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Yates official disappointed with opposition to wind turbines by congressman, Ortt, Legislature

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 28 December 2015 at 12:00 am

‘They never came to us and asked our feelings’

Photo by Tom Rivers – State Sen. Robert Ortt attends a meeting at the Barker Fire Hall on Dec. 7 attended by about 200 people. Ortt told that group he would work to defeat a proposed wind turbine project in the towns of Yates and Somerset.

YATES – A Yates town official says he is “really disappointed” with recent public declarations from elected officials against the Lighthouse Wind project.

Wes Bradley, a Yates town councilman, said county legislators, a state senator and congressman did not reach out to Yates officials about the project before making their public comments, denouncing the project. Apex Clean Energy wants to build up to 71 large-scale wind turbines in the two towns.

Bradley said this morning during a Yates year-end meeting that he is most disappointed with the Orleans County Legislature, which voted on Dec. 16 to oppose the project.

Legislators on Aug. 27 said they would hold off on a public stance on the project until after a town-wide wind survey. The wind survey results were presented this morning, with 66 percent of the respondents saying they oppose the project.

“They couldn’t wait 12 days,” Bradley said about legislators and their vote. “They never came to us and asked our feelings.”

County legislators said on Dec. 16 they wanted to get on the record with the Public Service Commission. The deadline for comments was Jan. 6, but was extended on Dec. 16 until Jan. 12.

Legislators said they have heard “the voice of the people” and want to state the county’s opposition to the project to the PSC. Legislators opposed the project that they said would “place commercial wind turbines within this quaint, beautiful Town of Yates,” according to the county resolution.

The Legislature also opposed the state’s Article 10 law, which gives the state the power to site the turbines, not the local government leaders.

Bradley said the Legislature’s talk about “home rule” through Article 10 is “lip service.”

Brad Bentley, a Yates town councilman, also said he was disappointed to see the Legislature come out against the project while it’s in the preliminary scoping stage. All of the studies haven’t been done and Apex Clean Energy hasn’t disclosed the locations and size of the turbines.

“I take issue with the county,” Bentley said. “It seems they want home rule but that’s quite a lot of hypocrisy.”

State Sen. Robert Ortt and Congressman Chris Collins also came out publicly against the proposed Lighthouse Wind project, where the turbines could peak at about 600 feet high.

Ortt was the first to say he opposes the project and will work to defeat it.

“My focus will be to kill the project,” Ortt told about 200 people at a meeting on Dec. 7.

That meeting was organized by Save Ontario Shores, a citizen group opposed to the project by Apex Clean Energy.

“Sen. Ortt has never spoken to us,” Bradley said. “He never asked us our opinion.”

The next day after Ortt’s comments, U.S. Rep. Chris Collins sent a letter to the Department of Defense and Federal Aviation Administration officials expressing concern over the wind turbine project along the Lake Ontario shoreline.

Collins said the project could jeopardize 3,000 jobs at the Niagara Falls Air Reserve Station military operating area.

“Protecting the military missions and jobs supported by the Niagara Falls Air Reserve Station (NFARS) is my main priority,” Collins said in a news release on Dec. 9. “The proposed wind turbine project along the Lake Ontario shoreline has the potential to jeopardize the base’s operations and viability. Any project that puts the base’s future at risk is unacceptable. NFARS has survived a number of closure attempts, and I will continue to do everything in my power to guarantee its doors remain open.”

Bradley said Yates officials were never contacted by Collins and his staff about the issue.

“He never spoke to us and got our input,” Bradley said. “They all made these statements without ever talking to us.”

Taylor Quarles, the development manager for Lighthouse Wind, issued a statement today after the wind survey results were announced. Quarles said the full application hasn’t been submitted. He thanked the Yates Town Board for refraining from judging the project in its early stages.

“The Yates Town Board has taken a very responsible approach in waiting to take a position until all of the relevant information has been collected and submitted as part of the application process, and we encourage others to follow its lead,” Quarles said.

