Photos by Tom Rivers

ALBION – The kitchen inside the Harvest Christian Fellowship church was busy this afternoon when 630 Thanksgiving meals were served at the Orleans Koinonia Kitchen. Pictured from left include Mary Delamarter and Rick Huntington of Harvest Christian Fellowship, and Javonnie & Melisa Canales of the Oasis Church in Medina.

Faith Smith, leader of the Orleans Koinonia Kitchen, is thrilled to have more than 30 volunteers helping to serve the Thanksgiving meals for free today. The 630 that were served today is up from the 350 a year ago on Thanksgiving.

Smith personally delivered 85 meals to senior citizens and other people in the community.

“Nobody should have to be alone or go hungry,” Smith said.

Another church in Albion, the Royal Body Shop Outreach Ministries, served about 200 Thanksgiving meals from Renovation Masonic Lodge. That is up from 182 a year ago.

The meals were all available at no charge.

The Risen Café prepared the desserts – apple and pumpkin cake at Harvest Christian Fellowship. A line of volunteers is ready to serve the meals which were available to eat-in, for take-out or to have delivered.

Matt and Sharon Sugar of Harvest Christian Fellowship have to-go bags ready with Thanksgiving meals.

There were 40 turkeys cooked for today’s meals at the OK Kitchen.

Debbie Coon serves coffee to Janice Callahan of Albion. Callahan said she appreciated the church welcoming so many from the community for Thanksgiving.

“There’s a lot of good people here,” Callahan said. “They are very loving. We are all friends here.”

Mark Hartleden said he has been coming to the kitchen for about a decade.

“It’s delicious, it’s stupendous,” he said. “They are bringing people together.”

Alicia Rich and Debbie Thies work together in the kitchen.

Photos and information courtesy of Albion Central School:

ALBION – Albion Middle and High School students have made 50 ponchos and over 100 seatbelt covers for patients undergoing chemotherapy treatment at Pluta Cancer Center this fall.

This is the second year Mrs. Shari Berg and Mrs. Kathy Winans’ classes have created ponchos and seatbelt covers for patients. According to Berg, the project was inspired by Kim Toombs, a substitute teacher in the district who makes and donates these items year-round.

Dejeanna C., a high schooler in Mrs. Winans’ class, said that making the seatbelt coverings is her favorite part “because it is soft and [she] likes the fabric.”

As a cancer survivor, Toombs said that, when she went through treatment, having something like a poncho or seatbelt cover to help keep her comfortable helped a lot.

“Some patients have ports for their treatment,” Toombs explained. “The seatbelt coverings help make riding in the car more comfortable.”

Since January 2023, she has made 360 ponchos for patients, not including the ponchos she helped ACS students make.

“I keep track of the number of ponchos I make each year and it’s more than I’ve done in the past,” Toombs said. “The sad reality is that, while I am increasing the number of ponchos I am making this year, the [Pluta Cancer] center told me the average age of patients receiving treatment is declining.”

According to Toombs, on average, more than one person starts treatment at the Pluta Cancer Center per day.

All of the funds for the fabric and materials for the projects was provided by the staff members at Albion Middle School. Each Friday, staff members donate to a cause in order to “dress down.” This fall, members chose to donate to Mrs. Berg’s and Mrs. Winans’ students and help make a difference in the greater Albion community.

Originally, the goal was for students to make 31 ponchos. With at least one new patient receiving treatment daily, on average, that would cover one month of patients at the center.

“I love doing this [making a difference],” Kayla S. said. “Cutting out [the pattern] is fun and easy. I’m good at it and it’s easy to help.”

The students are still working to finish the seatbelt coverings and have plans to use “literally every scrap of material from this project to give back to others,” according to Berg.

“The scraps of fabric have been saved and we have been connected to a lady who uses the scraps to make dog beds that she donates to local shelters,” Berg explained. “We will be using the bigger scraps to make dog toys for Paws Animal Shelter!”

