MEDINA – The Orleans/Niagara BOCES Extended School Year (ESY) program at the Orleans Learning Center ended with a great celebration picnic.
Coordinator Michelle Kulbago and her staff went all out making sure teveryone had a great time, including students, staff and special visitors – District Superintendent Dr. Taweepon Farrar, Director of Special Programs Dr. Ron Barstys and School Attorney Melissa Kathan.
“It meant a great deal to the OLC staff here to see Dr. Farrar join in the fun,” said Mrs. Kulbago. “The staff are over the moon thrilled to have her as our new superintendent!”
Entertainment was provided by the ONBOCES Super Band. Three of the performers are OLC staff – Gary Withey (Teacher Aide), Tom Smith (Job Coach) and John Osterhoudt (Teacher).
“The staff and students just loved it,” said Mrs. Kulbago. “They got a few local performers to come out to round out the band and donate their time and talent for free. We are grateful to Gary, Tom and John for the extra effort it took to plan, set up and perform for us.”
OLC would like to extend a special thank you to ESY secretary Mary Niemiec and school nurse Mary Lou Cohen who were outstanding with looking out for the students’ well-being all summer.
ONBOCES Super Band and student A’Zena Diaz enjoy the music.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 19 August 2024 at 11:18 am
Photos by Tom Rivers
MEDINA – Shawn Ramsey, owner of Canalside Tattoo, celebrated the opening of Canalside’s new location on Sunday, which was also Canalside’s annual “Caturday” fundraiser for the Cat by Cat, Inc. organization in Medina.
Canalside had 13 tattoo artists and other body piercers, as well as 150 gift baskets as part of the fundraiser that raised about $24,000. That is up from $18,000 last year and $10,000 in 2022.
Ramsey purchased the building at 627 West Ave. that was last used by AJ’s Play Date. Ramsey turned the site into the “Fantasy Factory” giving tattoo artists their own partitioned space, providing more privacy.
C.J. Cruickshank, one of the tattoo artists at Canalside, works on a raccoon tattoo for Olivia Miller on Sunday during Caturday under one of the ring lights that provides a more subtle, overhead light. The 13 artists were all booked for at least eight tattoos at $100 each with the proceeds going to Cat by Cat.
Cruickshank said she likes the new atmosphere and work space at Canalside tattoo.
“It is still an open vibe but we all have our own personalized space,” Cruickshank said.
Ramsey opened Canalside in 2015 in a small storefront on East Center Street. In 2017, he moved to Main Street at the former Curvin’s News, tripling his space from the first location. He then expanded next door on Main Street in 2020, giving him 3,500 square feet.
The West Avenue building is a chance for Ramsey to own the building and put in partitions, an office space, a gaming room for Ramsey and staff. There also is more display room for Canalside merchandise and to showcase local work from artists and crafters. The Fantasy Factory also has a gym/workout room for Canalside staff, as well as a kitchen and break room.
Canalside opened in the Fantasy Factory on Aug. 9.
Another tattoo artist, David Jednat of Buffalo, praised Ramsey for the layout and look of the new space.
“You can tell he put a lot of thought and time in it,” Jednat said. “This will work really well for the people. Most tattoo shops are really crowded.”
Besides donating his service son Sunday, Jednat agreed to eat a hot dog for each tattoo he did. He was up to seven by 5 p.m., with more to go. (The Boy Scouts were selling hot dogs as part of the Caturday event.)
C.J. Cruickshank works on the new tattoo for Olivia Miller. Miller said it was her sixth tattoo. She was happy to get the tattoo and have the proceeds go to Cat by Cat. She said her family has benefitted from Cat by Cat and she wanted to give back to the organization.
Caturday is a big fundraiser for Cat by Cat, which locally is run by Shannon Blount.
Cat by Cat seeks to humanely “TNVR” cats through targeted trapping. Cat by Cat focuses on a TNVR model – Trap, Neuter, Vaccinate and Return.
The Medina team cares for about 150 cats a year. Feral or community cats remains in “overwhelming” problem in Medina and Orleans County, Blount said.
