Jimmy Mazz  belts out a song at United Way’s gala at Maison Albion.

ALBION – The dust has settled. The money has been counted and the bills are paid. The result is United Way of Orleans County’s first gala ever was a resounding success.

The event Nov. 19 at Maison Albion drew a crowd and, at the end of the evening, a profit of $33,976 was realized, all of which will stay in Orleans County to help those people and agencies United Way supports.

United Way’s director Dean Bellack said this is an example of how United Way of Orleans County is evolving.

During the past year, United Way has been responsible for securing more than a million dollars in grants for Orleans County – the majority of which is promoting digital literacy education to 3,000 people and paying for a grant writer who will benefit all non-profit organizations in the county, as well as several who are also connected with Genesee County.

The gala received extraordinary support from the community, from corporate sponsors to companies and individuals who donated items for a silent and live auction. Other donations paid for catering by Zambistro and the venue.

Bellack said the tremendous success of this gala insures United Way will be planning more such events in the future.

From left, United Way treasurer Chris Cappetta chats with Suzanne and Judge Jim Punch at the United Way gala at Maison Albion.

Press Release, Albion Central School

ALBION – The Purple Eagles varsity swim team will take part in Laps for Life, a fundraiser for the Ronald McDonald House, this Saturday at 10 a.m. at the Webster Aquatic Center.

The annual event will feature eight local swim teams as the high school winter sports season begins. T-shirts and concessions will be available for purchase with all proceeds going to the Ronald McDonald House Charities of Rochester. The charity supports the health and wellness of children and their families through innovative programming, supportive services and community partnerships.

The Laps for Life meet has existed for more than a decade. It began when money was raised for former Albion swimmer Nicholas Kovaleski, who was diagnosed with leukemia in 2010 and passed away from the disease the following year. Nicholas’ parents are both teachers at Albion and his dad, Jay, is the varsity swimming head coach.

For more information on the Ronald McDonald House Charities of Rochester, visit rmhcrochester.org. Follow @ACSDAthletics on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram for coverage of the event.

Press Release, Congressman Chris Jacobs

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congressman Chris Jacobs (NY-27) has cosponsored the Parents of Bill of Rights Act to codify the rights each parent has to be involved in their child’s education.

“As a former school board member and career-long advocate for quality education, I understand the inherent need for parents to be involved in their child’s education,” Jacobs said. “Parents have the right to know what is being taught in the classroom, they have the right to question what is being taught, and they have the right to raise concerns when they feel inappropriate or inaccurate materials are being taught.”

The Parents Bill of Rights Act codifies five essential rights each parent has:

• The right to know what’s being taught.
• The right to be heard.
• The right to see the school budget and spending.
• The right to protect their child’s privacy.
• The right to be updated on any violent activity at school.

To accomplish this, the Parents Bill of Rights Act makes changes to the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, creates new protections under the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), and updates and clarifies provisions in the Protection of Pupil Rights Act (PPRA).

“A year of online learning exposed parents to the content being taught in their children’s classrooms, and many parents rightfully raised concerns,” Jacobs said. “Parents, first and foremost, are the primary party engaged with the emotional, developmental, and social well-being of their children. As such, they have every right to know what is being taught in the classroom, and they deserve to have transparent school administrations. I am proud to cosponsor this legislation and I will continue to fight for parents, students, and quality education.”

Press Release, Cornell Cooperative Extension of Orleans County

Master Gardener Eileen Sorochty teaches a class on Hypertufa in 2019.  Educational classes for the public are just one of the ways that Master Gardeners volunteer their time.

KNOWLESVILLE – Orleans County CCE is hosting a new hybrid Master Gardener training starting in January of 2022. The training is the first step towards becoming a Master Gardener volunteer with Cornell Cooperative Extension. This is the first year the training is being offered as an online/in-person hybrid course.

Master Gardener training has been offered for decades across NY state, but the core coursework has been in need of an update for some time. With the help of grant funding and input from volunteers and staff across the state, senior extension educators at Cornell spent the better part of 2019 curating the online content to offer thorough and in-depth lessons geared toward the adult learner.

The result is an online course packed with information on key topics such as Plant Biology, Food Gardening, Entomology and more, as well as options for more detailed content on specific topics under the “Explore and Learn More” link under each general section.

“I’m so impressed with this new hybrid format” said Katie Oakes, Horticulture Educator at Orleans CCE and coordinator of the Master Gardener program. “There is so much to learn within the training program, and an online format really allows participants to work at their own pace, on their own schedule.”