The best part, according to Emily L., a student in Mrs. Berg’s class, has been “working with [her] friends and helping others by making them comfortable.”

Photo courtesy of Lori Laine

ALBION – An Honor Tree Garden is now on display by the Orleans County Courthouse. Lori Laine pushed for the trees to be displayed and received permission last week from the Orleans County Legislature.

The trees will add to the Christmas atmosphere in Albion and also recognize organizations that serve the community. So far, the trees are in honor of Hospice of Orleans County, Pathstone, GLOW Arc, Donate Life, the Genesee-Orleans Ministry of Concern, UConnectCare Behavioral Health Services (formerly GCASA), Orleans Koinonia Kitchen, The Villages of Orleans, and Albion youth football and cheerleading – the Albion Youth Sports and Athletic Program (AYSAP).

Laine said the effort is part of a push for Albion to celebrate its Santa lineage as the home to a Santa School from 1937 to 1966 and also Christmas Park.

Volunteers working on the “Bring Christmas Back to Albion” committee are planning other new projects, including decorating lampposts, and caroling once a week during December in the community. The group will meet at 7 p.m. on Monday at Hoag Library.

“There are many ideas, many projects already being worked on for next year!” Laine said.

The unemployment rate in Orleans County was at 3.5 percent in October, which is up from the 2.9 percent in October 2022.

However, there are more people employed in the county, 16,600 last month compared to 16,500 in October 2022. The unemployment rate is up because there are more people on unemployment, from 500 to 600 (numbers are rounded to nearest hundred in the state Department of Labor report.)

The 3.5 percent in October is up from the 3.2 percent in September for the county.

The rates for WNY counties for October include:

• Orleans, 3.5 percent
• Genesee, 3.0 percent
• Wyoming, 3.3 percent
• Livingston, 3.2 percent
• Allegany, 3.6 percent
• Chautauqua, 3.7 percent
• Cattaraugus, 3.8 percent
• Erie, 3.8 percent
• Monroe, 3.7 percent
• Niagara, 3.9 percent

Nationally the unemployment rate increased from 3.4 percent in October 2022 to 3.6 percent last month. Statewide it changed from 3.7 to 4.4 percent during those 12 months.

Press Release, Gov. Kathy Hochul’s Office

Governor Kathy Hochul signed legislation S.5026/A.6040, known as the “Freelance Isn’t Free” Act, which provides protections, rights and opportunities for recourse to freelance workers experiencing non-payment for their services.

“Every single New Yorker deserves to be treated with dignity and respect in the workplace, whether they’re a full-time, part-time or freelance worker,” Governor Hochul said. “As freelance work becomes more and more common, we need laws have strong protections to ensure these individuals are paid fairly for the work they do. This new law is a major step forward for this critical sector of our workforce.”

Legislation S.5026/A.6040 extends protections to freelancers across all of New York State, building upon the NYC’s Freelance Isn’t Free Law, by adding oversight and enforcement from the New York State Attorney General’s Office.

This law will protect freelancers by establishing a right to a written contract with certain terms, timely and full payment, and protection from retaliation and discrimination for exercising these rights. The Attorney General can bring actions to obtain remedies, including damages and civil penalties, on behalf of impacted freelance workers. Freelance workers would also have the right to pursue a private lawsuit to protect their rights under the new law.

These expanded rights and protections will apply to covered freelancers being paid at least $800 for their services. The Department of Labor will provide model contracts on its website for freelancers and hiring parties to use with terms that comply with this new law.

Freelancers Union Executive Director Rafael Espinal said, “This Thanksgiving we are thankful that New York State is committing to protections for freelancers under the law. We have the utmost confidence that NYS will lead the way in holding bad actors accountable and uplifting the independent workforce into the future.”

