By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 7 February 2022 at 12:48 pm
The average price for a gallon of gas is up another 4 cents in the past week in New York State, and now has increased 9 cents in the past two weeks, AAA Western and Central New York reported today.
Today’s national average price for a gallon of gasoline is $3.44, which is up 7 cents in the past week. One year ago, the price was $2.46, AAA said.
The New York State average is $3.59, up four cents from last week. A year ago, the NYS average was $2.56.
In Western New York, the price is highest in Orleans County at $3.612 a gallon. The average price per gallon in other WNY counties includes: Niagara, $3.469; Genesee, $3.522; Wyoming, $3.582; Erie, $3.547; Chautauqua, $3.528; Cattaraugus, $3.511; Allegany, $3.558; Livingston, $3.595; and Monroe, $3.581.
AAA released the following press release:
“According to the Energy Information Administration (EIA), total domestic gasoline stocks have grown, while gasoline demand has dropped recently. An increase in total stocks and a decrease in demand typically puts downward pressure on pump prices, but rising crude prices continue to push prices higher instead. If crude prices continue to climb, pump prices will likely follow suit.
“Crude prices are now topping $90 per barrel. The tension between Russia and Ukraine continues to contribute to rising oil prices. Russia is a member of OPEC+, and any sanctions based on their actions toward Ukraine may cause it to withhold crude oil from the global market.
“Moreover, OPEC+ announced this week it will stick to its plan to increase crude production by 400,000 barrels per day next month despite calls for a greater increase to help meet demand. Additionally, EIA reported that total domestic crude stocks decreased, contributing to pressure on domestic crude prices.”
Press Release, Genesee-Orleans Regional Arts Council (GO Art!)
BATAVIA – Artists of all kinds are invited to submit work to GO Art! for our 5th Annual Art of the Rural Juried Show. GO Art! is so excited to have the opportunity to open our Bank of Castile Main, Oliver’s, and Batavia Club galleries to a variety of artists for this show.
“We are thrilled to be able to bring back the ‘Art of the Rural’ Juried Exhibit this year,” said Gallery Coordinator Mary Jo Whitman. “We have always had such a great turnout and community response to this annual exhibit. It is a fabulous opportunity for artists of every level to showcase their talents while exploring the theme ‘rural’.”
Entries of any media, no larger than 36” by 48” will be accepted from Feb. 23 through March 4 at 201 E Main St in Batavia (Seymour Place) during gallery hours. All works must be original and created by the submitting artist. No previous submissions are permitted.
Entries must be accompanied by an entry form as well as an entry fee of $30 that will cover the submission of 5 pieces for members and 3 for non-members. Additional submissions will cost $5 each. Entry forms can be found at goart.org/upcoming-exhibitions.
Absolutely no entries will be accepted after March 4. A jury of selection will review all entries and will choose artwork to be displayed in the exhibit. Notification, by email, of the jury’s decisions will be made by March 12.
Accepted art will then be displayed in our The Art of the Rural Exhibit that will run from March 16 through April 30, with an opening reception to be held on March 22 from 6 to 9 p.m. All are invited to this free reception! Tavern 2.o.1 will be open and on reception night cash prizes will be announced and awarded.
MEDINA – When schools shut down from the Covid-19 pandemic on March 13, 2020, it was expected to last two weeks.
Unfortunately two weeks turned into the rest of the school year. The loss of in-person teaching for those several months proved detrimental to not only the students, but to teachers as well. Medina High School Social Studies teacher Todd Bensley said he and his fellow teachers struggled to find creative ways to teach students.
Provided photo: Todd Bensley, a Medina social studies teacher, speaks during a recent meeting of the Medina Historical Society. Bensley is Medina’s village historian.
“Following instructions from the New York State Education Department, the administrators of Medina Central Schools informed teachers that due to inequities in regards to internet access and requirements to follow the Individual Education Plan for special education students, we were not allowed to assign new material to students,” Bensley said. “We could only review what we have covered up to that point in the school year. It was hard to keep covering old material month after month.”
Since Bensley also serves as the Village of Medina Historian, he thought it would be important to document the experiences of students so that future generations could understand what life in the spring of 2020 was like.
