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Governor directs state to seek refunds for customers with cable TV service disruptions

Posted 8 September 2023 at 1:15 pm

Spectrum customers have lost access to Disney, ESPN channels

Press Release, Gov. Kathy Hochul’s Office

Governor Kathy Hochul today directed the Department of Public Service to hold Spectrum Northeast, LLC and Spectrum New York Metro, LLC (collectively “Charter”) accountable and ensure the company delivers refunds for New York consumers who have experienced disrupted service amid the ongoing cable dispute between Charter and The Walt Disney Company (Disney), two of the largest entertainment companies in the United States.

Nearly 15 million cable viewers nationwide – more than 1.5 million in New York State – lost access to ESPN and other Disney-owned channels on August 31 when Disney and Charter were unable to renew a distribution deal.

Governor Hochul has directed the Department of Public Service to ensure Charter is providing customers with appropriate refunds for any period that customers cannot access Disney-owned channels during the dispute.

“It’s simple: if you pay your cable bill, you deserve to get the services you pay for,” Governor Hochul said. “An ongoing corporate dispute is forcing customers to miss some of the highest profile televised events of the year – the least these companies can do is provide a refund. Disney and Charter must continue negotiating in good faith to ensure affordability and consumer choice. I also urge Disney to continue providing its programming under the terms of the prior agreement while negotiations continue. My Administration is committed to consumer protections for all New Yorkers.”

Governor Hochul is urging the companies to resolve this dispute as soon as possible. As the contract negotiations continue, more customers are becoming aware of the lapse in certain programming and understandably have questions about refunds.

New Yorkers have lost access to channels that broadcast a variety of different programming, including some of the highest-profile televised events of the year: the U.S. Open, the Bills playing the Jets on Monday Night Football, and family-friendly shows.

The Governor’s directive to the Department of Public Service (DPS) is to reduce confusion and ensure that all customers are refunded. DPS sent a letter to Charter today as part of their efforts to hold the company accountable and swiftly deliver refunds to customers who have been affected by the lapse in Disney-owned programming.

Department of Public Service CEO and Public Service Commission Chair Rory M. Christian said, “Governor Hochul is giving voice to millions of New Yorkers who are frustrated that they cannot view all of their cable channels, and who have a right to be refunded for services that they are unable to access. The Department of Public Service will work diligently to ensure Charter provides customers appropriate bill credits in a timely manner.”

Gillibrand doesn’t want jobseekers to lose SNAP benefits

Posted 8 September 2023 at 7:30 am

Press Release, U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand held a video press conference on Thursday to announce her Training and Nutrition Stability Act, legislation to help prevent jobseekers from losing their SNAP benefits.

The bill would rectify loopholes within the SNAP Employment and Training program that can cause a SNAP recipient to lose benefits due to receiving wages as part of their job training. By doing so, it would help ensure that SNAP recipients continue to receive critical nutritional assistance while gaining skills, working to secure employment, and eventually achieving self-sufficiency.

“Loopholes in SNAP’s E&T program force job seekers to make an impossible choice: to participate in job training and potentially lose desperately needed nutritional assistance, or to give up employment opportunities in order to keep food on the table,” said Senator Gillibrand. “My Training and Nutrition Stability Act is a commonsense fix that will provide jobseekers with sustained nutritional assistance as they seek to expand their skill sets and secure good-paying jobs so that they no longer need to rely on SNAP. I’m committed to getting this bill passed and making sure working families have the support they need to get back on their feet.”

The SNAP Employment and Training program offers a variety of services to help SNAP recipients secure employment, including work experience opportunities, job search assistance, and educational and vocational programs. It also offers participants a variety of supportive services to overcome other common barriers to sustained employment, like reimbursements for transportation, child care services and safety equipment.

Under current law, SNAP E&T program participants risk losing their SNAP eligibility, and subsequently their ability to participate in the E&T program itself, because of the extra income they earn through the program.

The Training and Nutrition Stability Act would fix this issue by excluding wages derived from a public workforce training program from SNAP income calculations. This change would allow participants to maintain their nutrition benefits and maintain their enrollment in high-quality training programs leading to better outcomes, permanent employment, and self-sufficiency.

Rep. Adriano Espaillat (D-NY), Rep. Alma Adams (D-NC), Rep. Max Miller (R-OH), and Rep. Marcus Molinaro (R-NY) lead this bill in the House.

State Parks gearing up for 100th anniversary in 2024

Photo by Tom Rivers: Hamlin Beach State Park has many buildings and structures made of Medina Sandstone, including this fountain. The park is in Monroe County off the Parkway near Kendall in Orleans County.

Posted 16 August 2023 at 8:35 pm

Press Release, Gov. Kathy Hochul’s Office

Governor Kathy Hochul previewed a year-long celebration of the centennial anniversary of the founding of New York’s statewide park and historic site system to take place in 2024.

The celebration will both highlight and build upon one of New York State’s greatest environmental legacies. In 1924, Governor Alfred E. Smith and the State Legislature created the New York State Council of Parks while voters approved a $15 million bond act to build and enlarge a network of State parks, forging the New York State park and historic site system that New York State residents and visitors know and cherish today.

“New York State led the nation in creating a State park system for our citizens 100 years ago,” Governor Hochul said. “As we celebrate through next year, New York will continue to invest in our park system to support the State’s outdoor recreation economy, expand access to underserved communities, address the impacts of climate change, and position New York State as a top recreation destination.”

Across the state through 2024, New York will commemorate the state park centennial with hundreds of community celebrations, performances and special events led by the state park and historic site staff, the State Council of Parks and Park and Historic Site Friends Groups. There will be a new Centennial Challenge to encourage visitors to try a variety of new activities as they enjoy the parks and historic sites, special discounts on park admission fees and new opportunities to volunteer and promote park stewardship.

A traveling exhibit on the history of New York State Parks will go on display at parks and historic sites throughout the state. State Parks will collect and share stories and photographs from the public to celebrate the memories made during the last century, as well as a new line of Centennial-themed New York State Parks merchandise from the parks store. New Yorkers can visit parks.ny.gov/100 to learn more about the Centennial.

