Orleans County

Donut-eating contest at fair recognized by international association

By Kristina Gabalski, Correspondent Posted 16 November 2015 at 12:00 am

File photos by Tom Rivers – Ken Strickland, an investigator with the Orleans County Sheriff’s Department, competes in a new donut-eating contest at the fair last July. He competed against 4-H’ers and 4-H volunteers. Every contestant ate more donuts than Strickland. Deputy Jeff Cole also competed in one of the heats.

KNOWLESVILLE – The Orleans County 4-H Fair is getting some international attention for its first-ever donut-eating contest held during the fair in late July.

The International Association of Fairs and Expositions (IAFE) has awarded the contest first place (fairs under 100,000 in attendance division) in the Competitive Exhibits (participatory contest) category of its annual contest program.

“This is the first time our fair has been recognized with an IAFE award and we’re all very excited,” says Robert Batt, Orleans County 4-H Youth Development Educator.

The award will be presented at the IAFE Convention in Las Vegas Nov. 29-Dec. 2.

“Brandon Johnson will attend to represent our fair as he has for the last three years while looking for new exciting entertainment,” Batt said. “Our entry will also be put on a flash drive and shared along with all other winners with all member fairs in attendance at the IAFE annual convention.”

According to the IAFE website, the contest program awards, “display the level of professionalism we strive to uphold in the industry.”

The IAFE represents more than 1,000 fairs around the world.

Jason Clark, center, and Morgan Seielstad compete in a donut-eating contest. Contestants were challenged to eat six doughnuts.

The Donut Eating Contest was sponsored by Dunkin’ Donuts, which provided the donuts for the event. The event included heats involving three participants at a time who went head to head with a local law enforcement officer from the Orleans County Sheriff’s Department to see who could consume the most donuts during a set period of time.

Participant and audience reactions were excellent, fair officials reported in their entry form for the award.

“Many people have already commented that they plan to participate again next year and we have a small number of sheriff’s deputies working on plans and strategies for next year,” the entry states.

The awards and convention bring recognition to the Orleans County 4-H Fair, and also help local fair planners make the Orleans County 4-H Fair an even better event.

“These awards allow our fair members to not only compete for top honors in the respective division, contest, and categories, but also give fair representatives the opportunity to network,” the IAFE website states. “Having the ability to learn from one another in the fair industry is priceless.”

Robert Batt agrees. “Hopefully Brandon (Johnson) comes back with some more news about potential acts and a thumb drive full of great ideas for us to think about.”

Power stays on despite fierce winds

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 13 November 2015 at 12:00 am

Photo by Tom Rivers

ALBION – The power has stayed on in Orleans County since fierce winds began whipping through the area on Thursday. This photo shows the American and POW/MIA flags by the Post Office in Albion on Thursday afternoon.

Dispatchers say trees or large branches have fallen since Thursday on West Road in Carlton, Hulberton Road in Murray, and Lyndonville Road in Ridgeway. Dispatchers say there have been no power outages from the wind.

Orleans and much of Western New York are under wind advisory until 3 p.m. today. Today is forecast for a high of 47 degrees with a chance of rain and the possibility of snow overnight.

Saturday will have a high of 43 with chance for rain/snow. Sunday will reach 56 and be mostly sunny, according to the National Weather Service in Buffalo.

Strong winds today and Friday could take down trees, knock out power

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 12 November 2015 at 12:00 am

Powerful winds are expected through Orleans County and much of Western New York today. The National Weather Service has issued a high wind warning for Orleans and much of WNY from 10 a.m. today until 1 p.m. on Friday.

The National Weather Service in Buffalo is calling it “a once in a 10-20 year storm system.” The storm will push northeast across the Upper Great Lakes today before making its way across Eastern Canada tonight and Friday, the Weather Service posted on its Facebook page.

“This cyclone will generate strong to potentially damaging winds across our region in the process, with the highest winds expected late today and tonight,” the Weather Service said.

The area will see winds from the southwest of between 25 to 35 mph with gusts up to 60 mph, and gale-force winds out on Lake Erie and Lake Ontario, the Weather Service said.

The strong winds will make travel difficult for high-profile vehicles, and could bring down trees and power lines, resulting in power outages.

