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.

Press release, OC Sheriff’s Department

GAINES – An 18-year-old girl from Holley is hospitalized with serious injuries this morning following a one-car crash in the town of Gaines, the Orleans County Sheriff’s Department reported.

The incident occurred at about 5 a.m. in the 2300 block of Eagle Harbor-Waterport Road. A 1993 Subaru 4-door sedan, operated by Jillian Marie Troy (sole occupant), was traveling north when the operator apparently lost control of the vehicle. The car travelled across the center line and ran off the west side of the roadway. The vehicle then struck a concrete bridge structure that carries the roadway over Otter Creek.

Troy was extricated from the heavily damaged vehicle by Albion and Carlton firefighters. Central Orleans Volunteer Ambulance personnel were also at the scene. Troy was flown by Mercy Flight helicopter to Strong Memorial Hospital in Rochester, where she remains in guarded condition.

The incident was investigated by Deputy M.C. Mele, Sergeant D.E. Draper Jr., Investigator C.L. Black, and Chief Deputy T. L. Drennan.  The investigation is continuing.

Sorochty

HOLLEY – Village residents gave strong support today to Trustee Brian Sorochty and former Mayor Skip Carpenter. Both were elected to two-year terms on the Village Board.

Sorochty led four candidates with 129 votes, followed by 116 for Carpenter. Former trustees Bill Quaranto, 33 votes, and Nancy Penna, 31, weren’t elected.

Sorochty, 42, was appointed to the Village Board in March by Mayor John Kenney. Sorochty had served eight years on the Planning Board. He also is chairman of the village’s Brownfield Opportunity Area grant project, which is looking for ways to revitalize distressed sites in Holley, including the old high school and the Diaz Chemical property.

Sorochty works as vice president of engineering for DDS Companies. A Holley graduate, he and his wife have two children, ages 7 and 5.

“This community is important to me,” he said. “I see a lot of potential. It’s a great hidden spot.”

Carpenter

He supports the village’s continued push for grant funding. A $250,000 grant awarded in December will help improve several properties in the Public Square. Sorochty would like to see Holley go after a grant through the Local Waterfront Revitalization Program to add a launch for small boats and kayaks along the canal. The camp sites along the canal park could also be upgraded with grant funds, he said.

“Pursuing grants is one way to make this community more appealing to developers,” Sorochty said.

Carpenter, 65, served three terms as mayor. The retired postmaster from Holley hasn’t been on the board in several years. He said he has more time to devote to the village these days.

“I’m retired,” he said. “I have all kinds of time.”

Ultimately, the village needs to grow its tax base to help keep down the tax rate, Carpenter said. That could accomplished with more projects in the village’s business park, which has the lure of low-cost municipal electric. Carpenter would also like to see houses acquired by the Environmental Protection Agency put back on the market. Right now those eight houses are not on the tax rolls.

HOLLEY – There is an election today in Holley with four candidates running for two trustee positions on the Village Board.

The trustee terms are for two years. Polls are open from noon to 9 p.m. at the village office, 72 Public Square.

The candidates all have experience on the Village Board. One of them, Stanley “Skip” Carpenter, has served as mayor three times and also was a trustee. Carpenter is running under the Independent Party.

Former village trustees Nancy Penna, People’s Party, and William Quaranto, Family Party, also are vying for trustee. Incumbent Brian Sorochty, Taxpayer Party, is seeking a full term. He was appointed to the board in March after Lewis Passarell resigned. Sorochty served on the Planning Board before Mayor John Kenney appointed him to be trustee.

Photos by Tom Rivers – Chris VanDusen opened Trailside Bicycles on Canal Road in Hulberton on June 3.

HULBERTON – Chris VanDusen has pedaled his bike through Germany, Quebec, France, the Adirondacks and the Finger Lakes. They all have great bike trails with interesting towns to explore.

