MEDINA – Senior citizens packed the Senior Center of Western Orleans in Medina on Monday for their annual Christmas dinner and entertainment by Medina High School’s A’Capella Select Choir.

Following the business meeting, director Kelly Shaw handed out $40 gift cards to Tops to 10 seniors whose names were drawn. Concluding the meeting, president Lynn Creasey presented Shaw with a check in appreciation of all she does for the center and its seniors.

Dinner was potluck with beef on weck provided by the center and an array of Christmas cookies.

A highlight of the Christmas dinner every year is a visit from the A’Capella Select Choir, under the current leadership of Rachel Trillizio.

“Their visit is an annual tradition,” Shaw said. “I’ve been here 20 years and they were coming here back then. They’ve never missed a year.”

(Left) Medina Senior Center director Kelly Shaw, right, presents a poinsettia to A’Capella Choir director Rachel Trillizio, after their performance Monday at the Senior Center Christmas party. Each choir member received a decorated Christmas cookie to take home. (Right) Lynn Creasey, president of the Senior Citizens of Western New York, presents a check to Kelly Shaw in appreciation of her hard work and dedication to the seniors.

The choir sang a number of old favorite Christmas carols, including Silent Night, Oh Come all Ye Faithful and Joy to the World, along with several praise and gospel tunes, such as Alleluia Madrigal and Nanita Lullaby in Spanish.

“I’m the luckiest person in the world to work with these kids, who give 99.9% of their time to being in the musical program, including choir, marching band and plays,” Trillizio said. “Some of them want to go to college to study music, but those who don’t still show the same amount of pride, passion and dedication to the Music Department.”

Student Riley Tompkins was among the members who sang for the senior citizens on Monday.

“It is always a very enjoyable experience to share our music with people who have been a part of the community for years,” Tompkins said. “It is always a blast to sing in front of them, as they are a very fun audience who love hearing us sing. It means so much knowing that our hard work is recognized with grace. Performing in the Medina community means the world to me, and the people involved are always the highest of excellence.”

Rachel Trillizio, director of the A’Capella Choir, greets the audience during their visit to the Medina Senior Center on Monday. Singing for the Senior Center has been an annual tradition for many decades.

Another member of the Select Choir is junior Ava Blount. This is her second year in the choir and Select ensemble.

“A’Capella has been a safe space for me these past two years,” Blount said. “No matter what kind of day I’m having, it never fails to brighten my day. Performing for my community has been an experience I will take with me for the rest of my life – seeing all the little kids faces light up when we sing our Christmas carols, and seeing proud parents and sibling watch their babies carry on family traditions. And to those at the Senior Center, I value this experience because I admire carrying on the legacy that was created so many years ago. Yesterday was special, watching everyone’s reactions and faces as we sang songs they once sang. Carrying on this legacy and seeing everyone in the community enjoying our art, no matter what their age, truly makes our hard work worthwhile.”

Trillizio praised her forerunners who built and maintained the A’Capella Choir, namely the late Robert Conner and Lisa Roesseler.

Trillizio said they have sung every year, even during the Covid pandemic when they had to stand three feet apart and wear masks.

Trillizio ended by reminding the audience of their annual A’Capella Community Christmas Concert at 7 p.m. on Dec. 15 at St. Mary’s Church.

A winter weather advisory has been issued for Orleans, Genesee, Niagara and northern Erie counties from 7 this evening until 4 a.m. on Friday.

The National Weather Service in Buffalo said 3 to 7 inches of snow are expected, and gusts up to 50 miles per hour will produce considerable blowing and drifting snow.

“Travel will be difficult,” the Weather Service stated. “Areas of blowing snow will significantly reduce visibility. The hazardous conditions will impact the Thursday morning and evening commutes. Gusty winds will down tree branches and cause isolated power outages.”

Barre project among 23 large-scale renewable energy projects to get state contracts

Gov. Kathy Hochul today announced the state has approved contracts for 23 large-scale land-based renewable energy projects, including the Heritage Wind project in Barre.

That project has been down-sized from its initial plan for 33 turbines generating 184.8 megawatts. Heritage Wind now plans 27 turbines with a capacity for 126 megawatts.

