By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 22 June 2023 at 3:49 pm
MEDINA – The Medina Sandstone Society has inducted 35 sites in its Hall of Fame and expects to keep inducting more in the next several years.
The Hall of Fame is in the main meeting room at City Hall. The Hall of Fame is running out of wall space.
Two of the Hall of Fame Committee members, Dave Miller and Jim Hancock, asked the Village Board to allow for more space for the Hall of Fame to recognize outstanding structures made of Medina Sandstone.
They suggested a wall that includes many portraits of past Medina mayors be used for the hall of Fame when it runs out of space for new hall of Fame inductees.
Mayor Mike Sidari said the Village Board will work with the Sandstone Society to provide more space for the display of Hall of Fame structures. Takeform in Medina makes the plaques of the honorees without charging the Sandstone Society.
The Hall of Fame started in 2013 and is seeking nominees for its 10th anniversary class.
The Hall of Fame includes churches, mansions, civic buildings, monuments and public works projects from Erie, Pa., to Buffalo, Batavia, Rochester, the Finger Lakes region and several in Orleans County.
About 70 sites have now been nominated for the hall of Fame. The Hall of Fame Committee wants to recognize Medina Sandstone sites with exceptional beauty, architectural uniqueness and longevity, or as Miller said, sites “that have the wow effect.”
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 22 June 2023 at 8:34 am
About 350 high school seniors will graduate from the five public school districts in Orleans County on Friday and Saturday.
Albion will have about 110 students receiving their diplomas on Friday. The district was planning on an outdoor ceremony, but has moved it inside at the high school gym.
The speakers for the ceremony include Class President Nicholas Andrews,
Salutatorian Natalie Baron and valedictorian Audrey Pask. Mickey Edwards, the district superintendent, and Wayne Wadhams, the Board of Education president, also will address the class.
Holley has 60 people graduating on Saturday at 10 a.m. in the junior-senior high school auditorium.
Ava Quincey will give the salutatory address and her twin sister Elise Quincey will deliver the valedictory message.
Zachary Busch, the middle/high school band director, was picked by the seniors to give the keynote address.
Kendall has 48 students graduating on Friday with a 7 p.m. ceremony in the junior-senior high school auditorium.
Tori Conner will give the salutatory address and Mary Jones will give the valedictory speech.
The keynote message will be delivered by Jim Oschmann, a 1977 Kendall graduate who is now the co-founder and advisor of Photonect Interconnect Solutions Inc. Oschmann is a retired executive from Ball Aerospace. He is a past president, fellow and lifetime member of the International Society of Optics and Photonics. Oschmann earned a bachelor’s degree in Optics from the University of Rochester, and a master’s in Optical Sciences and an MBA from the University of Arizona.
Lyndonville has 42 students graduating at 7 p.m. on Friday in the Stroyan Auditorium. Addresses will be given by salutatorian Meagan Hardner and valedictorian Lorelei Dillenbeck.
Medina has 98 students graduating on Friday in a 7 p.m. ceremony planned to be outdoors at Vets Park.
The salutatory message will be delivered by Lillian Wilson, and Dana Faith De Vera will give the valedictory address.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 22 June 2023 at 7:49 am
Provided photo
ALBION – Albion students in Mrs. Kathy Winans’ class teamed with Navarra’s Greenhouses to get flowers in planters ready for this season.
Pictured form left include Amanda Mrzywka of Navarra’s, Emily from Mrs. Winans’ class, and Bayli Schlierf, a high school teacher.
Usually it’s students in Sandy Climenhaga AP biology class who assist with the flowers. But there isn’t an AP bio class this year in Albion.
The students from Mrs. Winans’ class joined Navarra’s three days a week to get the planters ready and learn other skills in the greenhouse. These planters are on Main Street in Albion. Navarra’s also does the hanging baskets in the downtown for Albion.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 21 June 2023 at 9:18 pm
Photo courtesy of Tim Archer
ALBION – Albion sixth-grade students were able to meet with a state Department of Transportation worker at the Main Street lift bridge construction site. A worker for one of the subcontractors shows a hydraulic mechanism from the bridge that was constructed in 1914. The bridge closed to traffic on Nov. 14 and has been dismantled and taken off site north of the canal for a major rehabilitation.
The hydraulic piece has been offered to the school as a piece of local history memorabilia, said Tim Archer, teacher of the sixth-grade citizenship class.
Some of the students who visited the site include, from left: Carter Krull, Colson Braley, Blake Doty, Mary McCormick, Kendall Peruzzini and Maddox Krull.
