TOWN of ALABAMA – The New York State Department of Transportation, in coordination with the Federal Highway Administration, is advising motorists that State Route 63 through the Iroquois National Wildlife Refuge in the Town of Alabama, Genesee County, will be closed effective April 14th and remain closed for approximately a month to accommodate an ongoing federal culvert replacement project.
We appreciate the public’s patience as this important project progresses.
Motorists are encouraged to follow the posted detour that utilizes State Route 77, Gasport Road, and State Route 31. Local traffic will be able to access Route 63 up to the immediate work zone. Access to the refuge will remain open for the duration of the closure.
Additionally, on Thursday, April 10, and Friday, April 11, Route 63 through the Iroquois National Wildlife Refuge will be reduced to a single lane with alternating traffic controlled by flaggers from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Motorists should anticipate travel delays and build extra travel time into their schedule. Construction activities are weather dependent and subject to change based on conditions.
Motorists are urged to slow down and drive responsibly in work zones. Fines are doubled for speeding in a work zone. Convictions of two or more speeding violations in a work zone could result in the suspension of an individual’s driver license.
CARLTON – At 4:37 p.m. on Tuesday, the Carlton Fire Company, along with automatic mutual aid from Kendall Fire Department, were dispatched by the Orleans County 9-1-1 Communications Center for a structure fire with people trapped at 1171 Kent Rd. in the Town of Carlton.
First arriving units reported that there was a working fire, and that all occupants were out of the structure. The fire had quickly spread through the attic space of the home and wind conditions hampered the firefighting efforts.
The fire proved to be very labor intensive, and several interior firefighters were needed to make access to void spaces in the structure where there was no access.
There were no injuries to any of the residents that were home at the time or to any of the firefighters that responded.
In addition to the initial assignment the following agencies assisted at the scene: Mercy EMS, Albion, Barre, Brockport, Clarendon, Hamlin, Medina, Murray, Ridgeway, Shelby, Orleans County Emergency Management and the Orleans County Fire Investigation Unit, Orleans County Sheriff’s Office, New York State Police, American Red Cross, Town of Carlton Highway Department and National Grid.
The following agencies provided coverage within the county, while crews operated on scene: Barker, Town of Batavia, East Shelby and Spencerport.
The fire is currently under investigation by the Orleans County Fire Investigation Unit. All units cleared the scene at 9:04 p.m. and were back in service at 11 p.m.
The members of the Carlton Fire Company would like to thank everyone that responded and assisted yesterday, the dispatchers working at the Orleans County 9-1-1 Communications Center, The Carlton Fire Company Ladies Auxiliary for providing refreshments, and our families for their patience and understanding. Our thoughts and prayers are with the residents as they recover from this tragic event.
By Ginny Kropf, correspondent Posted 9 April 2025 at 8:03 am
MEDINA – St. Mary’s Church (Holy Trinity Parish) will host a Tenebrae service at 7 p.m. Friday. The service is an idea of the church’s principle organist and director of music Aaron Grabowski.
Lifelong church member Chris Busch explained the meaning of “Tenebrae.”
Aaron Grabowski is the principal organist and music director at St. Mary’s Church (Holy Trinity Parish).
“In the Roman Catholic Church, the word refers to a unique and solemn Lenten liturgy dating back to the ninth century and having its roots in medieval tradition,” Busch said. “Seven candles are extinguished, evoking the darkness associated with the crucifixion and death of Jesus, as psalms are chanted and Scripture read with somber ritual. As the final candle is extinguished, a loud strepitus (Latin for ‘great noise’) is sounded symbolizing an earthquake or thunder at the death of Christ. All depart in silence.”
The St. John Paul II Schola Cantorum, directed by Steve Quebral, is an a capella choir dedicated to preserving, promoting and performing sacred choral works from the great treasury of music of the Catholic Church, Busch said.
The Cantorum’s repertoire ranges from Gregorian Chant to masterpieces of sacred polyphony from the Middle Ages to modern times. Their stated ambition is “to learn and perform the great masterpieces of Catholic choral repertoire, focusing on a cappella works for mixed voices and keeping in mind the great purpose of sacred music of the Catholic Church: ‘the Glory of God and the sanctification of the faithful.’”
