By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 25 June 2013 at 12:00 am
Photo by Tom Rivers – Ryan Lubba was the “Strawberry” during the June 8 race in Albion.
ALBION – A record field of runners, 274 in all, is allowing Strawberry Festival race organizers to share more money with three local missions.
The 5-kilometer and 8-kilometer races on June 8 drew the biggest field of runners since the race started more than two decades ago. The race features a runner dressed as a strawberry. If runners can beat the strawberry – this year 2007 Albion grad Ryan Lubba wore the outfit – they win a prize.
This year’s race included 100 “day-of” registrations that pushed the number of runners to a record high.
The race is organized by the recently formed “Albion Running Club,” which is headed by local runner and businessman Brian Krieger. (He was the Strawberry two years ago.) The club includes many members of the Albion Free Methodist Church.
The 5k and 8k course started at the Orleans County Courthouse, and wound through the canal neighborhoods, with the last stretch of the race following the Erie Canal towpath and ending at the Courthouse Square.
With the record number of runners, the proceeds from this year’s race outweighed the committee’s expectations. The group shared $2,100 in proceeds with Care Net of Greater Orleans and the Community Kitchen at Christ Episcopal Church, plus funding to help a local group from the Free Methodist churches in Albion and Brockport go on a missions trip to Haiti.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 25 June 2013 at 12:00 am
Photo by Tom Rivers – State Assemblyman Steve Hawley said $90 million that was targeted in cuts to the agency that serves people with disabilities has been restored by the state Legislature. He addressed supporters of The Arc of Orleans County on Monday when quad-amputee John Robinson visited as part of his bike ride across the Erie Canal.
ALBION – For three months State Assemblyman Steve Hawley has been railing against the state’s plan to chop $90 million in funding from programs that support people with disabilities.
The money has been restored due to bipartisan efforts in the state Legislature, Hawley told supporters of The Arc of Orleans on Monday.
Grass-roots advocates from throughout the state pressed the state to restore the funding for the Office for People With Developmental Disabilities.
Hawley and sate legislators said the $90 million in cuts, which was approved in the current state budget, can be made up for through management efficiencies or an influx of cash.
The state’s tax revenue is exceeding projections for the year, State Comptroller Tom DiNapoli recently announced. Hawley also said the $90 million came partly at the expense of offering tax incentives to Hollywood movie producers. One of those producers called him to say the industry would film in New York without the incentives.
“Many of the individuals who receive assistance through these programs are among the most vulnerable in our society, and we have a responsibility to provide them with the care and support they need,” Hawley said. “During the budget process, I spoke out against these cuts and supported an amendment which could have restored the funds at that time. I had genuine concerns about the impact it would have on the providers and those receiving care.”
The $90 million funds programs state-wide for disabled residents. The money will allow The Arc of Orleans to “protect existing service levels,” said Kellie Spychalski, agency executive director.
She praised Hawley and state Sen. George Maziarz “for their steadfast work on behalf of the thousands of children and adults with disabilities throughout New York State.”
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 24 June 2013 at 12:00 am
John Robinson will stop in Albion today for ‘Our Ability’ journey
John Robinson
ALBION – John Robinson is traveling the 363-mile-long Erie Canal. He started yesterday and the journey is expected to take 16 days.
Robinson will make his trip without arms or legs. He is traveling with a film crew in an effort to raise awareness for people with disabilities. He also wants to promote adaptive sports for amputees.
Robinson will visit the former Albion grammar school today from 1 to 2 p.m. The public is welcome to hear his inspirational message. The former school on East Academy Street is now used for senior apartments as well as the Nutri-Faire site run by The Arc of Orleans County.
Robinson is CEO of “Our Ability,” an organization that links people with disabilities to jobs and educational opportunities.
For more information about Robinson’s journey, click here.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 24 June 2013 at 12:00 am
She set world best for 2013 the previous week in Lyndonville
Tom Rivers, file photo – Jenn Suhr of Kendall is shown May 31 in the first of three New York Invite Series at the White Birch Golf Course.
DES MOINES – Jenn Suhr is the U.S. national champ in pole vaulting. Again. Make that 14 times.
Suhr topped the American field Sunday during the 2013 USA Outdoor Track & Field Championships in Des Moines, Iowa. She cleared 15 feet, 5 inches on a hot and humid night.
She qualified for the world championships in August. She will compete on the home turf of two-time Olympic gold medalist Yelena Isinbayeva.
