Photos by Tom Rivers

MEDINA – The Medina Marching Band performs “Reflections” on Saturday during its home show at Vets Park for the Fall Festival of Bands.

There were nine marching bands at Medina for the two-hour competition.

The scores include:

• Small School 1: East Irondequoit, 80.45; Medina, 75.70.
• Small School 2: Northwestern, 71.65.
• Small School 3: Pioneer, 68.45; and Falconer-Frewsburg, 66.25.
• Large School 2: Webster, 77.60; Orchard Park, 76.30; Greece, 76.10; and West Seneca, 73.50.

The season for the New York State Field Band Conference concludes on Oct. 27 with the championships in Syracuse.

The Blue and Gold Vanguard marching band from Falconer and Frewsburg performed a show called, “Catch Me If You Can,” based on the life of con artist Frank Abagnale, Jr., who once evaded capture by posing as a pilot and later as a doctor.

The Pioneer Marching Panthers from Yorkshire presented a show, “Concert Blue.” About 1,000 people attended the festival.

The Northwestern Marching Band presented, “The Power of Imagination.”

Richard Schack, drum major for the West Seneca Marching Band, gets the band ready to perform.

The West Seneca Marching Band performed, “Greetings from Alaska.”

 The Webster Marching Band presented a show, “Death of a Star,” showing the life cycle of a star from the brilliant beginnings to its transformations to a black hole.

The Greece Marching Band used colorful props in its show, “What is Light?”

Orchard Park presented, “Fire in the Hole: A Coal Miner’s Story.” Zoe Curtis, the drum major, directs the Orchard Park band.

The Eastridge Lancer Marching Band from Irondequoit presented, “Paint It Black,” where the drama of the color black takes center stage.

Medina’s drum major Makenzie McGrath acknowledges the judges and crowd before the band’s performance.

Medina’s show is called, “Reflections.”

The program states: “The world is a mirror … forever reflecting what you are doing, within yourself.”

Mary Lou Tuohey has used the business to support many causes in community

File photo by Ginny Kropf: Mary Lou Tuohey started Case-Nic Cookies in 1995 and has supported many local fundraisers with the business.

MEDINA – A business that has served up delectable cookies, cakes and baked goods for 29 years will be closing at 439 Main St. in Medina on Dec. 31.

Mary Lou Tuohey, owner of Case-Nic Cookies, made the announcement on Facebook this morning. Within an hour, more than 100 people commented, thanking her for running the business for so long and giving back to many community causes..

“It is with a heavy, but happy heart that I have made a very difficult decision for myself,” Tuohey posted on Facebook and announced her impending retirement. “This has been a very, very difficult decision for me to make, but I think it is time.  Don’t get me wrong….I love my job and what I do, but I have worked for over 50 years of my life and it is time to do something other than work 12-15 hours a day.”

Before opening Case-Nic Cookies, Tuohey worked as a registered nurse.

She named the store after her two children, Casey and Nicole.

“I have been blessed with having a job that I was able to come and go and never missed one of Casey’s school activities or sports games that he played in growing up,” Tuohey said. “I never missed one of Nicole’s school activities while growing up or all of the activities she does now.  I now have 3 grandchildren and don’t want to miss them growing up.”

Nicole was born with Triple X Syndrome and has received tremendous support from The Arc of Orleans County, whoich has merged into a four-county organization, Arc GLOW. That organization has been one of the causes Tuohey has supported for years. (She made over-sized cookies on Saturday for age group winners in a 5K in Elba to benefit Arc GLOW.)

Both of Mary Lou’s parents died of Alzheimer’s, so that also has become a favorite charity. Every year, Nicole makes links out of construction paper and Tuohey sells them in the cookie shop, with all the money going to the Alzheimer’s Association. She typically sells 1,500 to 2,000 links for $1 each.

Photo by Tom Rivers: Mary Lou Tuohey, right, receives the Community Service Award from the Orleans County Chamber of Commerce on Oct. 19, 2023. The award is presented by Tara Thom, owner of the Town and Country Quilt Shop in Albion and a board member for the Chamber of Commerce.

Tuohey has also allowed other groups to use her front store windows for raffles and fundraisers.

