CHILDS – The annual meeting of the Cobblestone Society took place Saturday at the Gaines Carlton Community Church on Ridge Road.

The afternoon began with a turkey dinner prepared by the ladies of the church, under the leadership of Diane Furness.

The Rev. Susan Boring, pastor of the Eagle Harbor Methodist Church, gave the invocation, followed with a toast by Bill Lattin in honor of the museum’s founders and other supporters over the years.

Cobblestone Society president Matt Holland presided at the membership meeting, at which minutes of the 2023 annual meeting were approved, treasurer’s report was read by vice president of finance Dick Remley and election of officers took place.

Remley reported 126 pledges have been received toward the capital campaign of $750,000 for the new Visitors Center. The campaign is at 111 percent of the goal, but Remley said more will be needed to complete the project.

Bill Lattin, a retired museum director, leads a toast in honor of the people who founded the museum and those who have contributed to the organization during its 60-plus years.

The slate of elected officers includes Matt Holland, president; Richard Remley, executive vice president; Christine Sartwell, vice president of development; Mary Zangerle, secretary; Maarit Vaga, treasurer; Chris Capurso, corresponding secretary; and Gail Johnson, membership secretary.

Trustees elected for terms ending Dec. 31, 2027 include Sylvia Goodstine, Camilla VanderLinden, Bill Lattin and Brenda Radzinski. Fred Miller was elected for a term ending Dec. 31, 2026.

Awards were presented to several individuals for their various contributions to the Cobblestone Museum.

First was a Community Partner Award presented by Christine Sartwell to Ruth Allis on behalf of the Medina Garden Gals. These women spent hours planting and weeding the garden outside the Ward House, which they also designed more than 20 years ago. The garden was age-appropriate for the time period of the Ward House, Sartwell said.

Mason Brian Daddis from Brian Daddis Heritage Masonry was unable to attend to receive the Business Partner of the Year Award from Russ Bosch for all the work he did on the cobblestone buildings. He did extensive work on all three of the Museum’s National Historic Landmark buildings.

Matt Holland, the board president, presides over the annual meeting which was held at the Gaines Carlton Community Church on Route 104.

An Alumni Board Award was presented by Grace Denniston to Jim Bonafini, who has made signs for the Cobblestone Society, and since retiring is training to be a blacksmith. He did a demonstration recently for 70 school children. He is also training to be a docent and helps at many events, from directing traffic to set up and tear down.

Assistant director Sue Bonafini presented the final award of the afternoon – the Volunteer of the Year award. This year’s award went to two very dedicated women, Shirley Bright-Neeper and Joyce Chizick. For several years these ladies have planned a garden party soiree, making all the arrangements for entertainment and refreshments. Chizick was commended for creating an elegant selection of finger foods.

Bonafini called them the “dynamic duo,” who planned and coordinated the very first solstice garden party at the Kirby home in Albion. These have since become important fundraisers for the Cobblestone Society.

The afternoon program concluded with a presentation by Ryan Duffy, executive director of the Holland land Office Museum in Batavia, who gave a video presentation of “Joseph Ellicott’s Ghost.”

Ryan Duffy, executive director of the Holland Land Office Museum, shared about Joseph Ellicott, director of the Holland Land Office and the Batavia site’s role in Western New York.

Duffy explained how Ellicott was responsible for Western New York developing from one county to eight counties between 1806 and 1841. He said the infrastructure we use today is credited back to the 1800’s and the Holland Land Company.

Because of Joseph Ellicott’s layout, Buffalo has Ellicott Square, and Batavia, founded in 1881, has Ellicott Street. Both cities have many names which reflect Ellicott’s influence.

Duffy also said Ellicott is responsible to deciding a “foot” should be 12 inches.

“Many things he did are connected to the Holland Land Office,” Duffy said.

He invited the audience to visit the Holland Land Office Museum on Main Street in Batavia and see some of the incredible exhibits they have, including a wedding exhibit focusing on the 1830s to 1970s and an exhibit of buildings by noted artist, the late Don Carmichael. Many of the buildings are no longer in existence, Duffy said.

His presentation concluded by taking questions from the audience, such as “Who owned the Holland Land Company” and “What was the size and cost of a lot purchased from the company.”

