Reporters from Saturday Evening Post, Life Magazine, UPI, Australian Press, nearby newspapers sat in on sessions

Graduating students from Albion’s Santa Claus School serenade their “Dean” Charles W. Howard and his “First Assistant” Mrs. Ruth Howard, the seated couple at the center of this Medina Daily Journal-Register photograph, October 20, 1964.

By Catherine Cooper, Orleans County Historian

Illuminating Orleans, Vol. 3, No. 39

ALBION – This jolly group was assembled at a dinner held at the Apple Grove Inn, Medina on October 16, 1964, to celebrate their graduation from the Charles Howard Santa Claus School and to honor the school’s founder, Charles W. Howard and his wife, Ruth Howard.

Enrollment at the school, which was then in its 28th year of educating department store Santas, was limited to 20. Students from the Class of 1964 hailed from Detroit, Bay City, Michigan, and New York state. In many cases, stores paid the tuition, as they recognized that a graduate of the school was an asset.

Students received a well-grounded training in the philosophy and practice of portraying Santa Claus with integrity during their intensive week-long course. They also learned how to interact with children. Grade schoolchildren from Albion, under the direction of Mrs. Ruth Karns, interacted with the Santa trainees, while students from Medina, Albion and Holley participated in round table discussions.

The fine points of attire were also addressed, while Mrs. Ruth Hazard demonstrated gift wrapping and Mrs. Joy Merkel instructed Santas in the latest dance steps.

The school had elicited much publicity that year. Reporters from the Saturday Evening Post, Life Magazine, United Press International, area newspapers and even the Australian Press sat in on classes and reported on activities.

This celebratory dinner was held shortly before the Howards’ trip to Australia.

On October 25, 1964, the same week as the Journal-Register article, The Sydney Morning Herald of New South Wales, Australia, featured an article promoting their prospective visit. Farmers, a department store in the city, sought six candidates to train as Father Christmas. The store’s fashion coordinator said that the store was flying in “Santa Claus himself,” Mr. Charles Howard, from New York, to supervise the school, the first of its kind in Sydney.

A later article in the Sydney Morning Herald on November 10, 1964, featured an interview with Mrs. Howard, appropriately attributed as “director and instructor-in-chief at the Santa Claus School, Christmas Park, Albion, New York.”

The article continued: “Mrs. Howard is accompanying her husband on a Santa Claus inspection and briefing tour of Melbourne, Brisbane, and Sydney.”

A November article later that month in a Melbourne publication, The Age, described Howard as “principal of the only finishing school for Santas in the world.”

The Sydney Morning Herald reported on Mr. Howard’s death in May 1966.

Press Release, UConnectCare

BATAVIA – During her 4 ½ years as an employee at UConnectCare (formerly Genesee/Orleans Council on Alcoholism and Substance Abuse), Amy Kabel has worn several hats, and she has worn them well.

Amy Kabel

Hired as a peer recovery advocate in April 2019 to assist those in recovery from substance use disorder, the Batavia resident has been promoted to the director of Grant Management position – a job that is vital to the nonprofit agency’s mission to provide a wide variety of services to those in need.

“We’re excited to announce that Amy has accepted the position of director of Grant Management,” said UConnectCare Chief Executive Officer John Bennett. “Amy has excelled at every level, and the skills she has gained will make her a great addition to the management team.”

Kabel served as the lead peer at The Recovery Station on Clinton Street Road, a supervisory role, before accepting coordinator positions for The Recovery Station, which is under the auspices of the New York State Office of Addiction Services and Supports and for the Health Resources and Services Administration’s Rural Communities Opioid Response Program.

In 2021, she was promoted to assistant director of Grants & Projects, working closely with Rosalie Mangino-Crandall, the former director of Project Innovations and Expansion.

As director of Grant Management, she will oversee a team of about 10 grant-funded employees while searching for and writing grants to fund key programs.

“Fortunately, I was able to learn from Rosalie, who was a fantastic mentor,” Kabel said. “She set a high bar, and I will do my best to keep these programs going.”

Before joining UConnectCare, Kabel was employed as an aide on the surgical floor at United Memorial Medical Center and at Hope Haven, the hospital’s inpatient agency for those struggling with substance use.