Albion man accused of damaging several sites on West Avenue

Posted 28 December 2015 at 12:00 am

Tracy Damico

Press Release, Albion Police Chief Roland Nenni

ALBION – The Albion Police Department has made an arrest following the investigation of several suspicious conditions that occurred in the early morning hours on Dec. 24.

Several commercial properties, businesses and homes on West Avenue and other locations in the Village of Albion had the outside phone lines, cable lines, camera systems, security systems and water meter lines disabled or otherwise tampered with.

Tracy A. Damico, 51, of 3309 Brown Rd., Albion, was arrested in connection with the damage and tampering of the above listed property. The investigation indicated that Damico targeted the location in retaliation to individuals and business that he felt “wronged him.”

Damico was charged with three counts of criminal tampering in the first degree, one count of criminal mischief in the third degree, and three counts of criminal mischief in the fourth degree.

He was remanded to Orleans County Jail on $10,000 bail. He is to return to Town Court on Wednesday at 10 a.m.

2015 Portraits and Personalities

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 27 December 2015 at 12:00 am

Photos by Tom Rivers

These are some of my favorite “people pictures” from 2015, showing Orleans County residents at work and play, and sometimes in mourning.

The top photo shows Medina Fire Chief Todd Zinkievich hustling down Eagle Harbor Road in Gaines to help at the scene of a fire on April 13. Zinkievich retired from the position, effective Sept. 28.

Greg Martillotta, the middle school band teacher at Albion, leads seventh- and eighth-grade band members during a March 4 All-District Concert.

The Albion music program has been honored the past seven years with national awards through the North American Music Merchants. NAMM has named Albion a “Best Communities for Music Education.”

Casey Costello, a tenor and recent graduate of Nazareth College in Rochester, sings “Danny Boy” during a Celtic celebration of music and dance on March 15 at First Baptist Church in Albion, part of the Eastman at Albion concert series. Costello was given a standing ovation from the crowd after the song.

Frank Sidari of Albion has his photo taken with Boy Scouts in Troop 164 on March 15, during a celebration of his 90th birthday at St. Mary’s Athletic Club. About 200 people attended the party for Sidari, a long-time volunteer with the troop. Mr. Sidari, a World War II veteran, would die about a month later on April 18.

Some teens shoot hoops at dusk on the basketball courts by the Lyndonville Central School on March 24.

Michael Stephenson, pastor of the First Baptist Church in Medina, leads a sunrise service on April 5 in Boxwood Cemetery next to Glenwood Lake. About 25 Christians from Medina churches attended the service on Easter morning. Stephenson spoke of the power of Christ’s resurrection and the hope that provides for the world.

An employee with Genesee Valley Transportation watches the demolition of the Clarendon Street bridge in Albion on April 7. GVT owns the railroad that passes through Albion. The bridge was built 40 years ago and came down in April after being ripped apart from the shears on heavy equipment from Wargo Enterprises, an Akron company specializing in demolition.

About 200 Santas were in Albion in mid-April for the Charles W. Howard Legendary Santa Claus Conference. Many of the conference participants gathered on the steps of the Orleans County Courthouse for a group photo on April 18. They also sang some Christmas carols from the Courthouse steps. Howard started the first Santa Claus School, which he ran in Albion from 1937 until his death in 1966.

Teams of powerful draft horses, with participants from eight states, get ready to compete at 4-H Fairgrounds in the “Pull of Champions.” This team from Michigan waits its turn to pull on April 25. The teams compete in either the lightweight division (3,425 pounds or less for two horses), or the heavyweights for teams that exceed 3,425 pounds.

Union soldiers make a charge on the Confederates during a mock battle April 26 at the GCC’s Medina campus center on Maple Ridge Road. The campus hosted Civil War Encampments the past three years.

John Deere tractors are parked outside St. Joseph’s Catholic Church in Albion on May 12 during the funeral for John Panek, who helped start one of the area’s largest local farms.

