By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 1 April 2025 at 9:05 am
ALBION – The Care Net Center of Greater Orleans is known in the community for offering pregnancy testing, education and limited ultrasounds.
Care Net also offers STI testing and parenting classes for both males and females. The organization also gives out material aid such as diapers, wipes, blankets and clothing up to size 24 months, when available.
But the center recently led art classes and showcased participants’ creations in the Long Haul Gallery, which Care Net started about two years ago in the hallway leading to the center at 168 South Main St., Suite 2.
The Genesee-Orleans Regional Arts Council approved a grant for Care Net to purchase art supplies for the classes, including palettes, brushes and paint.
Wende Swick (left), Care Net’s former executive director, shows artwork to Jackie Swaby, GO Art!’s education director and gallery curator during a reception at the Long Haul Gallery on March 13. Some of the pieces have been on display since the gallery opened in July 2023 while others are new works created in recent classes.
Swick said some of the supplies will continue to be used through an Art Club at Care Net.
Provided photos: Harvest Christin Fellowship opened its doors for three weeks of art classes, with participation ranging from 7 the first class to 20 for the third session.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 1 April 2025 at 8:10 am
ALBION – The Orleans County Courthouse dome will be illuminated in red, white and blue on April 14 and 15 in celebration of the county’s bicentennial.
Orleans was officially recognized as a county on April 15, 1825 by the State Legislature, separating from Genesee County.
Orleans will have a bicentennial ceremony beginning at 11:45 a.m. on April 15 in the courthouse.
The bells in the courthouse will be rung for a minute beginning at noon at April 15. Churches across the county are encouraged to ring their church bells for a minute beginning at noon as part of the bicentennial.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 31 March 2025 at 9:46 pm
The average price for a gallon of regular unleaded gas went up a penny in New York State in the past week to $3.11, while the price increased 4 cents nationally to $3.17, according to AAA.
“With Spring Break in full swing, drivers are paying more at the pump compared to last week,” AAA said. “Gas prices typically start going up this time of year and peak during summer. But the national average is still about 40 cents lower than last year, due to tepid gasoline demand and weak crude oil prices.”
The average price in counties around Western New York includes:
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 31 March 2025 at 9:06 pm
BROCKPORT – The Village of Brockport has been awarded a grant from Parks & Trails New York.
The $12,349 announced today will go for the purchase and installation of bike racks and inclusive wayfaring signage at Brockport’s downtown and waterfront destinations near the Erie Canalway Trail.
The grant is among $61,754 for eight municipalities in Western New York. Parks & Trails approved the grants with funding provided by the Ralph C. Wilson Jr. Foundation. These Trail Town Grants support a broader initiative aimed at boosting local economies by leveraging visitation to nearby public lands, Parks & Trails said in a news release.
The grants are used to promote place-making efforts, improve safety for pedestrians and cyclists, and implement community-driven projects that prioritize active transportation alternatives for cyclists and pedestrians, according to the news release.
“At PTNY, we believe in the power of trails,” said Parks & Trails New York Executive Director Paul Steely White. “Not only do they bring in visitors and boost local economies – they support healthier communities, enhance outdoor recreation, and improve pedestrian safety. Western New York is becoming an outdoor recreation destination, and this much-needed funding will foster adventure for tourists and locals alike.”
Other awardees besides Brockport include:
Town of Wheatland ($15,000) for improvements to the 60-acre Indian Allan Park adjacent to the Genesee Valley Greenway creating access for pedestrians and cyclists into the parkland’s scenic riparian features of Oatka Creek and pathways through the open fields.
Village of Perry ($8,996) for the installation of a bicycle repair station and a water filling station at the Memorial Park/Main St trailhead.
RVER (Regional Ventures in Economic Revitalization) Group/Town of Caneadea ($7,115) to install light pole banners on the main road through the town’s three hamlets and signage at each end of town creating a more unified visitor experience.
Town of Mount Morris ($7,487) to enhance the visitor experience by adding new benches on Main Street, installing a water filling station on the Genesee Valley Greenway, and to attract more visitors to the nearby Powell Park and kayak launch by installing new signage from the trail.
Lockport Main Street ($4,050) to create a brochure map of the City of Lockport designed to connect visitors and users of the Empire State Trail to local businesses, amenities, and attractions.
Letchworth Gateway Villages ($3,756) to print and distribute brochures and rack cards to highlight and promote individual Genesee Valley Trail Towns.
Village of Avon ($3,000) for the installation of a water fill and pet station in the Erie-Attica trailhead park.
BATAVIA – Genesee Community College is honored to announce that Kate Welshofer, an award-winning writer, speaker, content creator and owner of Welshofer Creative LLC, will deliver the keynote address at GCC’s 57th Commencement Ceremony.
