Heather Kelley will take over dance studio in Holley with Lisa Bower-Logsdon to continue as teacher

Photos by Tom Rivers

HOLLEY – Lisa Bower-Logsdon is hugged by Kamryn Berner, one of her faculty choreographers, at the end of Saturday’s recital at the Holley Junior-Senior High School Auditorium. Heather Kelley, second from right, and Caitlin Milizia, the other choreographers on staff, move in to congratulate Bower-Logsdon on her 47-year career as the owner and dance instructor at Lisa’s Dance Boutique in Holley.

“The dance studio became my second home, as I know it was for so many of our students,” Bower-Logdson said. “It was there that I met such wonderful families and made everlasting friendships. Bot now, it is time to pass the torch to capable hands and I am confident that this studio will continue to thrive.”

Lisa Bower-Logsdon thanks the community, the dance families, her staff and her family members for their support in her 47 years of running the dance studio. Her choreographers join her on staff, including from left: Heather Kelley, Kamryn Berner and Caitlin Milizia.

Bower-Logsdon announced her retirement from owning the business at the conclusion of the Saturday night recital and that Heather Kelley will become the new owner. Bower-Logsdon will continue to work as one of the dance instructors.

“It is time to take my final bow,” Bower-Logsdon said at the end recital, which was attended by 650 people.

Bower-Logsdon said Kelley brings a love of dance, children and community. Kelley has coached the Holley cheerleaders and served as a dance instructor at Lisa’s for 27 years. Her dancers are regulars in the finals at the State Fair and one year won a state championship.

“Her passion for dance is unlike anyone I know,” Bower-Logsdon told the crowd about Kelley. “And when it comes to choreographing dance or cheer, she is one of the best.”

Saturday’s show included Bower-Logsdon’s granddaughter, Emilia Logsdon, in the baby tap class. Bower-Logsdon said teaching dance to her granddaughter has been an extra joy this year. Emilia is shown here during the “Baby Take A Bow” number. Emilia is doing leaping toe, back step.

Lisa started her dance studio as a junior in high school, first operating out of the St. Mary’s hall and then the Presbyterian Church before buying a building in the Public Square in 1991. Lisa’s has been there since. This year she had 200 students with most from Holley, Kendall, Albion and Brockport.

Bower-Logsdon said her parents, the late George and Sandy Bower, nurtured her love for dance and urged her to open a dance studio in Holley. Lisa praised her husband Kevin Logsdon for his steady support, including countless hours of maintenance with their building, and she commended her children Lauren and Mike and their families.

Bower-Logsdon said her fellow dance instructors over the years are the “unsung heroes behind the scenes.” They include Jill Bower, Beth Friedo, Caitlin Milizia, Alana Piccirilli, Malia Gardner, Lora Bower and Kamryn Berner. All started dancing at Lisa’s when they were young children.

“Together we’ve laughed, cried and brainstormed choreography,” Bower-Logsdon said. “Your creativity knows no bounds, and you commitment to our dancers has been nothing short of extraordinary. As I retire, I leave you with the legacy of collaboration and camaraderie that defines our studio.”

Lisa Bower-Logsdon sits close to the stage and helps guide a a tap dance from her young dancers. The number was called, “When I Grow Up.”

Caitlin Milizia, 33, has been part of Lisa’s since she was 3. She started as a staff choreographer when she was 17. She drives in from Webster to be part of Lisa’s Dance Boutique.

“She has been my role model for my whole life,” Milizia said. Her love for her dance families doesn’t stop when they leave her studio.”

Milizia had to wipe away tears talking about Bower-Logsdon after the recital.

“She puts forward her love of dance and it’s contagious,” Milizia said. “She puts her whole heart into it.”

Heather Kelley, the new owner of the dance studio, joins some of the dancers, including many alumni, in a number called, “Pass That.”

Kelley said she will continue Bower-Logsdon’s commitment to the community. Like Lisa, Heather has grown up in Holley and wants the dance studio to be a vital part of Holley for years to come.

“This has been my dream ever since I was little,” Kelley said.

These dancers perform “Gotta Be Mine” during the recital on Saturday.

This group performs “Fun” with some gravity-defying moves.

