Photo by Cheryl Wertman – Medina and Akron, which split a pair of regular season meetings, will meet in the opening round of the Class C playoffs on Monday afternoon at Vets Park. Medina’s Guin Schalck and Akron’s Olivia Diebel are shown here in action during the earlier season meeting at Vets.

Opening round games in the Section VI Class C field hockey playoffs on Monday will begin a busy week of high school postseason competition.

Those quarterfinal match ups will have No. 5 seed Medina (7-5) hosting No. 4 Akron (8-4) at Vets Park at 4:30 p.m., No. 8 Newfane (1-11) at No. 1 Barker (11-1) at 3:30 p.m., No. 7 Holland (4-12) at No. 2 Roy-Hart (10-2) at 3 p.m. and No. 6 Wilson (4-8) at No. 3 Eden (9-5-2) at 6 p.m.

Medina and Akron split a pair of games during the Niagara-Orleans League season. Medina won the first meeting at Akron 2-1 and Akron took the rematch at Medina 2-1.

Akron is the defending Section VI Class C champion having downed Barker 2-1 in last year’s title contest.

Barker defeated Newfane twice in route to claiming the N-O title but the Lady Raiders got a scare in the second meeting nipping the Lady Panthers 3-2 in overtime.

The semifinals are scheduled for Wednesday at Clarence High School.

Girls Soccer Sectionals
Unbeaten (16-0-1) No. 4 Albion will take on top seeded East Aurora (14-2-1) in the semifinals of the Section VI Class B1 playoffs at 8 p.m. Tuesday at Williamsville East.

No. 3 Akron (11-6) will face No. 2 Allegany-Limestone (14-2) in a Class B2 semi at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday at Williamsville East.

No. 4 Holley (10-5-3) will take on undefeated (17-0) top seed Marion in a Section V Class C2 semi at 5 p.m. Tuesday at Webster Thomas.

Kendall (12-5), which is also a No. 4 seed. will face No. 9 Arkport/Canaseraga (7-9) in a Class D1 semi at 6 p.m. Wednesday at Perry. Arkport/Canaseraga upset top seeded Honeoye 3-0 in the quarterfinals while Kendall ousted No. 5 Alfred-Almond 4-1.

Football
Undefeated (8-0) top seed Albion will host No. 4 Cheektowaga 7-1) in a Section VI Class B semifinal at 7 p.m. Friday. Cheektowaga belted No. 5 Dunkirk 40-8 in the quarterfinals while Albion ousted No. 8 Lackawanna 34-14.

Medina/Lyndonville/Barker will visit Newfane in the Class B Chuck Funke Memorial Consolation Bowl title game at 2 p.m. Saturday. The Panthers romped past Iroquois 54-22 in the semifinals while the Mustangs downed Burgard 28-22.

Cross-Country
The N-O boys and girls cross-country championships will be decided at the annual All-League meet on Saturday at Lakeside Beach State Park at 10 a.m.

The Newfane boys are girls teams are both undefeated at 6-0 while the Wilson boys and Akron girls are both at 5-1.

File photo by Tom Rivers: The Urger was in Holley on Oct. 6, 2015 for a visit by fourth-graders.

A national preservation organization is shining the spotlight on a 117-year-old tugboat that could be removed from the canal waters and become a dry-dock exhibit at a Thruway rest area in Montgomery County.

The National Trust for Historic Preservation highlighted the Urger in its Fall issue, and deemed the boat “threatened.”

“More than 100,000 schoolchildren have boarded the Urger, and it is considered the unofficial ambassador of the canal system,” National Trust stats in its magazine, Preservation.

The Erie Canal was opened in 1825, nearly 200 years ago. A century ago marked the completion of the Barge Canal, when the Erie was widened.

The Urger visits canal communities and serves as a teaching tug. It is especially popular with fourth-graders who are learning New York State history, and how the Erie Canal turned New York into the Empire State.

“The Preservation League of New York State has expressed concern for the Urger’s fate because it believes turning the tug into a dry-land exhibit will likely require removing parts of its historic fabric and boring holes into its hull,” National Trust said. “The vessel will be dry-socked this winter, and PLNYS hopes the New York Power Authority and NYC Canal Corporation will reconsider their plan to remove it permanently from its historic context.”

Fourth-graders from School No. 2 in Rochester visit the Urger in October 2015. The boat is an ambassador for the state’s canal system.

​The  New York State Canal System has been designated a National Historic Landmark due to its span, scope, and historic integrity, the Preservation League said.

“The historic vessels related to the NYS Canal System are a significant component of the system’s integrity,” the League said. “The National Historic Landmark designation recognizes the importance of the canal fleet and canal vessels to the New York State Canal System.”

