Gov. Kathy Hochul

Local state legislators are all welcoming Kathy Hochul as the state’s new governor and wishing her the best in leading the state’s government.

Hochul is a Democrat who previously represented part of Western New York, including Orleans County, in Congress. She is well connected with local officials through her time in Congress and in nearly seven years as lieutenant governor.

The local state legislators – Rob Ortt of North Tonawanda, Steve Hawley of Batavia, and Micke Norris of Lockport – are all Republicans who have been frequent critics of Andrew Cuomo when he was governor.

Ortt, the State Senate Republican leader, issued this statement: “Congratulations to our new Governor and Western New York native Kathy Hochul on her inauguration as New York’s 57th Governor, and the first female to hold the office in state history. I am looking forward to working with this new administration to try to improve the lives of New Yorkers all across the state.

“Governor Hochul takes office in the face of many challenges. It is my hope that she will work with elected leaders in both parties to address pressing issues like the pandemic, rising crime, continued outmigration and other threats to the future of our state. Saving our state will require input from across the political spectrum, not just the most radical voices from one region of our state.”

Assemblyman Norris said: “Our state begins a welcomed new chapter, turning the page on a dark period in our history. It is special for us here in Western New York to see one of our own now become governor for the first time in over a century and to hold the distinction as our state’s first female governor.

“I would like to congratulate Gov. Kathy Hochul, and I welcome the opportunity to continue working with her to restore trust and confidence back at our state Capitol and to deliver on Western New York priorities.

“Though I am upbeat about a new beginning in Albany, I remain skeptical that downstate-driven progressive policies will continue to be advanced in the new administration. I am more than willing to work in a bipartisan manner with Gov. Hochul on mutual matters of concern such as infrastructure and ethics reform, but please know that I also will proudly stand up for my constituents and our region when needed to voice our displeasure on radical left wing agenda items such as “bail reform” that negatively impact our state.”

Assemblyman Hawley issued this statement: “By swearing in a new governor, I remain hopeful we can use this moment as an opportunity to correct the course set by our former executive.

“Given her experience in local and county government, I hope that her tenure will be free of the burdensome mandates on small businesses, schools, places of worship, and other institutions which characterized her predecessor’s style of leadership and were so harmful to the people of our state.”

Gov. Hochul, however, expected to make them mandatory

Photos by Tom Rivers: The Lyndonville Board of Education met Monday evening approved a reopening plan for 2021-22 that makes wearing masks optional for students, except on busses wear the federal government is making them mandatory. Ted Lewis, left, is president of the Board of Education.

LYNDONVILLE – The Board of Education on Monday voted to make wearing masks by students optional, even if the community is in a “red zone” with high Covid community spread.

The board went against recommendations from the State Department of Health, the American Academy of Pediatrics, and the federal Center for Disease Control, which are all recommending students, teachers and staff wear masks, regardless of vaccination status.

Lyndonville board members were unanimous in voting to make masks optional for students, saying the choice should be up to parents.

“I understand that this is a complicated issue and people’s opinions vary greatly to the point of anger and frustration,” said board member Susan Hrovat. “I know each person won’t be happy about this. My goal is to allow each parent to make a decision for their child as much as possible. If you choose to mask your children, that is great. If you choose not to, that is your decision as well.”

The board said it expects new Gov. Kathy Hochul will issue a mask-wearing mandate before the start of the school. If she does, that would be the requirement in Lyndonville.

Board member Steve Vann urged the board to vote on the issue on Monday evening and not hold off until hearing from Hochul and the state. He wanted Lyndonville to make its position clear about masks for students.

“Don’t hide from it,” Vann told the other board members. “I think we should vote on it tonight regardless of what the state sends down so all of our constituents know where we stand on the issue.”

The board on Monday reviewed a chart that was similar to one used by other districts for wearing masks. The chart was developed with the four other districts in Orleans County and the Orleans-Niagara BOCES.