She earned an associate’s degree from Genesee Community College and went on to obtain a bachelor’s degree in Community & Health Services from SUNY Empire State College. Kabel has a daughter, Madison, a social worker in the Buffalo area.

Photos courtesy of Chris Busch

MEDINA – The Medina A’Cappella Choir Community Christmas Concert was held Sunday evening at St. mary’s Catholic Church and a capacity crowd was in attendance.

Rachel Trillizio directs the high school choir.

The A’Cappella Christmas concert is an annual tradition going back many years in Medina. Members of the Oak Orchard Elementary Glee Club also sang in the concert.

Andrea Busch, left, directs the Oak Orchard Elementary Glee Club.

The high school brass ensemble also performed with teachers Matt Jaeger and Kyla Leno.

Photo by Tom Rivers: The light pole in front of the Albion Village Office on East Bank Street is decorated for the holidays. About 40 of the poles in the downtown have been decorated by businesses and residents.

A winter weather advisory has been issued for Orleans, Niagara, Genesee and northern Erie counties from 9 tonight until 10 a.m. on Tuesday.

About 3 to 5 inches of snow is expected in Orleans with winds gusting as high as 30 miles per hour which will produce some blowing snow in open areas, the National Weather Service in Buffalo said.

The forecast today calls for a high of 43 followed by highs of 30 on Tuesday, 39 on Wednesday and 37 on Thursday.

Provided photo: Medina businessman Tom Snyder is one of several volunteers who participated in the Wreaths Across America ceremony Saturday at Boxwood Cemetery.

MEDINA – The 10th annual Wreaths Across America ceremony in Medina is one for the record books.

Organizer Kathy Blackburn reported 1,008 wreaths were placed this year by a local Boy Scout troop under the leadership of John Dieter and volunteers from the American Legion and VFW posts.

“We also had a new volunteer group this year – Boy Scout 86 from Brockport, who heard about our project and wanted to help,” Blackburn said. “The Carpenter Union workers were also out in full force and we thank them all, because we couldn’t do it without them.”

There were enough wreaths purchased to place 200 in St. Mary’s and Sacred Heart cemeteries.  Blackburn encourages members of St. Mary’s and Sacred Heart to purchase wreaths for next year, so they can cover all the veterans’ graves in those cemeteries.

Again this year, the national Wreaths Across America organization will donate one wreath for every wreath purchased from now until Jan. 16. Checks should be made out to the village clerk for $17 and marked for Wreaths Across America, 119 Park Ave., Medina.

Blackburn also thanked local businessman Tom Snyder for his continued support of the Wreaths Across America project. Snyder not only makes an annual donation, but volunteers his time to lay a wreath during the ceremony.

Photos courtesy of Tim Archer

Albion seventh-graders joined a big group in placing the wreaths. Social studies teacher Shawn Ragonese and two of his students pay their respects at the cemetery.

The students are greeted by Nancy Traxler, director of Veterans Service Agency in Orleans County. She is also vice president of the Western New York National Cemetery Memorial Council. She served as the keynote speaker during a ceremony on Saturday.

The group is shown with Elizabeth Haibach from the Orleans County DAR.

Photos by Tom Rivers: There were 1,650 wreaths placed at the WNY National cemetery, which opened three years ago in Pembroke.

CARLTON – The Town Board, in a 3-2 vote on Saturday, approved a contract with Monroe Ambulance, just a few days after the board was deadlocked at 2-2.

The contract needed at least three votes to pass. The board was down a member following the resignation of Debbie Yockel, effective Dec. 1. She was appointed the town clerk on Tuesday following the resignation of Karen Narburgh.

Jeff Gifaldi was appointed to fill Yockel’s vacancy and on Saturday he voted in favor of the agreement with Monroe Ambulance, joining Town Supervisor Gayle Ashbery and Councilman Dana Woolston is approving the contract. Two other board members, Brian McCue and Charlie Ricci, opposed it, citing concerns from residents about slow response times.

Gifaldi, a chief deputy with the Orleans County Sheriff’s Office, also was the Carlton code enforcement officer. He resigned from that town position on Dec. 13.

Carlton was the seventh of the seven towns in a consortium to vote on the contract. It had already been approved by Albion, Barre, Gaines, Clarendon, Murray and Kendall.

Carlton will pay $22,350 in 2024, up from $14,800 this year, the first time the towns have had a contract with Monroe where they paid to have an ambulance based in the county.

