ALBION – The Orleans County Department of Social Services’ Safe Harbour Program is holding a poster contest for students in grades 7-12 to raise awareness on the issue of human trafficking. The theme is “Spot the Signs – Stop the Traffick.”
Posters must be 8.5 by 11 inches and should include red flags, vulnerabilities, warning signs and myths about sex trafficking. Submissions are due by 5 p.m. on Feb. 15 and must be brought or mailed to Orleans County DSS, 14016 Rt 31 W, Albion, NY 14411, attention Heather Jackson.
The first prize winner will receive a VR Headset; second prize is a bin full of multiple items; and third prize is a pair of Beats Solo 4 headphones.
The Safe Harbour program is designed to be a safe place for young people between 12-18 years of age. In addition to providing education and awareness, Safe Harbour provides lessons in life skills to promote a strong foundation to help children launch into their future.
For more information on the poster contest or the Safe Harbour program, please contact Heather Jackson at 585-589-2837 or email heather.jackson@orleanscountyny.gov.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 8 January 2025 at 10:04 am
LYNDONVILLE – Emily Cebula started a new chapter in her life in 2008 when she was hired as director of the Yates Community Library.
Cebula, a Bergen native, had recently moved to Lyndonville. She liked the small town atmosphere and felt providence with the position opening up.
“It was a God-given thing to have this job and a home,” Cebula said.
She was eager to commit long-term to a community. Her late husband Jacob Cebula was in the U.S. Forest Service and worked in more than a dozen states. He was 51 when he passed away 21 years ago.
Emily and Jacob both grew up in Bergen. Their goal was to return and close to their hometown.
“We both loved this area beyond anything else,” Cebula said. “It was our dream to come back to this area.”
After earning her master’s in library science from Geneseo State College, Emily started her career 40 years ago when she was hired as the first director of the Gillam Grant Community Center Library in Bergen. She set up the library with its first 10,000 books.
During her husband’s career, Cebula would work at a library in Missouri and as a teacher’s assistant in North Carolina. The job at Yates Community Library was a chance to lead a library again.
“She has been wonderful,” said Ginny Hughes, a board member for the library. “She really embraced the community when she moved here. She is a valuable person in the community.”
File photo: Emily Cebula, director of Yates Community Library, reads a story to first-graders after they saw a story walk in October 2019.
Cebula is the lone full-time employee at the library with four part-timers. The library has an annual circulation of about 12,000 books and other items.
Hughes often drives by the library and Cebula’s car is parked there early and late.
“She is a very sweet person who has the library and reading in her heart,” Hughes said. “She has tried to help every reader.”
Cebula organizes many of the library programs, an outdoor concert series, book club and other projects.
“The more programs we have, the more ways we can get people in the library,” Hughes said.
Cebula is retiring. There will be a reception at the library in her honor from 4 to 6 p.m. on Jan. 21.
Yates Community Library has hired Chrissy Carney as the new director. Carney worked for the Nioga Library System helping the member libraries develop and run programs, especially the smaller libraries in the three-county system. She worked as an assistant for Nioga with youth services.
“She knows the Nioga administrators and member libraries’ staff,” Cebula said.
Serving as director of a library is like running a small business, Cebula said, managing employees, planning programs, meeting customer needs and operating on a lean budget.
“We do everything the bigger libraries do but we do it with a smaller staff and less money,” Cebula said.
Provided photos: Jeff Gifaldi has retired from his role as administrative chief deputy at the Orleans County Sheriff’s Office.
ALBION – The Orleans County Sheriff’s Office extends its heartfelt congratulations and best wishes to Administrative Chief Deputy Jeffrey A. Gifaldi on his well-deserved retirement.
Chief Deputy Gifaldi has had a remarkable and dedicated career in law enforcement, beginning with the Orleans County Sheriff’s Office. He then served with the Albion Police Department before returning to the Sheriff’s Office as a Deputy Sheriff. His hard work and professionalism earned him a promotion to Investigator.
In 2020, Chief Deputy Gifaldi was promoted by Sheriff Christopher Bourke to Chief Deputy and subsequently Undersheriff, a role he retired from.
However, his commitment to public service and this community, Sheriff Christopher Bourke brought him back to the Sheriff’s Office to serve as Administrative Chief Deputy, where he has continued to provide exceptional leadership.
We are grateful for Chief Deputy Gifaldi’s many contributions to the safety and well-being of Orleans County. His dedication, expertise and service have left a lasting impact on the agency and the community.
