Chantelle Kidney and Zack Blackburn first noticed each other at 4-H Senior Council Stand

Photos by Tom Rivers

KNOWLESVILLE – Zack Blackburn and Chantelle Kidney stopped at the Orleans County 4-H Fair today after their wedding. They made sure to get a photo with a steer.

Blackburn, 23, was a member of the Beef Club seven years ago when Kidney, 21, showed sheep at the fair. They started dated on July 27, 2012. Three years ago they were engaged on July 27. Blackburn asked Kidney to marry him in the sheep barn.

The newly married Mr. and Mrs. Blackburn walk at the fairgrounds this afternoon. They are joined by their flower girls, Hollee Cook, left, and Mable Bruning, right.

The couple makes their way through the sheep barn. Maid of honor Emma Ambrose, another former 4-H’er, helps Kidney with her dress.

Chantelle Kidney walks into the 4-H Senior Council Stand. Blackburn and Kidney met at the fair while they were working in the 4-H Senior Council Stand, selling refreshments. Blackburn said he first noticed Kidney’s barn boots “and her cute little smile.”

Kidney works as an EMT for COVA in Albion, while Blackburn is a pipe layer for a company in Rochester. They are both active in the Ridgeway Volunteer Fire Company.

The wedding party poses for a picture at the 4-H Senior Council Stand.

Mr. and Mrs. Blackburn saw their relationship start and blossom at the fair. Megan Blackburn, the groom’s sister, is at left.

They were married earlier in the afternoon in an outdoor ceremony on Fruit Avenue in Medina. After the wedding they headed to the fairgrounds just before 5 p.m.

Chantelle’s mother, Cindy Kidney, expected the fair would be part of the couple’s big day.

“I’m surprised they didn’t get married here,” she said.

Zack Blackburn wanted a wedding picture to include a steer. One of his groomsman, Paul Suraf, meets the big animal after Blackburn led it out of the barn.

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Provided photos: The American Red Cross sets up for a blood drive today at the Ridgeway Fire Hall.

RIDGEWAY – A blood drive today in honor of Ridgeway firefighter Glen Busch II resulted in 59 pints of blood. That came from 47 donors, including 12 who were double-red givers.

This is the second blood drive in honor of Busch. The first one on Nov. 30 included about 70 donors.

Busch, 36, has been promoting the blood drives. He said he is thankful for donors because he needed 178 blood transfusions last year while battling serious health issues.

Busch has mostly recovered from a splenic artery aneurysm, a stroke, a pulmonary embolism and a collapsed lung.

The blood drives at Ridgeway included many donors who are firefighters, and also members of the Crusaders Motorcycle Club. That club has its races on Culvert Road in Ridgeway. The season opens on Sunday.

Busch returned to work in February as a social welfare examiner for the Orleans County Department of Social Services. His wife Valerie works at Baxter Healthcare in Medina and also is an active Ridgeway firefighter.

This sign promotes today’s blood drive in honor of Glen Busch II.

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Glen Busch II needed 178 transfusions after emergency surgeries

File photo by Tom Rivers: Glen Busch II and Valerie Childs, who is now his wife, are shown in January 2016 when both were honored for their service to the Ridgeway Volunteer Fire Company. Busch received the President’s Award and Childs was presented with the Chief’s Award.

RIDGEWAY – There will be a second blood drive this Friday in honor of Glen Busch II, a Ridgeway firefighter who survived a serious health scare in 2018.

Busch, 36, has mostly recovered from a splenic artery aneurysm, a stroke, a pulmonary embolism and a collapsed lung.

He estimates he is about 90 percent recovered and continues to rebuild his stamina. On Thursday, he gets a physical and he expects to be cleared to return for fire calls with the Ridgeway Volunteer Fire Company. He won’t be back as an interior firefighter, but Busch said he expects to be given the OK for exterior firefighting.

On Friday, from noon to 7 p.m. at the Ridgeway fire hall there will be a blood drive. The first blood drive in his honor on Nov. 30 resulted in about 70 donors, many were firefighters who hadn’t given blood before or hadn’t attended a blood drive in many years.

Busch said he is more comfortable in the background, but is willing to help promote Friday’s blood drive.

He needed 178 units of blood during his surgeries. He was hospitalized for about seven weeks, beginning on Sept. 14. Then he was in rehab for three weeks before coming home the day before Thanksgiving.

Busch and his wife Valerie then faced a tragedy. Their son, Hudson, was born on Nov. 30 without a pulse.

Busch said the community was been very supportive during his serious illness and then with the loss of his son.

That’s why he wants to return to being an active firefighter, and promote the blood drive.

“I’m thankful for the community, to my fellow firefighters, my coworkers at DSS, my church family and the Crusaders (Motorcycle Club),” he said. “Everyone has stepped up and I want to do my part.”