Launched in 1901, the Urger entered canal service in 1921. ​For more than sixty years she moved barges, dredges, and derrick boats on the Erie and Champlain canals. Retired from heavy work around 1984, she returned to active service in 1991 as an ambassador for New York’s Canal System, calling at ports from New York City to the Canadian border and west to Lake Erie. She was the traveling centerpiece for countless canal festivals and events across the state and hosted over 100,000 students on school field trips during a 25-year period. Listed on the National Register since 2001, she is one of the oldest operable tugboats in the country.

The Preservation League has an online petition for people to send to support keeping the Urger as an active canal vessel. For more information, click here.

“Overlooked Orleans” – Vol. 4, No. 42

Tommy Colella – “The Albion Antelope” – is shown with the Cleveland Rams in 1944.

After another seemingly abysmal start to the 2018-19 NFL season, the Buffalo Bills appear to be relegated to the pits of the AFC East division. Yet nearly 70 years ago, an Albion native found himself on the roster of the old Buffalo Bills of the All-American Football Conference.

“The Albion Antelope” is perhaps one of the greatest sports stories to come out of Orleans County during the early half of the 20th century. His career was marked by significant success at multiple positions during his high school, collegiate and professional career.

Thomas “Tommy” Colella was born July 3, 1918 at Albion to Giacomo and Louise Colella and spent his earliest years growing up on Washington Street. During his time at Albion High School, Colella played multiple sports including football, baseball, basketball, and track, but football was clearly the defining sport in his career. He was part of the 1936 football team that went 8-0-1, scoring 293 total points for the season and only allowing 20 points against. The year following his graduation, the team went .500 scoring 81 points and allowing 84 points against. In the final game of the ’36 season, Colella’s interception and 40 yard pass to Joe Rosato for a touchdown led Albion to a 27-0 victory over Medina.

In his senior year, Tommy Colella played semi-pro ball with the Albion West Ends, earning $5 per game; the arrangement was cut short when he realized the stipend might jeopardize his ability to play college ball. Following graduation, he enrolled at Canisius College where he played football for four years. During a time when football squads were small and players filled multiple positions, Colella played running back, quarterback, kicker, punter, defensive back, and kickoff/punt return specialist. His successful tenure at Canisius earned him Little All-American Honors three years in a row and the Canisius College Sodality Football Sportsmanship Trophy, which was given “to promote and reward really progressive achievements by the students, and to honor real sportsmen, both on and off the field.”

In 1942, Colella was selected in the seventh round of the NFL draft by the Detroit Lions (#55 pick) as a halfback. Wearing number 46, he played two seasons for the team behind Frankie Sinkwich. His lack of involvement in the team’s running game resulted in his request to move to another team, which was made a reality in 1944 through a trade with the Cleveland Rams. His role as the team’s halfback and punter would lead the Rams to the 1945 NFL Championship, but once again he felt undervalued by his team. Colella signed on with the newly established Cleveland Browns prior to the relocation of the Rams to Los Angeles in 1946. During his three years with the Browns, he helped lead the team to three AAFC Championships before his trade to the Buffalo Bills in 1949.

During his professional career, Colella played 87 games, scoring 15 touchdowns and 1 field goal accounting for 93 total points. On 199 rushing attempts he ran a total of 753 yards, accumulating the majority of those yards with the Cleveland Rams. Playing multiple positions, he completed 56 passes out of 149 total attempts for 617 yards; a meager 37.6% completion rate. He punted 196 times for 7,317 yards, averaging 37.3 yards per punt, and totaled 32 punt returns for 487 total yards. His longest punt return of 82 yards came with a touchdown while playing with the Browns in 1947.

With his trade to the Buffalo Bills, he became one of the few athletes to play for his hometown team in high school, college, and on the professional level. In 1967, his accomplishments earned him a spot in the inaugural class of the Golden Griffin Sports Hall of Fame at Canisius College. He entered the Greater Buffalo Sports Hall of Fame in 2002, ten years after his death on May 15, 1992.

Provided photos

ALBION – Thanks to the Albion Music Boosters and the Rust-Oleum corporation, 130 music stands from the high school and elementary band rooms recently got a fresh look, replacing years of scratches,  graffiti, and other bumps and bruises caused by long-time heavy use.

Volunteers are shown painting the stands on Oct. 13.

In addition to painting, boosters made sure the stands were in safe and solid working condition by tightening bolts, straightening bent corners, and sanding sharp edges, when necessary.  Rust-Oleum donated all of the paint, shipping the boosters seven cases of their premium Ultra-Cover flat black paint and primer.

Michael Thaine, High School band director, said that while some of the stands are decades old, and showed their age cosmetically, most were still in fine working order.

“We even have a few stands that came from the old Waterport school,” said Thaine about the school that closed in the 1980s. “All they needed was a fresh coat of paint to look brand new again.”

Thaine added that at a replacement cost of approximately $60 each, painting and repairing old stands, when reasonable to do so, is more fiscally responsible than purchasing new.

Mrs. Lindsey Almeter, the elementary band director, expressed her appreciation to the boosters.

“We’re so grateful to the Albion Music Boosters for tackling this project,” she said. “They completed, in 3 1/2 hours, what would have taken the band teachers weeks to do on our own, working one stand at a time in the few free moments we have each day.”