The training this coming winter will start January 13th and go until April 7th. Participants will be given access to the online portion of the course on the Moodle educational platform where they complete lessons on their own. The group will then meet every other week (dates vary) to reinforce key concepts and to complete several hands-on activities designed to put into practice what they learned on the Moodle course the weeks before.

“I think it’s really important to still have the in-person aspect,” explained Oakes, “Meeting in person builds that sense of community that might come a little less naturally in an online forum setting. Having the hands-on activities is really crucial, too, because people retain so much more knowledge by actually doing rather than simply observing.”

Past Master Gardener Trainings have consisted of sixteen 3-hour long lecture style classes covering a range of topics. The schedule was often difficult for participants with young families at home, full-time jobs, or other obligations. This new online course will give all participants the opportunity to gain knowledge and participate fully with a distance-learning perspective.  The online course also includes extensive additional information that a fully in-person training just could not accommodate time-wise.

“This new online format makes it so much easier to access valuable resources – and there are a lot! There’s so much excellent information included in this training, several of the videos and links to articles I can’t wait to re-visit and look at again!” said Nancy Halstead, an Orleans County Master Gardener who took the piloted online course as a trial last winter.

After completion of the training, participants can complete 40 hours of volunteer service through the various programs at Orleans CCE to become a full-fledged Master Gardener Volunteer. Becoming a Master Gardener allows participants to become a part of a nation-wide volunteer association focused on extending land-grant university’s research and expertise to the public in their own local communities.

Current MG Volunteers in Orleans County serve the community in many different ways – offering educational classes to the public, hosting informational tables at local events, speaking at area garden clubs, displaying at farmers markets and the 4-H Fair, collaborating with other CCE programs like 4-H and Master Food Preservers and more! There are about 20 active MG Volunteers in Orleans County, and in addition to monthly meetings, the volunteers get together for field trips, gardening conferences, and social outings as well.

“I really love the camaraderie that comes with being a part of this group!” said long-time MG Volunteer Eileen Sorochty “It’s so wonderful to be around like-minded people caring about our environment and each other’s well-being.  Being a Master Gardener has enriched my life in so many ways.”

The deadline to register for the upcoming Master Gardener training (with a $50 non-refundable deposit) is December 22. Cost for the training is typically $200 per person, but there is a 50% discount for the first ten people to register (a $100 value). Reduced rate tuition is also available for additional participants as needed.  If internet accessibility is an issue, participants can utilize office hours at the Orleans County CCE Education Center M-F 8:30-4:30 to access the course using CCE wifi and computers.

For more information on the Master Gardener program in Orleans County, or to register for the upcoming Master Gardener Training, contact Horticulture Educator and MG Coordinator Katie Oakes at 585-798-4265 ext. 125 or email klo54@cornell.edu.

Horticulture educator and MG Training Instructor Katie Oakes demonstrates a grafting technique during a past Master Gardener Training.

Courtesy of Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor: This year’s Erie Canalway Calendar cover features Cliff Oram’s photo of Lil’ Diamond III on the Erie Canal in Herkimer.

The annual Erie Canalway calendars are available at many libraries and welcome centers throughout the canal system, including Hoag Library in Albion, Community Free library in Holley and Lee-Whedon Memorial Library in Medina .

The calendars also are available for free at the nearby Royalton Hartland Community Library in Middleport, Seymour Library in Brockport and Brockport Welcome Center.

The Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor is distributing 19,500 of calendars throughout canal communities. The calendar features winning images from this year’s Erie Canalway photo contest.

“The calendar showcases the unique beauty, history, and character of New York’s canals and canal communities,” said Bob Radliff, Erie Canalway Executive Director. “We hope it inspires people to preserve and celebrate our incredible canal heritage.”

Calendars will be available on a first-come, first-served basis, thanks to generous sponsorship by the NYS Canal Corporation.

“The 2022 calendar celebrates our iconic Canal System by displaying brilliant photographs as captured by many of our canalside neighbors, and I encourage everyone to retrieve one while supplies last, so that they too can enjoy these spectacular scenes all year long,” said Brian U. Stratton, director of New York State Canal Corporation.

Cooperative Extension serving about 275 households with food distributions

Photo by Tom Rivers: Marsha Cook, a 4-H volunteer, and Peter Beach, a buildings and grounds employee for the Cornell Cooperative Extension in Orleans County, work together getting cans of corn and beans ready as part of a pop-up food pantry on July 12 at the Fairgrounds.

The Nourish New York program has permanently enshrined into state law. Governor Kathy Hochul on Nov. 20 signed the legislation, reaffirming New York’s commitment to providing support to those facing food insecurity across the state.

