Photos by Marsha Rivers

ALBION – It was a near full house with more than 75 people attending the concert Saturday at Hoag Library.

Kinloch Nelson, a professional musician who plays the fingerstyle guitar, performed for the crowd at the Hoag.

 The library started a new series with concerts played the first Saturday each month at noon. The new series is the brainchild of Jim Doyle, an adult reference librarian at the library. He joined Hoag in October. He also has been running Jim’s Guitar Studio for 23 years in Albion, and is a founding member of the Rochester Guitar Club.

“We wanted to bring in people who haven’t performed in Orleans County before,” Doyle said. “I think the community is hungry for music and the arts.”

The next concert will be at noon on May 6, featuring Ricardo Saeb.

The concerts are free to the public with support from the Genesee-Orleans Regional Arts Council and Friends of Hoag Library.

Kinloch Nelson gave a high-level performance on Saturday at Hoag Library.

Photos by Tom Rivers

ALBION – Barry Hebrank, left, of Main Street Winery in Arcade serves up samples of a green apple wine to Jennifer Ingersoll, right, and her best friend Kelly Froman.

They are inside the Downtown Browsery, one of 14 stops in the Albion Merchants Association’s annual Sip N’ Stroll. More than 300 people were part of the wine-tasting tour.

“I see people I haven’t seen in a while,” Froman said about all the people walking throughout the downtown. There were also stops at Dubby’s Tailgate and the Arnold Gregory Complex.

Darian Papia serves Niagara wine from Viscarra Vineyards in Gasport to Julie Sanford of Albion. They are inside Arnold’s Auto Parts.

“I like to support the community and see everybody having fun,” Sanford said.

The souvenir glasses celebrated the lift bridges in Albion.

Sip N’ Stroll is the biggest fundraiser for the Albion Merchants Association, which uses proceeds for other events and community projects.

Randy Schell of the Iron Smoke Distillery in Fairport serves bourbon, whiskey and whiskey crème in the back of the Toyz N Kandy store on Bank Street.

Megan Marisa of the Blue Barn Cidery in Hilton serves a white peach mango jam to Jonpaulette Boyce and Jeannie Olsen, right, both of Albion. They are inside the Gotta Dance Studio.

Olsen said she enjoyed sampling the wines with her friends and family.

“It’s a fun night out,” Boyce said.

ALBION/MEDINA – The Downtown Browsery in Medina and Albion have joined forces to sponsor a raffle to benefit PAWS in Albion.

A drawing will take place May 3, in which a quilt and a lottery tree will be raffled off.

The benefit came about after Kelly Watson, who works at PAWS with supervisor Patty Coffee, visited the Downtown Browsery in Medina and shared the animal shelter’s needs.

Angie Coon and Erik Sinkora, both vendors at the Downtown Browery, also are pet lovers and own dogs, so they decided to do something to help PAWS.

Darlene Janas, a quilter from Middleport, put together a design featuring animals and pet-related sayings and Sinkora’s wife Sharon added the backing. The quilt is on display at the Medina store.

Vendors at both stores got together and donated a lottery tree, which is on display in the Albion store. Tickets for both raffle items can be purchased for $5 each at either store.

Each shop also has a barrel to accept donations for PAWS. Items in need include cat food, Purina ONE dog and puppy food, litter and pet toys.

“We want to give back to the community,” Coon said.

The Orleans Hub is 10 years old today. We started with the mission of connecting people to community news.

We are grateful for the first decade, and that we’ve become a part of the peoples’ lives here, and those who have moved away and like to check in on their hometown.

Many people like to exclaim on social media – “I made the Hub!” – when they are featured in a photo or article. Thousands of people have now made the Hub in the past 10 years.

We’ve been posting an average of about 10 articles a day since April 1, 2013. This is the 34,707^th article since we started.

We are based out of the Lake Country Pennysaver in Albion. We try to cover all corners of the county. We try to cover all sorts of news. Many of the smaller news sites tend to be crime-heavy with lots of police blotter and not much else. We’ve tried to offer a more well-rounded report of the county.

We hope people feel better about our Orleans County, seeing a lot of the good news, and people pushing through challenges. We do report on crime and many of the rough edges.

The Orleans Hub has been operating at a time when many news organizations have endured round after round of staff cuts. Some newspapers – the former Albion Advertiser and The Journal-Register in Medina – have closed in the past decade. The two newspapers in Orleans County were limping along when The Hub started and actually were operating out of Niagara County.

