Tillman says addition keeps historic flavor, accommodates bigger crowds for special events

Photos by Tom Rivers – Mark Tillman, owner of Tillman’s Village Inn, stands next to a new addition under construction at the landmark restaurant at the corner of routes 98 and 104.

CHILDS – As it is nears its 200th anniversary, The Village Inn isn’t standing still as a business.

Two years ago, Mark Tillman gave the dining areas a new look with fresh paint, new tables, booths, finishings, lights, windows and soffits.

This summer, contractors led by Joe Penna of Holley started putting on a new 1,800-square-foot addition. The project should be done in two to three weeks, and will then be furnished to open in time for the holidays.

The addition will boost the capacity for parties and special events to about 225 to 250. The current main meeting room, a former carriage shop, seats about 150 to 165.

“We get numerous calls for wedding receptions, class reunions, banquets and special events,” said Mark Tillman, owner of the restaurant. “Two hundred seems to be the magic number.”

Tillman is also doubling the number of parking spaces to help accommodate the bigger crowds.

The Village Inn opened in 1824, before the Erie Canal opened, and long before the railroads and paved streets with cars. The Village Inn was part of a stagecoach route along Ridge Road, which was originally an Indian Trail.

The other taverns on the trail are long gone. In fact, few local landmark restaurants seem to last more than a generation. Locally, the Basket Factory, Albion Steakhouse, the Apple Grove, Barbary Coast all prominent local restaurants – have all closed.

Tillman said The Village Inn has endured, mainly because of its commitment to consistent high-quality food with a friendly staff. But he said the restaurant needs to be willing to change and seize some opportunities.

The Village Inn, with its historic flavor, stands out from other party houses, Tillman said.

“There are so many party rooms that are sterile,” he said. “They are big open spaces with lights.”

Mark Tillman sits on a carriage step at The Village Inn that notes the restaurant dates back to 1824. The new addition is in the back right. It should be ready for the holidays.

The main meeting room at The Village Inn has hand-hewn beams. Those supports were were shaped by axes and machetes nearly 200 years ago. Tillman displays many artifacts from the bygone era – saddles, harnesses, food barrels and many historical photos. He has the restaurant’s liquor license framed from the early 1900s. In 1905, the license cost $150, a fee payable to the state.

The new addition will blend in with the historic site. Tillman said many customers have brought in community artifacts over the years that he put in storage because he didn’t have enough space to display them. He will soon have more room to show some of those relics.

“The new space will blend in,” he said. “We don’t want to take away from the aesthetics.”

The restaurant has been in the Tillman family for 64 years. Mark is the third generation owner, following his grandfather Sam and Mark’s father Bill. Mark is determined to see the business to its 200th anniversary in 2024.

He knows the business is important for the community, providing jobs for 50 people and drawing visitors from outside the area. Many teen-agers get their first jobs washing dishes and bussing tables at the restaurant. Many of his wait staff have stayed with the Village Inn for decades. Twelve of his employees have a combined 300-plus years of working at the restaurant.

Tillman has a good relationship with the neighboring Cobblestone Museum, which is increasingly hosting weddings at the historic Cobblestone Church, which was built in 1834. People who get married there will soon be able to have wedding receptions at the Village Inn, which also operates the Fairhaven Inn, offering lodging.

“This route was once known as the Honeymoon Trail,” Tillman said, noting the close drive to Niagara Falls. “We’re trying to recreate that.”

Former bait shop owner in Gaines says SAFE Act deserves public support

Photos by Tom Rivers – Al Capurso and his wife Christine have two signs in their front yard on Route 279 in Gaines that show their support for the state’s gun control legislation known as the SAFE Act.

GAINES – About a week ago Al Capurso put up two lawn signs, both in support of the SAFE Act.

That might not seem newsworthy, but Capurso might be the first Orleans County resident to make such a public declaration of support for the state’s controversial gun control law. Capurso sees many “Repeal the Safe Act” signs, and he knows all of the elected town, village and county boards in Orleans have passed formal resolutions, calling for the law’s repeal.

Many of the law’s opponents see it as an attack on the Second Amendment’s Right to Bear Arms. Capurso doesn’t see it that way.

“I don’t believe the framers of the Constitution foresaw a citizens’ arms race where they have to get bigger and faster guns to feel safe,” Capurso said today. “A citizens’ arms race is not the Second Amendment.”

