KNOWLESVILLE – It’s a busy night at the fair. The Cornell Cooperative Extension has an army of volunteers serving up a chicken barbecue. Linda Kirby and her daughter Jamie Brennan are among the volunteers. They are doling out the strawberry desserts.
There is also a motorcycle cruise-in next to the Buzz Hill Education Center. Jason Jeffords of Carlton is pictured on a Harley Davidson Road King Classic.
The karaoke finals start at 8 p.m. and the grease pole is on tap for 10.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 25 July 2013 at 12:00 am
Photos by Tom Rivers – Marisa Hanlon, 15, of Kendall workers with other 4-H’ers to clean a stall at the fair on Wednesday evening. Marisa is a member of the Wranglers 4-H Club.
Daily Feature: Orleans County 4-H Fair Motorcycle Cruise-In, located in the Education Center parking lot
Daily Feature: Orleans County 4-H Fair Dunk Tank, located across from the Senior Council stand
8 am: Senior Council Stand Opens
8 am to 3 pm: Youth Camp Day – Sponsored by the Orleans County 4-H Fair Committee
9:30 am: Western Horse Show – Carlos Marcello Arena
10 am: $5 admission per car starts
10 am: All Buildings Open
10 am: Poultry Show – Wachob Pavilion
10 am: Wildlife I.D. Contest – Log Cabin
10:30 am: Little Britches Cattle Show (open to public) – Show Arena
12 pm: Leaders’ Pie Stand Opens
12pm – 1 pm: Dog Agility Demonstration with Della’s Agility Dream Dogs and Guests –
Show Arena
1 pm: Story Hour sponsored by Hoag Library – Trolley Building
1:30 pm: Magic of Cliff Hopkins & Kelly – OrleansHub.com Stage
2 pm to 4 pm: Home Ec Bowl – Trolley Building
2:15 pm: Fearless Flores – South of Knights Building
3 pm: Llama/Alpaca Costume, Leaping Llama/Alpaca,
Llama/Alpaca Limbo – Show Arena
Dominic Wilder of Albion performs “U Got it bad” by Usher during karaoke on Wednesday. The $1,000 championship will be tonight at 8 p.m.
3 pm: Little Britches Llama/Alpaca, Open to Public – Show Arena
3 to 10 pm: Midway of Utica, $18 unlimited ride wristband
3 pm: Story Hour sponsored by Hoag Library – Trolley Building
3:30 pm: Magic of Cliff Hopkins & Kelly – OrleansHub.com Stage
4 to 8:30 pm: Master Gardener – Lawn of Education Center
4 pm to close: Orleans County 4-H Fair Motorcycle Cruise-In at Education Center Parking Lot
4 pm: Chainsaw Chix – Log Cabin
4:30 pm: Chicken BBQ Sponsored by Orleans County Cornell Cooperative Extension,
No Presale – Curtis Pavilion
4:30 pm: Fearless Flores – South of Knights Building
5:30 pm: Magic of Cliff Hopkins & Kelly – OrleansHub.com Stage
6 pm: Sheep Show – Knight’s Building
6 pm: Small Animal Grand Master Information Session – Wachob Pavilion
6 pm: Registration for Small Fry Pedal Tractor Pull Ends at Fair Office
6 pm: Chainsaw Chix – Log Cabin
6:30 pm: Fearless Flores – South of Knights Building
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 25 July 2013 at 12:00 am
Photos by Tom Rivers – Allana Ramos, 21, of Lyndonville performs “What the Water Gave Me” by Florence and the Machine during karaoke Wednesday at the fair.
Bailey Flint, 17, of Holley sings Miranda Lambert’s “Famous in a Small Town.”
KNOWLESVILLE – The fair offers a platform for people to belt out a tune in front of an energetic crowd. On Wednesday, Brad London of Albion again hosted karaoke, which included a mix of country, rock and other foot-tapping music.
The best performers from each karaoke night will square off tonight with the karaoke finals beginning at 8 p.m. when $1,000 in prizes will be awarded.
Michelle Kozlowski, 18, of Middleport performs “Hit Me With Your Best Shot” by Pat Benatar during the fair on Wednesday.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 23 July 2013 at 12:00 am
Rabbits, steer get their chance in limelight
Photos by Tom Rivers
Allison Mathes, 9, uses all her might to get her dairy steer to cooperate during today’s show at the Orleans County 4-H Fair in Knowlesville.