Samuel Glushefski, 8, and his brother Jesse Glushefski, 19, finish the Jim Ferris Memorial Race together in a time of 24:57. Holley hosted the race for the 19th time on June 6. The brothers are from Clarence and attend the Old Paths Bible Baptist Church in Clarendon, where several members ran the race and volunteered at a water stop.

The Turtle (Nikolas Greean, 15, of Albion) and Michael Bonnewell, Albion Central School superintendent, watch the Turtle Race on June 13 from their vantage point on the Main Street lift bridge. Volunteers sold more than 900 turtles for the Turtle Race. Proceeds from the race are used to help pay for the two-day Strawberry Festival.

The bishop of the Western New York Diocese for the Episcopal Church spent several hours in Orleans County on June 17, visiting sites in Albion and Medina. The Right Rev. R. William Franklin is pictured with Robert Waters, a member of the St. John’s Episcopal Church in Medina. They are pictured at City Hall in Medina after Waters showed Franklin the Medina Sandstone Hall of Fame. Several Episcopal churches in WNY were built with Medina Sandstone, some nearly 200 years ago. Mr. Waters, a long-time community booster, would die at age 90 on July 29.

Emily Shabazz is excited as she goes to get her diploma during Albion’s commencement on June 26.

Lucas Silvis holds his Holley diploma on June 27 with his mother Robin Silvis, who is a member of the Holley Board of Education.

Bennie Blount, 11, of Medina twirls a sparkler on July 4 before the fireworks went off in Lyndonville.

Ayman Huzair, 21, of Waterport captured first place during the karaoke competition on July 30 at the Orleans County 4-H Fair. Huzair won a $500 prize for his performance, which was a medley of songs from Michael Montgomery, Bruno Mars and Cupid. Huzair welcomed the crowd to join him on stage for the “Cupid Shuffle.” His sisters Salma, 16, and Tamara, 13, both performed, and so did their brother Qasim, 11. The siblings took three of the top 5 spots.

Ed Hilfiker, a member of the Who Dats, performs with the band on July 31 at the main stage of the Orleans County 4-H Fair in Knowlesville.

Phoebe Kirby, left, and Kasey Neal of Albion are delighted with the ride on the Midway on Aug. 1, the last day of the Orleans County 4-H Fair for 2015. About 25,000 people attended the fair during the week.

Jackie Sponaugle of Holley serves as the base for a team called Lyntucky Hicks. Kevin Ginger of Albion is climbing on Sponaugle, trying to be the second person up during grease pole competition at the fair on Aug. 1.

Gary Withey, owner of Fischer’s Newsstand in Albion since 1995, takes care of customer Amanda Harmer on Aug. 17. Withey closed the business on Aug. 30. Fischer’s was part of the community for about a century.

Kirsten Struble, a member of the Albion Cross Country team, and her teammates are enthusiastic boosters on Aug. 22 at Mile 9 in the Metro 10 race in Albion, a 10-mile trek on foot where runners squared off from Rochester versus Buffalo. The cross country team also manned a water stop at the ninth mile on Butts Road. There were about 400 runners in Albion for the debut race, which was won by Rochester.

Susan Rudnicky of Waterport has 40 paintings in watercolors and acrylics in the last show at Marti’s on Main, an Albion art gallery. Rudnicky is pictured on Oct. 1. Kim Muscarella, owner of the gallery, gave artists a place to display their work for the past seven years. She has opted against another season in 2016.

Doug Bower lets out a big laugh on Oct. 24 when he was roasted by Jim Salmon during a benefit at Tillman’s Village Inn. Bower, a plumber in Albion, is co-host of the WHAM Home Repair Clinic with Salmon. Bower provided plenty of material for the sold-out roast, which was a benefit for The Salmon Children’s Foundation. That foundation has donated more than $7,000 to Albion High School graduates in scholarships in memory of Nicholas Kovaleski.

