By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 19 November 2015 at 4:35 pm
Photos by Tom Rivers
GAINES – A dump truck driver dumped a load at a Ridge Road property and was headed back on the road when the truck caught overhead wires at about 3:30 p.m.
The driver forgot to bring down the box of the truck after delivering the load. A telephone pole snapped, just east of Brown Road.
National Grid crews were on scene and Albion firefighters were directing traffic, which was limited to one-way.
A state trooper and Orleans County deputies were also on scene. The driver wasn’t injured.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 16 November 2015 at 12:00 am
Photo by Tom Rivers
GAINES – Michael Lasser signs a copy of a book for Georgia Thomas, a member of the Cobblestone Society Museum board of trustees.
The Cobblestone Society had its annual meeting on Thursday at Tillman’s Village Inn. The museum just completed its 55th season.
Michael Lasser is host of the nationally syndicated Fascinatin’ Rhythm radio show on National Public Radio. He discussed World War I music, and provided background on some of the popular songs of the war, including “We Take Our Hats Off To You, Mr. Wilson,” “I Didn’t Raise My Boy To Be A Soldier,” “When The Lusitania Went Down,” “Over There,” “Till We Meet Again,” and “Oh, How I Hate To Get Up In The Morning.”
Lasser discussed how the songs of World War I revealed the attitudes, values and beliefs of the era. Many Americans didn’t want to get involved in the war.
The Cobblestone Museum has commemorated the 100th anniversary of the start of the war with exhibits this year.
Lasser is co-author of America’s Songs: The Stories Behind the Songs of Broadway, Hollywood, and Tin Pan Alley (2006) and the writer of America’s Songs II: From the 1890s to the Post-War Years (2013). He is working on a third book, City Songs: The American Popular Song, 1900-1950.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 2 November 2015 at 12:00 am
The Republican Party candidates include, from left: Mary Neilans for town councilman, Carol Culhane for town supervisor, and Richard DeCarlo for town councilman.
GAINES – Gaines residents will go to the polls on Tuesday (Nov. 3) and will have choices for the Town Board, with a slate of Democrats squaring off against three Republicans.
That doesn’t happen too often in Orleans County in recent years, where in many towns the Republican candidates run unopposed.
Carol Culhane leads the Republican ticket. She is seeking a third two-year term as town supervisor. Culhane said she has worked to sort out town finances, including correcting some overcharging with water districts and reducing unbilled water by improving the town’s water meters.
She has worked to promote the Ridge Road corridor by pushing for new town signs and working on the project to open Fair Haven Treasures. She manages that site for owners Ray and Linda Burke. It has several artisan vendors.
Culhane has worked as a professional artist the past 26 years. She created the artwork for the new town signs, which include a cobblestone and patriotic theme. Culhane notes Gaines had a role in the War of 1812.
“We wanted to show the history and patriotism of the area,” she said.
Culhane owns Oak Orchard Galleries. She also works on several community projects, and was a liaison to the Santa Claus community when about 250 Santas came to Albion and Gaines for a Santa Claus Convention in April. The Santas helped dedicate an International Peace Garden at Fair Haven.
Culhane and the Town Board last month presented a budget for 2016 that would reduce the town tax rate by 30 cents per $1,000 of assessed property.
“The costs are down through conservation, oversight and management,” she said. “We tightened our belt.”
The town also benefitted from a boost in its tax base by $851,000 with most of that credited to the growth at Intergrow Greenhouses.
Photos by Tom Rivers – The Democratic Party in Gaines endorsed three candidates for Town Board, including, from left: Bill Lattin for councilman, Patrick Swiercznski for town supervisor, and Pete Toenniessen for town councilman.
Swiercznski is a familiar name in Gaines. Patrick is following his father Ted Swiercznski in pursuing local politics. Ted Swiercznski was a Gaines and county official, and remains active in the local Democratic Party.
Patrick Swiercznski has worked the past 25 years in local construction with Keeler Construction, the Pike Company, and then with Keeler again since 2004. Swiercznski primarily works as a surveyor for Keeler.