Although masks are optional inside Lyndonville school, face coverings will be required for students on busses, per a federal directive.

The chart also was going to make wearing masks a requirement in common areas where there are many students. But the board, in a motion from member Steven Vann, changed the draft plan to make masks in those high traffic areas such as hallways as “recommended” rather than required. Vann said Covid needs 15 minutes of exposure to spread and hallways interactions are much briefer.

The proposal also had that masks would be mandated to wear in classrooms if the county was in a red zone with the highest community transmission. (Orleans County is currently in the orange zone for “substantial” community spread, just below the highest level.)

Lyndonville will welcome students back for the first day of school on Sept. 8. The board voted to make wearing masks optional for students, but the state is expected to make them mandatory throughout New York for students.

Vann and the other board members voted to make masks “recommended” inside the classrooms if the county is in a red zone.

Vann said the Orleans County numbers aren’t evenly spread out throughout all communities. He said the cases tend to be lower in Lyndonville compared to Albion and the more populated parts of the county.

The board didn’t have the numbers available during its meeting about Covid cases per school district last year. Jason Smith, the district superintendent, said Lyndonville had its first student test positive in October. Lyndonville saw more cases in December and January, before the cases declined, which very little Covid in May and June, he said.

A state database shows the Covid cases per school district for the 2020-21. Here is the breakdown for each district in Orleans County:

• Lyndonville (enrollment 639) had 20 students test positive for Covid (15 in-school and 5 remote) and 13 teachers and staff. The Lyndonvile students included 17 in junior-senior high school and 3 at the elementary level.
• Albion (enrollment 1,768 students) had 86 students test positive (75 were in-person students and 11 remote-only). Those students included 33 in high school, 26 in middle school, and 27 in elementary school. There were 26 teachers/staff that tested positive.
• Medina (enrollment 1,396) had 87 students test and the state database says 4 were in-person students and 83 were off-site students. Those students included 43 in high school27 at intermediate/middle school, and 14 at elementary school. The district also had 31 teachers/staff test positive for Covid.
• Kendall (enrollment 698) last school year reported 37 students tested positive for Covid with 35 on-site and 2 as remote-only students. That included 19 at junior-senior high school and 18 at elementary school. Kendall also had 4 teachers/staff test positive.
• Holley (enrollment 902) reported 45 students who tested positive last year, including 43 in-person students and 2 who were remote-only. Those students included 34 in junior-senior high and 11 at elementary school. The district also had 17 teachers/staff test positive.

Jason Smith, the district superintendent, encouraged the board to wait on voting about the mask issue until hearing if there will be a directive from the state. But Vann and the board members wanted to go on the record in support of making mask wearing a parental choice.

The district’s reopening plan will continue in-person education for five days a week, just like last year. However, there won’t be remote learning unless there is a documented medical reason for students.

Lyndonville will continue to do daily temperature checks of students, and will use some partitions in classrooms.

The district is waiting for final guidance from the local and state Department of health about quarantining students. One benefit of students wearing masks is there is less chance of students being in a 10-day quarantine if someone next to them tests positive for Covid, Smith said.

He noted of all the students who were quarantined last year after being identified as a close contact of a student who tested positive, none of those students quarantined ended up with Covid.

Lyndonville will have some rapid Covid tests available at school. The district used those last year to test some teachers and staff and Smith said the tests identified one staff member with Covid. Students can also be tested with a rapid test at school with a parent’s permission.

Smith said a message will be sent to the Lyndonville community today with details about the reopening plan for 2021-22.

Hrovat urged the district and community members to “respect the decision” by Hochul and the state if masks are required for students.

She also urged people to tone down the rhetoric with the masking issue.

“I would just ask that we all be kind to one another and respect each family’s decision to carry out the way they choose to protect themselves through this Covid crisis, and we just move forward the best that we can,” she said.