Suhr, a resident of Kendall, in the previous three weeks competed in Lyndonville at the White Birch Golf Course, which is owned by her brother-in-law Harold Suhr. He turned a fairway into a runway for the vaulters.
Those sanctioned events were part of the New York Invite Series. Suhr on June 14 established the world outdoor best for the year with a 16-1 jump at the White Birch.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 24 June 2013 at 12:00 am
Businesses will upgrade buildings as part of Main St. grant
Photos by Tom Rivers – The third floor opera house at 118 North Main St. will be brought up to code in a project by Michael Bonafede and Judith Koehler.
ALBION – Contractors will soon go to work on several historic buildings in downtown Albion, giving upgrades to the exteriors that are in line with the character from a century ago while modernizing the infrastructure inside some of the structures.
The improvements are part of a $477,000 Main Street grant approved for Albion by the state in December 2011. The grant matches money by the building owners for projects. Albion Main Street Alliance is working to have the projects complete by the end of September.
The work needs to pass the state Historic Preservation Office and also the local Albion Historic Preservation Commission. SHPO has signed off on most of the work. The local commission approved a slew of projects at its meeting on Thursday.
The projects include:
114-118 North Main St., the Pratt and Day buildings owned by Michael Bonafede and Judith Koehler.
The interior of 114 North Main will have new insulation between the second and third floors, a high-energy HVAC system on the first floor, AC on the third floor and a new commercial space on the third floor. That space will have a cleaned brick wall and repointed soft mortar. The site will receive a new sanitary line, plumbing and electrical systems, and other improvements.
Vincent Navarra will replace some of the mortar at this building at 10 North Main St.
The ornamental castings on the east face will be removed, cleaned and repainted, and then reattached in their original locations. Damaged mortar on a chimney will be removed and repointed with a soft lime mortar. Some brick will be replaced. The roof line will be resealed and some portions of the roof will be sealed and coated, with repairs made to damaged sections.
The east façade at 114 North Main will be repainted on the first, second and third stories with the first and second stories repainted on the west façade.
The first floor belt courses (display areas under plate glass) will be removed and the original materials will be repaired and repainted. A cracked plate glass display window will be replaced on the east façade.
Bonafede and Koehler will replace steel shutters, replace a metal door from the rear entry with a wooden one, and put in a new door at a rear entrance that was sealed by a previous owner. The couple will also add exterior safety lighting, and complete a fire escape.
118 North Main, the site of the former opera house building, will have exterior ornamental castings cleaned and repainted. Chimneys and roofs will be repaired, and painted windows will be washed and scraped, and then repainted with two coats of paint.
Bonafede and Koehler will repair and repaint the belt courses on the first floor facades, and windows will be repaired and reglazed. A ladder for the first floor of the fire escape on the north side of the building will be added so the fire escape is complete.
The building owners also will add exterior lighting in Beaver Alley, will add 15 fire doors on the first and second floors, HVAC on the first and second floors, and a second floor performance room will be brought up to code with upgraded electrical wiring.
The third flood opera house will have the hardwood floor patched, windows stripped and repainted, stone walls repointed, and two separate electrical services installed – one for audience space and one for the stage.
10 North Main St., a building owned by Vincent Navarra, will have damaged mortar joints replaced on the west façade facing Main Street, the south façade and side facing Liberty Street. He will repoint with soft mortar.
Nathan Lyman will replace windows in his building (the one with green paint) at 51 North Main St.
18 North Main Street, a building owned by Vincent Navarra will have the existing vinyl siding replaced with steel siding. The drywall underneath will be replaced with plywood. Navarra will also remove old tile on the first and second floors and add carpet and a new air-conditioning system.
132 North Main St., a building owned by Jim Theodorakos, will be repainted and a broken window will be replaced.
138 North Main St., owned by Braunbach-DeCarlo Inc., will have a 20-year-old flat rubber roof replaced with a new one.
Five Star Bank, 102 North Main St. will be repainted and the rear entrance accessibility will be enhanced with steps and a new hand rail.
4 North Main St., the former Swan Library will replace 17 deteriorating aluminum storm windows with new ones, and will repair 15 wooden storm windows. The library will also test for asbestos in tiles on the second floor, remove it and refinish the hardwood floors underneath the tile.
51 North Main St., owned by Lyman and Lyman. Attorney Nathan Lyman will remove and restore 10 windows on the third floor, six more on the rear and will recoat the roof. Lyman will also repair the green-painted plywood panels on the first floor façade and scrape, prime and repaint the interior of the first and second floor hallways and stair treads.
