MEDINA – A Medina church is planning its sixth annual Family Fun Day at Butts Park on Aug. 5. The Oasis Church (formerly Second Church True Disciples of Jesus Christ A.G.) and the Family Fun Day Committee will have many free activities at the park from 1 to 4 p.m.

“For the last five years, the Family Fun Day has partnered with churches, agencies, businesses, and organizations in the county to unite the community for a fantastic family-oriented event,” said Jovannie Canales, senior pastor of Oasis Church.

Last year, about 500 attendees enjoyed activities, including a back to school backpack distribution with school supplies, live music, food, bounce houses, agency booths, K-9 and firefighters’ demonstration, and other giveaways.

“Our mission is to provide a free event that brines the community together, strengthens family bonds, enhances community relations, and brings hope to those in need,” Canales said.

This year’s event will include a skateboarding demonstration through Reanimatesk8 Ministry. There will be skateboard parts, accessories and two complete decks given out during the event.

“The Family Fun Day event would not be possible without donations from churches, friends, and community partners,” Canales said.

The National Weather Service in Buffalo has issued a heat advisory today in Orleans, Genesee, Niagara and Monroe counties from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. The heat index in the mid to upper 90s is expected.

The high temperature is forecast at 92 degrees for Orleans. The hot temperatures and high humidity may cause heat illnesses to occur, the Weather Service said.

People are encouraged to drink plenty of fluids, stay in an air-conditioned room, stay out of the sun, and check up on relatives and neighbors. Young children and pets should never be left unattended in vehicles under any circumstances, the Weather Service advised.

The heat advisory today also includes Wayne, northern Cayuga, Oswego, Jefferson, Livingston, and Ontario counties.

In Orleans County, the high temperatures in the following days include 80 on Friday, 80 on Saturday and 78 on Sunday.

Governor Kathy Hochul today announced more than $516 million in state “Bridge NY” funding to rehabilitate and replace bridges and culverts around the state, including four projects in Orleans County totaling $4.82 million in state dollars.

The projects in Orleans include:

• $1.295 million to Orleans County for the replacement of the Route 279 bridge over Beardsley Creek.
• $1.535 million to Orleans County for the replacement of the Groth Road bridge over East Branch Sandy Creek.
• $952,000 to Orleans County for the replacement of the Eagle Harbor Road culvert carrying the tributary to Otter Creek.
• $1.038 million to the Town of Albion for the replacement of the Phipps Road culvert carrying the tributary to Otter Creek, Orleans County.

The Phipps Road culvert in Albion was closed last Sept. 9 after an inspection showed the steel high-beam supports were rotted. The culvert spans 19 feet over Otter Creek.

Albion applied for Bridge NY funding for the Phipps Road culvert in 2016 and 2018 but was denied. Once the culvert was closed to traffic, Albion officials believed that gave Albion more points in the grant application.

Hochul in announcing the Bridge NY funds today said the projects will help local governments across the state harden their existing infrastructure while boosting the resiliency of bridges and culverts in the state.

“New York State is making historic investments to modernize our infrastructure and we are committed to working with our partners in local government to help ensure that their bridges and culverts are ready to meet the challenges of global climate change,” Hochul said. “The Bridge NY program provides essential funding directly to local governments to enhance the safety, resiliency, sustainability and reliability of local infrastructure, allowing more than 140 bridges to better withstand extreme weather events and keep New Yorkers safe.”

Photos by Tom Rivers

ALBION – Jeffrey Echevarria, 10, of Albion rides a horse today during a kickoff celebration for the summer reading program at Hoag Library.

The library will have events and activities Monday through Friday to promote the reading challenge, which ends Aug. 11.

Children who read up to 15 hours this summer will be eligible for prizes.

Jules Henchen, 6, of Carlton and Owen Merritt, 7, of Waterport pet a goat outside the library. Serenity Acres brought the animals to the library today. The Albion Lions Club also served hotdogs for free.

Hoag and the other public libraries in Orleans County are part of a statewide summer reading challenge with a theme, “All Together Now.”

There will storytimes at the Hoag in the afternoons led by Elizabeth Tuttle, the children’s librarian. Once a week a community member will also lead a storytime. Joyce Riley, the village’s deputy mayor, will do the first one at 11 a.m. on Thursday. The other storytimes from community members will be at 11 a.m. on Wednesdays.

There will be many other activities, including yoga, water wars, crafts, movies, a DPW construction equipment program, birdhouse building with Jim Babcock, and visits from the Zoomobile.

Click here to see the calendar of events at the Hoag for the summer reading program.