The money from “Caturday” goes towards neutering, medications, vaccinations, food and cat litter, and other supplies.
There were six cats up for adoption at Canalside, including “Chocolate Chip,” a 12 week old kitten.
There were 150 baskets up for raffle at Caturday. The basket raffle raised $7,000 of the Caturday total. Ramsey said body piercing netted over $1500 and tattoos raised nearly $15,000.
By Ginny Kropf, correspondent Posted 19 August 2024 at 9:28 am
Event includes information and entertainment, while remembering those lost to cancer
LYNDONVILLE – Orleans Community Health has announced it is finalizing plans for its annual For Women Only on Oct. 3 at White Birch.
For Women Only was a yearly event for many years, returning in 2023 after a several year hiatus due to Covid-19, said Scott Robinson, director of Marketing, Communication and Outreach at Orleans Community Health.
In addition to raising funds, the event also provides educational information and entertainment to attendees, honors cancer survivors and remembers those lost to cancer.
“We’ve all known someone who has had their lives affected by cancer,” Robinson said. “FWO allows us to bring these individuals together for an evening of strength through numbers. Everyone in the room has a story to tell, and we’re lucky enough to hear many of them.”
Tickets are $30 and anyone wishing to purchase them or be a sponsor can call Lori Condo at (585) 798-8422 or click here for ticket information.
“The event will once again kick off breast cancer awareness month,” Robinson said. “While there is a traditional focus on that, we want to recognize those who have battled any form of the disease. There are plenty of individuals to honor, as well. In addition to basket raffles and other returning highlights, we’re continuing with last year’s opportunity to have loved ones included in a slide show that honors those we’ve lost, current fighters and survivors.”
Members of the Orleans County Home and Infirmary building project committee participated in a groundbreaking ceremony for the new facility on May 7, 1959. From left include Milton Bowen, Town of Clarendon Supervisor; Justin Roberts, Town of Shelby Supervisor; Victor Hawkes, Welfare Commissioner; Harold Hill, Town of Barre Supervisor; and William Knights, Town of Ridgeway Supervisor.
ALBION – As early as 1829, the Board of Supervisors of the newly formed Orleans County was mandated by the state to build a structure to “care for the downtrodden.”
Located three miles south of the Village of Albion, this facility determined the name of the road on which it was built. County House Road runs east-west between the hamlet of Millville in Ridgeway and Route 98 in the Town of Albion.
The original building was replaced in 1878. A separate structure to house an infirmary was added in 1903. People with a variety of needs were cared for at the Orleans County Home and Infirmary.
By 1957, the buildings had deteriorated and were deemed unsuitable for modern medical practices. An inadequate water supply on County House Road tipped the balance of the decision to relocate the facility. The new Orleans County Infirmary was dedicated on Sunday, August 28, 1960.
As is customary, a time capsule containing items thought to represent the times, was placed in the cornerstone. A list was prepared by Historian Cary H. Lattin. It is intriguing to read some 64 years later. The time capsule included:
Newspaper editions of the Holley Standard, the Orleans Republican-American, the Albion Advertiser, the Medina Daily Journal, the Lyndonville Enterprise, and the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle. Also, an issue of the Albion-Holley Pennysaver.
Proceedings of the Orleans County Board of Supervisors 1958-1960
Photograph of Orleans County Board of Supervisors, 1958-1959
Enrolled electors, 1959-1960
Photograph of Orleans County Court House Square personnel, 1958-59
Brochure of Niagara Power Project
Brochure of new Dial Telephone System
Photographs of old County House and Infirmary
Clarendon Sesquicentennial Booklet, 1960
Gaines Sesquicentennial Booklet, 1959
Orleans County Census of Agriculture
Statistical Report of Orleans County
Current U.S. dollar note
Current U.S. two dollar note
Photograph of 48-star flag coming down for the last time on July 3, 1959
Dedication program for the event.
New York State Senator Austin Erwin laid the cornerstone of the new County Infirmary on August 28, 1960.
ALBION – On behalf of the Village of Albion and the Albion Central School District, the Village of Albion Police Department would like to remind motorists that the start of the new school year is just over two weeks away, with staff returning to Albion Schools on Tuesday, September 3rd and students returning on Wednesday, September 4th.
