HOLLEY – Organizers of the Holley June Fest on June 4 welcome vendors and sponsors for the community celebration.

The planning committee is holding sponsor and vendor sign up days at the Eastern Orleans Community Center at 75 Public Sq. Holley on May 7 and May 10 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Vendors and sponsors are asked to bring a copy of their business card with contact information and/or logo that they would like to have published.

The cost is $25 cash or check made out to The Village of Holley, with the memo: June Fest.

Vendor paper applications are available onsite. Those interested in submitting an application online beforehand can contact Keith Lutes at 585-354-6467.

To be a sponsor, call or text Rainey Losee at 912-334-6737.

Any information about the Scavenger Hunt: A Walk-Through History in Holley can be addressed to Amber Mesita at ambermesita@gmail.com.

The festival has social media accounts on Facebook and Instagram with updates on the June Fest.

The festival also includes a 75th anniversary celebration for the Community Free Library at 86 Public Square. The party will be from 4 to 6 p.m. People are encouraged to RSVP with library director Sandra Shaw at 585-638-6987.

Disc golf gets OK for Gulf Street Park

MEDINA – The Village Board has agreed to spend $2,600 for a community mass alert system where residents would be notified of watermain breaks, road closures and other urgent situations or critical events.

The Town of Shelby also will contribute $1,300 towards the total $3,900 cost.

Village officials asked Ridgeway town leaders to be part of the system but they opted against it. The notification system will include Ridgeway residents who live in the village of Medinas.

Medina will pay for the cost with funds from the American Rescue Plan Act.

The village will be working with Hyper-Reach, a company based in Rochester. Residents will be able to select their preferred option to be notified: by text, phone call or email.

More information will be posted about signing up when it becomes available.

In other action at last week’s Village Board meeting:

• The board approved a 9-hole disc golf course at the Gulf Street Park. The project is funded through a grant from the Ralph C. Wilson Jr. Foundation and will be overseen by the Orleans County YMCA.

The village Department of Public Works will clear some trees from the park and may put in the concrete bases for the holes that hold baskets.

The board approved use of the park for the course, and will get input on the design once its prepared by the WNY Disc Golf Association.

The YMCA also is looking to do a 9-hole disc golf course at Bullard Park and a smaller site in Holley. The Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. Foundation gave the YMCA $20,000 to $24,000 to develop the projects with tee boxes, signs and baskets that are mounted in small concrete foundations – 8 inches wide by 20 inches deep.

• The board also agreed to let the Y have bikes for rent at Rotary Park in the downtown. Y employees will need to unlock and lock the bikes up at the beginning and end of the day, and be responsible for any bike helmets.

The board also gave the Y approval to bring a trailer to the Canal Basin for kayak rentals.

Photo by Tom Rivers: The wooden gazebo in Medina’s Canal Basin has been declared surplus and will removed due to its unsafe condition.

MEDINA – The Village Board has opted against trying to sell a deteriorated gazebo at the Canal Basin, fearing if someone tried to move it the structure would crumble into pieces with the village having to clean it up.

The board in March voted to declare the gazebo surplus with the plan to have the Department of Public Works take down the structure.

Since then the village has been told some people would be interested in the gazebo and relocating it.

But board members last week said it doesn’t want to take a chance on having the gazebo moved by someone else. They worry the building would fall apart if someone tried to move it and the village would have to pick up the mess.

Jason Watts, the DPW superintendent, said the DPW would dismantle the gazebo and take it away from its spot by the Erie Canal.

“It’s not worth the time,” he said about trying to relocate the structure. “Let’s build back something nice.”

Press Release, Village of Holley

HOLLEY – The Village of Holley will have power outage on Saturday, May 14, starting at 8 a.m. a.m. and will last approximately five hours.

This is to replace a high-voltage insulator in the electric substation.

South of the railroad underpass, the remediation site on Jackson Street and the Industrial Park will not be affected by this power outage.

These candidates will be on the ballot today in an election for trustees at Hoag Library in Albion.

ALBION – There are five candidates for five trustee positions in an election today at Hoag Library. Voting is from noon to 7 p.m. at the library.

Voters must be at least 18 and live in the library’s service area (towns of Barre, Albion, Gaines and Carlton).

The positions up for election include a spot recently vacated with the resignation of Anitrice Bennett. The other four positions are currently filled by Linda Weller, Jim Babcock, Kevin Doherty and Debbie DiBacco.