Lee-Whedon Memorial Library in Medina will have a kickoff celebration on Friday of its summer reading program with a petting zoo from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. There will also be cotton candy, games and ice cream from Twisted Treats (available at your own expense).

Dona Scharping, left, of Serenity Acres chats with Betty Sue Miller, the Hoag library director, while waiting for the next child to take a ride on the horse.

Photo by Ginny Kropf: Carolyn Wagner, a member of OCALS, stands in front of Case-Nic Cookies, where a basket raffle to benefit the literacy agency is taking place through July 28.

MEDINA – For the second year, Orleans County Adult Learning Services is sponsoring a basket raffle in the window of Case-Nic Cookies on Main Street.

The agency known as OCALS provides tutoring to individuals and school children throughout the county. Founded in 2006 and ran for many years by strictly volunteers, it relies solely on donations and grants to fund its services.

With limited staff, the basket raffle in Case-Nic Cookies window is a perfect way to raise money, according to Carolyn Wagner, who organizes the raffle.

There are 53 baskets on display in the window. Individuals wishing to participate may take an envelope out of a bucket in the doorway, in which there is a ticket stub and sheet of paper listing all the baskets. They indicate how many tickets they wish to purchase, which baskets they want to win and how many tickets go in each basket. They place the correct amount of money in the envelope with the list of baskets and drop it in the mail slot in the door.

Then staff at Case-Nic Cookies tears apart the tickets and places the requested number in each basket.

Some of the baskets have lottery tickets, planters, a rooster lawn ornament, jewelry and gift certificates to numerous businesses and services in Medina, such as hair appointments, chocolates, flowers, hardware and groceries.

Wagner praised Case-Nic Cookies owner Mary Lou Tuohey for providing her window free to non-profits.

“Not many businesses would give up an entire window for someone else to use,” she said.

Fundraising is a challenge for OCALS, which has limited staff, so the basket raffle is a doable event. This year they are going to have a fundraising dinner in September, Wagner said. They have also had a presence at the Strawberry Festival in Albion, the Farmer’s Market in Medina and Medina’s Community Yard Sale.

“We are trying to raise awareness in the community of what we do,” she said. “There are still many people who don’t know what OCALS is.”

OCALS is a not-for-profit group of volunteers who provide free tutoring one-on-one to individuals who want to improve their reading, writing and English speaking skills, along with improving their digital literacy. OCALS recently joined with United Way of Orleans County to offer help via the Orleans Digital Literacy Initiative. They serve individuals in ABCD child care (Grace’s Place) in Holley, local school districts and the Iroquois Job Corps. One member, Ann McElwee, is bilingual and can work with the Spanish speaking population.

Anyone is encouraged to think about joining OCALS, either as a board member or tutor. Volunteers can play a really active role or stay in the background, Wagner said.

Anyone wishing to join OCALS in any capacity may call (585) 590-1292 or check on to the OCALS Facebook page.

MEDINA – Changes are taking place at the Sneaker Barn, located at 10640 Ridge Rd.

Owners Bill and Betty Blount have announced he will be retiring and turning the business over to their son and daughter-in-law, Rick and Terra Blount.

Bill has been in the footwear business for decades, having worked as a full-time sales representative for Reebok.

Having a store grew out of garage sales he had to get rid of his samples. They sold so well, he decided to put up a small building for the summer, but people began stopping all winter. In 1987, he built the current store. In 1989-90, he opened a store in Brockport, which he ran for five years. When staffing became a problem, he closed it and concentrated on his store in what he calls “the boonies.”

“This little store always outperformed the other one in Brockport,” he said.

This year, Bill will turn 79 on July 22 and he decided it was time to retire.

“I was ready to close and started liquidating,” he said.

Then Terra came to him and said she and Rick would like to take over the store.

“I had the brakes on, and now it was full steam ahead,” Bill said.

He put in new carpet and new furnace, added a coffee bar and expanded his merchandise line. The Sneaker Barn will soon add a new line of sneakers made so the wearer can slip his foot in with no hands. He also added Merrell footwear and Teva to the Skechers he already carried.

Other merchandise includes Wigwam socks made in America, and men’s and women’s slippers which Bill said are big sellers. Footwear comes in sizes up to 16.

“We have a huge demand for wide sizes,” Bill said. “If it’s made in wide sizes, we order it.”

He said during the pandemic they had some of their busiest days.

“We opened for people who were diabetic and needed wide sizes,” Bill said. “Because we were small, people didn’t worry about being around crowds.”

Bill likes to tell the story about the size 23 shoes he saw somewhere and bought them as a conversation piece. He was using them as a door stop when a very tall man from New York City stopped in and asked if he could try them on. They were a perfect fit, so Bill sold them to him.