As such, the Albion Police Department is asking motorists to take their time and use extra caution while driving through the Village of Albion, especially along Route 31 in front of the school district as there will be an increase in pedestrian and school bus traffic.
With funding from the Governor’s Traffic Safety Committee, the Albion Police Department will have extra patrols on for the start of the new school year to ensure the safety of our School District Staff and Students. We would like to remind motorists that the speed limit in the School Zone on Route 31 is 20 mph from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. on all school days.
We would also like to remind motorists of the crosswalk on State Route 31 at McKinstry Street, which is used heavily by our students as they go to and from school, especially between 7:15-7:45 a.m. and 2:15-2:45 p.m. Even more caution will need to be used during this time while passing the schools.
The Albion Police Department is excited to see the return of our students and with your help, we hope to have a fun and safe school year.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 18 August 2024 at 9:26 am
Charlie Nesbitt has scoured internet, estate sales for yearbooks, postcards, other Albion area artifacts
Photos by Tom Rivers: Charlie Nesbitt last week donated boxes of old Albion Chevron yearbooks, newspapers, postcards and other memorabilia from the Albion. Nesbitt has been collecting the items the past 25 years. He gave them to Hoag Library where they will be in the local history section. Pictured from left include Betty Sue Miller, Hoag Library director, Charlie Nesbitt, Vllage of Albion Historian Sue Starkweather Miller, County Historian Catherine Cooper and Dee Robinson, local history librarian.
ALBION – Charlie Nesbitt for the past 25 years kept up an intense hobby of collecting memorabilia from his beloved hometown.
Nesbitt, a retired state assemblyman, often searched eBay and other websites to see if there were postcards, old newspapers and other interesting items from Albion. He expanded that hunt to Barre, Gaines, Carlton, Waterport and Point Breeze.
He checked out estate sales, and bought old Chevron yearbooks from Albion, as well as the school literacy magazine. He has company reports from Liptons, Albion’s largest private employer until it closed in 1980, and the annual statements from Arnold Gregory Memorial Hospital.
Nesbitt filed protective sleeves with many postcards from the early 1900s, and throughout the past century, depictions of a vibrant downtown and a thriving community.
Nesbitt’s friends and others in the community heard he would eagerly accept their scrapbooks of newspaper clippings. Nesbitt knows many people, and he would gladly copy and share the clippings, which could include the team photo of the 1947 Albion football team.
But now Nesbitt is ready to share the massive collection. Last week he delivered about a dozen banker boxes full of Albion yearbooks and memorabilia. They were donated to the local history collection at Hoag Library. He was happily greeted by local history librarian Dee Robinson, and historians Susan Starkweather Miller and Catherine Cooper.
“It’s remarkable what we have here,” Starkweather Miller said about the collection.
Robinson said residents or former Albionites in the past have donated a few items to the collection, often a few letters or a book. Nesbitt by far has exceeded those contributions with the big trove of materials.
Charlie Nesbitt hunted down many old newspapers, including this copy of The Orleans Whig from July 11, 1827. The Whig was published every Wednesday in Gaines. “That’s a beauty,” Catherine Cooper, the county historian, said about the newspaper.
There are about 100 yearbooks donated by Nesbitt, going back to 1912. Those yearbooks plus what Hoag already had, should make for a complete collection, with duplicates. Those “extras” could be borrowed and taken out for people to comb through.
Robinson will work on cataloguing and organizing the materials.
“This is the largest collection that has ever been given by a citizen,” Robinson said.
Nesbitt said he wanted to share the materials with the community.
“I’ve collected it and someone should benefit from it,” he said. “Some of these treasures are so interesting.”
Cooper, the county historian, said the postcards includes quick remarks about life in the day. She enjoys seeing people reflections on their lives and what was going on in the community and world.
Nesbitt said he isn’t done gathering mementoes about the Albion area.
“It’s been fun,” he said. “I still look every day.”
County Historian Catherine Cooper, left, and local history librarian Dee Robinson look through the trove of items Charlie Nesbitt delivered to the library this past week.