Photos by Mike Groll/Office of Governor Kathy Hochul

ALBANY – Kathy Hochul was sworn in as New York’s 57^th governor just after midnight. She takes over for Andrew Cuomo, who resigned over pressure he had sexually harassed 11 women.

Hochul was sworn in by Chief Judge Janet DiFiore during a ceremony at the New York State Capitol. First Gentleman Bill Hochul holds the Bible.

Hochul has served as the state’s lieutenant governor for nearly seven years. She takes over with about a year and four months left in Cuomo’s term. Hochul intends to run for election for a full four-year term as governor. She is the first woman to serve as governor of New York.

Gov. Kathy Hochul signs the oath of office for governor. Also pictured are First Gentleman Bill Hochul, Katie Hochul and Matt Gloudeman, and Will and Christina Hochul.

Hochul will hold a ceremonial swearing-in ceremony today at 10 a.m. and will be joined by immediate family members, Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins and Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie.

At 3 p.m. today, Gov. Hochul will deliver a virtual address to New Yorkers.

Orleans County currently has 49 active Covid cases, which is the same since Thursday when the Genesee and Orleans County Health Departments last updated the local Covid data.

Orleans has had 28 new reported cases since then – and also 28 recoveries where previous positive individuals completed their 10-day isolation and were removed from mandatory isolation.

Those 28 new cases are in the age groups of 0-19, 20s, 30s, 40s, 50s, 60s, 70s, 80s and 90s. There are three Orleans County residents hospitalized due to Covid.

Orleans currently remains in an orange zone from the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. That signifies “substantial” community spread of Covid, but is down from being in a red zone for “high” community spread.

Genesee County is currently in a red zone, like 89 percent of the counties in the United States, according to the CDC database.

Genesee is reporting 39 new positive cases of Covid since Thursday, and 35 more recoveries. That increases the county’s number of active cases to 53. The new cases are in the age groups of 0-19, 20s, 30s, 40s, 50s, 60s, 70s and 80s.

There are 10 Genesee residents currently hospitalized due to Covid, the Genesee and Orleans County Health Departments reported this afternoon.

District won’t offer remote learning as option in 2021-22 school year

Mickey Edwards

ALBION – School district leaders are holding off on making a decision on mask-wearing for students until waiting to see if there will be a mandate about masks from Kathy Hochul, who takes over as governor on Tuesday.

Hochul has already indicated she expects there will be masking mandates from the state. That could be tied to the level of community spread of Covid-19. Mickey Edwards, Albion school superintendent, said what could be mandated by the state is currently “unclear.”

Therefore, the district is waiting to make a decision about masking for students until late August, “when it becomes clear what our new Governor will require,” Edwards said in a letter to the community today.

The new school year is scheduled to start for classes on Sept. 8. Today was the first day of practice for the fall sports.

Edwards said a decision has been made about remote learning and it won’t be an option this coming school year. Last year Albion had students on remote learning for Wednesdays, and an alternative schedule of two days in-person each week and the other two days remote for most of the school year. Many students also were fully remote every day of the school year.

“We have made it our priority to get our children back in school safely, in-person, every day,” Edwards wrote in the letter. “We appreciate your patience and support throughout the pandemic and look forward to working closely with all our Albion families as we reopen for the 2011-22 school year.”

Provided photos

CLARENDON – Melissa Ierlan, Clarendon town historian, leads a tour of Hillside Cemetery in Clarendon and Holley on Sunday evening.

It was part of a series of Sunday evening tours this month organized by the Orleans County Historical Association.

The Historical Association planned five programs on Sundays in August. They all start at 6 p.m. The series ends this Sunday with a presentation by Bill Lattin, retired Orleans County historian. He will present “Telling Tales Out of School” from his book, “Trivial Tales.” This program will be at the Gaines Basin School, 3286 Gaines Basin Rd. in Albion.

The tour on Sunday in Clarendon included a look inside the chapel at the Hillside Cemetery which has received significant preservation work in recent years with work on the roof, repointing and repairs to the windows.