The event will take place on Saturday, May 17, 2025, at 1 p.m. at the Richard C. Call Arena on GCC’s Batavia Campus.
Welshofer, a former television news anchor, reporter and producer, made the bold decision in December 2023 to leave her 27-year career in broadcast journalism to pursue a more fulfilling and creative path. Today, she works as a communications strategist with The National Comedy Center in Jamestown, NY, while continuing to inspire audiences through her writing, storytelling and artistic endeavors.
A Western New York native, Welshofer writes a weekly column for The Perry Herald in Perry, NY, and contributes a monthly column to the online edition of Buffalo Spree magazine. Her work, including audio recordings of her columns, is also featured on the online writers’ platform Substack.
In 2023, Welshofer launched the Secret Monster Project, a daily creative practice and Instagram account featuring lovable, hand-drawn doodles that grew into a full-fledged brand. The project has expanded to include merchandise, art installations, and most recently, her debut book, You Monster! (That’s a Compliment), released in December 2024. With humor at the heart of her storytelling, Welshofer is passionate about using creativity to encourage, inspire and heal. She is currently working on her next book.
“We are thrilled to welcome Ms. Welshofer as this year’s commencement speaker,” said Dr. Craig Lamb, president of GCC. “Her journey is a testament to the power of embracing change, following one’s passion, and using creativity as a force for connection and growth. We are excited for our graduates to hear her inspiring message as they embark on their own paths.”
By Ginny Kropf, correspondent Posted 31 March 2025 at 6:32 pm
MEDINA – The newest business to open in the former Newell Shirt Factory is described as an “early mid-century lobby bar, featuring intimate table seating and comfortable lounge for relaxing and enjoying a drink.”
Local attorney Andrew Meier purchased the former Newell Shirt Factory building in 2005, and began what would become two decades of renovations and improvements.
The first renovations saw opening of the Shirt Factory Café and remodeling of the second floor for the law offices of Webster, Schubel and Meier. Third-floor renovations which followed now accommodate hotel rooms called the Hart House.
Last year, Meier and his husband Rich Sarrero completed renovation of the east end of the building for Factory Espresso, a coffee bar/café which is open seven days a week.
(Left) A short rib served with potato puree, roasted root vegetables and gremolata is one of the menu offerings at The Newell, a lounge open from 5 to 9 p.m. Sunday through Wednesday in the Shirt Factory on West Center Street. (Photos by Alix Gilman – Right) Andrew Meier, owner of the building formerly known as Newell Shirt Factory with his husband Rich Sarrero, traveled to the Carolinas to purchase this ornate mirror which hangs over the bar in The Newell.
The Shirt Factory Café has closed and has reopened as the Shirt Factory, a craft cocktail bar offering typical fresh and modern bar food. They are open from 3 to 10 p.m. Thursday through Saturday and from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sunday, featuring a “boozy brunch.”
At The Newell, a menu of cocktails, including classic favorites and their signature Sunrise in Montego are available, along with a choice of unique menu items.
“A lot of places are closed on Sunday and Monday, and now there is another option where people can go and eat,” said Alix Gilman, head of marketing for the Shirt Factory.
Chris Kozody, Gilman’s brother, is general manager and bartender. He delights in mixing up a traditional daiquiri, martini, Manhattan or marguerita, as well as a variety of old classics and their signature drink he developed – Sunrise in Montego, featuring dark rum, coffee liqueur, pineapple and egg.
(Left) Framed clothing made at Newell Shirt Factory and historic old photos are grouped on a wall in the new intimate, 25-capacity lounge called The Newell, an intimate 25-capacity space just opened in the building. (Right) A photo of Robert Newell, who owned the famed Newell Shirt Factory for many years, hangs in the recently opened lounge called The Newell.
Food items include crab cakes with pickled watermelon radish; Newell’s plancha, with cured meats, cheese, olives and pita chips; calamari, breaded to order with marinara; beet deviled eggs with goat cheese; frites, greens and vegetable of the day; saku tuna poke bowl; short ribs; and a burger blend of brisket, sirloin and ribeye, lettuce, tomato and onion with aioli and chimichurri on a Costanzo hard roll.
The food menu was developed through consultation with local chef Lionel Heydel and head chef David Gawron. Sous chef is Jake Muessigbrodt of Middleport.
“You would expect to see a lounge like this in the city,” Gilman said. “It has amazing food and delicious cocktails, and it’s five minutes from home.”
The Lounge is also available to rent for private parties of up to 25 people on the days they are not open to the public.
The Lounge is located in space formerly occupied by 810 Meadworks.
