RIDGEWAY – Two people were taken by ambulance to hospitals following an accident with three vehicles this afternoon on Route 104, between Knowlesville and Culvert roads. The top photo shows firefighters working to cut the battery after the driver had been removed from the vehicle.

The driver was eastbound on 104 and turned to go into the driveway at a house where a bride and her bridesmaids were getting ready. The driver pulled in front on a pickup headed westbound, according to an Orleans County sheriff’s deputy.

These trucks collided after the driver of the pickup truck at left attempted to avoid a vehicle that crossed into the westbound lane suddenly at 1:15 p.m. A passenger in the vehicle at left was taken by ambulance. A deputy at the scene said none of the injuries were serious.

Vince Iorio, pastor of the Calvary Tabernacle Church in Medina, shares a prayer during a dedication event this morning for the Circle of Love Memorial Garden.

There are 32 memorial plaques on this stone garden wall. The plaques are $75 each and there is room for many more.

One of five benches at the garden is a memorial for Michelle Stanton Jones.

After work on the garden slowed last year, these three women pushed to finish the project. They include, from left: Carol Bellack, Andrea Walton and Jenn Thom.

They have also formed The Medina Memorial Garden 501c3, a non-profit group to manage the site, and accept funds and spend money for improvements.

The women credited Dayton Hausman for coming up with the idea of the garden, and praised many of the early volunteers who did a lot of work in creating the space.

Jenn Thom, right, thanks volunteers for their work on the garden. The angel was donated by Lynn Stanley in honor of her son. Thom said the garden will need perpetual care, pulling weeds and watering flowers, among many tasks.

Besides the birdhouse, the perimeter of the garden includes solar-powered lights. The centerpiece of a stone circle has a heart in the center.

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Crusaders Motorcycle Club ‘Day at the Races’ honors the late Les Washbon and Pat Blount

RIDGEWAY – Jeremy Higgins is congratulated for winning the $500 grand prize in the “Dash for Cash” today at the Crusaders Motorcycle Club on Culvert Road in Ridgeway.

Higgins of Bergen is the reigning track champion. He is pictured with friends and family of Pat Blount and Les Washbon. Today’s race day served as a memorial for the two men who were mainstays at the track.

Blount helped many riders in the pits. He was killed in a motorcycle accident on his way to work in April 1998. Washbon was a nationally ranked dirt track race. He worked at Dunlap as a racing tire technician. He died last Oct. 30, 2015, at age 54. He raced at the Crusaders track for many years.

Jeremy Higgins is a blur as he speeds around the dirt track.

This pack of racers in the 50 cc class competes in the finals. The trio includes, from left: Kyle Brett, No. 4, of Albion, age 8; Alexis Van Ameron, No. 16, of Holley, age 8; and Brody Hazel, No. 41, of Lyndonville, age 6.

Jackson McGrath of Medina races on the top straightaway of the track next to a cornfield. The Crusaders have been racing at the site since 1957. Next Sunday is the last race of the year with a rain date scheduled for July 31. Today was the biggest racing event of the season, drawing more than 1,000 spectators.

These racing buddies chat during intermission in the pits before the finals start this afternoon. The group includes, from left: Landen Kawczak from near Albany, Josh Shear from near Albany and Kyle Lonnen of Albion.

The Van Ameron brothers, Evan (left), 16; and Kyle, 11, pose for a quick picture before the finals started. The brothers from Albion have been racing since they were 5.

These racers are lined for the start of the finals in the 85 cc class. They include, from left: Kyle Van Ameron of Albion, age 11; Christian Silversmith of Medina, age 14; and Theo Storrs of Penfield, age 12.

Andy Morrison waves the checkered flag as a racer crosses the finish line.

Some young racers take their positions in one of the finals today.

Spencer Burley of Spencerport, age 9, takes first place in the 65 cc class.