VanDusen thinks the Erie Canal Towpath and the communities along the journey have tremendous potential to draw cyclists. The canal already pulls in many cyclists, but it could attract more touring riders with better promotion, including bike loops of nearby attractions.

VanDusen on June 3 opened Trailside Bicycles at 16271 Canal Rd., a stone’s throw from the Hulberton lift bridge. He has spent two years working on the 4,000-square-foot structure. Many of his friends wondered why he’d pick rural Hulberton for the business.

“People say you’re in the middle of nowhere, but I’m in a strategic spot,” VanDusen said today. “I’m the only cycle shop between Buffalo and Brockport.”

The building was constructed in 1890 as a boarding house for quarry workers. About half of the building has been mostly untouched from those early days. VanDusen wants to clean up the space and turn it into a hostel, preserving the historic integrity of the living quarters.

VanDusen sees cyclists stop and ride by the business every day. Some of them are on long-distance self-guided trips.

VanDusen can repair bikes and sell parts. He has snacks, beverages and ice cream for sale. He wants to expand the business, renting out kayaks, planning bike loops, and leading tours of local sites.

He wants to develop loops for the Kendall barn quilt trail, local cobblestone homes, and Medina sandstone structures, as well as other local historical attractions.

“This county is a diamond in the rough,” VanDusen said. “It has the history and it’s along a fantastic corridor with the Erie Canal.”

His address should be on some of the bike loops because of its history. VanDusen researched the abstract detailing the property’s past. The building was put up in 1890 by the Medina Sandstone Company. The building was originally a boarding house for immigrant Italian quarrymen. That portion of the house is largely unchanged. VanDusen wants to clean it up, preserve its historical character and turn it into a hostel for traveling cyclists.

“We’re going to keep it authentic,” he said.

The Medina Sandstone Company built the site at 16271 Canal Road as housing for the Italian immigrants who worked in local quarries. The small partitioned rooms haven’t changed much since then.

VanDusen has had a love for bikes since he was a kid, learning to repair them when he was 8. He worked at a Brockport bike shop beginning at age 16. He has stayed in the industry since then, leading guided bike tours in foreign countries and in New York.

The cycling business is on an upswing, he said.

“The Baby Boomers are putting away the golf clubs and picking up bike riding,” he said. “They want something that is more active. It’s good for their health.”

The county could better capitalize on the canal with maps, trails and more businesses close by with lodging, cafes, outdoor seating and art, VanDusen said. The travelers want an experience that includes the local flavor.

“The corridor is right here,” he said. “It’s just giving people a reason to stop.”

Trailside Bicycles is open seven days a week. For more information, visit VanDusen’s web site by clicking here.

Community celebrates the occasion – in a big way

Photos by Tom Rivers

About 600 Holley Elementary School students marched down North Main Street, through the Public Square and to the Murray-Holley Historical Society for a program honoring the flag and students with good citizenship.

HOLLEY – They wore big smiles and red-white-and-blue outfits, and they were passionate wavers of Old Glory during a Flag Day celebration in Holley today.

About 600 Holley Elementary School students marched from the school down North Main Street, working their way through the Public Square to the Murray-Holley Historical Society for a Flag Day program.

Holley, for the 56^th year, put on a festive, patriotic celebration of Flag Day. The parade route was lined with many parents, grandparents and community members, there to support the students. Bleachers were brought in at the Save-A-Lot parking lot for the crowd to watch students be honored with citizenship awards. The elementary band and chorus also performed patriotic songs, including “Fifty, Nifty United States.”

Local elected officials joined students in singing the “Star Spangled Banner.”

“It’s amazing how the entire community embraces this event,” said Robert D’Angelo, the district superintendent. “It brings the entire community together unlike any event I’ve seen.”

Local fire departments were part of the parade. Retired Holley teachers also came back for Flag Day, and they were introduced to students and community members. One retired teacher, Virginia Robb, has been to 55 of the 56 Flag Day events.

Students, after marching in a parade, joined in singing, “Fifty, Nifty United States.”