While New York State had established a number of state parks and historic sites prior to 1924 to protect scenic and historic resources – such as Niagara Falls, George Washington’s Revolutionary War Headquarters, and Bear Mountain – the State Park Act was intended to directly connect citizens to outdoor recreation.

When these limited preserves proved to be overwhelmingly popular, state leaders recognized the need to create more parks in proximity to urban centers. In 1923, Governor Alfred E. Smith endorsed an ambitious plan for a statewide system of parks connected by scenic parkways and boulevards. In 1924, New York State established the State Council of Parks and voters approved a $15 million bond to put the plan in action. Over the next decade, 55 new state parks were established.

In addition, New York State will prioritize investments and programs to preserve the park system as a model for the nation in the next century by:

Restoring and expanding visitor capacity: State Parks will continue the ongoing transformation of New York’s flagship parks and embark on critical infrastructure improvement projects. The state budget includes $200 million for capital improvement projects annually for five years, for a total of $1 billion through fiscal year 2028. The funding will help improve parks and restore facilities at such heavily visited parks as Bear Mountain, Heckscher, Jones Beach, and Riverbank State Park.
Reaching new and underserved audiences: The State Park Centennial is an opportunity to expand and improve access and connections to all communities and to all people, regardless of background or physical ability. State Parks will expand its Ladders to the Outdoors program statewide, enhancing the Connect Kids field trip program. The continuing Our Whole History initiative will more fully tell the story of the diversity of our state.
Facing forward into climate change: In the next century, State Parks must address the challenges of ongoing, human-induced climate change. State Parks will meet Governor Hochul’s goal to power all facilities with renewable energy by 2030, while making park facilities more resilient to climate change and sea level rise.
Positioning New York as a recreation destination: Over the last century, State Parks have hosted visitors from around the world, including a record 79.5 million visitors in 2022. The park system is an anchor of local tourism economies and offers affordable destinations for recreational and cultural experiences for New York families. The Centennial will offer opportunities to welcome these visitors and play a positive role in local economies, including the opening of the Ralph Wilson Visitor Center at Niagara Falls, the Frederic Church Center for Art and Landscape at Olana State Historic Site and a new Visitor Center at Bayard Cutting Arboretum, as well as new trails connecting parks to their communities.
Strengthening community partnerships: The agency will work with partners to issue centennial reports on the status of parks, demographic trends and goals to ignite support for the state park system among a new generation of patrons.

New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation Commissioner Erik Kulleseid said, “I am reminded every day of the immense pride and enjoyment New Yorkers take in the park and historic site system. We look forward to celebrating 100 years of connections between New York State Parks and Historic Sites, their communities and their partners – and laying the foundation for a vibrant, welcoming and sustainable park system for the next century.”

Lyndonville Area Foundation donates to preschooler program at library

Posted 16 August 2023 at 8:25 am

Provided photos: The Yates Community Library has received $1,890 from the Lyndonville Area Foundation for the “Rise and Shine” reading program for preschoolers. Pictured from left include Herbert Bohnet, library trustee; Emily Cebula, library director; Michele Harling, Foundation director; Robin Boyle, teacher; Valerie Wells, Foundation member; and Megan Johnson, Foundation member.

Press Release, Lyndonville Area Foundation

LYNDONVILLE – The Yates Community Library appreciates the Lyndonville Area Foundation Grant of $1,890 to be used toward the “Rise and Shine” reading program for preschoolers.

The Foundation grant will be used to assist in a series of early literacy programs for preschoolers offered at the Yates Community Library in Lyndonville known as “Rise and Shine Reading Time.” The program has been ongoing since the fall of 2018, as presented by Robin Boyle, a retired Lyndonville kindergarten teacher with 30 years of experience.

Emily Cebula, the Yates Community Library Director for 15 years, said the goal of the project is the continued growth of the young participants in a variety of skills that will prepare them for school, and for a lifetime of reading and learning enjoyment. Social and behavioral skills, communication and literary skills, confidence in being able to form questions, listening skills, understanding of story structure and sequence and visual discrimination are developed during the course to provide a stepping stone for academic learning.

Created and conducted by Robin Boyle, it will consist of three series of six programs of 45-minutes each, presented every other week, during the fall, winter and spring of 2023-2024.

Robin Boyle is shown with several preschoolers at the Yates Community Library.

Boyle plans each session to include relevant stories, songs, art projects and group activities, such as her very popular scavenger hunts. She incorporates holidays and seasonal themes into her programs and enjoys actively participating just as much as her students do.

Boyle believes the program is successful because of the commitment that parents and caregivers make to bring the children in each week, the ability to create programs that are based on the individual needs of the preschoolers in small class settings and the support of the Yates Community Library staff.

Cebula credits the success of the program to Boyle’s experience and enthusiasm. She wrote in her application to the Foundation: “The joy of sharing books with peers, of recognizing common experiences, and surprise in discovering new adventures, is a treasure to be carried throughout one’s lifetime.”

To sign up for the program, scheduled to begin in October, please contact Cebula, the library director, at (585)765-9041. The sessions are free but space is limited. Families with children age 2, 3 and 4 who are not enrolled in Universal Pre-K, as well as and homeschoolers, are welcome. Priority is given to families living in the Yates Community Library service area, which is the Lyndonville Central School District.

State Parks seeks applicants for park police officers

Posted 14 August 2023 at 5:40 pm

Press Release, NYS Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation

The New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation (State Parks) is looking for the next class of Park Police Officer Trainees committed to protecting the State Park system’s record 79 million annual visitors.

In 2024 New York State Parks will be celebrating 100 years of providing outstanding recreational and cultural experiences to state residents and visitors from throughout the world. The Park Police will play a critical role in the year-long Centennial celebration as they continue to serve visitors and offer the safest beaches, trails, golf courses, pools, picnic areas, and entertainment venues in the nation.

Applications for Park Police Officer Trainee positions will be accepted until Sept. 30. Click here for more information regarding the application process, agility testing, screening requirements and written exam.

“We are searching for the next group of recruits who have a calling for both state service and a love of the outdoors,” said State Parks Commissioner Erik Kulleseid. “Additionally, our New York State Park Police is among the first agencies in the nation committed to the growing movement of 30×30 – the initiative to reach 30 percent of women in recruiting classes by 2030, as we aim to be representative of the entire state. Advancing women in policing is critical to improving public safety.