He answered, “Dutch bankers owned the Holland Land Company and an average lot was 120 acres and the average cost was $2.50 an acre.”

‘We’ve hit a number of roadblocks,’ family says, citing higher operating costs, lower revenue and weather challenges

Photo by Ginny Kropf: Several members of the Oakes family pose in the tasting room of Leonard Oakes Estate Winery on Ridge Road, Medina, after confirming they are exiting the wholesale apple business and closing the winery. From left are Darrel Oakes and his wife Linda, daughter-in-law Katie Oakes and Darrel’s sister Wendy Oakes Wilson.

MEDINA – An agribusiness with deep roots in the community will be discontinuing most of its farm operation after 105 years.

When Leonard Oakes bought land in Lyndonville in 1919, he made many smart decisions. He planted orchards and vegetables, raised chickens, worked hard and raised a family, in whom he instilled his love of agriculture and a hard work ethic. When Leonard passed away in 1951, the farm was passed on to his four children.

As the family grew, so did their interests, acquiring land on Ridge Road. When they purchased the Ridge Road property in 2004, it was already a controlled atmosphere cold storage and they invested in transforming the property into a winery tasting room and planted a U-pick orchard with more than 350 varieties.

“In 2018 we added a new packing room and apple packing line onto the cold storage that would allow us to expand our brands throughout Central and Western New York,” said general manager, Wendy Oakes Wilson.

The Oakes family also planted six acres and 14 varieties of grapes at their farm in Lyndonville in 2003. This expansion created a winery that opened in 2008, and in 2011, another expansion brought the birth of SteamPunk Cider. Their wines and cider earned awards and were hot-sellers on the market.

Through the years, some of the extended family didn’t want to be in farming. The original four family members left their stock to their spouses and children, many of whom did not live or work in the area, said Darrel’s wife Linda Oakes, who ran the Gift Shop. “They are far removed from the farm operation,” she said.

In spite of making some sound business decisions during the years, there were two things the Oakes could not control: the weather and the national apple market.

“During the last two years, we have had frost and hail, which devastated our crop,” said Darrel Oakes, who was honored as the national apple grower of the year in 2004 by the American Fruit Grower magazine. “In order to keep going, we borrowed money. That is added to the money we borrowed to buy this property and expand.”

But the real culprit was in 2023 when the state of Washington flooded New York state’s market with their biggest crop of apples ever. This caused a 50 percent drop in prices for certain varieties, which means LynOaken Farms didn’t earn enough revenue to cover their costs, said daughter-in-law Katie Oakes, who runs the U-Pick operation.

“With the two years of bad weather, that created the third year of losses, while our expenses increased 25 to 30 percent,” Wendy said.

“At the same time, third-party packing companies were taking much longer to pay for packed apples,” Wendy said. “In fact, we are still owed for four different varieties from the 2023 crop. There is no guarantee of revenue, and no recourse for growers to demand more. In this business you have to be a climate expert, market expert, legal expert, finance expert and accounting expert.”

Darrel also added that agriculture is heavily dependent on labor and those costs have also risen 20-25% in the last five years.

“We’ve hit a number of roadblocks, including Covid,” he said.

Additionally, three spouses of the original four owners have passed away this year and have left their shares to their children. Because of all these events, the family had a shareholders’ meeting in August and made the decision to close down LynOaken’s wholesale production.

With several of the family members pointing out that the farm’s debt load was too large and apple production not profitable, new shareholders believed the time was right to sell assets to pay off their loans and have funds available to pay shareholders, Wendy said.

 “The non-working shareholders have been very supportive of us, but also understood the market and how difficult it would be to carry on,” Wendy said.

Darrel said they have sold all of their productive land, to a buyer he is not yet ready to disclose.

Katie will continue to manage the U-pick operation.

“The sad part is two of our sons and Wendy have to go find a job,” Darrel said.

“I never thought at the age of 58 I would be looking for a job,” said Wendy, fighting back tears. “I thought I’d retire from the farm in due time.”

“We are exiting the production of apples for the wholesale market, and it’s hard to give that up,” Darrel said. “But we are doing it with honesty and respect. We will not owe anybody.”