This younger group of dancers sport sunglasses in a number called, “Shades.”

“Dynamite” was one of many dancers with exuberant energy on stage.

“Sugar Sugar” featured dancers in colorful costumes with a lollipop prop.

This group performs M.C. hammer’s “Can’t Touch This” and even wore similar-style baggy pants as the rapper from the early 1990s.

“The Nicest Kids In Town” offered high-energy and upbeat music and moves.

HOLLEY – The Village Board approved a budget on April 30 that increases taxes by 5.5 percent, an amount needed for the village to keep up with services and not keep projects on the back burner, Mayor Mark Bower said.

Mark Bower

The board considered three options for the budget, a tax increase of 5 percent, 5.5 percent or 7 percent.

Bower and the board felt the 7 percent was too much of a burden on the village taxpayers. It went with the 5.5 percent so the village could maintain services and not put things off.

“We didn’t want to impose such a high increase on village residents,” Bower said. “But we have to get back to maintaining our village streets and village-owned properties.”

The $2,509,431 total village budget includes a general fund of $1,673,609, water fund of $554,226, and sewer fund at $281,596.

The village will be collecting $1,078,527 in property taxes, up 5.5 percent from the $1,022,300 in 2023-24.

The tax rate will increase by 3.56 percent from $17.26 to $17.87 per $1,000 of assessed property.

The village saw about $1 million in growth in its tax base, from $59,238,365 to $60,350,244. The community hasn’t gone through a full reassessment like other villages in Orleans County either last year or this year.

Provided photo

HOLLEY – The Holley school district has picked the Holley Rotary Club to receive “A Community Together for Education” or ACT award for its support of Holley students through scholarships and its partnership through service clubs in the school – Rotary Interact at the junior-senior high school and EarlyAct for grades 4-6.

Brian Bartalo, left, the district superintendent, presented the award to Jeff Martin, center, and Josh Mitchell from the Rotary Club.

Holley is part of the Monroe 2-Orleans BOCES and all school districts in the BOCES pick an ACT recipient or “community champion” each year. Last year Holley chose TeacherGeek for its support of STEM projects in the district and also teacher development.

Bartalo attended the canal and community trash pickup event on Saturday led by the Rotary Interact Club. Many Rotarians joined about 100 students in picking up litter in the community.

The district superintendent also noted another big annual effort when about 70 Interact Club students clean headstones at Hillside Cemetery.

Holley Rotary also sponsors many events throughout the school year, Bartalo said.

100-plus hunt down litter; Today’s effort dedicated to Danny Cory, husband of retired Holley principal

Photos by Tom Rivers

HOLLEY – Ryan Seward, a Holley seventh-grader, snags an empty beer can from a  drainage area next to the Holley Pharmacy. He is joined by friends Mason McGuire, top left, and Logan Lane with the trash bag.

They were  among more than 100 Holley students and many other school and community volunteers who were out picking up garbage in Holley’s annual Canal Clean Sweep effort.

Holley makes the event a big effort, with students getting a tie-dyed T-shirt to mark the occasion. Students also get a sense of pride in cleaning up litter in the village and along the canal towpath in the town of Murray and Village of Holley.

Holley Mayor Mark Bower addresses the group at about 10 a.m. in the elementary school parking lot. He thanked them for helping to make the Holley community a better place.

The students split into smaller groups with two adult volunteers in each pod. Elementary students in the Rotary Early Act group picked up litter along the canal. The Early Act Club, for students in grades 4 to 6, is led by Jessica Seaward.

The junior-senior high school students dispersed into different parts of the village, as well as the canal park to hunt down trash.

Before the left, they were welcome to a Paula’s Donut. Holley Rotary Club member Craig Lane picked up 10 dozen donuts early this morning. He has made Paula’s Donuts part of the annual tradition for the canal clean sweep.

Brian Bartalo, the Holley school district superintendent, takes a photo of the large group. Many of the students are in the Holley Interact Club, which is led by advisors Samantha Zelent and Erin Dibble.

“They are very excited about this,” Dibble said about the annual cleanup. “this is our biggest event of the year.”

Dibble and Zelent thanked the students, and many teachers and parents who stepped up as volunteers.