The top three vote-getters get four-year terms, and next two get three-year terms.

The library’s annual meeting will be at 7 p.m. today.

The candidates include:

• Mary Covell – She has worked 16 years as an accountant and her family frequently uses the library.

“I want to see the Hoag Library continue to thrive in community outreach, educational opportunities for all ages, and really become a central focus point for the Village and Town,” she said in her candidate biography. “The Library has so much to offer and genuinely can help anyone grow and further their potential. I would love to have the chance to help build up, spread the word and encourage everyone to want to come in and utilize all the resources it has.”

• Kevin Doherty – He is a long-time member of the board and was president during the building of the new library in 2012 and for several years after that. Doherty has been a technology business contractor since the 1980s.

“This facility is a great example of that which can be accomplished when personal agenda are laid aside for the community benefit,” he said in his candidate bio. “I can honestly say that I was not a user of the old Swan Library; it was not a welcoming environment. Our family has, however, embraced the programming, collections and general upbeat attitude of the new Hoag building and staff.”

• Rachel Hicks – An employee of Albion Agencies Insurance for the last 8 years, who works in agency management and accounting, in addition to insurance sales. She brings her family to many of the library events, including the summer reading program.

“I feel the library provides services and opportunities a lot of local community members haven’t even realized yet,” she said. “The weekly programs for different learning opportunities, provides a wealth of learning opportunity from ages of young to old.”

• Linda Weller – The current board president also is a member of the Albion Board of Education. She is owner of Info Advantage Inc. in Rochester.

“I would like the opportunity to serve as a member of the Library Board, and will continue to serve the community to the best of my abilities,” she said.

• James Babcock – The owner of a construction business, Babcock has volunteered with the summer reading program and other local agencies.

“My interest in serving on the board is to share my knowledge and experience with the trustees,” Babcock said. “My work experience and community involvement I believe will make me an asset to the board.”

Click here to see the candidate bios.

MEDINA – Troop 35 held a spring campout this past weekend, and on Saturday they joined with Pack 35 at the Culvert Road tunnel where they cleaned up in and around the culvert and also the canal towpaths to Beals Road bridge and back.

The Troop and Pack collected seven large bags of garbage.

– Submitted by John Dieter, Scoutmaster of Troop 35

Photos by Tom Rivers

ALBION – Motorcyclists head south on Main Street in Albion this afternoon at the start of a 50-mile safety and awareness ride throughout Orleans County.

Members of ABATE (American Bikers Aimed Toward Education) in Orleans County organized the event that included about 50 motorcyclists.

They gathered at the steps of the Orleans County Courthouse for the rally and start of their ride. The police-escorted trek ended at the VFW in Medina

These motorcyclists include, from left: Lorrie Simons of Holley, Rhonda Starling of Hamlin and Jessica Ornt of Holley. They are members of the Old Crow Motorcycle Club of Orleans County, which is based in Kent.

Chuck Persons, president of ABATE in Orleans County, addresses the group of motorcyclists. He introduced Assemblyman Steve Hawley and County Legislator John Fitzak who shared proclamations declaring May as “Motorcycle Safety and Awareness Month.” Hawley thanked the group for promoting safety on the local roadways.

Fitzak said ABATE has helped to prevent accidents through awareness programs aimed at all drivers, acted as liaison on behalf of motorcyclists with government agencies, and promoted good citizenship by encouraging members to use their right to vote.

Chuck Persons and other speakers addressed the group from the top of the courthouse steps.

ABATE reminds the public that motorcyclists are out and drivers should, “Look twice, save a life.”

The caravan of motorcycle riders head out on their safety and awareness ride. There was a light rain at the start of the ride at about 2:30 p.m.

The group heads south of Route 98 in Albion.

ALBION – The Village Board on Friday passed a $7,153,178 budget for 2022-23 that will increase taxes by 3.2 percent.

The tax levy – what the village collects in taxes – will increase from $2,761,524 to $2,851,056. The tax rate will go up from $17.85 to $18.46 per $1,000 of assessed property.

The budget includes $4,106,279 in the general fund, $1,797,521 in the water fund and $1,249,377 in the sewer fund.

The tax increase is below the state-imposed tax cap by $14,476, partly because the village was able to carry over $42,901 from previous budgets that were below the tax cap, according to the budget documents.

Mayor Angel Javier Jr. is taking a $1 salary which reduced the mayor’s budget expense by $10,322, and Trustee Tim McMurray is only taking a dollar, cutting that expense by $6,176.