“I sent out a request to all the teachers in the district to consider giving students an assignment documenting their experiences during the pandemic that would be presented to the Medina Historical Society,” he said. “Many teachers responded. Some assigned writing projects to students, while others recorded their own experiences.”
Many of the district’s students put a great amount of effort and enjoyed being able to document their experiences.
“For some, it was therapeutic to be able to express their thoughts and feelings,” Bensley said. “For others it gave them the opportunity to reflect upon what was truly important in life. Still others were excited to be able to share their experiences with future generations.”
The writings were collected into a binder and presented to the Medina Historical Society at its January 2022 Show and Tell Night at the Lee-Whedon Memorial Library.
“The members of the Medina Historical Society were very excited to receive the book,” Bensley said. “Many commented on how important it was to document our experiences on paper, since few people are leaving written records that are not exclusively online.”
Students read 81% of material, but less likely to read digital articles online
BROCKPORT – Linda Rak with colleagues Dr. Kathleen Olmstead, Dr. Jie Zhang, and Dr. Carole Pelttari, from The College at Brockport SUNY New York, recently published research on graduate students’ reading completion in the Brock Education Journal, Ontario Canada.
Linda Rak
This is a journal of educational practice and research. Rak engaged in action research with 434 students enrolled in 28 graduate-level Literacy classes over nine years.
The purpose of the study was to better understand students’ reading completion and factors that impact their ability to complete assignments. The researchers conducted a retrospective study, shared the results and discussed recommendations for Literacy instructors for course improvement.
Rak, a Lyndonville resident, is an Adjunct Professor Emeritus at Brockport. She is also retired as a Reading Specialist and Language Arts Coordinator from the Kendall Central School District. Analysis of the results revealed that of the 434 participants who responded to the survey, 386 students reported a mean of 81.2% of the total quantity read for the class which included both assigned paper texts and online articles.
It was gratifying to find out that this study had a higher level of reading compliance than other studies reviewed by the researchers, the professors said.
One reason that impeded reading completion was some students found it difficult to read digital articles online. Anecdotal data revealed other factors that impacted the amount of reading completed which included:
A project connected to the reading assignment increased accountability.
If the content of the material had direct application to classroom teaching, it was of high interest and easier to complete.
An excessive amount of reading assigned made it difficult to compete all of the reading.
Time was a factor in reading completion. All participants were graduate students working on a Master’s Degree in Literacy Education. They were employed as full-time teachers, substitute teachers or in other jobs. Some had families with corresponding responsibilities.
Personal problems and stressful life situations were less common yet still were important factors in influencing reading completion.
A practical aspect of this action research was that the results were used to improve instructional practices by the instructors. Mini-projects of high interest were developed to promote deeper comprehension.
Online videos were assigned to replace some reading assignments. Collaborative discussion boards allowed students to interact with each other about the reading assignments online prior to class.
When these techniques were applied, class discussions became livelier, Rak said. Learning improves when reading completion is a shared responsibility between students and instructors.
By Ginny Kropf, correspondent Posted 7 February 2022 at 8:00 am
Photos by Ginny Kropf: Dan Fuller, rear, greets visitors coming for their wine glass at Medina Senior Center for Wine About Winter on Saturday.
MEDINA – A ton of snow and cold weather didn’t dampen the spirits of 800 people who descended on the village Saturday for the 14th annual Wine About Winter.
Members of the Medina Area Partnership, which sponsors the event, took over the Medina Senior Center as a welcome center, where participants were ID’d, picked up their wine glass and purchased tickets for a basket raffle. Baskets were displayed in participating stores.
To better control the crowd, start times were staggered from 1 p.m., 2 p.m. and 3 p.m.
Wine glasses were sponsored this year by Cooper Funeral Home and Modern Mercantile, whose owner Gloria Brent was mingling with the visitors.
“Oh yeah, my store is participating,” Brent said when she visited the Senior Center. “It’s like a big party at my store.”
Dan Fuller was helping at the Senior Center, while his wife Sue was running her store, Della’s Chocolates. He couldn’t say enough about what a wonderful event it was and how great to see so many people come to town.
The Medina Area Partnership was especially happy to be having the event, as last year’s was canceled due to Covid. Proceeds from the event go toward other events to promote the Medina area.