The Albion Music Boosters is a group of dedicated parents, friends, and community supporters of the vocal and instrumental music program at Albion Central School.  They are always looking for new members, and people can be as involved as their desire and schedule allows. More information is available by emailing albionmusicboosters@gmail.com, or on Facebook at Albion Music Boosters.

Photos by Cheryl Wertman

ALBION – Albion’s Matt Kovaleski returns a kickoff for a touchdown in a 34-14 win for the Purple Eagles against Lackawanna on Friday evening.

Top-seeded Albion hosted the No. 8 Lackawanna in the quarterfinal round of the Section VI Class B playoffs. The victory advances Albion to a semifinal round home field meeting with No. 4 Cheektowaga at 7 p.m. next Friday. Cheektowaga ousted No. 5 Dunkirk 40-8.

Albion’s Paige Derisley works to keep the ball away from Springville’s Hannah Goetz during the host Purple Eagles sectional win on Friday evening.

The No. 4 seed Albion earned a 3-1 victory over visiting No. 5 Springville in a Section VI Class B1 quarterfinal soccer clash of unbeatens.

Albion improves to 16-0-1 while Springville suffers its first loss of the season and finishes at 12-1-3.

The victory advances Albion to a semifinal meeting against top seeded East Aurora at 8 p.m. Tuesday at Williamsville East. East Aurora downed No. 9 Newfane 4-1.

For more on the football and soccer games, click here for Local Sports.

Photos by Tom Rivers

CARLTON – These fishermen try to catch salmon and trout in the Oak Orchard River this afternoon.

Many of the anglers were participating in the 16^th fly fishing tournament at St. Mary’s Archer’s Club. There were 53 participants in the three-day tournament with prizes awarded for the biggest Chinook salmon, brown trout, steelhead and Atlantic salmon. A 25-pound, 5-ounce Chinook salmon led the derby.

The Archer’s Club said there were participants from several states, including New York, Maine, Massachusetts, West Virginia, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Hawaii, Ohio and Arizona.

The anglers said the fishing was good, but it hasn’t hit its peak yet because the water is a little too warm. When the temps drop, they said more fish will be in the Oak Orchard River.

Shane Smith helps his son Beckett, 8, try to reel in a Chinook salmon, also known as a King salmon. The fish managed to slip the hook and get away. Smith, who is from near Harrisburg, Pa., has been coming to the Oak Orchard annually for about 30 years. His other son Ben, 13, is at left with the net. Ben was on the leaderboard for five different fish in the three-day tournament.

Even if the fish are elusive, anglers say they enjoy being in the outdoors, especially when a blue heron passes by.

The Oak Orchard River is a popular spot during the fall and also in the early winter.

One fly rod is set down for a break in the action today.

Dome goes pink for Breast Cancer Awareness Month

Photos by Tom Rivers

ALBION – The leaves are changing on the trees in front of the Orleans County Courthouse in Albion.

The temperatures will be fall-like this weekend with a high of 51 on Saturday, west wind 18 to 21 miles per hour, and an overnight low of 33, according to the National Weather Service in Buffalo.

Sunday will only have a high of 42, gusts up to 28 mph and an overnight low of 34.

The Courthouse dome, shown this evening, is pink in October to recognize Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

Provided photos

CLARENDON – A Georgia company has been painting the Clarendon water tower on Route 31A, next to the fire hall. The Clarendon Town Board in August approved paying $184,131 to Utility Service Co., Inc.

The water tower was built about 20 years ago and is 175 feet high.

It has been temporarily out of service so it could be repainted.

A state grant for up to $200,000 was secured by State Sen. Robert Ortt to help with the project. The money comes through the State and Municipal Facilities Capital Funding Program or SAM.

LYNDONVILLE – The Orleans County Chamber of Commerce honored local businesses and community leaders on Thursday during its 20^th annual awards dinner at the White Birch Golf Club.

The business owners were praised for providing jobs, maintaining buildings and injecting optimism into the community.

The award winners also received citations from State Sen. Rob Ortt and Assebmlyman Steve Hawley.

The following were recognized by the Chamber:

• Business the Year – Country Lane Veterinary Services in Barre

George McKenna, owner of Country Lane Veterinary Services, was recognized as Business of the Year. He is congratulated by, from left: State Sen. Robert Ortt, State Assemblyman Steve Hawley and Becky Charland, director of the Orleans County Chamber of Commerce.

George and Ivan McKenna started the business 28 years ago on East Barre Road in Barre. They have nine employees. They have hosted many interns over the years and George McKenna said five or six have gone on to become veterinarians and many others are veterinary technicians.

“They teach compassion and a work ethic,” said Leonel Rosario, co-owner of last year’s Business of the Year, Mariachi De Oro.

George and Iva are parents to four grown daughters. Kerri Richardson, one of their children, is the business manager at Country Lane.