“The tenor of this liturgy is one of sorrow and desolation as those attending contemplate a world with the light of Christ,” Grabowski said. “We’re pleased and excited to be able to present this incredible Lenten spiritual opportunity.”
The setting is a darkened church, Grabowski added. While the mood is one of sadness and grief, it is at the same time a beautiful opportunity to contemplate Christ’s sacrifice with Scripture, chant and some of the most magnificent sacred music ever written, he said.
The service will run for approximately one hour and is not exclusive to Catholics. According to Grabowski, Tenebrae is observed by many Christian denominations and all are welcome to attend and experience it.
“Tenebrae has its origins in the Roman Catholic Church, but it is also celebrated in the Lutheran, Anglican, Episcopal and Methodist churches, as well as some Western Rite Orthodox churches,” Grabowski said.
Some of the music to be featured by the Cantorum include Benedictus (Josef Rheinberger 1839-1901), Ego Sum Panis Vivus (Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina 1525-1594, Ave Verum Corpus (Camille Saint-Saens 1835-1921), In Monte Oliveti (Anton Bruckner 1824-1896 and Surely He Hath Borne Our Griefs (Karl Heinrich Graun 1704-1759).
Also heard will be several psalms chanted in the traditional manner.
Grabowski’s concluding thought is “Tenebrae is a powerful, reflective experience for any Christian. If you’re looking for an opportunity for spiritual and contemplative enrichment this Lent, please join us.”
A free will offering will benefit Schola Cantorum.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 9 April 2025 at 7:34 am
Photo from GoFundMe
CARLTON – A fire on Tuesday badly damaged a Carlton home at 1171 Kent Rd. The fire displaced a multi-generational family, their three cats and a dog.
A GoFundMe account has been set up by Ally Wittenberg, whose parents, Frank Gibson II and Julia Henchen, and Ally’s grandfather, Frank Gibson, are now without a home.
“This fire not only took everything they owned but also took irreplaceable childhood memories and memories of our beloved grandmother Carolyn,” Wittenberg writes on GoFundMe.
Firefighters from multiple departments were dispatched to scene at about 4:30 p.m. The initial dispatch said there was entrapment inside. Wittenberg said everyone got out of the house safely, including the three cats – Pheobe, Brantley and Max – and dog – Marlee.
“My grandfather is currently fighting end stage cancer and this is truly a terribly devastating time to lose not only the place he calls home but everything he owns,” Wittenberg said.
The GoFundMe lists clothes sizes for the three people who had their belongings destroyed in the fire.
“I want to say thank you in advance for anybody who donates or helps my family during this tragedy,” Wittenberg said. “It truly means more than my heart can express. My grandfather and parents didn’t deserve this and deserve any and all relief they can get.”
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 8 April 2025 at 7:44 pm
HOLLEY – The Village of Holley will plant a tree on April 25 in the Public Square in celebration of the bicentennial for both the Erie Canal and Orleans County.
The village will have a commemoration at 10:30 a.m. and will share about the 200th anniversaries of both the county and the canal in a ceremony expected to last 15-20 minutes.
Mayor Mark Bower welcomes the community to the event which is also on Arbor Day.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 8 April 2025 at 5:07 pm
Photo courtesy of Albion Elks Lodge #1006
ALBION – The Albion Elks Lodge held a spaghetti dinner fundraiser with 70 baskets up for raffle and 50/50 drawings on March 29 for Adrianna, a 7-year-old with cerebral palsy and stage 3 kidney cancer with gene deletion.
The Elks raised $4,905 for Adrianna’s family. Holding the check for the Elks include Richard Robb Sr., the Leading Knight and President of the Elks Riders (left), and Mike Jenks, the Exalted Ruler of the lodge at right. Elk Riders VP Todd Dawley is at left.
“The proceeds are going to family members that go out of their way to make this little girl as comfortable as they can,” Jenks said.