The time inside the chapel included music played by organist Scott Schmidt, who shared old and familiar tunes.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congressman Chris Jacobs (NY-27) and Congressman Tim Ryan (OH-13) introduced the Reservists Opportunity Act to give more flexibility to members of the National Guard and Reserves.

The Reservists Opportunity Act introduced by Jacobs and Ryan would allow for National Guard and Reserve members to access the Army’s Tour of Duty system, which serves as a military job board, from personal devices. Currently, this service is only accessible on devices connected to Department of Defense (DoD) networks limiting the ability for some members to easily find active-duty opportunities in a timely manner.

“Making the decision to serve our country, especially on active duty, is an honorable and selfless one, so when members of our Reserves and National Guard decide to volunteer for active-duty assignments, they should not be met with red-tape,” Rep. Chris Jacobs said. “This legislation removes an unnecessary barrier and allows these members to easily find opportunities from their own computers. Streamlining this service and increasing access will improve our military readiness and retention of qualified service members.”

“When our soldiers want to step up to serve full-time, the last thing that should stop them are technological barriers,” Rep. Tim Ryan said. “This bill will ensure that these soldiers can access the opportunities available for active-duty service from their personal devices. Not only does this make sense, it improves readiness and retention. I look forward to its swift consideration in the House.”

Photos by Tom Rivers

LYNDONVILLE – The former Crosby-Whipple building has been demolished and removed at 30 North Main St. in Lyndonville to make way for a new Dollar General.

These photos show the site on Friday evening. The new store will be next to Johnson Creek. The project includes a retaining wall next to the waterway.

The site will become a 7,600-square-foot Dollar General with 29 parking spaces. The Broadway Group in Huntsville, Alabama is the developer for the project. The 7,600-square-foot store is the smallest model offered by Dollar General. Most of the Dollar Generals are more than 9,000 square feet. The parcel of land on Main Street doesn’t give enough room for the larger size store.

The store will have 8 to 10 employees and offer convenience for Lyndonville shoppers, the Broadway Group told village officials back in March. Dollar General has another store 3.75 miles away at the corner of routes 63 and 104 in Ridgeway.

Press Release, Orleans County Sheriff Chris Bourke

ALBION – Sheriff Chris Bourke, who also serves as Orleans County STOP-DWI Coordinator, announced that local law enforcement agencies will actively participate in the STOP-DWI Labor Day High Visibility Engagement Campaign, which started August 20 and continues through September 6.

As summer winds down Labor Day is one of the busiest travel holidays of the year. With the increase in traffic on our roadways comes an increase risk in crashes, including impaired-driving crashes.

Law enforcement agencies and local STOP-DWI programs will collaborate across the state and will be out in force in this coordinated effort to reduce the number of impaired driving-related injuries and deaths.

The STOP-DWI High Visibility Engagement Campaigns are promoted by New York STOP-DWI Association with additional funding from the Governor’s Traffic Safety Committee and implemented by the STOP-DWI Foundation.

If bat comes inside house, Health Dept. has tips for catching it

Press Release, Genesee and Orleans County Health Departments

Rabies is a deadly but 100 percent preventable viral disease of mammals that is most often transmitted through the bite of a rabid animal. The rabies virus attacks the central nervous system (brain and spinal cord), ultimately causing disease in the brain and death.

Each year, the vast majority of rabies cases reported occur in wild animals like raccoons, skunks, bats and foxes.

“It is very important to get your pets vaccinated and not to touch or handle any stray or wild animals including baby animals and bats,” stated Paul Pettit, Director of Genesee and Orleans County Health Departments. “Remember not to touch animals out in public as they may be scared and bite or scratch out of fear.”

Bats can occasionally find their way into houses, which most often occurs during the summer nights. What should you do when you find a bat in your home? It is extremely important to safely capture the suspected animal if it has or may have been in contact with people, pets or livestock so it can be tested for rabies. If the bat cannot be captured, you should call the health department for advice and next steps. If you are certain that the bat did not come in contact with a person or pet, close the room and closet doors, open the windows and watch the bat until it leaves your house.

