Photos by Tom Rivers – Orleans County Legislature Chairman David Callard gives Narby’s Superette and Tackle owner Sharon Narburgh a hug today following a ceremony when the Point Breeze community received a trophy and check for $25,000 after winning the “Ultimate Fishing Town” competition.

POINT BREEZE – When Orleans County tourism promoters go to trade shows, trying to hook anglers into coming to the county, Orleans can now boast something few have achieved: The title of “Ultimate Fishing Town.”

Point Breeze won the fourth annual title after nearly two months of voting on-line through the World Fishing Network. Point Breeze topped 700 other fishing communities in the U.S. and Canada for the crown.

Representatives from the WFN are in the county today. They presented a trophy and a $25,000 check to Carlton town officials to promote the fishery.

“This can help us to stand out,” said Sharon Narburgh, owner of Narby’s Superette and Tackle.

A boater travels up the mouth of the Oak Orchard Harbor earlier today.

She has been in business for 48 years at the Point, and traveled to numerous fishing and trade shows. The lake and tributary fishing in Orleans is already popular, and a key economic stimulator for the community, Narburgh said.

But she believes the area and the fishery can be better utilized, to boost the economy for the community.

She is on a committee that will decide how to spend the $25,000 in prize money. The money will be in a Carlton town account and won’t be touched for any other purpose besides the fishery, town officials said. The victory also includes promotional videos and other free publicity about the area from the World Fishing Network.

WFN airs throughout North America. The Ultimate Fishing Town host Mariko Izumi said Point Breeze will be heavily promoted to fishing enthusiasts. She presented the trophy and check to local officials after going a charter boat with Buc-A-Roo Charters this morning. She and a film crew are also visiting Brown’s Berry Patch, The Bridges, the Waterport Dam, the Archer’s Club and Albion’s historic downtown and Courthouse Square.

The World Fishing Network presented a $25,000 grand prize to promote the fishery at Point Breeze. Pictured, from left: Carlton Town Supervisor Gayle Ashbery, Narby’s Superette and Tackle owner Sharon Narburgh, and Carlton Town Board member Joyce Harris.

“I am just beaming with pride,” State Sen. George Maziarz said during a celebration at Gene and Joette Haines’ lakeside home next to the lighthouse. “It takes a combined effort. You did a great job, Point Breeze.”

The local victory followed last year’s winning effort by Olcott, giving two southshore Lake Ontario communities the honor. Maziarz believes the two victories will draw more attention to the Lake Ontario fishery.

State Assemblyman Steve Hawley said the “Ultimate Fishing Town” is good news for the community that has been stung by a struggling economy. Last week Worthington Cylinders said it would close next year in medina, eliminating 174 jobs in Medina. JP Morgan Chase also is closing its Albion mortgage servicing unit, cutting 400 positions in September.

A look at the Oak Orchard Harbor from the top of the Oak Orchard Lighthouse.

Hawley presented a citation to Carlton town officials for the win in the fishing contest. County Legislature Chairman David Callard and Legislator Ken Rush also presented a proclamation to Carlton and Point Breeze leaders, praising their “pride, passion and enthusiasm.” Callard said the county will keep working to promote the fishery.

The Point Breeze win was aided by fishing enthusiasts from Olcott. Three of them attended today’s celebration.

Margaret Murray of Olcott said Point Breeze’s win will shine more light on the south shore fishery.

“The neighbors on the southern shore are working together to grow economically as a tourist area,” she said. “We have wonderful fishing opportunities here.”

Press release, Orleans County Sheriff’s Department

CARLTON – A Carlton man injured in an explosion at his home last month died on Monday, the Orleans County Sheriff’s Department reported.

Wesley R. Baes, 75, died at Strong Memorial Hospital in Rochester, where he had been hospitalized since the May 17 incident.

Baes was operating an acetylene torch in an attempt to patch a hole in a 200-gallon above ground gasoline tank. The tank had been drained, but there were residual vapors that ignited and caused the explosion at his home, 12905 South Hillcrest Drive.

Baes sustained severe burns and was flown to Strong Memorial Hospital in Rochester by Mercy Flight helicopter.

The original incident was investigated by the Orleans County Sheriff’s Office and that investigation now shifts to the Monroe County Medical Examiner’s Office.

POINT BREEZE – The community is welcome to attend an 11 a.m. celebration on June 26 by the lighthouse at Point Breeze.