The arch leading into Mount Albion Cemetery is featured here in a memento from the early 1900s.
The group shares a laugh over comments written in an old Chevron yearbook.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 17 August 2024 at 10:39 pm
ALBION – An invention by an Albion dairy farmer and his two sons is among 20 finalists in food and agriculture startups from around the world.
UdderWays LLC in Albion is competing with 19 others to win a combined total of $3 million in prize money in Grow-NY, a business competition focused on enhancing the emerging food, beverage and agriculture innovation cluster in upstate New York.
There were 312 startups that applied from 26 states, and 50 countries. There were 89 entries from New York.
Jody Neal and his sons Zachary and Jayden have formed UdderWays. They finished second in January in an agricultural innovation challenge at the American Farm Bureau Federation annual meeting in Salt Lake City, Utah.
The Neals developed a new system to sanitize and prepare udders for milking. The Neals have already won a $20,000 prize for second place in the American Farm Bureau competition.
Jody Neal is a partner a Poverty Hill Farms in Albion, a dairy farm on West County House Road. His sons were active in the Orleans County 4-H Robotics program, where they learned programming and tech skills as part of a team that competed in the Rochester region.
The Neals worked on their udder cleaning system for nearly a decade. The device is used just before a cow is milked. Their invention uses a unique, brushless technology to gently stimulate cows and ensure clean and dry teats, the family states on their website.
Empire State Development and Cornell University’s Center for Regional Economic Advancement announced the 20 finalists year six of Grow-NY. Winning companies will be required to make a positive economic impact in the Grow-NY region, which comprises 22 counties located in Central NY, the Finger Lakes, and the Southern Tier regions.
A Genesee County-based company also is among the finalists. Zordi in Oakfield builds autonomous greenhouses with robots and AI to make high-quality produce.
State Agriculture Commissioner Richard A. Ball, said, “From farming to food production, New York is an innovative, world-class leader in agriculture. Year after year, the Grow-NY competition is instrumental to bringing new, high-growth businesses in the industry focused on critical areas to our state. This event has once again brought to light just how critical agriculture is to our communities and to our economy, and I congratulate these finalists on their innovation that will help bolster our food systems, feed our communities, and move our state forward.”
A panel of 30 judges with knowledge of the region’s agriculture and food production communities, and entrepreneurial experience, reviewed all the applications to determine the top 20 finalists that will pitch their business plans at the Grow-NY Food and Ag Summit in Ithaca in November.
Grow-NY will award a total of $3 million in prize money to seven winners. This includes a $1 million top prize, two $500,000 awards, and four $250,000 prizes.
To see the other finalists for Grow-NY, click here.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 17 August 2024 at 11:06 am
‘In some spots this is the worst damage I’ve ever seen’
Photos by Tom Rivers: These Honeycrisp apples grown by Jim and Adam Kirby were badly by hail last Sunday. The Kirbys lost about 100 of their 170 acres of apples from the hail. The apples have numerous bruises and cuts from the hail.
GAINES – It’s a word fruit farmers fear: hail.
Those fast-moving pellets from the sky can turn a crop, that has been months in making, into a largely worthless field of ruin.
Last Sunday hail hit in the afternoon and it left a swath of destruction for farmers, especially those near Route 104.
Jim Kirby and his son Adam grow 170 acres of apples, as well as other vegetable and grain crops. About 100 acres of their apples were pummeled by the hail, including their most valuable apples, the Honeycrisp. They were going to start picking some of those apples this week.
Instead they were reaching out to their insurance agent, and trying to calculate the losses.
“This is a heart-breaker for me,” Jim Kirby said looking at a block of apples along Lattin Road. “This is a bumper crop of Honeycrisp. But it five minutes it’s all over.”
Jim Kirby has been growing apples for 50 years and said the hail storm is one of the most devastating in his career. He is shown with Honeycrisp apples, the top variety, in an orchard on Lattin Road.
Kirby and a crew of 12 workers spent the previous three weeks hand-thinning Honeycrisp apples, removing some so the others would max out on size and color.