Please join Sheriff Christopher M. Bourke and the men and women of the Orleans County Sheriff’s Office in thanking Chief Deputy Gifaldi for his outstanding service and wishing him all the best in this next chapter of his life. Enjoy your retirement, Chief Deputy—you’ve earned it!
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 8 January 2025 at 8:35 am
Photos courtesy of Secretary of State’s Office
MEDINA – Mayor Margurite Sherman gives a tour of the downtown on Tuesday to Walter Mosley, New York’s secretary of state.
Mosley was in Medina to give a presentation on Kathy Hochul’s “Affordability Agenda” which will be detailed by the governor on Tuesday during the State of State address in Albany.
(Left) Mayor Marguerite Sherman gives Walter Mosley, the secretary of state, a tour of Medina on a frigid Tuesday with temperatures in the low 20s. (Right) Before the tour, Sherman welcomed Mosley to City Hall for his presentation.
The secretary of state toured the village to see how a $4.5 million NY Forward grant will be spent. The program is overseen by the Secretary of State.
The state in May 2024 approved divvying up the $4.5 million for eight projects in Medina.
The projects include:
Transform Canal Basin Park into a Waterfront Gateway – $1,345,000. The parking lot along the Erie Canal will be turned into a “waterfront gateway” complete with green space, seating areas and boater/cyclist amenities.
Expand the Canal Village Farmer’s Market – $675,000. Upgrade the Canal Village Farmer’s market campus by modernizing the existing building, constructing a pole barn for additional vendor space and beautifying the site with green space.
Redevelop the Walsh Hotel – $560,000. Convert the upper floors of the former Walsh Hotel into studio and one-bedroom apartments.
Upgrade the Hart House Hotel – $500,000. Upgrade the Hart House Hotel with new amenities including an enhanced outdoor courtyard space, a gourmet gastropub, a hotel guest lounge, a new front porch and an improved facade.
Develop Arenite Brewing Company on the Canal – $500,000. Create a microbrewery with tasting room and outdoor seating overlooking the canal, complete with a rooftop solar installation.
Rehabilitate the Upper Floor Apartments at 409-413 Main Street – $370,000. Renovate the second floor into a mix of one-bedroom and two-bedroom apartments.
Establish a Downtown Small Project Grant Fund – $300,000. Create a pool of funding to support business and property owners with smaller-scale projects like facade improvements, window replacement and other repairs.
Install Downtown Wayfinding Signage – $250,000. Implement a system of directional, informational, and interpretive signage to direct visitors to key locations and destinations throughout downtown.
Mayor Marguerite Sherman introduces Water Mosley, the secretary of state, before his presentation at City hall. He highlighted Hochul’s “Affordability Agenda.” Hochul seeks supplemental payments, tax relief and rebates for homeowners, tuition assistance for students, heating and cooling assistance for seniors as well as expanded access to child care assistance and paid leave for families and pregnant women.
WASHINGTON, DC – Congresswoman Claudia Tenney (NY-24) introduced the Red Light Act to withhold federal transportation funding from states that enact laws to provide driver’s licenses or identification cards to illegal immigrants in the United States.
This bill directs the Department of Transportation to withhold a state’s entire share of specific federal highway funds—namely, those allocated for the National Highway Performance Program, the Highway Safety Improvement Program, and the Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality Improvement Program—if the state enacts legislation allowing the issuance of driver’s licenses or other identification cards to individuals who are unlawfully present in the United States.
In 2019, New York’s Green Light Law took effect, allowing anyone over the age of 16, including illegal immigrants, to obtain a New York State driver’s license. The license also serves as a legal form of photo identification. In just the first month after New York’s Green Light law took effect, more than 50,000 illegal immigrants received a New York State driver’s license.
“Our nation is grappling with an unprecedented migrant crisis, yet some states, like New York, are incentivizing and rewarding criminals with driver’s licenses and identification cards. In New York, the Green Light Law has given licenses to illegal immigrants, allowing these dangerous individuals to roam freely in our country, brutally attacking, raping, and murdering members of our community,” Tenney said. “In addition, this law also restricts law enforcement from accessing DMV records, preventing the enforcement of our nation’s immigration laws. This legislation ensures states that refuse to comply with our nation’s immigration policies are not rewarded with federal funding.”
Organization has ‘Code Blue’ sites in Albion and Brockport
Press Release, Oak Orchard Health
WARSAW—Building on the success of the Orleans County Warming Center and the Brockport Community Warming Center, Oak Orchard Health has continued to work with its Wyoming County community partners to open a new warming center in Warsaw with today the first day for the center.
This community collaboration addresses the needs of people without housing when the temperature is below 32 degrees (“Code Blue”).