Pictures by Scott Robinson: Cindy Robinson from the English Rose Tea Shoppe pours wine for a couple of participants in Wine About Winter.
At the Medina Historical Society on West Avenue, Georgia Thomas and her crew of Shirley Bright and Le Roy Neeper, Gloria Fierch and Erica Wanecski had a wonderful time with the hundreds who visited them.
“We had a marvelous turnout,” Thomas said. “You could just tell people were so ready to be out having fun with their friends. It was cold, but sunny and people were having a ball. They loved my stuffed animal display from Christmas and a lot were agog at our military room. They were also fascinated by the wine glasses I had out from 1880. They were a lot smaller than the ones today.”
The Historical Society was serving a berry wine from Black Willow Winery on Route 18, called Black Widow. Except for a couple of guys who preferred a dryer wine, Thomas said the Black Willow wine was a big hit.
Visitors fill Main Street during the Medina Area Partnership’s annual Wine About Winter on Saturday.
Throughout the day, the sidewalks of Medina were filled with people. Participating stores were identified by balloons placed by MAP’s event committee.
“From the standpoint of MAP, this was another strong showing for Medina,” said MAP president Scott Robinson. “It once again showed the popularity of the Wine About Winter event. Even with near single digit temperatures, 800 individuals were out to support the local business community and taste some amazing wine.”
The year ahead is going to be exciting, Robinson added. More events are being planned and people will definitely be seeing and hearing a lot more about Medina and our business community.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 6 February 2022 at 2:45 pm
Photos by Tom Rivers
ALBION – Mary Grace McCormick, 10, of Albion wipes out coming down the sledding hill at Bullard Park in Albion this afternoon.
It is a perfect day to go sledding with lots of fresh snow, sunshine and temperatures in the mid 30s.
Allie Kekoe, 8, of Hilton carries an inner tube of a Narwhal, a whale with a large protruding tusk. Allie was visiting family in Albion and joined them in sledding at Bullard.
Joseph Dibley and his son Keegan, 4, of Albion head down the east side of the hill on a toboggan.
The father and son get ready to walk back up the hill for another ride down the hill.
This photo was taken up from the highest point of the hill, looking out on the south side of the hill. There were about 20 people sledding at 2 p.m. with some people serving hot cocoa from the parking lot.
Tosh Spilberg, 13, of Wayland rides a green disc down the hill. He was visiting family in Albion.
Susan Oschmann of Albion has fun going down the hill with her granddaughter Gemma.
By Mike Wertman, Sports Writer Posted 6 February 2022 at 9:50 am
With just two weeks remining in the regular season, the tight back-and-forth three-way race for the Niagara-Orleans League boys basketball title will continue this coming week with a number of key games.
Front-running Roy-Hart (6-2) will face Akron (3-4) twice first on Wednesday in a make-up game and again on Friday. Runner-up Medina (6-3) will visit third place Newfane (5-3) on Tuesday. Newfane will also visit rival Wilson (4-5) on Friday.
In the Genesee Region League rivals Holley and Kendall will meet at Kendall on Tuesday for the boys’ game and at Holley on Wednesday for the girls’ contest.
Weekly Schedule Monday Boys Basketball – Barker at Lyndonville, 6:30 p.m. Girls Basketball – Lyndonville at Barker, 6 p.m.; LeRoy at Holley, Alexander at Kendall, 7 p.m.
Tuesday Boys Basketball – Medina at Newfane, Wilson at Albion, Barker at Akron, 6:30 p.m.; Holley at Kendall, 7 p.m. Girls Basketball – Akron at Barker, 6 p.m.; Newfane at Medina, Albion at Wilson, 6:30 p.m.
Wednesday Boys Basketball – Barker at Albion, Akron at Roy-Hart, 6:30 p.m. Girls Basketball – Roy-Hart at Lyndonville, 6:30 p.m.; Kendall at Holley, 7 p.m.
Thursday Boys Basketball – Elba at Lyndonville, Attica at Holley, Kendall at Alexander, 7 p.m. Girls Basketball – Albion at Barker, 6 p.m.