The Oakes’ don’t know yet what will happen to the wine and cider operation. Customer tastes have changed since Covid, and people are not coming out for tasting parties or a glass of wine like they used to, Wendy said. Next Friday, Saturday and Sunday they will have special hours to sell the rest of their bottled wines.

They are looking ahead to things that will be hospitality and event-based, such as weddings, meeting spaces, private parties and showers, Darrel said

He and Linda came out of retirement to help this fall and look forward to continuing back down that road.

Katie praised the community and their customers for the support they’ve shown LynOaken Farms and Leonard Oakes Estate Winery.

“We have a very loyal customer base who have been very supportive of us,” Katie said. “We hope that will continue.”

She added, “This is one chapter ending. It is not the end of the book.”

File photo by Tom Rivers: Members and some employees of the Oakes family gathered for a photo under the pavilion at the winery on July 21, 2019 to celebrate the farm’s first 100 years. From left include: Dan Thurber, Diane Thurber, Jerod Thurber, Jonathan Oakes, Chris Oakes, Steve Songer, State Assemblyman Steve Hawley, Darelyn Songer, Linda Oakes, Darrel Oakes, Wendy Oakes Wilson, Wanda Oakes, Jeff Oakes, Dawn Oakes and Katie Oakes. Hawley presented the family with a proclamation in recognition of a century in business.

It’s another week of mild temperatures in Orleans County.

Today is forecast to reach a high of 62. Followed by a high of 75 on Tuesday, which is Election Day.

The highs the rest of the week include 67 on Wednesday, 56 on Thursday, 58 on Friday and 54 on Saturday.

ALBION – Orleans County already has had more than 4,500 ballots cast through nine days of early voting.

The 4,539 votes cast topped the previous high of 3,753 during the 2020 presidential election. The 4,539 votes represents 18 percent of the eligible voters in the county, said Mike Mele, the Republican election inspector.

Every day was busy at the Board of Elections office in Albion for early voting, with an average of just over 500 voters a day. Each day of early voting, the polls were open eight hours, and averaged about a voter per minute over the nine days.

The nine-day totals include:

• Oct. 26 – 647
• Oct. 27 – 410
• Oct. 28 – 563
• Oct. 29 – 608
• Oct. 30 – 487
• Oct. 31 – 416
• Nov. 1 – 486
• Nov. 2 – 452
• Nov. 3 – 470
• Total – 4,539

Polling locations will be open in all 10 towns on Tuesday for the general election with voting from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m.

Press Release, Medina Police Department

MEDINA – On Nov. 2, at 12:05 a.m. the Medina Police Department was dispatched to Medina Memorial Hospital for report of an assault. Upon arrival at the Emergency Room, officers located and interviewed a 50-year-old man and 47-year-old woman who were both stabbed.

The incident occurred in the Canal Basin shortly before midnight and the victims were transported to the hospital by private vehicle.

Both victims were later transferred to Erie County Medical Center, one by ground ambulance and one by Mercy Flight helicopter.

The female victim has been released from the hospital, and the male victim remains at ECMC in stable condition.

This is an active and ongoing investigation. Anyone with information regarding this incident should contact the Medina Police Department at (585) 798-5602.

Press Release, Medina Fire Department (Steve Cooley Lieutenant/Public Information Officer)

MEDINA – At 6:31 this morning Orleans County Public Safety Dispatchers received a call from a residence in the Village of Medina for a 15-year-old female that was unconscious and unresponsive.

Further information was received from the caller that natural gas was smelled during the evening last night. EMS crews arrived quickly to find the 15-year-old female conscious with signs and symptoms of carbon monoxide exposure.

Upon evacuating all residents from this multi-residence on Park Avenue and assessing all 8 people, it was evident that all 8 residents had symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning, said Steve Cooley, lieutenant and public information officer for the Medina Fire Department.

Treatment was initiated on all patients on scene and all 8 were transported

to local hospitals for further treatment. Two of those patients had carbon monoxide levels over 25% as detected by our monitoring devices. Simultaneously Fire Department personnel investigated the source for the carbon monoxide and began ventilating the structure.

