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).

Press Release, Friends of Boxwood Cemetery

Provided photo: The L’Hommedieu gravestone is shown during Boxwood at Night in 2023.

MEDINA – The Friends of Boxwood Cemetery, in Medina, are excited to announce the third annual, “Boxwood at Night: See the Cemetery in a New Light.”

This year’s event will be on Oct. 5. Tickets cost $15 and there will be two time slots – 7 to 8 p.m. or 8 to 9 p.m. The time slots are when you can enter. Once you are checked in, you are welcome to stay until the event ends at 9:30 p.m. Guests will stroll through the cemetery at their own pace in a relaxing, family-friendly atmosphere.

Robby Klino, the president of the Friends of Boxwood Cemetery, stated “Our overall goal for ‘Bigger, Better, and Brighter’ Boxwood at Night 2024 is to continue our fundraising efforts to complete the chapel renovations and to raise funds for a marker to honor those buried in the Potter’s Field.” He also announced, “We are adding an educational element this year by partnering with the Medina Historical Society to feature an exhibit of Victorian funerary art in the chapel.”

Tickets are limited to the first 300 people so you will want to get your tickets before they sell out.

Event co-chair, Nicole Bensley, “New and returning guests will enjoy a stroll through a ‘Bigger, Better, Brighter’ Boxwood at Night. It will feature several local visual, musical, and performing artists.” She added, “We are excited to partner once again with GO Art! to make this a special event for the community.”

Tickets are available during business hours at the English Rose Tea Shoppe and Thistle Ridge Décor and Gifts – both places are on Main Street in Medina. Tickets will also be available at the Canal Village Farmers Market in Medina on Sept. 28. As an added convenience, you may also purchase tickets online using a credit card. Click here for more information.

Raffle tickets will also be available to purchase at the Farmers Market booth and again at the event. Light concessions and glow-in-the-dark accessories will be available for purchase at the event to enhance your enjoyment.

This project is made possible with funds from the Statewide Community Regrant Program, a regrant program of the New York State Council on the Arts with support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature and administered by GO Art! (the Genesee-Orleans Regional Arts Council).

Howard is battling stage 4 metastatic prostate cancer

Provided photos: Eli Howard, left, is shown before taking the stage as a stand-up comedian. At right he is queuing a song as a deejay.

MEDINA – There will be a benefit on Saturday for a Medina man who is well known in the community, from years of volunteering in youth sports, serving as a deejay at events and performing as a stand-up comedian.

Eli Howard, 50, is battling stage 4 metastatic cancer. He said the cancer isn’t curable but is manageable and he feels optimistic about the future.

Eli Howard is shown with his wife, Jana, and their daughters, Kylee (left) and Jelia.

Howard and his wife, Jana, have two daughters, Jelia, age 21; and Kylee, age 17. Mrs. Howard is owner of A Kut Above on Main Street in Medina.

The benefit on Saturday starts at 11 a.m. at the Sacred Heart Club on North Gravel Rad. The 500 chicken barbecue dinners have already sold out.

There are at least 120 baskets up for raffle and the raffle drawing begins at 6 p.m. Winners don’t have to be present at the drawing. There will also be 50/50s and a silent auction.

Howard said he deeply appreciates the community rallying on his behalf.

He started working at age 19 in the laundry department at the former Orleans County Nursing Home and served there for 28 years. In 2021, he began at Wende Correctional Facility, also working in the laundry department.

Howard was stricken in March with gout, and was unable to walk. He also has suffered from congestive heart failure and diabetes. He was able to leave the hospital on June 24 after 14 weeks of care. While hospitalized, doctors found cancer and began treatment.

Howard takes two chemo pills each morning, and will have a shot every three months to fight the cancer. He can feel himself on the mend.

Job Corps carpentry student Kalvie Grimsley fastens down the bench in Pine Street Park.

Press Release, Medina Rotary Club

MEDINA – On Wednesday, the first of four “Buddy Benches” were installed in a Medina playground.  The idea of Buddy Benches was brought to the Medina Rotary Club by member Carl Tuohey.

He and Cynthia Hewitt spearheaded the project. The Iroquois Job Corps carpentry trade students constructed four Buddy Benches for the Medina Rotary.

Buddy Benches provide students a safe way to find a buddy. When children see someone sitting on the Buddy Bench, they know he or she needs a friendly companion and can join them to say hello or invite them to play. The first Buddy Bench was placed at Pine Street Park.

