By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 2 October 2026 at 8:32 am
Photos by Tom Rivers: Gia Baker, 9, of Albion decorates a pumpkin on East Bank Street in Albion during last year’s Fall Fest in Albion. The event returns on Saturday with many activities.
Albion and Kendall will both be hosting fall festivals on Saturday with scarecrows, pumpkin painting and other activities from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
The Albion Merchants Association will have its Fall Festival in downtown Albion. People can make scarecrows, paint a pumpkin, browse local vendors, and enjoy music and other activities.
The scarecrows are usually attached to the light poles in the downtown during October. This year, they will instead be displayed along a fence at Bullard Park.
Albion will also welcome the band Yacht Club for a concert at 7 p.m. at the Elks Lodge at 428 West State St. This is a fundraiser towards the July 3rd celebration at Bullard Park, which includes fireworks and other activities.
Mavis Williams, a member of the Kendall Scarecrow Committee, took the lead in creating this RIP scarecrow during last year’s scarecrow festival.
The Kendall Scarecrow Festival will be at the Kendall Community Park, 1941 Kendall Rd.
This year’s scarecrow contest has a theme of “Happy 250th Birthday America!”
The festival includes food, live music by Rebel’s Posse, raffles, games, hayrides, and other family-friendly activities with crafts, face painting, inflatables and pony rides. There will be a chainsaw carving demo by Jeff of Critters 3D.
KENDALL – The Kendall Fire Department has been awarded a $114,000 grant from the state, part of $25 million for 65 volunteer fire departments and districts across New York to improve facilities, response capabilities and emergency preparedness.
These investments build on the $25 million previously awarded to 88 volunteer fire departments in October 2024, Governor Kathy Hochul’s Office announced.
With nearly half of New Yorkers relying on volunteer firefighters for fire protection and emergency response, this grant program helps offset the financial pressures of rising equipment and construction costs, ensuring local taxpayers do not bear the full cost of these essential safety upgrades, Hochul said in a news release.
“Our volunteer firefighters answer the call day and night, keeping New York communities across the state safe,” Hochul said. “By investing an additional $25 million in V-FIRE grant funding for volunteer firefighters, we are ensuring our local heroes are equipped with modern facilities, advanced gear and tools they need to respond quickly and safely when they get the call.”
The State Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services administers the Volunteer Fire Infrastructure & Response Equipment (V-FIRE) Grant Program, which supports volunteer fire departments by upgrading and improving facilities and response capabilities through the following objectives:
Facility Improvements: Funding the construction of new, or renovation of existing, fire stations, classrooms, meeting spaces, or training centers to ensure they are safe, structurally sound, meet current building codes, and promote safe firefighting practices.
Equipment Purchases: Supporting firefighter health, safety, and wellness by providing up-to-date personal protective equipment (PPE), PPE washers and dryers, decontamination equipment and supplies, and effective exhaust removal systems.
Additionally, the V-FIRE grants support the consolidation of fire service resources through regionalization efforts, allowing departments to expand their capabilities beyond traditional jurisdictional boundaries to enhance local, county, and statewide mutual aid response.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 2 September 2026 at 2:29 pm
Two deputies at the Orleans County Sheriff’s Office will be back as school resource officers in Kendall and Lyndonville.
Jason Barnum will continue as SRO for the Lyndonville school district while George Barton will stay as the Kendall school resource officer.
The Orleans County Legislature last week approved new two-year agreements with the two school districts with SROs working this school year from Sept. 1 to June 30, 2027.
In Lyndonville, the school district will pay $615.29 per day for an SRO in 2026, then $673.54 daily in 2027 and $697.37 per day for 2028.
For any additional hours requested by the district for afterhours events, the Sheriff’s Office will be compensated at an overtime hourly including incremental fringe expense rate of $77.60 per hour for the rest of 2026, $86.53 per hour for the 2027 calendar year and $89.13 per hour for the spring semester 2028.
In Kendall, the contract calls for the district to pay $504.71 per day for the rest of 2026, then $551.85 per day in 2027, and $569.89 daily in 2028.
Any additional hours requested by the district for after-hours events call for the Sheriff’s Office to be compensated at an overtime hourly including incremental fringe expense rate of $76.57 per hour for the calendar year 2026, $84.44 per hour for the 2027 calendar year and $86.99 per hour for the spring semester 2028.
