Photos by Tom Rivers

LYNDONVILLE – Young Explosives has a crew in Lyndonville today setting up for tonight’s fireworks show at 10 p.m.. The group of six will spend several hours getting the fireworks set up for the show.

The crew will vary the pace for releasing the fireworks, mixing low-lying colorful ones with high flyers and big booms.

Stan Powers holds a 12-inch shell. Young Explosives will send two of these 1,000 feet into the sky tonight for the first time in Lyndonville. The shells weigh about 40 pounds. They have a wing span of about 400 to 500 feet and will burst into four or five different colors.

Powers does about 40 shows with Young Explosives each year. Lyndonville ranks among his favorites, Powers said this afternoon.

There is a very enthusiastic crowd and an ideal location. Plus the community raises a lot of money for a big show.

“Lyndonville is the perfect location,” Powers said.

The crew gets fireworks ready for tonight’s show. This group will be used for the finale.

Powers likes the nicely mowed lawn to set up. The crowd also gathers on an open field up on a hill with no houses nearby in three directions. Powers does some shows where the crew is limited to straight up high fireworks because houses are close by. Sometimes, the fireworks crew can’t see the crowd.

At Lyndonville, the crowd is visible and they often cheer wildly during the 38-minute fireworks show.

Powers said only the City of Rochester spends more than Lyndonville for the show, and Young Explosives of Canandaigua does about 100 shows over the July 4th weekend.

Lyndonville is a special place for the crew because of the community appreciation and the chance for the crew to be creative, sending fireworks sideways and at varying heights.

Stan Powers lights a firework at 2 p.m. today. Young Explosives set one off at the top of each hour beginning at noon to build enthusiasm for tonight’s show.

Powers and the crew are wearing shirts about Lyndonville with an image of fireworks reflected in the water at the Lyndonville Dam. They made the shirts because they enjoy the community and they wanted to give some as gifts to Wes Bradley and other Lyndonville Lions Club members.

Bradley serves as the fireworks coordinator in Lyndonville, and tries hard to raise the money for the big show.

Powers said Bradley also brings the crew water and a chicken barbecue, and stays after the show to help them clean up.

“He is really an awesome guy,” Powers said.

The crew will lift and set up about 1,000 fireworks, a process that takes several hours.

“It’s a lot of work but you get your 30 minutes of glory,” Powers said. “When you’re done, you can hear everyone cheering.”

Photos by Kristina Gabalski

LYNDONVILLE – Participants in the “Snail Watches” science workshop observe a snail-paced race. The first snail to make it across the black border on the mat was declared the winner.

Participants ages 8 and up observed live invertebrates up close and additionally learned about the food web of a meadow through an outdoor game.

Rick Merritt (and family) led the program Thursday at the Yates Community Library.

File photos by Tom Rivers – A crowd is gathered on the lawn at Lyndonville’s sports fields to watch the fireworks in this photo from July 4, 2013.

LYNDONVILLE – The fireworks show in Lyndonville, already considered one of the best in the area for its duration and explosive colors, will be the best yet in Lyndonville on Saturday, according to one of the organizers.

Young Explosives will be doing the show again. Young does about 100 fireworks displays and Lyndonville is the second biggest of them all, said Wes Bradley, the fireworks show coordinator for Lyndonville.

The past two years the fireworks shows have been 38 minutes long. The Lyndonville Lions Club signed a contract for this year for 25 percent more in fireworks than last year, Bradley said.

That doesn’t mean the fireworks will be 25 percent longer.

“There will be more stuff in the sky and new shells that have come out,” Bradley said. “It’s going to be our biggest show by far.”

Bradley and about 30 members of the Lyndonville Lions Club put on the Fourth of July Celebration in Lyndonville, with help from the Village of Lyndonville, Town of Yates and other community members.

The fireworks are reflected in the water in Lyndonville on July 4, 2014.

The Lions have organized the day-long celebration for 41 years. The Lyndonville Area Foundation and other donors give to the fireworks display, making it a big blowout.