With the sun shining and temperatures at about 70 degrees, many folks were out enjoying the Great Outdoors on Nov. 3. John Paul Simon, 12, (left) and his brother Sharbel, 13, fish in Johnson Creek behind the Yates Community Free Library. They spent much of the day in Lyndonville, fishing and reading at the library while their father, Jim Simon, campaigned for Yates town supervisor.

Winter weather advisory issued for Monday and Tuesday

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 27 December 2015 at 12:00 am

Photos by Tom Rivers The ground was covered in frost on Saturday morning following a cold night. This leaf was on the lawn of the Orleans County Courthouse in Albion.

The National Weather Service has issued a winter weather advisory for Orleans County from 6 p.m. Monday until 10 a.m. Tuesday, when the area could get hit with freezing rain and snow.

The Weather Service says up to 2 inches of snow could fall Monday night, with another inch on Tuesday morning. Untreated roads could be extremely slippery, the Weather Service said.

The advisory was issued for Orleans, Niagara, northern Erie, Genesee, Wyoming and Livingston counties.

The frost on Saturday morning left its mark on lawns in Albion.

After final service, congregation looks for next steps

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 27 December 2015 at 12:00 am

Photos by Tom Rivers – Art Girasole, the preacher this morning at Next Steps of Orleans Ministries, urges the congregation to continue its ministry even though the church held its final service this morning. “The Lord will open up new doors,” said Girasole, a pulpit supply minister for Next Steps.

ALBION – In May 2012, members of the Barre Center Presbyterian Church held a vote whether to break away from the Presbyterian Church USA. Many of the members were concerned the denomination was becoming increasingly liberal.

In 2010, the denomination’s General Assembly decided to allow non-celibate homosexuals to serve in church positions and receive ordination.

That was the last straw for some of the members of the Barre Center church. About 90 people voted whether to leave the PC (USA), and the vote narrowly called for staying in the denomination. (That year 110 churches were granted dismissal from Presbyterian Church USA and 86 other churches were dissolved.)

Some of the Barre Center members were so distressed with the denomination’s direction that they made the decision to leave a church many had been attending for decades and start a new church, Next Steps of Orleans Ministries.

The new church met for the first time at the home of Mark and Lois Chamberlain. By June 2012, it was meeting in a room at the Arnold Gregory Memorial Complex, the former hospital at 243 South Main St. The new church also aligned with the Evangelical Presbyterian Church.

About 30 members left the Barre Center church. About a dozen have been dedicated participants of the Next Steps ministry, attending Sunday services at 10 a.m.

The church has had five different pulpit supply preachers in 3 ½ years.

“We’re not large enough to have our own full-time pastor,” said Lynn Goetz, one of the Next Steps members.

Next Steps also didn’t want to pull from other congregations. The Next Steps membership didn’t grow, and the church held its final service this morning.

The Next Steps members say they will get together for regular Bible studies and want to have a reunion at least annually. Some of the members say they will visit other local churches and look to join a congregation.

Art Girasole, a seminary student from Orchard Park, has been a pulpit supply preacher for Next Steps the past six months. He gave the sermon today. He told the Next Steps members they will be a blessing to the churches they attend.

Lynn Goetz leads the Next Steps congregation in singing, “God Be With You.”

Next Steps was a mission group of the Lancaster Evangelical Presbyterian Church. Ed Carlson attended the final service. He is a member of the church in Lancaster.

“It’s exciting to think what the Lord will do as you disperse,” Carlson told the group.

Dick Tucker has been one of the Next Steps leaders. He said the Next Steps members are seeking God’s grace as the church closes and the members pursue the next steps of their lives, trying to find new church families.

Next Steps also has chairs, tables, and an electric piano it would like to give to organizations in the community. The lectern at Next Steps was donated after today’s service to The Villages of Orleans, the former county nursing home, for its Sunday church services.

Don Joslyn, one of the Next Steps members, shares during the final service of the church this morning. Joslyn said he and other Next Steps members will be visiting other local congregations, looking to connect and contribute to other local churches.