Provided photo: Rylie Fox holds a Rev cuddle buddy. She will be selling lemonade on Wednesday so more Revs will be available at the Strong NICU.
KENDALL – A Kendall student is turning a school leadership opportunity into a chance to give back to some of the region’s youngest patients.
Rylie Fox, an incoming sixth-grade student at Kendall Central School, was selected to participate in the school’s Safety Squad, a program conducted in partnership between the Kendall Central School District and the Orleans County Sheriff’s Office. The program gives students an opportunity to demonstrate leadership while promoting safety, responsibility and service within their school and community.
Students entering sixth grade must apply and interview for a position on the Safety Squad. Those selected receive an acceptance letter during the summer, along with instructions to complete a community service project.
For her project, Rylie has decided to hold a lemonade stand on Kendall Road on Wednesday, September 2, 2026, from 4:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. giving the opportunity for people coming home from work to enjoy an ice cold lemonade. The stand will be located on Kendall Road between Ridge Road and Creek Road.
Rylie will donate 100% of the proceeds to Healthy Highway, a nonprofit organization, to help provide “REV” cuddle buddies to children in the NICU at Strong Memorial Hospital.
Each REV costs approximately $25 to produce, and Healthy Highway relies on donations and community support to make the cuddle buddies available to children in need. Rylie is hoping her lemonade stand raises enough money to provide as many REVs as possible to children and families in the NICU.
The cause has a special connection to Rylie and her family. Her father James Fox, a chief with the Kendall Fire Department, began a partnership with Healthy Highway in June to bring REV to the Kendall Fire Department. After learning more about the program, Rylie knew where she wanted the proceeds from her community service project to go.
Rylie’s cousin spent an extended period of time in the NICU at Strong Memorial Hospital after he was born, and the care he received there helped save his life. Remembering what the NICU meant to her own family inspired Rylie to help other children who are going through similar experiences.
Her hope is that children who have spent their first days, weeks or months fighting in the NICU can eventually go home with a REV cuddle buddy of their own.
What began as a Safety Squad community service assignment has become an opportunity for Rylie to demonstrate exactly what the program is designed to encourage—leadership, compassion, safety and service to others.
Community members who would like to support Rylie’s project can stop by her lemonade stand Wednesday, September 2, from 4:30–6:30 p.m. on Kendall Road between Ridge Road and Creek Road. Every dollar raised will go toward helping put more REV cuddle buddies into the hands of children in the Strong Memorial Hospital NICU.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 18 August 2026 at 12:37 pm
Photos by Tom Rivers
KENDALL – Firefighters work to put out a fire in a storage building at 15959 Bridge Rd. in Kendall.
Flames were shooting out from the building and melted some of the siding at a barn next door, but the fire was largely contained to the storage shed. The sandstone smoke house next door also acted as a fire wall and kept the fire from spreading.
Tom Munzert said he was burning weeds with a torch around the shed this morning. He kept a close eye on them and everything seemed fine. He was working outside on a lawnmower when a passerby alerted him to the fire.
The storage building had ATVs, lawnmowers and a mattress inside that were owned by a former tenant, Munzert said.
Kendall firefighters were dispatched to the scene around 11:30 a.m. They were assisted by firefighters from Carlton, Murray, Clarendon and the Hamlin-Morton-Walker Fire District.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 7 August 2026 at 11:44 am
Provided photo
KENDALL – Kendall’s Class of 1986 recently met at a classmate’s home for their 40th reunion.
“Plenty of yearbooks, hundreds of photos and other memorabilia were shared!” said John Richards, who helped plan the event for his classmates.
Pictured in first row: Tammy Riviere and Leandra Tonweber. Second row: Lori Green, Dee Bliss and Tonya Colburn. Third row: Mark Moss, Dale Bloodworth, John Richards, Cory Brumfield, Jim Sennett, Cathy Barthel, Stacey Ingraham and Jeff Perrigo. Top row: Anne Elphick, Brian Lang, Mike Hill, Nadine Paduchak and Paula Streeter.