In some situations, it is possible that a bat bite could go undetected. For example, when a bat is found in a room with a sleeping person or a bat is found next to an unattended young child.

“If the bat is available for testing and the test results are negative, post exposure treatment will not be needed,” stated Pettit. Rabies post exposure prophylaxis is recommended for all persons with a bite, scratch or mucus membrane exposure to a bat, unless the bat is available for testing and is negative for evidence of rabies.

To safely capture a bat:

• Turn on room lights and close all the windows.
• Close the room and closet doors.
• Wait for the bat to land.
• While wearing thick leather-like gloves, place a coffee can, pail or similar container over the bat. (Never handle a bat with your bare hands).
• Slide a piece of cardboard under the container to trap the bat.
• Firmly hold the cardboard in place against the top of the container, turn it right side up and tape the cardboard tightly to the container.

By avoiding contact with stray or wild animals, saving the bat or animal that may have had contact with humans or domestic animals, and reporting an incident to your local Health Department, we may be able to avoid unnecessary medical treatment that averages over $3,000 per person. As a pet owner, if you see your pet bite someone or know that your pet bit someone, please report it to the health department so we can get rabies verification. This will help avoid unnecessary medical treatment for the victim.

Please take note of our upcoming free drive thru anti-rabies immunization clinics for dogs, cats and ferrets in Genesee and Orleans Counties.

Orleans County: Orleans County Fairgrounds (12690 RT. 31, Albion, NY)

• Oct. 2 from 9 to 11:30 a.m.

Genesee County: Genesee County Fairgrounds (5056 East Main Street, Batavia, NY)

• Sept. 16 from 4 to 7 p.m.
• Oct. 14 from 4 to 7 p.m.

Photos by Tom Rivers

ALBION – The Holy Family Parish’s Lawn Fete is back today and this time its on a closed off section of West Park Street by the church, and also on the church property.

The top photo shows Kathleen Barleben, left, and her mother Joan Adduci who are running the Lucky Scroll Game, one of many children’s activities as part of the fundraiser for the parish. The event has been held at the Elk’s Lodge grounds on West State Street but was moved closer to the church this year.

A block of West Park Street is blocked off for people to enjoy the food and activities. The event started at noon and continues until 5 p.m.

Jean Shervin chats with Casimer Pruski. Shervin and other Ladies of Charity are selling booked goods, and fruits and vegetables.

There are about 100 baskets available in a basket raffle.

Michael Grabowski and his son Dan, right, are cooking hamburgers.

Charles Howard, the Santa Claus School founder, also visionary behind ‘World’s Largest Cake’ that was served at a wedding

By Doug Farley, Cobblestone Museum Director – Vol. 2 No. 33

GAINES – The first church built between the Genesee and Niagara Rivers, located on the Ridge Road in the Town of Gaines, constructed in 1824, seen here circa 1920 when used by the Free Methodists. This church was remodeled in the 1870s and the second story windows were removed and replaced with the stained glass seen here. In later years, after being used as the Town of Gaines Highway Garage, it was demolished in 1991.

Churches have been present in the Town of Gaines and Hamlet of Childs since their earliest days.  The Cobblestone Universalist Church built on land donated by John Proctor and the Gaines Congregational Church are two time-tested examples. While churches have always been regarded as solemn, religious institutions, we do find some examples in history where the solemnity of pondering mortal destinies was interrupted by some good, light-hearted, humorous situations.

One such humorous tale has survived its retelling since about 1837. A certain Mrs. Dewey, whom the youngsters called Mother Dewey, was a woman of positive character and was said to rule the roost of her home.  She and her husband and daughter lived in a log cabin on the Gaines Basin Road, just south of the Ridge.