The $300,000 contract among the seven towns is divvied up among call volume in the seven towns. The agreement calls for Monroe to station an ambulance in Albion 24 hours a day, seven days a week and one in Holley for at least 12 hours a day, seven days a week. Monroe also said it will draw on ambulances in Monroe County if there is a need in Orleans County.

Provided photos

HOLLEY – Wreaths are placed on veterans’ graves on Saturday during Wreaths Across America. Holley for the first time participated in the event, which is celebrated in about 4,000 communities across the country.

The Holley Rotary Club took the lead in raising the funding and organizing the event at Hillside Cemetery. The club set a goal for 100 wreaths, but doubled that with the 200 on Saturday.

Kim DeFrank, a Holley resident and the Orleans County treasurer, was among about 35 volunteers who placed wreaths at graves.

Craig Lane, an Air Force veteran, spoke at the ceremony before the wreaths were laid.

Wreaths are set at a veterans’ memorial at the cemetery. The memorial includes five granite etched stones for the Marine Corps, Army, Air Force, Navy and Coast Guard. The memorial has a pentagon-shaped concrete base and a 25-foot flagpole.

Laura Bentley, right, of the Holley Rotary Club pushed the wreaths in Holley. She is joined by Kerry Lane in getting the out of a box. Bentley said the group of volunteers were pleased to be out honoring veterans.

Hillside Cemetery has a new look with the wreaths at the veterans’ graves.

Medina placed 1,008 wreaths, with most at Boxwood Cemetery. In Lyndonville, about 450 wreaths will be placed at Lynhaven Cemetery on Housel Avenue in Lyndonville with others put at Yates Center Cemetery, Robin Hill Estate, the Greenman Road Cemetery, Lott Cemetery on Angling Road and a cemetery on Marshall Road.

Lyndonville first joined the Wreaths Across America effort in 2019. Medina has been doing it since 2013.

By Randy LeBaron

Good morning! Grab your favorite cup. Fill it up.

And let’s start this week right… TOGETHER!!!

Long before becoming a Christian, or a pastor for that matter, I still looked forward to celebrating Christmas with great anticipation as most young children do. I found that my family’s traditions enhanced the time leading up to December 25th and added to my excitement for the day. I look back now with nostalgia at that time of my life even as I realize that Christmas has taken on a new meaning for me now. One thing that has stayed the same though is the elation I experience every year at this time.

Growing up I would say that my primary focus, as far as Christmas was concerned, was on getting gifts. I didn’t know a lot about Jesus back then but you had better believe that I was on good terms with Old Saint Nick. He was making a list and checking it twice and I was doing my best to be on my best behavior and not fight with my sister. I knew he was real because every year, all through the month of December, my parents would wrap presents and place them under the tree but then, come Christmas morning, we would always find new gifts with the familiar tag, “From Santa”.

It was fun picking up and shaking all of the packages that had been laid out beforehand, in an attempt to guess what they could be, but the “Santa” presents were special because they always seemed to be bigger or better than the others—something that I had really wanted. I mean it was fine if my folks wanted to give me socks or some generic version of a toy, like when I asked for a transformer and instead I got a Gobot, but when it came to Santa (aka my Grandparents as I found out when I was older) my expectations were much higher because year in and year out these always turned out to be the most amazing gifts. I remember receiving things like my first BMX Bike, a tape recorder (you know the one—it was a black rectangle that laid flat and chewed up every other cassette that you placed in it), and even my very own TV. Sure, it was B&W with only a 13” inch screen but it was mine!

Every year I was like the boy from the movie “A Christmas Story” who, after believing he had already unwrapped all of his presents, was surprised to find out that his father had saved the best for last—his very own Red Rider, carbine action, 200-shot, range model air rifle. Now fast forward 40-plus years and learning the true meaning of Christmas (It’s all about Jesus!), and forming new traditions with my own family, things have changed. The emphasis I had always placed on “getting” gifts has now been replaced with the joy of “giving” them.  Some things are still the same though.

I still read Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol every year without fail. I still love watching all of the movies and television specials dedicated to this season like: A Charlie Brown Christmas, Elf, The Muppets Christmas Carol, Home Alone, The Santa Claus, Die Hard, and It’s a Wonderful Life. I still love belting out classics carols, like Jingle Bells or Christmas in Hollis, whether I am in the shower, my car, or even just walking down the aisle at Walmart. And I still believe that the best things come when we least expect it.