The village fiscal years starts June 1 and ends May 31. The budget won’t include any of the new changes in assessments. In this budget, the village’s total tax base actually decreased by $249,927 – from $154,707,229 to $154,457,302.

Photos by Tom Rivers

POINT BREEZE – Carl Miller of East Aurora takes his boat out of the Oak Orchard River at the new boat launch at Point Breeze. The site opened to the public on Tuesday, April 27.

“It’s a dream,” Miller said about the new boat launch. “The ramp is well drained. The ramps are longer. It’s so much better.”

The project was $627,000 and was 95 percent funded through the state’s Lake Ontario Resiliency and Economic Development Initiative (REDI).

Carl Miller pulls his boat out of the water. He went fishing with two others and they caught a few brown trout and a lake trout on Saturday.

During the historic flooding of 2019, the previous boat ramp was submerged, preventing access to the floating docks, and forcing the boat launch to be closed.

The new launch is raised about 2 ½ feet and will be more resilient in case of flooding and higher lake levels, said John Papponetti, the county’s DPW commissioner.

Other resiliency measures implemented in this project include:

• Installation of new boat ramp and abutment above high water level;
• Sloping of roadway to the new boat ramp; and
• Regrading remaining portion of roadway.

Medina will visit rival Albion for a special Niagara-Orleans League softball game at 7:15 p.m. Monday. The event will be Albion’s ‘Strike Out Cancer Game’.

The softball boosters will be collecting donations at the game to be donated to the Knights-Kaderli Fund, a local organization that helps those who are fighting cancer.

The players will be wearing special t-shirts at school and pre-game on Monday and those attending the game will have an opportunity to fill out a card with the name of someone who they are “going to bat for,” honoring those who are battling, have battled, or who have lost their life to the disease.

The Medina baseball squad will also visit Albion for a key N-O contest at 4:45 p.m. Monday.

The Mustangs will then face a key home and home series against undefeated front-running Roy-Hart on Wednesday (at Gasport) and on Friday (at Medina).

Roy-Hart is currently in first place at 4-0 while Medina is 4-1 and Akron 5-1.

Albion will also host Medina in an N-O track meet at 4:30 p.m. Tuesday.

Weekly Schedule
Monday
Baseball – Medina at Albion, Roy-Hart at Newfane, Akron at Barker, 4:45 p.m.
Softball – Newfane at Roy-Hart, Barker at Akron, 4:45 p.m.; Holley at Attica, Kendall at Alexander, 5 p.m.; Medina at Albion, 7:15 p.m.
Tennis – Akron at Albion, Wilson at Barker, Holley at Attica, Kendall at Pembroke, 4 p.m.
Lacrosse – Starpoint at Medina, 5 p.m.
Track – Barker at Roy-Hart, 4:30 p.m.
Golf – Kendall at Notre Dame, 3:30 p.m.

Tuesday
Baseball – Kendall at Lyndonville, Notre Dame at Holley, 5 p.m.
Softball – Roy-Hart at Lockport, Barker at Wilson, 4:45 p.m.; Lyndonville at Kendall, Holley at Notre Dame, 5 p.m.
Tennis – Holley at Wheatland-Chili, 4 p.m.
Track – Medina at Albion, 4:30 p.m.
Golf – Elba/Oakfield at Holley, Kendall at Notre Dame, 3:30 p.m.

Wednesday
Baseball – Medina at Roy-Hart, Albion at Wilson, Newfane ar Akron, 4:45 p.m.
Softball – Newfane at Medina, Albion at Akron, 4:45 p.m.; Lyndonville at Oakfield-Alabama, 5 p.m.
Golf – Holley at Attica, 3:30 p.m.
Track – Holley at Byron-Bergen, Notre Dame at Kendall, 4 p.m.

Thursday
Baseball – Elba at Kendall, 5 p.m.
Softball – Medina at Wilson, 4:45 p.m.; Holley at Monroe, Kendall at Elba, 5 p.m.; Roy-Hart at Clarence, 5:30 p.m.
Tennis – Elba at Kendall, 4 p.m.
Track – Wilson at Medina, Roy-Hart at Newfane, Akron at Barker, 4:30 p.m.
Lacrosse– Medina at Akron, 5 p.m.