“I work with state, town and county governments on the various public works projects, working to keep them within budgets,” he said.
Keeler and governments often work on tight time constraints to get big projects done by deadline, Swiercznski said.
He would like to see the town be more active in addressing so-called “zombie” houses, which are properties in the midst of an unfinished foreclosure. Often a bank-owned house will be left vacant for years. It’s become an issue locally, state-wide and beyond.
“The ghost properties are abandoned and need to be cleaned up,” Swiercznski said.
He was nominated to run for town supervisor during the Democratic Party caucus.
“People thought enough to nominate me, and I don’t want to let them down,” he said.
The Town Board will have at least two new members in 2016 because incumbents David Kast and Doug Syck aren’t seeking re-election.
The Democrats have backed Bill Lattin and Pete Toenniessen. Lattin served on the board for 30 years from 1979 to 2009, before a two-year term as town supervisor. He retired as county historian last Dec. 31 after 35 years in position. A former school teacher, he also was director of the Cobblestone Museum for 40 years.
“Certainly I have a long-time interest in the Town of Gaines,” Lattin said. “I feel there are some things that need to be addressed.”
Lattin would like to see more attention given to the “zombie homes.” He also wonders if it is prudent for the town to reduce the tax rate by 30 cents.
“I question what the town is scrimping on that a future administration will have to make up for,” he said.
Lattin would also like to continue support for growing the community’s agriculture businesses. He said he is pleased to see the expansions at Intergrow and Lake Ontario Fruit, which runs a packing and distribution site on Route 104.
Pete Toenniessen worked 30 years at Kodak. He has been a school bus driver the past 18 years and has been an active adult volunteer with Girl Scouts, Boy Scouts, 4-H and the Fair Board.
“A lot of the areas need to be cleaned up in the town,” Toenniessen said.
He said he backs Right-To-Farm laws and wants to see Gaines welcome farming.
“The farmers are our lifeblood,” he said.
The Republican candidates for Town Board include former Town Supervisor Richard DeCarlo and Mary Neilans, a local veterinarian.
DeCarlo was on the Town Board during recent water district expansions. A retired industrial arts teacher from Churchville-Chili, DeCarlo also started and developed Heritage Estates, which has 163 units off Brown Road in the Village of Albion.
DeCarlo said he will be an advocate for taxpayers, particularly with the fire contract with the Village of Albion. The town has budgeted for a 5 percent increase in the contract for 2016.
Neilans lives in a historic cobblestone house on Route 98 that was recently added to the National Register of Historic Places. She has been a regular attendee at Town Board meetings the past four years.
“I’m knowledgeable on the issues, and I’m willing to put in the time and effort,” she said.
Neilans and Culhane are both also endorsed by the Conservative Party. Neilans also was a trustee for nine years on Niagara County Community College, dealing with a budget and employees much larger than in Gaines.
Voting will be from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Tuesday at the Town Hall. Ron Mannella is also on the ballot for highway superintendent. He is unopposed and is running under five party lines: Republican, Democratic, Conservative, Independence and Reform.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 26 October 2015 at 12:00 am
Grand structure was year-round residence for 6 farmworkers
ALBION – The fire that badly damaged a grand old house on Route 98 has displaced six year-round farmworkers for Watt Farms and will also result in the building being razed, said Karen Watt, co-owner of the Watt Farms with her husband Chris.
The fire broke out at about 2 p.m. on Sunday in a house owned by Watt Farms at 3161 Oak Orchard Rd. The house is the year-round residence for six workers. Some of the workers lost their possessions during the fire, Watt said.
The Red Cross paid for them to stay at Dollinger’s Motel last night. Watt Farms will move them to a seasonal housing for the short-term. Watt said she is working on housing for the winter, as well as clothing and other supplies for the workers.
They are the core members of the farm’s work crew, with some of them working for Watt for 20 years.
“We’re trying to figure out what to do,” she said. “That was their home, but it would be cost prohibitive to fix it.”
Here is how the house looks this afternoon, a day after the fire. A new metal roof had recently been put on the house.