Rick, who is head of maintenance at St. Mary’s Cemetery, cares for several others and runs an excavating business, will keep his cemetery jobs and scale back on the excavating. Terra formerly did child care in Holley and will run the store with Rick’s assistance as time permits.

The store is currently open on Thursday, Friday and Saturday, but after the Fourth, Rick and Terra will expand hours to include Tuesday and Wednesday. Both plan to shadow Bill for the rest of the year to learn the ropes.

Having Rick and Terra take over was perfect, Bill said, as they live right behind the store.

He said over the years, all three of his children worked at the store, along with some nieces and nephews.

For now, retirement means scaling back. He enjoys being in the store and talking to people. Betty’s goal is to keep the home fires burning and spending more time with Bill.

Photos by Tom Rivers

LYNDONVILLE – It was another crowd-pleasing fireworks show at Lyndonville to cap the Fourth of July.

Young Explosives set off the fireworks for 40 minutes, beginning at 10 p.m. The Lyndonville show is one of the largest fireworks displays in Western New York.

A big crowd of people brought blankets and lawn chairs to watch the show behind the school on the athletic fields.

The band Flipside performed “Beat It” by Michael Jackson. The band performed many classic rock songs in stage by the Lyndonville baseball field.

Mark Christy is lead singer for Flipside, singing hard-hitting rock and roll from Billy Idol, Ozzy Osbourne, Styx and Journey, to many other singers, including pop and country stars.

People relaxed and enjoyed the fireworks, with many cheering after the finale.

Photos by Tom Rivers

LYNDONVILLE – Bob Eberle dressed as Uncle Sam and waves to the crowd along Main Street during today’s Fourth of July parade in Lyndonville.

Eberle was in the parade last year with the Lyndonville Class of 1982. He was asked to be Uncle Sam today and did it for the first time.

He was happy to add a well known July 4^th character to the patriotic procession.

“A lot of people look forward to coming back to this small town and seeing friends they haven’t seen in the past five to 10 years,” Eberle said.

Molly Ingersoll, a member of the Leos Club at the school, passes out American flags before the parade. About 5,000 flags were available to the crowd.

Russ Martino, the grand marshal for the parade, rode in a car driven by Scott Schmidt. Martino was a shop teacher in the high school for 16 years and then a principal in the elementary school for 17 years. He later served as the yates town supervisor. Martino also has been a member of the Lyndonville Lions Club for 42 years.

He said it was a thrill to have many people yell out greetings to him in the parade, either calling him “Russ” or “Mr. Martino.”

“I’ve never found a friendlier place or nicer people,” Martino said.

Just before the hour-long parade a military flyover passed over Lyndonville – twice. The plane came from the 911th United States Air Force Reserve from Pittsburgh, Pa. The flyover was at about noon.

 This group tries to get photos of the plane as it flies over Main Street.

Pudgie’s Veggies was in the parade promoting its sweet corn, tomatoes, squash, zucchini, cucumbers and potatoes. Many local businesses were part of the parade.

Gordon-Fisk, Inc, a lawn equipment sales and service business on Ridge Road in Medina, brought several lawn mowers to be in the parade.

This group waves from a boat on a trailer. They are representing Ontario Shores Realty which “specializes in waterfront property.”

These kids squirted water from a float promoting an upcoming Vacation Bible School at Oak Orchard Assembly of God from July 9-12.

Mark Hughes accepts a donation to go towards the Lyndonville fireworks show. Next year will be the 50th anniversary of the Lions Club putting on a Fourth of July celebration for the community.

Robert Batt, executive director of the Cornell Cooperative Extension, wears a 4-H costume to help promote the upcoming 4-H Fair from July 24-29. He is chatting with Shawn Cook, one of the fair volunteers.

Motorcyclists in ABATE of Orleans County brought a big group near the start of the parade.

Everett and Sylvia Bruning wore capes and passed out candy for Gallagher Hill Trucking in Albion. Their cousin Kendyll Kidney also was generous handing out treats.

American Legion member Joe Hausler joined other veterans on a trolley for the parade.

Bill Wolter, a candidate for Shelby highway superintendent, waves to people along Main Street.

Wandering Trails Taxidermy by Ashley had animals holding flags.

Dancers from Dance Theater in Medina toss candy to kids along the parade route.

The Murray Tractor Pull promoted its event on July 22.

This lineup includes a costumed Deadpool character, members of Hometown Wellness Center in Medina and youth football players in RBL (Roy-Hart, Barker and Lyndonville).

The Lyndonville school band, including many students who graduated last month, showed up in big numbers and played patriotic music along the parade route.