“Our Park Police work hard every day to protect our millions of visitors and utilize a special training to respond to all types of situations including controlling crowds at our concert venues, employing drones to search for sharks in the waters off Long Island, conducting search and rescue operations, and patrolling the state’s waterways and snowmobile trails.”

This past May, our State Park Police Academy graduated 32 new officers who have been since assigned to serve New York’s State Parks and Historic Sites. State Parks maintains a welcoming environment and offers new recruits hands-on training and classroom education in Criminal Procedure Law, Penal Law, Vehicle and Traffic Law, Park and Recreation Law and criminal investigations.

Recruits will also receive training in firearms, first response, snowmobile and ATV operation, emergency vehicle operation, and a wide variety of other law enforcement-related topics and skills. Then, Academy graduates reinforce what was learned in the classroom through field training during the first months of their new assignments.

Park Police officers are highly trained specialists dedicated to the New York State Parks’ core values of P.R.I.D.E.: Professionalism, Respect, Integrity, Dedication, and Excellence. They provide New York State residents and visitors with safe and enjoyable recreational experiences at State Parks and Historic Sites.

The New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation oversees more than 250 parks, historic sites, recreational trails, golf courses, boat launches and more, which saw a record 79.5 million visits in 2022.

Lyndonville concert on Sept. 10 will raise funds to repair pipe organ from 1913

Photo by Ginny Kropf: (Left) Many of the pipes of Lyndonville Presbyterian Church’s organ are housed in an inner chamber. Some are made of wood and others of steel. (Right) The Lyndonville Presbyterian Church’s Felgemaker pipe organ dominates the sanctuary. It will be featured in a concert Sept. 10 to raise funds for its needed repairs.

By Ginny Kropf, correspondent Posted 14 August 2023 at 5:15 pm

LYNDONVILLE – The Lyndonville Presbyterian Church has a deep history, including the historic 1913 Felgemaker pipe organ purchased from the A. B. Felgemaker Organ Company that was founded in Buffalo in 1865 and relocated to Erie, PA in 1875.

As impressive as the organ is, it is in need of repair, and the church is planning a fundraising concert on Sept. 10 titled “Accentuate the Positive,” featuring retired Albion Central School musical director Gary Simboli.

Simboli’s invitation is “Come join me on a journey looking for the ‘positive’ in life. You find what you look for.”

A variety of songs from the American songbook will highlight the positivity all around us, including easy listening, rock’n roll, Broadway and movie standards.

Tickets are $10 at the door. The concert will be from 3 to 4 p.m., and all proceeds will go to the organ fund.

The Lyndonville Presbyterian Church was built in 1830. The sanctuary faced west and had box pews and a balcony. In the 1890s the floor was lowered, and the church was repositioned, and the front was built.

The Henry Hard family, who lived next door to the church, wanted an organ, and in 1913, to honor their son, Daniel, a lawyer in Lockport who died at the age of 40, they purchased the pipe organ in his memory.

Tom Wenhold, organist and music director at the Lyndonville Presbyterian Church, chats with pastor Martha Mitchell.

To demonstrate the complexity of the organ, Tom Wenhold, organist and music director at Lyndonville Presbyterian Church, explained the organ has 1,100 pipes, some made of wood and others of steel. Wenhold has been an organist in Lyndonville for nearly 30 years.

Over the years, the organ console has had to be worked on several times.

“Every time the console was worked on, it was dedicated – once to the Rev. Thomas Tiegh, who served from 1946-1950; and again in 1977 by Fred Bloom, organist for 35 years, in memory of his wife Elinore,” said Mitchell.

Wenhold said the last renovation was in 1990 when it was restored and all the pipes and the workings that run the pipes were rebuilt.

Most of the organ’s 1,100 pipes are housed in an inner chamber.

Today, the plastic contacts in the console are beginning to crumble.

“The problem with that is when the plastic pieces crumble, they fall on other parts and break them or cause them to not work,” Wenhold said.

The proposal is to replace the console with a modern, partially computerized one. It will be solid state and digital, Wenhold said. He said an organ is the closest thing to a computer before we had computers.

“The projected cost of the renovation including the blower is shy of 100,000 dollars,” Wenhold said. “This renovation will give our organ more flexibility, allowing it to transpose and record music.”

“Organists who substitute for Tom love to play this instrument,” the pastor said. “There aren’t that many pipe organs in Orleans County. People want to see it maintained. Concerts here throughout the year benefit the entire Lyndonville community.”

Author highlights ‘Keep the Light On’ fundraiser set for Aug. 19

Photo by Tom Rivers: A sailboat heads up the Oak Orchard Harbor channel past the Oak Orchard Lighthouse last Thursday.

By Ginny Kropf, correspondent Posted 6 August 2023 at 6:40 pm

WATERPORT – The Oak Orchard Lighthouse Museum is sponsoring a “Keep the Light On” fundraiser Aug. 19 at the Carlton United Methodist Church, 1196 Archbald Rd.

The event will run from 7 to 9 p.m. and feature a dessert buffet, Lake Ontario author Susan Peterson Gateley and an old time hoedown by Kathy Vandemortel and Steve Bland.

Tickets are $20 per person and can be purchased Tuesday evenings at OONA concerts in the park, Fridays through Sundays at the Oak Orchard Lighthouse or by calling Chris at (585) 315-9799 or Larry at (585) 230-7829.

Susan Peterson Gateley, an author about Lake Ontario, will speak during an Aug. 19 fundraiser for the Oak Orchard Lighthouse Museum.

A lighthouse at Point Breeze initially was pushed by Peg Wiley, who discovered shortly after she moved there in 2002 that there used to be a lighthouse on the pier at Point Breeze. The original lighthouse was toppled in a windstorm in 1916.

That summer she set up a table to solicit donations at the Wooden Boat Festival, and soon strong community support rallied towards the cause.

In 2004 she met the late Dick Anderson, who had a replica of the lighthouse and she created an exhibit at the Chamber of Commerce office in Albion, along with 1,000 copies she had reprinted of an 1890 book on Point Breeze. The Lighthouse Museum operated under the wing of the Chamber of Commerce until they could get their own certification.