Friday
Baseball – Roy-Hart at Medina, Wilson at Albion,  Akron at Newfane, 4:45 p.m.; Holley at Oakfield-Alabama, 5 p.m.
Softball – Medina at Roy-Hart, Wilson at Albion, Akron at Newfane, 4:45 p.m.; Oakfield-Alabama at Kendall, 5 p.m.
Tennis – Barker at Albion, Akron at Roy-Hart, Newfane at Wilson, Holley at Byron-Bergen, Kendall at Alexander, 4 p.m.

Saturday
Baseball – Oakfield-Alabama at Roy-Hart, 11 a.m.; Lyndonville at Attica, Kendall at Notre Dame ,12 p.m.
Softball –  Attica at Lyndonville, Wheatland-Chili at Holley, Notre Dame at Kendall, 11 a.m.
Lacrosse – Medina at Iroquois, 11 a.m.

Photos by Tom Rivers

MEDINA – Ammi-Joan Paquette, an author from Boston, greets book lovers on Saturday at Author’s Note in Medina as part of an Independent Bookstore Day celebration.

Paquette was one of six published authors featured during the day, which also included many prizes at the store on Main Street.

Author’s Note was one of about 900 independent bookstores in the country celebrating the day.

The nationwide event was started in 2013 by the American Booksellers Association to promote and highlight the value of independent bookstores and their impacts upon local communities.

A steady crowd of people visited the store at 519 Main St. throughout the day. Julie Berry, a Medina native and author of several books, owns the store.

Author’s Note was part of its first-ever Independent Bookstore Day on Saturday and celebrated with a theme, “A Bookstore is a Candy Store for the Mind.”

“Independent Bookstore Day gives us a megaphone to proclaim the difference we make in our communities,” Berry said. “Indie bookstores return two and a half to four times as much revenue to their local economies as chains do. We add whimsy, culture and variety to downtown shopping districts. And we work hard to foster literacy and reading for all ages, and especially for kids in our communities.”

These authors greeted Author’s Note customers on Saturday and signed books. From left include Ammi-Joan Paquette of Boston, Keely Hutton of Rochester and Dee Romito of Buffalo. Other authors at the store on Saturday included Bree Barton of Ithaca, Kate Karyus Quinn of Buffalo and Julie Berry of Medina.

Barre Center Public School, Albion Midlander, 1934

By Catherine Cooper, Orleans County Historian

Illuminating Orleans, Vol. 2, No. 15

Enos Rice and George Culver, Barre residents. Albion Midlander, 1934

BARRE CENTER – Bank publications are not typically thought of as a source of local history – with the rare exception of the Albion Midlander, a monthly publication of the Orleans County Trust Company from 1933 – 1937. Each four-page issue contained photographs and short articles on a variety of Orleans County related topics, from Point Breeze to Barre, quail raising to racoon farming.

Banking and financial information was not neglected. The July 1933 issue contained an article on banking by mail which was promoted as a safe convenient way for people who lived in the country to handle their financial affairs. An article on check cashing noted that the use of checks had become commonplace as a medium for the everyday transfer of money and explained the procedures for processing out-of-town checks. The March 1934 issue included the annual statement of the Orleans County Trust Company, its total resources were $2,313,010.75.

The April 1934 issue featured Barre Center, which was described as the northern gateway to the fertile Genesee-Orleans mucklands. The most important factor in the early growth of “the Center” was the Oak Orchard Road, which was reserved by the Holland Land Company as a public road, four rods wide and which was initially the main travel route to Oak Orchard Harbor. Following the completion of the Erie Canal, it became the main route for the transportation of goods and produce to Albion.

A tract of land about a mile and a half south of Barre Center had been drained in the previous 25 years and this fertile soil produced lettuce, onions, potatoes, carrots, spinach and turnips which were shipped to Buffalo, Cleveland, Philadelphia and New York.

Barre Center had a population of 250. Business places in the village included:

• Phillips & Son General Store,
• Homer J. Dawley, General Store,
• Orleans County Canning Company
• John Benthin & Son Evaporator
• S. Elton Miller Garage
• Albion Oil Company Garage, Bruce Clapp mgr.

The article noted that many of the people and businesses in and about Barre Center used the banking facilities of the Orleans County Trust Company.

Barre Center Grange No. 1026.  Albion Midlander, 1934

Orleans County Canning Company, Barre. Albion Midlander, 1934.