Cuddle Buddies can provide comfort for people suffering emergency or traumatic event
Photos courtesy of Kendall Fire Department: The Rev Cuddle Buddies are shown inside a Kendall fire truck and response vehicle.
Press Release, Kendall Fire Department
KENDALL – In an effort to make emergency situations a little less frightening for community members, the Kendall Fire Department has partnered with Healthy Highway to receive a donation of ten Rev Cuddle Buddies comfort items.
The stuffed dinosaur companions will be carried on department apparatus and given to community members during emergencies, providing comfort and reassurance during what can often be one of the most stressful moments of their lives.
Assistant Chief James Fox said the donation is about much more than a stuffed animal, it’s about showing compassion when people need it most.
“As first responders, we often meet people on one of the worst days of their lives,” Fox said. “Whether it’s a house fire, motor vehicle accident, medical emergency, or another traumatic event, everything around them can seem overwhelming. Something as simple as handing them a Rev Cuddle Buddies gives them something to hold onto, something that helps them feel safe and reminds them that someone cares.”
Assistant Chief James Fox and Deputy Chief Mike Cole hold the donated Rev Cuddle Buddies, which are intended as comfort items for people stressed from an emergency.
Fox explained that he reached out to Healthy Highway after learning about the organization’s mission of supporting first responders and helping people cope with emergencies.
“When I saw what Healthy Highway was doing for communities across the country, I knew this was something that could make a real difference here in Kendall,” he said. “Our firefighters and EMTs are committed to taking care of people, and that includes caring for their emotional well-being. Children and adults with developmental disabilities process emergencies differently than adults, and having a comfort item can help reduce fear and anxiety while we focus on helping them and their families.”
The ten donated Rev Cuddle Buddies will be distributed by firefighters and EMS personnel whenever they encounter individuals involved in emergency incidents. While they are especially helpful for children, they are also beneficial for people with developmental disabilities or elderly patients experiencing dementia, who may find comfort in a familiar, calming object during stressful or confusing situations. The department hopes the program will bring comfort during difficult moments while helping build trust between first responders and the community.
“This is an incredible addition to the services we provide,” Fox added. “We’re grateful to Healthy Highway for recognizing the importance of supporting people during emergencies. Their generosity will have a lasting impact on families in our community, and we can’t thank them enough for partnering with us.”
The Kendall Fire Department says the donation reflects its ongoing commitment to serving the community beyond emergency response. While firefighters and EMS personnel are trained to save lives and protect property, they also recognize the importance of compassion and emotional support for all patients, regardless of age or ability.
Through this partnership with Healthy Highway, Kendall firefighters will now have another tool available, one that doesn’t fight fire or treat injuries, but instead helps bring comfort, courage, and a sense of calm when it’s needed most.
Programs like this are only possible because of the generosity of volunteers and donors who support Healthy Highway’s mission. Every donation helps place comfort items like Rev into the hands of first responders, allowing them to provide emotional support to those in crisis. If you would like to support this program and help bring comfort to people in communities like Kendall, please consider volunteering or making a donation through Healthy Highway.
The Kendall Fire Department extends its sincere appreciation to Healthy Highway, its volunteers, and its donors for making this partnership possible. Together, they are helping ensure that even during life’s most difficult moments, members of the community know they are not facing them alone.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 22 July 2026 at 2:59 pm
Day 5 in Kendall with Community Action 400 concluding Saturday in Albion
Photos by Tom Rivers
KENDALL – Today is day 5 of the Community Action 400, and Brett Sobieraski’s blistered feet are hurting.
He entered today have already run over 200 miles since Saturday. He is attempting to complete 400 miles over 8 miles with a goal of raising $20,000 for Community Action of Orleans & Genesee. As of about noon, the fundraising is up to $19,000.
The top photo shows Sobieraski, second from right, chatting with Kendall resident Jim Baker, a fellow ultramarathoner. Monroe County Sheriff Todd Baxter is second from left with his son Kevin next to him. Christine Klein is at far right.
Klein drove in from Chili and she brought the rosemary herb, which she said promotes circulation and clears brain fog. Klein said so many miles in a short time frame can lead to delusions.
“I’ve run ultras,” she said. “I know how you can feel loopy.”