Representatives from the World Fishing Network will meet with Point Breeze business owners and area elected officials to present the community with the title, “Ultimate Fishing Town.”

Point Breeze won an on-line contest, grabbing more legitimate votes than any other fishing community in the country. Besides bragging rights as the “Ultimate Fishing Town,” Point Breeze will receive a $25,000 award to boost the local fishery.

A committee of five will discuss how to spend that money.

“We’ll take suggestions,” said Sharon Narburgh, the long-time owner of Narby’s Superette and Tackle. “It has to be used in specific ways regarding the fishery.”

Narburgh praised the community for rallying over several weeks to vote for Point Breeze.

“It’s going to make a big difference,” she said about the victory and the prize money. “It will be a start to get people excited about what we have down here.”

Last year, Olcott won the title, giving the south shore of Lake Ontario two “Ultimate Fishing Town” honorees.

Narburgh said the area is well-known for a fishery that boasts brown trout, salmon, steelhead and cohoes. She would like to see the good will and cooperation extend to solving some of the challenges at Point Breeze – keeping the harbor dredged, the bridges all open and the Lake Ontario State Parkway well-maintained.

“There’s a lot of issues that we’re facing,” she said. “Hopefully this will get people excited to work these issues.”

Photo by Tom Rivers – Charles Nesmith of Rochester is one of 30 vendors at a flea market in Carton today behind the Rec Hall on Route 98. Nesmith is selling inflatables, poppers and Silly Spray.

CARLTON – There are 30 vendors selling crafts, jewelry, inflatable super heroes and many other items behind the Carlton Rec Hall today from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

The event is a fund-raiser for the Carlton Republican Committee. Sylvia Shoemaker, a member of the committee, is coordinating today’s flea market and crafts show. She also is a vendor.

Sylvia Shoemaker is pictured holding up a horse figurine.

CARLTON – The town is looking for a new assessor, opting against reappointing Karen Adams to another six-year term in the position.

The Town Board made the decision on Tuesday. The board wants to fill the position by Oct. 1, when Adams will be out of the job. The board decided to make the decision this week to give Adams time to transition to another job and also give the town time to find a replacement, said Gayle Ashbery, the town supervisor.

There has been an uproar among residents in 2010 and 2013, both years when Adams led town-wide reassessments. Residents have filed numerous formal grievances that their assessments were set too high.

The board on April 15, in another packed town meeting, voted to freeze the property assessments at 2012 levels. The board said it would seek outside help to have 2,400 properties appraised.

Carlton is seeking proposals from firms for that task, which could be done in phases, Ashbery said.

Carlton officials will meet with Hamlin town leaders on Wednesday to hear how that municipality worked with an outside appraisal firm to set values for properties in the town.

The fees for data collection and appraising the town properties could top $100,000, said Councilman Jim Shoemaker.

An oversight committee will discuss the appraisal project on Thursday, and may make a recommendation to the full Town Board. Ashbery and Councilman Robin Lake are on that committee. It also includes Dawn Allen, the Orleans County director of Real Property Tax Services, and a representative from the state Office of Real Property Services.

Regarding Adams, Shoemaker noted the controversies in town for the past two reassessments.

“It just didn’t work out,” he said.

Orleans community declared winner over Cape Hatteras, NC

Photo by Tom Rivers – An angler tries his luck at Point Breeze last month. Point Breeze was declared “Ultimate Fishing Town” by the World Fishing Network today.

POINT BREEZE – It appeared to be a big fish that got away, the title as “Ultimate Fishing Town.”

Point Breeze seemed to be the runner-up to Cape Hatteras, NC. When a three-week on-line voting contest ended May 24, Cape Hatteras led fishing communities with 47,147 votes. Point Breeze was next with 32,053 votes.

But the World Fishing Network declared Point Breeze the winner today, after the WFN reviewed the votes for Cape Hatteras and tried to authenticate them. Apparently those votes didn’t hold up.

Point Breeze can proudly proclaim itself as the overall winner of the contest. The community won an earlier regional competition. That netted the community $3,500 to promote its fishery. The prize money has now swelled to $25,000, plus lots of free publicity.

“That’s $25,000 that can be used for anything fishing related,” said Mike Waterhouse, the county’s sportsfishing promotion coordinator.