“We had an absolutely phenomenal response from the community,” Bradley said. “It can’t be done without a whole lot of people putting money towards it.”

The festival and fireworks show draws people from throughout Orleans County, Western New York and many former residents, said Pucher, a retired Lyndonville school superintendent.

“It’s turned into a homecoming for a lot of people who lived here or went to school here,” he said.
The fireworks will start at 10 p.m. They will follow a busy day in Lyndonville, including a parade at noon, arts and crafts show from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., chicken barbecue from 1 to 5 p.m., a garden tractor pull from 1 to 4 p.m., the Hospice duck race at 3 p.m., and live music and other entertainment.

“It’s a nice family event where people can bring their kids,” Pucher said. “It’s a lot more than fireworks. We’ve changed it over the years and added things. Every year we try to improve on the year before.”

Photos by Kristina Gabalski – Orleans County Quilt Guild members Eileen Sorochty, left, and Lynn Andrews hold a John Deere-themed child’s quilt made by Andrews for this year’s donation to children of migrant workers at the Migrant Education Program in Lyndonville.

Members of the Orleans County Quilt Guild will continue a special annual tradition on Monday when they take quilts to children at the summer Migrant Education Program held at the former elementary school in Lyndonville.

“It’s so cute to watch them pick out their quilts and wrap them around themselves,” says Guild member Lynn Andrews.

The Guild will give quilts they made or collected from other local quilt guilds.

Most of the quilts are just the right size for little ones – 40 inches by 65 inches – and feature colorful prints and soft, warm fabrics. All are constructed with great care and attention.

Guild president Shirley Newbould says the group has participated in the project for years.

On the day of the donation, “We meet Donna Spence (project director) and take bags of quilts to the classroom,” Newbould explains.

“We lay them on the floor and the kids pick out what they want.”

Members of the Orleans County Quilt Guild leave space for recipients to put their name on the back of the quilt they choose.

“Last year a little boy picked a pink one with cowgirls and horses,” says Guild member Eileen Sorochty.

She says he was drawn to the horse motif. “He curled up with it and went to sleep.”

An up-close shot of the beautiful quilts to be donated to children of local migrant workers by members of the Orleans County Quilt Guild.

Kindergarteners get the first pick and then first graders, Shirley Newbould says.

Because membership in the Orleans Guild is not as large as when the program started, additional quilts are collected from other local guilds including the Genesee County Quilt Guild, the Brockport Quilt Guild and the Genesee Valley Quilt Club.

“We appreciate it,” Newbould says. “We couldn’t do it without them.”

The Orleans County Quilt Guild meets on the second and fourth Wednesdays of each month.

Members gather to work on a variety of needlework projects, share a potluck lunch, and enjoy each other’s company from late morning through mid-afternoon.

Photos courtesy of Lyndonville Central School – Lyndonville’s Class of 2015 Valedictorian Rebekah Hoffee, left, is pictured with Middle-High School Principal Dr. Aaron Slack and Salutatorian Leann Balcerzak.

Press Release, Lyndonville Central School

LYNDONVILLE – The Stroyan Auditorium was full of excitement, accomplishments and pride on Friday when 53 members of Lyndonville’s Class of 2015 graduated.

The commencement ceremony featured performances by Lyndonville musicians, speeches by students and Lyndonville administrators, scholarship announcements and the presentation of diplomas to Lyndonville’s newest alumni.

Valedictorian Rebekah Hoffee and Salutatorian Leann Balcerzak each took a turn at the podium, addressing their classmates and those in attendance. Balcerzak focused her speech on embracing the future while honoring the past. Hoffee’s speech had a theme of perseverance and included references to “The Little Engine that Could.”

Members of the senior class perform “I Lived” by One Republic.

Superintendent Jason Smith spoke to the students about the willingness to succeed despite adverse conditions. Smith referenced “The Blue Spruce” by former Gov. Mario Cuomo and gave each of the graduating seniors a small faux blue spruce tree with orange roots, to symbolize the students’ beginnings in Lyndonville.