By Catherine Cooper, Orleans County Historian

“Illuminating Orleans” – Vol. 3, No. 37

Turkey cooking anxiety affects many cooks at this time of year. After all, the roasted fowl is the centerpiece of the Thanksgiving meal. Thankfully, virtual assistance is at hand – talk, text and live chat options are now available to provide advice.

Thawing the turkey is a common concern. How long does it take? Can it be thawed outside the refrigerator? What if it did not thaw sufficiently?

Earlier cooks also had to contend with turkey cooking issues. But their turkeys were not frozen. Nor were they plucked clean, with a selection of the innards wrapped in plastic and nestled inside the clean cavity.

Here are instructions from The White House Cookbook (1900 edition) on how to cook a roast turkey: Select a young turkey; remove all the feathers carefully, singe it over a burning newspaper on the top of the stove, then “draw” [clear the innards] it nicely, being very careful not to break any of the internal organs; remove the crop [pouch at the base of the neck which may contain food] carefully; cut off the head, and tie the neck close to the body by drawing the skin over it.

Now rinse the inside of the turkey out with several waters, and in the next to last, mix a teaspoonful of baking soda; oftentimes the inside of a fowl is very sour, especially it is not freshly killed. Soda, being cleansing, acts as a corrective, and destroys that unpleasant taste which we frequently experience in the dressing when fowls have been killed for some time.

After washing, wipe the turkey dry, inside and out, with a clean cloth, rub the inside with salt, then stuff with “Dressing for Fowls.”

First published in 1887, The White House Cookbook was very popular and was often given as a wedding gift. As the subtitle indicates, it was a “comprehensive cyclopedia of information for the home” In addition to recipes and menus, it contained instructions for household management and caring for the sick, such as how to fix cement cracks in a floor or how remove cinders from the eye.

It also includes breakfast, dinner, and supper menus for a week in each month of the year as well as menus for holidays:

ALBION – The Orleans Koinonia Kitchen at the Harvest Christian Fellowship Church will have 650 Thanksgiving meals ready for the community.

The meals will be available for free. People can eat in at the church at 560 East Ave., or they can be to go. The kitchen also will be making deliveries, said Faith Smith, director of the “OK” Kitchen.

The meals will be available from 3 to 5:30 p.m. Smith said the Thanksgiving meals will be made available through a partnership from the OK Kitchen with The Risen Café, the Oasis Church in Medina and Harvest Christian Fellowship.

The church typically serves between 375 to 400 meals each week on Thursdays.

“It’s all about the community coming together to support one another and that’s what the Orleans Koinonia Kitchen is all about,” Smith said.

CLARENDON – Two people were killed in a car accident on Route 31A in Clarendon today, Sheriff Chris Bourke said.

The two-vehicle crash happened at 11:12 a.m. Two people were pronounced dead at the scene: Autumn Lynn Dercqu, 22, of Medina and Justin S. Christmas, 32, of Rochester, the driver of the vehicle.

They were in an eastbound vehicle and collided with a westbound vehicle at a portion of Route 31A that is a no passing zone, with a double solid line on a curve, Bourke said.

The female operator from the other vehicle was transported to Strong Memorial Hospital in Rochester with multiple injuries.

Orleans County Sheriff’s deputies and investigators, along with the Monroe County Medical Examiner’s Office, are continuing the investigation into this crash, Bourke said.

ALBION – About 200 Thanksgiving dinners will be served beginning at noon on Thanksgiving at the Masonic Lodge at 39 North Platt St.

The Royal Body Shop Outreach Ministries and Masonic Lodge will have the meals available to eat-in or take-out until 3 p.m. or until they are all gone.

Pastor Al Wilson said volunteers already have a list of people where they will make deliveries.

The church last year prepared and served 182 of the meals for free on Thanksgiving. Wilson said about 200 of the meals are ready for Thursday.

Wilson also leads a church in Buffalo, the Greater Royal Worship Center, that served 4,500 Thanksgiving meals on Tuesday.

“It’s my ministry, it’s not a job for me,” Wilson said today.