Waterport-Carlton bridge latest effort by county to improve infrastructure

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 12 November 2015 at 12:00 am

Provided photo – Orleans County officials gathered on Monday morning to cut the ribbon for a new bridge on Waterport-Carlton Road Bridge over Beardsley Creek. The new bridge replaced one from 1934, with the new bridge costing $486,606. C.P. Ward of Scottsville was contractor on the project. Those pictured, from left, include: John Papponetti, project manager for LaBella Associates; County Legislator John DeFilipps; County Legislator Fred Miller; County Legislature Chairman David Callard; County Highway Superintendent Jerry Gray; County Legislator Ken DeRoller; and Chris Bayer, structural engineer with LaBella.

CARLTON – A bridge on Waterport-Carlton Road from 1934 was replaced with a new one at a cost of nearly $500,000. The county celebrated the new bridge with a ribbon-cutting on Monday.

That project is the latest effort by Orleans County officials to upgrade its infrastructure. It is doing much of the work without any state or federal asisstance.

The county is also paying $322,935 this year to Redman Construction in Brockport to replace a bridge from 1968 in Barre on Oak Orchard Road over Manning Muckland Creek.

The county replaced two bridges last year, two culverts this year, and will do two more bridges and two more culverts next year, all to be paid with county dollars. The projects will cost about $5 million.

Many of those projects used to be funded 80 percent by the federal government, 15 percent by the state with only a 5 percent local share. But the federal and state dollars have been hard to come by in recent years.

County officials worried the bridges would be closed due to deteriorating condition.

“The county is doing it’s part to repair our roads and bridges,” Legislature Chairman David Callard said.

He wants the state and federal governments to follow that example, particularly directing more resources to fix canal bridges. Some of those have weight limits less than 10 tons.

Local farmers have complained for several years that the weight-reduced or closed bridges force them to take long detours. It’s the same with fire trucks and school buses.

And now, with winter approaching, Callard said it could be the same dilemma for snow plow trucks.

“Our snow plows won’t be allowed over some of these bridges,” Callard said.

He has a meeting on Friday with state legislators to press the issue. Callard said he will be meeting with State Sen. Joe Robach of Rochester, who is chairman of the Transportation Committee in the State Senate. Callard said State Assemblyman Steve Hawley and State Sen. Robert Ortt will also be part of the discussion.

Community Action, Correctional Facility forge strong partnership

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 10 November 2015 at 12:00 am

Photo by Tom Rivers – Staff at Community Action of Orleans & Genesee and leaders of the Albion Correctional Facility gathered for a photo by the prison in Albion. The group includes, from left: Andy Ebbs, facilities manager for Community Action; Annette Finch, community services director for Community Action; Sheryl Zenzen, superintendent of Albion Correctional Facility; Duane Artus, deputy superintendent of administration for ACF; Patricia Assel, deputy superintendent of programs; Tom Colton, vocational supervisor; and Mike O’Connor, horticulture instructor.

ALBION – For more than a decade inmates at the Albion Correctional Facility have been growing vegetables and donating them to local food pantries.

In the peak harvest season in the summer, the inmates have about 200 to 300 pounds a week of vegetables, which may include cucumbers, corn, tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, squash, broccoli and cabbage.

The produce is available beginning in June with squash and lasts until November with broccoli and cabbage. Soon they will work on making wreaths for Christmas and the holidays.

About 3,000 to 4,000 pounds of produce are given to Community Action of Orleans & Genesee, which distributes it to food pantries in Albion, Medina and Holley. The steady source of fresh vegetables fills a need for the pantries in the summer and fall.

“It’s really a godsend because it helps so many people,” said Annette Finch, community services director for Community Action.

There are 40 inmates that work in the horticulture program, growing vegetables and flowers. Some of those flowers have been donated to the downtown business district in Albion.

“They’re doing things for others, which helps them move forward in their own lives,” said Sheryl Zenzen, superintendent of the Albion Correctional Facility, which has about 1,000 female inmates.

Inmates and correctional facility staff last month also walked a 5K on the prison grounds and raised $1,400 for a domestic violence program.

The staff also are active in donating to the United Way and other charities through SEFA, the State Employees Federated Appeal.

Zenzen said Community Action has been a strong partner for the facility, providing inmates with a chance to learn job skills in an office setting, the Main Street Store and at special events.