The red brick house was built about 150 years ago with additions to follow. It had “a beautiful staircase and woodwork,” Watt said.
Fire investigators told her it looks like an electrical fire triggered the blaze.
The building will be knocked down. It was part of the former Harding farm.
“It’s really too bad,” Watt said.
Albion firefighter James Fisher was one of the first on the scene. He sprays water on the fire yesterday afternoon. Watt said the fire destroyed the framework for the brick house.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 26 October 2015 at 12:00 am
Photos by Tom Rivers – Pam Allen and her daughters Trinity, center, and Savannah have cups of apple cider to start the 5-kilometer walk through the Watt Farms orchards on Saturday.
About 500 people, many of them wearing pink, walked the orchard at Watt Farms on Saturday.
ALBION – More than 500 people raised about $35,000 during the Making Strides Against Breast Cancer walk on Saturday at Watt Farms.
The farm market has hosted 11 Making Strides walks and raised about $350,000 for the American Cancer Society.
“The Saturday event was a moving example of passion in action,” said Michael Crisona, senior market manager for the American Cancer Society. “Our Making Strides Against Breast Cancer walk unites the community together with a shared determination to help finish the fight. Making Strides participants can be proud that their fundraising efforts are helping to save more lives from breast cancer.”
Karen Watt, a breast cancer survivor, said the farm is looking to partner with a local organization in the future for fund-raising walks through the orchard.
On Sunday, she was honored with a humanitarian award from the Pullman Memorial Universalist Church for her efforts to raise money for cancer research and support services for people affected by the disease, as well as her other community involvements.
She praised her husband Chris for mowing the orchards and getting the route ready for the public for the Making Strides event.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 25 October 2015 at 3:22 pm
Photos by Tom Rivers
GAINES – A fire broke out at about 2 p.m. today in a house owned by Watt Farms at 3161 Oak Orchard Rd. The house is the year-round home for six farmworkers.
The house is at the northeast intersection of the Five Corners where Route 98, Bacon Road and Route 279 all intersect.
Albion firefighters hurry to attach a hose to a hydrant.
Flames were feasting on the house, a big residence.
Darryl Szklany of Albion surveys the scene. Several other fire departments sent crews to help contain and put out the fire.
Firefighters spray water on the fire.
The fire gave off big clouds of smoke after water was directed on the house.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 25 October 2015 at 12:00 am
Photos by Tom Rivers
GAINES – Marcy Downey plays Ernestine, a telephone operator, during a roast on Saturday night of Doug Bower, right. Bower works as a plumber and co-host of the WHAM Home Repair Clinic with Jim Salmon, left.
Bower provided plenty of material for the sold-out roast at Tillman’s Village Inn, which was a benefit for The Salmon Children’s Foundation. That foundation has donated more than $7,000 to Albion High School graduates in scholarships in memory of Nicholas Kovaleski.
Downey pretended to be a 9-1-1 operator who received an emergency call from Bower. He was injured in an accident on July 22, 2012, when his van, which was left in neutral, rolled back in the Wal-Mart parking lot. The van tripped Bower and ran over his right leg and torso. He was seriously injured that day, but has recovered from those injuries and can now joke about the accident.
Jim Salmon took delight in picking on his friend and radio co-host Doug Bower.
Kelly Kovaleski tells Bower and more than 100 people at the Celebrity Roast that her son, Nicholas, had a great sense of humor and enjoyed making people laugh.
Nicholas was 15 when he died from leukemia on June 29, 2011. He was a guest on the Home Repair Clinic with Salmon and Bower and talked about fighting cancer.
The memorial scholarship for Nicholas goes to a student who “Lives With Purpose,” which was Nicholas’s motto.
Charlie Nesbitt, a former state assemblyman, took a turn roasting Bower.
Phyl Contestable, “The Reverend Mother,” also joined the roasting revelry, picking on both Salmon and Bower.
Gary Simboli portrays the comedian Foster Brooks, pretending to be a short-lived plumbing partner for Bower early in his career, during Saturday’s roast.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 24 October 2015 at 12:00 am
Photos by Tom Rivers
ALBION – Watt Farms hosted a Making Strides Against Breast Cancer Walk for the 11th time today and several hundred people participated in the event at the farm on Route 98.