“Students are preparing for more extensive canal history research next year leading up to the spring 2024 bridge reopening,” Archer said.
ALBANY – Assemblyman Steve Hawley (R,C-Batavia) today slammed the Majority’s recently passed legislation that would make it illegal to organize, sponsor, conduct, promote or participate in any contest, competition or derby where the objective is to take wildlife (A.2917). This would include bans on hunting competitions for coyotes, rabbits and other animals.
The legislation, which passed the state Assembly this afternoon, had a Senate sponsor from Buffalo and an Assembly sponsor from Manhattan, which provided a further example of legislators from city regions exercising power over New Yorkers in rural areas such as Western New York. Hawley is frustrated that rural communities are once again having their voices silenced.
“This anti-hunting bill is yet another example of out-of-touch, big city legislators imposing their will on our constituents,” said Hawley. “This is the same tactic that was used by big city lawmakers on the mandate of overtime pay on our farm workers. This proposal would not only be damaging to our rights as New Yorkers, but its effects on our local agriculture and animal population control will have negative consequences. The Majority needs to start considering the needs of all New Yorkers, not just those in the cities.”
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 21 June 2023 at 11:21 am
Photos courtesy of Melissa Ierlan
CLARENDON – Vern Fonda, an environmental conservation police officer, holds a Great Horned Owl that was injured on Friday. The owl was in a quarry in Clarendon owned by Heidelberg Materials, Aggregates and Concrete (the former Hanson Aggregates site).
Quarry workers called the Department of Environmental Conservation to report there was an injured owl in quarry.
The owl was skittish of Fonda and quarry workers and was hiding in a crevice of the quarry. Fonda tossed a T-shirt at the owl, and the bird then clutched that shirt with its talons. Fonda picked the owl up using leather gloves. He put the bird in a cardboard box with ventilation.
The owl was docile once in the dark cardboard box. The Great Horned Owls are nocturnal. This owl was probably disoriented from being out in the bright sunshine, Fonda said.
He then took the owl to Robert Humbert, a wildlife rehabilitator in Wolcottsville.
Fonda speculated the owl was hunting for mice and likely flew into a stone wall, injuring a wing. Or it may have hit its head and was concussed.
Fonda met the quarry workers from the South Holley Road entrance to the quarry. Fonda said he expects the owl will be released by the wildlife rehabilitator after regaining strength. The rehabilitator has enclosures and will feed the owl while it recovers, Fonda said.
ALBION – Members of the Orleans County Amateur Radio Club will be participating in the National Amateur Radio Field Day exercise, June 27-28, at the Orleans County Emergency Management Center, 14064 County House Road in Albion.
Since 1933, ham radio operators across North America have established temporary, ham radio stations in public locations during Field Day to showcase the science and skill of Amateur Radio. This event is open to the public and all are encouraged to attend.
For more than 100 years, Amateur Radio — also called Ham Radio — has allowed people from all walks of life to experiment with electronics and communications techniques, as well as provide a free public service to their communities during a disaster or emergency, all without needing a cell phone or the Internet.
Field Day demonstrates Ham Radio’s ability to work reliably under any conditions from almost any location and create an independent communications network. More than 35,000 people from thousands of locations participated last year in Field Day 2021 activities.
“It’s easy for anyone to pick up a computer or smartphone, connect to the Internet and communicate, with no knowledge of how the devices function or connect to each other,” said David Isgur, communications manager for the American Radio Relay League, the national association for Amateur Radio.
“But if there’s an interruption of service or you’re out of range of a cell tower, you have no way to communicate. Ham Radio functions completely independent of the Internet or cell phone infrastructure, and can interface with tablets or smartphones and can be set up almost anywhere in minutes.
That’s the beauty of Amateur Radio during a communications outage.
“Hams can literally throw a wire in a tree for an antenna, connect it to a battery powered transmitter and communicate halfway around the world,” Isgur added. “Hams do this by using a layer of Earth’s atmosphere as a sort of mirror for radio waves. In today’s electronic do-it-yourself (DIY) environment, Ham Radio remains one of the best ways for people to learn about electronics, physics, meteorology, and numerous other scientific disciplines.”
Amateur Radio is a huge asset to any community during disasters or emergencies if the standard communication infrastructure goes down.
Anyone may become a licensed Amateur Radio operator. There are more than 725,000 licensed Hams in the United States, as young as 8 and as old as 100.