He praised Point Breeze fans for voting in the contest. The votes kept coming for Point Breeze even when it appeared Cape Hatteras had an insurmountable lead.

Point Breeze businesses say the competition unified the community to promote a fishery well known for brown trout, salmon, steelhead and cohoes.

The community built a new lighthouse at Point Breeze about three years ago.

“We are a small fishing town elated to win the title of Ultimate Fishing Town,” Point Breeze resident and town nominator Sharon Narburgh told the WFN. “We have a unique small town with many needs for our fishery and are thankful to our residents and anglers for their diligence in voting.”

WFN representatives, including Ultimate Fishing Town host Mariko Izumi, are expected to be in Point Breeze on June 26 to celebrate with the community and produce a video about the great fishing at Point Breeze.

WFN says it is the leading entertainment destination and digital resource for anglers throughout North America. Today it also declared Port Colborne in Ontario as the “Ultimate Fishing Town” in Canada. Last year, Olcott won the U.S. title.

There were 700 towns in the U.S. and Canada that received nominations and were eligible to advance in the contest. Participants were asked to nominate where he or she believes is the best place to fish. Town walls were then populated with videos, photos and written comments to promote the community’s candidacy and reinforce why the town is deserving of Ultimate Fishing Town honors.

“I want to take this opportunity to congratulate Port Colborne and Point Breeze, winners of WFN’s Ultimate Fishing Town for 2013, and commend the regional and affiliate winners, too,” said Pam Stinson, senior director of marketing for World Fishing Network. “The accomplishment of being named Ultimate Fishing Town demonstrates pride, passion and enthusiasm from start to finish, and it wouldn’t be possible without the commitment and dedication of all those who participated.”

‘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.

Press release, Smoke Free NOW

CARLTON – Lakeside Beach State Park and other state parks have expanded their outdoor smoke-free zones.

Tom Rowland, Lakeside Beach park manager, is gearing up for the Memorial Day holiday with signage for the designated areas.

The policy includes:

Tobacco-free bathhouses, concessions and campground recreation buildings  and no smoking within 50 feet of them

Tobacco-free swimming beaches

Tobacco-free enclosed picnic shelters

Open-sided picnic shelters may have smoking prohibited during scheduled events as delegated through the authority of the Regional Director

Tobacco-free playgrounds

“This healthy initiative will help to reduce litter, second-hand smoke and eventually reduce youth smoking rates,” said Kevin Keenan, program director of Smoke Free NOW, a program of the Genesee-Orleans Council on Alcoholism and Substance Abuse.

The less smoking youths see, the less likely they are to start, Kennan said.

“Many municipalities in Genesee, Orleans and Wyoming counties have adopted similar resolutions and we are hoping the counties will do the same,” he said.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced the smoking restriction at state parks on May 10.

“Our state parks embody the rich, natural beauty that New York has to offer and our residents should be able to enjoy them free of pollution from second-hand smoke,” the governor said. “This expansion is an important step forward in ensuring New York’s families can enjoy our great outdoors smoke-free, in a healthy environment.”

Press release, Orleans County Sheriff Scott Hess

CARLTON – An Orleans County man is hospitalized following an explosion this morning at his Carlton residence.

The incident occurred at approximately 11:20 a.m. at 12905 South Hillcrest Drive. Wesley R. Baes, 75, was operating an acetylene torch in an attempt to patch a hole in a 200-gallon above ground gasoline tank. The tank had been drained, but there were residual vapors that ignited and caused the explosion.

Baes sustained what were described as severe burns and was flown to Strong Memorial Hospital in Rochester by Mercy Flight helicopter.

The incident was investigated by Deputy J.W. Halstead. Central Orleans Volunteer Ambulance personnel and Carlton firefighters also responded to the scene.

Photos by Tom Rivers – Taylor, left, and Shawn Whittier say their father Scott loved sports and coaching kids in both baseball and football. A new backstop dedicated in memory of Scott Whittier was dedicated by the community on Thursday.

A plaque on the backstop notes that Scott Whittier, 44, played and coached the Carlton Clippers. It includes his saying, “Always Do Your Best.”

CARLTON – Scott Whittier played for the Carlton Clippers when he was a kid. When his sons were old enough to play, he was eager to volunteer as a coach for the Little League team.

“He loved sports and working with the kids,” said his son Shawn, 18.