Hochul said the 23 renewable energy projects will provide more than 2.3 gigawatts of clean energy, which is enough to power more than 700,000 homes throughout New York State. The projects represent $4.7 billion in private investment while reinforcing the state’s commitment to the development of clean energy, grid resiliency and economic development, Hochul said.

“New York continues to foster competitive opportunities for the clean energy industry to thrive,” Governor Hochul said. “We are delivering on our commitment to make New York more prosperous by harnessing the benefits of a growing clean energy economy, increasing family sustaining jobs and spurring private investment within communities across the State while remaining focused on keeping energy affordable for all New Yorkers.”

The contracted awards are the result of the New York State Energy and Research Development Authority’s 2023 Tier 1 Renewable Energy Standard solicitation. The projects are expected to reduce CO2 equivalent emissions by 2.3 million metric tons annually, the equivalent of removing nearly 350,000 cars from the road; provide public health benefits resulting from reduced exposure to harmful pollutants; and provide more than $249 million in commitments to disadvantaged communities from community benefit funds.

 The projects include:

Finger Lakes

• Trelina Solar Energy Center, NextEra Energy Resources, Seneca County
• Cider Solar Farm, Hecate Energy and Greenbacker Renewable Energy Company, Genesee County
• Highview Solar, Cordelio Power, Wyoming County
• Heritage Wind, Apex Clean Energy, Orleans County
• Excelsior Energy Center, NextEra Energy Resources, Genesee County

Central New York

• Dog Corners, Cordelio Power, Cayuga County
• Scipio Solar, Cordelio Power, Cayuga County
• ELP Granby Solar II, VC Renewables, Oswego County
• Garnet Energy Center, NextEra Energy Resources, Cayuga County

Mid-Hudson

• Little Pond Solar, Greenbacker Renewable Energy Company, Orange County

Mohawk Valley

• Tayandenega Solar, Greenbacker Renewable Energy Company, Montgomery County
• Rock District Solar, Greenbacker Renewable Energy Company, Schoharie County
• Grassy Knoll Solar, Cordelio Power, Herkimer County
• Flat Hill Solar, Cordelio Power, Herkimer County
• Watkins Road Solar, Cordelio Power, Herkimer County
• Hills Solar, Cordelio Power, Herkimer County
• Flat Stone Solar, Cordelio Power, Oneida County

North Country

• Brookside Solar, AES, Franklin County

Southern Tier

• Baron Winds II, RWE, Steuben County
• Canisteo Wind Energy Center, Invenergy, Steuben County
• Valley Solar, Cordelio Power, Tioga County

Western New York

• Alle-Catt Wind, Invenergy, Allegany and Cattaraugus Counties, Wyoming County (Finger Lakes region)
• Bear Ridge Solar, Cypress Creek Renewables, Niagara County

Several projects have already commenced construction activities, and all projects are expected to be operational by 2028, Hochul said in a news release.

Clarendon and Barre are getting ready to host lighted parades.

Clarendon’s parade will be this Friday starting at 7 at the fire hall on Route 31A. The route then goes through the town’s main intersection, takes a right turn onto Route 237, and then a left on Church Street to the Historical Society.

Santa will then greet people at the museum.

Barre also will be hosting its seventh annual lighted tractor at 5:30 p.m. on Dec. 14. The parade starts on Route 98 at East Barre Road and goes north on 98 to the Barre Town Park.

Albion also is hosting a parade at 6 p.m. on Dec. 14.

ALBION – The first election for the Albion Joint Fire District will be Dec. 10 from 4 to 9 p.m. at Hoag Library.

There have been five appointed commissioners and an appointed treasurer serving since August, with their first meeting on Aug. 20.

Of the current five commissioners, four will be on the ballot in the Dec. 10 election. Joe Martillotta opted against running to be an elected commissioner.

Albert Cheverie, Craig Lane, Chris Kinter and David Buczek all were appointed and are running for election. Kevin Sheehan, a former village trustee, also is seeking an elected position.

The commissioners’ terms will be for 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 years, depending on the vote totals for each. The highest vote-getter gets the 5-year term and then the term length goes in descending order of votes. After the December election, the commissioner election should have one position up for election each year.

Two people are running for treasurer. Victoria Tabor has been in the position since August. She is running for election along with Kristen Marciszewski.

The local Mental Health Crisis Helpline, The Care & Crisis Helpline (585) 283-5200, is currently and temporarily non-operational as a result of phone and network issues. It serves Genesee, Orleans and Wyoming counties.

