File photos by Tom Rivers – The Old Hippies became The Traveling Towpath Troubadours for a concert series at canal towns last July. The group, led by Bill McDonald, will be back July 8-11. They are pictured during a concert last summer at Medina’s Canal Basin.

The Traveling Towpath Troubadours will be back this summer for a series of concerts along the Erie Canal.

Bill McDonald of Batavia spearheaded the concert series last summer, traveling with his band mates from the Old Hippies. They played music atop a boat, visiting Middleport, Medina, Albion and Holley for concerts.

“It was a lot of fun,” said McDonald, who has enjoyed a musical career over 50 years, playing with the Ghost Riders, Old Hippies and other bands. “We were very happy.”

Bill McDonald and his wife Kay play in Medina last July.

This year the Troubadours will start the series in Lockport on July 8, and then head east. They are trying to piggyback on other events in the canal communities, including farmers’ markets, and arts and fitness programs.

After Lockport on July 8 for an evening concert, they will perform in Middleport on July 9. They will play in Medina on July 10 when hundreds of cyclists will be in town for the Cycling the Erie Canal event. The Troubadours will also play in Albion in the evening on July 10. They will conclude the series on July 11 in Holley.

McDonald is putting together the series and welcomes community organizations to help promote the series and have other activities going on for the canal concerts.

“We feel civic pride in it,” he said about the concerts. “We had a lot of fun last year and we want to help promote the canal.”

McDonald will be joined by his wife Kay and other members of the Old Hippies band, including Vinny Pastore and Jim Catino.

A grant from the Genesee-Orleans Regional Arts Council is covering some of the cost of the effort, including renting a packet boat for the trip. The concerts will be free to the public. Some of the municipalities also are contributing to the concerts.

For more on the Troubadours, click here. To see a YouTube video from last July’s concert series, visit youtube.com.

Photo by Tom Rivers

ALBION – The Orleans County Chamber of Commerce sold many desks, tables, chairs and other possessions on Saturday. The Chamber is closing its office at 102 North Main St., Suite 1.

Samantha Roskowski, executive director for the Orleans County Chamber of Commerce, will work out of her home and remotely in other spots in the community. Roskowski, right, is pictured with Brooke Pontillo, president of the Chamber.

The organization announced last month it would be closing the office. Pontillo and Roskowski said there was little foot traffic to the site, and it made more sense to close it. That way Roskowski isn’t tied to the office and can better network in the community and promote businesses. The Chamber also will save money, allowing it to do more for Chamber members, Roskowski said.

Saturday was unusual at the Chamber site: There were a lot of visitors looking over items. Many of the furniture pieces were acquired by the county for the tourism office at the County Administration Building.

Roskowski said the Chamber may revisit having an office again someday. If it goes that route she would prefer to share space with another organization.

The Chamber is planning one of its biggest events, the Home and Garden Show on April 16-17 at the 4-H Fairgrounds in Knowlesville. It will include a wine-tasting on April 16.

For more on the Chamber, click here.

In Medina, about 3 percent of voters went to polls

Photo by Tom Rivers – It was pretty quiet on Tuesday at the Albion Village Hall for the village elections. Only 210 residents out of 2,692 eligible voters went to the polls.

It was just over a year ago when Medina village residents stood in long lines to vote about village dissolution, whether the village government would be dissolved.

The issue was intensely debated in Medina and the outlying towns. Hundreds of people turned out for public meetings. On Jan. 20, 2015, dissolution was rejected, 949-527. About half of the eligible voters came out that day in one of the biggest turnouts in recent memory for a village election.

Tuesday may have been the tiniest turnout ever for Medina. Only 87 voters out of about 3,000 cast a ballot. That’s about 3 percent of the village residents. Village-Clerk Treasurer Debbie Padoleski has been on the job for about three decades and doesn’t recall so few people ever going to the polls in Medina.

The three candidates were all unopposed. Mike Sidari is the new mayor and Marguerite Sherman and Tim Elliott were elected trustees. No one else passed petitions to get on the ballot.

A year ago, when only two candidates – Todd Bensley and Owen Toale – were on the ballot, 311 people voted. The race had some added drama with Jeremy Hogan, co-owner of O’Brien’s, running as a write-in. He received 98 votes, which was more than anyone on the ballot this past Tuesday.

Albion village elections more than a decade ago used to draw 800 to 1,000 voters, especially in a mayoral election. This was an off-election for the mayor’s post, but two trustee spots were up, with three candidates running.

Republicans only fielded one candidate, incumbent Gary Katsanis, and he lost to Democrats Peter Sidari and Mattea Navarra-Molisani. There were only 210 voters, or 7.8 percent of the 2,692 who were eligible to vote.