The band gave an energetic performance despite the bright sunshine and heat in the low 80s.

Photos by Tom Rivers

ALBION – The Civil War cannon at Mount Albion Cemetery returned last week after the carriage was rebuilt.

The cannon was removed in November for an overhaul of the carriage. The carriage also has new wheels.

The cannon is an iconic feature on the west side of the cemetery in the Civil War Section.

Photo courtesy of Tim Tierney

Mount  Albion Cemetery superintendent Jason Zicari and long-time employee Dale Snyder put the cannon on the carriage last Wednesday. Snyder has retired from a career working at the historic cemetery on Route 31.

The cannon is shown this morning at Mount Albion. The previous carriage had rotted after many years in harsh weather. The carriage gave out, and couldn’t handle the weight of the cannon, leaving the cannon tipped upright, said Zicari, the cemetery superintendent.

The new carriage was built out of hemlock. The cemetery workers reassembled all of the parts for the carriage, and cut notches and holes in the carriage.

ALBION – The Albion Merchants Association will be kicking off a new downtown concert series this Thursday with the band Swooners from Rochester performing jazz and high-energy dance music.

The Merchants Association is using a grant from the Genesee-Orleans Regional Arts Council for a concert series on Thursday evenings. Some of the concerts will be later after the village concert series this summer.

The Merchants is planning a “Market in the Square” with music, a food truck, a farmer with fresh fruits and veggies, sweets and treats, craft vendors and other activities.

The Merchants will use the “Square” on Main Street in the area between Beaver Alley and Bank Street. The group is trying to utilize the street while Main Street over the bridge is closed to traffic for a major lift bridge rehabilitation.

“We are hoping that in the closed off square will create more business downtown,” said Natasha Wasuck, AMA president.

Photos by Tom Rivers: These two watch the fireworks on July 4 in Lyndonville last year. They are sitting on top of a truck near the school fields close to the fireworks.

LYNDONVILLE – The Lyndonville Lions Club is ready for a busy day of activities to help the community celebrate the Fourth of July on Tuesday.

The big events are a parade beginning at noon and fireworks at 10 p.m. But there is a lot of things happening throughout the day.

Some of the events include:

• Arts and crafts sale from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the school front lawn
• Antique and classic car cruise-in at 10 a.m. at the school parking lot
• Hot dog stand and other food vendors beginning at 11 a.m. on the school grounds
• Parade starts at noon with Russ Martino as the grand marshal
• Chicken barbecue from 1 until 3:30 p.m. or sold out in the high school cafeteria
• One-Man Band (Mike McCauley) performing from 5 to 7 p.m. in the parking lot behind the school
• Flipside Band performing on a stage by school baseball field from 7 p.m. until the start of the fireworks
• Fireworks by Young Explosives start at 10 p.m.

The Lyndonville Lions Club is organizing the celebration for the 49^th year. This year’s event has a theme, “An Old-Fashioned Fourth of July Celebration.”

The Lions are encouraging all residents to fly American flags or. The Lions have plans to hand out over 5,000 American flags to parade goers.

Just before the parade there will be a military flyover from the 911th United States Air Force Reserve from Pittsburgh, Pa. It is expected that the flyover will pass over Main Street right at noon, just before the start of the parade. This is the second year there will be a flyover before the parade.

This photo at the end of the fireworks includes the steeple of the Lyndonville United Methodist Church in the foreground.

Provided photos: A collection of Fair Garden entries is shown from the 2018 Orleans County Fair Flower Show.

Press Release, Master Gardeners in Orleans County

KNOWLESVILLE – Master Gardeners through the Cornell Cooperative Extension in Orleans County are happy to announce a popular fair exhibit will be back this year after a several-year hiatus.

The Orleans County Fair Flower Show will once again be featured alongside the Master Gardener booth in the Lartz Building during the Orleans County 4-H Fair from July 24-29. The Flower Show is a chance for the general public to showcase some of their favorite horticultural pieces from home.  Anyone in the community can enter an exhibit in one of eight categories – Fairy Garden, Floral Arrangement, Houseplant, Succulent, Unique Container, Hanging Basket/Urn/Pot, Garden Accent, and Miscellaneous. This year’s Flower Show will be the first since 2019.

The Flower Show got its start in Orleans County in 2015. At the time, CCE Orleans was lucky enough to have Amanda Mrzywka, now a board member and owner of Navarra’s Farm Market and Greenhouse in Albion, working as an Americorps intern. Amanda was able to dedicate her time to making sure the first Orleans County Flower Show got off to a great start!