The new Wyoming County Community Warming Center is at Clarity Warsaw Clinic, 43 Duncan St. If an individual needs evening shelter during Code Blue, they can call
(585) 340-1355, and they will have a warm place to stay. They will also be referred to the county and local non-profits for additional services, ensuring a comprehensive approach to their well-being.
The new Wyoming County Community Warming Center in Warsaw offers an alternate, safe, warm place with snacks and toiletries and a connection to our community partners and services. Many local partners, including the Wyoming County Sheriff’s Office, will continue to provide a warm place during Code Blue. Other partners are providing community resources like warm hats, blankets, backpacks and other bare necessities for those who live outside in the inclement weather.
“We could not have made the Wyoming County Community Warming Center a reality without the support of our community partners and funding from the Greater Rochester Health Foundation. We are so grateful for their grant and all the volunteers who made this a reality. Oak Orchard will be responsible for staffing and coordinating the opening of this community resource in the region,” said Karen Kinter, CEO, Oak Orchard Health.
In 2023, Oak Orchard successfully opened the Orleans County Warming Center, serving 63 people who used the site on the 110 code blue days. New York State mandates that if the weather drops below 32 degrees, it’s considered “Code Blue,” and the community must provide shelter.
There will be a ribbon-cutting celebration for the Warsaw site at 3 p.m. on Jan. 17.
“The Oak Orchard Health Warming Center is a powerful example of a community-driven initiative demonstrating the strength of collaboration between nonprofits, community members, local businesses and government,” said Monica Brown, senior program officer for Greater Rochester Health Foundation. “In rural areas like Wyoming County, where access to critical resources can be limited and inequities in healthcare and housing are prevalent, this project represents a critical support during an extreme time of need.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 7 January 2025 at 12:35 pm
MIDDLEPORT – The final Mass at St. Stephen’s Catholic Church will be celebrated at 8:30 a.m. on Sunday.
Bishop Michael Fisher of the Diocese of Buffalo announced in September that St. Stephen’s would close as part of a restructuring of churches in the 8-county Diocese. The Diocese is closing some churches due to a declining number of priests and attendance.
St. Stephen’s is part of ONE Catholic that includes churches in eastern Niagara and Orleans counties. The bishop also announced St. Mark’s in Kendall would close but a final Mass date hasn’t been announced for St. Mark’s.
St. Joseph’s in Lyndonville also is in ONE Catholic but that church was badly damaged in a fire on Feb. 28, 2023 and later razed. Barker’s church also is in ONE catholic but that one will be aligned with a family of churches closer to Lockport.
ONE Catholic welcomes Catholics in the ONE Catholic family to attend the 8:30 a.m. Mass at St. Stephen’s, 21 Vernon St. A donut social will follow at the St. Stephen’s Rectory following the Mass.
The following Sunday on Jan. 19 the 8:30 a.m. Mass will move to St. Mary’s in Medina. ONE Catholic said the music crew from St. Stephen’s will continue to provide music at St. Mary’s, and others from St. Stephen’s will be lectors, eucharistic ministers, greeters and ushers at St. Mary’s.
The St. Rocco’s Festival team from St. Mary’s in Holley and St. Mark’s in Kendall will host a breakfast at Holy Trinity in Medina to welcome the parishioners from St. Stephen’s to St. Mary’s.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 7 January 2025 at 11:14 am
MURRAY – Joe Fuller, an Albion town justice, is filling in as a judge for Murray.
Ted Spada’s term expired on Dec. 31 and Gary Passarell recently stepped down.
Fuller has changed the court schedule in Murray to the second and fourth Wednesdays at 5 p.m.
The court was meeting each Monday evening with district attorney nights on Wednesdays. With Fuller presiding, the sessions will include DA nights. All court cases are adjourned until Jan. 22. Anyone scheduled before Jan. 22 will receive a letter from the Murray Town Court advising them of their next court date.
Anyone with questions can call the Town Court at (585) 638-6570, ext. 7.
By Ginny Kropf, correspondent Posted 7 January 2025 at 7:12 am
The start of the new year is one of the most challenging times to collect blood products, as the threat of severe winter weather builds and can often lead to widespread blood drive cancellations, said Meg Rossman, spokesperson for Red Cross of WNY.
Additionally, an active cold and flu season may prevent people from keeping their donation appointments as they rest and recover from illness.
During National Blood Donor Month, the Red Cross celebrates those who generously roll up a sleeve to help save lives and urges those who are feeling well to make and keep donation appointments.