“I will miss all of my customers, some of you from day one, February 11, 1995,” she said. “You have been so supportive to a small business and I am truly thankful. I will miss and am so grateful for all my employees over the years who have rolled millions of cookies and frosted millions of cookies. They have stuck by me through thick and thin and I know they have ‘rolled’ their at eyes at me hundreds of times when I asked them to do ‘just one more thing.’”

The Case-Nic Facebook page includes numerous comments, praising her for her many years of community service and running the business.

Diane Stamp: “Thank you for your generosity over the years and your wonderfully delicious cutout cookies! You will be missed, but congratulations on retiring!”

Marlene Hill: “Congratulations you deserve to retire! Thank you for all you have done for us and I hope you have a great time in the next chapter of your life.”

Shawn Ramsey: “An amazing accomplishment to be celebrated!”

Brody Hoffmeister: “Congratulations, Mary Lou. Thank you for your dedication, sacrifices and commitment to serving our community for so many years.”

Photos by Tom Rivers

MEDINA – This group checks out some of the baskets up for raffle during a benefit on Saturday at the Sacred Heart Club for Eli Howard. There were more than 200 baskets and gift cards in the raffle, as well as other items in a silent auction and 50/50 drawings.

Howard, 50, is battling stage 4 metastatic prostate cancer.

Eli Howard, left, is shown with his family and other loved ones in the kitchen at Sacred Heart Club. He is next to his daughters Jelia and Kylee, and Eli’s wife Jana.

The 500 chicken barbecue dinners sold out and there was a line on North Gravel Road from the lift bridge to The Gallagher for the dinners.

“I’m never at a loss for words, but I am today,” Howard said. “It takes a community to help and that’s what we have today.”

His wife Jana said the family is very grateful for the turnout.

“This has been unbelievable,” she said.

Howard has been active in the community as a youth football coach, a deejay, and performing as a comedian. He is friendly and gregarious with nearly 3,000 friends on Facebook.

He started working at age 19 in the laundry department at the former Orleans County Nursing Home and served there for 28 years. Many of his former co-workers attended the benefit. In 2021, he began at Wende Correctional Facility, also working in the laundry department.

“He’s done a lot of things in the community,” his wife said.

George Hammonds, left, greets Eli Howard at the benefit. Hammonds graduated from Medina in 1991, and Howard is in the Class of 1992.

Howard said it was overwhelming to see so many of his friends on Saturday, including other classmates who travelled from Wisconsin and Texas.

Howard gave out about 300 of these “Eli Strong – One Love” bracelets as a thank you for the support while he fights cancer.

Howard said his cancer isn’t curable but is manageable. He takes two chemo pills each morning, and is feeling better.

Geno Allport of Albion was one of the helpers at the benefit. Many people form Albion volunteered and donated at the benefit.

“We may be rivals on the field but we work together,” Allport in the kitchen, where he and others served on the chicken barbecue dinners. “

Allport said he wasn’t surprised to see a big response for Howard.

“He has been giving back for years so it’s nice to see the community give back to him,” Allport said.

Mike McCauley sings at Sacred Heart Club during the benefit for Eli Howard and his family.

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

By Randy LeBaron

Hey, aren’t you that coffee guy in The Pennysaver? This is what someone asked me when I was walking around at East Shelby Church’s Old Tyme Day this past summer. I smiled, admitted that it was in fact me, and thanked them for reading. And now as I reflect back on that, and many similar encounters since, I realize that I have never really explained what some might refer to as my coffee obsession.

Truth be told, I do not actually drink a ton of coffee. I used to, more-so when I was younger. I have vivid memories of being given coffee in a sippy cup when I was just a toddler as well as enjoying coffee ice cream, not ice cream with coffee flavoring but a scoop of ice cream plopped down in the middle of a piping hot cup of coffee, as a customary dessert at my grandparent’s house. Additionally, I cannot remember a time that there wasn’t coffee brewing in my parent’s home since my father had worked nights and became accustomed to drinking it at all hours of the day.