George said the business may add an associate veterinarian and expand.

He praised his excellent employees through the years and the dedication and understanding of his family.

“It’s a lot like farming,” he told a crowd of 135 at the Chamber dinner. “Emergencies happen.”

• Agricultural Business of the Year – LynOaken Farms in Lyndonville

Wendy Wilson, president of LynOaken Farms and Leonard Oakes Estate Winery, accepts the Agricultural Business of the Year award with Chris Oakes (left), production manager; and Jeff Oakes, storage manager, for LynOaken.

The Oakes family has been farming in Lyndonville since Leonard Oakes started the farm in 1919. His successors have stayed dedicated to growing apples, but they have also expanded into grapes, wine, a retail market and their own delivery business, taking apples and peaches to 90 locations in Western and Central NY.

LynOaken has 34 full-time employees at the farm and with its winery and wine-tasting site on Ridge Road in Medina.

The family was praised for diversifying the business and becoming a destination site in Orleans County. LynOaken has a U-pick orchard that includes heirloom varieties.

The winery is named for the farm’s founder, Leonard Oakes. It hosts a Steampunk Festival in late August each year that draws about 1,000 people.

The farm is expanding and adding a new packing line and eco-friendly refrigeration.

Next year LynOaken will celebrate its 100^th anniversary.

• Lifetime Achievement Award – Jaye Sullivan, owner of Blissett’s Specialty Shop in Medina

Jaye Sullivan, honored for lifetime achievement, gets a hug from Bruce Landis, who was last year’s winner.

Jaye Sullivan grew up working at Blissett’s Specialty Shop in Medina. She is the third generation owner of the business, which was started in 1941 by Sullivan’s grandparents, Chester and Beatrice Blissett, who opened their first store in Albion. They opened a second store in Medina, Blissett’s Children’s Shop, in about 1950. After experiencing a serious accident, the Blissetts closed the Albion store.

Jaye Sullivan has adapted the business from a children’s store to include bridal wear and specialty items, such as christening and prom dresses.

Sullivan has served her community, as a member of the Medina Board of Education, and an officer in the Medina Business Association. She also is a member of the Decorate Medina Committee.

She said she is grateful to have grown up in her family and is determined to keep the store going.

• Small Business of the Year – Preston’s Lawncare & Landscaping in Albion

Molly Preston is joined by her husband Jim, left, and brother-in-law Aaron Preston. Preston’s Lawncare & Landscaping was named Small Business of the Year.

Jim Preston started the business in 2015 and his brother Aaron joined him as a partner in 2016. They have five employees.

The Preston brothers had a business as teen-agers, mowing lawns in the Kendall area. They worked other jobs after high school, but came back to working together with lawns and landscaping.

Their business has grown to five seasonal workers, along with the two brothers and other family. They do lawncare and landscaping from cutting grass to the increasingly popular hardscape – patio pavers, fireplaces, walkways and retaining walls. They also trim bushes, put in mulch and tackle over lawncare and landscaping issues.

The business is based at Zig Zag Road where the brothers have greenhouses and grow nursery stock.

They praised their father, the late James Preston Sr., for getting them involved in the business. The elder Preston was 56 when he died on Sept. 23, 2015, following a career at Kodak.

The Prestons’ mother, Marie, also opened her own business, Preston’s Country Market, this year on Ridge Road in Gaines. She sells some of the apples grown by her son, Jim.

The Prestons said they are grateful for the support of their customers, who are almost all Orleans County residents.

• New Business of the Year – Sourced Market & Eatery in Medina

Katie Misiti, co-owner of Sourced Market & Eatery in Medina, accepts the award for New Business of the Year.

The Hartway family was honored for opening a business with a focus on local and natural foods. Sourced Market and Eatery already has expanded its interior and outdoor seating to accommodate the public to the site on Maple Ridge Road in Millville.

The family is looking to add greenhouses so it can grow year-round organic produce and herbs.

Darlene Hartway runs the business with her children. Katie Misiti manages the kitchen and plans the menu every week, while handling the majority of work in the kitchen and coordinating catering events.

“I’m excited for the next year,” Misiti said. “We have some big plans.”

Her brother Travis Hartway is a baker for Sourced and is often at the counter serving customers.

Three of their sons run Hartway Brothers Farm near Millville, land once owned by their grandfather. The boys, Nathaniel, Justin and Franklin, grow squash and pumpkins for the market.

Phoenix Award – 39 Problems Bar & Grill in Albion

Adam and Tina Johnson were recognized with the Phoenix Award for their effort in opening the 39 Problems restaurant and bar in a historic downtown Albion location.

Adam and Tina Johnson transformed a vacant building on Albion’s Main Street into a bar and restaurant. The dining area and bar for 39 Problems opened on March 1, following more than two years of hard work.

The site has added energy and foot traffic to downtown Albion.

The Johnsons were praised for perseverance and vision in opening the bar and restaurant in a building from 1866 that has been the home to many businesses, starting with a coffin and furniture company and more recently to a hair salon.