To that end, over 2,000 years ago there were shepherds in a field watching over their flocks when all of a sudden an angel appeared to them and proclaimed these words, later made famous by Linus Van Pelt, “for behold, I bring unto you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the City of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord.” Better than a BB Gun, the latest form of technology, or anything else this world has to offer—when they least expected it they were given the greatest gift.

I hope that you will be just as surprised and blessed this Christmas!

See you in two weeks!

Pastor Randy

MEDINA – MAAC’s Christmas Barrel program came to a conclusion for another year on Saturday, with the delivery of gift boxes to more than 300 individuals, more than 170 of them children.

Sherry Tuohey, who heads the annual Christmas project, said MAAC provided Christmas gifts and dinner to one-third more people than last year. The packed boxes filled the dining room and the entryway of the church.

She said there was such a need in the community, especially since year they had homeless families to provide for this year.

“We live in a wonderful community,” Tuohey told the dozens of firefighters who came to breakfast at the Grove United Methodist Church before setting out to deliver all the boxes. “People are so giving.”

East Shelby Fire Chief Debbie Taylor and her husband Jeff, along with Josh Fuller, load Christmas boxes in their truck for delivery.

Tuohey thanked all the people who helped her – Kathie McMoil who takes charge of personal care items, most of which are donated by Medina High School students and staff; Norma Jean Foster, who does all the food shopping; Barb Vreeland, president of MAAC, who coordinates the drive for hats, mittens and socks; the Boy Scouts who helped carry items up from the basement; and importantly, Medina firefighters who distribute the barrels in November and pick them up in early December; and the firefighters from Medina, East Shelby, Ridgeway and Shelby who volunteer to deliver the filled boxes to families in the Medina area.

Tuohey said she has a wonderful group who work with her. The MAAC Christmas Barrel program is really a year-long project.

“All year long, I’m shopping for deals,” she said.

Chief Matt Jackson and Captain Jon Higgins from Medina Fire Department, standing at left, and firefighter/paramedic Steve Miller load a pickup with Christmas boxes for delivery on Saturday.

Medina fire chief Matt Jackson said the firefighters look forward to the project every year.

“We’ve done it so many years, it goes pretty smooth now,” he said.

Gordie and Sandy Smith of Medina are relatively new volunteers, this being the second year they have helped. When Tuohey announced how tired they were after sorting all the gifts and packing the boxes, Sandy said, “But it’s so rewarding.”

Sherry Tuohey, head of MAAC’s Christmas Barrel program, welcomes firefighters from Medina, East Shelby, Ridgeway and Shelby to breakfast Saturday morning at The Grove United Methodist Church. Firefighters delivered Christmas boxes to more than 300 individuals who applied for assistance.

When the firefighters picked up the filled barrels and returned them to the church, volunteers then spent several days sorting the donations into categories of ages, and boys and girls. Then on Monday and Tuesday, they started to pack the boxes. Each family got a ham, canned fruit and vegetables and multiple gifts for each child in the family.

This year, MAAC provided Christmas boxes to 28 seniors, all of whom received food, personal care items and a crocheted lap robe, made and donated by Jane Wharram of Medina.

In concluding, Tuohey told the room full of MAAC volunteers and firefighters, “We really appreciate you.”

Don Marchner, a volunteer with Ridgeway Fire Department, carries out a Christmas box to his truck. In back, Lt. Steve Cooley with Medina Fire Department talks to fellow firefighters before beginning to load their vehicles.

Group also gives to Boots on the Group which sends care packages to vets

Photos by Ginny Kropf: Jeff Brien, commander of the Marine Corps League Detachment No. 1271, accepts a check from Roger Ettinger with the Sons of the American Legion for Toys for Tots, while Legion commander Brad Rouse presents a check to Ray Ettinger for Toys for Tots.

ALBION – Christmas came early to several veterans’ groups in Albion on Friday, with the donation of checks from the Sheret American Legion Post 35, Sheret Post Auxiliary and Sons of the American Legion.

The first presentation was checks for $500 each from the Post and Auxiliary to the Veterans’ Van Service. Dave Kusmierczak of Medina, president of the Orleans County Joint Veterans’ Council, which runs the van service, accepted the check toward purchase of a new van.