Jeff Hartrich from Harley-Davidson in North Tonawanda addresses the crowd during intermission today. Harley-Davidson was one of Les Washbon’s sponsors when he raced.

“He got my boys involved in dirt track racing,” Hartrich said. “He was a wonderful, wonderful guy. We all miss him.”

Les Washbon’s racing bike was parked in the field by the track during today’s races. Washbon was a long-time competitor at the Crusaders.

For more on the Crusaders, click here.

Provided photos

RIDGEWAY – The Crusaders Motorcycle Club held a free training session on Saturday for riders, ages 4 to 8. Brad Hazel and Austin Luczak, two local professional riders, joined volunteers from the Crusaders and riders’ family members in the training session at the Crusaders’ course on Culvert Road.

This class provided young riders with basic riding/racing skills. The 10 participants were taught what all the different colored flags represent, how to watch for the green race light and to practice their starting skills. They learned how to maneuver around the corners. By the end of the day all the riders were picking up their speed and increasing their riding skills.

RIDGEWAY – The driver of this Chevrolet S-10 pickup escaped serious injury after an accident on Marshall Road, just north of the Erie Canal, today at about 1 p.m.

A state trooper at the scene said the driver, a man about age 25, was travelling south on Marshall Road when he fell asleep, drove off the shoulder of the road and struck a tree stump.

The truck overturned and caught on fire.

Ridgeway firefighters, including Don Marchner (back to camera), put out fire with the truck. The driver was able to crawl out of the vehicle and get a safe distance from the wreck.

The driver had injuries to both feet and was taken to Strong Memorial Hospital in Rochester by the Medina Fire Department.

The driver hit the stump in the lower right and then overturned the pickup. Lyons Collision in Medina removed the vehicle.

Provided photos
RIDGEWAY – No one was injured at about 12:30 p.m. in an accident on Route 104 involving a tractor trailer and a pickup truck.

The accident left debris and the tractor trailer in the road. An Orleans County dispatcher said at about 2:45 p.m. the road could be closed for several hours due to the cleanup.

The accident occurred on Route 104 between Murdock and Marshall roads, near the Millers Bulk Food Bakery, a popular Amish-owned business.

First responders said it was a miracle no one was injured in the accident.

Company plans to spend $5M on new facility in Ridgeway

RIDGEWAY – Helena Chemical Company plans to break ground this year on a new $5 million complex at 3956 Allis Rd., a site along the railroad in Ridgeway, just off of Route 31.

The company will be spared paying sales tax for equipment and materials for the project. That move, approved today by the board for the Orleans Economic Development Agency, will save Helena $283,910 in sales tax.

The EDA sales tax exemption goes towards up to $3.6 million in taxable purchases for the new construction.

The company didn’t seek a property tax break for the project, which includes a 50,000-square-foot building this year, with plans for a railroad spur and mixing facility in 2017. Helena is planning to add six positions as part of the expansion, jobs that will pay an average of $57,100, according to EDA records.

Helena currently operates out of 10,000 square feet on Platt Street in Albion. It sells fertilizer, seeds and chemicals to farmers. The company will relocate to Ridgeway where it plans a six-building complex with 75,000 square feet. Helena will continue to work out of Albion this year while it settles into the new space.

“The move to Ridgeway will allow us to offer more products and services,” Mitch Wilber, Helena branch manager, previously stated. “The quality of the agriculture is what brought us here. There are good farmers growing good crops.”

Helena has headquarters just outside of Memphis, Tennessee, with 450 branch locations across the United States.

Photos by Tom Rivers

RIDGEWAY – Several fire companies were on scene this afternoon at a fire on Marshall Road.

The fire caused significant damage to a home owned by William and Jennifer Ribbeck at 3245 Marshall Rd.

Firefighters were dispatched to the scene at 12:46 p.m. No one was home at the time of the fire.

Firefighters use the Medina ladder truck to get high and aim water down on the fire.

Shelby firefighters head inside the house.