She ran 20 laps with Sobieraski this morning for 5 miles. He is going to try to complete 220 laps for 55 miles today. Klein could see Sobieraski was struggling with very sore feet, but was pushing forward.
“It’s amazing what he does,” she said.
Jim Baker runs with Brett Sobieraski on the Kendall track. Sobieraski has already run 55 miles on Saturday in Albion, 55 miles on Sunday in Lyndonville, 50.5 miles in Batavia on Monday and 55.8 miles in East Rochester on Tuesday.
After Kendall today he plans to run 55 miles in Medina on Thursday, 55 in Holley on Friday and 15 in Albion on Saturday. He needs to make up for the 4.5 miles at Batavia. The track closed at 5:30 p.m. due to a lacrosse game. Sobieraski made up 0.8 mile on Tuesday with 3.7 more before the 400-mile trek is complete.
Baker, 63, said he has run many miles at the Kendall track training for marathons and ultras that are beyond the 26.2-mile distance of a marathon.
“I hope he can do it,” Baker said about Sobieraski’s 400-mile goal. “He’s a good man. He has a ton of heart.”
Sobieraski is cheered on by some members of the Orleans County District Attorney’s Office, who too their lunch break to encourage him. From right from the DA’s office include Michayla Boyer and Michelle Werth, the director of the Crime Victim’s Office. Sobieraski’s girlfriend Laura Rinaldi is second from left.
Sobieraski is retired from the Rochester Police Department as a sergeant. He is working as an investigator for the Orleans County Major Felony Crimes Task Force.
His two sons graduated from Kendall.
Sobieraski said today’s effort in Kendall is dedicated to Rich Williams, a longtime wrestling coach in Kendall who passed away at age 64 on July 3. Williams “would give you the shirt off his back” and was a great friend and mentor to many in the community, Sobieraski said.
Monroe County Sheriff Todd Baxter is next to Sobieraski on the Kendall track. Baxter’s son Kevin is on the other side. They are joined by Christine Klein.
Sheriff Baxter said he was there to provide moral support because he knew Sobieraski’s feet were badly blistered and he could use encouragement.
About 250 people joined Sobieraski on Tuesday in East Rochester, including many law enforcement officers.
Sobieraski used that run to also honor the memory of three law enforcement officers killed in the line of duty: Rochester police officer Daryl Pierson, Rochester police officer Anthony Mazurkiewicz and Jamison Ritter, a Rochester native killed in the line of duty working as an officer in Cleveland.
Sobieraski said it was an emotional high seeing so many people come out in support of those three officers on Tuesday.
He welcomes community members to join him on the track, even for a lap, at any of the locations.
Kendall Fire Department rallies behind Sobieraski for charity run
Press Release, Kendall Fire Department
KENDALL – As local hero Brett Sobieraski made his way around the Kendall track on Wednesday as part of a 400-mile charity run, he was met with a show of support from the Kendall Fire Department.
Fire apparatus lined the roadway, emergency lights flashed, air horns echoed through the community, and firefighters, family members, and residents gathered to remind Brett that he wasn’t taking a single step alone.
Assistant Chief James Fox said supporting Sobieraski was never a question.
“Brett is an inspiration to everyone, not just those who wear a uniform,” Fox said. “He has always been a supporter of our fire department and is like family to everyone he meets. Brett would give the shirt off his back and literally the skin off his feet for anyone who needs it. The strength and determination he shows is simply unbelievable.”
When firefighters learned that Sobieraski would be running in his hometown and completing laps on the Kendall track, the department quickly organized a show of appreciation.
“There was never any doubt that we’d get some trucks out there and make a little noise as we rolled up to the track,” Fox said. “It’s just a small way of showing Brett that he’s not alone out there.”
The support extended well beyond the fire apparatus. Past Chief Bryan Hardenbrook, his wife, and their two children joined Brett on the track for a lap, along with Junior Firefighter Charlie Fox, her sister Rylie Fox and friend Brooke. Their participation symbolized not only the department’s appreciation but also the community spirit that Sobieraski has inspired throughout his journey.
Earlier that morning, the department issued a page requesting drivers to help move the apparatus to the track.
“Within one minute of sending the page, my phone was blowing up,” Fox said. “That says everything about the members of this department. It makes me proud to be a chief in a department that genuinely loves supporting people who sacrifice so much of themselves to raise money for such great organizations.”