“We have two vans that need replacing, and this donation is much appreciated,” Kusmierczak said.

In presenting the check, Post Commander Brad Rouse said, “The Orleans County Joint Veterans Council has a great service they provide to our veterans throughout Orleans County by providing transportation to and from medical appointments to Buffalo, Rochester and Canandaigua.”

Jeff Brien, commander of the Marine Corps League Detachment No. 1271, accepts a check from Pam Taylor, president of the Sheret Post Auxiliary, for the Marines’ Toys for Tots project. At rear is Post commander Brad Rouse and Auxiliary members Wendy Hinkley, Carolyn Gibson and Shirley Smith, and Ray Madigan, treasurer of the Marine Corps League.

Next was a check for $500 from the Post to the Auxiliary to support their project of sending care packages to veterans serving overseas.

“The American Legion Sheret Post 35 is proud to partner with the Auxiliary in support of their two-year commitment to sending care packages to our troops with Boots on the Ground,” Rouse said. “These troops are still in small numbers in countries like Iraq, Afghanistan and Kuwait.”

This is the second year the Auxiliary has sent care packages to Boots on the Ground, but the first year the Post has assisted them.

“Under my leadership as commander, I am committed to unifying all groups in our post,” Rouse said. “We have become stronger as a group and I commit to continuing to strengthen our relationship and the support one another.”

Members of the Sheret American Legion Post 35 in Albion presented a check for $1,000 on Friday to Dave Kusmierczak, president of the Orleans Veterans Council, toward the purchase of a new van. From left are Shirley Smith, 25-year member of the Sheret American Legion Auxiliary; Brad Rouse, commander of the post; Kusmierczak; Pam Taylor, Auxiliary president; Wendy Hinkley, Auxiliary vice president; and Carolyn Gibson, Auxiliary secretary.

A third donation came from the Auxiliary to the Marine Corps’ Toys for Tots.

Auxiliary president Pam Taylor gave a check for $100 to Jeff Brien, commander of the Marine Corps League Detachment No. 1271.

“Upholding the mission of the American Legion Auxiliary, ‘For God and Country, we advocate for veterans, educate our citizens, mentor youth and promote patriotism good citizenship, peace and security,’” Taylor said. “The American Legion Auxiliary is proud to present this check for $100 as a donation for a great cause.”

The final donation was a check for $150, which Rouse presented on behalf of the Post to Ray Madigan, treasurer of the Marine Corps League Detachment, for Toys for Tots. An additional $25 was acknowledged from Joe Gehl of Albion.

The Marines stated the donations will be held and used for Christmas gifts for children of Marines next year.

The Post and Auxiliary said they are constantly trying to raise money through raffles and drawings to support causes such as these in the community. The Auxiliary also holds an annual golf tournament, which although small, Taylor said helps fund their causes.

Brad Rouse, left, commander of the Sheret American Legion Post, presents a check to the Auxiliary to support their Boots on the Ground project for those serving in countries, such as Iraq, Afghanistan and Kuwait. From the Auxiliary, at left, are president Pam Taylor, vice president Wendy Hinkley, secretary Carolyn Gibson and 25-year member Shirley Smith.

149 have now graduated since 2018; Nick Picardo named alumnus of year

Photos by Tom Rivers: Taylor Gilbert, a credit representative with Farm Credit East, is congratulated by Orleans County legislator Skip Draper on Thursday evening during the graduation ceremony for Leadership Orleans. Charlie Nesbitt, a retired state assemblyman, is in back. Gilbert is among 25 graduates in the 2023 class.

LYNDONVILLE – A new class has completed an intensive program looking at aspects of the Orleans County community and equipping them to be more involved to help steer the county to success.

Leadership Orleans has now graduated 149 people since the first class in 2018. The program aims to build the “citizen capital” of the community, helping develop leaders who are educated on the many facets of the community, from agriculture, non-profit organizations, government services, small and larger businesses, tourism, arts and culture, community health and economic development.

The class also learned about their individual strengths and weaknesses, their personality types and how that shapes their decision-making and tendencies.

The group visited 44 sites around the county during the year and heard from 53 presenters. The program is funded through sponsors and tuition.