With clubs such as the Orleans County Amateur Radio Club it’s easy for anybody to get involved right here in Orleans and surrounding counties
For more information about Field Day or Amateur Radio, contact Bruce Sidari, president of Orleans County Amateur Radio Club, at (585) 820-6460 or visit www.arrl.org/what-is-ham-radio.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 21 June 2023 at 6:48 am
Provided photo
KENDALL – Firefighters kept a shed fire with huge flames and dark smoke from destroing a residence about 10 feet from the fire on Monday afternoon.
The Kendall Fire Department was dispatched to 16653 Roosevelt Highway at 1:09 p.m. on Monday for a shed fire.
Kendall, Hamlin-Morton-Walker Fire District, the Murray Joint Fire District and Hamlin Fire Department all responded to a fully involved shed fire, that was beginning to burn a tree to the west and the Tyvek wrap on the rear of the house. The fire was under control at 1:28 p.m.
“Due to the quick response the fire was contained mainly to the shed with no damage to the inside of the house and minimal damage to the exterior of the residence,” Kendall Fire Department officials posted on the department’s Facebook page. “The shed, which contained a motorcycle, miscellaneous tools and building materials, was a total loss.”
Orleans County fire investigators are working to determine the cause of the fire.
Besides the four fire departments, Orleans County Emergency Management, Monroe Ambulance and New York State Police responded to the scene.
“Kendall command would like to thank all responders for their quick response which allowed for a quick fire attack, preventing any damage to the residence itself,” Kendall fire officials said.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 21 June 2023 at 6:00 am
Photo by Tom Rivers
MEDINA – Robby Klino, a member of the Medina Sandstone Society board of directors, on Tuesday presents a $1,000 scholarship check to Aidan Paul, a soon-to-graduate senior at Medina.
Klino is a member of the scholarship committee. Paul wrote an essay and prepared a PowerPoint presentation on the topic, “What is Medina Sandstone?”
Paul will be attending Niagara County Community College to play baseball. He will major in business.
He said researching Medina Sandstone made him feel even more pride being from Medina. The sandstone is used in many remarkable buildings, near and far.
Klino praised Paul for going “above and beyond” in his scholarship application.
The scholarship is named in honor of John Ryan who opened the first Medina sandstone commercial quarry in 1837.
The Sandstone Society has now awarded eight of the $1,000 scholarships for $8,000 total.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 20 June 2023 at 5:52 pm
Photos by Tom Rivers
MEDINA – The teeter-totter at Gulf Street Park and other playground equipment doesn’t get much use, village officials said.
Village Board members acknowledged at a recent board meeting that the equipment is old and the village’s insurance carrier expressed concerns about the equipment’s condition.
The village is waiting to see the design of a nine-hole disc golf course for Gulf Street Park, in a project funded by the Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. Foundation and led locally by the Orleans County YMCA. That layout will determine if some of the playground equipment will be relocated at Gulf Street Park, or perhaps another park. The village may also declare some of the equipment surplus if it is deemed in too rough of shape.
The “spider” monkey bar is among the older playground apparatus at Gulf Street Park.
Jason Watts, the DPW superintendent, said he would like to see some of the equipment declared surplus, with the village looking for new playground equipment that is more condensed, with less of a footprint.
Mayor Sidari said the village may replace some of the playground at Gulf Street Park.
“Everything is open right now until we get the design of the golf course,” he said.
Another factor is the possibility of new playground equipment north of the canal at a former concrete plant. The state Canal Corp. is working on that project that be include a significant art installation.
The village is also considering playground equipment at the Lions Park by the canal near the lift bridge as part of a $4.5 million Forward New York grant. That grant will mostly go towards economic development and housing initiatives.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 20 June 2023 at 2:55 pm
Photo by Tom Rivers
ALBION – Albion middle school students this fall are planning to paint “Welcome to Albion” in large letters above the canal mural on the back of the fire hall on Platt Street.
The Village Board gave the OK to the project. Students will also freshen up the mural that was originally painted in 1998. It was the Girl Scout Gold Award project for Corinne Toenniessen, who received some help in the design from Terri Wood.
Kamie Feder, the Middle School art teacher, presented the plan to the board last week. Jay Pahura, superintendent for the Albion Department of Public Works, said he would get a scissor lift for the students and Feder to work on the project. The DPW also will have the area blocked off to traffic while the project is worked on.