59 North Main Street, owned by Corey and Marilyn Black. The owners will remove damaged mortar and repoint the south and west façades. Any damaged bricks will be replaced.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 24 June 2013 at 12:00 am
John Robinson, a quad-amputee, is riding the Erie Canal
Photos by Tom Rivers – John Robinson of Albion leads caravan of bike riders, including his son Owen, front left, to a reception outside the former Albion Grammar School, which is now used for senior apartments and services for The Arc of Orleans County and senior citizens.
John Robinson addresses about 50 people at a reception organized by The Arc of Orleans County. Robinson was presented proclamations by Orleans County Legislator Bill Eick, a representative for State Sen. George Maziarz and State Assemblyman Steve Hawley.
ALBION – John Robinson pushed a 3-wheeled adaptive hand cycle 27 miles today in the hot sun.
Robinson doesn’t have any arms or legs. But he kept the recombinant hand cycle moving.
He is on a journey for 16 days across the 363-mile Erie Canal, a trip he is doing to raise awareness for people with disabilities and promote adaptive sports for amputees.
“No matter what your age, no matter what your ability, no matter how tired or how discouraged you may feel, we can all do it,” Robinson told about 50 people during a reception in his honor at Albion. “We can get up and get moving and achieve.”
Robinson is joined on the trip by his wife of 19 years Andrea, their 15-year-old daughter and 9-year-old son. Robinson’s son suggested the canal trip for his father, CEO of “Our Ability,” an organization that strives to connect people with disabilities to job and educational opportunities.
John Robinson and his wife Andrea were presented this quilt featuring local historical sites by Nicole Tuohey, second from right, and Erica Francis, who participate in the day rehabilitation program at The Arc.
Robinson believes the canal is a great symbol of determination and bold risk-taking by the state and U.S. officials nearly two centuries ago.
“The canal is an absolute hidden gem in New York State,” said Robinson, who lives in Albany. “It’s a symbol for economic development. But why not use it today for education and employment?”
Robinson trained the past four months for his trek across the canal. He was greeted by many consumers in The Arc of Orleans County today outside the former grammar school. He also was presented gifts from the Arc, including a quilt made by people in the day rehabilitation program. The quilt features historical scenes from the Albion area.
Local political leaders also presented Robinson with proclamations. State Assemblyman Steve Hawley, State Sen. George Maziarz and the Orleans County Legislature praised Robinson for his “extraordinary ability to connect, inspire and achieve.”
The Arc of Orleans was pleased to host Robinson, said Kellie Spychalski, The Arc executive director.
“He is very inspiring to a lot of people, whether they are people we serve or a member of our staff,” Spychalski said.
Robinson traveled with family and friends from Lockport to Albion today. He starts day three of trip tomorrow in Albion, beginning at about 8:30 a.m. at the Main Street lift bridge and heading east to Spencerport.
For more information, check Robinson’s web site by clicking here.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 24 June 2013 at 12:00 am
Photos by Tom Rivers
The Western New York Hispanic American Veterans Monument was dedicated June 14 in Buffalo at the Naval and Military Park. It’s the seventh monument in the country that honors the sacrifice and service of Hispanic Americans in the military.
The monument is in front of the Buffalo and Erie County Naval Park which features the destroyer USS The Sullivans, the guided missile cruiser the USS Little Rock and the submarine USS Croaker.
BUFFALO – Sunday afternoon I visited the Naval Park for the first time. It was part of an excursion for Scouts from Pack 164 in Albion. My son is in this group and we ventured off to tour a destroyer, a guided missile cruiser and a submarine.
The Naval Park is a spectacular experience, exploring the close confines of these massive ships. Congratulations to the people of Buffalo and Erie County who welcomed these ships, preserved them and turned them into mega-attractions.
Buffalo’s historic canal is a block from the Naval Park and the city is working to develop heritage attractions by the “Commercial Slip.” They have guided historical tours – on boats. It was an inspiring spectacle on a hot Sunday afternoon.
There is also a growing row of memorials at the Naval Park. The newest one was dedicated on June 14. The Western New York Hispanic American Veterans Monument features two life-sized bronze figures of both a male and a female soldier paying tribute to a fallen hero.
It’s only the seventh monument dedicated in the country to Hispanic American members of the military. There also is an impressive monument to Polish Americans who served in the military as well as several other memorials. The park wants to have a monument in honor of the veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars.