Brian Bartalo also addressed the group before they headed out for about two hours of volunteer service.

The cleanup effort was dedicated to Danny Cory, the husband of retired Holley principal Susan Cory. Mr. Cory passed away unexpectedly on April 22 at age 61 while on a vacation with his wife in Nashville.

Mr. Cory attended numerous Holley school events while his wife was principal. Even though he was proud to be a Le Roy graduate, he became an enthusiastic Holley Hawk.

Kayla Neale, a Holley senior, designed the t-shirt for the annual cleanup day.

The students were on the hunt for trash in the village and along the canal.

Provided photo: Jim Ferris is shown giving maximum effort in a race. Ferris was one of the top runners in the Rochester region in his 40s and early 50s.

HOLLEY – A 5-kilometer walk and run honoring the memory of one of the area’s top runners will be returning to Holley on June 1.

The Holley Rotary Club is organizing the Jim Ferris Memorial 5K. The race is coming back after an absence of several years, going back before the Covid pandemic.

“We’re excited to do it,” said Shannon Brett, the Holley Rotary president. “We want to turn it into a community event.”

The Rotary Club wanted to bring back a 5K and have it be part of Holley’s June Fest. The Rotary Club choose to continue to honor Ferris with the race.

Ferris was one of the top runners in the Rochester region in the late 1980s and early 1990s. He died at age 53 from a sudden heart attack on May 7, 1994.

Ferris was a dominant runner in the master’s division, over age 40, beating fast runners half his age.

Ferris graduated from Holley in 1959. He was a star baseball and basketball player, and scored 38 points in one basketball game, then a school record. He played on the basketball team at Niagara University.

Ferris was in the ROTC program and served with the Army in the Vietnam War. He stayed in the Reserve, retiring as colonel in 1993.

Ferris and his wife Linda lived in Clarendon. They raised two daughters, Carson Ferris-Zeolla and Jane Ferris.

Ferris did not start running competitively until age 43. At age 47, he ran his fastest 5K in 15:44. He averaged between 16 to 17 minutes in most of his races, which are blazing fast times.

For a 10K, 6.2 miles, Ferris ran 32:45 for his fastest at that distance.

Brett said the race will bring people together for an endurance challenge, and also raise money for Rotary to give out to causes in the community.

The course will start and end near the elementary school, and go through part of the village, and Telegraph and Hurd roads.

“It should be a fun race,” Brett said. “We wanted to bring it back.”

The race starts at 9 a.m. For information about registering to participate, click here.

To sponsor the race for $100, which gets your name on the back of the race shirt, send a check to Holley Rotary Club at P.O. Box 224, Holley, NY 14470.

Provided photos

HOLLEY – Zach Busch, the Holley High Band and Jazz director, joins some of his students in holding a trophy Holley won at Music in the Parks competition at Hershey Park.

There were 60 Holley High School Concert Band and Mixed Choir students who traveled to Hershey this past weekend.

The Holley Band earned 1st Place in High School Concert Band Class A, with a “Superior” rating from their score average of 91.75 (of 100). They performed two selections: “The Witch and the Saint” by Steven Reineke and “Americans We” by Henry Fillmore.

The Choir earned 2nd Place in High School Mixed Choir Class A, with an “Excellent” rating from their score average of 86.75 (of 100). They performed two selections: “O Love” by Elaine Hagenberg and “Let Everything That Hath Breath” by Jeffery Ames.

The trip was also highlighted by sight-seeing in Philadelphia, including: the Philadelphia Museum of Art, the Rocky Statue, a Phillies game at Citizens Bank Park, the Liberty Bell, and Reading Terminal Market.

The Holley HS Band and Choir will close out their yearly concerts with their Spring Concert on Thursday, May 30 at 7 p.m. in the Holley MSHS Auditorium.

Photos courtesy of Jessica Greean, Troop Leader for Girl Scout Troop 60916

HOLLEY – There were about 20 young scouts out Saturday morning picking up litter along the Erie Canal in Holley. The Girl Scouts from Troop 60916, and Lion, Tiger, Wolf and Bear Scouts in Cub Pack 62 as well as Webelos braved the windy and chilly temperatures to help clean up the area.

The top photo shows them by murals created by artist Stacey Kirby Steward near the canal gazebo.