Friday Boys Basketball – Albion at Barker, Newfane at Wilson, 6 p.m.; Roy-Hart at Akron, 6:30 p.m.; Kendall at Attica, 7 p.m. Girls Basketball – Barker at Albion, Akron at Roy-Hart, Wilson at Newfane, 6:30 p.m.; Lyndonville at Elba, Holley at Attica, 7 p.m.
Saturday Boys Basketball – Notre Dame at Medina, 4:30 p.m. Girls Basketball – Attica at Kendall, 1:30 p.m., Lyndonville at Notre Dame, TBD Wrestling – Section V and Section VI championships
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 6 February 2022 at 9:29 am
Photo by Tom Rivers: An Orleans County DPW employee works on clearing the sidewalk on East Park Street after a big snowstorm on Jan. 17.
Orleans County residents will get a break from brutal winter weather this week. The high temperatures will be in the 30s and the forecast doesn’t call for any significant snowfall.
The county has been gripped in a deep freeze for much of 2022. We’ve also been hit with two storms dropping at least a foot of snow since Jan. 17. Residents and highway crews are running out of places to put the snow.
Here is the forecast this week for Orleans County from the National Weather Service in Buffalo:
Today: Sunny with a high near 33, and overnight low of 24.
Monday: Partly sunny with high near 39 and overnight low of 23 with scattered flurries.
Tuesday: High near 30 with scattered flurries and overnight low around 17.
Wednesday: Chance for showers and high near 38 with overnight low of 28.
Thursday: High near 34 with chance of snow showers and overnight low around 19.
Friday: Mostly cloudy with high near 32 and overnight low of 22.
The Gaines Centennial Parade held in Childs in September 1909 included a team of oxen.
By Catherine Cooper, Orleans County Historian – Vol. 2, No. 6
The struggles encountered by the first settlers in this area are well documented – the long arduous trip from New England or southern New York State, the rough terrain, the hard work required to clear the land.
Their first-person accounts, which are chronicled in the 1871 book Pioneer History of Orleans County by Arad Thomas, describe their struggles and achievements.
But none of those accomplishments would have been possible without oxen. It was ox-power that pulled the laden wagons. It was ox-power that hauled tree stumps out of the ground and logs to the mills.
Oxen, being slow, steady and sure-footed, were more suited to the journey west than horses. They could pull heavier loads than horses, and having more stamina, they could pull steadily for longer periods of time.
Oxen are castrated male cattle, four years old, who have been trained to work. They are referred to in the Bible and were used throughout Europe in medieval times. Oxen are not native to this country, but were brought here by Edward Winslow, a Plymouth Pilgrim who was sent back to England for supplies. He returned in 1624 with three Devon heifers and a Devon bull.
The early travelers to this area generally had one team of oxen, though Andrew Weld of Vermont came in a wagon pulled by three yoke of oxen. The journey generally took a month.
Seymour B. Murdock’s account is one of the more colorful of the Pioneer reminiscences:
“In the transit from Dutchess County, we had a hard time, traveling with an ox team, with a family of twelve persons. We were little more than a month on the way.
From the Genesee River to Clarkson Corners was one dense wilderness.
The roads, if they could properly be called, were completely impassible.
At the crossing of Otter Creek in Gaines, fire had consumed the logs…. which left an almost perpendicular ascent for us to rise. To accomplish this, we took off our oxen and drove them up the old road, and then with teams on the hill, and chains extending from them to the tongues of the wagons below, we drew our wagon up. In doing this, at one time, the draft appeared too much for the team, the oxen fell and were drawn back by the load, and the horn of one of the oxen catching under a root, was torn entirely off.”
The early years were difficult for all, particularly 1816, “The Year with No Summer.”
Adin Manley recalled:
“We had three yoke of oxen and nothing for them to eat, this was the worst of all. We turned them into the woods and cut browse for them, but the poor cattle suffered much.”
Later, when the settlers were more established, oxen played a role in the well-earned “mirthful enjoyment” enjoyed by the younger people. William C. Tanner recounted:
“As cold weather approached, our season for evening parties commenced.
We sometimes went four or five miles to an evening party, on an ox sled, drawn by two yoke of oxen, with as many passengers as could pile on, and as far as appearances would prove, all enjoyed both the ride and the dance first rate.