Special thanks go to Public Works Superintendent Jason Watts and Medina’s Mayor Marguerite Sherman for their assistance in seeing this project to completion.

The Medina Rotary Club has raised money sponsoring events such as chicken barbecues, meat raffles, Corn Hole tournaments, and meal pairings. Recently, this service organization has donated to the local food pantry, donated multiple Adirondack chairs to benefits and fundraisers, donated to the YMCA, gives a yearly high school scholarship, raised money for Orleans County Walk to end Alzheimer’s, donated to Medina families in need (mattresses, bed frames, bedding, and a bicycle), and is donating four metal benches to the Village of Medina for youth baseball.

11-year-old sixth-grader also leads state in points

Provided photos: Laina Stewart, 11, carries the checkered flag after winning a race at the Ransomville Speedway.

LYNDONVILLE – Laina Stewart in her fifth season of racing has earned the title of track champ at Ransomville Speedway. She races go-karts in the Junior 2 Division.

Laina, who just turned 11, zooms around a ½-mile dirt oval, topping 40 miles per hour. Her go-kart is labelled, “The Lyndonville Rocket.” She is a sixth-grader at Lyndonville.

Laina  also currently tops in the state in points in the Junior Purple Clone division with 286 points. Levi Herriven is second at 278, and Jax Cotriss of Middleport is third at 256. Jax finished second to Laina at Ransomville.

“They pretty much battle it out all year,” Laina’s stepfather Ricky Washburn said about a friendly rivalry between Laina and Jax.

Laina also races at the Weedsport Speedway near Syracuse once or twice a month on Saturdays or Sundays while Ransomville has been a weekly competition on Thursdays. The state rankings continue until the final week of racing on Oct. 27 in Weedsport.

“She’s a natural at it,” Washburn said about Laina. “She’s competitive.”

Laina Stewart, second from left, is shown with her family, including her mother, Desirae Davis; stepfather, Ricky Washburn; and her sister, Parker.

Laina moved up a division this year after being in the Junior 1 Division in 2023. She races with about 15 other 10- to 12-year-olds. The maximum speed increased by about 5 miles per hour from Junior 1, topping out at about 45 mph this year. Laina likes to go fast on the straight-a-ways and lets off the gas, a little, when she rounds the corners

She also plays soccer and softball, and this year is playing football for the first time, as a defender for Lyndonville’s youth football team.

The racing is a family-oriented event. Washburn and Laina’s grandfather, Keith Davis, are in the pit and keep the go-kart in good working order.

Laina’s 3-year-old sister Parker is eager to get into racing in about two years.

“It’s fun getting together every week,” Washburn said about the racing outings. “It’s a whole family thing.”

Laina appreciates the support from her major supporters: Slack Karts Performance Mfg., a go-cart business in Middleport; Tom Klink from Infinit Technology Solutions; and Independent Pizzeria in Weedsport.

After the season ends in Weedsport, Laina expects to race a few times this winter in Kentucky.

Provided photo

CLARENDON – Melissa Ierlan, the Clarendon historian and code enforcement officer, stands with a fiberglass ox that was delivered to the town on Wednesday.

The town paid for the ox and the delivery charges from Texas, using ARPA federal funds from the American Rescue Plan Act. It will be painted and on display at the town hall as part of Orleans County’s bicentennial in 2025.

The first ox was painted during the Orleans County 4-H Fair in late July by artist Stacey Kirby Steward.

Ierlan said town officials are discussing the theme for the ox. She is leaning towards a Carl Akeley theme in honor of Clarendon’s native son who was a world famous taxidermist  and conservationist. He was instrumental in creating the first national park in Africa.

Akeley grew up on Hinds Road in Clarendon, when he started “stuffing” birds and small animals. He made ground-breaking advances in taxidermy. The Akeley Hall of African Mammals includes many of Akeley’s elephants, lions, rhinos and gorillas. They are displayed in New York City at the American Museum of Natural History.

Anyone with other ideas for painting the ox can send Ierlan an email at clarendon_hs@yahoo.com.

Ierlan said oxen were instrumental in helping the pioneers settle in Orleans County. She recalled visiting Ida Cook when she was 106 and she shared how her ancestors came to Orleans County, with only their children, an ox and a cart.

BATAVIA – Assemblyman Steve Hawley will leave Batavia on Thursday morning with a group of veterans and their families, heading to the U.S. capital to see numerous monuments and landmarks.