Feder led a group of students last June in painting a mural of flowers on the back of the former bathroom building at Bullard Park. That structure is now used for storage since new bathrooms were added to Bullard about two years ago.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 20 June 2023 at 11:16 am
Photos by Tom Rivers
ALBION – Doris Vidal, owner of Serenity Spa & Holistic Center, opened the business on June 2 at 438 West Ave. in Albion. She is shown in a room for massage therapy.
She offers numerous services at the site, from massage, anti-aging treatments with facials and skin care, pain treatments, reflexology, meditation, yoga and holistic life coaching.
“This has been my dream since I was little,” Vidal said. “I want to help take care of people and help them to have less stress.”
Vidal operated a spa in Orlando, Fla. She recently moved to Medina. Her husband, Lionel Heydel, was the head chef at the Harvest Restaurant at Bent’s Opera House. The couple enjoy the local community and decided to buy a house in Medina and open the business in Albion.
They bought the building at 438 West Ave. One of the tenants is Wild Flour Deli & Bakery.
“This is a fresh start for me,” Vidal said. “Here it is so much less stressful. There is so much nature and farming. In Orlando, there is so much traffic. It’s packed.”
Doris Vidal and Lionel Heydel are shown in a room where there will be yoga classes and other group activities, including meditation, painting , candle-making, jewelry-making and crafts.
“This is a center for diverse activities,” Vidal said.
She is already drawing customers from Rochester, Buffalo and Brockport, as well as Orleans County.
“People are excited because not many places offer the services that I have,” she said.
Vidal said she has been studying holistic and natural medicine for years. She worked nearly non-stop before the Covid pandemic hit. That pandemic, with the restrictions from socializing in the early phase of Covid, forced her to slow down.
Heydel was a client of hers in Orlando. He had been encouraging her to take more time for herself. The couple married in February 2022.
Serenity has “a healing room” with salt detoxing blocks. Vidal offers chromotherapy with colors, and helps people to relax through sights and smells.
Serenity also has an ozone sauna machine with dry steam and infrared detoxication.
Vidal is trained in Ayurvedic holistic healing. She offers a trigger-point therapy and treatment for myofascial pain using “the practice of informed touch.”
Vidal and Heydel gave the space an overhaul with fresh painting, electrical, carpet, updated LED lights, and many plants and a fountain at the entrance.
“As soon as you enter, you feel relaxed,” Vidal said.
Vidal is bilingual and offers her services in English and Spanish. She is pleased to become trained as a life coach and wants to help people overcome excuses, fears and other barriers to success and better health.
“People know they want to change, but don’t know where to start,” she said.
Serenity is open five days a week, Wednesday through Sunday. For more information, click here to be directed to the business’s website.
LYNDONVILLE – At the Lyndonville Lions Club recent meeting, the July Fourth Planning Committee unveiled the theme for this year’s 49th Annual Independence Day Celebration. The theme will be “An Old-Fashioned Fourth of July Celebration.”
The Lions are encouraging all residents to fly American flags or banners and encourages all participants to reflect the theme. The Lions have plans to hand out over 5,000 American flags to parade goers.
Provided photo: Lyndonville Lions Cub President Harold Suhr, left, congratulates Russ Martino on serving as parade marshal in the upcoming Fourth of July parade.
The committee announced the musical lineup for this year’s Firecracker Concert Series, funded by GO ART!, sponsors, and Lyndonville Lions Club. A local one-man band, Mike McCauley, will be leading off the evening with his easy rock playlist at 5 p.m.
McCauley will be followed the headliner band, Flipside. They will take the stage on the upper baseball field at 7 p.m. The Lions would like to encourage all concert goers to stay for the fireworks immediately following the end of the concert, at approximately 10 p.m.
The Fourth of July Celebration will include an arts and crafts sale, chicken barbecue, hot dog stand, food vendors, pony rides, antique & classic car cruise-In, and other activities.
The grand marshal for this year’s parade will be Russ Martino. The committee wanted to recognize Martino for all of his hometown efforts. He has a long and distinguished career as a high school educator and administrator, serving both as a teacher and principal. He has been active in local government serving on numerous county, town and village boards and as the Yates Town Supervisor. He continues to be active in many civic organizations and is the longest serving member in the Lyndonville Lions Club.
Any group or organization wishing to participate in the parade should contact the parade director at Gwendolynlarge002@gmail.com.
The Lyndonville Lions Club also has plans for an inaugural golf tournament at Hickory Ridge Golf Course on Sept. 10. Plans call for a foursome scramble format with a 9 a.m. tee off, followed by an awards presentation and steak roast dinner. There will be more information and registration packages available in the coming weeks.