The first regular ball we attended was held at what is now Millville, in Shelby, July 4, 1819.”
This ball was held in the upper room of a new store, presumably the location of what was later the T.O. Castle store and Post Office, on the corner of Maple Ridge Road and East Shelby Roads.
Oxen were used in Orleans County for quite some time. The Ballou diaries, written in the early 1850s in the Town of Carlton refer to their oxen:
October 21, 1851: Got the oxen shod.
May 24, 1852: One of the oxen is sick.
October 12, 1852: Hosea traded the oxen off today for a horse.
The Agriculture Society of Ridgeway and Shelby’s Fourth Annual Competition held in Medina in September 1861, included a category for Working Oxen “Particular reference will be made to the matching and docility of the animals.”
The Orleans County Agricultural Society Fair held in Albion in June 1871, also included a category for Working Oxen, one for the Best Pair of Working Oxen and one for the Best String of Ten Yoke of Oxen.
Once their laboring days were past, oxen were suitable for providing beef at the age of eight. Ox tongue, oxtail and ox tripe could also be enjoyed while roasted ox heart was an old English classic dish. Ox or cow foot soup was yet another thrifty use of the humble ox. Ox hides were used to make leather.
Despite their stellar qualities, oxen were superseded by horses, as Arad Thomas observed:
“A little progress, and pride and ambition substituted horses and lumber wagons as the common vehicles of travel, in place of the oxen and sleds.”
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 5 February 2022 at 7:32 pm
Photos by Tom Rivers
HOLLEY – Ashlea Strouse of the Kendall school district leads the All-County elementary band in “Starsplitter Fanfare” during today’s All-County Festival, featuring some of the top music students at Albion, Holley, Kendall, Lyndonville and Medina.
The All-County music festival returned after the 2021 event was cancelled due to the Covid pandemic. Holley hosted the festival today in the Junior-Senior High School Gymnasium instead of the school auditorium.
The crowd sizes were smaller than in the past. Rather than have the crowd stay for the entire event, the spectators left after each group performed at the elementary, junior high and high school levels.
The 183 students rehearsed together for the first time today, from the morning through early afternoon until the 3 p.m. concert.
There will be a second All-County Festival in March featuring the elementary chorus, junior high band and senior high chorus.
There were 61 students selected for the senior high band.
Kelly Marzano of Holley directs the junior high chorus in singing “Tuimbe.” The Orleans County Music Educators Association organizes the All-County Festival. Instead of having guest instructors from other districts, teachers from the five districts in Orleans directed the bands and chorus today.
The junior high chorus included 63 students from the five school districts in the county.
Jim Steele of Medina leads the senior high band in performing “Rest.” Steele is retiring after this year. Two of his former students, Zach Busch and Kyla Leno, also led the senior high band. Busch is now a teacher at Holley and Leno teaches at Kendall.
The elementary band included 59 students.
Zach Busch directs the senior high band in performing “Vanishing Point.” Busch is president of the Orleans County Music Educators Association.
Some of the trombone players perform during the senior high concert.
Jennifer Trupo of Lyndonville leads the junior high chorus’s performance of “Didn’t My Lord Deliver Daniel.”
The tuba players brought some big brass sounds to the concert.
Kyla Leno of Kendall directs the senior high band in “His Honor.”
Rachel Trillizio of Medina leads the junior high chorus in performing “Sing To Me.”
By Kim Pritt, Contributor Posted 5 February 2022 at 3:00 pm
Let’s go on an adventure together….a Maple Syrup Adventure!
Bruce at Merle Maple Farm was our tour guide and took us through the entire process from tapping trees to processing the maple into syrup and sugar. So interesting!
Maple season in Western New York is about to get started, so I thought I’d talk about some great maple infused adventures I’ve experienced. A big spring crop that is very plentiful in our area is maple syrup and all things maple. There is an abundance of “sugar shacks” that harvest the sap from maple trees and produce the sweetest of delights…..fresh, pure maple syrup and maple sugar. And, by the way, New York is second only to Vermont when it comes to maple production and the sugar maple tree is the state tree of NY.