There was a berry patch that stood behind the home, a little garden around it, and a well of cold water shaded with birch trees was found near the door, and creeping over the doorway grew beautiful Morning Glories. The cold well was a temptation too strong to resist for the local boys who frequently refreshed themselves while on their berrying and nutting excursions. She enjoyed the boys’ company and was known to use the occasions to extract nuggets of gossip from the youngsters about all of the village residents.

The whole Town of Gaines knew her as a conscientious member of her church, where she was an unfailing attender, where she slept away much of her life. Locals remembered her well as she went down the road to the church. Though poor in the world’s goods, she was rotund in person and robust in health. She waddled along with head and shoulders held high and a big brown satchel slung over one arm. In church, her seat was in the back, under the overhanging gallery. There she sat and slept, with nodding head and mouth wide open, all the same whether the sermon was dull or awe inspiring.

The first Gaines Congregational Church was built in 1834 and burned on Christmas Eve, 1950.  Photo seen here circa 1915. It was also in 1834 that the First Universalist Society of Gaines erected the Cobblestone Church still present in Childs. This would suggest great religious fervor in the community at the time.

It was one summer Sunday, that Mother Dewey had taken her usual seat, had gone into her usual sleep, and the preacher had gotten well into the depth of his sermon, when two roguish boys in the gallery above discovered her head was directly under them thrown back unusually far, and a dark hole in her face where her mouth ought to be.

Like Adam and Eve, temptation got the best of them. Almost instantly, a fly-leaf from a hymnal was eschewed to pulp. It was held over her in hushed consultation and passed from hand to hand in trial. Finally it dropped! It was a plumb shot, a dead bullseye. She chocked, rolled over, coughed and spat the wad out. Her friends rushed to her side, opened the window, fanned her, propped her up and talked of apoplexy.

She said there was no apoplexy, nothing of the sort, but didn’t say what the matter was. Her dignity was fearfully insulted, and her indignation against unknown somebodies upstairs knew no bounds. In the melee, two boys made hasty tracks downstairs and out the doors, erupting in laughter heard all through the church. Visual correspondents later reported the boys were Newton Proctor and Oakley Ruggles who are said to have received sound thrashings from their angry parents.

A view of Gaines looking east on Ridge Road, the Congregational Church steeple is seen in the center of the community. Burns restaurant is at the far left, it later became known as the Chatterbox.

Several years later, an older but wiser Mr. Ruggles, provided the inspiration for several other stories that add humor to local church life. Another such example was read at the Semi-Centennial Meeting of the Gaines Congregational Church on August 26, 1874. Ruggles tells of a certain Mr. Burnham who had an unusual, somewhat irregular, connection to the church. It seems he was allowed, whether knowingly or unknowingly, to stable his cow under the church, in an area that had been left open to the elements, through a gaping hole that had developed and had been left unattended over many years.

The Hamlet of Childs as seen in 1909 for the Centennial Celebration of the Town of Gaines, note the Village Inn at left, general store, center; and Cobblestone Universalist Church in the upper right corner of the photo. The general store was actually built as a cobblestone building, covered with stucco around 1870 and torn down in 1960.

This particular story involves a protracted evening revival meeting that was held in the church. People came from far around, and filled the house. The interest was great, and much good was being done, conversations were many, and folks lived better lives as a result. On one such occasion, when the house was crammed to suffocation, and after the clergyman had preached a fervent sermon, and given out a hymn, he called on repentant sinners to come forward to the altar for prayers.

In the midst of the tear-soaked singing and deep solemnity of the hour, Mr. Burnham’s two-year-old bull calf raised his voice. He started off on a high key as if sung by a coloratura soprano, then it modulated down to a crackling tenor and finished with a monotone droning bass, which performance he repeated several times to the outright dismay of the preacher, quite upsetting the gravity of the elders, on whose faces twinkled slight grins, while the youngsters reveled in downright belly laughter. The meeting ended early, and the bull-calf was summarily ejected from his lower berth, thus closing the chapter on Mr. Burnham’s pseudo-connection to the congregation.