Capurso, a long-time sportsman who owned a bait shop for more than 20 years, said the anti-Safe Act voices don’t acknowledge the good with the law, mainly a restriction against magazines with more than 10 bullets. (The law, passed in January 2013, first limited it to seven bullets, but was overruled in a court challenge to a 10-bullet limit.)

Capurso also worked in the mental health field, retiring as an intensive case manager at the Orleans County Mental Health Department. He supports background checks and the pistol permit process. He supports the 10-bullet limit so madmen can’t fire off numerous rounds before reloading.

“Extremist” vices have dominated the SAFE Act discussion locally, Capurso said. He would like to see the public consider other viewpoints, and respect people with differing views.

Paul McQuillen of Buffalo is the Western New York coordinator of New Yorkers Against Gun Violence. He sent Capurso one of the signs in support of the SAFE Act. Capurso hand-painted the other one, which says “Keep S.A.F.E.”

McQuillen says a “silent majority” supports the SAFE Act and efforts to rein in gun violence. He gives out many of the organization’s signs, although he said they are often stolen from front lawns.

He pointed to a Sienna College poll in March that showed the majority of the state by a 2 to 1 ratio backs the SAFE Act. In New York City, the law has about 75 percent of the public’s support. In Upstate New York, a slight majority opposes the law, according the poll.

Capurso would like to see the public, including local elected officials, offer constructive criticism of the law, looking for ways to make it better rather than roundly rejecting it.

“There needs to be another side of this story told besides the extremist point of view,” Capurso said. “I’m not seeing a voice of moderation out there. The pendulum is swinging so far to the extreme. They’re afraid the government might come get their guns and that’s nonsense. They’re afraid the bogeyman will come get them.”

Capurso also took issue with the anti-Safe Act message that proclaims those supporters as “true patriots.” Capurso considers himself a “patriot” who supports the Second Amendment and “common sense” gun laws.

“I respect people’s rights to have signs in their yard,” he said. “I would defend that to that hilt. But I don’t have to agree with them. That’s what being an American is about: You have the right to speak out.”

Photos by Tom Rivers
GAINES – Eileen Sorochty is out today weeding a garden in front of Farmers’ Hall at the Cobblestone Museum.

Sorochty is training to become a master gardener, a role that requires at least 50 hours of community service each year. She is pulling Bishop’s Weed from the garden. The weed was crowding out some Daylilies.

Sorochty of Albion is retired from Brockport State College. She worked as an administrative assistant in the college advancement department.

She also is helping the Cobblestone Museum with another garden near the bathrooms behind the Cobblestone Universalist Church.

Town will apply excess to reducing debt for districts

GAINES – The Town of Gaines overcharged residents in water districts by about $175,000, the Town Board announced on Wednesday after audits by two accounting firms.

The Town Board decided it will take money from the water district reserves to pay down debt in the districts. That will shorten the life of the loans and also reduce the annual payments to residents in eight water districts.

One district, No. 8, actually wasn’t paying enough and residents in that district will need to pay “a little more” to cover the district’s full expenses for debt and maintenance, said Town Supervisor Carol Culhane.

Water District No. 4 overpaid by $52,000 and that will be enough to wipe out the remaining principal, eliminating debt payments in the future for that district.

Other districts overpaid by the following amounts, according to the town:

Water District 2: $29,567
Water District 3: $29,633
Water District 5: $20,269
Water District 6: $2,617
Water District 7: $39,522
Water District 9: $2,788
Water District 10: $2,014

Culhane said she has been working with auditors for about 18 months, trying to determine if there was an overcharge and how to best solve the problem. The town also consulted the State Comptroller’s Office and reviewed New York Finance Law, she said.

She couldn’t say why the town overcharged residents. She said it goes back to at least 2006.

A resident complained about a high tax bill for water and that got Culhane, the town supervisor for about three years, to look into the issue.

The changing numbers in the districts makes it difficult to craft a solution for the excess charges. Some residents who overpaid their water district bills have sold their homes and moved out of the district.

The water districts often add users as new houses are constructed. Sometimes lots are split up, changing the numbers of users from when the districts were first formed and started collecting annual debt payments to pay off the loan for the construction.

Using the excess funds from the water district reserves will provide relief to water users in 2015 with smaller debt service charges, except for District No. 8.

“The most important thing is we came up with a fair fix,” Culhane said. “I don’t see another viable plan.”

Culhane said the Town Board is united in wanting to address the problem.

“It’s the board decision to go forward and straighten this out,” she said.

Photos by Tom Rivers – This death mask, believed to be one of three cast of Dr. Roswell Park of Buffalo, is on display at the Cobblestone Museum until Oct. 13.