Wiley and Cheryl Staines worked months to obtain a 501 3c designation, which was approved in 2004 and the Oak Orchard Lighthouse Museum was officially formed.

Wiley and the lighthouse group met a $300,000 goal for the structure which was built in 2010. The lighthouse is an iconic symbol for the Orleans County featured in tourism guides. The lighthouse also includes a small museum telling the history of the original lighthouse.

Wiley and the lighthouse group are still raising money for the lighthouse – for ongoing maintenance and expenses. The Aug. 19 fundraiser features author Susan Peterson Gateley.

Gateley has written multiple books about Lake Ontario. She writes a blog about Lake Ontario. Click here to be directed to her website.

She believes you should write what you know and she knows “We live in a state with the greatest variety of water of any place in the U.S. New York is bounded by a salt water coast and contains shorelines of fresh water ponds, lakes, rivers and streams. We have shorelines of two Great Lakes and, between us and Vermont, we share a Pretty Good Lake. No other state has more diversity of water for those who like to float on boats than we do. So that’s what I write about.”

Gateley continues to say, “To explore the world of water properly you need a boat. In my view, a slow quiet boat is best. For 40 years I sailed Lake Ontario, first solo, then with a spouse. I cruised around the lake for 17 years solo with Ariel, a 23-foot sailboat. With her I discovered that our Great Lake has another nation on its northern border. I learned a lot about Ontario Province with that boat.”

More recently, Gateley and her spouse have begun exploring the Erie Canal and her latest book, just released by History Press, “Beyond the Erie,” is a history of the current version of the New York canal system that helped make this nation.

Currently, Gateley and her spouse are trying a new way to travel on the canal. They’re going to attempt a cruise powered solely by sunshine. They have equipped their 23-foot sailboat with 1,500 watts of solar panels mounted on a canopy over the deck and cabin.

“We’re leaving the mast at home and will cruise the canal for two weeks using our previously installed electric motor and batteries,” Gateley wrote in her Chronicle. “The batteries, we hope, will be charged totally from the panels.”

During her appearance at the Lighthouse fundraiser, Gateley will share more of her experiences.

Atlas of Orleans County, sold as Fair fundraiser in 1967, has lasting historical value

Plat map of Kendall, NY, 1967

Posted 4 August 2023 at 8:48 am

By Catherine Cooper, Orleans County Historian

Illuminating Orleans, Vol. 3, No. 25

KNOWLESVILLE – In 1967, the Orleans County 4-H Leader’s Association undertook a variety of fundraising projects to help finance improvements at the newly acquired Fairgrounds in Knowlesville.

One of those projects – the publication of an Atlas and Plat Book of Orleans County – has proven to be of lasting historical value. This was a very appropriate choice for an agricultural county since plat maps show a visual overview of land ownership by town.

The 1967 publication was spiral bound, with a green cover and an aerial view of the Fairgrounds. Ten separate town maps showed the location of farms and listed the farm owners. An Index to Owners listed every landowner in the county whose name appeared in the township maps with location references to the appropriate page and map of the county, a business directory, and a listing of government officials.

Town assessors were offered $10 ($90 approx. currently) each to provide base maps of their townships for the publication. Five of the ten returned the payment to the committee.

The Albion Rotary Club voted to handle the sale of advertising to finance the publication. In exchange, the Club received a share of the overall profit which supported a Rotary Hospital in Bolivia.

4-H Agent Robert F. Stuerzebecher was chairman of the Rotary’s farm plat book committee which also included Sidney Cleveland, Thomas Heard and Richard Bloom. Paul Klatt of Lyndonville headed the Orleans County 4-H Leaders’ Association plat book committee. This was an ambitious project. The books were available from the County Extension Service and cost $2.50, ($22 approx. currently). A second plat book was published in 1972.

Both were produced by Rockford Map Publishers of Rockford, Il. which pioneered this map resource in 1944. Their first maps were hand drawn, but the process was soon mechanized to supply demand. With an emphasis on accuracy, the process involved the use of aerial photographs in conjunction with the base maps provided by the townships. Ownership information was then verified at the county courthouse.

The information so clearly laid out in these plat maps was no doubt of great interest to farmers. Real estate, banking and insurance companies also found them to be a valuable resource. As a historical record, plat maps document the historical ownership of land and are an invaluable resource for genealogists and local historians.

Additionally, the advertisements included provide a snapshot of businesses and services at a particular time.

Advertisements from the 1967 Orleans County Plat book.

Digitization has enhanced the creation and possibilities of plat maps. Geo-referenced maps can be used on smartphones. Transparent plat maps may be overlaid over Google Earth. Whatever method is used, the fundamental issue of interest to individuals and business interests is “Who owns the land?”

Cobblestone Museum has 30 spots for vendors at flea market on Aug. 12

File photo by Tom Rivers: Lisa Mannella of L & S Creative Designs is shown with a display of country craft items that she makes with Stephanie Rustay. They were one of 27 vendors at a flea market last year on Aug. 13 at the Cobblestone Museum. The flea market returned after more than 20 years.

By Ginny Kropf, correspondent Posted 2 August 2023 at 5:07 pm

CHILDS – The Cobblestone Museum’s Flea Market is anticipated to be a bargain hunter’s paradise, according to organizer Sue Bonafini, assistant museum director.

The event is scheduled from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Aug. 12 on museum grounds, featuring a wide variety of merchandise. This includes mixed goods, vintage items, crafts, tools fishing and gardening items, toys and much more.

“Prices fit every budget and some sellers willingly negotiate prices to move their merchandise,” Bonafini said.

Homesteads for Hope will sell their locally grown produce, Wild Flour Deli and Bakery will sell baked goods and a Jordan Essentials skin care consultant is expected. A food tent will feature Zweigle’s grilled hot dogs and Partyka Farms’ sweet corn on the cob to satisfy hungry shoppers.

Nearly 30 booths have been reserved to date, but the museum will continue to accept vendors until Aug. 8.

Local residents might be motivated to gather up that “stuff” that has been sitting in closets, basements or attics and consider this opportunity to sell on a summer’s day, Bonafini said.

Booth space is 10’ x 10’ for $20. Chairs, tables and personal shade canopies are brought in by the sellers.