A power vent pipe for one of the two furnaces in the basement had become disconnected and was venting carbon monoxide unabated into the basement for an undetermined amount of time.

Carbon monoxide is colorless, odorless gas that is a product of combustion, it is lighter than air and that is the reason the apartment on the second floor had reading of over

350 parts per million. The gas meter was shut off and NYSEG crews were requested. After proper ventilation, NYSEG entered the home and found the fire departments assessment accurate regarding the exhaust pipe. Contractors are on scene now making

repairs to the damaged exhaust pipe and residents will not be displaced from their apartments once discharged from the hospital. Carbon monoxide detectors will also be installed.

No working carbon monoxide detectors were found in any of the apartments. At the time of the incident, we were just passed the end of Daylight Savings time clock change when fire departments across the nation advocate for checking al your detectors.

This morning could have easily ended up a tragedy. It was at least the fourth significant CO event with multiple patients we have encountered in the last 14 years.

If you have any plans for today, please first check all your detectors first, both smoke and carbon monoxide to ensure they are functioning properly. If for some reason you can not or you have questions, please call the fire house at (585) 798-1661 and speak to a firefighter.

Press Release, Orleans County Music Educators Association

YORK – The following Orleans County students participated in the New York State School Music Association (NYSSMA) Zone 2 Jr. High Area All-State festival this weekend at York Central School!

From Lyndonville: Gavyn Draper – Mixed Choir; Karalyn Klotzbach – Treble Choir

From Holley: Rosa Scroope, French Horn – Orchestra

From Medina: Elise Olsen, Flute – Wind Ensemble

These students are joined by the top singers and instrumentalists from all over Zone 2, which encompasses Monroe, and all its surrounding counties, including Orleans. Admission to the Area All-State ensembles requires students to receive a top NYSSMA solo festival score in the spring, a nomination from their music teacher, and eventual selection from a committee of music teachers from Zone 2 based on the first two criteria. It is a rigorous process and a tremendous honor for all students involved!

The Symphony Orchestra was conducted by Mr. David Beck of Bethlehem Central School.

The Treble Choir was conducted by Mrs. Jennifer Mernitz of Grand Island Central School.

The Symphonic Band was conducted by Dr. Carrie Pawelski of Jamestown Central School & SUNY Fredonia.

Dr. Kevin Dibble of Houghton University directed the Mixed Choir.

By Randy LeBaron

Good morning! Grab your favorite cup. Fill it up. And let’s start this week right TOGETHER!!!

Today I want to talk about the importance of practicing self-fulness. No, I did not spell that wrong and no I do not know if it is a real word or if I just made it up.

What I do know is that selfishness is being concerned, sometimes excessively or exclusively, for oneself or one’s own advantage, pleasure, or welfare, regardless of others, is bad. Selflessness, on the other hand, is the act of sacrificing one’s own interest for the greater good.

What often gets overlooked though is the fact that you cannot pour from an empty cup. This is where the concept of self-fulness comes in. It is the act of caring for your own welfare so that you are able to care for the welfare of others. It is something I often talk about with my hospice patients’ families.

Another way to look at it is to think about the safety speech given at the beginning of every flight. The flight attendant goes over what to do in a number of given scenarios so that the passengers are prepared for the worst and when they get to the part about oxygen masks dropping down from overhead they always stress that if you are traveling with a child you should put your oxygen mask on first before helping your child put theirs on.

The reason they emphasize this so much is two-fold: firstly, because if you try put the oxygen mask on your child first and you pass out you will be of no more help to them and secondly, because they know that a parent’s initial instinct would be to help their child before themselves. I mean, it just seems like that would be the selfless thing to do, the better thing, and yet it is not the best thing.

Probably one of the hardest lessons that I have had to learn over the past 30 years in ministry is how to say no. I prefer to say yes. I like to help people. I like to be able to meet a need. It is in my nature. Unfortunately, that attitude has also gotten me to the point of being spread so thin at times that I end up getting sick or so overwhelmed and exhausted that I am unable to be of help to anyone.

In Scripture, there is an account in Mark 1:35-39 where Jesus gets up early in the morning and goes off by himself to a solitary place to pray. This was his “me time” if you will. It is like sneaking downstairs before the kids wake up to enjoy that first cup of coffee.