Lyndonville had the best turnout in terms of percentage. There were 125 voters on Tuesday, 26.7 percent of the 468 who were eligible. The election included two candidates running for mayor and three candidates for two trustee positions.

A year ago, Lyndonville had two trustees running unopposed. Only 15 people voted that day, so Tuesday was a much bigger turnout.

John Belson, the newly elected mayor, said the community needs more participation from residents, not only in local government but with service organizations, churches, fire departments and other important roles in the village and town.

In Albion, Trustee Stan Farone has been leading monthly “Energize Albion” meetings to try to engage the community in local issues.

Photos by Tom Rivers

ALBION – After months of reading and discussing the 14th annual “A Tale for Three Counties,” a community reading effort culminated this week with visits and book talks by author Sarah M. Hulse of Spokane, Wa.

She met with Lyndonville students on Friday morning and later on Friday evening led a book discussion with about 75 people at Hoag Library in Albion. She is pictured in top photo, reading an excerpt from the book.

Hulse, 31, shared some of her writing and research strategies. She wrote the book as her master’s thesis at the University of Oregon. The initial 125,000-word novel was pared down to about 81,000 words. She compared the process to sculpting, starting with a hunk of material and then shaping it. It was a four-year process to write the book and then edit it.

Hulse talks about the book with about 75 people in the main meeting room at the Hoag Library.

Hulse visited GCC and Richmond Memorial Library in Batavia before spending much of the day in Orleans County on Friday. She is giving a book talk today in Perry, Wyoming County.

The story of Black River centers on Wes Carver, a retired corrections officer who is coping with the loss of his wife to cancer. Carver also returns to the Black River community for the parole hearing of an inmate who tortured Carver during a prison riot two decades earlier. That inmate badly broke Carver’s fingers, preventing him from playing the fiddle, one of his passions.

Hulse signs a book for Emily Cebula, director of the Yates Community Free Library in Lyndonville. Past books in the “Tale” series are on a table and were for sale on Friday.

Hulse thanked the enthusiastic crowds at her stops in Genesee and Orleans the first two days of her local tour.

Hulse said she read books on prisons and riots, as well as folk music to research the book. She also tried to learn to play the fiddle herself. She also spent a day with a blacksmith so she could better describe that trade, which is the profession for one of the book’s main characters, Dennis.

The novel explores faith, forgiveness, fatherhood and revenge.

“Basically every character in the book is doing the best that they can,” Hulse told the crowd at Albion. But she said the novel looks at relationships “when good people can’t get along.”

Hulse signs copies of Black River for readers after a book talk on Friday.

“Tale” organizers estimate about 1,000 in the three counties read the book, which is set a small town in Montana.

Organizers try to find up-and-coming authors as part of the series.

Catherine Cooper, director of Lee-Whedon Memorial Library in Medina, appreciates the community support and participation in the Tale events.

She said Black River was an immediate hit with the Tale committee that reads several books throughout the year to consider the best book for the Tale program.

All 14 of the Tale books have been memorable, capped by visits and talks by the authors, Cooper said.

“It’s the icing on the cake,” she said. “Other books we might forget, but not a Tale book.”

She praised Hulse for writing a novel “that enriches our understanding of the human experience.”

Provided photo

Hulse also met with two high school classes at Lyndonville on Friday morning. About 45 Lyndonville students read the book and wrote an essay about the novel.

The 14th annual Tale event for the first time included a local high school reading the book and discussing it in classes. Lyndonville used the book Grade 11 Pre-Advanced Placement English, Grade 12 AP English, and Grade 12 English.

For more on the Tale program, click here.

Photo courtesy of Steve Hawley’s office – Assemblyman Steve Hawley (R-Batavia) poses with a group of local road and infrastructure supporters, including several highway superintendents from Orleans County, following today’s CHIPs press conference.

ALBANY – More than 750 highway officials from towns and counties went to Albany today to press state legislators for a boost in funding for roads, culverts and bridges.

Several highway superintendents from Orleans County were among the group in Albany for the “Local Roads Matter” advocacy campaign.

By joining forces, the New York State County Highway Superintendents Association and the New York State Association of Town Superintendents of Highways hope to pave the way for increased budgetary funding and secure programs to assist local roads, culverts and bridges.

Both groups strongly support the governor’s proposal for a five-year Highway Capital Program for the NYS Department of Transportation and urged the Legislature to support it as well.

To address the critical condition of local transportation infrastructure, both associations urged the Legislature and the governor to include, as part of the final 2016-2017 State Budget, the following program enhancements:

Five-Year Capital Plan for the NYS DOT;

Parity funding between the NYS DOT and the MTA Five-Year Capital Programs, funding both at $26.2 billion;

Support PAVE NY, a new $1 billion pavement program;

Support an additional $100 million in CHIPs above PAVE NY for a total of $690 million annually for the next four years; and

BRIDGE NY split evenly between state and local projects, expanded to include culverts and funded at $150 million annually.