In addition to the many community vendors, the Cobblestone Society will sponsor the Holiday Shoppe (with Christmas themed items), white elephant sale (mixed goods) and used books.

“Thanks to the generous community members, we have loads of modestly priced merchandise to sell,” Bonafini said.

Contact museum staff at (585) 589-9013 with inquiries or to reserve a booth.”

Coffee Pot Café celebrates first anniversary in Medina

Photos by Ginny Kropf: Staff, friends and local officials met at the Coffee Pot Café on Tuesday to celebrate its one-year anniversary with owners Dan and Hans Rosentreter. From left are Barb Albone (Hans’ grandmother), Daniel Poprawski, rear (Dan’s father); Barry Flansburg (representing Assemblyman Steve Hawley); Charlene Poprawski (Dan’s mother); Dee and Wesley Rosentreter (Hans’ parents); owners Hans and Dan Rosentrater; Lynne Johnson (chair of Orleans County Legislature), Skip Draper and John Fitzak (Orleans County legislators); and Darlene Rich (town of Shelby clerk).

By Ginny Kropf, correspondent Posted 2 August 2023 at 3:14 pm

MEDINA – When Hans and Dan Rosentreter decided to open a coffee shop in Medina, they couldn’t have hoped for a bigger success than their first year in business.

On Tuesday, the couple celebrated their first anniversary in business by cutting a ribbon to launch their second year in the Coffee Pot Cafe. Participating were Dan’s parents Daniel and Charlene Poprawski, Han’s parents Wesley and Dee Rosentreter, Hans’ grandmother Barb Albone, Barry Flansburg on behalf of Assemblyman Steve Hawley, Orleans County Legislature chair Lynne Johnson, legislators Skip Draper and John Fitzak and Shelby town clerk Darlene Rich.

Guests then gathered to enjoy cupcakes and pastries and extend good wishes.

Both Dan and Hans describe themselves as “coffee junkies,” and owning a coffee shop is something Dan dreamed of doing. When he discovered the store at 114 East Center St. was vacant, he knew he had to act.

“We both realized real fast we had to be here,” Hans said. “Dan quit his job in insurance and I quit mine at the Creekside Floral Shop and we became full time here.”

Dan had researched brands of coffee to find the very best coffee they could buy, and settled on Joe Bean Roasters out of Rochester, Dan said.

“This has always been a dream of mine to open a coffee shop,” Dan said.

Hans is a baker, so he makes all the pastries, turnovers and bagels.

(Left) Dan Rosentreter, left, and husband Hans greet customers at the Coffee Pot Café, which celebrated its one-year anniversary on Tuesday. (Right) Hans Rosentreter shows off an antique phone he installed at the Coffee Pot Café as a conversation piece. It was patented in 1901.

They opened on Aug. 1, 2022 and couldn’t be more pleased with the response. Reviews on their website are glowing and customers are at the door when they open at 6 a.m.

“We’ve been busy right from the beginning and it hasn’t slowed down,” Dan said.

Johnson shared her pleasure at seeing a thriving business in her county.

“Medina is the most growing village in Orleans County, and it excites me when a business chooses to open here,” she said. “There is no better place than Orleans County.”

The Coffee Pot Café is open from 6 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday and from 6 a.m. to 3 p.m., on Saturday. They offer a variety of coffee flavors, including seasonal roasts, bubble tea, lemonade and frozen drinks, in addition to pastries, turnovers and bagels. They are expanding their lunch menu, which features chicken salad sandwiches and other choices and plan to add a soup and sandwich special.

“We’ve only gotten busier,” Hans said. “We realized Medina needed a coffee shop that was warm and inviting like your home. We’ve gotten to meet a lot of really nice people.”

Cobblestone tour of homes features 8 historic, intriguing sites in Holley, Brockport

Photos courtesy of Cobblestone Museum: The 1829 King House is located at 495 White Rd., Brockport and constructed of local limestone. It is one of the oldest houses in the town of Sweden.

By Ginny Kropf, correspondent Posted 1 August 2023 at 7:47 am

HOLLEY – The Cobblestone Museum’s annual tour of homes will take on a new look this year as it expands its focus on examples of regional historic architecture in Orleans County, according to Museum director Doug Farley.

“Usually, the annual tour is exclusively cobblestone buildings,” said Erin Anheier, organizer of the tour with Chris Hunt. “This one is different as it only has one cobblestone house, but also has structures with other features, all linked by being masonry, with an emphasis on local stone.”

The tour continues an annual tradition that was put on hold during the pandemic, Farley said.

This year’s tour also focuses on architectural treasures in the eastern portion of Orleans County and western Monroe. The buildings are made of Medina sandstone, limestone, dolomite, lake washed cobbles and several brick buildings. In addition, there is a wide variety of buildings, as well as some that are seldom open to the public, Anheier said.

The self-drive tour is scheduled Aug. 26. Tickets are $20 for Cobblestone Society members and $25 for non-members. Tickets are available now by calling the museum or online at CobblestoneMuseum.org. They will also be available on the day of the tour at the Museum or at Hillside Cemetery Chapel, Route 237 and South Holley Road, Holley.

Buildings on the tour in Orleans County are Hillside Chapel, corner of Route 237 and South Holley Road; Holley Gardens, 1 Wright St., Holley; the old Holley Water Works, Pumping Station Road, Holley; and Butterfield cobblestone home, 4690 Bennetts Corners Road, Holley.

In Brockport, buildings on the tour are the White Farm bed and breakfast, 854 White Rd.; the King house, 495 White Rd.; the Locke house, 301 Beadle Rd.; and Lake View Cemetery chapel, 4988 Lake Rd.

Hillside Cemetery chapel was built in Gothic Revival style in 1894 of rough-faced Medina sandstone. The steep roof is cross gabled and covered with slate. The chapel was recently restored through the cooperative efforts of the town of Clarendon and Clarendon Historical Society. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and the Medina Sandstone Hall of Fame.

Holley Gardens has been the site of a school since 1848. The brick building housed students until 1975. It sat vacant and fell into disrepair until 2018 when a developer undertook a $17 million project to turn it into a senior living complex with 41 apartments and offices for the village of Holley. The auditorium has been converted into public meeting space. It is also listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Holley Pumping Station is a Medina sandstone building at the north end of Pumping Station road. It was a cider mill built by a gentleman named Curtis in 1856. The village of Holley purchased it in 1890 from John Downs and doubled the existing building’s footprint to house the needed steam apparatus to power the water pumps.