The Nourish New York initiative reroutes New York’s surplus agricultural products to the populations who need them most through the state’s food banks. The program also provides much-needed support for the food producers and farmers who have lost markets as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic because the state’s food banks are buying agricultural products from New York farmers and food processors, Hochul said.

The program provides some of the food for about 275 households in Orleans County during recent distributions at the Orleans County 4-H Fairgrounds.

This week’s distribution at Fairgrounds served 281 households and a total of  895 people, according to the check in.

The Fairgrounds will be hosting distributions on Jan. 3, Jan. 31, Feb. 28, March 28, April 25, May 23 and June 27.

The distributions used to have volunteers setting 20-pound boxes of food in the trunks of vehicles. The Extension in July shifted to a pop-up food pantry. In the new format, people park their cars and go into the Lartz Building and pick and choose what food they want.

Hochul’s Office said through three rounds of the program, New York’s food banks have purchased over 35 million pounds of New York food products, which equates to 29,800,000 meals.

In this fourth round, to date, New York’s food banks have purchased 6,903,366 pounds of food, creating an additional 5,752,805 meals for households in need. A total of $85 million has been committed to Nourish NY since its launch in May 2020. Nourish NY food purchases have positively impacted 4,178 businesses across the state, Hochul’s office said.

“Nourish NY served as a critical pipeline getting food from our farms to people in need during the pandemic, especially when there were serious disruptions in the supply chain,” said New York Farm Bureau President David Fisher. “Nourish NY will continue to assist farmers with the costs of harvesting, packaging, and transporting fruits, vegetables, dairy products and more while making sure all New Yorkers can put food on their tables. It is important that we continue to work together to strengthen New York agriculture and our local food system, so we have the ability to feed ourselves long after the pandemic subsides.”

MEDINA – For the third year, stylists at Salon de Couffeur in Medina held a basket raffle to benefit a local charity. This year they chose the Knights-Kaderli Fund, and on Tuesday they presented a check to Mary Kaderli Zelazny for $1,488.

Owner Terah Jackson said they got the idea to years ago to do something to help their community and decided a basket raffle was the best way to go. The first year, proceeds went to the Care Net Center of Greater Orleans and last year they chose Supportive Care of Orleans as the recipient.

“We had some beautiful baskets,” stylist Leslie Saj said about the 59 baskets. “People are so generous.”

Jackson said she went downtown and asked for baskets, and businesses and clients responded with enthusiasm.

“People would ask if they could donate a basket, and they’d come in with four,” Jackson said.

The raffle ran through the month of October. Some people said they didn’t want a basket, so dropped in $20, even $50, Jackson said.

“We are very grateful and very blessed to be in such a wonderful community,” Zelazny said.

The Knights-Kaderli Fund is named for Richard Knights and Mary’s mother Sue Kaderli, both of whom died of cancer. The fund helps 40 to 50 Orleans County residents a year who are ill. It provides funds for prescriptions, medical supplies, co-pays, transportation to medical appointments and utilities.

“Each patient has a different need,” Zelazny said.

Donations to the Knights-Kaderli Fund can be made by sending a check to P.O. Box 684, Medina.

Press Release, Heritage Wind/Apex Clean Energy

ALBION – In recognition of “Giving Tuesday,” Heritage Wind announced the latest round of grant awards from the Heritage Wind Community Grant Program.

The program, launched in 2020, supports community organizations throughout Orleans County working to build healthy communities, support economic development, foster environmental sustainability, and promote education.

“We are thankful that Orleans County is home to so many motivated individuals and innovative groups doing everything they can to support their community,” said Carmen O’Keefe, Development Manager with Apex Clean Energy. “We are proud to support their work and are committed to being a long-term partner to the Town of Barre and all of Orleans County.”

Counting this year’s recipients, the grant program has awarded nearly $50,000 to community causes and non-profit organizations since its inception.

Some of the grants announced today include $2,879 for Cornell Cooperative Extension of Orleans County, $1,554 for Orleans County Adult Learning Services, $1,245 for Beds from Brian Inc., $1,000 for Albion Betterment Committee and $600 for Lee-Whedon Memorial Library.

Beds from Brian is a non-profit organization that works with local partner agencies to ensure all children have a bed to call their own. A Heritage Wind community grant will provide enough funds to provide beds and bedding to five children in partnership with the Genesee-Orleans Ministry of Concern.