“He was an all-around active guy,” said oldest son Taylor, 20.

For eight years Scott coached the Clippers. He also worked with youth football teams.

“He was very good with the kids,” said Dennis Jones, an assistant coach for the team the past 19 years. “He never singled out any kid. We worked with them all, each and every kid.”

Whittier was 44 when he died last May 13 on Mother’s Day. He fell three stories while doing a roofing job in Brockport, and died following complications from surgery, his family said.

On Thursday, the Carlton Clippers, community members and Whittier’s family dedicated a new backstop in memory of Whittier. A plaque on the fence lists Whittier’s popular saying to the team: “Always Do Your Best.”

Dennis Jones, an assistant coach for the Carlton Clippers for 19 years, leads the dedication program Thursday for the new backstop in memory of Scott Whittier.

The field behind the Carlton Recreation Hall on Route 98 has long needed a new backstop. Many foul balls passed over the top of the old fence and players had to retrieve them in the woods, sometimes brushing against poison ivy.

The new backstop has a crown on the top to help contain foul balls to the field.

Memorials for Whittier, as well as donations and a bowling tournament fund-raiser covered the cost for the project, which was spearheaded by Whittier’s fiancée Donna Hess.

“He loved to coach sports, whether football or baseball,” Hess said. “We wanted something that would be here for generations as a memorial. Scott played here and coached here, so it’s perfect.”

Bryan Caitlin, the team’s coach this year, said Whittier was well liked by players and their parents.

“He was a great guy who would do anything for you,” Caitlin told the crowd on Thursday. “It’s not easy to lose someone like that but he’s here everyday.”

The Carlton Clippers, community members and Scott Whittier’s family all gathered at the town park on Thursday evening to dedicate the new backstop. The old one is pictured in back.

New backstop will be dedicated for Scott Whittier

CARLTON – The Carlton Clippers, a Little League team, will dedicate a new backstop at 6 p.m. Thursday in honor of their late coach Scott Whittier.

The backstop will include a plaque in memory of Whittier, who died May 13, 2012, at age 44. Whittier was a long-time Clippers coach and also was active in other youth sports programs in the community.

Whittier’s friends and family raised most of the money for the backstop with bowling tournaments and donations in his honor.

The public is welcome to attend the dedication on the Little League field behind the Carlton Recreation Hall on Route 98.

Photo by Tom Rivers – Point Breeze and the Oak Orchard Harbor are likely to advance to the next round to determine the ‘Ultimate Fishing Town,’ an on-line contest by the World Fishing Network.

POINT BREEZE – Todd Fannin for the past two weeks has alerted just about everyone he knows to vote for Point Breeze as the “Ultimate Fishing Town.”

Fannin, owner of Lighthouse Restaurant, and other Point Breeze cheerleaders have the community ranked second in a nation-wide poll of top fishing communities. Point Breeze has 11,492 votes, while Cape Hatteras, NC, leads with 17,448, as of 3 p.m. today. Point Breeze has jumped ahead of Grand Lake, CO, with 8,309 votes.

“This to me is another tool, another feather in our cap to promote some of the best fishing in the fall,” Fannin said.

Point Breeze has a big lead as the top spot in the Northeast. Walton, NY, is in second place with 4,686 votes followed by Waddington, NY, with 3,860.

Voting ends tomorrow at 11:59 a.m. for the first round of the competition. The first- and second-place finishers per region will then square off for the finals. If Point Breeze wins the region, it will secure $3,500 to bolster the local fishery.

The second round continues from noon Friday to 11:59 a.m. May 24. The World Fishing Network will announce the winner on June 4 on ultimatefishingtown.com.

The overall winner will receive $25,000 for port improvements. The community can also proclaim itself as the “Ultimate Fishing Town.”

Fannin said Point Breeze is deserving of the honor. Many of his customers come from out-of-state. He said the brown trout fishing locally is second to none.

“We’re known for browns,” he said. “We have the best brown fishing in the world.”

Point Breeze also touts a year-round fishery with salmon, steelhead and cohoes.

The on-line voting has united the community at a time when it has suffered from the federal government’s inability to dredge the harbor. The community also has been hurt by a closed section of the Lake Ontario State Parkway and a bridge over Marsh Creek.

“This contest has got the community involved, which is phenomenal,” Fannin said. “I think we have a wonderful community down here.”

To vote, go here.