By Ginny Kropf, correspondent Posted 31 March 2025 at 3:58 pm
File photo by Tom Rivers: An organist plays the 1873 Steere & Turner pipe organ at Christ Episcopal Church in Albion. The organ will be one of three featured in the Cobblestone Museum’s sixth annual progressive organ tour June 1.
ALBION – The Cobblestone Museum’s sixth annual Progressive Organ Concert will feature three instruments in churches located in Albion’s Courthouse Square.
Scheduled at 3 p.m. on June 1, the concert will begin at Christ Episcopal Church, where Darryl Smith will play their 1873 Steere & Turner pipe organ.
A wine and cheese reception will follow this first of three short concerts at 3:30 p.m., after which concert goers will take a short walk to St. Joseph’s Church, where Aaron Grabowski will play the second concert on the 1896 Garrett House tracker organ. Grabowski restores organs and works for Parsons Pipe Organ Company of Canandaigua, which currently maintains the organ.
The final concert will take place at the First Baptist Church next door, where Gary Simboli will demonstrate the amazing breadth of the 1925 Moller Opus pipe organ there.
An optional dinner will follow at the Tavern on the Ridge (formerly Tillman’s Village Inn), where a choice of three menu selections will be available for concert guests, who may choose from cottage pie, French ham melt sandwich with arugula salad or Asian chopped salad with ginger chicken. Coffee or soft drinks are also included. A cash bar will be available.
Tickets for the Progressive Organ Concert are available now. Cost is $20 for the three concerts or $45 for the concerts and dinner. Reservations must be made for dinner by ordering online at CobblestoneMuseum.org or calling (585) 589-9013. A limited number of tickets for the concerts only will be available at the door. Dinner seating is limited, so making reservations early is advised.
The Cobblestone Society first started progressive organ concerts in 2018, but missed a couple years due to Covid. This will be their sixth concert in what has become an annual fundraising event.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 31 March 2025 at 8:52 am
Proposed Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad Byway would stretch 550 miles in New York State
A statue of a younger Harriet Tubman as a conductor on the Underground Railroad stands in the City of Auburn next to the Equal Rights Heritage Center. The statue, 7.5 feet tall, was created by sculptor Bria Hanlon and dedicated in 2018 during the bicentennial year of Tubman’s birth.
ALBION – The Orleans County Legislature and several municipalities in the county are backing the New York Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad Byway.
The proposed byway stretches 550 miles in New York, from New York City north to Albany and then about 350 miles across the state to Niagara Falls. Orleans is one of 22 counties in the byway, which highlights triumphant stories of freedom seekers and abolitionists.
The Underground Railroad Consortium of New York State has sought support from the municipalities along the proposed byway, and wants to have the route recognized in 2026, a year before the 200th anniversary of the state abolishing slavery. (The County Legislature, Shelby Town Board, Clarendon Town Board, and Albion, Holley and Medina village boards are among several local municipalities to officially back the byway.)
The byway recognizes Harriet Tubman, who was born enslaved in Dorchester County, Maryland in 1822. She seized her freedom at age 27. In the next 10 years she led about 70 people to freedom, making 13 trips from Maryland to Philadelphia; St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada; and Auburn, New York.
She was the most famous conductor on the Underground Railroad. She also was a nurse, spy and scout for the Union Army during the Civil War. Tubman settled in Auburn in central New York and stayed there until her death in 1913.
There are three sites in Orleans County identified by the consortium with historical sites with connections to the Underground Railroad.
The proposed Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad Byway includes 22 of the 62 counties in New York State.
Dawn Borchert, Orleans County tourism director, said the byway would be a boost to the county, bringing in some visitors and highlighting the county’s role in Underground Railroad, which was a secret network of trails and homes. Many of the houses and sites that were part of the Underground Railroad are unknown.
But there is documentation about one house in Holley that helped Freedom Seekers on their journey. A historical marker was erected in October 2020 at 35 South Main St. to highlight the home of Chauncey Robinson as a “Safe House.” Robinson was an Orleans County pioneer and an abolitionist. He sheltered at least one escaped slave at this site as part of the Underground Railroad.
The consortium also lists the cemetery where Robinson is buried as a historical site in Orleans County on the Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad New York Proposed Byway. Robinson Cemetery is on Route 237 in Clarendon at the intersection of Glidden Road. The cemetery sign notes Chauncey Robinson was a veteran of the War of 1812 and a prominent abolitionist in the community.
The consortium also highlights a historical marker on Main Street in Medina. The Orleans Renaissance Group in April 2015 unveiled the marker in recognition of two speeches delivered in the community by Frederick Douglass, a leading abolitionist.
The byway will recognize many historical sites that were part of the Underground Railroad and the Freedom Seekers, who were African Americans who left enslavement. At the time they often were deemed “fugitives,” “runaways” or “escapees.”
