’s a tight-knit community.”
Bellnier worked as a waitress at the Crooked Door Tavern in Albion, starting the first day for the business. She was there 3 ½ years and then worked at the Medina Theatre Company as a manager.
“I love the restaurant business,” Bellnier said. “Every day is different.”
Nicole Bellnier prepares a Reuben sandwich at Breeze Inn Again. The Reuben is one of the restaurant’s more popular items. Bellnier slow cooks the corned beef for five hours. Employee Tyler Quill is also pictured. He cooks, does the dishes, prep cooks, and serves up ice cream.
Bellnier has been using many of her grandmother’s recipes in preparing the food. Breeze Inn Again serves breakfasts, lunch and dinner.
Her husband has worked in sales for 30 years at the Spurr dealership in Brockport.
They gave the restaurant new paint, a new menu, added ice cream and an outdoor seating area. The building is owned by John Brown and David Tufts, and they put in new kitchen equipment.
The Bellniers are active in the Oak Orchard Neighborhood Association. The restaurant, back when it was known as Breeze Inn, was the birthplace for OONA about a decade ago. Community members used to meet at the site to play cards and games.
The picnic tables have all been painted with fun colors as part of an outdoor area for ice cream and desserts.
Mrs. Bellnier is among a staff of eight that are serving breakfasts and lunches on Sunday, Tuesday and Wednesday. The restaurant stays open later for dinner from Thursday through Saturday.
Mrs. Bellnier suffered a broken leg four days before Breeze Inn Again opened. She managed to cook, bus tables and prep food, using a scooter to get around. She had a cast on for 6 ½ weeks.
She strives for quality ingredients, including fresh produce from local farmers. She said the restaurant needs to make the extra effort for customers.
“People only have so much time and money,” she said. “When they come here we want them to feel welcome.”
Bellnier said Point Breeze can feel like a peaceful getaway, with the lake, a lighthouse, the Oak Orchard River and several fruit farms. She believes the new restaurant adds to charm of the area.
“We live right around the corner from here and we wanted to have something beautiful for the community with fresh food,” Bellnier said.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 21 July 2015 at 12:00 am
File photo by Tom Rivers – Margy Brown (center), race director for a 5K at Brown’s Berry Patch, is pictured with the winners of the race last October: Dana Phillips of Lyndonville and Paul Glor of Rochester. The race will have a new identity in October as the Brown’s 5K Cross Country Run and Memory Walk.
WATERPORT – The Brown family will continue to host a 5-kilometer walk and run to benefit Hospice of Orleans.
The family in the spring announced it was closing its popular retail farm market with a gift shop and playground. That site was a big draw for more than 30 years. The family retired from that side of the business.
The Browns continue to operate their fruit farm, and sell berries, apples and other produce.
The family in 1996 started a 5K to benefit Hospice. The race typically attracted 75 to 100 participants.
The Browns will keep the race going, and it will be known as the Brown’s 5K Cross Country Run and Memory Walk. Margy Brown has been the race director since 1996 and has turned over nearly $35,000 in proceeds from the race to Hospice.
“We believe in Hospice,” she said. “You never know how important Hospice is until it touches you as a family.”
Brown said Hospice has stepped up its services for the community, particularly with a residence that opened almost three years ago on Route 31 in Albion. That building includes eight residential suites for Hospice patients.
Jack Richardson of Albion nears the finish line with his grandson, Chad Hardy, during last October’s 5K at Brown’s. Richardson, a retired pastor, runs many local 5-kilometer races.
She has made some changes in the race. Instead of a 10 a.m. start, it will begin at noon. Runners and walkers will meet at the main building and parking lot for the former retail site. There will also be a 1-mile walk option.
She has partnered with the Albion Running Club to help manage the race. The Running Club organizes three races: The Run for Wayne in March, The Strawberry Festival Race in June, and the upcoming Metro 10.
The Running Club also leads exercise programs, and will kick off another 12-week Run for God program this Saturday with the culmination to be the race at Brown’s.
The Run for God is designed to take people from the couch to a 5K, to help them gradually build up to completing the 3.1-mile distance by training over three months. The Run for God starts at 8:30 a.m. this Saturday at the Albion Free Methodist Church.