While the fire trucks and flashing lights caught the attention of many, the true story was the relationship between a community and one of its own. Sobieraski’s relentless commitment to raising money for charity has inspired countless people, and Kendall firefighters wanted to ensure he felt that support while in his hometown.
As Brett continues his remarkable 400-mile journey, the Kendall Fire Department hopes their tribute serves as a reminder that behind every extraordinary effort is a community standing shoulder to shoulder with those who dedicate themselves to helping others.
For the members of the Kendall Fire Department, honoring Brett Sobieraski wasn’t simply about supporting a runner, it was about recognizing a man whose selflessness, perseverance, and commitment to serving others embody the very values firefighters strive to live by every day.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 20 July 2026 at 9:15 pm
Photos from City of Rochester
ROCHESTER – Firefighters stand and salute during the funeral procession on July 15 for Lieutenant John “JJ” Joseph of the Rochester Fire Department. Joseph graduated from Kendall and started as a Kendall firefighter before joining the Rochester FD 18 years ago.
Photo from Local 1071: John “JJ” Joseph joined the Rochester Fire Department when he was 19 and served 18 years with the RFD.
“JJ” Joseph was 37 years old. He died on July 7 from occupational cancer from his career as a firefighter.
His father Bart Joseph also has been active with the Kendall Fire Department and is retired from a 39-year career as a Rochester firefighter.
The Kendall Fire Department brought a contingent of personnel to the funeral and also a Kendall fire truck. Lt. Joseph was honored at his funeral at the Blue Cross Arena.
The Kendall FD posted on its Facebook page that Joseph began his journey in the fire service at Kendall.
“While his career eventually led him to the Rochester Fire Department, he never forgot where it all began, and we will always be proud to call him one of our own,” the Kendall Fire Department posted. “John’s courage, dedication, and servant’s heart will continue to inspire us. His memory will ride with us every time the tones sound, every time we climb aboard the truck, and every time we answer the call to help someone in need.”
Joseph worked at Engine 5 for most of his career and was the union secretary for Rochester Fire Fighters Local 1071.
“He is a young man and friend to many, an extremely hard worker, a strong advocate for our union members and a great firefighter,” Local 1071 posted on its Facebook page. “Please keep his family and the RFD in mind.”
Joseph was laid to rest at Mt. Hope Cemetery in Rochester.
The Rochester Fire Department posted this statement following the death of Lt. Joseph:
“Our thoughts are with his family, friends, loved ones, and every member of the Rochester Fire Department as we grieve the loss of our beloved brother.
“The bond shared by firefighters extends far beyond the walls of the firehouse. In moments like these, we are reminded that we are a family, united by service, sacrifice, and an unwavering commitment to one another.
“On behalf of the Rochester Fire Department, we extend our deepest condolences to all who are mourning this tremendous loss. May Lieutenant Joseph’s memory be a source of strength and comfort to all who knew him, and may his example continue to inspire those who follow in his footsteps.”
People are welcome to make a donation to the Joseph family through an online fundraiser by The Yard Foundation, which is focused on helping firefighters and their families. Click here for more information.
A Rochester fire truck carried the turnout gear for Lt. Joseph during his funeral procession.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 12 July 2026 at 1:15 pm
Photos by Tom Rivers
KENDALL – Fireworks burst in the sky at the Kendall Firemen’s Carnival on Saturday night next to the Gondola Wheel, one of 12 rides at the carnival from Knox’s Great American Midways in Franklinville.
The fireworks show was bigger than in recent years with the Town of Kendall raising money for the show as part of a 250th anniversary celebration for the United States of America.
Henry Tomasino and Kourtney Marion both volunteered selling waffles for the Kendall Ladies Auxiliary on Saturday night. They did it as part of the 15-hour community service requirement needed to graduate from Kendall.
The food vendors for the fire department said they were busy all three nights, and ran out of some of the items.
The band Tryst closed out the carnival on Saturday, performing in front of several hundred people in and outside the beer tent. Here the band sings, “Sweet Emotion” by Aerosmith.
The game “I Got It” was busy on Saturday night.
This goose figurine was dressed up in patriotic red, white and blue near the waffle booth.