Busch returned to work in February as a social welfare examiner for the Orleans County Department of Social Services. His wife works at Baxter Healthcare in Medina.

Blood donors can sign up online at redcrossblood.org or call 1-800-RED-CROSS to schedule an appointment. Walk-ins also are welcome. The firehall is located at 11392 Ridge Rd., Medina.

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RIDGEWAY – Marshall Road has been reopened to traffic after being closed for about five weeks.

The road is still in need of repairs, but some patchwork has been done by the Ridgeway Highway Department and State Canal Corp.

The town and state agency are discussing how additional repairs will be done, town officials said.

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KNOWLESVILLE – The New York State Canal Corporation announced the Knowlesville Lift Bridge in Ridgeway will be closed on May 7-8 for repairs to the bridge’s lifting system.

Crews will replace electrical cables to the bridge, which carries traffic over the Erie Canal. During the project, a signed detour will be posted, using Eagle Harbor-Knowlesville Road, W. Barre-Eagle Harbor Road and Telegraph Road.

This work will not affect the Erie Canalway Trail, said Steven Gosset, manager of public relations for the New York Power Authority, which oversees the canal system.

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Photos by Tom Rivers

RIDGEWAY – Terry Weaver and his sister Kim Lockwood are in good spirits during a benefit on Saturday in his honor at the Ridgeway Fire Hall.

Weaver, a US Air Force veteran, has worked 30 years in corrections, including as a sergeant at the Orleans County Jail. He is fighting stage 4 lung cancer and also had a brain tumor removed in January.

Weaver was a in great spirits on Saturday, and shocked by the big crowd at the fire hall.

“I’m kind of a loner,” he said. “I’m not the most outgoing guy in the room.”

His family and friends wanted to raise money to help with co-pays for medical bills and other expenses. Lockwood said the benefit raised $14,000.

There were 200 baskets up for raffle, and other big ticket items. Lockwood said the community was generous in helping her brother.

Weaver, 54, lives in Shelby. He has never smoked and said he has been a “workout junkie.” He started having bad headaches and would blackout late last year, when he was diagnosed with the brain tumor.

He had two surgeries in January to remove that mass and he feels fortunate he didn’t lose his memory or suffer ill-effects from that surgery. He is currently taking chemo to fight the lung cancer.

Members of McAdoo family and Ridgeway Ladies Auxiliary served up more than 300 spaghetti dinners on Saturday. Michelle Lechner serves the salads while Donna Lockwood, Bonnie Gill and Nick McAdoo work on the spaghetti.

Lynn Starr works as a cook at the jail. She has known Weaver for several years. She helped secure many of the food donations for the meal on Saturday. She said Weaver is well liked by his coworkers at the jail.

“Terry is a top-of-the-line guy,” Starr said. “He is always good natured.”

Weaver would typically work major holidays so his co-workers with young families could be home with their children.

“He is a wonderful man,” said his sister, Debra Regan. “He is a special human being who doesn’t deserve this – nobody does.”

Eagle Creek was one of the three bands to perform during the benefit. From left include Nick Salvatore, Gary Tarr and Dick Brant. The Dave Viterna Group and The Who Dats also performed.

Eagle Creek entertains the crowd at the Ridgeway Fire Hall.

A large contingent from the Orleans County Sheriff’s office attended the benefit to support Weaver.

“As you can see everybody loves Terry,” said Sheriff Randy Bower. “To see this support is just overwhelming.”

The benefit on Saturday was from 2 to 7 p.m. Weaver appeared at 2:30 p.m. and stayed the entire time, despite fighting exhaustion from his chemo. The room was energized by Weaver’s presence, Bower said.

“When he showed up, it lifted everybody up,” Bower said. “Hopefully we lifted him up, too.”

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Terry Weaver

RIDGEWAY — A big crowd is expected today for a benefit at the Ridgeway Fire Hall for Terry Weaver, who has a 30-year career in law enforcement.

Weaver, a sergeant at the Orleans County Jail, is fighting stage 4 lung cancer. He also has had two brain surgeries to remove a mass.

“My brother is the quiet one,” said his sister Kim Lockwood. “He worked his butt off and was always there to lend a hand to others when needed.”

The community has contributed 200 baskets to be raffled off today during the benefit. Lockwood said 360 spaghetti dinner tickets have already been sold for the dinner from 2 to 7 p.m.

In addition to the basket raffles, there are 11 “big ticket” items and a 50/50 raffle, she said.

The event will include performances by the bands Dave Viterna Group, The Who Dats and Eagle Creek.

Lockwood urged people to stop by. There is no cover charge.

“We want people to come in and love my brother up,” she said.