But the storm left apples with many bruises and cuts. Sometimes hail will leave one or two bruises on an apple. This time the apples have 20 or more bruises, showing they were hammered by the hail. They can’t be sold on the fresh market for top dollar. They could go for juice, but that market will now be saturated and it may not pay to have workers pick those apples and then haul them for processing, Kirby said.
The storm was especially brutal for many apple farms in Orleans County, but also damaged corn, soybeans and vegetables, said Larry Meyer, the Farm Service Agency director in Orleans County.
He has been working for the FSA for 41 years. The Sunday hail storm cut a wide path of damage, but also missed some fields and orchards as it moved from Niagara, through Orleans and further east.
“In some spots this is the worst damage I’ve ever seen,” he said. “There is a lot of loss in the county. The people who got hit got hit real bad.”
These apples were almost ready to be picked but now likely will be left on the tree and later left on the ground unless the low-price juice market makes it worthwhile to pick them.
Meyer expects a federal disaster declaration will be issued which will allow for emergency low-interest loans for farmers without crop insurance.
Many of the farms now have private insurance, which can cover up to 65 percent of the crop’s value. Meyer said the apple market has very tight profit margins this year. The crop insurance will help the farmers, but still leaves them in a difficult position, especially when they were so close to harvest.
Meyer said farmers are in a better position to recover from the losses, compared to previous years. He recalled the Labor Day wind storm of 1998 that decimated the local apple crop. At the time the federal government to assist apple farms with disaster aid and there wasn’t private insurance to help cover the loss of an apple crop.
About a quarter of the apple farms went out of business in Orleans County after that storm.
But this time most of the farms have their own crop insurance, and the federal government can provide some disaster aid for the others.
The FSA is working to try to determine the extent of the damage.
“This was a long storm,” he said. “It had a lot of energy and it kept going.”
Apples and other fruit totaled $59.0 million in revenue for Orleans County farmers in 2022, according to the U.S. Agricultural Census. Orleans County’s total ag revenue is $233.6 million.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 17 August 2024 at 9:40 am
Photos by Tom Rivers
LYNDONVILLE – Tricia Daluisio of Leonard Oakes Estate Winery serves wine on Thursday evening to Cheryl Seipel of Lyndonville and Denise Appleby of Waterport.
Leonard Oakes was one of four wineries featured in the Orleans County Chamber of Commerce’s annual wine garden walk at the Robin Hill Preserve on Platten Road in Lyndonville. Dubby’s Wood Fired Pizza also was there, serving pizza.
Ray Wendling, owner of North Ridge Distillery, gives a sample to Christine Speedy. Wendling started North Ridge five years ago and now offers about a dozen varieties.
Paul Schwenk, owner of Schwenk Wine Cellars in Kent, had samples available from several wines. Schwenk has been a wine-maker for 46 years and offers 26 varieties of wine.
Bryan DeGraw, co-owner of 810 Meadworks, offered samples of mead, a honey-based alcoholic beverage. 810 Meadworks has six meads that are available at Leonard Oakes Estate Winery on Ridge Road in Medina.
By Ginny Kropf, correspondent Posted 16 August 2024 at 10:29 pm
MEDINA – The Seneca Chief, the boat which opened the Erie Canal in 1825 with Governor Dewitt Clinton, continued to attract visitors in the canal basin this afternoon and evening, on its return to Buffalo after traveling to Rochester.
More than 320 people visited the boat last Monday during its first stop in Monday, said Kathy Blackburn, a member of Medina’s Tourism Committee.
Replicating Monday’s visit, the Seneca Chief was open for tourists, staff was on hand to talk about the boat and Medina and Orleans County Tourism agencies had an informational tent.
Local busker Rob Robinson strolled the grounds, playing his guitar and singing songs of the Erie Canal and old favorites.
“This is pretty cool,” he said of the Seneca Chief’s visit. “People need to know how history used to be. The canal carried hundreds, even thousands of boats up and down this canal, filled with barrels of apples and grain.’
Medina Mayor Marguerite Sherman talks to her in-laws, John and Sally Sherman, near the interpretive panels describing the Seneca Chief’s history.