The Orleans County Legislature, in a resolution approved last week, said it will work in partnership with the other municipalities along the Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad New York Scenic Byway and local and regional stakeholders “in order to support future Byway program development and collaborate with these interested entities to explore opportunities for cooperation and methods to advance the Scenic Byway.”
This stretch of the proposed byway goes from Rochester to Lockport. The byway goes along Route 31 in Orleans County.
ALBION – The original handwritten volumes of the Pioneer Association records include several photographs. Shown in the top photo are Martin Evarts (1817-1873) and his wife, Charlotte Burnham Evarts who died in 1862. Martin was a farmer in Clarendon and Town Supervisor in 1863.
Members of the D.A.R. and the S.A.R. proudly trace their lineage back to an ancestor who “aided in achieving American independence.” So too, descendants of the early settlers of Orleans County trace their genealogy back to those hardy pioneers and can now chronicle up to nine generations of continuous residence in the county.
The Orleans County Bicentennial Committee invites these descendants to attend the Bicentennial Celebration of the formation of the county which will take place at the Courthouse in Albion on April 15, beginning at 11:45 a.m. So that we may ensure seating for all, please complete the brief registration form at https://www.orleanscountytourism.com/bicentennial.
Members of the Pioneer Association of Orleans County photographed in Albion on June 19, 1869.
On June 19, 1869, those in attendance at the Eleventh Annual Meeting of the Pioneer Association of Orleans County, held at the Courthouse in Albion, assembled for a group photo. The Bicentennial Committee plans to echo this now iconic photograph by taking a group photograph of those in attendance immediately following the event.
Photos and information courtesy of Medina Band Boosters: The Medina varsity winterguard competed Saturday at Gates Chili in the North East Color Guard Circuit’s championships.
ROCHESTER – The Winter Guard season came to a close on Saturday when the held their championships at the Gates Chili High School.
The Medina varsity came in fourth in A1 and the Medina JV was second in Cadets.
There were 30 guards performing in competition in various classes coming from around New York State, Pennsylvania and Canada. Approximately 1,000 spectators were there to cheer them on.
The winners in each class are as follows:
Novice – Gates-Chili with a score of 62.71
Cadets – Ventures with 72.45; Medina JV in 2nd with 70.74
Regional A – Marcus Whitman with 83.93
A1 – Jamestown Express with 80.14; Medina Varsity in 4th with 74.31
Scholastic A – Victor with 91.86
Independent A – Gates Chili IA with 87.74
Senior – Luminosa with 86.51
Independent Open – Gates Chili IO with 89.90
The Medina JV winterguard competed on Saturday and came in second in the Cadets division.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 30 March 2025 at 9:07 am
ALBION – The Orleans County Chamber of Commerce is moving the Home, Garden & Outdoor Show from the 4-H Fairgrounds to Dubby’s Tailgate in Albion.
“We are excited to have a heated facility, with a full-service restaurant,” said Darlene Hartway, the Chamber executive director. “We will have vendors from all over the county.”
The event will be next weekend from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sunday.
The event will have more activities for children, not only through Dubby’s but with an Easter scavenger hunt, and bird house workshops at 3 p.m. on both Saturday and Sunday. Saturday there will also be a small petting zoo available for children.
“We will have various presentations planned throughout the days,” Hartway said.
Michael Klepp, The Plant Man, will discuss “Native Plants for Pollinators & More” on Sunday at noon. The event also includes an Easter Plant Sale.
Press Release from Dubby’s Tailgate/Photos courtesy of Mike Beach
ALBION – Dubby’s Tailgate owners Rebecca Alexander, left, and Brian Alexander, right, are joined by American Cornhole League champions Miranda Coy and Lori Dool during a tournament on March 22.
Dubby’s Tailgate brought 108 teams to the area for the tournament. The 216 total players made it the biggest tournament so far for Dubby’s. Many of the players came from outside Orleans County, including some American Cornhole league pros and the two top-ranked female players, Miranda Coy and Lori Dool. (Dool is a graduate of Lockport High School who now resides in Delray Beach, FL. Many of her family members came to Dubby’s in Albion to see her play in person.)
Coy and Dool captured the top prize of the day – double dipping the team of Ron “Hat Man” Durinka and Mark Hamm in the championship match. The event was put together by the Moxham/Szczesny family of DLS Cornhole in honor of their mother/wife Donna Szczesny, better known as “Momma Shez.”
Proceeds from the event will go to the American Heart Association in her honor. DLS cornhole runs weekly Saturday night tournaments at Dubby’s Tailgate. Special thanks to Mike Beach for helping with the tournament software and Doug Michael B who was the MC.
Miranda Coy and Lori Dool won the tournament, with proceeds from the event going to the American Heart Association in honor of Donna Szczesny.