The church has other big events planned in Albion. It will be doing its third annual “Que In” for Christmas from noon until all 2,000 chicken dinners are gone on Dec. 9. Those dinners will be served as part of Albion’s Hometown Christmas event. The meals will be take-out only at the Masonic Lodge, 39 Platt St.

Royal Body Shop Outreach Ministries also is organizing a Resource Fair on Dec. 8 at the Elks Lodge, 428 West State St.

There will be information on programs and services available in Orleans County from noon until 3 p.m. There will be free giveaways and food, as well as the chance to meet with local agency leaders.

Rochester woman eyes 162 South Main St. for licensed cannabis retailer

ALBION – A Rochester woman has submitted paperwork with the Village of Albion that she intends to seek a license from the state to have a marijuana dispensary at 162 South Main St., unit 4.

That would be in the plaza that includes Subway, Family Dollar, Care Net of Greater Orleans, Rent-A-Center and Chia Sen.

Nicolene Sercu submitted a “Notification to Municipality” form to the village.

The Albion Village Board voted on Oct. 21, 2021 to opt in and allow legal marijuana dispensaries. Albion officials at the time said allowing the marijuana sites will make it easier for local residents to get the product in town, instead of driving to other communities and possibly putting others at risk on the roadways.

Village Board members also cited the potential tax benefits for the village. The state will have a 13-cent excise tax per $1 on the marijuana sales, and the village will get 3 of those cents per dollar.

However, Village Trustee Chris Barry opposed having licensed dispensaries in the village then and said at the Tuesday board meeting he continues to be against it.

The Village Planning Board on Nov. 9 had a public hearing about marijuana dispensaries and said the sites would be limited to areas in the village that are zoned general commercial – as long as they meet the regulations set by the state.

Those regulations keep dispensaries from at least 500 feet from a school and at least 200 feet from a church.

“We will use general commercial as an acceptable area but they still have to meet codes,” Karen Conn, the Planning Board chairwoman, said following a public hearing on the issue. “It’s up to them to find a spot and work with the code enforcement officer.”

Village Trustee Tim McMurray said the board will keep a close eye on the process, which he said is largely dictated by the state whether the dispensary is approved.

“We’ll follow up and do our due diligence,” McMurray said at the board meeting on Tuesday.

Photo courtesy of Greg Bennett

ALBION – The Albion Elks Lodge rejoined the Albion Midget League program as a sponsor this season. The Elks helped support a 12U team with donations to help with costs of uniforms, bats, equipment bags, helmets, catchers gear, and other equipment.

Pictured are some of the players from different age groups that the donations went to, along with some of the board members: front (catcher) Ryan Coots; standing first row: Evan Coots, Kenny Draper, Stryker Sanders, Jackson Frasier, Linda Standish and Bonnie Draper. Back row: Dan Ward, Drew Boyce, Jake Haines, Gavin Boyce, Brett Boring and Ross Kaine.

The Elks Lodge looks forward to continuing their relationship with youth baseball in Albion this coming season and seasons to come by sponsoring one team from the Elks themselves and one team from the Elks Riders, a subdivision of the Elks that will enter into a sponsorship of a youth team of players from the Albion school district who will play in the GLOW league this coming spring.

Press Release, Genesee & Orleans County Health Departments

The Genesee and Orleans County Health Departments (GO Health) are alerting residents that cases of respiratory syncytial virus, known as RSV, are rising throughout Genesee and Orleans counties. GO Health has also seen an increase in the presence of RSV in wastewater throughout both counties.

RSV is a common respiratory virus that can be mild for most people, but can be very harmful and serious for very young children, older adults, people with medical conditions, those born premature, or with underlying lung conditions.