So yes, I drank a lot of coffee growing up and look how it stunted my growth. All kidding aside, for those who do not know me I am 6’ 3”, since I was diagnosed with ADHD as an adult it’s not a leap to think that I had it as a child and the coffee probably helped acting as a stimulant. But I digress…

Nowadays I still enjoy that first cup of coffee when I wake up in the morning but even more I enjoy drinking it in the company of others. For many social drinking might mean something very different but for me it means connecting with someone over a cup of coffee. There is just something disarming about sitting in a coffee shop or wherever and chatting with someone face to face. Unlike with social media where you cannot read emotions, or where you may write much harsher things looking at a screen than at an actual person, it seems to me that it is a better medium for most of the discussions that you find on FB nowadays.

In fact, while being interviewed a few years ago on The Family Life Network, I shared how I got together regularly with a group of guys at Tim Hortons who were often on extreme ends of the spectrum whether discussing politics, religion, etc. But, no matter what each one believed, they still came back the next day and were glad to see one another and join in the discussion again. I told the host of the show that I thought there would be less hate and division in our country if more people chatted in coffee shops than online and I still stand by that statement today.

Another reason I like to drink coffee socially is because I have met a lot of fantastic people that way. I met my friend, who I miss very much, Jonathan Doherty one evening at Dunkin Donuts while participating in a Men’s Bible Study. I have made several friends who I consider close in similar fashion just by showing up at Tim Hortons or Risen Café and joining into conversations. In fact, there is a good chance that I met a lot of you when I was working at HeBrews 5:9 back in 2020.

Nowadays my life is a bit busier so I don’t frequent the coffee shops as much as I would like but I still make an effort to connect with the morning gang at Tim Horton’s, to get together with the ARC Self-Advocates the 2^nd Monday of every month, and to set up as many meetings as possible at places like The Coffee Pot Café in Medina or Rise & Grind in Albion. If all else fails my church has a time of fellowship every Sunday aptly named “Coffee Talk” so you know that I’m going to show up there.

This morning before finishing this article I actually went over to Tim Hortons and while visiting with fellow coffee connoisseurs Walt and Bill a man came in, got his coffee, and set up his laptop in the back. Walt shared with me that he was a very nice guy who was in the area helping his father who had cancer. Later, before leaving, I walked over and introduced myself thinking that if he was here by himself dealing with difficulties of caregiving that he might want someone to talk to. Having had similar experiences myself and having walked this road with many families through my work at Hospice I could easily empathize.

What started off as a chance meeting quickly turned into a divine encounter as he shared that he was hoping he could find someone to talk to and to visit with his dad. And that my friends is why I’m OK with being known as “that coffee guy” and why I chose the name Refill with Randy for my videos, Blog, and these articles. Every morning as I “fill” my cup with coffee I also pray that God would fill me with His Holy Spirit and make me aware of ways that I might be able to connect with and help others throughout the day. I pray the same for you.

See you in 2 weeks,
Pastor Randy (aka That Coffee Guy)

Photos by Tom Rivers

ALBION – There were 50 classic cars at a cruise in today at Bullard Park at an event that is now in its 11^th year as a fundraiser for Hospice of Orleans County.

Some sprinkles in the weather kept some of the cars away, but organizers say the event raised at least $1,500 for Hospice.

Becky Karls, right, is the event organizer. She chats with Terry Cook, a Hospice volunteer, at the Hospice booth.

The car show is sponsored by Mitchell Family Cremations & Funerals, Cooper Funeral Home and Rebekah Karls.

The 1957 Chevy Bel Air at left is owned by Rita and Richard Soule.

Some motorcycles were part of the cruise-in today.

The show shifted from the main parking lot of Bullard to the grassy area on the east end. The car owners said they preferred the grass over the asphalt.

Hartway Motors in Medina sponsored the trophies for the car show.

Provided photos

ALBION – The dome on the Orleans County Courthouse will illumined in gold at night the rest of this month to help spread awareness about childhood cancer.

The County Legislature on Tuesday will present a proclamation about Childhood Cancer Awareness Month. Cancer is the leading cause of death by disease in children, with 43 children per day or 15,780 children diagnosed with cancer annually.

There is a need for new cancer drugs to be approved by the FDA, and more funding to carry this out, local officials said.

That proclamation will be presented to Ryan and Katelyn Pearl whose son, Maddox Pearl, passed away at ae 5 on Sept. 30, 2023 after battling DIPG, a rare brain tumor.

Friends and family of Maddox Pearl gathered at the courthouse on Wednesday to remember Maddox and show support for childhood cancer awareness.