Lynne Johnson chairwoman of the Orleans County Legislature, congratulates the class on completing Leadership Orleans, which included sessions each month.

“It is no small feat being able to make a commitment when all of our lives are so busy and hectic,” Johnson said during the graduation at the White Birch. “Your continued and future involvement in all aspects of our community is sorely needed and very much welcomed – from running for office, to serving on non-profit boards, to helping develop a vision of what our future can be – we need all of your talents.”

Johnson urged the group to be good listeners in their roles as leaders.

“Unfortunately, open dialogue is too often defined by who can shout the loudest, talk the fastest, deliver the most clever one-liners and generate the most likes on social media,” she said. “I do not think any of us would define that as leadership, yet that’s the path we’re on.”

Dana Joy, clinical supervisor for UConnectCare (formerly GCASA), accepts his diploma and certificates for completing the class from County Legislator Skip Draper and Jayleen Carney, representing Assemblyman Steve Hawley.

The graduates this year include:

• Jenifer Batt, Director Community Services, Arc GLOW
• Julie Berry, Author/Owner, Author’s Note
• Gabriel Bruning, Owner, Bruning Farm & Mountain Mule Ciderhouse, LLC
• Tracy Cliff, Deputy County Clerk, Orleans County
• Angela Conway, Principal, Ronald L. Sodoma Elementary School, Albion CSD
• Carl Creasey, Training Manager, Claims Recovery Financial Services, LLC
• Jesse Cudzilo, Executive Director, Orleans County YMCA
• John Fitzak, Legislator, Orleans County
• Taylor Gilbert, Credit Representative, Farm Credit East
• Kristin Grose, Human Resources Manager, Orleans Community Health
• Michele Harling, Town Clerk, Town of Yates
• Katie Harvey, Director of Personnel and Self-Insurance, Orleans County
• Cassandra Healy, Store Mgr./Classroom Inst., Community Action of Orleans and Genesee
• Megan Johnson, Executive Director, Orleans Community Health Foundation
• Dana Joy, Clinical Supervisor, UConnectCare (formerly GCASA)
• Gwendolyn Large, Volunteer, Lyndonville Lions Club
• Kristy Lindner, Senior Quality Engineer, Baxter Healthcare Corp.
• Jaime Lyndaker, Director of Operations/Orleans Campus, Genesee Community College
• Janelle Moyer, Operations Manager, Claims Recovery Financial Services, LLC
• Brian Neal, Manager, Orleans Poverty Hill Farms
• Katherine Oakes, Horticulture Educator, Orleans County Cornell Cooperative Extension
• Sarah Osborne, Director of Probation, Orleans County
• Michael Restivo, Financial Advisor, Brighton Securities
• Jessica Rockcastle, Human Resources Manager, Baxter Healthcare Corp.
• Elizabeth Tuttle, Youth Services Librarian, Hoag Library

Skip Helfrich

The schedule for this past year included a two-day opening retreat in January, legislative affairs in February, economic & workforce development in March, community health in April, communities & culture in May, outdoor leadership in June, tourism & recreation in July, volunteerism in August, agribusiness in September, education in October, simulated society in November, a closing retreat on Dec. 7 and graduation on Thursday.

“It’s not the same session every year,” said Skip Helfrich, executive director of Leadership Orleans since it started. “Every year we try to make it better.”

He said there are already 25 people committed to next year’s class.

Leadership Orleans also will be starting a “Level Up” program in smaller groups. It will include eight people initially and they will meet weekly in seven 4-hour sessions.

“What’s the next level?” Helfrich said. “Where do we go from here.”

The “Level Up” will focus on how to motivate people, create passion, build a cohesive team, and sell yourself to peers, subordinates and supervisors.

The effort should start in the first quarter of 2024, Helfrich said.

George Kiefer (right), procurement manager for Takeform, accepts the “First Impressions” award on behalf of Takeform in Medina. Skip Helfrich, left, is the Leadership Orleans executive director. Takeform was one of 44 sites visited by the class. Kiefer said Takeform works hard to help companies and organizations make a strong first impression through signage and branding.

Katie Oakes, horticulture educator for Orleans County Cornell Cooperative Extension, shares remarks as a class member during the graduation. Julie Berry, owner of the Author’s Note bookstore in Medina, also spoke during the graduation.