Those skills will help the inmates find and keep jobs when they are released from prison, Zenzen said.

High wind watch issued for Thursday and Friday

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 10 November 2015 at 12:00 am

Photo by Tom Rivers

ALBION – This tree stands in front of the DAR House on North Main Street in Albion on Monday.

There may not be too many leaves left on the tree after high winds are forecast to hit the area on Thursday and Friday.

The National Weather Service has issued a high wind watch for Orleans County and much of Western New York from 7 am. Thursday to 6 p.m. Friday. Winds are forecast to be 25 to 35 miles per hour with gusts up to 55 mph.

“This is expected to be a prolonged wind event with the strongest winds peaking from late in the day Thursday through Friday morning,” according to the National Weather Service in Buffalo.

Yates had best turnout in election; Ridgeway the worst

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 9 November 2015 at 12:00 am

The controversy over the wind turbine project, as well as contested races at the town and county level, brought a higher percentage of voters to the polls in Yates than any other town in Orleans County last Tuesday.

Yates has 1,466 registered voters and 736 cast ballots on Tuesday, for 50.2 percent of the registered voters. Countywide, the turnout was 38.2 percent.

One of the Yates races still isn’t over. Absentee ballots will be counted Tuesday at 9 a.m. to determine the winner of the town supervisor race. Incumbent John Belson received 352 votes on election day. Jim Simon, an anti-turbine candidate, ran a write-in campaign and is 14 votes behind Belson.

Yates also had races for Town Board seats, a local county legislator position, and the contentious county-wide sheriff race.

While Yates had the best turnout, neighboring Ridgeway had the fewest at 29.8 percent or 1,066 voters out of 3,579.

Here is a breakdown of turnout at the 10 towns.

Community	Voters	Registered	Percent Voted
Albion	1,230	3,147	39.1
Barre	566	1,219	46.4
Carlton	706	1,771	39.9
Clarendon	771	2,149	35.9
Gaines	743	1,800	41.3
Kendall	692	1,593	43.4
Murray	923	2,516	36.7
Ridgeway	1,066	3,579	29.8
Shelby	998	2,829	35.3
Yates	736	1,466	50.2
County	8,431	22,069	38.2

Source: Orleans County Board of Elections; Orleans Hub calculations.
Turnout was higher than in a typical local election but was down from a year ago in the gubernatorial election, when 9,742 people voted on Election Day in a race highlighted by Andrew Cuomo and Rob Astorino for governor.That was about 1,300 more than voted last Tuesday.

Bower won the sheriff’s election, 3,951 to 3,507 for Tom Drennan and 847 for Don Organisciak.

Drennan is from Kendall and the town had a bigger turnout at 43.4 percent than many other towns, even though Kendall had unopposed candidates at the town level. That was the same issue for Murray, Bower’s hometown, which had a turnout of 36.7 percent.

Besides the Yates town supervisor race, another close election will be determined Tuesday morning when absentees are counted in the Town of Albion. Darlene Benton has a 6-vote lead over Paul Fulcomer for a Town Board position.

4-H’ers test cooking skills with food grown in NY

By Kristina Gabalski, Correspondent Posted 8 November 2015 at 12:00 am

Photos by Kristina Gabalski – Ariel Vinca chose to feature corn in her corn loaf recipe which was topped with fresh raspberries during a competition Saturday at the Orleans County 4-H Fairgrounds.

KNOWLESVILLE – Participants in this year’s Grown in New York contest, sponsored by the Orleans County 4-H Leader’s Association, had the opportunity to demonstrate cooking, baking and menu planning skills during the annual event held Saturday at the Trolley Building on the Orleans County 4-H Fairgrounds.

The contest featured items grown or produced in New York State and demonstrators and those in attendance enjoyed samplings of the recipes prepared.

4-Hers from around Orleans County competed in Jr. Novice, Junior, Senior and Sr. Novice (based on age) divisions and were judged on their demonstration skills as well as the taste and nutritional value of the finished product.

Recipes featured fruits, meats, vegetables, grains and dairy products, and could be baked, cooked or prepared to eat raw, such as a salad. Evaluators observed demonstrators to look for techniques, organization and ability to prepare their recipe.