Judge John Stenson looks over the rabbits during today’s show at the fair. The three boys waiting for their rabbit inspections include, from left: John Gabalski of Byron, Ian Smith of Lyndonville and Brian Neal of Albion. There are 84 rabbits at this year’s fair. Club leader Neil Johnson, right, served as emcee for the show.
Jayne Bannister, 15, of Point Breeze won the grand market steer competition at the fair today.
Lauren Becht, 14, of Barre tries to keep her dairy steer calm during today’s show at the fair. Lauren won the dairy steer category.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 23 July 2013 at 12:00 am
Photo by Tom Rivers – The Ferris Wheel, pictured at last night’s sunset, is among the attractions at the fairgrounds being provided by Midway Rides of Utica.
Daily Feature: Orleans County 4-H Fair Dunk Tank, located across from Senior Council stand
8 am: Senior Council Stand Opens
9:30 am: English Horse Show – Carlos Marcello Arena
9:30 am: Dog Show (Classes 5-22 and C3) – Show Arena
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 23 July 2013 at 12:00 am
Photo by Tom Rivers
KNOWLESVILLE – A man walks with an umbrella while it was raining this evening at the Orleans County 4-H Fairgrounds. The rain thinned out the crowds. When lightning hit around 9 p.m., fair officials opted to cancel the popular grease pole competition at 10 p.m.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 22 July 2013 at 12:00 am
Photos by Tom Rivers – Brooke Bensley brushes “Desi,” short for “My Heart’s Desire” in preparation for today’s llama show at 10 a.m. Brooke, 18, of Albion has been showing llamas at the fair since she was 10.
Adam Eick, 18, of Medina and Joe Cecchini, 9, of Medina clean cows this morning.
Skip Lear and his daughter Jamie Schutz, 16, of Waterport lead beef cattle to the washing area at the fairgrounds. Lear, a former 4-H’er, volunteers as the beef cattle superintendent at the fair.
KNOWLESVILLE – The 4-H’ers and animals have arrived at the 4-H Fairgrounds in Knowlesville, and this morning has been busy for 4-H’ers. They have been cleaning animals, and setting up stalls and pens for the animals’ week-long home.
The fair starts today and the first competition will begin at 9:30 a.m. with the cloverbud horse show and a walk/trot horse show. A llama and alpaca show begins at 10 a.m.
There will be an opening ceremony at 5:45, which will include a mortgage burning. Donors have paid off the mortgage on the new education center.
A talent show at 7 p.m., swine show at 7 p.m. and karaoke contest at 9 p.m. are also on the schedule for today.
Parking will be $2 per vehicle today after 4 p.m. It will be $5 per carload from Tuesday through Saturday.
Taylor Soule, 8, of Barre and her brother Matthew Mathes, 6, brush their dairy animals at the fairgrounds this morning.
Noah Preston, 17, of Barre hoses down livestock. The 4-H’ers strive to present a good image of the agricultural industry to the public during this week’s fair.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 22 July 2013 at 12:00 am
Photos by Tom Rivers
State Sen. George Maziarz, right, joined in the mortgage burning ceremony for the “Buzz” Hill Education Center at the opening ceremonies for this year’s 4-H Fair. Maziarz is joined by CCE Fund Development Committee Chairman Pete Toenniessen, left, and Ed Neal, chairman of the CCE board.
KNOWLESVILLE – Late last year, the board of directors at the Cornell Cooperative Extension set a goal of paying off the remaining $35,000 mortgage for the CCE’s education center, a nearly $1 million complex that opened in 2007.
The group wanted to pay off the mortgage a year early. It sent out letters to supporters in January. Donors responded en masse. The debt has been paid. Tonight, the CCE celebrated the milestone by burning the mortgage.
“It was certainly gratifying to see the donations come in,” said Ed Neal, CCE board chairman.
State Sen. George Maziarz was part of the mortgage burning celebration this evening. He praised the community for rallying their dollars in 2006-07, and for heeding the call again to pay off the debt.
“It was the community that built this education center,” Maziarz said during the opening ceremony.
The center has 6,114 square feet. It allowed the CCE to sell its historic office space on Main Street and move to the fairgrounds, making use of the fairgrounds year-round. The center includes offices, classrooms and a lab. It is named for Buzz Hill, a former buildings and grounds superintendent who died in an accident at the fairgrounds.