The local news business is a tough business. We thank our advertisers and other supporters for keeping the Hub going.

The Hub is owned by Karen Sawicz, who also is the publisher of the Pennysaver. I appreciate that she took a chance on an on-line news site and has navigated many pitfalls that could have sunk us.

We are fortunate to have long-time sports editor Mike Wertman and sports photographer Cheryl Wertman offering daily sports coverage. Ginny Kropf also has been an asset since she joined the Hub in a part-time role. I’ve been with the Hub since the beginning after working 16 years at The Daily News in Batavia.

Brad London and Bob Stilwell work in advertising and have been creative working with local businesses and organizations on getting their message out.

We look to the future and keeping you connected to the community news.

A massive fire on Oct. 17, 2013 engulfed the sandstone warehouse at Orleans Pallet in Albion. It is one of the largest fires in recent history.

A wind advisory is in effect today until 7 p.m. for Orleans County and Western New York.

There will be southwest winds from 25 to 35 miles per hour with gusts up to 50 mph, according to the National Weather Service in Buffalo.

“Gusty winds could blow around unsecured objects, the Weather Service said. “Tree limbs could be blown down and a few power outages may result.”

Today’s forecast calls for a high of 63 with a tenth to a quarter inch of rain.

The highs in the following days include 38 and sunny on Sunday, 56 and mostly cloudy on Monday, 49 and mostly cloudy on Tuesday and 68 with showers on Wednesday.

Church on Ridge Road welcoming new pastor to the pulpit

Photos by Ginny Kropf: The Revs. Dan Thurber, left, and Bryan McDowell talk at the altar of Oak Orchard Assembly of God Church, after a dinner this evening to welcome the Rev. McDowell as new pastor. The Rev. Thurber will preach his last sermon on Sunday.

MEDINA – The Rev. Dan Thurber is retiring and will preach his last sermon on Sunday as pastor of Oak Orchard Assembly of God.

The Rev. Thurber has served the church as pastor for 21 years, having taken over from his father, the Rev. Stan Thurber, in 2002. The church was the Oak Orchard Betterment Society when the Rev. Stan took over in 1961 and founded the Assembly of God. The Rev. Dan served in many capacities during his father’s 41 years as pastor, including youth pastor for 15 years and business administrator.

Dan said his decision to retire was the result of a distinct message from God, who told him specifically it was time for him to retire, he said.

Coming out of Covid was difficult, he said, which played a part in announcing his decision to retire at their annual business meeting in January 2022.  On Dec. 22, 2022, the church elected the Rev. Bryan McDowell as their new pastor.

The Rev. McDowell was born in Pittsburgh and grew up in Saratoga Springs, where his grandfather Percy Davis was named to the Harness Racing Hall of Fame. His grandparents both still live there, he said, which may have played a part in his decision to return to New York.

The Rev. McDowell served in Connecticut for a time, and lastly, in Wisconsin for six years. He and his wife Whitney have three children, Elias, 7; Aurora, 2; and Theo, 3 weeks.

“We had been praying about a transition,” the Rev. McDowell said. “I had lived in New York as a child, so when God opened this door, we pursued it.”

They waited for the birth of Theo to make the move to Lyndonville, where they have purchased a house, he said.

The Rev. McDowell is excited to begin his new duties and continue what the Rev. Dan Thurber has started.

“A priority is building relationships with the congregation, and then see what God brings to us,” McDowell said.

“I will support Bryan as pastor, and this will always be my church home,” the Rev. Thurber said.

Oak Orchard Assembly of God has Sunday School at 9:30 a.m. Sundays, worship at 10:30 a.m.; children’s church; Sunday family night; adult praise, prayer and share; Bible kids night for ages 4 -11 and youth 12 – 18; and prayer and Bible study on Wednesday night.

The Rev. Dan Thurber and wife Diane, left, and church board members enjoy coffee with the Rev. Bryan McDowell and his wife Whitney this evening. The Rev. McDowell will assume duties as new pastor next Sunday, replacing the Rev. Thurber, who will retire after Sunday’s sermon.

Press Release, NYS Correctional Officers & Police Benevolent Association

ALBION – On the same day an officer was brutally attacked and beaten by an inmate inside one of the facility dorms, several staff members sustained injuries on March 25 when inmates fought with staff during random pat frisks for contraband at the medium security correctional facility.