Orleans lakeshore towns will be focus of revitalization plan next year

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 26 December 2015 at 12:00 am

File photos by Tom Rivers – A full moon was out, opposite of the setting sun on May 3 at Point Breeze. This photo was taken at the shoreline in front of the lighthouse, looking east.

CARLTON – The state is giving $40,000 to update a plan for about 25 miles of waterfront in Orleans County, the Lake Ontario shoreline towns of Kendall, Carlton and Yates.

The three towns worked together on a waterfront revitalization plan in 2002. Some big projects have happened since then including the sale of a former Salvation Army Camp in Kendall and its new use as the Cottages of Troutburg, a 126-acre site with seasonal homes.

The Oak Orchard Lighthouse Committee also formed in 2003 to rebuild a replica of a historic lighthouse at the Oak Orchard Harbor. The project was completed in 2010.

In Yates, The Town Board also developed a new town park on Morrison Road on land that was once owned by New York State Electric and Gas. Apex Clean Energy also wants to build large-scale wind turbines in Yates.

The three towns have expanded public water lines since the last revitalization plan.

The Orleans County Planning Department will lead the efforts to update the Kendall-Yates-Carlton Local Waterfront Revitalization Program. The funds will go towards updating the waterfront plan for the three towns, providing new data on current conditions, policies, and implementation tools and projects.

This photo of the Oak Orchard Lighthouse was taken in early December. Construction of the lighthouse was completed in 2010. It is a replica of one from 1876. That lighthouse toppled over (it used to be at the end of the pier) in a windstorm in 1916. The lighthouse is a new addition to the shoreline since the last plan in 2002 for the Kendall-Yates-Carlton Local Waterfront Revitalization Program.

There will be several public meetings for residents to comment on the amended development plan, said Jim Bensley, the county’s Planning Department director.

He said the first plan developed by the three towns is a “true example of intermunicipal cooperation.”

Issues to be addressed include community revitalization, erosion, transportation infrastructure, water quality, and harbor management.

About 12.5 miles of the Lake Ontario State Parkway stretch into the towns of Kendall and Carlton. The three towns all have popular fishing tributaries, including Johnson Creek, the Oak Orchard River and Sandy Creek.

“Next year we will start working on this in earnest,” Bensley told the Orleans County Planning Board last week. “There will be a huge public participation component for the three towns.”

Orleans County Legislator Ken DeRoller, R-Kendall, was chairman of the first three-county plan.

“This will be an opportunity to revisit the plan and make some enhancements,” said DeRoller, who pushed for the new grant to update the plan.

To see the existing plan from 2002, visit www.ny.gov.

Orleans chairman among well-wishers for retiring Niagara County leader

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 26 December 2015 at 12:00 am

Provided photo – Orleans County Legislature Chairman David Callard, left, spoke at a Niagara County Legislature meeting earlier this month when Bill Ross, right, was recognized for a long career in public service, including a record 12 years as chairman of the Niagara County Legislature.

LOCKPORT – Niagara County may be much bigger than its neighbor to the east, Orleans County, but Niagara leaders have proven to be great friends to Orleans, said David Callard, chairman of the Orleans County Legislature.

A two-county partnership, the Niagara-Orleans Regional Alliance, has helped both counties advance projects, including a push for broadband Internet coverage in rural pockets of the counties, a joint effort to collect e-waste (household electronics) and also fight a plan for regulating the Lake Ontario water levels.

Callard said Bill Ross, the Niagara County Legislature chairman, was a strong supporter of the two-county effort. Ross, 82, is retiring on Dec. 31 after a 30-year career in elective office. He also worked nearly a half century as a teacher and coach.

“He was able to work with anybody and everybody,” Callard said about Ross. “He has such a dynamicism.”

Ross has been to Albion several times to address the Orleans County Legislature. In April, Callard and the Orleans legislators presented Ross with a “Special Recognition Award” for his efforts with NORA, the two-county alliance.