In the case of an immediate mental health need or mental health crisis, you can call or text 988, the  National Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, or dial 911 to reach your local dispatch center.

ALBION – There are 21 entries registered for the Dec. 14 Christmas parade in Albion, and one of the organizers welcomes more.

Susan Oschmann would like to have 30 lighted floats for the parade on Dec. 14 at 6 p.m. The parade was called Santa’s Hometown Parade but has been changed to the Charles W. Howard Hometown Parade.

The parade committee is paying tribute to Howard, who ran a Santa School in Albion from 1937 to 1966. He also operated Christmas Park beginning in the mid-1950s. That site attracted about 80,000 people a year.

The parade will culminate with a float carrying Santa. The route starts on Route 31 at CRFS and heads to Route 98, goes down Main Street to State Street and then goes to Platt Street and concludes at Dubby’s, where there will be a party after the parade.

There are prizes for the top floats: $600 for first $400 for second, and $200 for third.

Click here for more information on registering for the parade.

Photos by Tom Rivers

ALBION – Alec Sherman leads the crowds in a Christmas sing-along to “Sleigh Ride” on Sunday during the “Christmas in the Neighborhood” concert at the First Presbyterian Church of Albion.

He was accompanied by Gary Simboli at left. Albion alumni and current students performed more than 20 songs for the annual concert at the First Presbyterian Church.

The church has been hosting the concerts since 2009, first as part of the Eastman at Albion series and then since 2015 as part of an Albion alumni concert event.

Charlie Nesbitt read “The Night Before Christmas” sharing segments of the story after musical performances throughout the concert.

Albion Alumni Association leaders welcome the crowd to the concert. Susan Starkweather Miller is at the microphone. Charlie Nesbitt is at left next to Susan Thaine, the church’s pastor, and Tony Wynn, one of the board members for the Alumni Foundation.

Ethan Ferchen sings, “It Feels Like Christmas.”

Kae Wilbert on bassoon and Susan Walders on flute perform “Deck the Halls.”

Jennifer Trupo sings, “A Baby Changes Everything.”

The concert had a theme of “Believe.”

Other performers included Gary Simboli, Shannon Vanderlaan, Janet Miller, Mike Thaine, Albion High School Select Choir, Evan Steer, Susan Thaine, Matthew Mooney Galantowicz and Keith Galantowicz, Albion High School Percussion Ensemble, AHS Clarinet Choir, Albion Presbyterian Choir, Shannon Broda, Trellis Pore, Zyann Pore, and the Community Christmas Choir.

Photo by Ginny Kropf: Ric Jones, director of the Middleport Community Choir, and Debby Clark of Lockport, accompanist and director of the Bell Tones, share a light moment during a previous concert. They will again join their talents to present the annual Christmas concert at 4 p.m. Saturday at the Middleport United Methodist Church.

MIDDLEPORT – A Dickens Christmas will be the focus this season of the annual Christmas concert by the Middleport Community Choir and Middleport Bell Tones.

The concert is scheduled at 4 p.m. Saturday at the Middleport United Methodist Church, according to Ric Jones of Medina, director of the choir. Debby Clark directs the bell choir and is also accompanist for the choir.

“A Dickens Christmas” illustrates Scrooge’s transformation from a miserly old man to a compassionate benefactor, capturing the essence of redemption and the power of love and generosity, Jones explained. Each son will reflect the different scenes, characters and emotions of the story.

Some of the recognizable favorites will include “Carol of the Bells,” “Coventry Carol,” “Here we Come a-Caroling” and “What Child is This.” The audience will have the opportunity to join the choir in “Hark the Herald Angels Sing.” Selections will also include music that uses texts written by Charles Dickens.

“Our annual Christmas concert is one of our favorite concerts of the year, and certainly the most attended,” Jones said. “I chose this theme because I really wanted to play into the feel of a small-town Christmas. And who better to do it with than Charles Dickens. Middleport at Christmas is like a Hallmark movie. Throughout the village, there is a sense of community and comradery. The annual tree lighting is so much fun and this concert fits perfectly with that atmosphere.”

Refreshments will be offered after the concert and the audience is encouraged to stick around and enjoy some socializing, Jones said.