In Orleans County blood donor dates are Jan. 17 from 1 to 6 p.m. at Lyndonville Presbyterian Church, 107 North Main St.; Jan. 20 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Orleans County YMCA, 306 Pearl St., Medina; and Jan. 21 from 12:30 to 7 p.m. at Albion Elks Lodge, 428 West State St.
In an attempt to ensure a strong blood supply during cold winter months, the American Red Cross is again promoting the donation of blood by offering free tickets to the Super Bowl.
This is the sixth year the Red Cross and National Football League have partnered in January for National Blood Donor Month by inviting football fans and blood donors to join their lifesaving team and score big for patients in need, Rossman said.
Type O negative blood donors and those giving platelets are especially urged to give now to keep critical blood products on the shelves for patients in need.
As a special thank you to donors for helping to address the need for blood during this critical post-holiday time, those who donate blood through Jan. 26 will be automatically entered for a chance to win an exciting Super Bowl LIX giveaway.
The trip includes access to day-of, in-stadium pre-game activities, tickets to the official Super Bowl experience, round-trip air fare, three nights hotel accommodations (Feb. 7-10) and a $1,000 gift card for expenses. For complete details, visit www.RedCrossBlood.org/SuperBowl.
To book a time to donate, visit the Red Cross website, download the Red Cross Blood Donor App or call 1-800-RED-CROSS.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 6 January 2025 at 10:08 pm
Orleans Hub each year highlights outstanding citizens from the previous year who made notable contributions to the community.
We are happy to shine a light on people who put their time, talent and resources into bettering Orleans County.
We are fortunate that so many look ways to help their neighbors, promote the community and preserve important local sites.
Here are some people who stood out in 2024:
Volunteer brought tenacity in getting new basketball courts in Medina
Photos by Tom Rivers: Medina Mayor Marguerite Sherman is joined by many kids and local officials on May 30 for a ribbon cutting at Butts Park for two new basketball courts.
Two full-size basketball courts went in Butts Park in 2024, with a ribbon-cutting on May 30. A Medina teacher and coach worked hard on the effort for four years, contacting contractors for bids, helping to secure funding and donations towards the project.
Melissa Valley
Melissa Valley said the outdoor courts have been long overdue. She has been thrilled going by the courts this summer and fall, seeing so many people playing on the courts that have a vibrant red and blue color for the Medina Mustangs.
“It makes me so happy when I drive by and see people out there,” Valley said recently.
She pushed the idea and people rallied, including the Medina Village Board and Shelby Town Board, which both approved a portion of their ARPA funds (American Rescue Plan Act) from the federal government. Medina allotted $110,000 in ARPA, while Shelby gave $10,000.
Valley also secured a $3,332 donation from the Medina Sports Boosters and contacted Shelby Crushed Stone owner Tom Biamonte, who donated 800 tons of stone valued at $9,000 towards the courts.
Valley worked on the project for four years. When restrictions lifted during the Covid-19 pandemic, she knew people wanted to get out and be with friends. Basketball courts would have been a great way to be active and have fun with friends, but Medina didn’t have any community courts.
Valley made it a mission to get them, contacting contractors to get bids for site work, seal the courts, and four adjustable backboards and hoops.
“People wanted the new courts,” Valley said. “It wasn’t just a one-man show. It was the community that got this done.”
Tattoo artist builds thriving business while backing toy drive, fundraiser for stray cats
Shawn Ramsey, owner of Canalside Tattoo, celebrated the opening of Canalside’s new location on Aug. 18, which was also Canalside’s annual “Caturday” fundraiser for the Cat by Cat, Inc. organization in Medina.
Canalside had 13 tattoo artists and other body piercers, as well as 150 gift baskets as part of the fundraiser that raised about $24,000. That is up from $18,000 in 2023 and $10,000 in 2022. The Medina “Cat by Cat” team cares for about 150 cats a year. Feral or community cats remains in “overwhelming” problem in Medina and Orleans County.
Ramsey last summer moved Canalside from Main Street to 627 West Ave. The business has steadily grown since he opened in 2015 in a small storefront on East Center Street. In 2017, he moved to Main Street at the former Curvin’s News, tripling his space from the first location. He then expanded next door on Main Street in 2020, giving him 3,500 square feet.
Last year he moved to the former AJ’s Play Date. Ramsey turned the site into the “Fantasy Factory” giving tattoo artists their own partitioned space, providing more privacy.
Ramsey also has hosted a toy drive during Medina’s Parade of Lights. The new Canalside site again was a popular place for people to give toys that were then distributed to children by Community Action and the Medina Area Association of Churches.
Ramsey and his staff bring a good vibe to Medina and show time and again their big hearts.