The couple purchased the building, which includes three storefronts, in 2015. They have been working diligently to renovate the site, while preserving its historic charm. In June 2016 they opened 39 Problems, selling pizza, grilled foods and “chill desserts.” The site didn’t have a dine-in option.

Now 39 Problems has a dine-in restaurant. The Johnsons have two of three storefronts done, and they would eventually like to expand the dining area to the remaining storefront.

The Johnsons have done a major upgrade at the site, adding a new kitchen, two new bathrooms, wiring, gas lines, structural and roof repairs, masonry work and lots of other attention.

The storefront has been changed. The windows are now aluminum framed with insulated glass. Johnson kept the cast iron columns and removed paint on the Medina sandstone at the storefronts. Some of the wood from the storefront was repurposed above the bar.

Mr. Johnson named the business 39 Problems because of the challenges in renovating the site at 39 North Main St. That is the unfinished storefront and the largest of the three.

• Business Person of the Year – Gail Miller of Medina

Gail Miller accepts congratulations for Business Person of the Year.

Gail Miller has been the volunteer coordinator for Medina ’s Canal Village Farmers’ Market since it opened in 2015. The market has grown from 8 to 20 vendors and now has a year-round presence.

The site on West Center Street across from the Post Office brings together farms, wineries, artists, musicians and families on Saturdays. The site has proven popular for bringing the community together, the Chamber said.

Miller retired in 2013 as a business analyst for IBM. She has been heavily committed to growing the market, securing vendors and promoting local agriculture.

She thanked the vendors for being so reliable and for providing quality produce and products at the market.

The vendors offer a variety of products, such as sausage, pork, chemical free and heirloom produce, dehydrated mixes, vegan food, baked goods, poultry, flour and maple syrup.

There are also vendors with children’s books, and wineries that rotate every Saturday. A Canal Kids’ Tent provides games, puzzles, chalk art and free books to children.

• Employer of the Year (presented by Orleans County Job Development Agency) – Penasack Machine Co. in Albion

Jessica Tobin is vice president for Penasack Contract Manufacturer in Albion, which was honored as Employer of the Year.

The Chamber presented a new award for the first time as part of a collaboration with the Orleans County Job Development Agency.

The Chamber and Job Development want to recognize a local business that demonstrates a commitment to its workforce, and in turn a workforce that is committed to the business, said Kelly Kiebala, the Job Development Agency leader.

Penasack Contract Manufacturer on Sanford Street is a sheet metal fabricator. It has 43 employees, with many referred by Job Development.

The company was recognized as Employer of the Year “for consistently providing quality, well-paying jobs in Orleans County,” Kiebala said. “Individuals working for Penasack are provided training and opportunities for advancement.”

Employees referred to Penasack provide feedback that the business has “a welcoming company culture and encouragement to increase skills. Penasack has been quietly and dependably providing these job opportunities in Orleans County for decades, and we are honored to be able to recognize them as Employer of the Year for 2018,” Kiebala said.

Jessica Tobin, Penasack vice president, said the business if fortunate to many so many dedicated employees.

• Community Service Award – Wayne Litchfield of Medina

Wayne Litchfield of Medina was honored with a Community Service Award for his volunteer efforts with many local organizations.

Since he retired as an Orleans County dispatcher in 2013, following a 28-year career, Wayne Litchfield has been an active community volunteer, helping many organizations.

“He is anything that is needed in this community,” said Jacki Mowers-Sciarabba, last year’s winner. “He will offer any help he can give.”

He is a direct care volunteer at Hospice of Orleans, a leader in the Orleans-Recovery Hope Begins Here organization, which offers assistance to people fighting addictions. He is a member of the Genesee-Orleans-Wyoming Opioid Task Force, and a member of the Orleans United Drug-Free Coalition.

Litchfield, 67, is a member of the VALOR Medical Reserve Corps for the Orleans County Health Department. He is the director of media and technology at the Albion Free Methodist Church. He also is a mentor in the Just Friends program through the Genesee-Orleans Ministry of Concern.

He is on the planning committee for the Metro 10 race, and helps with the organization, set up and manning of water stations, and will spring into action when needed.

He also is a consistent volunteer at the Community Kitchen in Albion and the Hands 4 Hope Ministry on Saturdays.

He also helps at Care Net of Greater Orleans, Gotta Dance at Miss Amy and the Ride 4 Life.

He grew up in Holley and was an active volunteer firefighter and member of the rescue squad before becoming a dispatcher.

He was hospitalized in July with congestive heart failure. He has rebounded and said he welcomes the chance to serve the community.

“I always say just give me one more volunteer,” he said. “Just give me one more.”

Provided photo

ALBION – Members of the Orleans Correctional Facility’s Make A Difference Committee presented a check for $300 to Keri Pratt (patterned shirt) of Rainbow Preschool this morning.