Photo by Tom Rivers – Niagara County Legislature Chairman Bill Ross accepts a “Special Recognition Award” in April from David Callard and the Orleans County Legislature.

Niagara County has 216,469 residents, compared to 42,883 in Orleans, according to the 2010 Census.

Ross during a June 2014 visit to the Orleans County Legislature meeting said he sees the two-county partnership paying dividends for Niagara and Orleans.

“It’s been a tremendous marriage and I only see it getting better in the future,” Ross said during that meeting.

Niagara had an alliance with Erie County, but Ross said that fell apart. Orleans officials have been far more receptive and the two counties seem to have more in common as southshore Lake Ontario counties with lots of rural landscape.

“This is just the beginning of NORA,” Ross said about the alliance. “It’s been successful and it will be successful because of the people involved in it.”

Callard attended a Niagara County Legislature session on Dec. 1 and spoke during the meeting about his appreciation for Ross and his inclusive leadership style.

“We can share the problems and solve the problems,” Ross said during an April meeting of the Orleans County Legislature. “I can’t see a better partnership than with Orleans County.”

Charlie Howard helped bring magic to Christmas

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 25 December 2015 at 12:00 am

Photo courtesy of Albert Scalzo

ALBION – Albert Scalzo was 4 years old when he sat on Santa’s lap and shared his wish list for Chrstmas. That was in 1955 when Scalzo visited Santa at Christmas Park in Albion.

Charlie Howard developed the site on Phipps Road. He is pictured portraying Santa. Howard ran the world’s first Santa School in Albion from 1937 until 1966. After his death in 1966, the school was moved to Michigan. The school continues to bear his name.

Scalzo now lives on Porter Road in Medina. He sent in the photo.

“It was Christmas 60 years ago that I had the opportunity to sit on Charlie Howard’s knee,” Scalzo wrote in an email. “It was a great time to be part of our local history.”

Historians have several projects in the works

Posted 25 December 2015 at 12:00 am

Photograph courtesy of Holly Canham, taken November 19, 2015 following the meeting of municipal historians. Standing (l-r): Adrienne Daniels, Matthew Ballard, Dawn Metty, Ian Mowatt, and Neil Johnson. Seated (l-r): Melissa Ierlan, Al Capurso. Missing: Todd Bensley.

By Matthew Ballard
Orleans County Historian

Volume 1, Issue 39

Issue 39 marks the end of the first volume of this column. Although February marks the conclusion of my first full year as County Historian, I am amazed at the progress I have witnessed over the last 10 months. Orleans County is fortunate to have the backing of a core group of very active historians and enthusiasts who continue to devote all of their extra time to the promotion of our heritage.

On Nov. 19, we held a meeting of the local municipal historians at the Hoag Library’s Local History Room. The last gathering of this group was nearly 10 years prior and with a great deal of transitioning over the several years prior, our hope was to provide a venue for becoming familiar with one another and establishing an opportunity to develop collaborative projects. Naturally, the meeting was a huge success and showed much promise for the development of heritage tourism and local history projects in the county.

I wanted to share a few of the accomplishments of our local historians over the previous year, some highlights of things to come, and introduce our newest historians:

Al Capurso, Town of Gaines, was recently appointed to the post of town historian. With remarkable haste, Al has led efforts with the Orleans County Historical Association to acquire the Gaines District No. 2 Cobblestone Schoolhouse on Gaines Basin Road. With assistance from OCHA members and volunteers, including retired County Historian Bill Lattin, the group has restored front windows and made extensive repairs to the roof. Interior renovations will begin in the spring.

Ian Mowatt, Town of Albion, was recently appointed to the post of town historian this past year.

Melissa Ierlan, Town of Clarendon, as president of the Clarendon Historical Society and with members of that group, including Erin Anheier, have made outstanding progress on preserving the chapel at Hillside Cemetery. Most recently, the group was awarded over $125,000 in matching grant funding to start restoration work at the site.