Social media star uses platform to help family that suffered heartbreak
Diane Shiffer has an enormous following on social media as “YourChubbyVintageNana.”
In an era when many go on to social media to complain, bully and belittle, Diane Shiffer has built a massive following for her kindness.
Shiffer may have the largest platform or megaphone in Orleans County. She has more than 1 million followers on both Instagram and TikTok. She uses the hashtag: “YourChubbyVintageNana.” She shares videos about fashion from a bygone era and her life at home in Albion, often sipping coffee and watering her plants. She tries to make her huge crowd of followers feel loved.
Shiffer, back in early May, did something out of the norm. She asked her social media followers to donate to a family in Medina that suffered a tragic loss. Those followers responded in a big way, donating $100,000 to a Medina family that suffered heartbreak.
Shiffer, a retired teacher, has a close friendship with Kelsey Dreisbach, who helps care for Shiffer’s daughter who has Down syndrome and often takes her on fun activities. Dreisbach and her husband John have two children. They were pregnant with a third child, but Kelsey had a miscarriage and then was hospitalized with septicemia.
Kelsey Dreisbach said the outpouring of support were very uplifting during such a difficult time.
“The money has literally changed our lives and allowed us to remove financial worries from the equation for the first time ever,” she told the Orleans Hub on May 8. “And the comments and messages from people all over the world have helped me heal more than I would have ever expected – so many people have made it very clear that we are not alone.”
Holley library director expanded children’s programming, embraced public art and outreach to veterans
Sandra Shaw is shown inside the children’s library at Community Free Library on Sept. 7. During her tenure as library director, the library doubled in size with dedicated space for children.
Sandra Shaw in her 16 years as director of Community Free Library in Holley expanded programming and outreach to the community, and embraced public art with two large-scale murals on the back of the building, embracing Holley’s canal and agricultural heritage.
Shaw retired on Oct. 17 after 19 years as director. She was back at the library on Nov. 11 for another one of her missions: leading the community in writing Christmas cards to local veterans. That effort usually results in 500 cards with hand-written messages for veterans in the community, including those in nursing homes.
Shaw was a regular at local municipal board meetings, updating village and town officials about the library and its programs.
She led the library in acquiring a former video store next door where the library expanded in 2008 and dedicated that space for children’s programs and materials.
Shaw secured grants from the state to replace the roof, air-conditioning and furnaces. She wanted the library accessible and comfortable for community members.
During the Covid-19 pandemic when the library was closed to the public, Shaw and the library staff took requests from residents for books, and then had the books ready in the lobby for pickup.
Sandra Shaw congratulates Arthur Barnes on Sept.7 for the completion of his mural on the back of the library. The huge painting celebrates Holley’s agricultural roots. Tony Barry painted the other mural in 2023 with a canal theme.
Holley student working at Subway springs into action, performs CPR
Provided photo: Leigha Walker is shown at the Brockport Subway. She started working there in February 2024. On June 9 she did CPR on a man who was unconscious after crashing into a support beam in front of the Subway.
Leigha Walker knows how to take charge of a situation. She has been catcher for Holley’s softball teams, a key member on the Sectional winning soccer team in 2023 and a horseback rider.
On June 9, she showed her ability to quickly size up a situation and spring into action. She was working the morning shift at the Brockport Subway. A man was driving a vehicle when he had a heart attack and became unconscious. He crashed into a pole outside the Subway where Leigha was working.
She heard the crash and immediately called 911 at about 10 a.m. Leigha grabbed a wooden rod so a bystander could break the passenger window of the pickup truck and then unlock the vehicle.
Leigha and co-worker got the man out of the truck and onto the ground. Leigha checked his vital signs. When the Brockport Fire District ambulance pulled up, a medic urged someone to start CPR.
Leigha did more than 30 compressions to keep the man’s blood moving. Then the Brockport ambulance personnel used an AED to get the man’s heart restarted. He was then transported by ambulance to a hospital.
The man, Jack Brennan, is doing well today. He is a longtime softball umpire and called balls and strikes at some of Holley’s games, with Leigha inches away as the catcher.
Leigha said she is thankful the school district offered a class where she learned CPR. That class is taught by her soccer coach, Renee Wolf. Leigha has since graduated from Holley and now plays soccer for Morrisville State College. Her quick response made a life-saving difference for Brennan.
Medina teacher and historian pushes preservation efforts at Boxwood Cemetery
Photo by Tom Rivers: Todd Bensley, center right, shows Dave and Gail Miller, the restored stained-glass window in the chapel at Boxwood Cemetery on May 18. The Friends of Boxwood Cemetery rededicated the window and invited the community to see a cleaned up chapel. Bensley has written two books about the cemetery and donated the proceeds to Boxwood.