Rainbow Preschool is located at the Arnold Gregory Complex, 243 South Main St., Albion. Th staff teach children from ages 2½ to 5 years old who have developmental and intellectual disabilities, as well as children without disabilities.

“We strive to offer children stimulating activities that help them grow and develop,” said Donna Saskowski, executive director of the Arc of Genesee Orleans. “This donation supports our efforts to provide creative projects and learning opportunities to young minds. We greatly appreciate this support.”

Buildings inducted from Jamestown, Buffalo and Clifton Springs

MEDINA – Three buildings that were built in the late 1800s from local Medina Sandstone were inducted Thursday afternoon into the Medina Sandstone Society’s Hall of Fame.

The new inductees include the Lafayette Avenue Presbyterian Church/Lafayette Lofts in Buffalo, St. John’s Episcopal Church in Clifton Springs and the James Prendergast Free Library in Jamestown.

The Medina Sandstone Society started the Hall of Fame in 2013 and has now inducted 27 structures into the exclusive club. There are plaques for the inductees inside City Hall at the main meeting room.

The Sandstone Society accepts nominations each year. So far, 54 places have been nominated. Don Colquhoun, one of the Hall of Fame Committee members, said many other prominent sites worthy of induction have yet to be nominated.

Colquhoun and Jim Hancock, president of the Sandstone Society and chairman of the HOF Committee, said there will be new inductees for many years to come.

“We’re not even close,” Colquhoun said about honoring all of the awesome Medina Sandstone sites.

The Sandstone Society wants to recognize well-maintained buildings and other sandstone sites that are unique and architecturally significant. The society has inducted churches, public buildings, private buildings and ornamental buildings/structures.

“We have truly been amazed at the multitude of buildings from this seemingly indestructible building material,” Hancock said.

The new inductees include:

• Lafayette Avenue Presbyterian Church/Lafayette Lofts in Buffalo

Paul Meyer, left, is a member of the Session at Lafayette. He listens to the citation from Don Colquhoun about the church and its loft apartments.

The Lafayette Presbyterian Church had the building constructed at the corner of Lafayette and Elmwood avenues in 1894.

The church is a sterling example of the use of Medina Sandstone in the Romanesque Revival style with a large cruciform floor plan and an attached rear chapel. Lafayette was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2009.

More recently, the rear of this historic church building was repurposed into the Lafayette Lofts, offering a number of modern living spaces, culinary center, the office and meeting spaces without compromising the original architectural design and beauty.

“It is a great example of historic preservation at its best,” said Don Colquhoun, a member of the Hall of Fame Committee.

• St. John’s Episcopal Church in Clifton Springs

Andrew VanBuren, rector at St. John’s, said the congregation takes great pride in the church building.

Construction of this church on Main Street in this Ontario County village was completed in 1883, after the cornerstone was laid in 1879.

The church’s Belgian Gothic style makes this edifice remarkably unique. The Medina sandstone was brought by barge from Medina along the Erie Canal to Port Gibson and transported by wagon or sleds to the build site.

“If you visit Clifton Springs and drive down Main Street, heading east and look up, you’ll see this beautiful Medina Sandstone church silhouetted on the horizon, welcoming you to this historic village,” Hancock said.

Andrew VanBuren, the rector at St. John’s the past 3 ½ years, said the church of 35-40 attendees faced a $50,000 project to repoint stones. The congregation raised the funds and is determined to not let the building fall into disrepair.

“It’s important for us to have a structure that welcomes people,” he said.

He praised the generations before him that have worked so hard with the building.

• James Prendergast Free Library, Jamestown

The Prendergast family donated the money to build a library in Jamestown in memory of James Prendergast, son of this Chautauqua County city’s founder. Architect A.J. Warner of Rochester was given $65,000 to design and build a 127-foot by 100-foot structure that was completed in 1891 after 11 years of effort.

Tina Scott, Prendergast library director, accepts the award.

This sturdy-looking building was built of rock-faced Medina sandstone in the Richardsonian Romanesque style.

The use of contrasting gray and red sandstone, curved arches over the entrance and a lovely turret on the southeast corner give the library a uniquely enchanting appearance.

In the 1960s, an expansion and modernization project added 16,500 square feet to the library, but the Medina Sandstone south side entrance and interior rooms remained largely unchanged and still retain all the charm that the Prendergast family would have appreciated.

Tina Scott, Prendergast library director the past 10 years, said the sandstone building is so sound it was once used as a bomb shelter. She loves the marble floors inside and the alternating sandstone colors, the red and gray.

The building is a source of pride in the Jamestown community, she said.

“It was built to last,” she said. “You don’t see them built like that these days.”

Scott said she didn’t known there has a Medina Sandstone Hall of Fame until recently when she was notified the Jamestown library would be inducted. She praised the organizers for their local pride and for recognizing the outstanding sites.

“It’s awesome because you’re keeping the history of your town alive,” she said.

Jim Hancock, president of the Medina Sandstone Society, gives the welcome message during the Hall of Fame program. He stands in front of a revamped display of all the inductees since 2013.