Brown would like to boost participation to well over 100 for the event in October. She welcomes participants to walk or run the course, and to do it memory of a loved one.
More information about the race should soon be available on the Running Club website.
CARLTON A Barre man who went missing on Sunday night was found safe on Monday afternoon, Orleans County Sheriff Scott Hess said.
The man’s family had called Orleans County 911 on Sunday night at about 11:20 after he failed to return to a campsite at Lakeside Beach State Park in Carlton, where they were staying.
The man, who was not identified by law enforcement, had left the park to take someone home, and was expected to come right back. The family further reported that the individual might be suffering from early onset dementia, Hess said.
A missing person’s report was filed and the vehicle description was disseminated to local law enforcement agencies.
The search intensified around 12:30 p.m. Monday when Lakeside Beach State Park Manager Thomas Rowland found the missing man’s truck on state park property off the west end of an unpaved park service road that is normally off-limits to park patrons.
The truck was stuck in some soft ground on the east bank of Johnson’s Creek, and appeared to have been abandoned there, Hess said. This prompted a massive search detail involving several law enforcement agencies, the Sheriff’s Marine Unit, K-9 dogs, a State Police helicopter, state park employees and the Carlton Fire Department.
Searchers located the man shortly before 4:30 p.m. and after he was checked out by EMS personnel, he was returned to his family. Hess didn’t detail where the man was located.
In addition to the Sheriff’s Office, agencies involved in the search included the New York State Park Police, state troopers from the Albion barracks, New York State Environmental Conservation Police, Niagara County Sheriff’s Office and the United States Border Patrol.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 1 July 2015 at 12:00 am
Photos by Tom Rivers – Blind Leading the Blind, a contemporary rock band, is shown performing at the Orleans County Marine Park in July 2013. The band will be back for another concert on Aug. 18.
CARLTON – The Oak Orchard Neighborhood Association will kick off its sixth summer concert series on Tuesday with the Dave Viterna Group playing classic rock, oldies and blues at the main pavilion at the Orleans County Marine Park.
The Tuesday evening concerts start at 6 p.m. and run until Aug. 18. They typically draw 200 to 400 people for music. Many concert-goers enjoy walking around the park on Route 98, a site that includes docking along the Oak Orchard River.
“We want people to have a good time and keep coming back,” said Paul Zeppetella, concert coordinator for OONA.
OONA partners with Orleans County Tourism in organizing the concerts. OONA and the county want to showcase the park at Point Breeze. The site will see an upgrade this year to its playground, stairway and electric hook-ups for boaters.
The Oak Orchard Neighborhood Association and Orleans County officials are pictured today promoting the upcoming summer concert series at the Marine Park. The group includes, from left: Lynne Menz, county tourism coordinator; Tracy Panczyszyn, OONA communications coordinator; Paul Zeppetella, OONA concert coordinator; Frank Panczyszyn, OONA concert emcee; and county legislators Ken DeRoller and John DeFilipps.
The concerts on Tuesday evenings are intended to draw people to the Point on a weekday. The area tends to be busy anyway on weekends.
Concert organizers try to change up the band schedule each year, adding some bands that haven’t played at the site in the past.
This year’s lineup includes three bands that will be new to the Marine Park: The Brick Band, 78 RPM Big Band, and The Boomers.
Sponsors cover about half of the cost of bringing in the bands, with the county and a $2 admission charge covering the rest.
Tracy Panczyszyn, OONA communications coordinator, said there are many nearby talented musicians to draw from for the OONA concert series as well as other concerts in the community.
The Clarendon Lions Club will be at the park for each concert serving hamburgers and sausage. Club members working the grill in this photo from July 2013 include Kevin Johnson, left, and Don Knapp.
The concert lineup includes:
July 7 – The Dave Viterna Group (classic rock, oldies, blues)
July 14 – Brick Band (rock, jazz, country, oldies, R&B)
July 21 – The Who Dats (classic rock, pop)
July 28 – Jive Street Five (classic golden age, rat pack)
August 4 – 78 RPM Big Band (big band)
August 11 – The Boomers (ballads to boogie by)
August 18 – The Blind Leading the Blind (contemporary rock)
In addition, The Black North Inn and El Gallo, a Mexican restaurant in Albion, will be vendors for the concert series.