Todd Bensley is busy working full-time as a teacher in Medina and part-time as the village historian. In recent years he has made time to promote and preserve Boxwood Cemetery.
He was able to get the cemetery on North Gravel Road listed on the National Register of Historic Places. He has written two books about the historic cemetery and donated proceeds to improvements at Boxwood.
Photo by Ginny Kropf: Todd Bensley is shown during a book-signing in April when his second book about Boxwood became available.
He is also part of an active group, Friends of Boxwood, that hosts a popular fundraiser, Boxwood at Night, where people can tour the cemetery at night and see lighting displays, guides portraying famous residents and some that may be overlooked, including people in a potter’s field. The Boxwood event gives a new and existing twist to a cemetery tour.
Bensley has connected students to projects at the cemetery, including gravestone cleaning, branch trimming and other tasks.
Bensley and the Friends of Boxwood completed a major milestone project at the cemetery this past year when a stained-glass window of an angel in the chapel was restored.
The volunteers raised $6,500 to have Valerie O’Hara from Pike Stained Glass Studio in Rochester repair the window. O’Hara took apart the bottom half of the window and rebuilt the artwork that is more than a century old.
The Friends of Boxwood also cleaned out the chapel, painted the interior, and put in new doors on the inside leading to the room where bodies were stored in the winter.
“We’re trying to bring it back to life,” Bensley said during the May 18 open house at the chapel. “The more people we get in here, the more people who will want to support the cemetery.”
Bensley has helped bring renewed pride and appreciation for the historic site.
He has long been an energetic participant in many community events and activities. He has coached T-ball and powder puff, served as president of the Medina Historical Society, and was a board member of Lee-Whedon Memorial Library, Village Board, and Medina Planning Board.
Medina woman helps make Christmas a reality for 200-plus children
Photo by Ginny Kropf: Sherry Tuohey-Sipple, the leader of the MAAC Christmas Barrel program the past seven years, is shown in early November with 40 barrels to be distributed into the community. Local businesses, churches and organizations host the barrels that are filled with donations of toys, hats, mittens, canned goods and gifts.
Sherry Tuohey-Sipple works all year to make Christmas a reality for more than 200 children in the Medina area.
The past seven years she has headed the MAAC Christmas Barrel program, where 40 barrels are set up at local businesses, churches and organizations for people to leave toys, gifts, canned food and other donations.
Tuohey-Sipple leads a team of volunteers that sort those donations, and go hunting in stores for more. Tuohey-Sipple keeps a close eye on bargains throughout the year for the holiday event.
“It requires a tremendous amount of behind-the-scenes work,” she said. “I want to be there for the community and help the community. There are so many families that are less unfortunate.”
The toys, mittens, hats and gifts are sorted by volunteers who organize them for kids by gender and age groups. Besides the 200-plus children, there are about 150 adults who receive food and a gift, often a crocheted blanket.
Many of the locations have hosted a barrel for years. But Tuohey-Sipple said some businesses and organizations close or relocate, so each year she typically finds two or three new spots for barrels.
She appreciates the community’s generosity in giving the gifts and donations, and a team of 25 to 35 volunteers who put in so much time, especially sorting out toys.
Canalside Tattoo Company also has been a big plus with its toy drive, and Medina firefighters for more than 50 years have delivered the barrels out in the community, picked them up and then distributed the toys and gifts to families in Medina.
Tuohey-Sipple has been the guiding hand behind it the past seven years, staying in contact with volunteers and others who help with a the mighty effort each year.
Retired teacher continues to welcome Holley first-graders to farm
Lynn Vendetti shows the students a pumpkin that was hit by hail by hail on Aug. 11, causing some scarring.
Photos by Tom Rivers
Lynn Vendetti leads a group of Holley first-graders in picking pumpkins on Oct. 4 at Vendetti Farms.
Vendetti, a retired Holley teacher since 2017, and her family have welcomed first-graders at the farm since 2008. About 60 students get to pick out a pumpkin to take home.
The students also meet farm animals, can see big tractors and farm machinery up close, and enjoy a hay ride. The kids play a variety of games with pumpkins including pumpkin bowling, tic tac toe, ring toss and pumpkin stacking.
Vendetti wants to help the students and teachers with their curriculum of learning about the fall, and also give them a memorable day out.
She and her family are generous to students, and explain what they are seeing on the farm, which is a four-generation operation with crops grown on about 2,500 acres. It is an exciting day for the kids, who are delighted to pick out a pumpkin, pet a goat and walk through vines and dirt.