This will be the 15^th time Hawley has led veterans on the Patriot Trip. This year’s trip will feature stops at several notable locations in the D.C. area including the WWII, Korean and Vietnam War memorials as well as Arlington National Cemetery.

“Taking our local veterans on these annual Patriot Trips is one of the most rewarding parts of my job,” Hawley said. “I’m glad we’re able to put this event on for another year and show our veterans the gratitude and appreciation they deserve.”

The bus will leave at 7 a.m. from the Batavia Downs parking lot.

Hawley started leading the Patriot Trip in 2008. It has been an annual event every year, except in 2020 and ’21 due to concerns about Covid.

Hawley started the trips for local veterans after taking his father, a World War II, to see the war memorials in the nation’s capital. Hawley said seeing the memorials helped his father to talk about his experiences in the war and to feel appreciation for his service.

Photo courtesy of Rob Ortt’s Office: State Senate Minority Leader Rob Ortt and owners of Escarpment Arms call on Gov. Kathy Hochul to sign the big game hunting by rifle bill into law.

Press Release, State Senate Republican Leader Rob Ortt

LOCKPORT –  Today, standing with the owners of Escarpment Arms, New York State Senate Minority Leader Rob Ortt called on NYS Gov. Kathy Hochul to sign Senate Bill S.8382B, which would allow for rifle hunting of big game in Niagara County, into law.

The bill passed the Senate and the Assembly with wide, bi-partisan support and will amend existing conservation laws at no cost to taxpayers. After passing both houses, the bill now awaits Gov. Hochul’s signature to become law. Until then, the current prohibition on big game rifle hunting in Niagara County will continue.

“I, along with my partners in the Assembly, are calling on Governor Hochul to sign this bill prior to deer and bear hunting season. In Niagara County, sportsmen have been waiting a long time to be able to partake in the tradition of hunting big game by rifle within county limits,” said Senator Ortt. “Niagara County remains one of the last counties upstate where rifle hunting is prohibited. At the request of county residents and lawmakers, this bill aims to change that and allow more opportunities for hunters to exercise an American tradition.”

The bill does have limitations. Cities within the county, including Lockport, North Tonawanda and Niagara Falls, will be excluded from rifle hunting.

Once signed by Governor Hochul, the bill will immediately go into effect.

ALBION – The public is invited to a dedication at 9 a.m. on Sept. 28 when four memorial benches will be unveiled by the basketball courts at Bullard Park.

The coated steel sport benches are the latest addition to the new courts, which opened last October.

Four people or organizations paid $750 for a memorial bench which will have plaques.

Those memorialized include Jonathan Doherty, an active community member who helped with many of the events and fundraisers at the park. Doherty was 38 when he passed away on May 5, 2022. The Greater Albion Community Recreation and Events is paying for the bench.

Another bench is in memory of Jesse Swartout, who passed away at age 21 in 2002 when he was a senior at Skidmore College. He has family in the local area.

A bench will be in honor of Craig H. Anderson who died from leukemia in 1973 following his senior year at Albion.  He was a standout athlete at Albion and the high school gym is named after him.

The other bench will be in memory of Justin Swanger, who passed away in his sleep at age 22 on Nov. 28, 2014. Swanger played on the Albion basketball team and was a three-point specialist.

The Greater Albion Community Recreation and Events, a non-profit that has helped spearhead improvements at Bullard, also is working on a video promoting the activities and recent upgrades. The group is planning a video shoot at noon on Oct. 12 at the park. The community is welcome to be part of the video.

File photo by Ginny Kropf: This banner hung over downtown Medina to promote homecoming last week. The Medina Mustang Sports Boosters urges stores to decorate their windows.

MEDINA – The Medina Mustang Sports Boosters are excited to announce they will again be celebrating Homecoming 2024 by inviting local businesses to get involved in Homecoming Week in a variety of ways.

“Homecoming is a community event – a time to celebrate, not just Mustang athletics, but who we are as a community,” said Melissa Valley, head of the Mustang Sports Boosters. “Mustang Sports Boosters are always incredibly appreciative of the support the Medina business community provides us, and now we want to celebrate you.”

Their goal for Homecoming the week of Sept. 23 is to get the whole community involved and into the Mustang spirit. Homecoming will feature activities and games throughout the week, including the Homecoming game Sept. 27, when the Medina Mustangs football team hosts Newfane.

