Eddie Hilfiker of Who Dats thankful for life-saving actions

Photos by Tom Rivers: Eddie Hilfiker, guitarist for the Who Dats, attended Saturday’s awards banquet for the Clarendon and Murray fire companies and districts to thank the responders who saved his life on Feb. 8 after he had a heart attack.

CLARENDON – Eddie Hilfiker was packing up his guitars on Feb. 8, 2025 after a three-hour concert at the Clarendon Rec Hall with the Who Dats.

Hulfiker, 74, has played with the popular local band for the past 20 years. The Holley resident has been playing music since he was 13.

John Borello, left, and Ed Hilfiker, guitarists with The Who Dats, perform at the Orleans County 4-H Fair in this photo from July 2015. Hilfiker is an iconic figure locally with the band and is known for his hats while playing with the band.

A cold wintry night made for a smaller-than-expected crowd at the rec hall for a steak dinner and concert. The Who Dats usually bring in lots of people for their concerts.

Hilfiker was the last one in the rec hall’s main room. Everyone else was gone.

There were six people back in the bar, cleaning up.

One of them walked down the hallway to the main room and saw Hilfiker on the floor and unresponsive. The entire group was called and they performed CPR and shocked Hilfiker’s heart with an AED. They called for more help from Mercy Ambulance and other firefighters.

Hilfiker’s heart started beating and he would survive. He was talking with medics as they took him out of the rec hall and to Strong Memorial Hospital.

He would have quadruple bypass surgery and is taking medication for his heart. Hilfiker said he expects to be back performing with the Who Dats soon. He may use a stool while he plays the guitar instead of standing for the entire three to four hours like most of their concerts.

Hilfiker on Saturday attended the annual banquet for the Murray and Clarendon fire companies and districts. Clarendon Fire Chief Bob Freida and Murray Fire Chief Rick Cary presented “Lifesaving” awards to 12 people for their quick response that night. The awards credit the responders for their “fast thinking and swift, professional action on Feb. 8, 2025 leading to the saving another human life.”

The responders hadn’t trained together before as a unit, yet they did everything with precision to save Hilfiker, Freida said.

“The teamwork was amazing,” he said.

The following were recognized on Saturday during a banquet at the Clarendon rec hall for life-saving actions on Feb. 8. pictured from left, in front, include Mercy medic Mike Senebeck, Mercy paramedic Brittani Mack, Murray firefighter Jenna Amering, Murray firefighter Dan Schiavone, Clarendon past chief Jim DeYoung, Murray firefighter Colton Tuttle, East Pembroke firefighter Joey Gibson (grandson of DeYoung), Clarendon Fire Chief Robert Freida, and Murray Deputy Chief Peter Hendrickson. In back include: Mercy medic James Fisher, Murray Assistant Chief Kevin Dann, Murray Town Supervisor Gerald Rightmyer, Rochester police officer Liza Dann, Clarendon Town Councilman Chris Caulfield and Fran Gaylord, past chief for Murray.

Hilfiker attended the banquet on Saturday and thanked the responders for being there for him.

“Without them I’d be dead,” Hilfiker said at the Clarendon Rec Hall, where about 225 people attended the annual banquet. “I’m not ready to leave the grandchildren.”

Six people were honored with a “Lifesaving Award” for providing the initial response for Hilfiker. That included 13 minutes of CPR and shocks from an Automated External Defibrillator (AED). That device delivers an electric shock to help restore a normal heartbeat in cases of sudden cardiac arrest.

The six on scene who initially assisted Hilfiker include Murray Deputy Chief Peter Hendrickson, Murray Assistant Chief Kevin Dann, Clarendon Chief Robert Freida, Clarendon Town Councilman Chris Caulfield, Murray Town Supervisor Gerald Rightmyer, and Rochester police officer Liza Dann.

These nine people jumped into action when they arrived on scene to help: Jim DeYoung, past chief from Clarendon; East Pembroke firefighter Joey Gibson, a grandson of DeYoung; from the Murray joint fire district – past chief Fran Gaylord, firefighter Dan Schiavone, firefighter Jenna Amering, and firefighter Colton Tuttle; Mercy paramedic Brittani Mack, Mercy medic James Fisher and Mercy medic Mike Senebeck.

This group is recognized with a “Lifesaving Award” on Saturday. From left include Joey Gibson, Jim DeYoung, Eddie Hilfiker, Bob Freida, Gerry Rightmyer, Chris Caulfield, James Fisher and Mike Senebeck.

Photos by Tom Rivers

CLARENDON – Clarendon held its fourth annual lighted parade on Friday and the caravan included this goat, shown rounding the corner from Route 31A onto Route 237.

These people braved the cold to watch the parade, including a fire truck from the Murray Joint Fire District.

Rebecca Scharping, right, and her mother Jeanette Novak brought a calf and heifer from Clover Hill Acres in Clarendon.

