Photos by Tom Rivers

Kim Remley, left, and her sister Anne Beaty toss candy to kids along Route 98 during a parade in Carlton today.

The two were part of a float for Oak Orchard on the Lake. They are in a truck owned by Gary Wilson. His wife, Susie Wilson, and Km’s husband, Richard Remley, were also in the float.

Carlton last year had a bicentennial parade and festival and enjoyed it so much the town is looking to make it an annual event.

These families enjoy bounce houses and a saw dust pile at the town park.

Coupe de Ville was the first band to play under a big tent behind the Carlton Rec Hall. The Stony Creek Band takes the stage at 5 p.m.

Holley also celebrated with its annual June Fest today. The events began at 9 a.m. with the return of the Jim Ferris Memorial 5K. About 100 runners take off at the start of the race. They are headed down North Main Street and would soon go over the Erie Canal. Lucas Lyons of Rochester, no. 157, was the first overall finisher in 20:57.

This bench – “I’ll Meet You On The Other Side” – was dedicated today in memory of Tyanna Lutes. There were 49 different food, craft and other vendors for the festival.

George Johnson of Holley was the lone entrant in the regatta on the Erie Canal where people needed to make a vessel from cardboard and duct tape. Johnson was able to turn boxes from the Dollar General into a boat he called “Ship Happens.” He used four rolls of duct tape to hold it together. He was able to paddle across the canal and back in just over 2 minutes. He urges more people to try next year.

“It just takes gumption,” he said.

Orleans Hub should have more photos from the festivals later tonight or tomorrow.

Photo by Ginny Kropf: Georgia Thomas, left, and Cindy Robinson, both members of Friends of Boxwood Cemetery, hold a sign promoting the second annual Tea Time at Boxwood June 8.

MEDINA – Having tea in a cemetery may sound unusual, but in olden times it was a normal thing to do.

On June 8, the Friends of Boxwood Cemetery will sponsor the second annual Tea Time at Boxwood, a fundraiser to benefit efforts to maintain the cemetery. The event will run from 2 to 4 p.m.

“Everybody last year seemed to enjoy themselves immensely,” said Georgia Thomas, who is helping organize the event. “They loved having tea and going through the cemetery. Years ago people literally brought picnic baskets on Decoration Day (now Memorial Day) to have a picnic with their deceased loved ones. Victorians would gather in cemeteries as they would in parks to socialize and picnic.”

It was a perfect setting for parasols and fancy hats,  which prompted the Friends of Boxwood last year to have a tea.

Cindy Robinson described it as a high tea with more substantial foods. This year’s event will be low tea with more finger foods.

The tea will include hot tea and iced tea. New this year will be a table decorating contest.

“Last year, a guest brought their own bistro table and chairs, nicely decorated with Victorian accents,” Robinson said.

Winner of the contest will receive a $25 gift certificate to the English Rose Tea Shoppe. In addition, there will be little drawings throughout the event. Attendees will each receive an entry for the drawings with each ticket purchased. Anyone who joins Friends of Boxwood before the event will receive five additional entries.

Another feature will be a presentation by Mary Lewis, owner of Creekside Floral, who will discuss the proper plants for a cemetery.

The day will conclude with a historic tour of the renovation chapel with historian Todd Bensley, said Friends of Boxwood president Rob Klino.

Klino also reminds the public about future events at Boxwood Cemetery. These include “Bigger, Better, Brighter Boxwood at Night” on Oct. 5; and a tombstone cleaning event in August.

“It’s about creating awareness of Boxwood Cemetery,” Klino said. “People go through there to kayak on Glenwood Lake, and they come there to walk. It’s becoming a destination. “We are trying to undo the neglect of many years.”

Thomas described Boxwood Cemetery as “a parklike setting built in the late 1800s.”

Tickets for Tea Time at Boxwood are $20 for Friends of Boxwood members or $25 for non-members. They are available at English Rose Tea Shoppe, 527 Main St.

Photo by Ginny Kropf: Medina’s Visitors’ Center has opened for the season in Rotary Park. Cheryl Broughton, left, a four-year volunteer and member of Medina’s Tourism Committee, stands with first-time volunteers Amanda Pollard, Lynn Mietz and Barb Gorham.

MEDINA – When the calendar hits June 1, volunteers hit the Visitors’ Center in Rotary Park.

The Medina Tourism Committee, chaired by Jim Hancock, has announced opening of the Visitors’ Center for the summer, with a handful of new volunteers.