Symptoms of RSV include fever, fatigue, decreased appetite, coughing, sneezing and runny nose. These symptoms usually appear in stages and not all at once. In young infants with RSV, the only symptoms may be irritability, decreased activity and breathing difficulties. Severe illness can result in bronchiolitis, an inflammation of the small airways in the lung, and pneumonia, an infection of the lungs. Hospitalization due to RSV is needed when a person is experiencing difficulty breathing or is dehydrated.

A vaccine is available to prevent and protect against RSV for adults aged 60 and older, infants and young children, as well as pregnant people to protect their unborn child. If you are interested in the vaccine, you are encouraged to talk with your healthcare provider and for the best protection, you should get the vaccine as soon as possible.

To protect against all respiratory viruses including RSV, Covid-19 and the flu, practice the following precautions:

• Avoid close contact with people who are sick.
• Stay home when you are sick.
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth.
• Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue when coughing/sneezing. This may prevent those around you from getting sick. Use your elbow or shoulder to limit the spray when coughing/sneezing.
• Wash your hands often with soap and water for 20 seconds. It is especially important to wash your hands after you have coughed or sneezed into your hands or blown your nose. If soap and water are not available, use an alcohol- based hand sanitizer.
• Frequently disinfect shared items, like doorknobs, handrails, phones, pens, remotes, etc.

For more information about RSV, visit the New York State Department website.

For the Genesee and Orleans Counties Wastewater Dashboard that tracks RSV, Covid-19, and flu in local sewersheds, visit the GO Health Wastewater Dashboard.

For more information on GO Health programs and services, visit GOHealthNY.org or call your respective health department at:

• Orleans County: 585-589-3278
• Genesee County: 585-344-2580 ext. 5555

File photo by Tom Rivers – The 1-million-gallon water tank on Route 98 will be replaced with a smaller tank at 750,000 gallons north of the village in the Town of Gaines. The village will have the 1-million gallon tank demolished. The new tank will keep the water drop design with “Village of Albion Water.”

ALBION – The Albion Village Board is moving forward with replacing a water tank on Route 98, north of the village in Gaines.

The current tank was built in 1962 and has a capacity for 1 million gallons.

The board voted to accept a construction bid this evening for a new tank that will hold 750,000 gallons. It will be a glass-fused steel tank, said Adam Rush, the village water plant chief operator.

The tank mostly serves the town of Carlton. Water is kept in the tank and backflows into the Carlton waterlines.

Statewide Aquastore from East Syracuse submitted the low bid of $1,369,000 for the project. Another bid for a concrete tank was $1,949,105.

The project will be funded with a state grant through the Water Infrastructure Improvement Act (WIIA).

The board in September also accepted a $1,527,000 bid from STC Construction of Springville for the first phase of the project, which includes demolition of current tank, and installation of new piping, valves and a meter pit.

A $1,250,000 grant from the state will cover most of the cost for the first phase. That money is from the Community Development Block Grant program, with another grant from WIIA covering 60 percent of the remaining cost or $166,200. The village expects it will pay its share through the water rates in the water fund.

The first phase needs to be done by April 9, and then the new tank will be constructed in the spring or summer, Rush said.

The new tank will be smaller the current one because the village added more capacity with a 3 million gallon tank in the mid-1990s near the intersection of routes 98 and 31A.

The village also is close to completion with another project for its water system. Keeler Construction in Barre is on target to be substantially complete by Dec. 1 with a new building to store fluoride.

The village accepted a $388,000 bid from Keeler for a fluoridation building that is 14-by-14 feet, with mechanical (HVAC and plumbing) and electrical components and systems. Rush said fluoridation equipment will be moved in soon after Dec. 1.

That project is funded with $312,000 grant from the state Department of Health, with the other $76,000 from the American Rescue Plan Act.

The village was previously keeping the fluoridation chemicals in the water plant. Rush said it was a subpar setup. The village hasn’t added fluoride to the water since the summer of 2021 but will start doing that again when the new concrete building is ready.

(Editor’s Note: This article was updated from an earlier version that had the wrong company listed as the low bidder.)