“On a day when an officer was brutally beaten and sustained a separated shoulder and two facial fractures, officers at Orleans still continued to be attacked and injured by unruly inmates,” said Kenny Gold, NYSCOPBA Western Region Vice President. “A simple, routine frisk of a dorm for contraband resulted in half a dozen officers being injured. Thankfully, none of the officers sustained serious injuries and they all remained on duty.”

A frisk of one of the facility dorms was ordered by the administration on March 25. The inmates assigned to the dorm were removed during the search. As inmates were being escorted to the gym from the mess hall, an officer witnessed an inmate removing an object from on top of the AED station.

The officer ordered the inmate to surrender the object. The inmate refused and put both hands in his pockets. The inmate was ordered to submit to a pat frisk. The inmate refused orders to remove his hands from his pockets. He was placed in a body hold by staff and forced to the ground. On the ground and struggling, a third officer responded and administered OC spray, which was effective. The inmate became compliant and was placed in handcuffs.

Staff removed a lighter from one of his pant pockets. The inmate was escorted to a Special Housing Unit for decontamination.

Three officers sustained minor injuries to their hands, knee and forearm. All officers were treated by facility medical staff and remained on duty.

During that confrontation, two inmates began yelling at the officers as they were being escorted from the gym. During the escort, one inmate turned and kicked an officer in the shin. He was immediately placed in a body hold and forced to the ground. On the ground, the inmate remained combative. OC spray was administered and he became compliant. The inmate was handcuffed and removed from the gym area.

Three officers sustained injuries subduing the inmate. One officer sustained a thumb injury. A second officer sustained an abrasion over the eyebrow and the third officer sustained pain and swelling to his hand and leg. The officers were treated at the facility and remained on duty.

The second inmate involved in that incident was ordered to submit to a pat frisk. He became argumentative with an officer and kicked him in the knee. He was grabbed in a body hold and forced to the ground. He continued to fight and struggle with staff. One application of OC spray was administered with no effect. A second application was administered and the inmate became compliant. He was placed in handcuffs and escorted to a Special Housing Unit for decontamination.

Two officers sustained knee and ankle injuries. Both officers were treated and remained on duty.

Later in the day, at approximately 9:30 p.m., an inmate was observed exiting the gym with unknown objects inside his coat pocket. Two officers ordered the inmate to the wall for a pat frisk. The inmate refused, turned and punched one officer in the left eye. The two officers immediately grabbed the inmate in a body hold and forced him to the ground. OC spray was administered with no effect. A third officer responded and assisted in getting the inmate’s arms behind his back and applied handcuffs. Once in handcuffs, the inmate was escorted to a Special Housing Unit for decontamination.

The officer who was punched sustained pain and swelling under his left eye. He was treated by medical staff at the facility and remained on duty.

After the dorm search concluded, staff recovered two make-shift weapons. One weapon was a sharpened can lid hidden in the dayroom of the dorm. The second weapon was a toothbrush with sharpened metal on one end hidden in bed sheets.

Both weapons were secured as evidence.

“This is just a small example of what officers have to endure every day in our state prisons,” Gold said. “The number of assaults that are occurring are almost to the point that you lose track of how many there are. If the vicious assault of the officer at Orleans isn’t a wakeup call for legislators that something needs to be done immediately to curb the violence, then I am completely at a loss of what it will take for them to take measures that will.”

ALBION – The Albion Merchants Association is expecting at least 300 people for the annual Sip N’ Stroll on Saturday.

There are 14 stops with the start and after-party at Dubby’s Tailgate at 165 South Platt St. The wine-tasting starts at 4 p.m. and continues through 7.

This event is the biggest fundraiser of the year for the Merchants Association, which uses the proceeds to fund other community events and projects.

Dubby’s started a new tradition for the Sip N’ Stroll last year with the after-party and it was a hit, said Natasha Wasuck, the Merchants Association president.

The Merchants moved the event back a little in the spring to boost the chances for better weather. Previous Sip N’ Strolls have been in very gusty weather or in the snow.

Wasuck said 300 people have already paid $25 for tickets in advance. On Saturday, tickets can be purchased at the door for $30. The event also includes a souvenir glass with a lift bridge theme. For more information on tickets, click here.

The 14 stops are in the downtown, at Dubby’s and at the Arnold Gregory Office Complex.

The Merchants also are excited to be hosting a concert series this year on a closed off section of Main Street, between Beaver Alley and Bank Street.

GO ART! approved $5,000 towards the concert series, Wasuck said. More details will be announced about that series, which is expected to run after the concert series by the canal.