“We appreciate being the recipient of a Heritage Wind Community Grant. The generous amount will allow us to purchase new beds and bedding for children in Orleans County,” said Beds from Brian Founder and President Doreen LaFluer. “Thank you for helping us fulfil our Mission of ‘Comforting children with warm and cozy beds and bedding’ and for keeping our Vision of ‘For every child in our area to have a bed to call their own’ at the forefront of what we strive to do.”

Cornell Cooperative Extension of Orleans County will receive a grant to purchase new interactive educational displays to engage children at events such as the Orleans County Fair. Among a variety of agricultural-themed activities, the displays will also include a renewable energy puzzle game.

“We are incredible grateful for the support. Heritage Wind has allowed us to do some excellent educational activities in the past and has again supported that mission,” said Robert Batt, President of the Orleans County Cornell Cooperative Extension. “The proposed learning through play exhibit will provide families at the fair and other events a free, interactive experience that educates both about agriculture and is fun to do. We look forward to seeing people playing and learning together thanks to this funding.”

A grant to the Lee-Whedon Memorial Library will fund new discovery kits that can be borrowed from the library for use by children and families looking to explore nature, science, and the world around them. Library Director Kristine Mostyn thanked Apex Clean Energy for supporting the project, saying “Lee-Whedon Memorial Library greatly appreciates receiving this grant from Apex. We will be using the funds to create discovery kits, such as stargazing and geocaching, to be used around the community. The kits will benefit homeschoolers as well as anyone interested in nature or the sciences.”

Orleans County Adult Learning Services (OCALS) will receive a grant to help train and supply five new tutors for their digital literacy mentoring project. “The Orleans County Adult Learning Services Program is grateful and proud to receive this grant from Heritage Wind,” said OCALS Vice President and Treasurer Don Colquhoun. “It will be used to provide digital literacy services to County residents to enhance their skills and help them to become computer literate and connected to the power of the internet. It is a perfect complement to the tutoring services the agency has provided since 2006.”

The Orleans County United Way assisted OCALS with the grant application and is helping administer the funds.

“The Orleans County United Way is pleased by the generosity of Heritage Wind in helping OCALS with their request for equipment. We assisted in the grant application. These funds will help more community mentors assist their neighbors with Digital Literacy,” added Orleans County United Way Executive Director Dean Bellack. “The Orleans Digital Literacy Initiative has begun training Orleans County Residents and our goal is to have one on one training with 2000-3000 Orleans County residents to improve their skills.”

Other grants included a donation to the Albion Betterment Committee as part of their Charles W. Howard statue fundraising effort, and donations to Christ Church Community Kitchen, Community Action of Orleans and Genesee, and Central Orleans Volunteer Ambulance (COVA) in recognition of their consistent service and support to the community.

As the project approaches construction, Heritage Wind will continue its commitment to being a strong community partner to local governments, area businesses, and non-profits working to improve people’s lives across the region. To learn more about the program, or apply for a future round of grant funding, click here.

Photo and information courtesy of Medina Central School

MEDINA – Medina Central School District’s SRO (School Resource Officer) Officer Dustin Meredith recently swore in the safety patrols at Oak Orchard Elementary School. Superintendent Mark Kruzynski, Medina Police Department Lieutenant Todd Draper and several staff members were on hand to take part in the ceremony.

Front row from left: Jack Smith, Henry Dresser, Kellan Bensley and Logan Bashford. Standing: Lieutenant Todd Draper, Dylan Wood, Molly Flansburg, Savannah Finch, Iszabella Eaton, Abigail Sutch, Destiny Cherry and Officer Dustin Meredith. Absent from the picture: Fiona Travis and Juliana Poole.

Thirteen students have volunteered to help the younger students at the bus loading and unloading zone, hallways and playgrounds to help keep them safe. The students were recommended by staff members for their outstanding behavior and their willingness to help others.

The Medina Police Department donated hot cocoa and doughnut holes to celebrate the students’ achievement.

The cover of the booklet features Charles Howard helping one of his students in the finer points of portraying Santa.

ALBION – A group of Albion seventh-graders have been researching and compiling a booklet about Charles Howard, the man who started a Santa Claus School and also developed Christmas Park in Albion.

Students will present the booklet at 10 a.m. on Dec. 10 at Hoag Library. The unveiling includes presentations about Howard and a display of items from the school and Christmas Park.

Howard ran the school from 1937 until his death in 1966. The school continues in his name and is now in Midland, Mich.

The booklet touches on other parts of the Santa School founder’s life.

“Howard was much more than a Santa Claus,” said Tim Archer, an Albion teacher who helped spearhead the project honoring Howard. “Whether in the church, 4-H, or around the world, Howard represented all that is honorable and good. His was a life well lived – a true ambassador of goodwill.”