Wendell Phillips, Barre Town Clerk (left) and Homer J. Dawley, Barre. Albion Midlander, 1934

Photograph of John Benthin & Son’s Evaporator, Barre. Albion Midlander, 1934

Vintage Cigar welcomes “Grover” and “Sandstone”

Photos by Tom Rivers: David Burd, co-owner of The Vintage Cigar in Medina, holds the Grover, a medium-full cigar that has a spicy taste with a hint of pepper. The cigar is named for former U.S. President Grover Cleveland of Buffalo, who married Frances Folsom, a former Medina resident. He is the only president to get married while he was the president.

MEDINA – A business that opened in October selling cigars and offering a smoking lounge debuted two of its own cigars today.

The Vintage Cigar introduced “Grover” and “Sandstone” today in the business at 513 Main St.

The Robinson and Burd families opened the county’s first cigar store and smoking lounge in October. Business has steadily grown, said Joe Robinson, one of the co-owners.

Vintage Cigar worked with Santiago Cigar Factory in Rochester to develop its own brand of cigars.

“It’s something we always wanted and it distinguishes us,” Robinson said.

The “Grover” is named in honor of former U.S. President Grover Cleveland who married a Medina girl, Frances Folsom. The two were wed while Cleveland was president. In one of his visits to Medina in the 1870s, he was arrested on suspicion of stealing a horse and buggy. He was actually borrowing a friends with permission.

“He is the only president to be put in jail in Medina,” said David Burd, one of the Vintage Cigar’s co-owners.

The Grover is a medium plus cigar with a thick, creamy smoke.

The Sandstone is mild and medium bodied. It has a barber pole design with alternating colors of tobacco leaves. Burd said that design is intended to honor the different shades of color in Medina Sandstone.

Today’s cigar release party included brandy served by North Ridge Distillery in Lyndonville. That business also has its own brandy-infused cigar that is sold at Vintage Cigar. Vintage Cigar carries about 100 brands of cigars.

Henry Amadiz, a cigar roller with Santiago Cigar Factory in Rochester, rolls a Sandstone cigar at The Vintage Cigar in Medina this afternoon. The in-house rolling was part of a cigar release celebration for two new cigars at the Medina business.

Let’s go on an adventure together….to Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park!

Me in the “mitten pose” in front of the rock formation called….you guessed it…..The Mittens.

The last state I needed to visit to reach my goal of visiting all 50 states was New Mexico. It may have been admitted as the 47th state in the union on January 6, 1912, but it was “my” 50^th state as of October 2019. My first big adventure in New Mexico was visiting Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park.

Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park is known as “The World’s Largest Outdoor Museum” and it is absolutely incredible! Monument Valley is part of a large Navajo territory that spreads across the borders of New Mexico, Utah, Arizona, and Colorado – the bulk of the land is in Utah and Arizona. The actual Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park is a National Park that sits well within the Navajo Reservation and is protected by the Navajo people. They are very proud of their land and their heritage and are excited to share their cultures and history.

Navajo native tour guide – Comasheena – was amazing! She shared stories about her culture and her people and told us all about the history of the area.

Direct quote from the Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park web site: “The delicate spires and gigantic buttes of this natural wonder at the Arizona-Utah border form the core of the Navajo Tribal Park, spanning an area of 91,696 acres (37,108 hectares) across the two states. The aptly named Monument Valley has been oft featured in popular films, most notably those of Director John Ford, its stoic forms forever immortalized as icons of the American West. The mammoth buttes, like sleeping giants, rise from the wind-swept landscape alongside towering spires of rock like the striated pinnacles of an ancient cathedral. As the sun makes its way across the sky each day, the landscape appears to shift while the clouds overhead chase their shadows across the richly-hued desert terrain. The overall effect is one of haunting beauty hewn of sandstone and shaped by the elements. Quite a drive from Flagstaff, but well worth the scenic trip, Monument Valley is deep within the Navajo Nation Reserve. Here, the Navajo continue to adhere to age-old traditions, living life in the image of their ancestors.”

You may explore the park on your own, but the rough terrain is best navigated with a 4×4 vehicle. Also, there are parts that are not accessible by the general public unless accompanied by a Navajo guide. So, I chose a tour put on by Monument Valley Safari Tours. It was an awesome 3.5 hour tour in a 4×4 Jeep with a Navajo guide – our guide was amazing – her name was Comasheena. The tour took us to all the common areas and then went off road further in to the restricted areas of the park. They restrict these areas because they want to ensure the formations and the land are not desecrated in any way. I’m so glad I booked the tour – our guide made it so interesting and the best views were definitely in the areas that the general public are restricted from.