This will be the 16th year for the Visitors’ Center, which has seen a steady growth in visitors and the destinations from which they come.

Hancock explained the Visitors’ Center first began in the offices of United Way and the American Red Cross on Main Street. They next moved to City Hall for a number of years before moving to the building in Rotary Park.

Last year saw 434 visitors from 34 states and five foreign countries stop at the Visitors’ Center.

This year, they welcome three new volunteers – Amanda Pollard of Medina, Lynn Mietz of West Shelby and Cheryl Broughton of Medina.

Pollard recently retired from Bank of Castile and was looking for a volunteer opportunity.

“I love Medina,” she said. “I was born and raised here.”

Gorham is starting her fourth year as a volunteer. She looks forward to meeting new people and telling them what Medina has to offer. When she was still working, she volunteered on Saturday mornings, but now that she’s retired, she is happy to be manning the center on week days.

“I was surprised to meet people from all around the world, many who came on the canal or biked here,” Gorham said. “People ask where there’s a good place to eat or stay, or they want to know about Medina Sandstone and the Erie Canal.”

Gorham taught foreign language, which makes it easy for her to talk to foreigners about Medina’s architecture and all that’s going on here.

“I moved here in 1989 for my job teaching at Roy-Hart, and I’m really proud of this place,” Gorham said.

Broughton was originally from Niagara Falls and has a daughter who moved here 24 years ago. She would come and visit her. So when her husband died, Broughton sold her house in 2022 and moved here.

The Visitors’ Center is open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Saturday. Anyone who would like to volunteer may contact Hancock at (585) 590-1248.

Being in Rotary Park is a great location for the Visitors’ Center, Hancock said.

Mietz said he lived in Akron and his parents always came to Medina for a fish fry. He remembers when G.C. Murphy was on Main Street and he once met Dan Spaghett there.

MEDINA – Friday night cruise-ins in Medina have a new look this year.

After decades of taking place in the canal basin under the organization of David Green of East Shelby, Green retired last year and his role was assumed by Rollin Hellner and Tom Snyder.

Hellner and Snyder have affected some changes in the event, namely, moving it to the parking lot of the Senior Center. Snyder explained the reason was lack of insurance coverage, which is required by the village, if they stayed in the canal basin.

“It would have cost us $400 a night for insurance at the canal basin,” Snyder said. “Here at the Senior Center, we are covered by the Walsh Hotel’s insurance.”

People check out the vehicles which were from many eras. There was also a hearse and an original Indy 500 pace car.

Hellner purchased the Walsh Hotel, which is across the road from the Senior Center, last year.

While the Senior Center location cannot accommodate as many cars, remarks from most cruisers were favorable. One car owner did say it was too crowded and didn’t offer near as much room for cars as the canal basin. Only 56 vehicles were displayed, while on most Friday nights in the canal basin, cars and trucks numbered between 80 and 100.

Timothy Caldwell of Medina, who brought his 2019 Corvette convertible, said it was nice there and he liked being able to get food from the Walsh across the street.

Photos by Ginny Kropf: Larry Albanese of Albion stands next to his 1922 Ford Model T, which he brought to Medina’s cruise-in for the first time Friday night.

Larry Albanese of Albion had never been to a Friday night cruise-in in Medina before, he said. A founding member of the Oak Orchard Lighthouse, Albanese has always volunteered at the lighthouse on Friday nights, he said. He got a friend to stand in for him so he could show his 1922 Ford Model T.

Dan Marek of Albion said he has been coming to the cruise-ins in Medina for years, and thinks the new location will be fun.

Peter Castricone of Medina recently purchased a new vintage automobile – a 1965 Plymouth pace car. He said only 32 were made and his was number one.

(Left) Tom Snyder and Kelly Fisk sell raffle tickets to Dan Marek of Albion, left, during the Medina’s Friday night cruise-in, which this year has moved from the canal basin to the Medina Senior Center, where 56 cars showed up. (Right) Steven Miller of South Buffalo sits next to his 2004 Lincoln hearse and a mannikin of the Grim Reaper. He hopes to come back next week and bring members of their Hearse Club.

Buffalo DJ Hank Nevins had provided music for the cruise-ins for most of their years, until his retirement last year. New entertainer this year is Medina disc jockey JT Thomas.

The summer cruise-ins will end as usual in August with a Super Cruise on Main Street, featuring Terry Buchwald as Elvis.