GAINES – The Cobblestone Museum has added two new pieces to an ongoing exhibit about medicine in Orleans County and Western New York.

The museum just acquired a wooden wheelchair that is likely at least a century old. It was donated by Francis London of Waterport, who bought it at a garage sale.

The other new addition is on loan until the end of the museum’s season on Oct. 13. The “death mask” of Dr. Roswell Park shows the likeness of the doctor best known for starting a cancer research laboratory in Buffalo, now known as Roswell Park Cancer Institute. Park was a well-respected doctor who cared for President William McKinley after he was shot in Buffalo.

Park was born on May 4, 1852, and lived until 1914. The death mask is on loan from a private collection. The local owner acquired it from an antique dealer, said Matt Ballard, co-director of the museum. UB’s School of Medicine and Buffalo’s History Museum each have a death mask of Park.

Death masks were created of deceased family members. It is a practice that goes back to Ancient Egypt, Ballard said. At the time of Dr. Park’s death, the practice was becoming uncommon with the rise of photography.

This wooden wheelchair was recently donated to the Cobblestone Museum by Francis London of Waterport.

The wheelchair looks like a regular wooden chair with large wooden wheels attached. It was made by the J.S. Ford, Johnson & Company from Chicago.

The company was started in 1867 John Sherlock Ford and Henry W. Johnson in 1867, according to Ballard’s research. The two men operated a chair manufacturing company out of Columbus, Ohio. They relocated the business to Chicago in 1872. It became well respected for manufacturing high quality Mission Style furniture. They were best known for their chairs and settees, Ballard said.

The exact date of the chair’s manufacturer is not known. The back label reads, “J.S. Ford, Johnson & Co. – Manufacturers – Chicago.”

“So we know the piece is dated after 1872 when the company moved to Chicago,” Ballard said.

The exhibit is located in the Danolds Room at the Cobblestone Universalist Church on Route 104, just east of Route 98.

Photos by Sue Cook – Robert Stilwell took photographs of pets in funny poses and costumes for the event. Dilly was made to look like a ’20s swinger with the props on hand.

By Sue Cook, staff reporter

GAINES – The Olde Dogge Inn held a Pet Festival on Saturday and welcomed more than 100 visitors in the first hour. People were welcome to bring their pets for sales, demonstrations, services, portraits and psychic readings.

“People are really excited about this and having a lot of fun,” said Olde Dogge Inn owner Jennifer Stilwell. “All the animals are happy, all the people are happy. It’s just a great event and it’s getting a lot of positive response. This only reinforces our decision to bring the festival back because it definitely is drawing a lot of attention.”

Eveline Burdick attended the festival with her dog Sasha in tow.

“It’s a good way for the dogs to socialize with people and I’ve never been here and I wanted to see what they had to offer,” she said. “We always do all the pet festivals and I saw this one online.”

Festival goers could check out tents selling pet merchandise or talk to vendors about food choices. Pet rescuers were also there accepting donations and educating the public on their services.

Pet ID tags were offered at a discount price to give lost pets a better chance of getting home.

Lieutenant Christopher Bourke with the Orleans County Sheriff’s Department was there to do a demonstration with Cim, a dog that works for the department. He was contacted by Stilwell to do a demonstration.

Cim was trained in Germany and imported by the department. Bourke gives Cim her commands in German. Because the dog and trainer are so close, Cim works the same hours as Bourke and returns home with him each night.

“We’re going to talk about the dog and how we use the dog and the training the dog has,” Bourke said. “We’ll demonstrate some obedience, some drug-detection work and let the dog apprehend a pretend bad guy.”

Bourke plays with Cim for a moment because she found the drugs that were hidden.

Drug detection is turned into a game for training to make it more exciting for the dog.

Bourke demonstrated how Cim follows commands by having her sit and heel on command.

He also had her break into a full run and then had her drop into a laying position instantly. He explained that having her obey commands so quickly from a distance could potentially save her life. It could prevent her from being in harm’s way in a variety of dangerous situations.

Bourke and Deputy Jeff Cole show how Cim is used to apprehend criminals.

The Orleans County Dog Heelers 4-H club also did a demonstration at the event. The group showed off their dogs’ agility and obedience. They also performed tricks and played flyball. The club is led by Jackie Gingerich and Lindsay Moore.

Club member Abby Allen brought her chocolate lab Cody to show off his abilities.

“He’s really well trained,” she said. “He’s really good at obedience. If you tell him to sit and stay, he’ll stay there forever.”