The Elks present a check to Adrianna’s friend Karen Czerniak, and her grandmother who is holding Adrianna’s picture.
“If anyone still wants to make a donation make the check out to the Albion Elks Lodge #1006 and we will make sure it gets to the right people,” Jenks said.
Assemblyman Steve Hawley (R,C-Batavia) stood alongside his colleagues in Albany today to help raise awareness and expand New York State’s Donate Life Registry to increase organ donation numbers across the state.
According to Donate Life New York, New York ranked 50th out of 52 states and territories in total organ donor enrollment in 2023. Nearly 8,000 New Yorkers are on the waiting list for a transplant, and over 1,000 of those people have been waiting for more than five years.
Hawley is encouraging residents of the 139th Assembly District to consider registering to be organ donors to reverse this trend and save lives. Click here for information about registering to be an organ donor.
“The New York State Donate Life Registry has been a lifesaver for countless New Yorkers throughout the years, and we have the opportunity to save countless more in the future,” Hawley said. “With our state being one of the lowest in the nation for enrollment, this generation of New Yorkers has the chance to change the lives of thousands of people across the country. I encourage everyone to consider registering to be an organ donor so we can save lives and help those in need.”
MEDINA – The annual meeting of the Lee-Whedon Memorial Library will be held at the library on Monday, May 12 at 7 p.m.
Agenda items include voting on a trustee position, the presentation of the annual report and the presentation of the proposed budget.
Trustee Cynthia Kiebala is seeking re-election to the board for a five-year term.
The board has prepared another conservative budget for 2025-2026 and continues to stay below the mandated 2% tax cap. The proposed property tax levy is $602,339.
This budget vote is for the library’s annual operating budget and does not pertain to the library’s capital project. The library always holds a public vote for its budget whenever the levy amount is changed. Copies of the proposed budget are available on the library website or at the library.
“Costs have risen in every aspect of our operations and so we must ask for an increase in order to maintain current levels of service,” said Kiebala, the board’s president. “We are proud of our staff and our high standards of service.”
Residents of the Medina Central School District are invited to attend this public meeting. The Library’s Annual Budget Vote will take place at the library on Tuesday, May 13, from noon to 8 p.m. As in previous years, absentee ballots were mailed out to those who had previously registered for them with the county.
Assemblyman Steve Hawley (R,C-Batavia) attended a Tax Day press conference alongside his colleagues in the state Assembly and Senate.
State lawmakers, representatives from the American Legislative Exchange Council and financial experts from across the state highlighted the significance of Tax Day, pinpointed New York state’s current economic status among the 50 states and discussed how our state can improve its economic outlook so future generations of New Yorkers can afford to remain in the state.
With budget season in New York state coming to a close, Hawley believes it is time for the Majority to get its act together and present a fiscally responsible budget that lowers the cost of living, cuts taxes and puts money back in the pockets of hard-working New Yorkers.
“Tax Day has become a yearly reminder of just how unaffordable our state has become under one-party rule,” said Hawley. “Every year, hard-working families watch as their expenses go up while downstate lawmakers throw endless amounts of money at initiatives that only drive costs up.
“It’s high time we passed a fiscally responsible budget that brings down costs and cuts taxes. Until the Majority gets its act together, we will continue to see New Yorkers become Texans and Floridians at a record rate.”
By Ginny Kropf, correspondent Posted 8 April 2025 at 1:28 pm
MEDINA – A serious car accident in 2008 would lead Bonnie Heck down a path to health and wellness and ownership of a specialty shop called Herbalty Cottage.
This year, Herbalty Cottage is celebrating its 10th anniversary.
Heck’s road to recovery from an automobile accident would take several years, during which time she was often bedridden.
“During that time I was taking the usual treatments and they were not working,” Heck said. “That included physical therapy, a Tens unit and soft collar. My head was like a bowling ball. I couldn’t keep it up.”
She progressed to teaching piano lessons, sitting propped up in a chair, but couldn’t turn her head up or down or side to side.