People could walk for either 1 kilometer or 5 kilometers through the orchards at Watt’s.
Karen Meiers, a breast cancer survivor for four years, is pictured with members of the Holley Fire Department and their families. Meiers is married to Ron Meiers, a former Holley fire chief.
The Holley firefighters passed out pink plastic fire helmets today for children at the Making Strides event.
Kevin Dann, the deputy Holley fire chief, shows his support for fighting breast cancer.
Liz Snyder of Albion signs in to participate on the walk at Watt’s.
Karen Watt, right, is a breast cancer survivor. She is pictured with her children, Brody and Lauren Kirby, and Lauren’s son Evan, 3.
Harris Reed, the assistant fire chief at Holley, pulls a wagon with his daughter Abigail. They opted for the longer route: 5 kilometers.
A team from Hartway Motors in Medina stops for a group photo in the orchard at Watt’s.
The event in recent years has annually raised about $50,000 for the American Cancer Society.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 17 October 2015 at 12:00 am
Photos by Tom Rivers
GAINES – Al Capurso is pictured with a new historical marker that was unveiled today by the former one-room schoolhouse on Gaines Basin Road, just north of the Erie Canal. The schoolhouse was built in 1832 and is one of the oldest cobblestone buildings in the area.
It has been largely abandoned since decentralization in 1944. The marker also notes that Caroline Phipps taught at the school. She went on to be a distinguished educator and ran the Phipps Union Seminary in Albion from 1837 to 1875. That spot later became the County Clerks Building.
A swing is pictured next to the former schoolhouse.
The restoration project has been backed by the Orleans County Historical Association and includes a new roof on the building and new windows, as well as the historical marker.
Here is how the building looked last winter.
Here is how the historical site looks today.
Gary Kent led the efforts to trim some of the branches that were hanging across the building. Those branches needed to be removed for the roof work, which was completed by Young Enterprises. Mike Tower fixed the rafters.
Bill Lattin worked on the window sashes, Bob Albanese helped clean up the grounds, and many volunteers pitched in to remove junk from inside the building.
Bob Barrett of Clarendon restored the teacher’s desk and chair that remained inside the school. He even reconstructed the drawers in the desk.
Capurso, who is now the Gaines town historian, would like the site to become a meeting house and museum.
He said that Gaines once had 12 one-room schoolhouses. They were roughly located 1.5 miles apart to make access easier by the students in attendance.
The windows used to be boarded up, but now plenty of light can get inside the old schoolhouse.
Next year, Capurso said he would like to see work on the ceiling, walls and floor. He is pleased with the progress so far, and thanked the community for its support.
Today’s program included remarks from Capurso; Bill Lattin, who is retired as county historian; Matt Ballard, the current county historian; Dee Robinson, former Gaines town historian for more than 30 years; Town Supervisor Carol Culhane; and Ted Swiercznski, who attended the school and has been active in local politics for several decades. Another former student of the school, Angelina Daniels, also attended today’s celebration.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 13 October 2015 at 12:00 am
Photos by Tom Rivers
Here is how the sign looked about two years ago.
GAINES – A historical marker on Ridge Road, next to the Gaines Carlton Community Church, honors pioneer settler Elizabeth Gilbert.
The marker had flaked off paint and was getting hard to read to motorists on Route 104.
Late last month the sign, with a fresh coat of paint, was reinstalled. Melissa Ierlan, president of the Clarendon Historical Society, has been repainting many historical markers in the county. She had help from Matt Ballard, the county historian, with the Gilbert marker.
There is a creek near this sign that last year was officially named “Gilbert Creek” in honor of Gilbert.
Early settlers liked to build log cabins close to a source of water. Mrs. Elizabeth Gilbert and her family chose the north side of Ridge Road, building their home where there was a rise in the land.