Musical performances by seniors included “The National Anthem,” “I Lived” by One Republic and the Lyndonville Alma Mater.

In the end, all senior had their time in the spotlight as their names were read by teacher and coach Mark Hughes and they walked across the stage.

Kindergarten teacher Robin Boyle is pictured with her daughter, Madison Boyle, after graduation.

SOMERSET A survey of residents in the Town of Somerset shows strong opposition for the proposed wind project by Apex Clean Energy, including if the company downsized the turbines from about 600 feet in height to less than 495 feet.

Somerset town officials announced the survey results last week. The town mailed about 1,100 surveys and 644, or nearly 60 percent were returned. To see the survey results, click here.

Apex has proposed a project with 60 to 68 wind turbines in Somerset and Yates. The turbines would peak at about 570 feet in height to the top of the turbine blade when it’s straight up from the tower’s base.

The Somerset survey shows 61 percent “strongly oppose” the project while 17 percent “strongly support” it. Another 6 percent said they “moderately oppose” it while 12 percent “moderately support” the project.

Even if the turbines “were set back far and away from residences and lot lines of non-participating landowners,” 55 percent said they still “strongly oppose” the project, while 23 percent strongly support it.

If the turbines and the blades were reduced to less tan 495 feet in height, 56 percent in Somerset said they still strongly oppose the project, while 17 percent said they would strongly support it.

Apex said the project would bring significant revenue to reduce taxes in Somerset. Even with that revenue, 49 percent said they still strongly oppose the project while 27 percent said they would strongly support it with “a significant property tax decrease.”

If the project brought significant electricity costs savings to residents, 48 percent of respondents said they would still strongly oppose the project while 27 percent said they would strongly support it.

The survey results prompted Daniel Engert, Somerset town supervisor, to tell reporters he would actively oppose the turbine project in Somerset.

Somerset and Yates don’t have the final say on the project. That rests with a seven-member siting commission that will include two representatives from Somerset-Yates.

Besides the two local representatives on the Siting Committee, the seven-member group is to be chaired by the state Department of Public Service and will include the leaders of four other state departments: Department of Environmental Conservation, NYSERDA (New York State Energy Research and Development Authority), Empire State Development and the Department of Health.

Officials from the Town of Yates are considering a town-wide survey, said Town Supervisor John Belson. The town did a survey before in 2007. At that time most respondents had a “favorable” view of wind energy. That was before there was a proposal for turbines that are about 100 feet higher than most commercial wind turbines.

YATES – The Town Board approved a nearly 200-foot-high tower that will test wind strength and consistency near the Yates shoreline, a step that is needed if Apex Wind Energy advances its plan for 60 to 68 wind turbines in Yates and neighboring Somerset.

The Town Board voted 3-1 on Thursday to approve the 196.85 foot high meteorological tower on land owned by Donna Bane. The tower will be on part of a 65-acre lot at the southwest corner of Lakeshore and Marshall roads.

The Orleans County Planning Board recommended the town approve the tower during the Planning Board’s April 23 meeting. For the town to deny the tower, it needed a super-majority vote with at least four votes against the tower. (The Town Board usually has five members, but Steve Freeman recently resigned, leaving the board with four members.)

Town Supervisor John Belson said there was no legal basis for denying the meteorological tower. The tower fits the zoning standards of the town, he said.

“It’s an allowed use,” he said today. “It’s a permitted use.”

Yates did approve stipulations that the tower be lighted and painted to meet Federal Aviation Administration standards.

Members of Save Ontario Shores, a citizens’ group against the wind turbines, attended the meeting and voiced opposition to MET tower.

Town Board member Jim Whipple opposed the tower, saying the timing wasn’t right for the structure because Apex still needs to complete a preliminary scoping statement that addresses some of the specifics of the wind project and environmental concerns.

“I voted no because I think they are way out in front,” Whipple said during today’s board meeting of the Orleans Economic Development Agency, where he is executive director. “I don’t think it’s time yet.”