Takeform Architectural Graphics in Medina has donated all of the plaques in the Hall of Fame. The local company also did a redesign of the display, which was running out of room for new inductees. The new display has room for another four or five years, Hancock said.

Bill Hungerford, president of Takeform, has been a Sandstone Society supporter and member since the group started in 2004.

For more on the Hall of Fame, click here.

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Provided photos: Trevor Jennings, second from left, is a member of the Rust Belt Brigade which performs Friday at 39 Problems.

ALBION – Originally an acoustic duo frequently found busking on the streets of Buffalo, Rust Belt Brigade, founded by Victor Castillo and Albion native Trevor Jennings, has since become a 4-piece Americana outfit carving a sound all their own self described as “Rhythm & Roll.”

The Rust Belt Brigade will have their first performance in Albion at 8 p.m. Friday at 39 Problems in Albion. It will be a homecoming for Albion graduate and cajon wizard Trevor Jennings.

“It’s nice to have a place like 39 Problems where we can perform,” Jennings, 25, said. “I am really excited to finally have a chance to bring this project to Albion, as it’s had a major role in this projects sound.”

For those unfamiliar with a cajon (pronounced cah-hone), it is a box-shaped percussion instrument that has become popular with street performers and acoustic acts. Jennings started out on drum set and was given a cajon as a Christmas gift during his senior year at Albion High School.

“I opened up this box and there was this…wooden box inside,” he recalled. “I really didn’t know what the thing was at first, but after a few days playing around with it and watching videos on YouTube I truly fell in love with it.”

The instrument has become a centerpiece of the band’s live show, which features an array of acoustic apparatuses.

The band primarily performs in Buffalo and Rochester and welcomes the chance to perform in Albion on Friday.

Over the last few years, The Rust Belt Brigade has established themselves in the Buffalo music scene by performing mostly original music. Castillo handles the majority of the lead vocal and guitar duties and is the group’s primary songwriter.

Not long after their inception, the duo added Medina native Jeremiah Franco on banjo, and later Brandon Mueckl on acoustic bass. The group’s four-piece sound is now a unique combination of FolkGrass and Americana, reminiscent of The Devil Makes Three and The Avett Brothers.

They released a self-titled EP in late 2016, and late last year released their first full-length album called Rhythm & Roll. They celebrated the album release by performing to packed house at Nietzsche’s in Buffalo.

In a few short years The Rust Belt Brigade has landed some prestigious gigs, performing at Ani DiFranco’s Babeville in Buffalo and earning an extended residency at Buffalo’s Mr. Goodbar. This summer they performed on the Main Stage at Goo Goo Dolls bassist Robby Takac’s Music is Art Festival, and this year they landed a spot performing at The Steampunk Festival. The group has appeared on WLKK FM, better known as Alternative Buffalo, and their version of “The Erie Canal Song” is featured as the theme song for a popular regional podcast.

They have also made regular stops at 810 Meadworks in Medina, with each performance bringing in larger crowds.

“810 Meadworks has opened a lot of doors for us, it was one of the first venues that gave us a shot when we didn’t really have much to show at the time and has most recently helped us to land the spot at Steampunk,” Jennings noted. “We spend the majority of our time performing in Buffalo and Rochester, but it’s always great to come back to our roots so our family and friends get a chance to see us close to home.”

The group’s calendar is filling up and this will be a rare opportunity to catch them at 39 Problems.

“We know it’s going to be a fun night, Albion is lucky to have a venue owner that is willing to support original music,” Jennings said. “We hope to see some old friends and make a few new ones. I think people will be pleasantly surprised by our unique original sound as well as our old school and new school tributes.”

Photo by Tom Rivers: Marc Molinaro, the Republican candidate for governor, is pictured on May 3 in Batavia with State Assemblyman Steve Hawley when Molinaro discussed the “thinkDIFFERENTLY” campaign to better accommodate people with disabilities.

ELBA – State Assemblyman Steve Hawley will host Marc Molinaro, the Republican candidate for governor, a tour of businesses on Friday.

Hawley will take Molinaro, the current Dutchess County executive, to see Oliver’s Candies’ new site in Elba on Main Street, Post Dairy Farm on Batavia-Elba Townline Road, Chapin Manufacturing on Ellicott Street in Batavia and then a tour of small businesses in downtown Batavia.

Molinaro joined Hawley on May 3 in a stop at the Genesee Orleans Arc in Batavia to discuss the “thinkDIFFERENTLY” campaign he has led in Dutchess County. That initiative focuses on making parks, public buildings and businesses more accommodating to people with disabilities.

Molinaro said better accommodating and embracing people with disabilities is good for businesses, which will see more customers. That wide-ranging effort includes making parks more accessible for children in wheelchairs and walkers (no wood chips to pass through) and training police officers to respond to people in crisis who have autism.

Molinaro is scheduled to be the keynote speaker next Thursday, Oct. 25, at the Orleans County Fall Republican Rally at Hickory Ridge Golf Course in Holley.