Gabriella Greean, a Brownie Scout, was among the scouts on cleanup duty.

These “Scout Dads” include, from left: Zach Reed, Jason Greean, Sam Hackenberg, John Schneider, Adam Wallenhorst and Michael Restivo.

From left include Kelsie Reed, Katie Applegate, Katie Wallenhorst and Parker Wallenhorst.

The group gathers at the canal gazebo in Holley. The effort was part of the annual “Canal Clean Sweep” along the canal system in New York State. There were more than 150 cleanup events along the canal system, including several in Orleans County.

Press Release, Holley Central School

HOLLEY – The Holley school district’s annual senior citizen appreciation breakfast will be on Thursday, May 9, from 9 to 10:30 a.m. in the Holley Elementary Café.

The district would like to thank the senior citizens in the community for all they’ve done and continue to do to support the students and schools. You must be age 55 or older and a resident of the district to attend.

RSVP by Wednesday, May 1, to Connie Nenni in the District Office at 638-6316, ext. 2003. Transportation is available by request.

HOLLEY – The Board of Education on Monday approved a $29,615,000 budget for 2024-25 that would increase the tax levy by 1.49 percent.

The board a month ago was looking at a budget with a 1.99 percent tax increase, but decided to shave off another half percent.

The budget goes to a public vote on May 21 from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. in the foyer of the junior-senior high school.

The board approved the budget with some uncertainty in its state aid because the state budget remains unresolved. The budget deadline was April 1 but the governor and Legislature have approved extenders to fund the government for the short-term.

While some school districts are slated for a decrease in state aid in the governor’s executive budget, Holley’s total state aid would increase by about $600,000, from $20,095,541 to $20,665,520. If the aid in the final budget is more than the amount in the governor’s budget, Zacher said any extra would go in the district’s fund balance.

State aid covers about 70 percent of the school budget. The tax levy accounts for $7,952,214, which is up $116,748 from the 2023-24 budget. Holley is well below is allowable increase under the state-imposed tax cap. Holley could increase taxes by 3.972 percent and still be below the cap, Zacher said. The district can carry over the difference to the 2025-26 budget.

There will be a public hearing about the budget at 6 p.m. on May 7 in the elementary school cafeteria.

Besides the budget, Holley will have propositions for $363,000 to buy one large bus and two small buses; and $206,840 for the Community Free Library.

There will be four seats up for election on the Board of Election including the three-year terms currently filled by Sal DeLuca, Brian McKeon and Anne Smith. There is also the final two years of a term originally for Robin Silvis. Jennifer Reisman was appointed to fill the spot until the election on May 21.

Press Release, First Presbyterian Church of Holley

Philip Benier

HOLLEY – The First Presbyterian Church of Holley is pleased to announce they have called Rev. S. Philip Benier to serve as our pastor beginning April 7.

Rev. Benier has led numerous worship services at the church during the past year and a half as a Pulpit Supply from the Presbytery of Genesee Valley so he is not “new” to Holley.  Rev. Benier is a graduate of Brite Divinity School, Ft. Worth, Texas and worked as the assistant to the Director of the Presbyterian Night Shelter, handling all grant information as well as filing and providing presentations on homelessness in that Texas community.

He served a congregation in Toledo, Ohio prior to coming to the Rochester area where he was associated with Twelve Corners Presbyterian Church in Brighton. His previous background is in banking for 17 years and then he worked in healthcare, assisting individuals with special needs to provide them with the best of care.

The Holley church looks forward to our partnership with Rev. S. Philip Benier and invite everyone to join us on any Sunday morning at 10:30 a.m.  We’re the brick church at the traffic light.  The address is 34 E. Albion Street, Holley.

Come get to know us as we strive to achieve our mission statement: “We are a God-loving, deeply rooted, compassionate, inclusive, charitable church, a symbol of hope, growing in service to our Holley community and beyond.”

Andrea Newman selling posters of painting as fundraiser for Holley festivals

HOLLEY – Andrea Newman, an artist from Holley, created a painting celebrating the upcoming solar eclipse. Holley is in the path of totality and very close to the center line of the eclipse. (The center line will pass over neighboring Brockport.)