The Dog Heelers ran their dogs through the obstacle course.

P.A.W.S. Animal Shelter also brought some pets and information about adoptions. Olde Dogge Inn helps the shelter with adoptions by having kittens in the store.

“We’re just spreading the word that we’re open. We’re in a pretty slow spot. We’re on Gaines Basin Road and there’s not a lot of traffic through there. We’re also a no-kill shelter,” said volunteer Morgan Tinkous. “We’ve had birds, ferrets, rabbits, guinea pigs. We’ve taken small animals. We don’t take in anything we’re not comfortable with.”

These cats are among the ones up for adoption. Throughout the festival, several kids came up to play with the cats.

Photo by Tom Rivers

GAINES – Fairhaven Treasures recently installed three new flag poles and started work on what will be an International Peace Garden. The poles hold flags for the United States, Canada and also a yellow flag that says, “Don’t Tread On Me.”

Ray Burke and his wife Linda own the property at the southeast corner of routes 98 and 104. They celebrated the grand opening for Fairhaven Treasures on May 3-4.

They will have the second International Peace Garden in Orleans County, following Brown’s Berry Patch. The new garden by the flag poles should be in place by the end of the summer, Mr. Burke said.

Press release, Orleans County Undersheriff Steve Smith

GAINES – A Waterport woman is in serious condition at a Buffalo hospital after crashing her vehicle early this morning in the Town of Gaines.

The incident occurred at about 2 a.m. in the 2200 block of Gaines-Waterport Road (State Route 279). Felicia A. Gaddis, 45, was the sole occupant of the 2000 Buick sedan she was driving southbound. She apparently lost control of the vehicle, crossed the center line and ran off the east side of the roadway before striking a utility pole.

Gaddis was ejected from the car as it overturned, coming to rest on its side. She was flown to Erie County Medical Center by Mercy Flight helicopter.

The collision resulted in downed power lines when the utility pole was snapped in half, which brought a response from National Grid.

While the incident remains under investigation, it appears that both alcohol & excessive speed were contributing factors. Charges against Gaddis are pending her recovery and blood test results.

The incident was investigated by Deputy T.C. Marano, assisted by Deputy J.W. Halstead and Investigators K.M. Strickland Jr., and D.E. Foeller Jr.

Albion and Carlton firefighters and Central Orleans Volunteer Ambulance personnel were also at the scene.

Photo by Tom Rivers – Intergrow Greenhouses has the Orleans County Planning Board’s approval for an expansion on the western side of its property, a 7.3-acre addition to its greenhouses.

ALBION – A company planning a major expansion to its greenhouses has the Orleans County Planning Board’s support for the project.

Intergrow Greenhouses is planning a 7.3-acre expansion that would be 632 feet by 504 feet. The new building would be on the western side of its property that already includes 48 acres of greenhouses.

County planners on Thursday recommended the Town of Gaines approve a special use permit and the site plan for the project in a residential/agriculture district. The property is located at 2428 Oak Orchard Rd.

Dirk Biemans, co-owner of Intergrow, presented the project to the County Planning Board on Thursday. Biemans said Intergrow, which first built a greenhouse in Gaines in 2003, is seeing increased demand for its hydroponic tomatoes.

He would like to break ground on the addition this summer and have the new greenhouse ready for its first planting in November.

The greenhouse addition will be 318,214 square feet. The project also includes an 11,546 square foot addition for storage and a 3,947 square foot addition for a generator room.

Intergrow employs 100 people in Gaines and expects to hire 10 to 15 more with the expansion.

Provided photo – JBF Construction recently put a new roof on the Cobblestone Universalist Church and then put one on the neighboring brick house.

Provided photo – JBF Construction recently put a new roof on the Cobblestone Universalist Church and then put one on the neighboring brick house.

GAINES – Two buildings constructed in the 1830s both have new roofs. JBF Construction in Albion worked on the projects last month and in early June.

The Cobblestone Society Museum raised the money for the new roof for the Cobblestone Universalist Church, a building from 1834 on Route 104, just east of Route 98. The project was paid for with donations, including a corporate gift from Christopher-Mitchell Funeral Homes and grants from the Daughters of the American Revolution, The Elizabeth Dye Curtis Foundation & The Orleans County Foundation, and the New York Landmarks Conservancy’s Sacred Sites program.

While contractors were working on the church, two museum board members, Gary and Grace Kent, decided to pay for the new roof on the next-door brick house, which was built in circa 1836.