State Assemblyman Steve Hawley (R-Batavia) joined the highway officials for a news conference in the state capitol today. Hawley said he supports more funding in the Consolidated Local Street and Highway Improvement Program. Currently, the governor has proposed no increase in CHIPS funding in his executive budget.

“As I’ve said for many years, Western New York’s infrastructure needs are preeminent,” Hawley said. “Our roads, bridges and highways are constantly bombarded with ice wedging, agriculture vehicles and automobiles. Unlike downstate, we have few mass transit systems, so local families and businesses rely on these routes each day and expect them to be safe. Unfortunately, the governor and New York City politicians refuse to provide us the resources necessary to sustain our infrastructure. No increase in CHIPS funding would be devastating for our communities and I urge legislative leaders to do what is right for upstate.”

Diana Kastenbaum

Orleans County Democratic Party leaders voted to endorse Diana Kastenbaum, a Batavia woman who is running for Congress against incumbent Chris Collins.

The local Democratic Party Committee is impressed with Kastenbaum’s passion for the race and her experience as the CEO of Pinnacle Manufacturing Company Inc. in Batavia.

“She is a small businesswoman who has come up from the ranks,” said Jeanne Crane, chairwoman of the Orleans County Democratic Party.

Kastenbaum’s family has owned and operated Pinnacle, a zinc and aluminum dye casting manufacturing company, since 1972. She is a graduate of The Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C. She is married to actor and comedian Hiram Kasten. Their daughter, Millicent, is a senior government major at Cornell University.

Kastenbaum told the Orleans Democrats she wants to see Congress work to make college more affordable for students, so many graduates do not have crushing student loan debt. She also said she would fight for good paying jobs, ending income inequality and providing better access to affordable healthcare.

The 27th Congressional District is heavily Republican and includes Orleans and seven other Western New York counties. Collins may have stirred up wrath from some voters, including some Republicans, with his recent endorsement of Donald Trump for president, Crane said.

“We’re going to give it a shot and do our best,” Crane said about Kastenbaum’s campaign.

Photos by Tom Rivers – The rescue of a Brockport State College student and a dog on Feb. 27 was the most popular story of the month on Orleans Hub in February. Holley firefighters are pictured on Saturday with Alexandria Disque, second from left, and a dog Sadie, as well as Sadie’s owner Cassie Wolfanger, left. Disque and Sadie were rescued this afternoon after being swept in a tunnel on Sandy Creek that goes under the Erie Canal. The firefighters were on a boat that went into the dark tunnel. Pictured from left in back include Fran Gaylord, Harris Reed and Justin McMillon.

February was the second-biggest month for Orleans Hub in our nearly three-year history, in terms of the daily average for unique visitors and page views.

Last month, Orleans Hub averaged 7,135 unique visitors each day. That’s the third time we’ve been above 7,000 for a month. We also averaged 23,566 page views each day.

Both numbers only trail September 2015, when the county was engrossed in a heated primary season. September remains the record for highest daily average for unique visitors with 7,671 and page views with a daily average of 25,523.

The February numbers passed January’s when we had a 7,054-average for daily unqiue visitors and a page view average of 23,089.

Here are the top five stories for February in terms of “clicks.”

1. Firefighters Save Woman, Dog from Drowning

2. 2 Arrested for Selling Crack Cocaine in Medina

3. Several Accidents Due to Slick Roads/Wintry Weather

4. 4 are Sentenced at County Court

5. Suspicious Fire Put Out in Old Boiler House

Firefighters on Feb. 15 put out a fire in an abandoned building in Medina along the railroad tracks and behind the Olde Pickle Factory. The former boiler house is believed to have been used for a former greenhouse operation, White Brothers Rose, next door.

Local Sports also proved popular on Orleans Hub with 34,785 page views. The top local sports story was two local soccer stars signing Division I soccer scholarships. Albion’s Mariah Elsenheimer and Roy-Hart’s Emma Lindke have been soccer rivals in Niagara-Orleans League competition for the last four years. They will be able to continue their rivalry on the collegiate level this coming fall as both signed national letters of intent to play for Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference colleges.

Elsenheimer signed with Iona College and plans to major in Psychlogy. Lindke signed with Niagara University and will major in Marketing and Finance. Click here to see “Albion, Roy-Hart seniors earn Division 1 soccer scholarships.”

ALBION – A public transportation provider in Orleans County will meet with agencies, stakeholders and the public on Wednesday afternoon during two sessions at Hoag Library, 134 S. Main St., Albion.

RTS Orleans transported about 40,000 riders in 2015. The agency wants to hear from customers and agencies on how the service can best serve the public, said Mike Ryan, manager of operations for RTS Orleans, which is based on West Academy Street at the Orleans County Highway Department.