Belson said the MET tower isn’t the same as the wind turbines, which would peak at nearly 600 feet high from the top of their blades. That project will be reviewed by the state, with some input from the local community.

A state siting board will have final say on that project. That seven-member board is supposed to include two representatives from the project area. Belson said he has four Yates residents in mind to be considered for the siting board and he expects Somerset would have four people for the state to consider.

State officials will have final say on the two local representatives. Belson said it would be fair to have one from Yates and one from Somerset.

Belson and Yates town officials have met with State Sen. Robert Ortt, and State Assembly members Steve Hawley and Jane Corwin to discuss the project and to make sure there is a local voice in the process.

Belson said the project is unusual for the state because it spreads over two towns in two counties.

“It’s something that never been done before in New York State,” he said about the multi jurisdictions.

Photos by Tom Rivers

LYNDONVILLE – Firefighters and police officers this morning simulated a response to a drunk driving crash at Lyndonville Central School, an exercise intended to send a message about the dangers of drunk driving.

Firefighters tend to student Hannah Travis, one of the students who role played that they were hurt in an accident.

Medina firefighter Ashton Lang, a Lyndonville graduate, escorts Hannah Travis to an ambulance.

Lyndonville has done this the last three years just before prom and graduation party season. Lyndonville has its prom on Friday at the White Birch Golf Course.

Hannah Travis, one of the “injured” students in today’s simulation, is put in an ambulance and driven away before about 200 of her high school classmates.

“It’s devastating if even one of you is hurt,” Ken Strickland, investigator with the Orleans County Sheriff’s Department, told the group.

He said tragic accidents are particularly painful for small towns where students and residents know each other so well.

Firefighters from Lyndonville, Barker and Medina worked together to extricate Madison Boyle from a car. She is on a stretcher.

Madison Boyle is led from the scene on a stretcher.

Ken Strickland, an investigator with the Orleans County Sheriff’s Department, addresses Lyndonville High School students this morning during the drunk driving simulation.

Mike Heideman, Lyndonville’s second assistant chief, said serious car accidents with teen-agers are among the most difficult calls for firefighters.

Lee Dillenbeck, Lyndonville athletic director and dean of students, also addressed the students, urging them to be good friends to each other and take away the car keys if they see someone has been drinking and tries to drive.

Kendall Central School and first responders also did a similar drunk driving presentation for its high school students recently.

Some of the volunteers in the Lyndonville Fire Department pose for a photo after cleaning up some of the debris from the scene this morning. The firefighters asked the students to consider volunteering with the Fire Department.

Photos by Tom Rivers

LYNDONVILLE – Lia Mills, a prominent pro-life activist, addresses 250 people during the 12th annual banquet for the Care Net Pregnancy and Family Center.

Mills, 18, is a university student in Canada. She rocketed to fame as a 12-year-old when her mother posted a 5-minute YouTube video of her daughter speaking against abortion (click here). That video now has over 2.6 million views.

Mills talked about that speech on Friday when she addressed the Care Net supporters at the White Birch Golf Course. Mills said her teacher urged her not to discuss abortion. But Mills felt strongly about the issue and she said she felt God prompting her to make the speech.

“When God asks me to do something, I say yes,” she said. “I’m ordinary but I serve an extraordinary God. God can and will use you. God wants you to be willing.”

Mills has become a sought after speaker against abortion. She said abortion doesn’t empower women. They are often coerced to have abortions by boyfriends, Mills said. There are underlying issues, such as poverty, that often compel women to abort, Mills said.

“If we want to be about choice and about empowering women, you need to alleviate those external factors,” Mills said.

She urged the group to be advocates for life, to be a voice for unborn children.

And she urged the group to be bold in their faith and be open to where God may be leading them.

Mills also addressed students at the Orleans County Christian School in Medina on Friday morning and Saturday evening was part of a youth rally at the Oak Orchard Assembly of God in Medina.