The cabin is long gone, but a historical marker notes the pioneering efforts from Mrs. Gilbert, one of the first settlers on the Ridge between Monroe and Niagara counties. Her husband died in 1808, leaving her to raise the children, and tame the nearby wilderness.
Local resident Al Capurso worked on the effort to name “Gilbert Creek” for more than a year, researching the issue and lining up the needed government support.
The creek begins from feeder sources south of Route 104 near Brown Road. It then marries Proctor Brook in Carlton, and then flows into the Oak Orchard River.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 29 September 2015 at 12:00 am
Photos by Tom Rivers
GAINES – There were minor injuries in a two-vehicle accident this evening during a downpour. The accident occurred at the intersection of Route 104 and Gaines-Waterport Road (Route 279).
The top photo shows an Albion firefighter sweeping broken glass from the road. The drivers in the accident both declined medical treatment and transport by ambulance.
Dan Morrow, a member of the Albion Fire Department, is out directing traffic in this photo taken at about 7 p.m.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 29 August 2015 at 12:00 am
Photos by Tom Rivers
GAINES – Bill Lattin, the retired Orleans County historian, was busy on Friday at the former cobblestone schoolhouse on Gaines Basin Road, painting the front windows.
The schoolhouse for District No. 2 was built in 1832 and served as a school until 1944. It fell into disrepair and has been targeted for improvements by the Orleans County Historical Association.
The building has settled over the years and window frames are a little crooked. That made it tricky for Lattin to fix the windows. Fred Miller at Family Hardware in Albion cut new glass for the windows, accommodating the leaning frames.
“You have to go with the flow with these old things,” Lattin said.
The inside of the building has been largely cleared of debris and the floor swept.
Lattin said other buildings in worse shape have been saved in the county.
Gaines resident Al Capurso has been leading the reclamation effort at the former schoolhouse.
Capurso says many pioneer children in Orleans County were taught at the school, which was also used for countless town meetings.
Volunteers will be working to replace windows, repair holes in the flooring and plastering.
Capurso and the Historical Association also will erect a historical marker, highlighting the building’s use as a school from 1832 to 1944.
Capurso has photos of other cobblestone schools in the community that were torn down, including one at the corner of Riches Corner and Holley roads.
“We have lost some cobblestone school houses and we are determined not to lose this one,” he said.
Part of the front wall includes cobblestone masonry that has endured for nearly two centuries.
Capurso and the volunteers would like to have new storm windows on the building before winter, as well as a new roof and the historical marker.
Capurso would like to have the building up to code with a solid floor and electricity so it could again be used for community gatherings.
Bill Lattin points to his father’s initials, which Cary Lattin put in plaster in 1939.
Lattin said many of his relatives attended school in the building.
“My ancestors went here,” Lattin said. “I’m helping out of sentimentality.”
For more information on the project, and how to help, call Capurso at (585) 590-0763.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 28 August 2015 at 12:00 am
GAINES – A husband and wife in Gaines have the Orleans County Planning Board’s approval for a deer processing business at their home on East Bacon Road.
Douglas and Jennifer Ashbery are working to operate “Deer Done Right” from a new pole barn. They would take venison meat and turn it into hot dogs, sausage and other meat products.
County planners on Thursday recommended the Town of Gaines approve a special use permit for the business at 14444 East Bacon Rd., which is in a Residential/Agricultural District.
The Ashberys said they expect the business will be open from October through February.
In other action, the Planning Board:
Supported the site plan and special use permit for a pole barn and other improvements to an existing auto repair business in Murray.
George Berg, owner of George’s Fancher Road Service, is planning to add a 3-by-30 foot structure to the south side of his motor vehicle repair shop. He also is planning to add two overhead doors to the site at 3213 Fancher Rd., which is in a Residential/Agricultural District.
Backed the Town of Clarendon’s amendments to its zoning ordinance, including text requiring seasonal permits for trailers, travel campers and recreational vehicles. The current zoning doesn’t include those vehicles, which creates an opportunity for unlimited overnight occupancy, town officials said.