Andrea Newman

Newman’s acrylic painting on canvas shows Holley’s lift bridge over a shallow Erie Canal. At about 3:20 p.m. on April 8, Holley will be in darkness as the sun is blocked by the moon. Totality will last for almost four minutes.

It is a rare event. Orleans County was last in a total eclipse in 1925.

“I’m excited,” Newman said today. “It’s going to be a great day.”

Newman was asked by Holley Mayor Mark Bower to create a painting commemorating the eclipse. Bower saw an eclipse poster featuring the Erie Canal with many of the canal towns listed on the border of the poster. He was disappointed Holley wasn’t included.

He reached out to Newman, a former Holley Board of Education member who works as an artist. She also is an adjunct communications professor at SUNY Brockport.

She is happy to help the Holley community celebrate the eclipse. She is selling posters of the painting as well as digital downloads through her Etsy site (click here). Proceeds will be donated to the village to go towards community festivals.

Newman experimented for a few days on creating a silhouette for the painting. She settled on the lift bridge for the scene in Holley, because she said the lift bridge is such an iconic landmark.

“It’s going to be a monumental day,” she said about April 8. “It’s so cool it’s coming right this way.”

HOLLEY – School officials are putting together the budget for the 2024-25 school year, and the spending plan is expected to be well under the district’s authorized tax cap.

Sharon Zacher, the assistant superintendent, said the budget is currently projected at a 1.99 percent tax increase. Holley’s tax cap cushion allows for up to a 3.972 percent tax increase, with the district’s carrying over some tax cap room from prior years, Zacher told the Board of Education on Monday.

While some school districts are slated for a decrease in state aid in the governor’s executive budget, Holley’s total state aid would increase by about $600,000, from $20,095,541 to $20,665,520.

However, Zacher said an on-time state budget seems unlikely by April 1, with some disagreements to be resolved among the State Legislature and governor.

Zacher feels comfortable forecasting a budget at $29,115,000, which represents a 2.4 percent spending increase, or up $695,000 from $28,420,000 in 2023-24.

Holley’s preliminary budget would maintain its existing programs and add one full-time elementary teacher, a 0.4 part-time Spanish teacher, and 0.2 part-time science teacher.

The budget with a 1.99 percent tax increase would raise the tax levy by $155,926 – from $7,835,466 to $7,991,392.

Zacher said the budget will be finalized next month by the board of education and then go for a public vote on May 21.

Local schools, county discussing how to offer services for preschoolers with disabilities

HOLLEY – It’s been nearly four years since Rainbow Preschool closed, ending a program that served children ages 2 ½ to 5 with developmental and intellectual disabilities.

Rainbow Preschool shut down sites in Albion and Batavia, leaving no similar programs in Orleans or Genesee counties.

Officials at Holley Central School said children with disabilities now are either not getting early intervention services before age 5, on waiting lists or have to travel much farther away.

“There is no center-based program in Orleans County serving children with special needs,” Brian Bartalo, Holley school superintendent, told the Board of Education on Monday. “We’re worried about kids coming to our PreK and kindergarten who are struggling and not as prepared.”

It is county government’s responsibility to provide services for young children with disabilities before they enroll in a public school.

Rainbow Preschool for about 50 years used to provide special education, physical therapy, occupational therapy, assistive technology, counseling, parent training, music therapy, and speech/language therapy for students to prepare them for kindergarten.

The school was run by the Arc of Genesee Orleans. At its peak, the school served 300 children. The enrollment for 2020-21 was at 26 students.

The school in Albion was located at the Arnold Gregory Complex at 243 S. Main St. In Batavia, Rainbow Preschool was at the former Robert Morris school on Union Street.

Bartalo said county officials will have a meeting later this month with representatives from the five school districts in Orleans County to brainstorm how the services could be provided locally.

“They are leaning into the school districts about how to solve this,” Bartalo said.

In a related issue, Stephanie Sanchez, director of special programs for Holley Central School, said the district recently received surveys from 145 parents of students with IEPs (Individualized Education Plan). The district has a 98.6 percent positive response rate from parents of students with disabilities, well above the state target of 94 percent.

“I’m glad our parents feel supported,” Sanchez told the Board of Education.