The Care Net Pregnancy and Family Center of Greater Orleans provides free ultra-sounds, pregnancy tests, sexually transmitted infection testing and resources to families in crisis. The center is located in Albion at 111 West Ave., across from McDonalds.

Photos by Tom Rivers

YATES – A trailer in a wooded area along Marshall Road in the Town of Yates burned this afternoon.

The owner of the trailer was working with a power saw. He hit a nail and suspects a spark caught the insulation on fire. It quickly spread at 1867 Marshall Rd.

The trailer was mostly collapsed when firefighters from Lyndonville and Medina arrived on scene soon after the dispatch call went out at 1:30 p.m.

The trailer was not being in lived in. The owner was trying to make improvements so it could be used as a camp during the summer.

Firefighters work together to take down the last remaining wall of the trailer.

“It’s nice and peaceful,” said the owner, who asked that his name not be used.

He tried to put the fire out himself with a hose, but it spread too fast. Firefighters were able keep the fire from moving to the nearby woods, said Adam Ehrenreich, a captain with the Lyndonville Fire Department.

Lyndonville firefighter Steve Bane Jr. tries to put out any remaining hot spots from the fire.

LYNDONVILLE – The school district’s budget that reduces taxes by 5.3 percent passed “overwhelmingly,” by a 101-19 vote, said Jason Smith, the superintendent of schools.

The school district’s proposed $13,253,892 budget increases spending by 0.5 percent, but taxes will be cut by 5.35 percent or by $250,000 to $4,416,578.

Other propositions also passed, including $90,653 for Yates Community Library and authorization to purchase one 66-seat bus at a maximum $105,000.

Three people ran unopposed for three-year terms to the Board of Education. Incumbents Ted Lewis and Michelle Dillenbeck were elected along with board newcomer Kelly Cousins.

Photo by Tom Rivers
LYNDONVILLE – A fire that broke out in a garage in Lyndonville at about 4:15 p.m. today was limited to the southwest corner of the structure, which is attached to a house.

Ridgeway firefighters C.J. Ambrose with hose and Rich McAdoo with the pike pole put out any hot spots.

Firefighters said the blaze was confined to an area with a wood-burning stove. The fire occurred at a garage owned by Yvette Seniuk at 2504 Lyndonville Rd., just south of the village line on Route 63. She also owns the house that was spared from the fire.

Ridgeway firefighter Francis Woodworth was among the volunteers who responded to the fire. Lyndonville and Ridgeway both helped put out the blaze.

ALBION – An expansion project at H.H. Dobbins in Lyndonville, adding a new 26,240-square-foot controlled atmosphere storage building, was approved by the Orleans County Planning Board on Thursday night.

The site plan for the project on Millers Road now goes to the Town of Yates Planning Board for a final review.

The County Planning Board looked at the application last month and deemed it incomplete because the board didn’t believe Dobbins had addressed the need for a Stormwater Pollution Prevention Plan. That is needed when an acre or more is disturbed with a project.

The application last month showed 3 acres would be disturbed, but Dobbins has revised its plan to show it would disturb 0.86 acre of land, which is below the 1-acre threshold required for the stormwater plan.

Planning Board members said the new building fits in on a rural road with agricultural land, woodlots, a general store and a replacement window business.

Dobbins plans to start work soon on the $5 million project and wants to have it ready for the fall harvest.

In other action, the Planning Board:

Recommended the Town of Shelby approve the site plan and special use permit for Shelby Crushed Stone to operate a building material reclamation operation.

The company wants to run the enterprise using 3.5 acres on the northwest corner of its 109-acre quarry site at 10830 Blair Rd. Materials may include concrete, asphalt, stone, brick and soil. Shelby Crush Stone estimates it will process about 5,000 yards of uncontaminated material each year.

Recommended the Town of Murray approve a special use permit for a home occupation at 17067 Brockport-Holley Rd.

Robert Benedict plans to run a part-time barber shop in his garage on Route 31. He won’t be putting on an addition. He has four parking spots at the location.