ALBION – Two Medina men were each sentenced to a year in Orleans County Jail after a fight last year with another man, who was stabbed three times.

Shane Harmer, 26, and Bobbie Lindsey Jr., 35, were sentenced today by Judge Charles Zambito.

District Attorney Joe Cardone said Lindsey “instigated the violence with his aggressive behavior toward the victim.”

It was Harmer, however, who allegedly stabbed the victim three times late in the night of Sept. 30 in the 500 block of West Avenue.

The trio had been in a bar and the altercation moved outside. Judge Zambito said the incident could have resulted in a fatality. The victim has recovered from his injuries.

Attorneys for Harmer and Lindsey asked for probation and no jail time, but Zambito gave them a year in jail.

“I look at this case and it amazes me how things can end up like this because of a perceived insult,” Zambito said.

The judge said Lindsey started the altercation with an aggressive confrontation in the bathroom of a bar.

“You didn’t do the stabbing but you are the reason this all happened,” Zambito told Lindsey. “This could have been much more serious.”

The judge also issued an order of protection, saying the two defendants shall have no contact or communication with the victim for the next year.

In other cases:

• A Rochester woman who admitted to a drug charge but was free in a diversion program was sentenced to five years of probation after failing in diversion.

Jessica L. Hart, 28,  was living in Brockport when she was arrested last October for selling drugs in Orleans County.

She didn’t succeed in the diversion program in Orleans County. If she had been successful, felony charges would have been dismissed.

“I want to apologize for everything I have caused in this county,” she told Judge Zambito. “I want you to know it will never happen again.”

• An inmate at the Albion Correctional Facility pleaded guilty to promoting prison contraband in the second degree. Amy Hulsander, 35, admitted she worked with others to try to bring a prescription narcotic into the prison.

The judge sentenced her to six months of incarceration with the time to be served as part of her state prison sentence.

Photo by Cheryl Wertman – Albion Placekicker Alex Rustay and holder Matt Kovaleski and their Purple Eagles teammates will host Lackawanna Friday evening in the quarterfinal round of the Section VI Class B playoffs.

Top seeded Albion will begin its quest for a Section VI Class B football title when the Purple Eagles host No. 8 Lackawanna in a quarterfinal round contest at 7:30 p.m. Friday.

The other quarterfinal match-ups will have No. 7 Maryvale at No. 2 Fredonia, No. 6 Olean at No. 3 Pioneer and No. 5 Dunkirk at No. 4 Cheektowaga.

The match-up will be a repeat of an early season B2 Division game which saw Albion romp to a 43-8 victory over the Steelers. Albion went on to claim the B2 title at 5-0 and brings a 7-0 record into the sectionals while Lackawanna is 4-3.

It marks the seventh time that Albion and Lackawanna have met in the postseason. The Steelers hold a 4-2 edge in the previous meetings though the Purple Eagles won the most recent encounter 14-6 in the 2009 quarterfinals.

Quarterback Bryce Pritchard, who has passed for 1,025 yards and 5 touchdowns leads Albion’s balanced attack. Pritchard and Brilliance Johnson have both scored 7 touchdowns, Nate Moore and Ugene Harrison 6, Isaiah Callicutt 4 and Deyonci Farley 3. Matt Kovaleski has a team leading 20 pass receptions for 354 yards while Moore leads in TD receptions with 5. Place kicker Alex Rustay has made good on 30 of 37 extra point tries and has booted two field goals.

Harrison ran for three touchdowns while Pritchard ran for one and passed for another in that earlier win over Lackawanna.

On defense, Ben Restivo leads the Purple Eagles with 55 tackles while Deyonci Farley has 38, Jessy Cruz 37, Harrison 36 and Moore and Donamic Farley 30. Moore also leads the Purple Eagles in interceptions with 3 while Jonathan DePuy has 6 sacks and Brennan Hughes 5.

The Purple Eagles defense really sparkled in that earlier meeting with the Steelers registering a total of 7 turnovers including 5 interceptions (2 by Kovaleski and 1 each by Harrison, Johnson and Kevin Hillman) and two fumble recoveries, by Restivo and DePuy.

Quarterback Jeremiah Caviness has sparked the Lackawanna offense with 1,277 passing yards and 12 touchdowns and 231 rushing yards. His favorite targets have been Juan Rodriguez (27 catches for 420 yards and 6 touchdowns) and Alex Rodriguez (27 catches for 400 yards and 4 touchdowns).

Consolation Bowl
Medina/Lyndonville/Barker will face Burgard at Riverside High in Buffalo at 6 p.m. this evening in the semifinals of the Class B Chuck Funke Memorial Consolation Bowl. Newfane will host Iroquois at 2 p.m. Saturday in the other semifinal.

8 Man contest
Holley will close out the regular season if its first 8 man football campaign by visiting Oakfield-Alabama/Elba at 7 p.m. Friday.

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