“A year after the accident, I fell and locked my pelvis, and couldn’t take a step or move,” Heck said. “My husband and daughter had to roll me over in bed.”
She sought chiropractic help, which got her mobile, but not pain free. A year later, her chiropractor put her through a purification program, which limited her eating.
“I went through a couple days of detoxification and on the third day I felt like I was 20 again,” she said. “I walked around the block for two miles, gardened and cleaned my house from top to bottom. I jumped in the pool and swam five laps and went for a bike ride. I called my chiropractor to tell her I was pain free.”
She eventually went to work in her chiropractor’s office, and after five years of watching patients who struggled to get in there and seeing how they progressed, “I knew they needed extra help. Like I needed extra help. But there was no place in Orleans County to get it.”
She was going to Rochester to buy organic foods and herbs for extra support. Then both she and her daughter started growing herb gardens.
After taking her first walk alone around the block, Heck said she thanked the Lord, but going forward she couldn’t do it on her own. One night teaching a piano lesson, her student’s mother said she had just purchased some property in Lyndonville that would be great for someone who wanted to start a small business.
“It was just down the street from my house,” Heck said. “But the village refused to zone it for commercial use. Now that I had gotten the idea, I had to do something. Tom and I walked the streets of Medina and Albion to see what was available. I had always known the building on Main Street in Medina as Lockport Optical. On one of our walks, we saw the ‘For sale’ sign.”
They toured the building and of all the buildings they had seen, this one needed the least amount of renovation.
“It seemed doable,” Heck said. “But we were too late with our offer by an hour. I began to think maybe this was not the right time and I needed to take a break.”
Almost a year later she talked to a friend in real estate again about what buildings were available. She was looking into a building on the west side of Main Street when she looked out the window and saw this building at 415 Main St. A friend knew the owner and knew it was going to become available.
“A year later I got the opportunity to purchase it,” Heck said.
Bonnie and Tom Heck stand in front of a display of herbal flavored oils at Herbalty Cottage, which is celebrating 10 years in Medina this year.
On Sept. 22, 2015, Heck opened Herbalty Cottage, a business which focuses on health and wellness and provides a place of peace for those who come in, Heck said.
She started with bulk organic herbs, Himalayan salt lamps and products, supplements, essential oils, extra virgin olive oils and balsamic vinegars.
Then Heck earned her certification as an herbalist.
Shortly after, her daughter Lindsay Uderitz joined her to provide reflexology, acupressure, manual lymphatic drainage treatments, dry bushing, Indian scalp massage, Nerve mobilization therapy and aromatherapy. She is close to being certified as a naturopath.
In 2017, Heck added a far infrared sauna, which is certified commercial medical grade approved by the FDA. Another sauna and salt cave were added in 2019. At the end of 2019, Nancy Rose joined to provide nutritional therapy by creating personalized nutrition and supplement plans specific to an individual’s need.
In 2024, one sauna was retired and red light therapy and a vibration plate were added. Heck explained in earlier years astronauts returning from space were put through red light therapy, before they re-entered public life. She said the National Institute of Health has written more than 3,000 articles on the benefits of red light therapy.
Herbalty Cottage’s products provide relief from almost any malady, including respiratory problems, stress, arthritis, anti-aging, cancer, healing of wounds, and much more. Tom, Bonnie’s husband, adds his support as “jack of all trades,” filling in for his wife when she is out and manning the farmer’s market in Lockport on Saturdays.
Herbalty Cottage is open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday through Friday and from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday. Extended hours are available until 7 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays for the salt room and sauna clients.
Press Release, Genesee and Orleans County Health Departments
In celebration of National Public Health Week, the Genesee and Orleans County Health Departments (GO Health) are joining communities across the country to promote better health for all.
National Public Health Week runs from April 7-13 and reminds us how important public health is. It also encourages people to take simple steps towards building healthier communities. Good health starts with each of us at home, work, school, and in our neighborhoods. It’s about how the places we live, work, learn, and play shape our health and well-being.