Vendetti Farms was started by Anthony Vendetti, who was followed by Albert, then Lynn’s husband Bob, and their sons, Bobby, Ryan and Andrew.
Lynn Vendetti also has coordinated the Girls on the Run program at Holley Central School, which encourages girls to be more physically active before they move up to junior-senior high school. She also serves on the board for the United Way in Orleans County.
Citizen tries to bring change with update of ordinances for backyard chickens
These inflatables of chickens were part of a Fourth of July float in Lyndonville’s big parade.
We don’t see to many citizen-led movements to change local laws these days, outside of people posting a comment or diatribe on social media.
But Kate Hardner of Lyndonville attended numerous local government meetings, pressed her cause in a float, shared pamphlets from a booth at the county fair, distributed yard signs, wrote a letter to the editor and looked up other municipal laws.
Provided photo: Kate Hardner of Lyndonville led an effort to have local villages update their ordinance to allow backyard chickens.
Her mission: to have backyard chickens in the four Orleans County villages. Hardner would like a small flock, up to six chickens, and no roosters. The chickens owners would have to keep the coops clean.
Lyndonville and Medina would discuss the issue at multiple meetings, and Lyndonville’s Planning Board presented a suggested ordinance to the Village Board to consider. But both Lyndonville and Medina ultimately didn’t pass updated ordinances.
Hardner deserves credit for bringing an issue to public debate, and doing it in a respectful way that engaged the community.
She didn’t get what she wanted, but she showed how citizens can try to bring about change.
Hardner and supporters of “For Cluck’s Sake” say a small group of chickens are not livestock, and they provide nutritional and mental health benefits for families.
Hardner had chickens on her Lyndonville property for seven years with no neighbor complaints until being told to remove them by the village code enforcement officer. Her family initially had them for her daughter’s 4-H project but saw chickens as a sustainable food source for the family, especially during Covid with food supply shortages and in times of fluctuating egg prices.
“Orleans County, with its strong agricultural history, is woefully behind the times in its viewpoint of backyard chicken keeping,” she said. “At this time in our lives, it is easier to own chickens in the suburbs and in the city then it is out here in rural America.”
Dog trainer guides incarcerated women in working with dogs, making the canines more family-friendly for adoptions
Provided photos: (Left) An incarcerated woman at Albion Correctional Facility is pictured with Rogan. (Right) Dawn Spencer, the volunteer trainer, is shown with Rogan and Aries. Two dogs went through 12 weeks of obedience training led by Spencer.
Dawn Spencer of Kent, a dog trainer with more 25 years of experience, has volunteered her time in recent years, working with incarcerated women in Orleans County to train dogs.
The dogs learn obedience training and become more family-friendly to be adopted from PAWS Animal Shelter. Spencer goes to the prison once a week and instructs the incarcerated women on the 10 skills the dogs must master through the AKC Canine Good Citizen Program. She did two 12-week programs the past year at the Albion Correctional Facility.
The incarcerated people find joy and acceptance in working with the canines. Prison officials say the dogs’ presence provides an uplifting element to the prisons.
Spencer runs Eye of Oden K9 Training. She has led about 20 dogs through the program at Albion Correctional, making them better pets for their new homes.
Photos by Tom Rivers: Dawn Spencer of the Eye of Oden tosses glitter into the air on Main Street during the Strawberry Festival Parade on June 8. Spencer and about a dozen people from Eye of Oden walked with dogs in the parade. The Eye of Oden participates in many community parades throughout the year, demonstrating the dogs’ obedience skills.
A rocking concert in opera house and a Christmas float in honor of Santa School founder
Lou Gramm gave a high-energy performance on June 23, belting out tunes from Black Sheep, a Rochester band from the 1970s. Michael Bonafede plays drums for the band. He welcomed the group into the Pratt Theater in Albion.
Michael Bonafede has long been a community volunteer and advocate in Albion, serving on the Board of Education for many years, leading the Strawberry Festival, opening his Gaines Basin Road property to youth soccer, and many other efforts.
In 2024, he pulled off two major victories for the community: Hall of Fame rocker Lou Gramm performed to full houses at the Pratt Theater and Bonafede led volunteers in building a signature float in honor of Charles W. Howard for a lighted parade on Dec. 14.
Bonafede was a drummer in Black Sheep, a band with Gramm (then known as Lou Grammatico) before Gramm went on to fame with the band Foreigner.