There are typically two weekends in the spring that are officially called “Maple Weekend” where you can visit many of the area’s maple producers for tours and a chance to purchase and, in most cases, taste the freshly made treats. I searched for the dates for this year’s Maple Weekends and found two sites that list it as March 19-20 and 26-27, 2022. I’m not absolutely sure that’s correct, but you’ll be able to easily confirm that as we get closer to the season. I see that Cartwright’s Maple Tree Inn has announced they will be open for their famous pancake breakfasts starting February 8 through April 10.
Got a sweet tooth? Well, this will surely satisfy it for you. These are pure maple sugar forms that were freshly made when we were offered a sample. So good….so sweet….but so good!
My very first taste (literally) of Western New York maple was in 2016. That time I went with a group from my church. We gathered early in the morning and carpooled to Cartwright’s Maple Tree Inn in Short Track, just outside Angelica, NY – about a one and a half hour or so drive. Cartwright’s is famous for their all you can eat buckwheat pancake breakfast – it includes ham, sausage, beverage of choice, and the never ending pancakes….and, of course, their own pure maple syrup. I’m not sure, but I think you can get an option that also has eggs, but why??? You will want to save as much room as possible for as many of those buckwheat pancakes as you can possibly eat. Hahaha (I don’t want to brag, but I believe I ate 6) Cartwright’s also has a gift shop near the dining room and a museum in the lower level that has lots of antique equipment. If they are processing, you can also go in and see that happening, as well. I got to see that on this trip and the aroma in that room was enough to make me a bit dizzy — so amazing. It’s a really cool place and the breakfast is TO DIE FOR!!!
A griddle loaded with delicious buckwheat pancakes waiting to be served with pure maple syrup at Cartwright’s Maple Tree Inn, Short Track, NY – just outside Angelica.
After breakfast, we drove to downtown Angelica to shop. Angelica is a tiny little town full of unique shops and antiques. I remember it was a nice, warm, sunny spring day and I enjoyed sitting on a bench soaking in the fresh air and enjoying the feel of the quaint little town after I finished shopping. Angelica is also famous for their salt-rising bread – that was my first time having that local treat, as well. After we left Angelica, some of us took a drive through Letchworth State Park on the way home. It was an amazing day.
In 2018, I made the trip on a bus tour hosted by the Cobblestone Society. Our first stop on that adventure was the Merle Maple Farm in Attica, NY, where we learned all about the process of tapping trees, getting the sap to the sugar shack, and producing pure maple syrup and maple sugar. This was the first I had heard words like “Permeate”, “Retentate”, and “RO” since I retired from the Pharmaceutical industry. I’m proud to say I understood everything our guide was saying about the process of extracting and purifying the sap into syrup and sugar products. If memory serves, I think some of the others on the tour also enjoyed some maple ice cream while at Merle’s, too. After our tour, we went to Cartwright’s for that wonderful buckwheat pancake breakfast.
Downtown Angelica, NY is full of unique shops, antiques, bakeries, and the famous salt-rising bread. If in the area, it makes for a wonderful stop to shop and relax.
In 2019, I also went on the Cobblestone Society’s bus tour. This time, we went to downtown Angelica to shop, first. We even had the opportunity to pre-order some pies from the bakery in Angelica – I treated myself to an egg custard pie that was heavenly and brought back wonderful memories of my grandmother, who made the BEST egg custard pie. After shopping, we….of course….went to Cartwright’s for buckwheat pancakes. We also had an amazing guide on the bus – Georgia – who was a walking encyclopedia of knowledge about maple production and products. She was fascinating and I learned so much. If the Cobblestone Society does this bus tour again, I highly recommend it.
There are a lot of other sugar shacks around the area that participate in Maple Weekend every year. A little research could provide you with so many options to make the two weekends jammed full of wonderful adventures and delicious treats. In 2020 and again last year, I had hoped to venture out and explore some of the other locations, but Covid pretty much threw a wrench in that plan. Maybe I’ll get to do it this spring.
Visit these blog posts for more information and photos from three separate maple infused adventures: 201520182019
By Doug Farley, Cobblestone Museum Director – Vol. 3 No. 4
GAINES – The historic hamlet of Childs is home to a one-of-a-kind local artifact that the Cobblestone Museum refers to as “The Cyclorama.” Webster’s Dictionary defines the term as a curtain or backdrop for a stage, which was exactly the original purpose of our Cyclorama.