At one time this pumping station provided enough water from its wells to provide water for both Brockport and Holley. This site, where West Sandy Creek flows down into a ravine creating a ready source of water power, has seen other mills in history, including a grist mill and saw mill.

The Butterfield Cobblestone is a Greek Revival home of lake washed cobblestone built in 1849 for Orson Butterfield. The form of the house is that of a standard 19th century farmhouse. Limestone forms the watertable and the quoins which mark the corners. Homeowners added a one-story addition with full basement in 2013. They made the addition’s interior and exterior trim, copying the original house. The home is owned by Erin Anheier and Russ Bosch. The porch has retained its original floor of stone slabs. This home is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

The White Farm bed and breakfast was built of brick in the early 19th century for John White, who settled there in 1821. Prosperity from the sale of wheat enabled him to significantly enlarge the home. Generations of the White family lived there until 1992. Of particular interest is an extensive decoration in the dining room with scenes of wildlife and folate designs within a stenciled border. It is the work of David Bruce of Brockport, whose taxidermy work is on display at the Farmers’ Hall at the Cobblestone Museum.

The artistry was discovered under layers of pale yellow paint when it was painstakingly removed by current owners, Christine Hunt and Scott Galliford. The property also has a c. 1830 and 1903 barns, a c. 1840 stone smokehouse, a c. 1890 combination milk and icehouse, a c. 1915 garage and a 1953 quonset hut. The house and outbuildings, with the exception of the Quonset hut, are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

The Locke House will be available for exterior tour only. Built in 1828 by builder and owner Nathan Locke, it is a five over four bay Federal style quarried dolomite structure with a Greek Revival addition in the rear. The addition was moved sometime after 1858 from further down the road and attached to the stone structure to house a then modern kitchen. All but one of the original outbuildings remain.

Lake View Cemetery Chapel is an 1892 Norman Revival chapel of local gray rock, likely Lockport limestone which was quarried in the town of Sweden. The rough faced sandstone is accented with brick surrounds for the round arched doors and windows. The building features a square tower with a crenellated top and a steep slate roof with wide bands of scalloped slates. The stained glass windows are geometric in design with circular patterns and jewel-like buttons. The fountain south of the chapel was non-operational for many years and used as a planter, but was restored by the town to its original function. Both the chapel and fountain are listed on the National Register of Historic Places as contributing structures within the cemetery.

The King House (in very top photo) is owned by Archie and Pat Kutz. The original part of the house is the front gabled, three bay section built in 1829 for farmer William King, making it one of the oldest structures in the town of Sweden. The walls are local limestone. Several additions have been made over the decades. Current owners have added the sunporch and rear garage section, with attention to blending the masonry so as not to detract from the earlier construction.

More detailed information on each structure will be available in a brochure provided to ticket purchasers.

Medina closes out blues concerts series with 2 more events in August

Provided photos: Tommy Z, left, and Frank Grizanti close out blues concerts in Medina with two more concerts in August.

Posted 31 July 2023 at 7:00 am

Press Release, Orleans Renaissance Group, Blue Thursdays

MEDINA – With the arrival of August comes the last two shows at Medina’s Blue Thursdays free concert series, and each promises to be spectacular.

The series started on June 22 and ends on August 10 with a grand finale performance by the Tommy Z Band.

The concerts are at State Street Park Pavilion along the Erie Canal, 343 E Center St. The concerts so far have been drawing about 600 to 800 people. There are multiple food vendors including adult beverages.

This Thursday will see a command performance by guitar legend and Buffalo Music Hall of Famer Frank Grizanti.

Grizanti is one of Western New York’s most respected guitarists. He was inducted into the Buffalo Music Hall Of Fame in 2007. His peers have described him as “legendary.” He has also been described as “a true Buffalo treasure.”

He has worked with many great acts from Western New York such as The BBC Band, Geno McManus, Stone Flower, Sam Sugarman, Patti Parks Band, The Fabulous USA Band, Speedy Parker, Bass Reeves, Maria Sebastian, Steve Ballisteri, Anatara and many others.

The Frank Grizanti Band has opened for national acts such as Gino Vanelli, Foreigner, and Styx and has recorded in L.A., Toronto, Nashville and Buffalo.

A Blue Thursdays crowd favorite in 2022, his performance in Medina is a must-see event.

Aug. 10 will see a grand finale performance by internationally renowned Buffalo guitarist Tommy Z, a contemporary blues/rock artist and radio host from Buffalo. He has been described as a “blues treasure” (Jim Santella, Buffalo News), and “one of WNY’s best-kept secrets” (Sarah French, Blues Matters Magazine).

He is a guitar-driven, electric blues-based stylist onstage, but in the studio composes a variety of music. Experienced and versed in traditional blues, jazz, funk and rock styles, he is an artist who puts that soulful blues feeling into all the different music he creates.

His work and talent has been recognized with numerous awards over the years, including being voted Top Blues Vocalist in Western New York 2003/2004/2006, Top Blues Guitarist 1993, 1994, 1995, 1997, 2004, 2005, 2006 and his band has won the Top Blues/Crossover Blues Band categories 1994, 2005, 2006, and was honored with the Muddy Waters Award for “Artist of the Year” by the Blues Society of WNY in 2004.

In 2007 Tommy was inducted into the Buffalo Music Hall of Fame, recognizing him alongside some of the best talent come out of WNY.

He has had the opportunity to perform, write, record and/or co-bill with some of the world’s top artists in the blues/rock genre including: B.B. King (and daughter Shirley), Buddy Guy (2023 Farewell Tour guest), Tom Hambridge, Johnny Winter, The Fabulous Thunderbirds, Jimmie Vaughan, Robert Cray, Jeff Healey, Colin James, Tinsley Ellis, Roomful of Blues, Blues Traveler, Derek Trucks, Joe Bonamassa, Robert Randolph, Peter Frampton, Ian Gillan (Deep Purple), Carey Bell, John Mayall, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Tommy Castro, Duke Robillard, Elvin Bishop and many more.