This photo, taken about 1890, shows a wedding in the old Gaines Congregational Church which burned on December 24, 1950.

Entrance to the fairgrounds, early 1900s

Our last “church story” brings us forward to 1931, and isn’t actually a “church” story, because it didn’t take place in a church, but did involve a wedding. Over the years, the old Orleans County Fair had become a setting for couples to “tie the knot,” in outdoor ceremonies as part of Fair week.

In celebration of the Diamond Jubilee of the Orleans County Fair in that year, a decision was made to build the World’s Largest Wedding Cake.  The cake, seen here at right, was baked by the Wehle Baking Company of Rochester under the supervision of John Woggon. The cake pieces were transported by truck to Albion and assembled on site.

Herman Thorschmidt, a champion cake trimmer, did the decorating. The 14-foot tall cake was topped with a sugar eagle. The base of the cake was 8’ square and was placed in a special building erected at the fairgrounds for the occasion. The recipe included 1,600 pounds of flour, 1,140 pounds of sugar, 910 pounds of shortening, 7,272 eggs, 455 quarts of milk, 1,000 pounds of applesauce, 100 pounds of baking powder, one gallon of vanilla, one gallon of lemon juice and 56 pounds of chocolate. The icing used 500 pounds of Confectioner’s sugar. The completed cake weighed in at 7,000 pounds.

Photo courtesy Orleans County Historian

After the cake had been on display for several days, a public wedding was held next to the cake. The photo above shows the bridge and groom before their many spectators.  The sign at the base of the cake stated, “This mammoth cake will be cut by the bride at 3pm.”

After the bride cut the cake, 5,000 slices were boxed and sold for ten cents each. It earned $500 and folks remarked how tasty the cake was. The entire spectacle was an example of the creative mind of legendary local, Charles W. Howard, who was credited with this “World’s Largest Cake” plan. Howard of course went on to “Santa Claus” fame with his world-famous Santa Claus School and Christmas Park.

Fairgrounds, early 1900s

Howard’s successful “World’s Largest Cake” plan in 1931 was actually spurred on by an earlier success at the old Orleans County Fair. In 1929, the “World’s Largest Pie” was created, weighing 6,000 pounds. The dough was rolled out using the “World’s Largest Rolling Pin,” being four feet long and weighing 60 pounds.

Provided photo

CARLTON – A boat sunk overnight at the Orleans County Marine Park and leaked some fuel into the Oak Orchard River.

A spill response team from the state Department of Environmental Conservation will be on scene to help with the cleanup of what is described as a minor fuel spill by the Orleans County Emergency Management Office.

The Carlton Fire Department and Orleans County EMO deployed petroleum booms to contain the spill.

The owner of the boat’s insurance company has contacted a water recovery team in Rochester to get the boat out of the water. Once the boat is lifted up and the water pumped out, a cause for the boat’s sinking should be determined, said Dale Banker, EMO director for Orleans County.

Photos by Tom Rivers

ALBION – The Who Dats performed the final concert Thursday for Albion’s summer concert series by the Erie Canal.  The band includes lead singer Lonnie Froman, John Borello on guitar (in back), Alona Kuhns on guitar (in back in white shorts), Ed Hilfiker on guitar and Alex DeSmit on drums.

Last year’s concert series was cancelled due to Covid-19 restrictions. This year the concert series was reduced to four events that tended to draw 100 to 150 people.

Other bands that performed included Jonesie and the Cruisers, Cold Fusion Arts and The Trellis Cooper Band.

The Village of Albion organized the concerts, which included funding from the Genesee-Orleans Regional Arts Council.

Lonnie Froman sings during Thursday’s concert by the canal. The concerts are held at the end of Platt Street, between the Main and Ingersoll lift bridges.

Alex DeSmit is the new drummer for the band, which has been popular locally for many years.