Peter Castricone of Medina proudly shows off his newly acquired 1965 Plymouth pace car at Medina’s first cruise-in Friday night.

Julie Woodworth from Lyndonville among the leaders of the trip, first since 2015 for college

Provided photo: (Left) Students and professors from SUNY Niagara pose in the Piazza del Duomo in Florence, Italy, during a recent trip to Europe. (Right) SUNY Niagara students and professors also visited the historic Jesuitenkirche St. Franz Xavar Church in Lucerne, Switzerland.

SANBORN – Two local professors from SUNY Niagara recently took 11 students on a study abroad trip spanning four countries. (Niagara County Community College recently changed its name to SUNY Niagara.)

Professors Bridget Beilein of Wilson and Julie Woodworth of Lyndonville led the trip May 14-23 to Germany, Austria, Italy and Switzerland. Beilein teaches Spanish and French and Woodworth is a professor of nursing. Also accompanying them was Jordan Lindsay, a technical assistant at the college.

“The last study abroad was in 2015, so we have revived it with this trip,” Woodworth said. “We have another planned to Amsterdam and France in May 2025.”

Areas visited included Dachau Concentration Camp Memorial Site in Munich, Murano and Burano Islands where they learned about glass blowing; historic guided tours of St. Marcos Square in Venice and Milano, Italy; the funicular ride at Lake Como with amazing views of the city; stops to view the Lion Monument, Kapelibrucke and Jesuitankirche St. Franz Xaver Church in Lucerne; concluding with a visit to Rigi Mountain in the Swiss Apls and a Lindt chocolate museum tour.

Food delicacies enjoyed included pork schnitzel, apfelstrudel, sausages, pretzels in Germany and Austria, pizza, pasta and gelato from Italy and cheese fondue and chocolate from Switzerland.

One student said, “The study abroadship impacted me by giving me a more open-minded view of the world.”

A student named Angela said her favorite part was the Alps in Switzerland at the top of Rigi Mountain.

“It was just amazing,” she said. “I can’t wait to go next year to Paris and Amsterdam with the school.”

“Germany is a beautiful country and was a real surprise,” Woodworth said. “Visiting Dachau was a real eye-opening experience for all of us. We were able to see that there were hundreds of concentration camps where Jewish people were tortured and killed after enduring horrible encampment conditions. The Germans are committed to remembering this terrible past and never forgetting this tragic regime of a leader with a specific agenda to create a superior race and eradicate all others. This is a concerted effort to never repeat that history. The experience was life-changing for us all.”

Photos by Tom Rivers

HOLLEY – Sierra Apicella and her brother Xander are asked to look into a body bag where their younger sister Jasmine was pretending to be dead. Jasmine had makeup on her face to look like blood.

Chief County Coroner Scott Schmidt is at right. Holley police officer A.J. Fisher is at left.

Holley first responders staged a driving while intoxicated accident in front of the junior-senior high school. There were six students who were in the accident. Five had injuries and Jasmine was pronounced dead at the scene.

Sierra Apicella, 22, is overcome with emotion after seeing her sister lying motionless and pretending to be fatally injured in a car accident. Her brother, 25, also said it was difficult to see their younger sister in such a state.

“It was shocking,” Sierra said after the simulation. “It was a lot more than we thought.”

Lance Babcock has a neck brace as he led to an ambulance. About 75 Holley students watched from bleachers in the parking lot.

Holley did the simulation this morning. The junior-senior prom is tonight at the Ridgemont Country Club in Rochester.

Students were strongly encouraged not to drink and drive, and to be careful in the upcoming season of graduation parties. That includes any distracted driving, including texting and being overly tired.

Holley and Clarendon firefighters take the windshield out of a vehicle to try to extricate two students inside.

Gallo’s Performance Auto Parts donated an Infinity and Mazda to simulate the crash. The Village of Holley DPW brought a loader over this morning to smash up the vehicles to make them look like there had been an accident.

Holley police officers have Noah St. John do a field sobriety test to see if he can walk in a straight line. The Holley officers Jacob Buzard is at left and AJ Fisher is at right.

St. John said he considered it an honor to be part of the simulation, showing the serious consequences that can occur from drunk driving.

Lorenzo Zaragoza is taken by stretcher to a Monroe Ambulance to be transported.

Before going outside to see the simulation, Holley students saw a video that showed where some of the students pretended to be at a party, drinking alcohol. One student tried to stop them from getting in a car and driving.

The video then went to black, and then there was a 911 call about a two-vehicle accident in Murray with serious injuries.