Katelyn Pearl said Maddox’s family and friends plan to add more activities next year to bring awareness to the community.

“Maddox isn’t the only little one that fought or will fight, so we are doing this to honor the past, the present and the future warriors,” she said.

Maddox Pearl’s friends and family gathered on Wednesday to remember the Albion boy who passed away from a brain tumor on Sept. 30, 2023.

Photos courtesy of Orleans/Niagara BOCES

MEDINA – A special thank you to Deputy Jason Barnum of the Orleans County Sheriff’s Office who spent time with our Security and Law Enforcement students at the Orleans Career and Technical Education Center.

Deputy Barnum has taken time out of his busy schedule the last four years to provide assistance with a training exercise with teacher Gene Newman’s students.

“Conducting a comprehensive Felony Traffic Stop training exercise allows students to engage in realistic scenarios that enhance their critical thinking, teamwork, and decision-making skills,” said Mr. Newman. “This hands-on experience not only deepens their understanding of law enforcement procedures but also builds confidence in high-pressure situations, preparing them for the challenges they will face in the career field.”

A thank you to role player volunteers Gabie Rosenbeck and Colton Brunette who were invaluable in helping the students with their training.

Press release, UConnectCare

Provided photo: John Bennett and Erin Phelps of UConnectCare stand next to the Harm Reduction vending machine located at the agency’s office in Batavia at 5130 East Main Street Rd.

ALBION – UConnectCare is expanding its support services to those struggling with substance use disorder by placing Harm Reduction vending machines at agency sites in Batavia and Albion.

One machine is located in the entrance of space leased by the agency in the front right corner of the building at 5130 East Main St. Rd., Suite 5, Batavia, and the other can be found at the agency’s Albion clinic at 249 East Ave.

“New York State’s Office of Addiction Supports & Services identifies Harm Reduction practices as part of the treatment continuum and a way to reduce overdose deaths – and we at UConnectCare are on board with that school of thought,” said UConnectCare Chief Executive Officer John Bennett.

“Harm Reduction is an important tool to keeping people alive so that we can provide brief interventions that move them towards treatment. It’s a patient-centered approach allowing people to make informed decisions about their treatment needs, just like other medical issues.”

Erin Phelps, the agency’s Harm Reduction project director, said the free vending machines remove the cost barriers to those seeking safer use supplies.

“If anyone needs these items, they can come to these offices and dispense them with no questions asked,” she said.

Phelps said those accessing the supplies will have the opportunity to meet with a member of the Harm Reduction staff but are under no obligation to do so or to accept literature focusing on treatment and/or recovery.

The machines will be stocked with harm reduction kits, naloxone (Narcan), fentanyl and xylazine test strips, drug disposal bags, hygiene kits and other items – all at no charge.

In Batavia, they will be accessible from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday and during open access hours. In Albion, items from the machine can be utilized from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Mondays and Wednesdays, 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Fridays.

Previously, the agency (formerly Genesee/Orleans Council on Alcoholism and Substance Abuse) announced a Harm Reduction Mobile Outreach unit that visits several locations in the two counties five days per week.

Phelps emphasized the overarching goal of harm reduction is “to keep people alive and being ready to help them if and when they’re ready to seek help.”

Walk-ins are welcome to utilize open access. The program’s hours of service are 4-6 p.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays and 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturdays at 5130 East Main St. Rd.

For more information about harm reduction services, opioid overdose prevention training and to see the mobile unit schedule, go to www.uconnectcare.org, the UConnectCare or The Recovery Station Facebook pages or send an email to harmreduction@uconnectcare.org.

Public meeting set for Sept. 26 to outline program

ALBION – The Village of Albion is holding a meeting at 6 p.m. on Sept. 26 at Village Hall to go over the NY Forward program, where municipalities can receive $4.5 million in state funding to help downtown business districts, and tackle other housing and tourism initiatives.

The village is working with its grantwriter, G & G Municipal Consulting and Grant Writing, to submit an application. G & G will give an overview of the program during the Sept. 26 meeting, and will encourage projects to be submitted for the application.

Businesses, industry groups, cultural organizations, developers, non-profit organizations and property owners can submit a project for consideration.

