Photos by Tom Rivers

MURRAY – Firefighters from Murray and Clarendon have a rescue boat in the Erie Canal as they prepare to recover a body near the Bennetts Corners Road bridge. This photo was taken at about 2:45 p.m.

Representatives from the State Police and Orleans County Sheriff’s Office also are at the scene.

First responders were dispatched to the canal at about 1 p.m.

No other information is available at this time.

Photos by Tom Rivers

HOLLEY – Holley first-graders visited Vendetti Farms this morning on Fancher Road, which has been an annual fall outing for students since 2008.

About 60 first-graders were at the farm, and were able to pick out a pumpkin to take home.

These first-graders meet “April,” a Nigerian Drawf goat brought to the farm by Karen Gaylord, who works as an administrative assistant with the school district’s special education program.

Gaylord said the goat likes to climb, and enjoyed its perch on the stone wall.

Karen Gaylord holds a chicken that drew a crowd on kids. One of the kids exclaimed, “That’s so soft.”

Lynn Vendetti shows kids the sign at Vendetti Farms, and notes the different crops grown on about 2,500 acres. Vendettti Farms sells from a produce stand, and also through wholesale and processing markets.

The family is in its fourth generation of farming. Vendetti farms was started by Anthony Vendetti, who was followed by Albert, then Lynn’s husband Bob, and their sons, Bobby, Ryan and Andrew.

Lynn Vendetti is a retired Holley elementary teacher. She first brought a class of her fourth grade students to the farm, and it has expanded to the entire first grade. The outing ties into their curriculum of learning about the fall. She said it’s also a lot of fun for the students and the Vendetti family.

Ron Vendetti drives a tractor while the students get a hayride at the farm, including a close look at the combines and other big farm equipment.

Lynn Vendetti shows the students a pumpkin that was hit by hail by hail on Aug. 11, causing some scarring. Vendetti said the farm lost most of its pepper crop, while pumpkins and squash were damaged.

These kids play a pumpkin game, where pumpkins are bowled towards crates.

Lori Hinman, a teacher aide at Holley, cleans some mud off a pumpkin for one of the students.

Greyson Arthur, a first grader, stacks pumpkins up high in one of the pumpkin games.

Photos by Tom Rivers

HOLLEY – The Holley school community dressed up as Disney characters for the annual parade through the village on Friday evening.

The senior class created a float celebrating Peter Pan and the Lost Boys.

Karri Schiavone, the district superintendent, dressed up as the Queen of Hearts from Alice in Wonderland. The school administrators all wore costumes of villains from Disney shows.

Brendan Keiser (in back), Holley’s director of teaching and learning, is Hades from Hercules, while Sharon Zacher, the district’s assistant superintendent of business, is Cruella de Vil from 101 Dalmatians.

The junior high student council portrayed characters from Maui.

Matt Feldman, the junior-senior high school principal, dressed as Scar from The Lion King. Feldman urged the other administrators to join him as a Disney villain.

These youth football players were energetic during the parade.

These youth cheerleaders enjoy the parade through the village.

Mike Roffe, who worked security at Holley with COPS for nine years, played the bagpipes in the parade. Roffe is a retired sergeant from the Greece Police Department and a member of the Gates Keystone Police Pipes & Drums.

Holley administrators dressed as villains from Disney shows for the parade. In front from left as Karri Schiavone, the district superintendent as the Queen Hearts; Sharon Zacher, the districts’ assistant superintendent for business as Cruella de Vil; Henry and Harlow Zacher (Sharon Zacher’s grandchildren as dalamations); and Stephanie Sanchez as Ursula from Little Mermaid. In back: Mackenzie Swartz, Holley’s assistant elementary school as Mother Gothel from Tangled; Tim Artessa, elementary principal as Gaston from Beauty and the Beast; Dan Courtney, athletic director and assistant jr./sr. high principal as Captain Hook; Brendan Keiser, director of teaching and learning as Hades from Hercules; and Matt Feldman, jr./sr. high principal as Scar from The Lion King.

Provided photos

MURRAY – Organizers and volunteers of the Murray Tractor Pull on Sunday presented a check for $10,000 to the Ronald McDonald House, which provides hospitality for families with children fighting a serious illness.

The Christ family has been running the tractor pull for many years on a course they built on Groth Road. The setup includes a track, concessions stand and parking. This year’s pull was on July 22 and attracted more than 1,000 spectators.

The $10,000 is up from the $8,500 donated last year from the event to the Ronald McDonald House.

Ronald McDonald House representatives accept the $10,000 from the Murray Tractor Pull and another $300 from the Fancher-Hulberton-Murray Fire Company.

Photos by Tom Rivers

HOLLEY – Village of Holley Mayor Mark Bower welcomes a group of local residents who are 90 and older to a recognition program on Friday afternoon. A section of the Public Square was closed to traffic while the residents were honored with proclamations for their many years of contributing to the community.

Bower is joined at the podium by Murray Town Supervisor Gerald Rightmyer and Clarendon Town Supervisor Richard Moy.

Holley recognized residents 90 and older about two years ago. This time the service was expanded to include the towns of Murray and Clarendon.

The honorees include:

Village of Holley – William Billotti, Lydia Fallato, Duane Prince and Louis Sevor.

Town of Murray – Theodore Foote, Theodore Jenney, Sudsan Hurd Machamer, Mary Ann Spychalski, Vivian Ward and Amy Zazzara.