His first initiation to national touring was backing up Grammy-winning blues pianist Pinetop Perkins (Muddy Waters Band), who is credited as indirectly starting rock-n-roll. Tommy has come a long way from playing the top bars and music venues in Buffalo to being an international and US festival headliner.

All Blue Thursdays concerts are free and open to the public. Shows run from 6 to 8 p.m. There are no rain dates. The public is encouraged to start arriving at 5:30.

Gig updates, any cancellations and venue information can be found at ‘blue thursdays medina’ on Facebook. Further information and details can also be found on the web at bluethursdays.com.

Today’s Fair Schedule (Thursday, July 27, 2023)

Photos by Tom Rivers: These sisters from Parma, Alanna and Madalynne, head down the Fun Slide on Wednesday evening.

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 27 July 2023 at 8:32 am

8 a.m. – 4-H Western Dressage Horse Show at Carlos Marcello Arena

9 a.m. – Senior Council Stand Opens

10 a.m. – 4-H Sheep Show at Show Arena

10 a.m. – Wildlife I.D. Contest at Log Cabin

12 p.m. – Paid admission begins; Buildings open to the public. Enter at Wood and Taylor Hill Road Parking Lots

Bella Basinait, 11 of Barre, leads a Simmental Cattle towards the show ring in Wednesday’s Beef Show. Her father Craig is in back.

12 pm. to 10 p.m. – OCALS Literacy Services at Trolley Building

12 p.m. to 10 p.m. – Digital Literacy and Connect Orleans Cyber Lounge with charging station at Lartz Building

12 p.m. to 10 p.m. – Towpath Trading Post: Supplies for WNY at Fair Office Portico

12 p.m. to 10 p.m. – Museum Corner: Photo station, history, and stone exploration exhibit, by the Cobblestone Museum and Sandstone Society at Lartz Building

12 p.m. to 10 p.m. – Painted Sky Ranch Pony Rides at Cattle Barn Lawn area

12 p.m. to 10 p.m. – Free Psychic Readings by the Shushed Charlatan at Lartz Building

1 to 7 p.m. – WNY PRISM, invasive species experts at Lartz Building

Representatives from Cobblestone Museum and Sandstone Society are at the fair this week sharing information and welcoming people to join their organizations. Matt Holland, left, and Reinhard Rogowski were in the Lartz Building on Wednesday evening.

2 p.m. – 4-H Dog Agility Demo at Knights Building

2 p.m. to 4 p.m. – Family and Consumer Science Knowledge Bowl at Trolley Building

3 p.m. to 10 p.m. – Midway Rides by Main Event Amusements $30 Unlimited Ride Wristband at Midway

4 p.m. – 4-H Leaders’ Pie Stand Opens

4 p.m. – Free Entertainment: Doc Magic at Knight’s Green Space

4:30 p.m. – Cornell Recipe Chicken BBQ by Orleans County Cornell Cooperative Extension $15 at Curtis Pavilion

5 p.m. – 4-H Llama and Alpaca Show at Show Arena

5 p.m. to 6 p.m. – Leadership Orleans Rubber Duck Racers! ages 3-11 at JCH of Buffalo Food Court

5 p.m. – Beards and Braids (Orleans County’s best hair contest) Open to the public, pre-register at the fair office of 15 minutes prior to contest at Orleans Hub Stage

Doc Magic (Dewayne Reynolds) makes a dog out of balloons as part of his magic and variety show. Doc Magic has been performing as a professional magician and balloon artist since 1998.

5 p.m. to 9 p.m. – Free Face Painting! At Fair Office Portico

5 p.m. to 9 p.m. – Jim The Balloon Guy will be strolling

6 p.m. – Registration for Small Fry Pedal Tractor Pull Ends at Fair Office

6 p.m. – Free Entertainment: Doc Magic at Knight’s Green Space

6 p.m. – Presentation by Connect Orleans: Cutting the cord and unbundling your internet at Education Center

6 p.m. to 7 p.m. – Storytime with Yates Community Library at Trolley Building

6:30 p.m. – Small Fry Pedal Tractor Pull at JCH of Buffalo Tent

7 p.m. – Free Entertainment: Wonderland Circus at Trolley Building Lawn

7 p.m. to 7:45 pm– Hot Country Liners Dance Group at Orleans Hub Stage

Faith Bennett, left, and Leah Kania of Albion both perform during karaoke on Wednesday night. A big rainstorm broke out during Faith’s performance with the rain pelting the roof above the stage. Faith didn’t miss a beat and kept on singing.

7 p.m. – Small Animal Grand Master Information Session at Wachob Pavilion

8 p.m. – Orleans County 4-H Fair $1,000 Karaoke Challenge Finals (No Qualifying Round) at Orleans Hub Stage

8 p.m. – Free Entertainment: Doc Magic at Knight’s Green Space

9 p.m. – Free Entertainment: Wonderland Circus at Trolley Building Lawn

10 p.m. – Buildings Close

10 p.m. – Hay Bale Rolling Contest – Teams of 1-2 ages 16 and up. Register at the fair office by 9:50 p.m. at Hay Bale Rolling Course

Veterans join to open Orleans County 4-H Fair for ‘best week of the year’

Photos by Ginny Kropf: Jim Freas from the Medina VFW, John Follman and Scott Goetze from the Lyndonville American Legion wait to raise the flag during opening ceremonies of the Orleans County 4-H Fair.

By Kim Pritt, Contributor Posted 25 July 2023 at 7:39 am

KNOWLESVILLE – In Orleans County, this is the best week of the year, said Barry Flansburg, as he waited to speak at the opening ceremonies of the Orleans County 4-H Fair Monday night.

While Flansburg was at the fair on Monday as a representative of Assemblyman Steve Hawley, his involvement in the Orleans County 4-H Fair goes back to the early 1970s, when he stood in the first pie tin they made to get into the Guinness World Book of Records.

As a youth he worked with Pauline Lanning in the Senior Council Stand and went on to announce the greased pole competition for 40 years.

Flansburg explained Hawley has never missed an opening of the fair since he has been in office, but on Monday he needed to be in Albany.