Bonafede and his wife Judith Koehler own the Pratt Theater with the third floor opera house. They have poured their time, talent and resources into the building the past two decades. One June 23, Gramm took the stage to a capacity crowd of 300 people. It was a thrill for the crowd and the Black Sheep band, which played a reunion concert. Bonafede wants to make the stage available for more community events. The Pratt and Day buildings, which the Bonafede family owns, are a bright spot on Main Street, home to several tenants.
Michael Bonafede and a team of volunteer made a float in honor of Charles W. Howard. They worked about a month on the project.
Later in the year, Bonafede wanted to help build on the momentum with Albion’s ties to Charles W. Howard, who ran a Santa School in Albion from 1937 until his death in 1966. Howard remains revered among people who portray Santa.
Albion has been trying to honor Howard’s legacy and create more holiday magic. The committee working on a lighted parade named the event the Charles W. Howard Hometown Parade.
Bonafede and group of volunteers wanted a signature float in Howard’s style to cap the parade. They built a 20-by-10 foot deck on a trailer for the float. It had enough room for an 8-piece band on the back of the float with a sleigh for Santa in the middle and the reindeer up front. The reindeer appear to be taking off in flight.
Bonafede and the volunteers did the float in Howard’s style, taking pieces and materials they found and using creativity and a flair.
The float was finished in time to give Santa and a band a ride in the parade on June 14.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 6 January 2025 at 6:32 pm
Extreme cold has hit Orleans County and Western New York. Today the temperature has hovered around 20 degrees most of the day and will drop to 18 for an overnight low, according to the National Weather Service in Buffalo.
There are no weather advisories in the coming days, but it will be cold. Tuesday will be a high of 23 with an overnight low of 13, followed by a high of 17 on Wednesday with an overnight low of 13.
On Thursday the high is forecast for 21 with an overnight low of 15, followed by 26 on Friday with an overnight low of 19.
WASHINGTON, DC – Congresswoman Claudia Tenney (NY-24) released the below statement following the counting and certification of the electoral vote for the 2024 election.
“Today, Congress counted the electoral votes to officially certify the results of the 2024 election, moving our nation one step closer to installing President Trump back in the White House.
“In November, over 77 million Americans delivered a clear rejection of the past four years. Americans resoundingly cast their votes for President Trump to secure our borders, to cut taxes and overburdensome regulations, to unleash American energy, and for common-sense solutions to the challenges we face.
“It was a great privilege to vote to certify the 2024 Presidential election today and usher in a new chapter of freedom and prosperity for our nation under President Trump’s America First agenda.”
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 6 January 2025 at 4:06 pm
Provided photo: Pete Stritzinger (left), president of the Albion Exempts Club, and Mercy Flight EMS BLS Crew Chief David Bertsch are shown on Jan. 1 when the Exempts dropped off a brunch at the Mercy Flight base at 239 South Main St.
ALBION – Mercy Flight has started providing ambulance services for seven Orleans County towns.
The seven towns accepted Mercy Flight’s bid to be the primary ambulance provider for Albion, Barre, Carlton, Gaines, Clarendon, Murray and Kendall. Mercy Flight takes over from Monroe Ambulance which had the contract in 2023 and 2024.
Mercy Flight has two 24/7 BLS ambulances and one 24/7 paramedic fly car. One of the ambulances is posted at the former Fancher-Hulberton-Murray fire hall with the other vehicles at the former COVA base in Albion. Many of the former COVA staff are back working in Orleans with Mercy Flight.
“We’ve got a crew of 5 EMS professionals dedicated to central and eastern Orleans around the clock,” said Scott Wooton, vice president and treasurer for Mercy Flight.
Mercy Flight has 20 “full-time equivalents” working that schedule. With part-timers and vacation coverages, Mercy Flight has about two dozen employees working in Orleans County.
“It’s been quite a busy start, but our employees are very excited to be back,” Wooton said.
Assemblyman Steve Hawley (R,C-Batavia) is pleased to announce his outreach office hours for January.
Hawley strongly believes that offering his constituents an opportunity to discuss different issues, concerns or ideas with him is one of his top priorities as he values what residents have to say. These mobile office hours are designed to make it convenient for people to engage with Hawley and staff no matter where they are.
“Staying connected with my community is one of the most important things to me as an assemblyman,” Hawley said. “My mobile office hours are a huge part of making my staff and I accessible to my constituents, and I look forward to hearing what they have to say directly.”
ALBION – The Orleans County Department of Social Services’ Safe Harbour Program is holding a poster contest for students in grades 7-12 to raise awareness on the issue of human trafficking. The theme is “Spot the Signs – Stop the Traffick.”