Orleans County legislators approved $10,000 to pay off the debt in January, and local private donors gave the remaining $25,000.
Russell Young, a member of the American Legion in Medina, plays the trumpet during the opening ceremonies.
Local veterans were part of the opening ceremonies, raising the flag next to the Trolley Building.
Interim CCE Director Pal Lehman praised the fair supporters, and a dedicated corps of about 100 4-H leaders for making the week-long fair such a success.
“We couldn’t be prouder of the Cooperative Extension and the good work it does,” said David Callard, the Legislature chairman.
Fair royalty also welcomed the community to the fair. That group includes Queen Mikaila Harmer, Duke Joseph Trautwein and Dutchess Megan Blackburn.
World War II veteran Michael Paduchak, right, and George Blakeman, a member of the Marine Corps League in Albion, salute during the flag-raising ceremony.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 22 July 2013 at 12:00 am
Talent show, food, and a mechanical bull
Photos by Tom Rivers – Lucas Powley, 5, of Albion rides the mechanical bull on opening day at the Orleans County 4-H Fair in Knowlesville.
Nikki Renko, 18, of Kendall sings “Bring me to Life” by Evanescence during karaoke tonight.
Customers line up at one of the food vendors.
Leah Weinbeck of Brockport performs “Little Red Riding Hood” with a group from Lisa’s Dance Boutique in Holley. They won the mini-division of the talent show and qualified for the State Fair in Syracuse.
Madeline Bilicki of Medina performs “It should have been me” with Dance Theater from Medina. The group won an honorable mention at the talent show in the maxi division. Bilicki was part of a group that won second place for their performance of “Blown Away.”
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 22 July 2013 at 12:00 am
Photo by Tom Rivers – Many fair animals, including this cow, are ready for their moment in the show ring.
Today’s Feature: $2 Paid per car admission beginning 4:00 pm
Today’s Feature: Midway Rides of Utica $9 unlimited ride wristband 6 p.m. to 10 p.m.
Daily Feature: Orleans County 4-H Fair Dunk Tank, located across from Senior Council stand
9:30 am: Walk/ Trot Horse Show and Cloverbud Horse Show, Carlos Marcello Arena
10 am: Market Auction Weigh-In
10 am: Llama and Alpaca Show (classes 1-42) – Show Arena
10 am to 12 pm: Common Garden Vegetables, Market Packages, Cut Flowers, Indoor Gardening, Fruits and Nuts, Plan Collection (Preserved and Scrapbook), Landscape Pictures and Plants, Experiments, Horticulture Methods judged – Trolley Building
11am: Field crops judged – Trolley Building
1pm to 3pm: Group Exhibits, Food Preservation, Baked Goods and Visual Arts judged – Trolley Building
4 pm: Paid per car admission begins: Special Opening Day $2 price
4:30 pm: Goat Fitting Competition – Knights Building
5:45 pm: Opening Ceremony, Presentation of Colors by Orleans County Veterans – Flag Pole Garden
6 pm: Dog Show Grooming and Handling /Showmanship, Classes 1 -4 and C1 – Show Arena
6 pm: Leader’s Pie Stand Opens
6 pm: 2013 4-H Clothing Revue: Fun in the Sun – OrleansHub.com Stage
6:30 pm: 4-H Bake Sale – Trolley Building
6:30 pm: Trolley Building Youth Exhibits Open – Trolley Building
6:30-8:30 pm: Master Gardener – Lawn of Education Center
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 21 July 2013 at 12:00 am
Photos by Tom Rivers
KNOWLESVILLE – Orleans County 4-H Fair officials usually expect to ease into the Fair week with a relatively quiet Monday.
But good-size crowds were out this evening, enjoying nice sunshine without really hot summer weather. Fair leaders were happy to see the seats filled for the talent show and some lines at the concession stands.
In the top photo, two children get ready to head down the Fun Slide as the sun sets in the background.
The opening ceremony included a presentation of Colors by veterans, including from left: Jim Freas of Medina, Kevin Truesdell of Medina and Ron Ayrault of Holley.
U.S. Rep. Chris Collins addressed the opening ceremony crowd. He said county fairs “are certainly a part of our great Western New York tradition.”