Gavin Mosher wore the Grinch costume and got a ride from Justin McCormack. Gavin is the in the Early Act service club at Holley for students in grades 4-6. McCormack’s son Landon also is in Early Act. Gavin handed out onions instead of candy in his role as the Grinch.

The Holley Interact Club had about 30 junior high and high school students in the parade.

Boy Scouts in Troop 59 carried flags in the parade. James Shaw is holding the American flag high while Logan Lane carries the troop flag.

This girl wears a Santa hat while watching a Clarendon fire truck pass by on 237 in front of Crosby’s.

Girl Scouts had a float decorated with many lights.

The Girl Scouts had fun despite the freezing temperatures.

This float was decorated in a Pokémon theme.

After the parade, people gathered at the Clarendon museum to meet Santa. Here Santa greets Rylie Ierlan, 2, who is joined by her grandmother, Melissa Ierlan, the parade coordinator.

Dustin Reisman, 7, and his sister Harper, 5, of Holley met Santa. Dustin said he would like Legos for Christmas while Harper asked for a Barbie Dream House.

Provided photo

CLARENDON – Melissa Ierlan, the Clarendon historian and code enforcement officer, stands with a fiberglass ox that was delivered to the town on Wednesday.

The town paid for the ox and the delivery charges from Texas, using ARPA federal funds from the American Rescue Plan Act. It will be painted and on display at the town hall as part of Orleans County’s bicentennial in 2025.

The first ox was painted during the Orleans County 4-H Fair in late July by artist Stacey Kirby Steward.

Ierlan said town officials are discussing the theme for the ox. She is leaning towards a Carl Akeley theme in honor of Clarendon’s native son who was a world famous taxidermist  and conservationist. He was instrumental in creating the first national park in Africa.

Akeley grew up on Hinds Road in Clarendon, when he started “stuffing” birds and small animals. He made ground-breaking advances in taxidermy. The Akeley Hall of African Mammals includes many of Akeley’s elephants, lions, rhinos and gorillas. They are displayed in New York City at the American Museum of Natural History.

Anyone with other ideas for painting the ox can send Ierlan an email at clarendon_hs@yahoo.com.

Ierlan said oxen were instrumental in helping the pioneers settle in Orleans County. She recalled visiting Ida Cook when she was 106 and she shared how her ancestors came to Orleans County, with only their children, an ox and a cart.

CLARENDON – An emergency culvert replacement has been completed on Upper Holley Road and the roadway has reopened to traffic this afternoon.

The county hired Keeler Construction of Barre last month to replace the culvert after an inspection showed a partial culvert pipe failure.

The road was closed to traffic on June 10, between New Guinea Road and Cook Road.

CLARENDON – Three months after he allegedly entered a Crosby’s in Clarendon with a gun and took money out of a register, a Clarendon man has been charged with armed robbery.

Henry W. Horton, 31, of Clarendon was charged on Jan. 17 by State Police, which were assisted by other law enforcement agencies. In addition to robbery in the second degree, Horton has been charged with criminal use of a firearm in 2nd degree, menacing in the 2nd and petit larceny.

Horton also is a suspect in multiple robberies in the Monroe County area. On Oct. 17, state troopers responded to Crosby’s on Holley Byron Road for an armed robbery. Investigation determined that an unidentified suspect, later identified as Horton, entered Crosby’s with a firearm and demanded money. Horton took cash out of the register and a few packs of Newport cigarettes, State Police said in a news release.

Utilizing multiple investigative resources and working with Monroe County Sheriff’s Office multiple warrants were issued for the arrest and search of Horton. The State Police Special Operations Response Team did a search and arrested Horton at a residence in Albion. He was transported to the State Police barracks in Albion for processing and arraigned at the Orleans County Jail, where he is held on $50,000 cash or $100,000 bond.

The Bureau of Criminal Investigation were assisted by the State Police Special Operations Response Team, Monroe County Sheriff’s Office, Gates Police Department, Albion Police Department, Medina Police Department, Orleans County District Attorney’s Office and Monroe County District Attorney Office.

Photos by Tom Rivers

CLARENDON – Michael Klatt drives a 1947 Ford 2N tractor and pulls a small trailer with his three children and his mother, Susan Colby, who is the Clarendon town clerk.

They were in Clarendon’s third annual lighted parade on Friday night. The route started at the fire hall on 31A, went through the town’s main intersection, and took a right turn onto Route 237, and then a left on Church Street to the Historical Society.

There will be a lighted tractor parade in Barre today at 5:30, starting on Route 98 at East Barre Road and going north on 98 to the Barre Town Park.

Albion has a lighted parade at 6:30 p.m. starting at Dubby’s Tailgate on Platt Street. The route for “Santa’s Hometown Parade” then goes on East Avenue, turns right on Main Street, until another right on Bank Street, and one more right on Platt Street and ends at Dubby’s.