The firehall is located at 11392 Ridge Rd.

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RIDGEWAY – Marshall Road is closed until further notice due to road conditions, the Town of Ridgeway announced.

The road remains open to residents who live on Marshall. Town officials will be on a conference call with the state Department of Transportation soon to get an update on when the road will be repaired and reopened.

The town put out the announcement today after the road was already closed and signs were in place about the closure. However, many motorists are continuing to use the road and turn around in residents’ driveways, town officials said.

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Mark Goheen

RIDGEWAY – Mark Goheen, the Ridgeway highway superintendent for the past 9-plus years, will be retiring on March 31.

His letter of resignation was accepted by the Town Board on Tuesday evening. The board is seeking applications for an interim highway superintendent who serve in the role for nine months, beginning April 1.

The highway superintendent will be on the November ballot for the remaining two years of Goheen’s term. Goheen has served in the job since Jan. 1, 2010, and was elected three times to four-year terms.

Goheen said he is retiring so he can spend more time with family, especially his granddaughter. He put off the retirement until after the winter, when the department is its busiest due to snow plowing.

“It has been a great job,” he said today. “I’ve learned a lot. People don’t realize what highway superintendents do and town employees do.”

Besides snow plowing and road maintenance, the Ridgeway Highway Department also oversees a water system and five cemeteries. The highway department is responsible for burials in those cemeteries, as well as maintenance.

Goheen praised the department’s four other full-time employees for their dedication.

Ridgeway is expected to soon post an ad seeking applicants for interim highway superintendent.

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Photo courtesy of Roger Allis: A fire engulfs a home on Bates Road in Ridgeway on Monday evening.

RIDGEWAY – Fire investigators have been unable to pinpoint the cause of a fire that destroyed a house on Bates Road in Ridgeway on Monday.

Firefighters were dispatched to 3358 Bates Rd. at 6:18 p.m. for reports of a structure fire. Larry and Corina Sword lived at the house and weren’t injured.

The house is a total loss and was knocked down later that night. It’s now a pile of rubble.

The extensive damage to the house has prevented fire investigators from determining a specific cause of the blaze. However, the fire started on the back side of the house, said Justin Niederhofer, an Orleans County fire investigator.

Firefighters from the western battalion – Ridgeway, Lyndonville, Shelby, East Shelby and Medina – all responded to the scene.

Photo by Tom Rivers: Fire investigators say the blaze started at the back side of the house.

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Photos by Tom Rivers

RIDGEWAY – A Ridgeway home was engulfed in flames and destroyed this evening. Firefighters were dispatched to 3358 Bates Rd. at 6:18 p.m. for reports of a structure fire.

Larry and Corina Sword live at the house and weren’t injured.

Firefighters from the western battalion – Ridgeway, Lyndonville, Shelby, East Shelby and Medina – all responded to the scene.

Fire investigators were called in to try to determine the cause of the fire.

Medina brought its ladder truck to try to put out the flames upstairs in the house while other firefighters worked to put out the fire below.

Firefighters try to get the fire under control. It was in the low 20s outside.

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County Planning Board backs projects with nearly 30,000 panels

ALBION – The Orleans County Planning Board voted this evening to support the first utility-scale solar projects in the county.

Borrego Solar Systems is proposing the projects on land in Ridgeway owned by Kenneth Baker of Medina. One project would be on Allis Road and the other on Beals Road.

Borrego is based in Lowell, Mass. Marc Kenward, an engineer with Erdman Anthony Consulting Engineers, appeared before the County Planning Board today on Borrego’s behalf. He said Borrego has installed large-scale solar in Western New York, including a big array for Houghton College in Allegany County.

The solar project at 3846 Beals Road would be for 4.3 megawatts with 11,745 panels that would be ground-mounted at a 25-degree angle, Kenward said.

The project would use 16.5 acres of a 29.4-acre parcel in a Rural Residential District. The County Planning Board recommended the Town of Ridgeway approve the site plan and a special use permit.

The other project is for 6.8 megawatts and 18,295 panels at 3962 Allis Rd., near the new Helena Chemical plant. Borrego is proposing to use 29.0 acres of a 42.0-acre parcel.

The County Planning Board recommended Ridgeway approve the site plan and a special use permit, as well as a variance. The solar array would be 160 feet away from an existing structure on a neighboring lot. The town code requires a 250-foot setback. The county urged Ridgeway to approve the 90-foot variance.

Borrego said the variance would allow the company to maximize the number of solar panels without encroaching on nearby wetlands.

The neighboring structure is an unoccupied chemical warehouse. The solar panels will face away from the building and there is already screening in the form of a natural buffer, Planning Board members said.

Borrego would like to start construction on the project in the spring.

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