Clarendon wants to limit overnight occupancy in those vehicles to no more than 30 days a year.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 10 August 2015 at 12:00 am
File photos by Tom Rivers – Matt Ballard, pictured in 2014 outside the Cobblestone Church, is taking a full-time job with Roberts Wesleyan College. He will continue to work as the Orleans County historian.
GAINES – The director of the Cobblestone Museum worked his last day on Sunday at the museum. Matthew Ballard is starting a full-time position as collections services librarian at Roberts Wesleyan College in Rochester.
Ballard, 27, has been a director at the museum since February 2014. He spearheaded many projects at the museum complex, including new exhibits, building repair efforts, a revamped Web site, and strengthened partnerships with other historical associations and organizations. He also cultivated potential donors towards the only National Historic Landmark in Orleans County.
“He has helped to move the museum towards the goal of expansion and enrichment for every visitor,” said Mary Anne Braunbach, president of the Cobblestone Society board of directors.
The museum’s season continues until Oct. 11. Conner Wolfe will serve as interim director until the season ends on Oct. 11. Wolfe is in his final semester at Brockport State College as a history major. He has been interning with Ballard.
Matt Ballard is pictured with an exhibit about doctors and medical care in Orleans County from the 19th Century.
The museum also has a part-time volunteer coordinator, Sue Bonafini. She will work more hours the last two months of the museum’s season.
Ballard also works as Orleans County historian. He will keep that part-time job. He also wants to stay connected with the Cobblestone Museum. He was appointed to a volunteer position to the Board of Directors for the museum on Thursday.
“I’ve grown attached to the place,” Ballard said about the museum.
He has a master’s degree in library science. He will use that degree in his new job, which also offers full-time pay and benefits.
The museum put new roofs on the Cobblestone Church and a neighboring brickhouse last year, projects that Ballard said were in the works before he arrived.
The Cobblestone Museum has two exhibits this season about the war, including a display of 20 to 25 World War I posters that were discovered while cleaning out the Swan Library. Some of the propaganda posters ask, “Are you 100 percent American?”
He developed an exhibit and lecture series in 2014 – “Medicine at the Museum” – about medical care in the 1800s. The museum showed an extensive collection of artifacts, and many were also donated from community members for the exhibit.
“Medicine at the Museum” features photos and write-ups on many of the pioneer physicians and pharmacists in the county.
The museum also hosted a lecture series with four speakers discussing Orleans and WNY medical history.
Ballard developed an exhibit this year about World War I. “The Great War” has been overshadowed by the second World War that followed about two decades later. The service and sacrifice in the first World War isn’t fully appreciated locally or nationally, Ballard said.
Provided photo – The Cobblestone Society Museum owns this fox that was stuffed by Akeley when he was 16 and living in Clarendon.
Ballard also is excited about a joint restoration effort with the Clarendon Historical Society. They are working together to have a fox restored that was originally stuffed by famed taxidermist Carl Akeley.
When he was 16 and living in Clarendon, he stuffed a fox, which later was donated to the Cobblestone Society Museum. The fox spent years in a glass case inside Farmers’ Hall.
The museum and the Clarendon Historical Society are working to have the 135-year-old fox cleaned and put in an air-tight display.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 8 August 2015 at 12:00 am
Photos by Tom Rivers
GAINES – The Olde Dogge Inn is celebrating its second annual Pet Festival today with many activities, including a pet costume contest.
Trixie is dressed as a queen and Desiree is a lady bug. The two won the costume contest. They are owned by Michelle Wiseman of Medina.
Ken Kuehne, right, holds a snake that proved popular with the crowd, including Mitchell Bias, left, and his brother Evan. The two are from San Antonio, Texas, and are visiting family in the area.
Kuehne brought along many reptiles and other creatures. He owns Know Your Rep, and brings the animals to parties and festivals.
Amanda Kuehne holds a chameleon, a lizard that can change color.
Xavier Penafiel, 9, of Albion holds the end of the big snake’s tail. Xavier attended the reptile and snake demonstration with his father Wilian Penafield.
Kyle Kuehne holds one of the many snakes that were part of today’s demonstration.
There are many vendors selling pet-themed shirts, supplies and services.
