MEDINA – The cast of Lakes Plains Players’ Nunsense say it’s not your typical show.

“We’re not just performing,” said Carol Blumrick of Middleport, who with Kathy Bleiler-Dick of Lockport has been in the cast for 26 years. “We’re out interacting with the audience. Every show is a little bit different.”

Lake Plains Players is again putting on the play due to requests from several local wineries. The players will perform the “Nunsense I” version of the musical at 7:30 p.m. Aug. 23 at Leonard Oakes Estate Winery and at 6:30 p.m. Aug. 24 at Spring Lake Winery in Lockport.

Four members of the cast of Lake Plains Players’ “Nunsense” let loose for a little fun during an afternoon retreat at the home of Carol Blumrick, who plays Sister Amnesia. Lake Plains Players has performed six of the nine versions of Nunsense. This year’s production Aug. 23 at Leonard Oakes Estate Winery and Aug. 24 at Spring Lake Wintery is “Nunsense I.”

There are nine versions of Nunsense, and the Lake Plains Players have done six of them

“Nunsense I” is Blumrick’s personal favorite.

The cast includes Blumrick as Sister Amnesia, Bleiler-Dick of Lockport as Sister Hubert, Debbie Rey of Lockport as the Reverend Mother, Theresa Werth of Williamsville, formerly of Middleport, as Sister Robert Anne and Laurie Bragg of Lockport as Sister Leo.

Bleiler-Dick says she has literally grown up in this show.

“I wasn’t married when I was first in it,” she said. “I’ve since gotten married, had children and now they’re in college. I’m finally the age I’m supposed to be in the show.”

Interestingly enough, Bragg works for Catholic Charities in Buffalo.

Blumrick said the one thing she would like to pay tribute to is the fact that, although a good portion of the original nuns have moved on, they are still an ongoing part of Lake Plains Players.

The past original director was Tony Busch of Lockport. Original cast members were Linda Covell of Lockport as Reverend Mother, Trisha Stacey of Medina as Sister Robert Anne and Bonnie Fox-Garrity as Sister Leo.

Their new consulting director is Lyndonville native Michael Flanagan.

Other originals who are coming back this year are drummer Paul Allison of Amherst; Wayne Blumrick, who plays synthesizer; and Kathie Same of Medina, rehearsal accompanist.

Matt Prohaska will be accompanist for the performance, as Same will be attending her class reunion.

The cast recently went on a “nun retreat” at Blumrick’s home, where they dressed in their habits and took some funny candid photos, posing in prayer along the canal, with inflatable flamingoes and on motorcycles.

Even at rehearsal, they couldn’t help but “ham it up,” especially the mischievous Sister Robert Anne, who made rabbit ears behind Sister Amnesia’s head during a photo shoot and referred to her as “Sister Dimentia.” Werth said her role is to throw everybody off.

Blumrick said she has done the production so many times she could do it in her sleep.

Tickets for the Aug. 23 performance at Leonard Oakes Estate Winery at are $10 and may be purchased at www.lakeplainsplayers.org or at the door.

Tickets for Spring Lake Winery at 7373 Rochester Rd., Lockport are $18 and include hors d’oeuvres. They may be purchased at www.springlakewinery.com.

Photo by Tom Rivers

ALBION – Karol Hughes, president of the Albion Police Benevolent Association, on Monday evening presented a check for $500 to the Albion Youth Sports Athletic Program. Geno Allport, right, is commissioner of AYSAP, which includes about 100 kids, ages 6 to 14 in four teams of football and cheerleading. Johnathan Eibl, second from left, and Mason Lynch are both 8^th-graders on the varsity football team in AYSAP.

Hughes said the Albion PBA wanted to donate to a local organization that works with youth. The PBA has a dozen members in the Albion Police Department.

Allport said the donation would likely be used for equipment. He said new helmets are $150 each. AYSAP charges families $125 to be on a team. The program also is looking to refurbish the pads on the blocking sleds.