Adrienne Daniels, Town of Barre, is in the early stages of planning the bicentennial celebration for Barre set to take place in 2018.

Heather Koch, Town of Kendall, was recently appointed to the post of town historian this past year.

Our historians are working collaboratively on updating the 2001 inventory of historic markers compiled by Neil Johnson, our long-tenured Village of Albion Historian, and Bill Lattin. Through the Orleans County Department of History, we would like to make this database of historic sites available for easy access online. Alongside of these efforts, Melissa Ierlan continues to contribute countless volunteer hours towards the restoration of many of our existing blue and gold historic markers.

Over the last year, the County Department of History has developed a website (click here) to catalog this column and host a number of digitized items from the historian’s office.

In 2016, we hope to publish the first edition of The Pioneer Record, a local history publication aimed at preserving the development of Orleans County history across all eras. Thanks to the Drake Memorial Library at SUNY College at Brockport, the publication will be hosted through their Digital Commons and available across the country. My other large project for the 2016 year is to compile a history of Mt. Albion Cemetery, consisting of biographical sketches and photography.

This article, concluding the 2015 year, would fill an entire paper if all of the preservation and heritage exploits were covered. We are a community that is forever dedicated to the continued dissemination of our cultural heritage and the scope of extensive projects occurring in our area is a testament to that. The residents of Orleans County are filled with great ideas for promoting our region and the collaboration that has developed between our “movers and shakers” shows great promise for the future.

Kendall presents multicultural presentation on Christmas Around The World

By Kristina Gabalski, Correspondent Posted 25 December 2015 at 12:00 am

Photos by Kristina Gabalski

KENDALL – Mrs. Petrosino, wife of Kendall Junior-Senior High School Social Studies teacher Joseph Petrosino, describes Christmas in her native Croatia to Kendall students during an assembly Wednesday afternoon in the Jr./Sr. High School auditorium.

With a population that is heavily Roman Catholic, Christmas is an important religious feast day in Croatia, she said.

“We have snow every seven to ten years,” she noted, “which is very nice, actually.”

Croatians also celebrate the Feast of St. Nicholas on Dec. 5 and plant Christmas wheat on the Feast of St. Lucy on Dec. 13. The length of the newly sprouted wheat on Christmas day indicates how much success can be expected in the new year.

Members of the Kendall Senior High Jazz Band perform holiday favorites Wednesday afternoon during a multicultural assembly in the auditorium.

Students heard from members of their own school community about life in other countries of the world – including Christmas celebrations; listened to fellow students perform holiday music; and had the opportunity to participate in the making of calypso music on steel drums with members of the Panloco Steel Drum Band.

Mrs. Mirjam Bauer, a high school counselor who is from the Netherlands, told students about life in her native country as well as their Christmas tradition of Sinterklaas, who visits with gifts on Dec. 5-6 along with his helper Zwarte Piet.

Fellow student Nathalia Quiles Rivera, who came to Kendall from Puerto Rico, told about colorful Christmas lights in her homeland and the “huge” parties that are held outside at this time of year with singing and dancing.

“Here you can’t go outside,” she said. “You literally freeze.”

Nathalia also told how Christmas and Three King’s Day (Epiphany) are important religious feast days in Puerto Rico.

Kendall students join Ted Canning and sons Jon and James of Panloco Steel Drum Band to make music with drums and other West African percussion instruments.

The Kendal Sr. High Jazz Band performed a medley of Christmas songs, and the Panloco Steel Drum Band gave students a taste of West Africa with drumming, as well as Trinidad with calypso steel drum music.

Students were able to play with the band following brief instructions from director Ted Canning, who related the history of the development of the steel drum to students.

Kendall Jr./Sr. High School Students and members of Panloco Steel Drum Band combine to form a “Garbage Band” – Panloco director Ted Canning used the “garbage band” to explain the historical development of the steel drum.

Kendall students were also able to join Panloco playing on steel drums. Director Ted Canning was able to include the students on musical numbers after a brief instruction.