Roger Allen was the master boat builder with Greg Dudley. Allen said he has been building wooden boats for museums since 1978, but this was the most amazing project he ever worked on.
“The reason it is so amazing to me is the size of the boat,” Allen said. “This is not a common occurrence in the United States any more. Only two of us were paid staff, and I point out the woodwork to visitors, because it was all done by volunteers.”
He explained the research which went into the project before they started building the boat.
“The Seneca Chief was a line boat we discovered in the original records,” Allen said. “It is 73 feet by 12 ½ feet.”
He explained a line boat is a specific type of boat which carries cargo and also has a passengers’ cabin. It would have carried lumber, wheat, apples or any goods manufactured or grown in the area, maybe even Medina sandstone, he said.
“A lot of early newspapers reported Dewitt Clinton got aboard a packet boat,” Allen said. “That is not true. A packet boat carried mail and passengers, not cargo.”
(Left) Sally Sherman of Buffalo, mother-in-law of Medina Mayor Marguerite Sherman, examines a display of tools which would have been used to build a boat like the Seneca Chief. There was a plane, auger, a lipped adze and a maul (the large club near the front). (Right) Master boat builder Roger Allen, right, chats with John Sherman, father-in-law of Medina Mayor Marguerite Sherman, as they stand in the front of the Seneca Chief. Sherman lives only 10 minutes from where the Seneca Chief was built in Buffalo and came to see the finished boat. They stand by the tiller, which was made from a piece of wood pulled from the Flight of Five Locks in Lockport.
Allen went on to say the boat is not yet finished. They still have to finish the crew’s quarters in the stern of the boat and the passengers’ cabin in the front.
Allen said Governor Clinton did a lot of promoting of the canal and he could have opened the cargo doors and shown people the tons of cargo, showcasing the many goods which could be carried on the canal.
This trip down the canal to Rochester and back is a sea trial for the Seneca Chief’s voyage next year, commemorating the 200th anniversary of the canal. The 2025 World Canals Conference will take place in Buffalo from Sept. 21 to 25, followed by the Seneca Chief’s departure from Buffalo and arrival in New York City on Oct. 26.
After departing from Medina about 8 a.m. Saturday, the Seneca Chief will return to Buffalo, where the crew’s quarters and passengers’ cabin will be finished by mid-October. Then the boat will be returned to Lockport’s Flight of Five Locks, where it will spend the winter.
ALBION – Orleans County Sheriff Christopher Bourke is pleased to announce a Child Passenger Safety Seat Check Point Event will be held on Saturday, Sept. 21, at the Orleans County Public Safety Building from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
According to data, vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for children between the ages of 1 to 13. Preventative measures, such as proper installation of car seats, booster seats and seat belts can reduce the likelihood of death and injuries. Informing and instructing parents and caregivers on child passenger safety and proper installation of car seats is critical to saving young lives.
Our certified child passenger safety technicians will inspect your car and/or booster seats to ensure that your child is in the appropriate seat for their size and age.
For child passenger safety seat questions, please contact certified technician Kevin Colonna at 585-589-5527 or Kevin.Colonna@orleanscountyny.gov.
Press Release, Orleans County Sheriff Chris Bourke
ALBION – Sheriff Christopher Bourke has announced the upcoming civil service exams for both Deputy Sheriff and Police Officer.
Sheriff Bourke
The Orleans County Sheriff’s Office hires from the eligible list established as a result of the Deputy Sheriff exam, and the Villages of Albion, Holley and Medina hire from the eligible list established as a result of the Police Officer exam.
Candidates must be legal residents of Orleans, Erie, Genesee, Monroe or Niagara counties for at least one month immediately preceding the date of the examination. Preference in certification for appointment to Deputy Sheriff may be given to successful candidates who have been residents of Orleans County for one month immediately preceding the date of the examination.
The last filing date for the exam is Aug. 21 with the physical fitness (agility) test on Sept. 21, followed by the written exam on Sept. 28.
Applications, qualifications and additional information may be obtained by clicking here or contact Kate Harvey, the Orleans County Director of Personnel and Self-insurance, at (585) 589-3184.