The colorful “curtain” was prepared for the Murray Grange, No. 1292 (Patrons of Husbandry) in 1929, and was used as a theatrical backdrop for their invited musicians who entertained at dances and meetings held in the Grange Hall.
The backdrop was produced by the Anderson Scenic Company of Buffalo. The Murray Grange was formed in December 1912, and they held their meetings in a building known as the “Modern Woodmen Hall,” located in Murray. (Modern Woodmen was a fraternal organization formed in the late 19th century.)
The Murray Grange existed until 1917 when many of their members went off to war. The Grange surrendered its charter with many members joining Clarendon Grange, while others elected to take a dimit card, hoping the Murray Grange would be reinstated after the Great War. About ten years later in 1927, the Murray Grange was reorganized with an enrollment of 32 Charter Members. The organization continued meeting in their original Grange building. Eventually, the Grangers outgrew their building and their large membership forced the Chapter to seek a larger building.
In February 1928, Murray Grange No. 1292 purchased the 19th century building at the northeast corner of Routes 104 and 237 in Murray. For many years prior, the building had served as a second-hand store operated by William Fuller. The building was modernized and electric lights were added to accommodate Grange meetings.
Four years later in 1932, the Orleans Chapter Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) dedicated a monument in front of the Murray Grange building, honoring George Washington and Revolutionary War soldiers from the County.
The former location of the Murray Grange as it looks today is shown above.
The historic marker honoring George Washington was dedicated at the corner in 1932 and remains in place today.
In 1929, the Murray Grange purchased the aforementioned theatrical backdrop and used it in their new building to provide a colorful way to decorate their hall and provide acknowledgement for the many businesses that had supported their efforts.
The drapery around the advertisements was painted bright red, and the individual ads were painted blue, pink and yellow. Advertisers on the backdrop are:
J.B. Merrill & Sons Furniture & Funeral Directors, Holley-Albion-Kendall
W.J. Hatch, Feed & Seeds, Holley.
In the course of over 80 years of business, most of these businesses have closed without a trace today. However, two business still operate in some fashion. Merrill-Grinnell continues today as part of Mitchell Family Funeral Homes and N.L. Cole Lumber carries on through the name Stockham Lumber.
The Murray Grange (Patrons of Husbandry) flourished for several decades until declining membership forced it to dissolve in the mid-1960s. At some time after this, the Cyclorama, a colorful piece of local history, was given to the Murray-Holley Historical Society. But, because of very limited hanging space, the Cyclorama had to be rolled up and stored, out of public view.
Fast forward to 1997, after several decades of storage, Murray-Holley Historical Society representative, Marsha DeFilipps, approached Bill Lattin about donating the backdrop to the Cobblestone Museum. The Museum board gladly accepted this outstanding piece of local Americana and hung it on the west wall of Farmers Hall on their Route 98 Artisans Campus. This position of honor is still the home for the Cyclorama, today. Shown above, Town of Murray Historian Marsha DeFilipps (right), receives an honor at a meeting of the Murray-Holley Historical Society in 1988, presented by Dee Robinson.
The picture above shows the appearance of the west wall of Farmers Hall prior to the installation of the Cyclorama. Local Social Studies teacher, Gary Kent, is seen standing with his class of students from Kendall School in 1979. (Gary’s students were the first school group to tour Farmers Hall.) The raised platform on which Gary is standing was originally the choir loft when the building was used as the Kendall Universalist Church. Later, the building became the Kendall Town Hall, before being moved from Kendall, board-by-board, to the Cobblestone Museum and reconstructed in 1978 and 1979.
The Cyclorama adds its beauty to the collection of farm tools proudly displayed in Farmers Hall.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 5 February 2022 at 9:17 am
Photos by Tom Rivers
MEDINA – American Red Cross staff help volunteers give blood during a blood drive on Friday at the Orleans County YMCA.
About 20 donors gave blood during the drive which was sponsored by Orleans Community health and the Orleans County YMCA. More than 30 people made appointments, but many were no-shows on a tough weather day.