Photo courtesy of Lee-Whedon Memorial Library: Heidi Ziemer, Outreach & Digital Services coordinator of the Western New York Library Resources Council, presented a check to Catherine Cooper, director of Lee-Whedon Memorial Library. Also present for the presentation were Suzanne McAllister and Kristine Mostyn of Lee-Whedon Memorial Library, Sheryl Knab, executive director of Western New York Library Resources Council; (in back from left) Tom Bindeman, director of the NIOGA Library System; and David Schwert, trustee of Lee-Whedon Memorial Library.

Press Release, Lee-Whedon Memorial Library

MEDINA – Lee-Whedon Memorial Library has been awarded a Regional Bibliographic Data Bases Project Grant for $6,225 to fund the continuing digitization of the Medina Daily Journal and The Journal-Register newspapers.

The grants are made available through the Western New York Library Resources Council. This is the third grant the library has received for the project. Local newspapers from 1865 through 1972 are now accessible online through www.nyshistoricnewspapers.org

Medina’s history and growth were nowhere better chronicled than in the local newspapers of the day. Fortunately these have been preserved, first in bound volumes, later on microfilm.

This microfilm has been an invaluable resource for local historians and genealogists and has been heavily accessed over the years. Online access to these newspapers provides a broader access and has proved to be very popular, said Catherine Cooper, director of the library.

Photo courtesy of Hoag Library

ALBION – Buffalo and Brandy performed on Thursday at Hoag Library to wrap up the summer reading program at the library, which had a theme, A Universe of Stories.

The total attendance for the summer reading programs was 1,868, including 84 at the wrap-up party on Thursday.

There were 266 participants in the summer reading program, from young children to adults, said Teresa Gaylard, Hoag’s children’s librarian.

The young children completed 503 literacy activities, while kids read for 1,499 hours and adults finished 276 books.

Provided photo: Barker Lions Club members Kurt Lutz, Abe Sullivan, Chris Czelusta, Kent Wakefield, Art Harris and Past District Governor Jeff Jarvis pose next to a newly installed wheelchair ramp.

BARKER – Following the Lions International motto, “We Serve,” the Barker Lions Club helped a resident of the Barker community by installing a wheelchair ramp and lift.

In the past, the Lions Club has installed wheelchair ramps. Using that experience they created a new setup for the resident.

In the past year, Barker Lions have installed and maintained a number of wheelchair lifts, provided eye examinations and glasses, helped those who needed hearing aids get tested and aided the Barker Food Pantry.

The club meets on the first Wednesday of each month at 7 p.m., with dinner and a speaker. The meetings are at the Lions Community Center on Main Street in Barker.

For more information about Barker Lions and its projects, go to www.BarkerLions.org. To become involved in a Lions Club project, to speak at a meeting or to be a guest at a meeting, call (716) 778-7001 or email Roar@BarkerLions.org.

KENDALL – Partyka Farms will host a farm-to-table dinner on Sept. 14, which will be a first-time fundraiser for Oak Orchard Health.

Jeff Partyka, co-owner of the farm, is a former member of the board of directors for Oak Orchard Health, which runs health care sites in Albion, Lyndonville, Kendall, Warsaw and Hornell.

Oak Orchard has 200 tickets available for the dinner at $125 each. The meal will be prepared by Guy Warren, the chef at The Farmer’s Table, a restaurant owned by the Partyka family in Hamlin.

The meal will be prepared with locally sourced foods and wines.

There will also be music performed by Higher Ground, Big Blue House and Chris Wilson.

Oak Orchard has about 70 tickets left for the dinner, which will be at 1420 Monroe-Orleans County Line Rd. For information about tickets, click here.

Press Release, Gov. Cuomo’s Office

Design number 2

Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today launched a statewide survey to select New York State’s new license plate design.