I was impressed by the Hispanic American monument. The statues are set on an octagon-shaped granite stone with an engraved phrase, “In gratitude to all Hispanic-American Veterans for their service.”
On the other side are the five engraved emblems of all the Armed Forces: Army, Air Force, Navy, Marines and Coast Guard.
I like monuments with bronze statues. I think the likeness of a person draws people in and makes a personal connection. I saw lots of people stopping at the site.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 23 June 2013 at 12:00 am
Photo by Tom Rivers
KNOWLESVILLE – The field next to the Orleans County 4-H Fairgrounds is dotted with bales of hay today. The fair makes its annual run on July 22-27 in Knowlesville.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 23 June 2013 at 12:00 am
15 died in Albion in 1859 while watching a wire walker
Wikipedia photo
Nik Wallenda should add the Erie Canal to a growing list of famed sites that he has crossed on a high wire.
A year ago he conquered Niagara Falls, walking across the raging river on a high wire. Tonight, Nik Wallenda will attempt to clear the Grand Canyon while suspended 1,500 feet above the Colorado River Gorge.
I wish him well. Nik is an inspirational person, full of daring and courage.
I want him to come to Albion to do the longest wire walk on water. He could add the Erie Canal to his list of famed attractions that he faced down.
The calm canal is hardly the Niagara Falls or the Grand Canyon. The man-made waterway, which opened in 1825, isn’t a deep descent into the abyss. But the canal would lend itself to a long line of spectators. We could put stakes in the canal to hold the wire and Wallenda could walk a mile or more above the water, ending the walk at the Main Street lift bridge. I think he could start the walk by the Gaines Basin canal bridge and head east to the village. We could pack tens of thousands of people along the way.
Nik Wallenda should come walk the Erie Canal in Albion, ending at the journey at the Main Street lift bridge, where tragedy struck 154 years ago.
This isn’t just a crowd-pleasing initiative.
A Wallenda walk would bring a positive to a community that is home to one of the worst canal tragedies ever. It involves a wire walk from Sept. 28, 1859.
There was a bit of a wire-walking frenzy back then. Jean Francois Gravelet, “The Great Blondin,” walked across the Falls on a tight rope on June 30, 1859. A bunch of copycats sprang up, including one in Albion three months later during the county fair. The wooden Main Street bridge was packed with 250 people and five horses to watch a wire walker cross the canal just west of the bridge.
The wire walker didn’t get far before the bridge gave out from the weight of all the people and the horses. At least 15 people died, many of them children and young adults.
This tragedy wasn’t noted in the community until 2002, when the Orleans County Historical Association put a marker just west of the canal. The marker didn’t have enough room for the names of the people who died that day.
This historical marker acknowledges a horrific day in Albion’s history.
I think there should be a bigger memorial, with the names of the victims from this horrific accident. This was Albion’s most tragic day ever.
I’d like Nik to come and help us dedicate a fitting memorial to these folks. I think a nice fountain between the two lift bridges could serve as a memorial and a much-needed beautification project along the canal. If the fountain was between the lift bridges, it would also be visible from Platt Street, providing additional aesthetic benefit to the village and local residents.
The names of the people who died could be listed on a big sandstone slab or perhaps on a memorial sandstone walkway that could go around the fountain.
I put word out to Nik’s team about this project last summer, and he was reportedly “intrigued.” I haven’t pestered him because I knew he was focused on the Grand Canyon.
A memorial fountain would be highly visible from land and water along the canal bank at the end of Platt Street. The sign should be removed to make way for a fountain and memorial site for the victims of the 1859 bridge collapse.
I think now is the time for Albion community to try to entice him here, to help us pay our respects to people in a sad chapter of our history. Nik would be a part of Albion’s rebirth, helping a community that honors its heritage.
I’d like one of the local businesses or perhaps the Village Office to create a giant invitation for Nik. Let’s have hundreds, maybe thousands, of people sign it and we’ll get it to him. As a community we also need to commit ourselves to a fitting memorial for these people from Sept. 28, 1859.
Here are some of their names:
Perry G. Cole, aged 19, Barre.
Augusta Martin, aged 18, Carlton.
Mrs. Ann Viele, aged 36, Gaines.
Edwin Stillson, aged 16, Barre
Joseph Code, aged 18, Albion
Lydia Harris, aged 11, Albion
Thomas Handy, aged 66, Yates
Sarah Thomas, aged 10, Carlton
Harry Henry, aged 22
Ransom S. Murdock, aged 17, Carlton
Adelbert Wilcox, aged 17, West Kendall
Sophia Pratt, aged 18, Toledo, Ohio
Thomas Aulchin, aged 50, Paris, C.W.