“We hope to get businesses involved in two ways,” Valley said. “First, we would love for downtown to show its Mustang spirit with our third annual window decorating contest. Secondly, we want to promote their business by adding their homecoming special of the week to our Mustang Menu.”

If businesses don’t want to enter the contest, Valley said the Mustang Boosters will welcome any form of Mustang spirit that works for them.

A giant banner proclaiming Homecoming Week will be hung over Main Street in honor of the week.

“The banner was made by our very own Print Shop and it will be on display over Main Street next week,” Valley said. “We also have banners that will be up at Vets Park. We will promote any business who wants to join in on the run or any Mustang specials for the week.”

The Mustang Boosters encourage everyone downtown and in Medina to show as much Mustang pride and spirit as they can during Homecoming Week.

“It is something that unites the community in a positive way,” Valley said.

Anyone wishing more information can contact Valley at mvalley@medinacsd.org or by calling (716)-531-3055.

GASPORT – Once Brandi Silsby had two children of her own, she knew she wanted to raise them in the Montessori method of learning.

On Sept. 16, Brandi Silsby and co-founder Rachel Struckmann opened the Bergamot Montessori School at 8403 Rochester Rd. The school is affiliated with the Wildflower Organization, which helps schools around the country with funding.

The method of teaching was founded in Italy in the early 1900s by Maria Montessori, who applied the scientific method of learning and observed children’s natural tendencies toward learning.

Montessori schools accept children ages 2 years 10 months to kindergarten.

“In a traditional Montessori school, children stay with us three years,” Silsby said.

Both Silsby and Struckman are highly trained educators. Silsby, a reading specialist, taught in public schools in the area since 2008, the last year being at Towne School in Medina. She has a dual major in childhood and early childhood education and a master’s in literacy. Both ladies are Montessori trained. Struckmann, who has a degree in social work, did an observation of Montessori at Nardin Academy and St. Columba Brigid in Buffalo.

In traditional classrooms, students follow the same lessons, leaving some children behind while others forge ahead. In Montessori classrooms, students challenge themselves when they’re ready, developing greater self-sufficiency and personal independence, and building an internal sense of purpose and motivation.

In Montessori, each child has an individualized learning curriculum which follows the child.

(Left) Rachel Struckmann watches as Brandi Silsby demonstrates a child’s learning exercise on a work rug. The rug defines a child’s space and they learn to respect other children’s rug and walk around it. (Right) Brandi Silsby points out number rods, which help children learn to count.

Bergamot Montessori School is one of only two authentic, full-day Montessori schools in Niagara County, and will be the only one licensed in Niagara County through the Office of Children and Family Services.

“This allows us to offer financial assistance to our families,” Struckmann said. “We also have to follow strict guidelines for health, safety, administration and education.”

Fourteen children are registered at the school, which has the capacity to accept up to 24. If they reach 19 students, they will hire a third person, Silsby said. They hope to draw children from Middleport, Medina and Gasport.

Struckmann said their method of learning creates independence in every aspect.

“We are setting the foundation for independence,” she said.

Rachel Struckman and Brandi Silsby stand by a sound chart, which helps children learn the alphabet and associate letters with certain sounds.

When children arrive, the first thing they do is go in a small room called the Cubby Room, to hang up their coats, take off their outside shoes and put on their inside shoes. They next walk to a counter and choose a popsicle stick with their name on it.

 All learning activities are done individually. The only group activities during Circle Time, are songs, movement and reading aloud.

Children are assigned a work rug, and are taught the meticulous, calculated way to unroll it. All activities are completed on their rug, which defines their space, and other children quickly learn to respect it and walk around another child’s space.

The method also makes time for learning grace and courtesy, a hallmark of Montessori, Struckmann said.  Respect for others is also part of the curriculum.

“Children learn how to tuck in a chair, blow their nose and wash their hands properly,”  she added.

A sensorial area is for refining the senses and preparation for the mathematical mind.

“Everything we do is precise,” Silsby said. “If a child is talking, he’s not moving. If he’s moving, he’s not talking.”

When a child has picked an activity, he is asked if he wants to practice more or put it back on the shelf. They cannot choose an activity until they’ve had a lesson in it, then they may choose it any time.

“Montessori is incredibly structured,” Structmann said.

“We call it ‘freedom within limits,’” Silsby said.

Bergamot Montessori is a 501c3 organization through Wildflower.

An open house is planned for the public from 4 to 6 p.m. Sept. 26.