The voting, which opened today on the Governor’s website, runs through Sept. 2 and will allow New Yorkers to choose their favorite among the five proposed designs. Voting will also be available to the public at the Governor’s exhibit at the Great New York State Fair starting Aug. 21. The license plate with the most votes will become the state’s official license plate and will be available to customers beginning April 2020.

Design number 3

“License plates are a symbol of who we are as a state and New Yorkers should have a voice and a vote in its final design,” Governor Cuomo said. “As the life span of the old plates comes to an end and we develop new ones that are as easy to read as possible, I encourage all residents to take part in choosing this piece of our state’s history and the State Fair is a perfect place to do that.”

The new plates will replace the aging Empire Blue & White plates, most of which are more than 10 years old. Once the new plates become available, the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) will also stop issuing the Empire Gold plates and begin fully transitioning to the new design.

Design number 4

Department of Motor Vehicles Commissioner Mark J. F. Schroeder said, “The time has come for New York to have a new license plate, which is why we worked hard to create design options that not only capture the heart of the Empire State, but also that our customers will be proud to put on their vehicles. I hope everyone across the state will take a few minutes to view the options and vote for their top pick.”

The contest kicks off a new 10-year license plate replacement program to ensure all New York license plates on the roadways are reflective and easy to read. Currently, over 3 million vehicles in New York State have aging plates that are 10 years old or older. Because of their age, many of them are damaged, oxidized and peeling, making it difficult or impossible to read the license plate number. Having a license plate that is legible reduces a motorist’s risk of being pulled over and cited for having an illegible license plate.

Design number 5

The program also supports the Governor’s efforts to modernize New York’s expansive transportation system. Replacing aging plates will eliminate legibility issues that hinder License Plate Readers, which are used by law enforcement, red light cameras and cashless tolling systems, from correctly identifying the registered vehicle owner.

Beginning April 2020, through the plate replacement program, as customers renew their vehicle registrations over the next two years, those with license plates that are 10 years or older will be issued new plates. The current $25 license plate replacement fee will be added to the cost of the vehicle owner’s registration renewal. Customers may also keep their current license plate number for an additional $20 fee. Plate issuance begins for both original issuance and renewals on April 1, 2020.

Photo by Tom Rivers

ALBION – An inspector stands in a culvert and watches the Orleans County Highway Department and the Town of Albion Highway Department put in and compact fill material this morning.

The inspector is making sure the material is properly compacted and done at the same time on each side of the culvert on Clarendon Road.

A section of Clarendon Road was closed on July 8 and should reopen in late August in time for the new school year.

Andy Morrison of the Orleans County Highway Department operates a Vibratory Roller to compact a crusher run material for the new culvert on Clarendon Road.

The town was awarded a $174,000 Bridge NY grant to cover 100 percent of the project’s costs. However, the construction bids for the project were way over that cost, with the low bid $130,000 over budget.

The town was looking to replace the culvert with a 3-sided precast concrete culvert. The County Highway Department, now led by John Papponetti, re-evaluated the project to see if the costs could be lowered. Papponetti is an engineer.

Papponetti and the Labella Associates engineering firm determined an arch pipe would work for the culvert. That was significantly less money.

The town and county highway employees do the labor-intensive work of compacting the fill material. It needs to be compacting at the same rate at each side of the culvert. If not, there is a chance the arch pipe could be distorted.

The town was awarded the Bridge NY grant back in January 2017. Mike Neidert, the town highway superintendent, said he appreciates the assistance from the county in getting the project done under budget.

“The county highway has been great,” Neidert.

The state grant will pay the county’s personnel and equipment costs, and also for the town’s material costs. The county has had three people assigned to the project, with the compaction today requiring a bigger crew from the county as well as three town highway workers. All of the labor costs for the town and county will be reimbursed through the Bridge NY grant.

The arch pipe is 128 inches wide at its peak and 83 inches high at the peak. It moves water from the west branch of Sandy Creek.