RTS, the parent organization for the service in Orleans and several other counties, has launched a regional service efficiency study to identify service improvements and connections across the seven counties served by RTS.

Some of agencies served by RTS Orleans will meet at Hoag at 2 p.m. on Wednesday to discuss the service’s strengths and weaknesses.

The public is then invited to a 4 p.m. meeting at Hoag to discuss the local bus service.

The public can also fill out an online survey by clicking here. (Editor’s Note: The survey has been closed. This link to Survey Monkey has been removed.)

For more information, contact RTS Orleans at (585) 589-0707.

Photo: www.DonaldJTrump.com – Donald Trump has emerged as the leading candidate for the Republican presidential nomination.

ALBION – The Orleans County Republican Committee endorsed Donald Trump for president today in a unanimous vote among about 60 committee members.

The county might be the first to officially endorse Trump for president, said Ed Morgan, chairman of the Orleans County Republican Party.

“He’s a businessman who has been very successful,” Morgan said. “Government should be run as a business and not political.”

Trump, the real estate mogul and reality television star, has emerged the front-runner for the Republican presidential nomination. Morgan asked the local committee if any members wanted to endorse another candidate. Everyone backed Trump.

Morgan said he has met Trump several times, including when Trump was weighing a run for state governor against Andrew Cuomo in 2014. Trump opted not to run. Morgan and other Republican leaders in Western New York travelled to Manhattan in January 2014 to meet with Trump.

Photo courtesy of Ed Morgan – Donald Trump, left, poses for a photo with Ed Morgan, Orleans County Republican Party chairman, at a meeting in New York City in January 2014.

Morgan said Trump in person and on the phone is different from the bombastic persona on television.

“Yes, he’s a little radical and he pulls no punches,” Morgan said. “But in person he’s a totally different person to talk to.”

Trump has surrounded himself with skilled leaders in his businesses, Morgan said, and he expects Trump would do the same as president.

“He will pick the best, whether Republican or Democrat,” Morgan said. “He will have the brightest and smartest cabinet we’ve ever had.”

The Orleans County GOP Committee follows an endorsement from Congressman Chris Collins this week. Collins was the first member of the House of Representatives to back Trump.

Collins attended today’s Orleans GOP meeting, and he stated his support for Trump.
In announcing his support for Trump on Wednesday, Collins said Trump would “end business as usual” in Washington.

“Donald Trump has clearly demonstrated that he has both the guts and the fortitude to return our nation’s jobs stolen by China, take on our enemies like ISIS, Iran, North Korea and Russia, and most importantly, reestablish the opportunity for our children and grandchildren to attain the American Dream,” Collins said. “That is why I am proud to endorse him as the next President of the United States.”

The Orleans GOP also endorsed Collins for a third term in Congress. The Clarence businessman was first elected to the 27th Congressional District in 2012.

The Orleans Republicans also endorsed State Sen. Robert Ortt of North Tonawanda, State Assemblyman Steve Hawley of Batavia and State Assemblywoman Jane Corwin of Clarence for two-year terms in the State Legislature.

Photos by Tom Rivers
GAINES – A barn is pictured with hard-falling snow this afternoon on Crandall Road in Gaines. The snow fell a day after heavy rain in Orleans County.

Friday’s forecast calls for the chance of up to an inch of snow and a high of 22, according to the National Weather Service. Saturday is forecast for a high of 39 degrees while the high on Sunday will hit 46.

A tree on Crandall Road stands out with a foggy field in back.

Batavia businesswoman announces campaign

Diana Kastenbaum

A Batavia businesswoman announced her candidacy for the 27th Congressional District seat currently held by Republican Chris Collins.

Diana Kastenbaum, a Democrat, is the CEO of Pinnacle Manufacturing Company Inc. in Batavia.

“As a small business owner from Batavia, I am well aware of the realities that face middle class families,” Kastenbaum said. “Using my years of experience as a businesswoman, I will bring new ideas and solutions to the problems we face in Western New York. We need a member of Congress who will fight for Western New York on the issues that matter most: good paying jobs, ending income inequality, making college more affordable, and providing access to affordable healthcare. Where Congress has failed us, I will lead.”

Kastenbaum’s family has owned and operated Pinnacle, a zinc and aluminum dye casting manufacturing company, since 1972. She is a graduate of The Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C. She is married to actor and comedian Hiram Kasten. Their daughter, Millicent, is a senior government major at Cornell University.

New York’s 27th Congressional District includes all of Orleans, Genesee, Wyoming, and Livingston counties and parts of Erie, Monroe, Ontario, and Niagara counties.

Collins, the former county executive in Erie County, was first elected to Congress in November 2012. He is seeking re-election to a third two-year term. He made news on Wednesday as the first member of the House of Representatives to endorse Donald Trump for president.