This year’s theme, “It Starts Here”, highlights how public health efforts make a big difference and how we all have a role in creating a healthy future. GO Health invites residents to join in by participating in activities that support health and wellness, such as:
Join a fitness challenge, take a walk, or attend a nutrition course.
The Orleans County Health Department is offering a Lifestyle Change Diabetes Prevention program at the Holley Community Free Library beginning on May 1st from 2:00-3:00pm. To sign up or learn more, call 589-3278 or email NDPP@orleanscountyny.gov.
Donate blood through a local blood drive.
Visit the American Red Cross to find one near you.
Schedule checkups for vaccines, screenings and dental visits.
The health departments offer vaccine clinics for people without insurance or with limited coverage.
Eat healthier by cooking nutritious meals and cutting down on food waste.
Take care of your mental health by practicing mindfulness, staying active, and getting enough sleep.
Share reliable public health information with family and friends.
Good sources include government health agencies, medical organizations, universities, and research-based publications.
Help shape the future of public health by sharing your experiences in the Genesee, Orleans and Wyoming Counties Community Health Survey.
“Public health is important for creating thriving communities, and National Public Health Week reminds us to work together,” said Paul Pettit, Public Health Director for GO Health. “Together, we can solve health problems and make sure everyone gets the care they need to stay healthy.”
For more information on GO Health programs and services, visit GOHealthNY.org.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 8 April 2025 at 6:30 am
Christopher Parada will make the suits, matching standards of Santa School founder
New York Santa Claus Suits & Equipment Co. – Christopher Parada models some of the Santa suits he makes with his new company, New York Santa Claus Suits & Equipment Co. Parada has portrayed Santa in Lockport since 2010, greeting about 10,000 children every year. He was inducted into the Santa Claus Hall of Fame in December 2024.
LOCKPORT – Christopher Parada has made a mission of keeping the legacy of Charles W. Howard alive and he has a new venture to honor Howard’s legacy: creating Santa suits in the exact design made famous by Howard, the founder of a Santa School in Albion from 1937 to 1966.
Parada built a Christmas cottage in Lockport and he has portrayed Santa there since 2010, welcoming about 10,000 children every Christmas season.
The Santa Claus Christmas Cottage at Day Road Park includes a display about Howard and one of his Santa suits. Although died in 1966, the Santa School still continues in Howard’s name, now in Midland, Mich.
“Many people have tried to copy the suit,” Parada said. “They have done a version of the suit. But I was able to replicate to a T the exact same suit. The original is being created. It’s not dying off. My goal and mission is to replicate it exactly as it was.”
Parada, 41, said Howard had a simplified design, without a lot of “bling.”
Howard was perhaps the world’s most prominent Santa, especially from 1948 to 1965, when he was the Santa in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade.
“I want you to feel proud that you’re wearing history,” Parada said. “You have an iconic replica of that design that was in the Macy’s parade.”
These vintage photos show Charles W. Howard at Christmas Park in Albion with a Santa wearing a suit designed by Howard. Elizabeth Babcock is shown with some of the Santa suits she made in Howard’s designs. Babcock made the suits for more than 30 years. She passed away in 2006. Parada reached out to both Howard and Babcock’s families and received their blessing in his new suit company.
The New York Santa Claus Suits & Equipment Co. will operate out of Parada’s basement at his Lockport home.
“I cut out every piece of fabric,” he said.
He assembles the fabric and delivers to seamstress and they sew the suits, with Parada offering a painstaking inspection. He started taking orders in January and will be delivering in the spring.
He will run the business and make the suits while also serving as the executive director of the Historic Palace Theatre. In his 21-year tenure at the Palace Theatre, he has led the site in doing a multi-million-dollar renovation and producing many Broadway-style theater shows.
“I have a full-time job that I love,” Parada said. “But this has been a passion project to get it right.”
By “right,” Parada means to recreate suits exactly like Howard, and later by Elizabeth Babcock, who made Santa suits for more than 30 years in Albion with her business, the Santa Claus Suit & Equipment Company. She passed away at age 92 in 2006. Howard and Babcock both preferred a simple, classic design.