Jane Lavery, Albion
(To read news accounts of the tragedy, click here.)
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 23 June 2013 at 12:00 am
Photo by Tom Rivers
ALBION – I have quite a stock of photos of St. Joseph’s Catholic Church and the First Baptist Church, pictured together in Albion. They’re side by side on West Park Street.
But this morning, while walking on Main Street in front of the courthouse lawn, I noticed a new angle that shows three of Albion’s historic churches in the same photo.
The Episcopal Church is in front in the center. It’s the oldest church in Albion, dating back to 1830. In the back right is the spire for the Baptist Church, a building that went up in 1860. St. Joseph’s at the left was constructed in 1896.
The three churches are part of the Courthouse Square Historic District, which includes 33 buildings, seven churches in all, that are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 22 June 2013 at 12:00 am
Photos by Tom Rivers – Sal DeLuca and his son Seth are all smiles on the graduation stage.
Kellie Spychalski hands her son Daniel his diploma.
HOLLEY – For 103 of the 108 Holley graduates in today’s commencement, John Heise handed them their diplomas when they walked across the stage.
Heise is the Board of Education president. He happily stepped aside five times today so other board members could present diplomas to their graduating family members.
Four members of the board handed their diplomas to sons, while Norm Knight presented the high school diploma to his granddaughter.
“It’s a very good perk,” said Sal DeLuca, a BOE member who presented the diploma to his son Seth. Last year DeLuca handed the diploma to his second son Zach. DeLuca’s oldest son Josh graduated before Sal was on the board.
“It’s a great thing,” DeLuca said about the honorary role at graduation.
Anne Winkley surprises her son Nicholas by presenting him with his diploma.
Kellie Spychalski presented her son Daniel with his diploma, while Anne Winkley handed the diploma to her son Nicholas. Robin Silvis presented the diploma to her son Michael, who also is the class president.
Winkley is completing her first year on the board. She said the opportunity to present her son with his diploma was something she relished.
“It was a big surprise to him,” Winkley said.
Norm Knight was summoned to the stage to present the diploma to his granddaughter Starlyt Knight.
Michael Silvis gave his mother a big hug in front of the crowd of about 1,000 people.
“It was really special to have my mom hand me my diploma,” he said.
The BOE did something new in today’s graduation. The board normally sits with the faculty. But this graduation it formed a receiving line and shook the graduates’ hands after they walked off stage.
DeLuca said the BOE is particularly close with this class because several members are parents of graduates.
“We’ve really got to know these kids,” DeLuca said.
Norm Knight gives his granddaughter Starlyt her diploma and a kiss on the cheek.
Robin Silvis and her Michael walk off the stage together during graduation today.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 22 June 2013 at 12:00 am
Photos by Tom Rivers – Randy Andrews won the Karen Kane and Karen Cobb wrestling award for demonstrating heart and a “never quit” attitude during the wrestling season.
Brenna DeFelice is recognized for winning a Holley Sports Booster Scholarship.
HOLLEY – They were honored for academic excellence, prowess on sports fields, compassion to others and community service.
Many Holley graduates today received scholarships from the local community, awards ranging from $25 to $500. Altogether, local organizations and benefactors shared $15,000 in scholarships with students.
It was an impressive spectacle, all the awards in memory of friends, family and community leaders.
The list grows each year. One new scholarship for $200 is in memory of Eugene “Butch” Weader. He was a popular local resident and Hulberton’s unofficial mayor. He died June 16. The scholarship is funded by the VFW Eastern Orleans Memorial Post 202 and is given to a graduate entering the armed forces.
During commencement this morning, each scholarship winner was announced and stood before the crowd of about 1,000 people. The long list of scholarships showed the strong support of the local community for the students.
Zach Clark stands and is acknowledged for winning a $50 scholarship in memory of Butch Drennen. The scholarship is funded by Drennen’s family for a graduate going into auto technology.
Deanna Sommerfeldt won a $500 scholarship in memory of Richard Martin for displaying an exceptional work ethic.
Will Barniak won a $200 scholarship in memory of Noel Lutes given by the Lutes family for a soccer player who shows the most heart.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 22 June 2013 at 12:00 am
Dobbins Lane in Erie, Pa., remains a Medina sandstone street. The city considers the street a historical treasure. Medina native A.G. Irons posted these photos on Facebook earlier today.