There is no admission charge for the concert, but a free-will offering will be taken. The Methodist Church is located at 9 Park Ave.

Funding for the concert is made possible through Arts Services Creative Impact Fund, thanks to a New York State Senate initiative supported by the NYS Legislature and the Office of the Governor and administered by the New York State Council on the Arts.

At 6 p.m., the village of Middleport will have its annual tree lighting right outside the church on Park Avenue.

Press Release, Green Orleans

ALBION – The “Toxicity of Plastics” presentation sponsored by Green Orleans has been rescheduled for Wednesday, March 5, 2025 at 6:30 p.m. at the Hoag.

Dr. Jane van Dis, MD (University of Rochester) had originally planned to present this topic at the Hoag on November 7, 2024 but was unable to appear due to a last minute emergency.

In Dr. Van Dis’s absence, Green Orleans decided to make the best of the situation and invited people to stay. They then “opened the floor up” to discussions on many sustainability/environmental topics. About 20-25 people stayed on.

Among these topics discussed were: the STAMP Project in northwestern Genesee County and its effects on the Oak Orchard River and the Tonawanda Seneca Nation; a bill that has been introduced in the NY State Legislature to expand the existing NY State “Bottle

 Bill”; and a description of a store in Fairport (“Cloth-N-Mortar”) that refills its customers’ glass containers with such products as shampoo, all-purpose cleaner and liquid hand soap – at very reasonable prices. Although we recognize that Fairport is not

 just “around the corner,” the store’s concept is good and the hope is that it can be replicated somewhere here in Orleans County.

Anyone interested in becoming part of the Green Orleans organization, or, in just helping out occasionally on projects, should call Sr. Dolores O’Dowd at (585) 589-1405. The group meets at the Hoag Library the third Thursday of each month at 11:30 a.m.

Photos by Tom Rivers

MEDINA – A fiberglass ox painted by artist Stacey Kirby Steward is pulled on a trailer during Medina’s Parade of Lights on Saturday.

The ox includes an agricultural theme on one side and a tribute to the Orleans County 4-H Fair on the other side. It makes its home at the Fairgrounds.

The Orleans County Bicentennial Committee spearheaded the project with the Cornell Cooperative Extension.

The Bicentennial Committee would like to see more of the oxen painted for the county’s 200^th anniversary in 2025.

There will be an informational meeting for the public to hear more about how to get an ox as part of the bicentennial celebration. That meeting will be at noon on Jan. 25 at Hoag Library in Albion.

Saturday’s parade also included the debut of an ox costume created by Robyn Watts. Lucy Rivers wore the costume during the parade. She is shown here with the ox statue at the staging area before the parade at the Olde Pickle Factory in Medina.

The ox walks the parade route on Main Street. The costume includes a vest with the names of the 10 towns, four villages, five school districts and some of the hamlets.

Some of the Bicentennial Committee members and volunteers work on getting the float ready on Friday at the fairgrounds. Lynne Menz designed the float.

The ox on the float is expected to make more appearances at local parades and community events to help the county celebrate its 200^th anniversary in 2025.

(Editor’s Note: Orleans Hub editor Tom Rivers is a member of the Bicentennial Committee.)

Press Release, Orleans County Sheriff’s Office

ALBION – The Orleans County Sheriff’s Office today has arrested a 15-year-old student of the Albion School District in connection with making a terroristic threat, said Jeff Gifaldi, chief deputy of the Sheriff’s Office.

The arrest took place following an investigation that began after a complaint was made to the Albion School District.

Upon receiving the complaint, deputies and investigators with the Sheriff’s Office worked swiftly to assess the situation, interviewing witnesses, and gathering evidence. The investigation determined that the threat was made via a Discord post during a conversation with peers.

The student was taken into custody without incident and is facing the charge of Making a Terroristic Threat, section 490.25 of the NYS Penal Law, a Class D Felony. The Sheriff’s Office has been in contact with the Albion School District administration to ensure that appropriate measures are in place to maintain a safe learning environment.

While this incident is concerning, the Sheriff’s Office wants to reassure the community that swift action was taken to address the situation, and we encourage parents and guardians to have open discussions with their children about the seriousness of threats and the importance of reporting any concerning behavior.

Due to the restrictions of NYS law, the juvenile was released to the custody of the parents on an appearance ticket.