Kim Balcerzak of Medina was among the donors on Friday. She has been a regular blood donor the past 18 months, after not giving blood before that. She started giving blood in honor of her mother-in-law.
Balcerzak, 57, also said she is aware of the critical blood shortage.
“People need it,” she said about the blood donations. “I hope there would be some for me if I ever need it.”
Orleans Community Health, parent organization of Medina Memorial Hospital, helped promote the blood drive, and highlighted the national blood crisis. The American Red Cross, for the first time in its history, has declared a national blood crisis.
Since March 2020, the American Red Cross has reported a 10% decline in overall donations. If donation levels do not return to normal soon, many patients in need of transfusions will not receive them, the Red Cross said.
The American Red Cross is facing a national blood crisis – its worst blood shortage in over a decade, posing a concerning risk to patient care. Amid this crisis, doctors have been forced to make difficult decisions about who receives blood transfusions and who will need to wait until more products become available. Blood and platelet donations are critically needed to help prevent further delays in vital medical treatments.
Some upcoming blood drives include:
Feb. 22, 2 to 7 p.m. at Sacred Heart Club in Medina
Feb. 24, noon to 5 p.m. at Elba Fire Hall
Feb. 25, 1 to 6 p.m. at Clarendon Fire Company
Feb. 28, 1 to 6 p.m. at Middleport Fire Hall
March 2, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Elba High School
March 3, 10:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. at Kendall Jr.-Sr. High School
March 15, 12:30 to 7 p.m. at Albion Elks Lodge
To make an appointment or for more information, click here.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 4 February 2022 at 8:21 pm
Photos by Tom Rivers
MEDINA – The Cruisers perform this evening at Lee-Whedon Memorial Library in Medina as part of the Finally Fridays concert series.
The group includes, from left: George Litz on guitar and vocals, fill-in drummer Mike Stamp, Gary Withey on keyboards and vocals, and Dennis Beausoleil on base.
The series was cancelled last year due to Covid-19 concerns and restrictions. It opened for the season on Jan. 7 with different bands performing every Friday at 7 p.m. until March 4. About 50 people attended tonight’s concert.
The Genesee-Orleans Regional Arts Council provides funding for the nine-week concert series.
Upcoming concerts include Heenan Brothers on Feb. 11, Mr. Mustard on Feb. 18, Pocket Change on Feb. 25, and Cuisle Mo Chroi on March 4.
George Litz sings “I’m Ready” by Freddie King. The Cruisers play a folksy, bluesy kind of Americana. The band was without lead singer Gary Jones, who expects to be back soon.
Mike Stamp sings “Fortunate Son” by Creedence Clearwater Revival.
Gary Withey sings the opening number for the Cruisers.
Dennis Beausoleil jams with the band at the Medina library.
Gov. Kathy Hochul announced $76.4 million in funding for 38 projects to renew and modernize New York’s freight rail infrastructure, including $985,000 to the Falls Road Railroad Company.
Genesee Valley Transportation in Batavia owns Falls Road, a railroad that runs from Lockport to Brockport, and includes about 25 miles in Orleans County.
The funding for Falls Road will go toward safety and service reliability enhancements, including the replacement of the rail bridge deck over the Erie Canal and ties along the mainline.
The $76.4 million announced by Hochul’s office on Thursday are 100 percent state-funded grants. They complement the more than $100 million annually in private infrastructure investments made in New York by the freight rail industry.
Strategic investments in freight rail improvements are essential for maintaining and enhancing market access for manufacturing and agricultural businesses across the State, including Alcoa in the North Country Region, Corning in the Southern Tier Region, and Lackawanna Products in the Western New York Region, Hochul said.
“The infrastructure projects funded with these grants will further fuel our economic comeback with new construction jobs, while making regional economies more competitive in the long term and enhancing the movement of commodities in an environmentally sustainable way,” the governor said in a news release. “As New York leads the nation in its efforts to combat climate change, we will continue to prioritize funding for initiatives that promote economic growth in a responsible manner while mitigating threats to our environment.”
The Passenger and Freight Rail Assistance Program, administered by the New York State Department of Transportation, supports investments that enhance the safe movement of freight goods, improves service reliability to retain and grow manufacturing jobs, and supports economic development, especially upstate, Hochul said.