Medina sandstone was used to build massive churches, government buildings and beautiful homes in the mid-1800s and early 1900s.
The local stone had other more pedestrian purposes. It was heavily quarried in that era for streets. Most of those thoroughfares were long paved over.
But a few remain. Medina native A.G. Irons, a 1994 Medina graduate, posted photos on Facebook today of a sandstone street that has been preserved in Erie, Pa. A historical marker notes the prominence of Medina sandstone for Erie streets more than a century ago.
Locally, I know of only one sandstone street: Beaver Alley in Albion. This street was recreated nearly a decade ago when routes 98 and 31 were dug up and rebuilt. Some of the sandstone blocks that were unearthed from that project were reset in Beaver Alley.
Photo by Tom Rivers – Beaver Alley in Albion is pictured after a dusting of snow earlier this spring.
I hear complaints from some folks about this street, that it’s bumpy and hard to drive on. But kudos to then-Mayor Ed Salvatore and the village officials at that time for working to promote our sandstone heritage.
I think we should put in some sandstone crosswalks and utilize this stone in other public places, perhaps swapping out some concrete sidewalks with sandstone ones in our historic districts.
It was a nice surprise to see an out-of-state city – Erie, Pa. – keep one of their old sandstone streets intact.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 22 June 2013 at 12:00 am
Photos by Tom Rivers – State Supreme Court Judge Richard Dollinger took off his black robe and donned a Holley football shirt during his commencement address today at Holley. Pictured in back, from left: Superintendent Robert D’Angelo, Board of Education President John Heise and Principal Susan Cory.
Sonia Mendoza accepts her diploma from John Heise, president of the Board of Education.
Caleb Diep and the Holley High School Chorus sing “A Hundred Years.”
HOLLEY – Why is Holley called Holley? State Supreme Court Justice Richard Dollinger asked 1,000 people at Holley Commencement that question this morning.
Someone shouted out that the village was named for a canal commissioner. Correct. Myron Holley was influential in seeing to the completion of the western section of the canal. The Holley community changed its name from Salt Port to Holley in honor of the canal leader.
Dollinger was keynote speaker during Holley’s graduation. The former state senator from Monroe County said Myron Holley left a legacy by committing himself to a cause bigger than himself.
Dollinger spoke about the power of names and titles. Holley seniors are now graduates. In the future they should aspire to be friends, spouses and parents. They may become firefighters, teachers, nurses, farmers and coaches.
“These are names that will define you,” he said.
The Holley grads also share a title: “Americans.” Dollinger sang part of “The Star-Spangled Banner,” and he urged the 108 graduates in the Class of 2013 to use that song as a battlecry to step up and serve their community and country as Americans.
Valedictorian Josh Hatfield urges his classmates to “aim high.”
Valedictorian Josh Hatfield also challenged his classmates to “aim high” and not give up. The students owe it to their families, to their teachers and to themselves to work hard and strive for excellence.
Hatfield quoted famous lines from several popular films during his speech. He ended with a quote from Uncle Ben in Spider Man. Ben told his nephew Peter Parker: “With great power comes great responsibility.”
Salutatorian Steven Dill said the Holley graduates can take some time for adventure before committing to adulthood.
Steven Dill, the salutatorian, addresses the crowd.
“Don’t stress out because you’re going to college, getting a job or have no plans whatsoever,” Dill said.
The graduates can begin the next phase of their lives knowing Holley will always be home, said Class President Michael Silvis. He said students have been nurtured by a caring community.
Class President Michael Silvis welcomes the crowd of about 1,000 people today at Holley’s soccer field.
The Class of 2013 announced several gifts for the school, including a new bench by the middle-high school and a Holley Hawks flag to fly under the American flag by the school.
Class Vice President Kassandra Sutton also said the class will pay for track flags and fence screens by the new track. She thanked the school and community for supporting extensive renovations to middle-high school. The class gifts are intended “to let everyone know the pride we feel as Holley Hawks,” Sutton said.
The Holley Women’s Quartet sings “The Star-Spangled Banner.”
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 22 June 2013 at 12:00 am
ALBION – A friend has let me borrow a high-powered zoom lens for a couple days during graduation weekend. I wandered up to the courthouse tonight to see how the lens would handle this great landmark building.
The dome on the courthouse, built in 1858, is a striking sight coming up Route 98 and from many of the side streets in Albion. The Courthouse District as well as Albion’s downtown are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
I grabbed a photo of Main Street and one of the stained-glass windows at the Pullman Memorial Universalist Church.