The community is welcome to attend the event on Dec. 10. Students in Archer’s Service Learning class will read excerpts from the booklet, which will be available for $5. Some of Howard’s family members and former workers at Christmas Park are expected to be in attendance, as well as Ken McPherson, a graduate of the school.

MEDINA – The Village Board is seeking two federal grants to upgrade equipment for the Medina Fire Department.

The board voted Nov. 8 to seek two grants through the FEMA Assistance to Firefighters Grant. Fire Chief Matt Jackson said Medina will seek one of the grants to replace Engine 10, a 31-year-old fire truck that currently does not standards set by the National Fire Protection Association. Replacing the truck would cost about $700,000 with the federal share of $666,667 and a village share of $33,333 if the FEMA grant is approved.

Jackson also will seek an Operations and Safety Grant through FEMA to replace 25 pagers, 25 portable radios and 10 mobile radios. The department’s current equipment will soon be obsolete and difficult to repair, Jackson said.

This has a total project cost of $94,500 with a federal share of $90,000 and the village contribution of $4,500.

The deadline to apply for the grants is Dec. 17.

Through October sales tax increased by $2.3 million compared to first 10 months last year

Orleans County’s sales tax revenue through the first 10 months of 2021 is well ahead of the pace in 2020.

State Comptroller Tom DiNapoli reported Orleans is up 14.9 percent in sales tax revenue through October, going from $15.5 million in the first 10 months of 2020 to $17.8 million so far this year.

Last year was a big sales tax year for the county, when Orleans saw a 9.2 percent increase for the whole year, going from $17.7 million in 2019 to $19.4 million for the entire 2020.

Jack Welch, the county’s chief administrative officer, attributed a big portion of the increase to sales tax on purchases through the internet.

Higher gas prices also are a factor in the higher sales tax revenue.

DiNapoli said October was up 12.9 percent statewide with Orleans increasing 16.9 percent, from $1.3 million to $1.5 million.

Statewide each month beginning in April this year has exceeded the sales tax from 2020.

“Sales tax collections came in strong in October, boosting local revenues,” DiNapoli said. “The consistent growth over the last few months is a positive sign of our economic recovery and life moving forward as we deal with the ongoing reality of Covid-19.”

Nearly every county saw year-over-year collections for October grow by double digits, with Monroe County having the largest growth at 37 percent, DiNapoli said.

Among the GLOW counties here are the sales tax numbers for the first 10 months:

• Genesee up 20.9 percent from $33.7 million to $40.7 million
• Livingston up 17.9 percent from $29.2 million to $34.5 million
• Orleans up 14.9 percent from $15.5 million to $17.8 million
• Wyoming up 17.3 percent from $16.0 million to $18.8 million

Photos by Bob Murphy

KENT –  Bob Murphy was visiting family in Kent over the weekend and took these photos in Kent at Peter Smith Road. He sent the photos to his sister-in-law, Peggy Bropst.

The owl was hanging out in her front yard but seems to most enjoy sitting on a F12 tractor. The owl was seen there on Saturday and then for about six hours on Monday.

The owls typically nest in the Arctic tundra and winter in Canada. But in recent winters they have migrated into the U.S. in search of food.

Medina site gearing up for Polar Express

Photos courtesy of Chris Podosek/Medina Railroad Museum: The Santa train leaves the Medina Railroad Museum on Sunday under a striking sky.

MEDINA – The Medina Railroad Museum just wrapped up a successful weekend of Santa trains, which saw nearly 2,000 people ride the trains.

Passengers, who came from across Western New York, took a nearly hour-long ride, during which they talked with Santa and were entertained by dancing elves.

This family of women from the Rochester area came all decked out in red and black checkered pajamas to ride the Santa train Saturday at Medina Railroad Museum for what they called “ladies day out.”

The Santa train is a warm-up for Polar Express, which travels to Medina Railroad Museum the next three weekends.

Polar Express has been a crowd-pleaser for several years and features a ride to the “North Pole” with the hobo character from the popular movie and Santa on the train. All passengers get a train cut-out cookie from Case-Nic Cookies and hot chocolate. First-class passengers get their hot chocolate in a keepsake Polar Express mug.

In addition, each child gets a gift from Santa.

All first-class tickets for Polar Express are sold out, but a limited number of coach seats remain. They may be reserved by logging on the medinarailroadmuseum.com.

Visitors are encouraged to arrive an hour early to allow ample time to park. Tickets include admission to the Medina Railroad Museum, which has the largest toy train layout in New York state.