“There are times when you get a lot of flow through there,” Neidert said.

The section of Clarendon Road will be reopened in time for school in early September.

This is the second big culvert project the County Highway Department has completed. Last year, the Highway Department put in a new concrete culvert on Culvert Road in Ridgeway. Click here for more information on that project.

Papponetti said the county would like to work with local municipalities to put in one of two culverts each year. That way the infrastructure work continues to go forward, especially when it can be difficult to secure state and federal funding for projects.

A successful Albion project, getting done on time and under budget, should help the local communities stand out in applying for bridge and culvert grants, Papponetti said.

“These projects are graded on your ability to deliver them on budget, and on schedule,” he said.

Press Release, Orleans Community Health

MEDINA – On Wednesday and Thursday, Medina Memorial Hospital will begin working on the repaving process for the hospital “front circle/main entrance” and parking lot (located north of the hospital) from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Please enter the parking lot from the northern entrance (near Commercial Street). Visitors and patients will be escorted to the North Door and taken to their destination by Maintenance/Security. Wheelchairs will be available if needed.

During the evening hours the main entrance will be available for use. Please use caution during this time as the parking lot may be a little “uneven” during the repaving process.

If you have any questions, please call Maintenance at 585-798-8012.

Thank you for your cooperation. Your safety is of the utmost importance to us at Orleans Community Health.

A lakeshore flood watch has been issued from 11 p.m. Wednesday until 2 p.m. Thursday for Orleans, Niagara and Monroe counties.

“The combination of very high lake levels and a prolonged period of moderate to strong northwest winds will result in lakeshore flooding potential along the south shore of Lake Ontario,” said the National Weather Service in Buffalo.

Lakeshore flooding impacts may increase, especially in bays, inlets, and other low lying areas along the shoreline, the Weather Service said.

“Wave action may produce an increase in shoreline erosion,” the Weather Service said.

Photos by Tom Rivers

ALBION – Congressman Chris Collins speaks during Sunday’s Orleans County Republican picnic at the Elks Club in Albion.

Collins bemoaned a legislative standstill in Congress. The House of Representatives has a Democrat majority, while the Senate is led by Republicans.

“Nothing is getting done,” Collins told about 150 people at the picnic.

He is hopeful the Senate will push through an appropriations bill that will be signed by the president.

Collins remains a staunch backer of the president. He was the first sitting member of Congress to endorse Trump in February 2016. Trump faces re-election in 2020 amidst a crowded Democrat field.

“He’s going to be in a battle royale,” Collins said about the president. “Let’s hope it’s (Bernie) Sanders or (Elizabeth) Warren, and he will win 40 states.”

Collins also spoke about efforts to lower the Lake Ontario lake levels and to avoid flooding problems in the future. He praised the work of Jane Corwin, a new American representative on the International Joint Commission, which regulated the lake levels and includes representatives from Canada. The IJC currently is releasing maximum outflows from the lake.

The IJC now uses Plan 2014 for the lake and Collins said the plan has been a disaster in two out of its three years since it took effect in late 2016.

He supports having the Government Accountability Office to look into the IJC’s implementation of Plan 2014.

Rep. Anthony Brindisi (D-NY-22) and Rep. John Katko (R-NY-24) on Aug. 7 announced the GAO would review the IJC and focus on how the plan was developed and implemented, and how the IJC has addressed the flooding concerns of people along the lake.

“I’m optimistic we have it under better control,” Collins said about the lake levels.

State Sen. Rob Ortt speaks to the Republican crowd. Ortt on Saturday announced his campaign for Congress.

Collins hasn’t officially announced a re-election campaign. He is under federal insider trading charges with a trial set for February 2020.

Ortt said Collins has worked hard for the 27^thCongressional District.

“The congressman has done a good job over the years on the issues,” Ortt told the group.

Ortt said he could be counted on to support the president in Congress.