State Assemblyman Steve Hawley and Jim Bays, first deputy commissioner for the NYS Department of Agriculture and Markets, also spoke during opening ceremonies. They commended the Cornell Cooperative Extension staff and volunteers for their work in planning the fair, which runs until Saturday night.
CCE program director Jennifer Wagester is at left followed by volunteers Gary Blackburn, Pete Toenniessen, John DeFilipps, Ed Neal (CCE president) and Michele Bokman.
The opening day included the Swine Show. Here, Blake Houseman, 2 1/2, of Gasport climbs up on the fence to get a better look at the action.
The talent show was also on the center stage. Allie Amoroso of Brockport performed a jazz solo to “Looking Good – Feeling Gorgeous.” She finished fifth and qualified for the State Fair.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 15 July 2013 at 12:00 am
Photo by Tom Rivers – Robert Batt, president of the Fair Board, and Kerri McKenna, a community educator for the Cornell Cooperative Extension, have been busy gearing up for next week’s 4-H Fair in Knowlesville.
KNOWLESVILLE – The animals are soon to arrive, a group of nearly 550 creatures that include cows and pigs, llamas and rabbits, goats and horses.
After seeing the numbers drop at recent fairs, next week’s event in Knowlesville shows a sizable uptick in animals. The number of cows and beef cattle are up from 20 last year to 65 next week.
And the number of 4-H animal exhibitors also is on an upswing with nearly 200 kids showing animals.
“Most fairs are seeing their numbers go down,” said Kerri McKenna, the community educator for the Cornell Cooperative Extension in Orleans County. “Our leaders have been out recruiting new members.”
The fair officially starts on Monday, July 22, and runs until the 27th. The week-long event typically draws about 30,000 people. It’s considered one of the most successful youth fairs in the state, a small-county celebration that bans alcohol and limits exhibitors to children.
“We have a community that supports youth, agriculture and the community in general,” said McKenna, a former 4-H’er. “This is the biggest event of the year where everyone is involved.”
The fair includes a new Midway provider, Midway Rides of Utica, which is bringing a 90-foot-high Ferris wheel to Knowlesville, the biggest to ever come to the Orleans fair.
The Fair Board is spending $16,000 for entertainment, with bands, the Midway, a Motorcyle Thrill Ride and other entertainers. The board is not hiking the cost to enter the fair. That remains at $5 per carload, which Fair Board President Robert Batt said is the least expensive in the state.
“We’re definitely the cheapest,” he said. “We want to keep it low so families can come and have money to spend.”
He is pleased to have many new food vendors for the week. The Fair Board also is trying to make better use of the parking lot by the Education Center for the fair. On Wednesday the 24th the lot will be used for a craft show and community yard sale.
There will be a motorcycle cruise-in on Thursday with a Classic Car Show on Friday. On Saturday, the last day of the fair, first responders will bring fire trucks, ambulances and a helicopter. Children and community members are encouraged to come meet firefighters, medics and other first responders.
For more information, check the 4-H Fair Website by clicking here.
Provided photo – Orleans County Legislators David Callard, left, and Ken Rush, right, stand outside the Dwight “Buzz” Hill Education Center at the 4-H Fairgrounds in Knowlesville with CCE Interim Director Paul Lehman.
Press release
CCE of Orleans County
KNOWLESVILLE – Residents, business owners and public officials in Orleans County will be happy to know that their generous donations and volunteer help have paid off with the completion of the mortgage payments for the “Buzz” Hill Education Center at the 4-H fairgrounds.
The Extension will burn the mortgage during a 5:45 p.m. presentation on opening day at the 4-H Fair on July 22. An event for donors is being planned for September.
“We decided to try to burn the mortgage at the 4-H Fair,” said Ed Neal, chairman of the Extension Board of Directors. “A final push in May brought dozens of checks from this generous community.”
Much the same as a homeowner celebrates the retirement of a home mortgage after years of sacrifice, residents can feel as though they have a piece of ownership in what Extension officials say is one of the finest education centers in the state.
The effort to build an improved facility to replace the older center on Main Street in Albion began in 2000 when the Extension Board of Directors established a goal of creating a permanent facility at the fairgrounds. Originally scheduled to be paid off in 2014, at least $2,000 in interest is expected to be saved with this final push.