Photo by Tom Rivers: Randy Reese is working on putting equipment for DJs to run radio shows out of the Lake Country Pennysaver building in Albion.

ALBION – Randy Reese, the leader of an internet-based radio station based in Orleans County, wants to expand the operation. He is seeking more DJs to run radio programming.

That could be people willing to develop blocks of programming that could feature a blues show, or a focus on jazz, heavy metal, Celtic, classical – whatever genre they are passionate about.

Reese launched Canalside Radio at thecanalsideradio.com about a year ago. He has been doing pre-recorded programs, running the site from his Medina home.

If there is enough interest from volunteer DJs, and if he meets a $5,000 fundraising goal to buy another set of radio equipment, Reese said he will add a new studio in Albion, and run it out of the Lake Country Pennysaver building at 170 North Main St. That would be the spot for the DJs to run their shows.

Reese is holding a 3 p.m. meeting on Saturday at the Hoag Library in Albion to meet with prospective DJs. He would like them to commit to at least 4 hours a week. He said the prospective DJs should be people with a passion for radio and music, and the local community.

“I would love to have community-centric features,” he said. “It could be all about what’s happening in Orleans County.”

He also seeks community support for a $5,000 fundraising goal for radio equipment – computer, microphone, boards and licensing charges. Weese said he is developing a non-profit model, and expects in the future the current internet-based radio could get an FM signal.

“I love radio and I love this community,” Reese said. “It connects with the people here.”

Reese moved back to Medina about 1 ½ years ago from Idaho. He continues to do his full-time job managing grants for the Valley Regional Transit in Idaho, working remotely.

Reese spent his first 41 years in Medina before going to Idaho. Out there he saw how a small radio station helped to bring a community together.

For more information, contact Reese at thecanalsideradio@gmail.com or attend the information session at 3 p.m. on Saturday at the Hoag Library.

Press Release, Albion Central School

ALBION – A large class of high school students were inducted into the prestigious National Honor Society at a ceremony held in the middle school auditorium on Wednesday evening.

The new inductees include Sophia Albanese, Jason Anstey, Samantha Basinait, Joshua Bovenzi, Kayla Burgio, Jett Conn, Autumn Flugel, Liana Flugel, Kevin He, Maya Knaak, Ulises Ledesma, Abigail Mancuso, Jordan Marshall, Finnegan McCue, Meganne Moore, Dylan Narburgh, Ella Papponetti, Corleone Plain, Lucy Rivers, S’Koi Sanders-Smith, Jacqueline Santiago Garcia, Gina Sidari, Hailey Warren and Erin Weese.

The National Honor Society was founded in 1921 and is built on the four pillars of scholarship, service, leadership and character. Inductees must prove to exhibit all four qualities and be recommended by a faculty member. Last year’s inductees led the ceremony, which included recognition of outstanding high school staff members.

Band director and music teacher Mr. Michael Thaine was chosen as the recipient of Albion’s NHS Excellence in Teaching Award. Mrs. Shelly Daggs received recognition for exemplifying scholarship, Mr. Scott Green for service, Mr. Jay Kovaleski for leadership and Mrs. Ann Marie Garlipp for character. All faculty honorees were picked by the current NHS members.

Current members, inducted in a ceremony in 2022, are Nicholas Andrews, Natalie Baron, Natalie Bertsch, Clara Bolton, Hailey Crawford, Dallas Ecker, Samantha Hand, Amari Jones, Vincent Molisani, Audrey Pask, Emily Richardson and Brianna Sample. The advisor of Albion’s NHS is Mrs. Suzanne Newton.

‘Her drive for students to succeed both in and out of the classroom has been second to none.’

File photos: (Left) Carol D’Agostino, Kendall’s Jr./Sr. High School principal, presents a diploma to Alanna Gordon on June 23, 2017 during commencement at the school auditorium. D’Agostino present ed diplomas to about 1,000 students during her career. (Right) D’Agostino is shown inside the junior-senior high school which received extensive renovations during her tenure.

KENDALL – Carol D’Agostino has announced she will be retiring on June 30, leaving a dream job for her that she started nearly 18 years ago as principal at Kendall Junior-Senior High School.

D’Agostino grew up and graduated from Kendall. She was working at Albion as a high school vice principal when the position opened in her home district.

Kendall is doing a full search process to find D’Agostino’s replacement, said Nick Picardo, the district superintendent.