For Jesus it was a time of being poured into by his Father in preparation for the day ahead. And soon enough his kids, aka the disciples, find him and try to convince him to go back to where all the people were eagerly waiting for him to meet their needs. Not only did Jesus get refilled after already pouring himself out to the people but he also got reminded of the bigger picture. This helped him to say no and instead to instruct the disciples to follow him as he traveled to help different people with different needs.

I don’t know about you but if even Jesus needed to practice self-fullness then I think we need to as well. Here are seven suggestions to start with followed by a prayer that I wrote a few years ago.

• Spend time daily in silence and solitude

• Learn to say “Yes” to better things by saying “No” to some things

• Decide what things you can delegate to others

• Start a rhythm of taking a regular Sabbath rest

• Do a “Digital Detox”

• Make space in your life for people and pastimes that refill and recharge you

• Drink that second cup of coffee

To The Father of the Fatherless, The God of all Grace, The Shepherd of My Soul,

The One—

Who empties me of all my sin and self So that I can be filled with His Spirit Who empties me of all my pride So that I can put other’s interests ahead of my own Who empties me of all my anger and hate So that I can learn to love even those who would wish me harm Who empties me of all my greed So that I can be generous on every occasion Who empties me of all my ambitions So that I can put His Agenda ahead of my own Who empties me of all my words So that I can hear His Whisper

Help Me—

To be still long enough to sense when Your Spirit is stirring To be silent long enough to recognize the sound of Your Voice To stay in solitude long enough to realize that I am never really alone To set aside a Sacred Space where I can invite You to commune with my soul To see in The Scriptures what You want to say to me and through me each day To simplify my life by getting rid of the stuff that trips me up and slows me down To see each day as a Sacrament and the world as Your Sanctuary

Thank you—

For creating me, for sending Christ for me, for hearing my cry, for curing my soul, for calling me son. Amen.

See you in two weeks!

Pastor Randy

Students boogie in protest in ‘Do You Want To Dance?’

Photos by Tom Rivers

ALBION – The Albion High School Drama Department performs “Do You Want To Dance?” on Friday evening in the Albion Middle School Auditorium. The cast of about 30 also has two shows today at noon and 7 p.m.

The show is co-directed by Elliott Michki, Kailey Winans and Kathy Winans.

In the musical, Mayor Pete Lightfoot (Sawyer Brigham) reads a decree that there will be a tax on dancing. The town of SnapHappy, Ohio, revels in the joy of singing and dancing.

The mayor’s wife, Mona Lightfoot (Keira Zambito), leads the charge against taxing dancing.

SnapHappy kids keep dancing in protest and end up jailed.

The kids of the town continue to push back on the decree by boogieing. From left in front include Lily Brigham, Bradyn Whittier and Ella Trupo.

Chloe Mosele as Brandi, in front, and the cast sing “Walking on Sunshine “ in this scene. In back from left are Makenzie Cook, Madalyn Ashbery and Olivia Andrews.

The cast performs to “Dancing Machine.” From left Carly Smith and Kamryn Simmons.

Businesses with video of downtown area asked to let police see images

MEDINA – The Medina Police Department is investigating a stabbing that occurred in the Canal Basin overnight and is asking business owners with cameras to allow officers to review video in the downtown area.

“We are asking anyone who may have witnessed the incident or who has information regarding this incident to reach out to the Medina PD,” the department stated on its Facebook page.

Businesses with video and others with information are urged to contact dispatch at (585) 589-5527 and ask to speak to an officer.

“We will provide an update as more information becomes available,” the Medina PD posted.

Photo by Tom Rivers: The bell tower at St. Luke’s Episcopal Church in Jamestown is a four-sided landmark in this Chautauqua County city. St. Luke’s was built in 1894 and was inducted in the Medina Sandstone Hall of Fame on Oct. 17.

Clocks should be turned back an hour tonight. Daylight saving time technically ends at 2 a.m. on Sunday.

This will result in an hour more of daylight in the morning, but it will also get darker earlier later in the day.

AAA is advising drivers that although they can get an extra hour of sleep tonight with clocks going back an hour, the time change can cause potential distractions to their normal routine.

