Photos by Tom Rivers
RIDGEWAY – A fire that broke out shortly before 8 p.m. today heavily damaged a house at 3461 North Gravel Rd.

Firefighters from Ridgeway, Shelby and Medina responded to the blaze at the home of Claire Humphrey and Diane Burns. No one was injured. The fire is investigation, said Francis Woodward, Ridgeway fire chief.

Before the fire, Route 63 was closed for about 11 hours today after a pole was down and the power was out. The road was reopened at about 4 p.m. today.

Firefighters enter the back of the house.

Photo by Tom Rivers

RIDGEWAY – For the past several months contractors have been working on a new Dollar General store at the northeast corner of routes 104 and 63 in the Town of Ridgeway.

The project looks nearly done with the signs on the building and site, and the parking lot installed. The new 9,100-square-foot store is owned by Development Unlimited of WNY LLC of Buffalo. It demolished a house and silo at the corner to make way for the store. The site includes 30 parking spaces.

Photos by Tom Rivers
KNOWLESVILLE – Reece Stalker, 10, of Shelby Center, center, plays Connect Four with his twin brother Colvin and their stepmother Jessica Stalker during Family Fun Game Night on Thursday. About 100 people attended the event at the Trolley Building at the Orleans County 4-H Fairgrounds.

Families played board games and were able to meet the staff at many county departments, which offered activities for families to learn about county services.

John Bianchi, 8, of Albion hooks a magnetic fish at a station run by the Orleans County Tourism Department. Mike Waterhouse, the county’s sportfishing coordinator, is pictured at left. Bianchi attended Family Fun Game Night with his sister Hailey, 10, and their mother Barb and father Jim.

Gerardo Quiros

ALBION – A man wanted by State Police after a domestic incident on Wednesday turned himself in at about 9 a.m. today at the State Police barracks in Albion.

Gerardo Quiros, 28, was wanted for menacing and criminal possession of a weapon in the third degree. Quiros was processed and arraigned in the Town of Ridgeway Court. He was remanded to the Orleans County Jail on $5,000 bail. He is scheduled to return to Ridgeway Court on Oct. 6.

Quiros allegedly threatened his mother with a gun on Wednesday afternoon. Police then believed he barricaded himself inside a house on Ridge Road, just west of the Route 63 intersection, going north.

Numerous law enforcement officers, including the Orleans County Swat team, were on scene for several hours on Wednesday, and a portion of Ridge Road was closed.

Officers thought they heard a possible gun shot within the residence. The New York State Police robot was deployed in an attempt to contact Quiros. The robot then gained entry to the residence and a search was conducted with the assistance of the Swat Team.

Quiros was not located in the residence. Police searched the surrounding area but were unable to find Quiros. A warrant was issued for arrest.

Gerardo Quiros

Press release, State Police

RIDGEWAY – The New York State Police, with the assistance of the Orleans County Sheriff’s Department, on Wednesday responded to a report from a woman, who stopped a passing Trooper to report her son had pointed a gun at her.

The woman was attempting to retrieve car keys in a residence on Route 104 in the Town of Ridgeway.

As additional patrols responded to the residence, officers heard what they believed to be a possible gun shot within the residence, and began to establish a perimeter around the property.

The New York State Police robot was deployed in an attempt to contact the individual, identified as 28-year-old Gerardo Quiros, with negative results. The robot then gained entry to the residence and a search was conducted with the assistance of the Orleans County Swat Team, which is comprised of officers from the Orleans County Sheriff’s Office, Medina PD and the Albion PD.

Quiros was not located in the residence. A search of the property and surrounding area was also conducted by SWAT and members of the State Police also with negative results.

A warrant has been issued for Gerardo Quiros by the Town of Ridgeway Court for Menacing and Criminal Possession of a Weapon. Quiros who may be armed, is described as a 5′ 08″ tall, Hispanic male, brown eyes, black hair, 150 pounds.

Anyone with knowledge of the whereabouts of Quiros is asked to call the State Police at (585) 344-2200.

RIDGEWAY Route 104 is fully open in Orleans County this morning after a standoff ended around midnight in Ridgeway last night.

A section of 104, between the two points for Route 63, was closed for about eight hours after a man barricaded himself inside a house. Police initially responded at about 4 p.m. for a call of menacing.

The Orleans County SWAT Team, State Police and other law enforcement personnel were on the scene for several hours.

State Police haven’t released information this morning about whether the suspect is in custody.

Photo by Tom Rivers

RIDGEWAY – Law enforcement are outside a house on Route 104 in the town of Ridgeway while a suspect is inside barricaded, state police said.

Law enforcement responded at about 4 p.m. for a domestic violence call. The victim is not believed to be in the house while the suspect remains barricaded inside.

State police have closed Route 104 between routes 63, the south route leading to Medina and the north route leading to Lyndonville. Nearby residents are also asked to stay inside, said Victor Morales, a spokesman for the State Police.

Provided photo – Camp Rainbow has a new fence around its swimming pool.

RIDGEWAY – The Arc of Orleans County used generous donations to replace the fence around the pool at Camp Rainbow.

The Orleans County Foundation provided $4,000, while the J.M. McDonald Foundation and George W. Hagerman Estate both provided $5,000 towards the project, which will also include some tree removal, said Darlene Golson, Arc community relations manager.

Camp is a five-week summer day camp at 2272 Townline Rd., open to children with or without disabilities.

“We had been looking for funding for this project for several years and it all came together in 2014,” Golson said. “The American Fence Company from Tonawanda did a great job ensuring that we met all code requirements as well as making it look beautiful.”