While many area residents see the facility at the fairgrounds and know about the 4-H organization, they may not realize that this center of non-formal education is much more than a youth organization and a fair.
One hundred years ago, Cooperative Extension had its founding in Broome County, New York. Then known as Farm Bureau, the organization, early on was totally focused on rural farm improvement. The addition of “home economics” sought to improve domestic life.
In January 1917, Orleans County came on board with the establishment of the first Farm Bureau Office in the Waterman Building in Albion. Nine months later, the “Home Economics Commission” was established to serve homemakers. 4-H Clubs of Orleans County officially were organized in 1938.
Today, agricultural educational needs are much more sophisticated. Orleans shares with other counties a portion of budgets for specialists in tree fruit, vegetables, dairy, livestock and field crops. Two of 19 specialists that Orleans has access to are housed in the Orleans office.
While the organization has experienced some turnover in local staff, the organization is recruiting a full-time program director who will also be a youth issues leader.
“We have serious budgetary constraints from narrowing federal and state dollars and know we must pull ourselves up with our own bootstraps by generating grant income and business income from use of the grounds,” said Interim Director Paul Lehman. “We appreciate the considerable support from the County Legislature.”
The word “cooperative” in Cooperative Extension means cooperation between federal, state and local governments and by memorandum of agreement to, as the organization’s mission states: put knowledge to work in pursuit of economic vitality, ecological sustainability and social well-being. It brings local experience and research based solutions together, helping New York State families and communities thrive in our rapidly changing world.
The board of directors of Orleans County Cornell Cooperative Extension hopes that the organization will continue to serve residents for another 100 years.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 8 July 2013 at 12:00 am
‘We have an obligation to proceed. This is what we were elected to do.’ Medina Mayor Andrew Meier
MEDINA The Village Board hired a consultant and formed a committee to develop a plan for the orderly dissolution of the village, an end result that ultimately will need voter approval to become a reality.
The village was awarded a $50,000 state grant in February to develop a plan to dissolve the village and fold those government services and assets into the towns of Shelby and Ridgeway.
The board tonight voted to hire the Center for Governmental Research based in Rochester to help develop the plan. CGR will be paid $55,555. The organization assisted Medina and towns of Ridgeway and Shelby with a consolidation study about two years ago. That project showed the costs of providing services could be reduced by $200,000 to $400,000 with consolidation of services, plus the state would likely give the communities $600,000 annually as incentive aid for reducing layers of government.
“We’re beyond the study phase,” said Andrew Meier, the village mayor. “I’m hopeful we can come up with a plan that will reduce the taxes and preserve the services. That will be the question.”
The board hired CGR and also formed a citizen committee to help with the plan. Don Colquhoun, the retired executive director of The Arc of Orleans County, will lead the committee. Colquhoun participated in the consolidation study.
“He has extremely good organizational skills and he is respected by the two towns,” Meier said. “He is a godsend.”
Other committee members include Cindy Robinson, a Main Street business owner and president of the Medina Business Association and the Orleans County Chamber of Commerce; Charlie Slack of Slack Insurance; Thurston Dale, a retired veterinarian; Meier; and Village Trustee Mark Irwin.
The committee and CGR could have a plan in place in six to nine months. The Village Board could then accept the plan and schedule a referendum for village residents. Town residents outside the village don’t have a say at the polls on the village’s fate.
Meier believes reducing the village’s layer of government will cut taxes for village residents. Medina has the highest combined tax rate – village, town, school and county – in the Finger Lakes region. That rate is about $54 per $1,000 of assessed property, with the village accounting for about $16 of that tax rate. Residents outside the village don’t pay a village tax.
“We have a problem in the village and the county with very high tax rates,” Meier said.
He wants to reduce the taxes for village residents to make the community more attractive for residents and businesses for years to come.
“We’re going to get at solutions, not just Band-Aids,” he said about the tax problem. “We have an obligation to proceed. This is what we were elected to do.”
The committee and CGR could look at establishing districts for police and fire protection. Those districts could extend beyond the current village boundaries so there is a bigger tax base to support those services. Meier noted many of the properties on Maple Ridge Road enjoy village services and access to the village population base of about 6,000 people without currently paying village taxes.
“It makes intuitive sense,” Meier said about lower taxes with less government layers. “Let’s flesh out the data and see where it takes us.”