Additional evaluators tasted a finished product prepared at home to look for eye appeal, taste and to review the nutrition statement of the product.

Orleans County 4-Her Lauren Becht is evaluated as she prepares Mexican chicken and rice during the annual Grown in New York Competition Saturday at the Trolley Building. Demonstrators have about 30 minutes to prepare their entry during the silent food demonstration.

Participant Lauren Becht, 16, of Albion prepared Mexican chicken and rice featuring chicken she raised herself. She said she has been competing in Grown in New York for, “as long as I can remember. It’s a little nerve-wracking.”

She said she enjoys the competition. Lauren typically prepares a dessert item but wanted to try a savory main dish this year.

Orleans County 4-H member Saleya Williams prepares a Rustic Pear Tart featuring New York State pears.

Lilly Mathes, competing in the Junior Division, prepares her own homemade applesauce.

Apples were a featured ingredient in an apple salad prepared by Zac Albright.

Emma Mathes is evaluated as she begins to prepare carmel apple cheesecake.

Here are the yummy results of Emma’s efforts.

Law enforcement students at BOCES learn takedown and defense moves

Posted 7 November 2015 at 12:00 am

Provided photos/Orleans-Niagara BOCES – Trevon Robinson of Medina, left, takes down Tyrellis Atkins (Medina) and Brent Oliver (Medina) starts a maneuver on James Ward.

Press Release
Orleans-Niagara BOCES

MEDINA – Students in Steve Browning’s and John Marotta’s Security and Law Enforcement program have been learning takedown and defense moves.

Retired Western New York police officer Joe Follendorf, who is an internationally recognized defensive tactics and firearms instructor, has been coming to the Orleans Career and Technical Education Center to show students how to protect themselves from being overtaken by a criminal and how to get the upper hand in a physical confrontation.

“We are very thankful to Mr. Follendorf for coming to work with the class,” says Mr. Marotta. “He has a very distinguished career as an Assistant SWAT Team Commander, Firearms Training Officer, Physical Force Instructor and adjunct academy instructor.”

Mr. Marotta says he and Mr. Browning have been teaching their students how important it is to know how to stand and get leverage when a suspect attacks them.

“They have to know that if the suspect gets the upper hand he could potentially kill you,” Mr. Marotta says. “To know these tactics could make the difference between life or death.”

Teacher Steven Browning shows Raeanne Lefever (Newfane) and Lindsay Fulwell (Medina) a takedown.

Murray, Clarendon carried Bower to victory in sheriff’s race

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 5 November 2015 at 12:00 am

Tom Drennan won four of the 10 towns in Orleans County on Tuesday, including a huge advantage in his home town of Kendall. Drennan had 290 more votes than Randy Bower in that town.

However, Bower won six of the 10 towns, and had big leads in Murray and Clarendon. Bower topped Drennan by 334 votes in Murray (Bower’s hometown) and by 257 in Clarendon.

Bower won county-wide by 444 votes, 3,951 to 3,507 for Drennan. Don Organisciak had 847 votes, running as a Democrat.

Here is the voter breakdown in each of the 10 towns:

Town	Bower	Drennan	Organisciak
Albion	583	515	120
Barre	281	225	46
Carlton	347	307	48
Clarendon	481	224	52
Gaines	320	342	71
Kendall	181	471	36
Murray	603	269	50
Ridgeway	433	439	182
Shelby	352	454	172
Yates	370	261	70
Total	3,951	3,507	847

Source: Orleans County Board of Elections

The strong support in Murray and Clarendon was critical in Bower’s election. Murray was his most supportive town with 65.4 percent of the votes, 603 out of 922 cast for sheriff. He received 63.5 percent of the vote in Clarendon.

Bower received 47.6 percent overall in the county running under the Republican and Conservative lines.

Drennan wasn’t too far behind with 42.2 percent of the vote under the Independence and Reform lines. Drennan had strong support in Kendall, receiving 68.5 percent of the vote. That was the most dominant showing in a town for any of the candidates.

Drenann also won Shelby by 102 votes over Bower and had narrow leads in Ridgeway and Gaines.

Organisciak, a retired Medina police officer and investigator, received 10.2 percent of the vote for sheriff countywide. He had his best showings in Shelby, 17.6 percent; and Ridgeway, 17.3 percent.