“Steve was president of the Cooperative Extension board in Genesee County and I was former president here,” Flansburg said. “You’ll see Steve here later in the week.”

(Left) Danielle Schmidt, a 2022 graduate of Medina High School, sings the national anthem on Monday evening. She is also showing animals in the llama and beef competitions. (Right) John Follman, left, and Scott Goetze from the Houseman-Tanner American Legion Post in Lyndonville raise the flag during ceremonies to open the Orleans County 4-H Fair Monday night.

The opening ceremonies took place at 6 p.m. at the flag pole in front of the Education Center, with flag raising by representatives of Orleans County’s American Legions and VFW. Many of the veterans said they had been coming to the opening ceremony for 10 to 20 years.

The national anthem was sung by Danielle Schmidt, a 2022 graduate of Medina High School who has been showing llamas at the fair for several years. This fair she will compete in the beef show for the first time.

In addition to Flansburg, speakers included County Legislator Bill Eick; State Sen. Rob Ortt; Natalie Seal, president of the Cooperative Extension’s board of directors; Shawn Cook, fair manager; and the 2022 fair king and queen, Jimmy Scheid and Grace Gregoire.

Ed Morgan, an Orleans County legislator and member of Cooperative Extension board with Eick, was also in attendance. Eick said more of the legislators would have been there but they were in Chicago attending a Homeland Security seminar.

(Left) Fair supporters Barry Flansburg, left, and Orleans County legislators Bill Eick and Ed Morgan chat while waiting for the fair’s opening ceremonies to begin. (Right) State Sen. Rob Ortt shares his admiration for rural county fairs during Monday’s opening ceremonies of the Orleans County 4-H Fair.

Eick’s involvement with the fair goes back to his childhood, when he showed cattle, beginning at age 11. He went on to show cattle while in high school, and participated in FFA. All three of his children showed animals at the fair.

“There is a group of kids who showed here and now have grown up and their children are showing here,” Flansburg said.

Ortt praised the fair and said he hasn’t missed one since he first ran for office and this was the first event he attended as a candidate.

“This is a great fair that highlights life in a rural ag community,” he said. “It is a great way for families to come together and have and unexpensive evening together.”

Ortt further said this is the only fair he knows of that opens with a ceremony recognizing veterans. He stressed the importance of patriotism and said the values we enjoy in our farm communities are in jeopardy.

“Steve and I are working very hard to make sure these values continue for many years in the future,” he said.

Seal welcomed fairgoers and recognized those who made it possible.

Cook thanked the volunteers, without whom he said they couldn’t do it.

“We make many improvements every year, and this year is no exception,” he said.

In addition to numerous exhibits, animal shows daily, a variety of food vendors and entertainment, special events include the Nutrifair luncheon on Wednesday and the Cornell chicken barbecue on Thursday. Friday will feature Medina’s canal cruise-in at the fair, with the evening ending with fireworks.

Shawn Cook, fair manager, welcomes guests to the Orleans County 4-H Fair. Waiting to speak at right are Barry Flansburg, representing Assemblyman Steve Hawley; Senator Rob Ortt; and Natalie Seal, president of Cornell Cooperative Extension’s board.

Creativity, tenacity has kept fair part of county since 1856

Posted 23 July 2023 at 1:39 pm

Before fairgrounds in Knowlesville, annual event was held in Village of Albion, and Bokman farm

This photograph from the 1980s captures the energy of the Fair – the skills of the young equestrians and the thrills of hurtling through the air on a carnival ride.

By Catherine Cooper, Orleans County Historian

“Illuminating Orleans” – Vol. 3, No. 24

KNOWLESVILLE – Jumping frogs, greased pigs, racing pigs, costumed goats, square dancing on horseback, manure pitching – these are some of the fun activities hosted at the 4-H Fair over the years.

The Orleans County 4-H Fair opens Monday, July 24. That this is the 77th Annual Fair is a testament to the tenacity, resourcefulness, and creativity of a legion of groups, agencies and individuals who nurtured it through some lean times.

The Orleans County Agricultural Society’s first show was held in Albion in 1856 and thereafter annually until 1942 when the stresses brought on by WWII eclipsed any thoughts of celebration.

A Farmer’s Picnic was held at Bullard Park in Albion in 1945. Re-formed after the war, the First Annual Orleans County 4-H Junior Fair was held in 1946, also at Bullard Park and from 1947-1963 at the old fairgrounds on West State Street in Albion.

We are accustomed to the spacious grounds, fine buildings, and amenities available at the fairgrounds in Knowlesville, but that site was not purchased until 1965.

The Field Day Committee first entertained the notion of acquiring its own property in 1958. Several sites were investigated, but plans fell through, for a variety of reasons.

The fair was held at the Mike Bokman Quarter Horse Farm, located at the intersection of Long Bridge Road and Route 31E in Albion, for two years – 1963 and 1964.

In January 1965, the fair finally found a home. The purchase of the Howard Venus farm was approved. The southern section of the farm, between Wood Road and Taylor Hill Road on Route 31E, became the new fairgrounds. The northern section, which included a house and barns, was later sold to Robert K. Nice.

Preparation work on the site began immediately. The biggest project was the construction of the 72’ x 108’ pole building (now the Lartz Building) to house livestock exhibits.

Fund raising efforts intensified. Banks, canning factories, feed dealers, fertilizer companies, farmers and individuals were canvassed. The 4-H Club leaders sold pies, seed kits, and first aid kits. They held dances, organized a scrap metal drive and a plat book sponsorship.

The Birdseye company in Albion donated snap bean seeds. Volunteers cultivated ten acres of seed and sold the harvest back to Birdseye.

The Fairgrounds was officially opened on Wednesday, August 4th by Assemblyman Alonzo Waters of Medina, John Stookey of Lockport, who represented the state 4-H clubs, and Harold Trolley, president of Cooperative Extension. Congressman Barber Conable was the guest speaker at the “Dedication of Fairgrounds and Livestock Building” on Saturday, August 7th.

Fireworks at 11 p.m. signaled the ending of that first fair. The tradition of celebrating agriculture, encouraging farm families, and inspiring the next generation of future farmers was secured.

(Material courtesy of former Village of Albion Historian, Dr. Neil Johnson, who chronicled the history of the fair from 1946 to 1995.)