Nick Picardo

Oakes also was picked by the class as “presenter of the year.” She runs the U-pick operation at LynOaken Farms in Lyndonville and gave a message about grafting apple trees. She said that can be a metaphor about bringing different people together and using their strengths.

“We are forever linked by this incredible journey called Leadership Orleans,” Oakes said.

Berry spoke about the power of atomic energy to create a much more through nuclear fusion. She said bringing different people together can result in a much more vibrant end result.

Leadership Orleans brought together people from diverse backgrounds, a program that is desperately needed during a time of polarization, Berry said.

Leadership Orleans also picked an alumnus of the year – Nick Picardo, the Kendall district superintendent.

Picardo was in the 2021 class, when he was executive director of Student Services for Kendall Central School. He has been the superintendent for nearly two years, and just last week led the district on a successful vote for a $12.7 million capital project.

Picardo has spent his educational career in Kendall serving as an administrator, social studies teacher, department chair, coach and advisor.

Jackie Dunham, left, presents the diploma to Gabe Bruning, owner of Bruning Farm & Mountain Mule Ciderhouse. Dunham and Charlie Nesbitt, in back, are both on the Leadership Orleans steering committee. Kelly Kiebala is chairman of the committee.

Nesbitt urged the graduates to shape the direction of the community.

“What makes one community successful and another not?” Nesbitt said during remarks. “It’s the people not the place. It takes a lot of people who know what they’re doing.”

Today is the annual Wreaths Across America and close to 1,700 wreaths will be placed at veterans’ graves. For the first time locally the effort will include Holley.

The Holley Rotary Club spearheaded the effort to have 200 wreaths put at veterans’ graves at Hillside Cemetery. The Rotary Club hoped to do at least 100 wreaths, but fundraising allowed the club to do 200, said Laura Bentley, coordinator of the effort.

Rotarians and community members will set the wreaths at vets’ graves at noon.

Medina will place 1,008 wreaths, with most at Boxwood Cemetery, said coordinator Kathy Blackburn. There will be a ceremony at Boxwood at noon before volunteers place the wreaths.

In Lyndonville, about 450 wreaths will be placed at Lynhaven Cemetery on Housel Avenue in Lyndonville with others put at Yates Center Cemetery, Robin Hill Estate, the Greenman Road Cemetery, Lott Cemetery on Angling Road and a cemetery on Marshall Road.

Lyndonville first joined the Wreaths Across America effort in 2019. Medina has been doing it since 2013.

Wreaths Across America is a nationwide program that honors those who have served by placing holiday wreaths on the graves of military personnel.

Photo by Ginny Kropf: Lori Nottingham of Albion drops a donation in the red kettle at Tops Friendly Market in Medina. Manning the kettle are Peter Huth, in background, and Frank Berger, both of Medina. Members of the Butts-Clark American Legion Post volunteered to ring the bell for the entire day.

MEDINA – Ringing the bell for The Salvation Army’s Red Kettle drive is something Frank Berger and Peter Huth have done for decades, and this year is no exception.

When the Butts-Clark American Legion Post signed up to provide volunteers at Tops Friendly Market in Medina on Friday, Berger and Huth were among the first to sign up.

While Huth has been volunteering for at least 25 years, Berger, 89, can’t remember how long he’s been doing it.

He remembers when there were bell ringers almost on every corner.

“We used to ring the bell at Rosenkrans and Country Club Restaurant on Main Street, and Ames when it was on Maple Ridge Road,” Berger said. “I volunteered in the morning when the sun was out, because it could get cold later on.”

For years, Community Action of Orleans and Genesee has overseen the Red Kettle Campaign, where Katrina Chaffee, director of community services, is heading the drive.

While places to ring the bells have declined in recent years, every penny collected is much needed. This year, bell ringers are at Walmart and Tops in Albion and Tops in Medina.

It is stressed that every dollar collected in Orleans County stays in Orleans County.

Berger said he volunteers because he knows The Salvation Army does a lot for soldiers.

“I was in the service and I remember them brining us a cup of coffee and a donut,” he said. “My dad was in the trenches in World War I and The Salvation Army provided them with bags filled with personal care items, such as a bar of soap, toothbrush, toothpaste, a brush and comb.”

Volunteers can still sign up to ring the bell by calling Community Action at (585) 589-5605 and asking for Katrina Chaffee.