Murray Fire Chief Rick Cary told students to show respect and look out for each other. Cary said car accidents with teen-agers are very difficult for the volunteer firefighters, who often have children of their own. He said the accidents are often avoidable.

“Guys, it’s up to you,” Cary told the students.

Holley has doing the simulation around prom and graduation season nearly every year for about 25 years, Cary said.

There also was a court proceeding in the school auditorium where St. John was arraigned on charges of felony aggravated vehicular homicide and driving while intoxicated, facing likely imprisonment when he is sentenced.

Orleans County District Attorney Joe Cardone acted as the judge with assistant district attorney Susan Howard, left, the prosecutor and Elizabeth Ogden, an assistant district attorney who served as public defender. Holley police officer A.J. Fisher is at right.

Event raises funds and awareness for Special Olympics

Photos by Tom Rivers

ALBION – Albion students in Sheri Berg’s life skills class carried the torch and were part of a law enforcement torch run today in a benefit for the Special Olympics. Here they head up the main driveway leading the high school after being on East Avenue.

This is the second year the torch run was held in Albion. The students ran the first half of the course.

Law enforcement from the Albion Police Department, Orleans County Sheriff’s Office, State Police and DEC joined students on the run which went about 2.7 miles.

Albion Police Chief David Mogle holds the torch while the law enforcement officers gathered near the start line in the village’s municipal lot on Platt Street next to Dubby’s Tailgate.

Turnout was about 40 for the torch run, more than double the debut last year.

“We hope to get even more next year,” Mogle said.

Emily Lanham, an Albion student, takes a turn carrying the torch. She is surrounded by many of her classmates with local law enforcement right behind the students.

Alex Yankevich carries the torch while the group heads down Route 31 past the Cone Zone. Devon Pahuta, a deputy with the Sheriff’s Office, is in back at left.

This group, led by Michele Fitzwater with the torch, passes in front of the Middle School where many students and teachers lined the sidewalk to cheer on the group.

Jeff Wilson, a retired Border Patrol officer, carries the torch while the group runs on Main Street. Wilson is the Western New York director of the law enforcement torch run.

Photos by Tom Rivers

ALBION – Erin Weese, a senior at Albion, holds the winning poster for the upcoming Albion Strawberry Festival. The 36^th annual festival will be June 7-8 and features a theme, “Out of this World.”

The festival committee picked the theme as a tie-in to all the hoopla around the solar eclipse on April 8. Weese created a poster with aliens and a spaceship. The poster will be displayed around the community to promote the two-day event which includes live music, arts and crafts vendors, food, a parade and other entertainment.

Brynn Dugan holds her poster that came in second.

Krystlin Platt created this poster that came in third place.

The Strawberry Festival also named the royalty for the event. Pictured from left includes royalty chairwoman McKenna Boyer; Allyson Bruski, princess; Anthony Napoli, prince; Lucy Rivers, queen; and Julia Button, queen.

They will be part of the parade on June 8 and serve as ambassadors for the event. See New York With Us (a travel website headed by Peter Bartula of Waterport) sponsored the royalty. The royalty needed a character reference from an Albion teacher, and needed to list some of their activities at school, ways they help their family and the community, and also tell about a person who inspires them.

Anthony is a seventh-grader who plays soccer and tries to helps his neighbors. He said soccer star Lionel Messi inspires him.

Allyson is a seventh-grader involved in soccer, basketball, swimming and softball, as well as FFA, the Yearbook Club and Multicultural Club. She enjoys helping her family, and said her older sister inspires her.

Julia, a sophomore, plays varsity soccer and track and field. She is in the Drama Cub, Select Choir and is helps her family with chores and jumps in for community events, including the Easter egg hunt, church basket auction and modified track meets. She picked her brother Hayden as her inspirational figure.

Lucy, a senior, plays varsity soccer and tennis, and also has been involved in the drama program, Student Council as president, high school band, Girl Scouts, The Class of 2024 vice president and Rotary Interact president. She works at Walgreens, and helps her family and at community events, including annual garbage pickups along the railroad tracks. She said her brother Reuben is an inspirational person with a kind heart.

Photos by Tom Rivers

MEDINA – Medina Mayor Marguerite Sherman cuts the ribbon to celebrate the opening of two new full-size basketball courts at Butts Park. She is joined on the court by many local kids and adults who were eager to shoot some hoops this evening.

Other key supporters of the effort joined for the ribbon-cutting.