“For the past 18 years, Carol has passionately dedicated her time as principal to the students of Kendall,” Picardo said. “Her drive for students to succeed both in and out of the classroom has been second to none. Carol’s student-centered approach has helped to shape hundreds of students as they crossed the stage at graduation.”

Kendall is a high-performing district academically. It is included among the top high schools in the country in the annual U.S. News & World Report ranking.

D’Agostino was a member of the Lawnchair Ladies.

“I know our results are good academically,” D’Agostino said. “We don’t have major behavioral problems. We are like a little private school in the public school setting.”

D’Agostino has three grown children and her 10 grandchildren are all in the Kendall district. She went to college a little later than usual to be home when her children were young. She earned a bachelor’s degree in math at age 32.

Then she earned her certification in elementary education and high school math. She followed that with a master’s degree to be a reading specialist and then earned her administrative certification.

She started as a substitute teacher aide at the Monroe 2-Orleans BOCES based in Spencerport, and developed a love for education.

Her first full-time job as a teacher was for second grade in Albion.

“I just loved those years,” she said. “They are every special to me.”

She was asked by Ron Sodoma, the Albion district superintendent at the time, to move to the high school and teach math because there was a hard-to-fill vacancy. She did that job for four years and then worked for the district as a MST (Math, Science and Technology) coordinator before taking the job as high school vice principal.

The job leading the junior-senior high school at Kendall then opened and D’Agostino was thrilled to be hired in her hometown.

She has been an enthusiastic presence at Kendall, even performing with students in a cameo role in the recent Annie musical. She also was member for many years with the Kendall Lawnchair Ladies.

She is well regarded outside Kendall and serves on the boards for the Orleans Economic Development Agency, Orleans County United Way, and the Community Services Board for Orleans County.

“I’ve really tried to represent Kendall the best I can,” she said about the boards. “I want Kendall’s voice can be heard, too. Each of these boards serve different elements of the community. They can bring powerful programs to students and their families.”

D’Agostino considered retiring sooner, but wanted to see the district through the challenges of the Covid pandemic and also the transition to a new a superintendent. She feels like the district is in a great place right now.

“I tried to be a true student advocate and treat every student as my own and what I would want for them,” she said. “We help everyone meet their potential – academic, social and emotional.”

Carol D’Agostino addresses the graduates and the crowd during an outdoor graduation ceremony on June 26, 2020. She is joined on stage by Lisa Levett (left), president of the Board of Education, and Julie Christensen, the district superintendent. The stage was donated for use by Kludt Farms and Christ Farms decorated the stage for the event.

D’Agostino showed her creativity and determination in the Covid pandemic, especially with graduation in late June 2020.

Many of the districts recorded students receiving their diplomas individually, and compiled a video for graduation. Districts weren’t able to do indoor ceremonies nut could do them outdoors if capped at 150 people. The state at the time allowed groups of people to count as one person if they stayed in or by a vehicle.

Kendall decided to hold the graduation outdoors in the grounds by the fire department. D’Agostino and the district wanted the grads to have that moment as a class together.

“These milestones are so critical to students,” she said. “We wanted a graduation ceremony. Your graduation ceremony is a rite of passion. Everyone will remember that. We worked with health department to keep it safe and meet the regulations.”

Kendall students, teachers and staff wore pink for the principal battling breast cancer in this photo from February 2017.

D’Agostino said Kendall is a nurturing community and she experienced that love in 2017 while she was battling breast cancer for the second time.

About 300 students, teachers and staff wore pink “Kendall Strong 2017 Team Mrs. D” T-shirts during an assembly in February 2017 in honor of D’Agostino.

D’Agostino said that show of support is just one of the many ways the Kendall community rallies around someone facing a difficult challenge.

“When I had breast cancer they had T-shirts for everyone,” she recalled. “It was an outpouring of love and support. It made such a difference. I have been blessed being a part of Kendall community.”

Press Release, New York State Association of Counties

A county-driven campaign to honor our honoring our nation’s veterans has won a prestigious award for its effective design, strategy and implementation.

The Operation Green Light campaign received the 2023 MARCOM Award in the Public Relations Campaign category, according to the New York State Association of Counties.

The campaign, which encourages residents and businesses to illuminate the entryway of their house or business with a green bulb, was launched by NYSAC in collaboration with the NYS County Executives’ Association and NYS Veteran Service Officers’ Association in 2021.

It was adopted in 2022 by the National Association of Counties (NACo), which promoted it to other states and counties across the nation, ultimately leading to the participation of more than 325 municipal governments.