Potential projects could include new construction (residential, mixed use, hotel, etc.), renovation of existing buildings, facade improvements, renovation of new retail, office, co-working, commercial, industrial, recreational or cultural uses.

The state wants projects that will transform the downtown and support a vibrant and year-round economy.

For more information, send an email to G & G at contact@ggprocess.com.

The Village of Medina has been awarded a $4.5 million NY Forward grant and those projects are expected to take shape in the next two years.

Albion submitted applications last year for the $4.5 million Forward NY program and for up to $10 million in a Restore NY grant.

Albion was denied in both applications in what grant writer Jay Grasso of G & G said are very competitive programs among municipalities looking to help their downtown business districts, and tackle other housing and tourism initiatives.

Grasso said Albion was a strong contender in both programs. Besides NY Forward, Grasso said the village will go after the Restore NY grant again this year.

Gov. Kathy Hochul announced today that $50 million will be available in Round 9 of the Restore New York program. The funding supports municipalities’ efforts to demolish, rehabilitate, and restore blighted structures and transform them into vibrant residential, commercial, and mixed-use developments.

“We are revitalizing communities across New York State through the Restore New York Communities Initiative – giving towns and cities the chance to build a future that is safer, more affordable, and more livable,” Hochul said in a press release.

An intent to apply form for Restore NY is due from municipalities to the state by Oct. 23.

Provided photos

KENDALL – Betty Wilson, center, turned 105 on Wednesday, Sept. 18. On Sunday after church at the Kendall Global Methodist Church, her family and friends celebrated her milestone birthday.

Pictured from left include Sandra Wilson Peragine, Dona Wilson Maynard, Robert Hart, Bob Harradine, Jane Wilson Hart, Betty Thornell Wilson, Marianne Wilson Kepler, Robert L. Wilson, Sage Anstey, Sherry Nottingham Wilson, Breanna King, Matt Wilson, Robert J. Wilson and Sandra Maxon Wilson.

Mrs. Wilson worked at Kodak, where she met her husband, Robert Wilson. They moved to Kendall and raised four children on a farm.

Family and friends enjoy the celebration in honor of Betty Wilson.

Press Release, Oak Orchard Health

Dr. Lalit K. Jain

ALBION – Oak Orchard Health is excited to welcome Dr. Lalit K. Jain, a distinguished pediatrician, to our team.

Dr. Jain brings over 35 years of board-certified pediatric experience, including his recent role as Chief of Pediatrics at United Memorial Medical Center. Before that, he served as CEO and Lead Physician at Batavia Pediatrics.

“We are thrilled that Dr. Jain has chosen OOH in Albion to continue his pediatric practice. His commitment to the well-being of children in our community is widely recognized,” said Karen Kinter, CEO of Oak Orchard Health. “Dr. Jain appreciates the complexities of pediatric care and selected Oak Orchard Health for our comprehensive services, including our recently expanded behavioral health offerings in Albion and Brockport. Our team now includes more child and adolescent therapists working alongside our medical providers to develop optimal care solutions.”

Dr. Jain expressed his enthusiasm, stating, “I am excited to see patients at Oak Orchard Health in Albion. Working with children is my passion. My approach to patient care involves listening to children and their parents to truly understand their concerns. Building connections with patients of all ages is important to me.”

In addition to his clinical work, Dr. Jain is dedicated to combating childhood obesity. He led the “Get Fit” program, partnering with UMMC, the City of Batavia, Genesee County, the Batavia School District, and the YMCA—this initiative aimed to foster community environments that support healthy eating and physical activity.

Dr. Jain is accepting new patients. For more information, call (585) 589-5613.

By Ginny Kropf and Tom Rivers

This is the cover of “Architecture Destroyed in Orleans County, New York,” a book first written by C.W. “Bill” Lattin in 1984. The cover shows E. Kirke Hart residence in Albion that was demolished in 1942.

ALBION – A book that was published 40 years ago highlighting mansions, churches and prominent buildings in Orleans County that were lost to fire or the wrecking ball has been updated.

C.W. “Bill” Lattin reprinted the book “Architecture Destroyed in Orleans County, N.Y.” It includes more structures that have taken down, including the Clarendon Universalist Church in 2006. That church was built in 1837.