“I have a love for the nostalgic,” Parada said. “I wanted the older look. I wanted it to feel like JC Penney’s in the 1950s.”
Many other suit makers have add-ons that can make Santa look “clownish,” Parada said.
“Santa worked in workshop, he made toys,” Parada said. “He was simple.”
Parada, a Medina native, is well regarded in the Santa community. He was inducted into the group’s International Santa Claus Hall of Fame last December. This past weekend he was in Gaitlinburg, Tenn. for a Santa convention with about 700 others.
It was a chance to connect with other Santa portrayers, and also to get feedback on his Santa suits in the exact style and design of Howard. There is one change: faux fur instead of rabbit fur, which is hard to maintain with the fur sometimes falling out if the hides dry out.
Parada showed his Santa suits to the Santa pros and received a strong endorsement and blessing.
“At Gaitlinburg, it was a chance to go public in the Santa community,” Parada said. “I wanted to make sure I was doing it correctly.”
Parada sees the business as a continuation of the standards of excellence set by Howard and Babcock. His website, HistoricSantaSuits.com, details the suits and offerings.
Parada offers suits in several classic styles, either with belt and buckles, or in the Coca Cola style with brass buttons.
The suits are “expertly crafted” and made of the best wool and soft satin lining, with realistic faux fur trim.
“Charlie and Elizabeth were both pioneers in this historic venture,” Parada said about the Santa suits. “I want to celebrate the legacy that they created and see to it that it lives on.”
He said the suits shouldn’t be considered “costumes.” They are high-quality and hand sewn to ensure a perfect fit and made to last many Christmas seasons.
Parada will do the bulk of the work making the suits in his basement. With low overheard he is selling them for $1,180. Other Santa suit-makers charge $3,000 to $4,000, Parada said.
The fabric tag also is in the style of the Santa suits made by Howard and Babcock.
He didn’t want to go nearly that high. He wants them to be affordable, especially to the many retirees who portray Santa and are on fixed incomes.
“I don’t want to price gouge people,” Parada said. “That’s not the mission. I want people to be able to wear the suit and wear it proudly.”
The suits are made of red wool or velvet, satin red and ivory lining, ivory satin hat lining, faux fur for trim material, round collar style and red satin coat cuffs with elastic, creating a historic department store look. That includes jacket, hat, pants, belt and buckle.
For another $300, a Santa can acquire a toy bag with Howard’s distinctive “SC” – and gloves and wrist bells.
Parada isn’t selling beards as part of the suits right now. Many of the Santas have their own facial hair, or others already have beards that they put on and are comfortable with when they are Santa.
The fabric tag also is in the style of Howard and Babcock, but Parada added “New York” to the name to honor the home of the original suit makers.
“I love the history about it,” Parada said about the Howard suits that originated in 1937. “I don’t want the history to die in Western New York.”
In two years the Charles W. Howard Santa Claus School will mark its 90th anniversary. Parada is talking with some of the leaders in the Santa community to have a Santa convention in Lockport, with Albion a destination to show how his hometown celebrates the founder of the school.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 7 April 2025 at 10:30 pm
Photo by Tom Rivers: A beech tree in front of the Albion Middle School is shown on Saturday evening.
The National Weather Service in Buffalo has issued a wind advisory for Orleans County from 1 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday. There will be west to northwest winds 25 to 35 miles per hour with gusts up to 50 mph expected.
The advisory also includes Niagara, Monroe, Genesee, Livingston, Ontario, Wayne, northern Cayuga and Oswego counties.
“Gusty winds will blow around unsecured objects,” the Weather Service said. “Tree limbs could be blown down and a few power outages may result.”
Tuesday could see a chance for snow showers and a high near 32. The highs the rest of the week include 40 on Wednesday, 45 on Thursday, 48 on Friday and 48 on Saturday.
Assemblyman Steve Hawley (R,C-Batavia) stood alongside his colleagues in Albany today to help raise awareness and expand New York State’s Donate Life Registry to increase organ donation numbers across the state.