“Operation Green Light grew so much bigger than we could have imagined,” said

NYSAC Executive Director Stephen Acquario. “Seeing county buildings shining in green across New York State, and as far away as Alaska and Texas, really speaks to the desire our counties and residents have to show their support and gratitude to our veterans. If just one veteran or family member found some peace or found support resources as a result of Operation Green Light, then it was a success, but it’s also very gratifying to see the hard work of our team recognized with this award.”

In addition to showing support for veterans, Operation Green Light also raises awareness about the local services available to veterans through their local Veteran Service Office. County Veterans’ Service Officers are located in every county of the state and provide personalized service to veterans and their dependents, free of charge.

Veteran Service Officers assist veterans and their families with accessing federal benefits like healthcare, housing, and employment services, and also help connect veterans to counseling services like the Joseph P. Dwyer Peer Support program.

Press Release, Assemblyman Steve Hawley

Assemblyman Steve Hawley (R,C-Batavia) joined fellow legislators today in the presentation of new school safety proposals they hope to implement statewide.

Following a statewide tour with input from several education professionals, mental health professionals, parents, law enforcement officials and the public, the Assembly Minority Task Force on School Safety & Security is offering changes to increase law enforcement’s presence in schools, better address mental health in schools and harden infrastructure at schools. Click here to see the report.

“We’ve seen too often, both in this state and nationwide, that our children are the primary victims of school attacks, yet we haven’t had a comprehensive response plan until now,” Hawley said. “My colleagues in the task force have done extensive research and collaborated with dozens of professionals across multiple disciplines to help find ways to fill in the cracks and look after our children better, and their proposals are all entrancing. I am fully committed to investigating and implementing these proposals to ensure our kids are safe as they do their work.”

Hawley himself is also pushing his legislation (A.2023), which will help recruit more retired experienced law enforcement officers to serve as school resource officers by increasing the outside income cap from $30,000 to $50,000. To combat the cost of employing these officers, a high percentage of it will be eligible for reimbursement by the state.

“New York’s children are amazing, achieving trailblazers,” Hawley said. “They deserve all the opportunities to succeed in a safe and protected environment. We can provide that to them here and now.”

About 250 attended event last year at White Birch

Photo by Tom Rivers: Hundreds of eyeglass frames were on display for people to pick from at the pop-up eye glass clinic last year on March 19 in Lyndonville. The frames and lens were all available for free.

LYNDONVILLE — The Lyndonville Lions Club is planning its second annual eye glass clinic for Saturday, April 29, at the White Birch Golf Course.

About 250 people attended the debut event on March 19, 2022 with people receiving a vision screening, fitting for glasses and glaucoma screening.

Several optometrists and ophthalmologists will be on hand to assist with the clinic. The event is led by the Lyndonville Lions Club.

This year’s clinic will again be first come-first served with a cap at about 200 people.

That club recently purchased a iCare 200 tonometry machine with support from the Lyndonville Area Foundation. That handheld machine measures intraocular pressure.

The tonometry machine will allow for glaucoma screenings. Glaucoma is one of the most common forms of preventable blindness in the United States, the Lions Club said.

Provided photo: Russ Martino, Shelly Harling and Wes Bradley are shown with an iCare 200 tonometry machine that will be used an the upcoming eye glass clinic. The three are all members of the Lyndonville Area Foundation, with Martino and Bradley also in the Lions Club.

Those people who screen positive will be referred to specialists for further care. For those who cannot afford advanced testing, financial assistance will be available through the Lyndonville Lions Club and donated services from participating optometrists and ophthalmologists.

There was a big turnout at last year’s pop-up eyeglass clinic. About 250 people filled the site not long after doors officially opened at 10 a.m. About 100 people arrived by 9:30.

“Last year’s event was a huge success with over 200 people receiving screening services,” said Harold Suhr, Lions Club president. “This year’s event will have the donated services of several local eye specialists that will dramatically improve this year’s event.”

The Lyndonville Lions Club also will be involved in several other upcoming events. Most immediately, the club is collaborating this Saturday with the Lyndonville United Methodist Church for an Easter Egg Hunt for all Lyndonville children from preschool through Grade 6. The church will set up the hunt and supply all of the eggs, candy and prizes. The Lions Club will provide hot dogs and beverages to all participants of this event.

The Lions Club will also sell long stem roses for Mother’s Day and is working on its 49th annual July Fourth celebration.