An earlier sunset and darkness can lead to an increase in the number of pedestrians killed or seriously injured by vehicles, AAA said.

Drivers, pedestrians, joggers, walkers and bicyclists are advised to take added safety measures so they are seen on the roads.

AAA recommends the following:

Drivers

• Always watch out for pedestrians when backing up in parking lots or driveways. Use headlights to be visible.
• Leave more following room. In the morning, when the sun is in your eyes it can be hard to see what the car ahead is doing. Use sunglasses and your sun visor.
• Be mindful of children and others who are outdoors in the afternoon and evening as it gets dark earlier.
• Pay attention and eliminate all distractions including cell phones and car clocks that are off by an hour.
• Scan the road for wild animals, mainly deer. Preliminary data indicates there were 35,481 animal-related crashes in New York in 2023 – that’s equivalent to one animal-related crash every 15 minutes, often outside of daylight hours.
• Be visible. This is especially important in dark places or poor weather. Remember to stay in well-lit areas and to wear light or reflective clothing. Never assume drivers see you just because you see them.
• Use sidewalks and pathways. If a sidewalk is not available, stay to the far side of the road and always face traffic.

Headlights

• With 50% of crashes occurring at night, drivers should check their headlights for signs of deterioration and invest in new headlights or, at a minimum, try a low-cost headlight cleaning and restoration to boost the safety of driving after dark. Headlights can show signs of deterioration after three years but most commonly by year five.
• AAA suggests drivers check their headlights for changes in appearance such as yellowing or clouding. If the bulb is difficult to see, it is time to have the lens replaced or restored as soon as possible. Replacement and restoration services are available at most repair shops.

School Safety

• Moving clocks back one hour means it will be darker in the late afternoon. It is important to remember that children will be on their way home from school during this time, so drivers must remain vigilant.
• Slow Down. A pedestrian struck by a vehicle traveling at 25 mph is nearly two-thirds less likely to be killed than a pedestrian struck by a vehicle traveling just 10 mph faster.

Daylight saving time begins on March 9, 2025

Camera was installed 2 weeks ago after 20-year absence

Provided photo from Friends of Iroquois National Wildlife Refuge: A still from the nest camera showing the female eagle in the nest just before the tree came down.

By Dick Moss, Friends of Iroquois National Wildlife Refuge board member

BASOM – The bald eagle nest that Friends of Iroquois National Wildlife Refuge (FINWR) had trained its new nest camera on blew down this morning in high winds.

The old cottonwood near the Cayuga Pool that the nest was perched in came down at 5:58 a.m. It broke off near the base of the tree and was clearly hollow and rotten inside.

The female had roosted in the nest overnight and was in it when the tree blew over. There was concern about her safety until dawn broke and the camera could see both male and female perched together on a different tree branch.

Photos by Emma DeLeon: (Left) FINWR President Garner Light surveys the damage from the toppled tree. (Right) The base of the cottonwood clearly shows why it came down.

Bald eagles have nested in this same tree line for the past 25 years.

“Hopefully they build a new nest in the same tree line,” said FINWR President Garner Light.

Two weeks ago on Oct. 18, the nest camera was mounted in a different tree, so that equipment is still functional. Light said FINWR, in concert with refuge staff, the DEC and others, would determine whether the camera can be properly repositioned once the eagles build a new nest.

The tree line the cottonwood was part of has other possibilities for the pair to nest in.

“It’s such a shame that this happened right as we were getting going, but it could have been worse and hopefully both we and the eagles will move to plan B for the season!” said FINWR board member Emma DeLeon.

“Unfortunately, this kind of situation is not uncommon for nesting eagles,” DeLeon said. “The birds tend to build in large, old, trees in exposed areas, and the nests themselves can get quite heavy as the birds add sticks year after year. Luckily for our pair, there is still plenty of time to build a new nest, and many similar trees in the area to select from.”

There have been other positive signals.

“We observed a strong pair bond on camera over the past few weeks with the birds roosting together most nights and actively bringing in nest material,” she said. “We are hopeful that they will still have a successful nesting season whether we are able to catch it on camera or not.”