A cobblestone smokehouse from about 1840 at the Five Corners in Gaines also was removed in 2022.

Proceeds from the reprinting of the book go to Cobblestone Society and Museum. The books are available for $15.

Doug Farley, the museum’s director, said Lattin’s book is a valuable resource of historic text and photographs.

“Orleans County, and in particular Albion and Medina, have had a treasure trove of beautiful buildings,” Lattin writes in the book, when it was first published in 1984. “It is indeed very unfortunate that some of the best examples of certain architectural styles were wrecked in the name of so-called ‘progress.’ The reader will quickly ascertain that some very fine buildings were demolished over 100 years ago. But unfortunately, many marvelous architectural creations have been destroyed in recent years, too.”

As a result, Lattin has added more up-to-date content to this printing to supplement what he originally wrote in 1984.

One of the features of the original publication was a list of more than 200 patrons and business sponsors who contributed toward the cost. These names are included in the reprint, as well as more than 60 new sponsors for 2024.

“These history-minded contributors have had their names printed in the new publication and are welcome to pick up a complimentary copy now at the Cobblestone Museum,” Farley said.

In his introduction to the latest book, Lattin says he has been fascinated with old buildings as far back as he can remember, even as a small child. He says a lot of very fine buildings were wrecked more than 100 years ago, but the worst toll has been since World War II.

One structure was a rustic log cabin on the Peter Smith Road, the last legitimate log house of its type in the county when it was torn down in the 1950s. Also demolished were many churches, such as Presbyterian churches in Holley, built in 1831, and the Presbyterian Church in Knowlesville, built in 1832.

Schools, such as the Yates Academy, the cobblestone Loveland School House in District #6, Albion, and Oak Orchard Elementary School in Medina were not spared the wrecking ball.

This photo credited to Alan Isselhard is the Clarendon Universalist Church which existed from 1837 to 2006. The federal style building was built of limestone which was quarried locally.

Many other notable structures met their fate, including a blacksmith shop in Millville, mills, the Orleans County Infirmary, hotels and elegant mansions, notably the home of Arnold Gregory on County House Road.

“By compiling this book, I want people to know and see what a truly beautiful village Albion once was,” Lattin said. “And I want people to see some of our other marvelous architectural creations which once stood throughout Orleans County.”

He added there is at least one destroyed building from every township in the county included in his book.

When he decided to put together a book, he said it seemed most appropriate to have the Cobblestone Society, as the leading preservationist group in Orleans County, publish it. The Society, which has preserved 10 buildings of its own, was founded for the purpose of preserving not only cobblestone structures, but related art and architecture.

A grant from Genesee-Orleans Regional Arts Council (GO Art!) helped pay for the reprinting.

Erin Anheier, a former Cobblestone Museum president and a current trustee for the Landmark Society of Western New York, said Lattin’s book should inspire the community to appreciate and save the “wonderful old buildings” that remain in Orleans County.

Many of the sites are no longer used for their original purpose, but could be preserved and adapted for different uses, Anheier writes in the book’s epilogue.

“The variety of the architectural styles of past decades enlivens our landscape and speaks of the lives and hopes of our ancestors,” she said. “I would not want to live in a place that didn’t show its unique history with pride. A cookie-cutter community holds no appeal.”

Provided photo and information from Medina’s Class of 1974

MEDINA – The 1974 Class of Medina High School held their 50-year reunion at the Medina Lanes on Aug. 17. Classmates from as far away as California attended this 6-plus hour event.

Friday night on Aug. 16 was a casual get-together.  This was followed by a tour of the old high school on Catherine Street on Saturday morning, and capped off by the reunion Saturday afternoon/evening.

Medina Lanes provided food and drink while The Stanton Band provided the entertainment.

Sixty-five of the class’s 185 members attended the festivities over the weekend.

The Reunion Committee was comprised of Carol Benson, Barb Daluisio, Cynthia Hewitt, Joanne Lewandowski, Pat Marchner, Sharlene Pratt, Elizabeth Seitz, Darlene Sharping, Greg Stanton, Lynne Stewart and Carl Tuohey.

The class decided to plan on a 70th birthday celebration in 2026.

Class members may help keep their contact information current by sending an email to medinanyclassof1974@gmail.com or join the class Facebook group (click here).