The rock formations throughout the park are all natural and not interfered with my humans in any way. If they erode or break down, they stay that way. The natives believe that nature must be left to run its course. However, they can keep outside threats from speeding up the natural course by restricting access where they can.

Throughout the tour, we saw breathtaking views and natural rock formations, learned all about the culture and history of the Navajo people, visited authentic Navajo dwellings called Hogans, saw an ancient Anasazi cliff dwelling ruin, heard a stunning Navajo song played in a cave with perfect acoustics (the video is in the blog post – don’t miss clicking on it), and saw ancient Petroglyphs.

Our guide stopped at all the best places for photos – this is one example. She showed us where to stand to get the “money shot” of a tree with a rock formation in the background – together at just the right spot, they are said to represent a “slingshot to heaven”.

After I left Monument Valley, I drove to Four Corners Monument – the only place in the United States where four states all border each other: Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, and Arizona. That was a bit of a let-down, but still pretty cool to say I was there and stood on the spot where all the states touch each other. From there, I spent a few days in the Albuquerque and Sante Fe areas, which I won’t go into here, but will include the blog link below for you to check out.

So….that put a cap on my “Visit all 50 states” bucket list item. If you’re ever out in that area of the country – and, you really SHOULD go see it, if you never have – be sure to put Monument Valley on your to-do list. You won’t regret it. And, if you really want to experience ALL of it, consider spending the money for one of the Navajo guided tours — totally worth every penny!

Click here for my blog post on Monument Valley.

And, for more on the rest of my time in New Mexico, check out this blog post.

Happy Adventuring!
Kim Pritt

Speakers at schools, churches share message; Matt Lockett’s family from 7 generations ago owned Will Ford’s as slaves

Photos by Tom Rivers

ALBION – Will Ford, right, shares how the family of Matt Lockett, left, once owned Ford’s as slaves. The photo on screen shows portraits of Napoleon and Mary Lockett during the Civil War era. The Lockett family once owned 126 slaves.

Lockett and Ford met at a rally against abortion in Washington DC about 17 years ago. They became close friends and after a decade they both traced back their family lineage. Ford saw in the past some of his ancestors had the last name Lockett before his grandfather changed the name to Ford because he didn’t want the last name of a family that held his in bondage.

Lockett’s brother was actively trying to learn about the family’s history. The two found the last battle of the Civil War was fought at the Lockett farm in Virginia on April 6, 1865. After the war, the family dispersed to Kentucky and Louisiana.

Ford said he felt anger towards Lockett, his friend, when he realized the Locketts once enslaved Ford’s ancestors.

“For me it was the first time there was a face connected to a painful story,” he said.

He needed to go to a deeper level of forgiveness to find healing.

“I was confronted with the reality of this historic pain,” Lockett told about 150 people at the First Presbyterian Church in Albion on Friday night. “I wasn’t there 150 years ago, but Will’s pain is still real.”

Matt Lockett speaks during Friday’s 2 ½ hour event at the First Presbyterian Church in Albion. Ford and Lockett also spoke during assemblies at Albion and Medina high schools on Friday. The last battle of the Civil War was fought at Sailor’s Creek at the Lockett farm in Virginia.

The two have remained close friends. They believe relationships are the key to moving the country forward through so many divisions.

“The first one to love wins,” Ford said.

Ford brought a cast-iron kettle that has been in his family for seven generations. That family artifact is a powerful connection to when the family once was enslaved.

He shared how he has been called racial slurs, pulled over by police “for driving while Black” and faced suspicious for living in a mostly white suburban neighborhood in Dallas, Texas.

Ford said the Christian people can make a difference in bringing racial justice to the country. Upstate New York has been instrumental in the past in the fight for abolition and women’s rights, Ford said.

He called on a united church to show love for all, and lead the way through the intense division in the country.

The Rev. Susan Thaine, pastor of the Presbyterian church in Albion, welcomes the group to Friday’s program.

“Our hope is it will become a community conservation – not a one and done – as we work towards racial reconciliation,” she said.

The two speakers will be the First Baptist Church in Medina today at 1 p.m. for a question and answer session, and then at 7 p.m. today at Roberts Wesleyan College in North Chili.

In addition Ford will speak at Sunday service at 10 a.m. at Harvest Christian Fellowship in Albion with Lockett speaking at Antioch Baptist Church in Rochester on Joseph Avenue.

For more information, click here.