Painted Sky Ranch brought about a dozen horses for the parade. Here they are headed down Church Street.

These Girl Scouts were in the parade and also promoting their upcoming cookie sale.

These scouts led off the parade.

The Grinch greeted people along the route and gave them an onion instead of candy.

The Cub Scout Pack 3062 enjoyed the parade in warm temps of about 50 degrees.

Clarendon Town Supervisor Richard Moy and his wife Sandy rode in the parade on an RTV. Moy said he is thrilled to see turnout grow for the event. The Moys gave away candy bars to kids and some adults along the route.

Sheriff Chris Bourke participated in the parade.

A Clarendon fire truck was decked out in lights for the procession.

After the parade people gathered at the Clarendon Historical Society to meet Santa and have hot chocolate.

Santa meets with Adam Pahman of Clarendon. Adam’s family also was in the parade with a horse from Showdown’s Ranch.

Raymond Kingdollar, 7, of Clarendon whispers his Christmas wish to Santa: “hunting stuff.”

Audrey Penna, 7 months, meets Santa for the first time.

Gov. Kathy Hochul announced $100 million in road improvement projects in counties throughout the state, including a $1.6 million repaving of about 8 miles of Route 31A in Orleans County from Route 98 to Hulberton Road in Clarendon.

The $100 million statewide incudes 66 repaving projects, totaling almost 568 lane miles of pavement.

“From a devastating blizzard to historic flooding, we are living in a time of record-breaking weather events which have left many roads across New York State in need of repair and rejuvenation,” Hochul said in a news release this afternoon. “This $100 million will lengthen the lifespan of dozens of roads across the State, making them more resilient in the face of future extreme weather conditions.”

The current $32.9 billion State Department of Transportation five-year capital plan, inclusive of federal formula funds from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, provides historic funding for road and bridge repair and modernization, and this critical infrastructure funding will help restore hundreds of lane miles of highway impacted by extreme weather, Hochul said.

In Genesee County, the funding announced today includes $2.2 million to resurface Route 33 from the City of Batavia to the Village of Corfu in the towns of Batavia and Pembroke.

Photos courtesy of Melissa Ierlan

CLARENDON – Vern Fonda, an environmental conservation police officer, holds a Great Horned Owl that was injured on Friday. The owl was in a quarry in Clarendon owned by Heidelberg Materials, Aggregates and Concrete (the former Hanson Aggregates site).

Quarry workers called the Department of Environmental Conservation to report there was an injured owl in quarry.

The owl was skittish of Fonda and quarry workers and was hiding in a crevice of the quarry. Fonda tossed a T-shirt at the owl, and the bird then clutched that shirt with its talons. Fonda picked the owl up using leather gloves. He put the bird in a cardboard box with ventilation.

The owl was docile once in the dark cardboard box. The Great Horned Owls are nocturnal. This owl was probably disoriented from being out in the bright sunshine, Fonda said.

He then took the owl to Robert Humbert, a wildlife rehabilitator in Wolcottsville.

Fonda speculated the owl was hunting for mice and likely flew into a stone wall, injuring a wing. Or it may have hit its head and was concussed.

Fonda met the quarry workers from the South Holley Road entrance to the quarry. Fonda said he expects the owl will be released by the wildlife rehabilitator after regaining strength. The rehabilitator has enclosures and will feed the owl while it recovers, Fonda said.

CLARENDON – The Town of Clarendon Highway Department has been awarded a full work zone package through the NYS Local Technical Assistance Program Center – Cornell Local Road Program.

Town Highway Superintendent Tracy Chalker applied for the work zone safety equipment which is funded by a grant through the Governor’s Traffic Safety Committee. The safety equipment includes cones, safety vests, work zone signs, and stop-slow paddles for setting up a proper work zone.

“We know that many agencies have difficulty getting work zone equipment, especially when it’s stolen or damaged due to circumstances beyond their control,” said David Orr, director of the NYS LTAP – Cornell Local Roads Program. “Good work zone signs protect the workers, improve communication with the public, and make the work more efficient by allowing it to be done faster.”

The program is awarding 28 of the work zone packages that are valued at $1,900 each.

Photos by Tom Rivers

CLARENDON – A truck driver from North Carolina sustained minor injuries after going off Route 31A and hitting a tree.

The incident happened at about 12:20 p.m. The driver was transported by Monroe Ambulance to Strong Memorial Hospital.

Law enforcement believes the driver had a medical condition that resulted in the accident, said Lt. Steve Fox of the Orleans County Sheriff’s office.

The tractor-trailer is owned by Dependable Freight Lines of Sacramento, Calif.

The tree may have prevented the vehicle from hitting a house.

The section of Route 31A between South Manning Road and Fancher Road is closed while law enforcement waits for a heavy wrecker to arrive and remove the tractor-trailer.