She studied Flower Shows from across the state and country, and modeled the fledgling Orleans County show after the highly popular show at the Erie County Fair. The first year of the Orleans County Flower Show was a great success, and with Amanda on board as a Master Gardener volunteer and with the help from a grant from GO Art! (the Genesee-Orleans Regional Arts Council), the Flower Show continued for several years until 2019 when Amanda stepped away as a Master Gardener to focus on her thriving business. This year, Orleans County Master Gardeners decided it was time to bring the Flower Show back!

This is a winning exhibit from the 2016 Flower Show.

Master Gardener Volunteers Nancy Halstead, Brenda Radzinski, and Linda Oakes formed a committee and set to work planning for the revival of the Flower Show for the 2023 Orleans County 4-H Fair.

“With a surge of interest in gardening following Covid, we wanted to provide fairgoers not only the opportunity to participate in a flower and gardening exhibit, but also maybe to gather ideas from their fellow gardeners in the community,” said Halstead, the chairperson of the Master Gardener Flower Show Committee.

The committee followed many of the previous Flower Show’s guidelines, but opted for a more relaxed, low-key show this year.  There are fewer categories than in the past and less restrictive protocols to follow.

The biggest change in this year’s Flower Show is that it will be judged by the public instead of by hired official Flower Show judges.  Fairgoers will have the opportunity to vote on their favorite exhibits by paper ballot Monday through Thursday of fair week (July 24-27).  Votes will be tallied and ribbons for each category will be displayed on Friday and Saturday, typically the two busiest days of fair.

“We decided to go with a less restrictive format this year to gauge interest from the public before attempting a standard flower show which can be costly and has much stricter guidelines,” Halstead said.

Categories for exhibits are varied, and virtually anything garden or flower-related can be entered in the Flower Show.

The main goal of the Flower Show this year will be to showcase community members’ creativity and prowess in their gardens and to beautify the Lartz building, often filled with vendors and community businesses displaying their organization’s goods. The Flower Show will be displayed adjacent to the Master Gardener booth, bringing vibrant life and color to the area.

“The main reason why I love the Flower Show is that it combines art with gardening,” said Brenda Radzinski, Master Gardener volunteer and Flower Show committee member. “I love seeing the unusual varieties of flowers and creative ways to display them. I really look forward to seeing what Orleans County gardeners come up with!”

The 2023 Orleans County Fair Flower Show is open to all ages. Each exhibitor can enter up to three pieces in each category. Pre-registration is required and paperwork must be received in the Orleans County CCE office by Monday, July 17th. Full details as well as pre-registration forms, exhibitor packets, and general rules and information can be found on the Orleans County CCE website https://orleans.cce.cornell.edu/.

As an added bonus, each exhibitor will receive one free week-long fair pass for their participation and to tend to their exhibits throughout the week.

“The biggest reason why we wanted to bring the Flower Show back is that flowers make people feel good!” said Linda Oakes, a long-time Master Gardener and the third member of the Flower Show committee. “Whenever people are out and about, seeing gardens and seeing flowers just makes people happy, and we wanted to bring that happiness back to the Orleans County Fair.”

For more details or questions about the Master Gardener Program or the Fair Flower Show, please contact Katie Oakes, coordinator of the Master Gardeners, at 585-798-4265 ext. 125 or klo54@cornell.edu.

Lifeguards at children’s camps may be 15 if directly supervised

Press Release, Gov. Kathy Hochul’s Office

Governor Kathy Hochul today announced she signed key legislation to address the minimum age of lifeguards at children’s camps.

Legislation (S.6467-A/A.5821A) will require lifeguards for children’s camps to be at least 17 years of age except that up to 50 percent of the required number of lifeguards on duty may be at least 15 years of age if they are under the supervision of a camp aquatics director. Lifeguards required for wilderness swimming must be at least 18 years of age.

“New Yorkers deserve the opportunity to safely enjoy our world-class beaches and camps across the state,” Governor Hochul said. “This legislation will help address the lifeguard shortage, while ensuring that our children and fellow New Yorkers are supervised and safe in the waters this summer.”

To address the shortage of lifeguards in New York State, legislation (S.6467-A/A.5821A) allows for the expansion of individuals who can become lifeguards at overnight, summer day, and travelling summer camps for children.

New York State Health Commissioner Dr. James McDonald said, “Parents in New York deserve the peace of mind to know their children are safe and well supervised when attending summer camp, especially when they’re swimming and participating in water activities. Lifeguards in New York are well trained and equipped to respond and save lives in the event of an emergency. This legislation will keep swimmers at camp safe while creating opportunities for more young people who are interested in becoming a lifeguard.”