The courts opened on Tuesday.

“This is a direct result of what can happen when we pool resources to fill a need in the community,” Sherman said.

The village contributed $110,000 towards the project with that money coming from par tof its federal American Rescue Plan Act money. The Town of Shelby (representing by Councilman Jeff Schiffer at the ribbon-cutting) contributed $10,000 in ARPA funds.

Melissa Valley from the Medina Sports Boosters sought bids and donations for the courts. The Sports Boosters gave $3,332 and Valley reached out to Shelby Crushed Stone. Tom Biamonte, owner of the business, donated 800 tons of stone valued at about $8,000.

The new courts are painted in Medina Mustang colors. The group gathered for a ribbon cutting after 6 p.m. today.

The courts were busy this evening. Melissa Valley, a Medina teacher and coach, has pushed the past four years for the courts. She said there weren’t outdoor courts in any local parks.

She was thrilled to see so many players on the courts today.

“This is what this was all about,” Valley said watching a fast-paced pickup game. “I knew they would play. It’s been busy since they went up. There are lots of smiles.”

Sherman, the Medina mayor, also commended the Village Department of Public Works for prepping the site with the stone from Shelby Crushed Stone.

Sherman said the hoops have adjustable heights. She expects to see some tournaments on the new courts. Mainly, she is happy to see the immediate use.

The courts were painted in the Median colors on Friday and then striped on Saturday. On Tuesday the nets were back and the courts open. (The nets were removed temporarily so the courts could be painted.)

Former President Donald J. Trump

A jury in Manhattan found former President Donald Trump guilty of falsifying business records on all 34 felony counts today. Trump is to be sentenced on July 11 and is the first former president to be found guilty of a felony. He also is the first major-party candidate to be convicted of a crime while campaigning for the White House.

Gov. Kathy Hochul issued this statement: “Today’s verdict reaffirms that no one is above the law. In preparation for a verdict in this trial, I directed my Administration to closely coordinate with local and federal law enforcement and we continue to monitor the situation. We are committed to protecting the safety of all New Yorkers and the integrity of our judicial system.”

Congresswoman Claudia Tenney, a Republican elected in New York’s 24^th Congressional District, decried the “rigged verdict” in the Trump trial. She issued this statement:

“This trial was never about the rule of law, it was a shameless attempt to silence President Trump. Biden is engaging in clear election interference against his opponent who is beating him in the polls.

“As a member of the New York Bar and daughter of a New York State Supreme Court Justice, I am appalled by the unethical politically motivated antics of Judge Merchan. He imposed unnecessary and unconstitutional gag orders on President Trump, effectively silencing him and hindering his ability to campaign freely.

“Judge Merchan engaged in obvious and unethical bias in a rush to get a guilty verdict, not to ensure justice under the law. Our country was founded on the principle of blind justice, but the Left has weaponized our legal system, trampling this core principle of our nation. This alarming abuse of power underscores a deeply troubling reality: we have a politicized, two-tiered system of justice in America.”

Congressman Joe Morelle, A Democrat representing NY’s 25^th District, issued this statement:

 “Today’s conviction of Donald Trump makes crystal clear a fundamental truth of our democracy: no one—not even a former President of the United States—is above the law.

 “I am grateful to the jury of everyday Americans who demonstrated exactly how our justice system is intended to work. It is my hope this brings us closer to uniting our country and restoring America’s faith in truth, integrity, and accountability.”

State Senate Republican Leader Rob Ortt made this statement on social media: “The political weaponization of our judicial system by Democrats is disgraceful. This trial was a disgrace from the beginning and will rightfully be appealed.

“It will backfire on them when Donald Trump and Republicans win at the ballot box on November 5th.”

Keith Palmer creates images from wood-cut printing; Lift bridge print is fundraiser for Care Net

Photo by Tom Rivers: Albion native Keith Palmer holds a framed print of the lift bridge on Main Street in Albion that he made using a micro-chisel to carve into wood. He has 20 of the limited edition prints for sale with the proceeds to be given to Care Net of Greater Orleans. He is shown in Care Net’s Long Haul Gallery which opened a year ago.

ALBION – Since he retired as superintendent of Elba Central School about five years ago, Keith Palmer has moved from Albion with his wife Diane to Washington, DC to be closer to their adult children.

Palmer also has explored his artistic passion that he had sidelined during an busy career in public education. He also was a principal at Kendall and Pembroke.