“We are truly grateful to the community residents, businesses, and foundations that support Camp Rainbow,” she said. “We couldn’t run this program without your support and generosity.”

Press release, Orleans County Sheriff Scott Hess

RIDGEWAY – A Cortland County man is dead following a one-car crash this morning in the Town of Ridgeway.

Shortly before 9:30 a.m., Paul R. Brundage, 61, of Marathon drove his 2004 Honda Suburban into the driveway of a private residence off the 3600 block of Horan Road, near Portage Road.

He then exited the vehicle and collapsed. When approached by the homeowner, Brundage said he “needed help and needed to go to the hospital.” The homeowner called 9-1-1 but before EMS arrived, Brundage got back in his car and drove off, despite efforts by the homeowner to prevent him from doing so. A short distance away, his vehicle ran off the roadway and struck a tree.

Brundage was transported by Medina Fire Department ambulance to Medina Memorial Hospital, where he was pronounced dead at 10:13 a.m.

The incident was investigated by Deputy M.C. Mele, assisted by Investigators K.M. Strickland Jr., and D.E. Foeller Jr. That investigation is now joined by the Monroe County Medical Examiner’s Office in Rochester.

Photos by Sue Cook – The shop is currently stocked with many autumn items.

By Sue Cook, staff reporter

KNOWLESVILLE – The Knowlesville United Methodist Church opened a new shop today to support their efforts to pay for a new church roof. Co-chairs Linda Baker and Ruth Higgins started the shop together with the blessing of Pastor Chris Wylie and the church’s administrative board.

“We started it to go toward our roof fund for our church,” Baker said. “Once our roof is finished, it will be up to the administrative board of the church to determine where the funds will be needed most or what sort of projects need to be done.”

They are hoping to attract customers from outside their own congregation. The new business is called The Abundant Harvest Cafe, Pie & Gift Shop. The Knowlesville Church will be changing their name soon as they join forces with the Millville Church to become the United Methodist Church of the Abundant Harvest.

“We urge people just to come in, sit down, rest awhile, have a conversation and goodies and then just look around at our little shop here,” Higgins said.

“It’s just a place for people to come and have fellowship,” added Baker.

During this year’s Lenten season they made the gift store an official part of the fellowship hall. Baker and Higgins had cleaned out and painted a former front office. A volunteer helped them set up shelving and displays. The items sold vary depending on the season and holiday and are handmade, store-bought or gently used.

There are five freezers stacked with frozen pies.

The church has sold pies before at their different events, but they decided to sell those throughout the year starting this week. Customers can come in and enjoy coffee and sweets, then provide a donation back to the church and are able to buy frozen pies. The pies are handmade by members of the congregation and then frozen. Customers receive the frozen treat with baking instructions. The pies come in 13 flavors.

“We sell a lot of pies at holiday time,” Baker said. “When we sold pies during our Lenten fish fry people were saying that it was great they didn’t have to wait until Thanksgiving.”

The church also sells their apple butter, which is normally made for their Apple Festival in October.

“We do have other people that work with us that help us set things up,” Baker said. “It’s all volunteer. We have someone that helps us with our advertising, another person set up the display for us. As far as the handmade stuff, there’s several people that have donated things. People also donate their time working in shifts. It’s almost like our whole congregation is involved.”

The congregation consists of about 50 members who have used their various talents to help the shop with set-up and operation.

“We have the support of everybody in our church. We couldn’t do it without that,” Baker said. “We may be in charge here, but we’ve had so much help just making pies in the last couple weeks with people just peeling apples or bagging the pies. It takes a lot of hands to make light work.”

The church’s fellowship hall is located at 3622 Knowlesville Rd., behind the Ridgeway Volunteer Fire Company. They are open on Fridays and Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. and extra hours during church events.

Photos by Sue Cook – Greg Shaw plays drums for Harrison and the Radiators.

By Sue Cook, staff reporter

KNOWLESVILLE – The OC Summer Jam debuted today by the Chamber of Commerce, featuring local bands in a festival-like atmosphere.

The bands alternated between the OrleansHub.com stage and the Curtis Pavilion at the 4-H fairgrounds to prevent a break in the music while each group set up.

Jerrod Thurber, right, of Leonard Oakes Estates Winery was at the event selling wine samples and beer.

People in the Curtis Pavilion watch The Moon Hunters.

Bands on the OrleansHub.com stage were Experimental Sandwich, Harrison and the Radiators, Triple Play and Terrible Ideas. At the Curtis Pavilion, the audience was treated to The Moon Hunters, The Capitals, The Lisa Zelazny Band and Happy Ending. The Capitals were performing one of the last times before member Pete moves away.

George Lama took pictures at the event to promote his business, RG Lama Studios. Cassidy and Matthew Oliver took advantage of the photo booth to get a little silly.

Harrison and the Radiators played many original songs. Greg Shaw is on drums, Brandon Smith is playing bass and Adam Foster sings to the crowd while playing guitar.

The Moon Hunters jam with a funk rock sound. Band members include Cortland McKernan, Evan Anstey, Zach Busch, Dave Blumrick and Zach Bickle.

Alex Feig of OrleansRadio.com called The Moon Hunters up and invited them to participate in the OC Summer Jam. They enjoyed the event so much they would love to be invited back for next year. Busch commented that there were faces in the crowd that were new for the band.

“Our families are always supportive which is nice,” Busch said. “It’s always nice to have a new crowd, too, and I think this summer jam was a great idea. I think it’s a really cool idea.”

Zach Bickle (left) plays saxophone while Zach Busch plays guitar.