“We need to have someone who has the president’s back and is tough on immigration,” Ortt said.

Rob Ortt speaks to about 150 people at the Orleans County Republican summer picnic on Sunday afternoon.

He said “elites in Albany and Washington” look down on rural residents. He wants to be an advocate for small town America. He said he has championed rural values in Albany the past five years, challenging downstate Democrats in their push to unionize farmworkers, expand abortion rights, and pass gun control legislation.

“I will defend working class people,” he said.

Ortt thanked the Orleans GOP for its support since he ran for State Senate in 2014.

“Orleans County, you’ve always been great to me,” he said. “It’s been the privilege of my life to represent you in Albany.”

Erie County Comptroller Stefan Mychajliw, another likely candidate for the 27^th, attended the picnic briefly and met with the Republicans but didn’t address the group.

Skip Draper, Orleans County Republican Party chairman, said he isn’t ready to pick a candidate for the upcoming Congressional race.

“It’s premature,” he said about endorsing someone right now. “We’ll let the process play out and the best candidate will rise to the top.”

State Assemblyman Michael Norris told the group that the State Legislature and Gov. Andrew Cuomo adopted a massive state budget of $175 billion, which cut critical funding for towns and villages.

Norris said he would push to have more Aid and Incentives to Municipalities (AIM) restored in the state budget for the towns and villages. The state is making up for a $60 million cut in AIM by having counties pay for it with their sales tax.

“Our country is at a crossroads,” Norris said. “The upstate way of life is under attack.”

Eileen Banker, chief of staff for Assemblyman Steve Hawley, spoke on behalf of Hawley who was unable to attend the picnic. She read a statement from Hawley, who decried a full takeover of state government by the Democratic Party, which he said has resulted in driver’s licenses for illegal immigrants, leniency for criminals, and more regulations on agriculture, which will strain upstate’s leading industry.

Hawley said he was pleased the governor and Legislature were shamed into approving a bill he sponsored that provides free college tuition for the children of Gold Star families, where a parent was killed in the line of duty.

Hawley also said he will be taking veterans on his 12^thannual Patriot Trip to see war memorials in Washington D.C. from Sept. 19-22.

Photos by Tom Rivers

CARLTON – Julie Schaeffer and her husband Mike hold Julie’s 29-pound, 6-ounce Chinook salmon which won the $4,000 grand prize in 2019 Rotary Fishing Derby.

The Schaeffers are from Sligo, Pa., and have been fishing in the derby since the 1980s. Mrs. Schaeffer also won the grand prize in 2017 with a salmon weighing 30 pounds, 14 ounces.

The couple are both retired from a glass plant near their home. They bring a camper and their own boat to fish in Orleans County, timing their trip with the annual Rotary Fishing Derby, which lasts 16 days.

Mrs. Schaeffer said she caught the big fish on Friday with a 2-faced spinner, with one side having green spots and the other black spots, with a fly behind it.

Her husband has never won the grand prize, but did have a first place in the salmon division in a past derby, which was good for $500.

Larry Duckworth of Corfu won the salmon division and $500 for a 27-pound, 8-ounce salmon. His wife, Mary Duckworth, holds the third place rainbow trout at 13 pounds, 3 ounces.

There were about 325 participants in the derby, with fish eligible from the Niagara River to the Genesee River.

There was $8,800 in total cash prizes in four divisions – salmon, rainbow trout/steelhead, brown trout, and lake trout.

Besides $4,000 for the biggest fish, the four division leaders each get $500, followed by $300 for second, $200 for third, $100 for fourth and $50 for fifth.

There is also a $200 prize to the Orleans County resident who catches the biggest fish. (Jeff Newman of Lyndonville won with a salmon weighing 23 pounds, 10 ounces.)

Laurie Janikowski of Sloan won the rainbow trout division with 17-pound, 15-ounce steelhead.