Palmer took a silk-screen class in Washington, D.C. and enjoyed the class but his apartment in D.C. is too small to have equipment for silk-screen printing.

He then tried a wood-cut printing class at the Smithsonian. Palmer found he had a knack for using a micro-chisel to carve into wood in an old-time artform going back many centuries. Wood-cut printing also can be done at his kitchen table so space isn’t an issue.

“You need a steady hand and patience,” Palmer said.

He was back in Albion on Tuesday to drop off a framed print of the Main Street lift bridge in Albion. It will be sold by Care Net of Greater Orleans as a limited edition fundraiser. A framed print is $450, with the 10-inch by 22-inch print $300 without a frame.

Palmer spent about 175 hours on the project, carving the tiny details, including the lines between some of the sandstone blocks near the lift bridge. Once Palmer is done delicately carving into the wood, he puts ink on the surface and then prints it on paper, using the back of a spoon to press the paper against the carved wood block.

Care Net opened the Long Haul Gallery a year ago and the art work is sold to benefit the center. Wende Swick, the Care Net director, said the gallery so far has raised about $4,000 for Care Net, while also displaying some impressive works by artists.

Palmer was asked by his friend Marc O’Hearn to create a piece for Care Net. Palmer already is building a reputation in DC for his prints. He has been featured in the Washington Printmaker’s Gallery at Georgetown. One of his prints of his son Ryan’s cat was featured to promote an arts festival in Georgetown.

Palmer graduated from Houghton College with a teaching degree, and minored in art. He said he is grateful to use his art to help a cause in Albion.

“We like the city, but Albion will always be home,” Palmer said.

The Care Net center offers pregnancy testing, education and limited ultrasounds. Besides pregnancy testing and support, Care Net also offers STI testing and parenting classes for both males and females. Care Net also gives out material aid such as diapers, wipes, blankets and clothing up to size 24 months, when available.

MIDDLEPORT – After being closed since 2020, the Middleport lab draw station will officially reopen to the public on June 3.

The lab draw station is located adjacent to the offices of Dr. David Stahl and Dr. Celeste Stahl-Balaban.

In a press release today, Orleans Community Health has announced the station is ready to resume its services for the community.

“Our team is dedicated to providing efficient and reliable lab testing services, ensuring patients receive timely and accurate results,” according to Scott Robinson, director of Marketing, Communications and Outreach at Orleans Community Health.

The public is advised that appointments are walk-in during their hours of operation and no advance appointment has to be scheduled.

Patients are reminded to bring their lab scripts or have them faxed directly to the lab at (585) 798-9348.

Hours of operation are 8 a.m. to noon and 12:30 to 3:45 p.m. Monday through Friday.

The Middleport Lab Draw Station is committed to maintaining the highest standards of safety and care, and looks forward to meeting the community’s lab testing needs with professionalism and a smile.

Orleans Community Health will also continue to offer lab draw services at Medina Memorial Hospital and the Albion Healthcare Center.

Photos by Tom Rivers

MEDINA – Tim Wendel gave two presentations on Tuesday to sold-out crowds at Author’s Note in Medina. Wendel wrote Rebel Falls, a historical novel about Civil War spies in Niagara Falls.

The book also includes some scenes in Orleans County. He also discussed the book during a presentation on Wednesday at Woodward Memorial Library in Le Roy.

Wendel, a Lockport native, now is a resident of Charlottesville, Va. He said independent book stores like Author’s Note have been critical in helping get the word out about his books.

Rebel Falls is fiction, set in the late summer of 1864 and based on actual, yet long-obscured events and people of the Civil War in the Niagara Falls area, including and Orleans and Niagara counties.

He became interested in the Civil War after reading Doris Kearns Goodwin’s Team of Rivals and Carl Sandberg’s Lincoln. Wendel discovered while most of the fighting was going on in the south, espionage and spying was taking place all along the Canadian border. At the center of it were two spies, John Yates Beall and Bennet Burley, whom President Lincoln had refused to pardon for their crimes.

Their goal was to seize the USS Michigan, the only warship left on the Great Lakes, and create enough dissension that people would blame Lincoln and he would lose the election, which was to take place the day after the spies planned crime. They also planned to bomb Buffalo, Cleveland and Toledo.

Author’s Note tried a new system for Wendel’s appearance, selling tickets for $5 to reserve a seat at the presentation. The $5 was then be deducted from the cost of purchasing a book.

Julie Berry, owner of Author’s Note, welcomes Tim Wendel to the bookstore on Tuesday.