Keith Tessier of Hilton holds the first place lake trout at 18 pounds, 4 ounces. Tessier also had third place in rainbow trout.

Brian Gambell of Hilton holds a 15-pound, 7-ounce lake trout which was good for second place. He also has the second place brown trout at 13 pounds, 1 ounce – behind a 13-pound, 3-ounce brown trout caught by Georgia Barkdoll of McConnellsburg, Pa.

Brayden Gambell, 9, of Hilton (left) holds the third place lake trout at 15 pounds, 3 ounces, while Mason Tessier, 8, of Hilton holds the fifth place lake trout at 14 pounds, 6 ounces.

Click here to see the full leaderboard.

Marlee Diehl addresses about 100 fishermen at the awards celebration at the Carlton Rec Hall. Diehl served as chairwoman of the committee that ran the derby, an event by the Albion Rotary Club. Richard Remley, club president, is at right. Mike Waterhouse, retired Orleans County sportsfishing coordinator, is in back left with Ed Fancher, treasurer of the derby.

Becky Karls sells raffle tickets at the event, which a fundraiser for the Rotary Club to do community projects, while also serving to help promote the fishery in Orleans County.

Cindy Perry and Bonnie Malackie, both Rotary Club members, sell 50/50 raffle tickets at the Carlton Rec Hall, which hosted the awards celebration.

Many local businesses also donated prizes for the event, including this fishing reel.

HOLLEY – The Village of Holley will have a scheduled power outage on Tuesday starting at 3 p.m. and will last for approximately 6 hours.

The outage is related to a major utility pole replacement work that needs to be completed in the village.

The following streets will be effected: South Main from the under pass to the red light, North Main/ School Fireman’s field, West Albion/ Woodside Court/ Holley Grove, Jackson, West Avenue, High Street, Day Street, Orchard Street, West Union, Ray, Franklin, East Albion, Park, Morgan, Perry, Van Buren, Geddes from West Albion to the Public Square, and the Public Square from Thomas to Wright.

For questions contact the Water/Electric Department at (585) 638-6367.

Press Release, Genesee and Orleans County Health Departments

August is recognized as National Immunization Awareness Month. Today’s vaccines protect against serious and potentially life-threatening diseases, including polio, measles, whooping cough, and chickenpox. Because of advances in medical science, your children and family can be protected against more diseases than ever before

Paul Pettit, Public Health Director of Genesee and Orleans Counties has continually supported vaccination and vaccine education in our communities and believes vaccines are the best defense against preventable diseases.

“Vaccination is safe and effective,” Pettit said. “All vaccines undergo long and careful review by scientists, doctors, and the federal government to make sure they are safe.”

Immunizations are important for a variety of reasons. When you get vaccinated, you not only protect yourself but you also help protect the people around you who might be too young or too sick to get vaccinated themselves. This is called “community immunity” or “herd immunity.” If enough people stop getting vaccinated, more outbreaks of vaccine-preventable diseases, such as measles, will occur.

On June 13, Governor Andrew Cuomo signed legislation removing non-medical exemptions from school vaccination requirements for children. Public Health Law §2164(1)(a) defines “school” to include any public, private or parochial child caring center, day nursery, day care agency, nursery school, kindergarten, elementary, intermediate or secondary school.

This means that if your child does not have a medical exemption, your child must receive vaccines in order to attend school. This new law will help protect against vaccine-preventable diseases within our communities.

From infants to senior citizens, getting vaccines on time is one of the important ways to protect yourself and your family from serious diseases and infections. The Genesee and Orleans County Health Departments encourage you to talk to your doctor, nurse, or other healthcare professional to ensure that you and your family are up to date on recommended vaccines.

We also encourage you to visit CDC’s Interactive Vaccine Guide, which provides information on the vaccines recommended during pregnancy and throughout your child’s life. Adults can use the CDC’s adult vaccine assessment tool to see which vaccines might be right for you.