Town of Clarendon – Rose Caley, Margaret Dobrowsky, Connie Gaines, Jack Kemp, Phyllis Keyes, Maxwell MacLean, Beverly McKinney, Gene Pickett, Ethel Robinson, Lawrence Snider and Norma Thom.

The residents gathered in the Community Free Library for a reception following the outdoor program. Many of the honorees have been friends for decades.

They were also presented with booklets made by Holley elementary students and paper boutonniere flowers.

Mayor Mark Bower said he and the two town supervisors wanted to recognize the residents for reaching an “amazing milestone of being 90 or older.”

He praised the group for “a wealth of knowledge, wisdom and life experiences.”

Bill Billotti, one of the honorees, is presented a proclamation from Murray Town Supervisor Gerry Rightmyer.

Billotti is now 90 and continues to run an antique business in the Public Square. Billotti appreciated the recognition for the 90 and older residents.

He said his secret to reaching 90: ‘it’s good living and don’t take everyday for granted. It’s a cliché, but every day is a gift.”

Courthouse dome will be lighted up in gold color for Childhood Cancer Awareness Month

Provided photo

HOLLEY – Mayor Mark Bower, second from left, issued a proclamation from the Holley Village Board on Tuesday declaring September as “Childhood Cancer Awareness Month.” He is shown with Diane Valentine, left, and Tina and Jeremy Neal.

Valentine’s son Evan Valentine, age 18, passed away from acute myeloid leukemia on Feb. 21, 2021.

The Neals’ son, Byron, passed away at age 8 from cancer on April 14, 2023.

They are among several local families with children affected by cancer. The proclamation from the Village of Holley is part of an effort to raise awareness of childhood cancer, and boost funding for research.

The Murray Town Board also plans to issue a proclamation during its board meeting on Sept. 16, and the Orleans County Courthouse Dome will be illumined in a gold color from Sept. 16-30 in a show of support for childhood cancer awareness.

Bower, in his proclamation, said cancer is the leading cause of death by disease in children, with 43 children per day or 15,780 children diagnosed with cancer annually.

There is a need for new cancer drugs to be approved by the FDA, and more funding to carry this out, Bower said.

The proclamation notes that hundreds of non-profit organizations at the local, state and national level are helping children with cancer and their families cope with the associated educational, emotional and financial support.

“All of us have been directly or indirectly impacted by this terrible disease,” Bower stated in the proclamation.

Photos by Tom Rivers

HOLLEY – Sandra Shaw is shown inside the children’s library at Community Free Library on Saturday. This week is Shaw’s last week working at the library. She is retiring.

A retirement celebration is tentatively planned for Oct. 17.

Shaw has worked as the library director the past 19 years, and was a clerk for seven years before that.

She led the library in acquiring a former video store next door where the library expanded in 2008 and dedicated that space for children’s programs and materials.

“Having a place for children to come in and play is wonderful,” Shaw said.

She also has led the library in adding two large murals on the back side of the brick building. Tony Barry completed a mural about the community’s canal heritage last year, while Arthur Barnes painted a mural of Holley’s agricultural ties this summer. Shaw secured funding from the Genesee-Orleans Regional Arts Council for those projects.

Shaw said she is “happy and sad” as she nears the end of her career in the library.

“We have embraced children and history,” she said.

Sandra Shaw is shown in June 2022 getting ready for a book sale at the library, which also hosted an art show.

Tersha Choy, the library board president, said Shaw has been a great advocate for the library, meeting frequently with many community leaders to promote programs at the site. She secured grants from the state to replace the roof, air-conditioning and furnaces.

She wanted the library accessible and comfortable for community members. During the Covid-19 pandemic when the library was closed to the public, Shaw and the library staff took requests from residents for books, and then had the books ready in the lobby for pickup.

“She has been the heartbeat of the library for more than 20 years,” Choy said. “She has kept the library alive through all sorts of challenges – through Covid and the ups and downs of the economy.”

The board has hired Amanda Anderson, a former clerk at the library, to succeed Shaw as the next director.

Barb Kerns, a long-time board member for the library, said Shaw pushed for the library to connect with the community, running a vibrant summer reading program, an active community Christmas party, and a wine-tasting event to raise money for the children’s program.

On Veterans Day, Shaw has welcomed about 100 people each year who wrote Christmas cards to veterans. That typically totaled about 500 cards.

“The big thing with her has been having the library serve the community,” Kerns said.

Photos by Tom Rivers

HOLLEY – Sandra Shaw, director of the Community Free Library in Holley, congratulates Arthur Barnes on Saturday for completing the second phase of a mural on the back of the library. Barnes painted the farming and country scene on the right side.

Tony Barry did the left side with an Erie Canal theme last year.

The library used a grant from the Genesee-Orleans Regional Arts Council to pay Barnes for the project. The library will pursue more grants to extend the mural in what could be four phases in all.

Shaw said the agriculture mural highlights an important component of the local community of Holley, Murray and Clarendon.

“This is who we are, and we wanted to celebrate farming, agriculture and the industries that grew out of it,” Shaw said. “We are exploring our agricultural past and the people who built the wonderful farms in our community.”

Arthur Barnes is shown next to the apples he painted as part of the mural. He created the depiction from memory, recalling a country scene growing up in Shelby Center. Barnes said he picked apples as a teen for a neighbor, Jeff Smith.

Barnes painted a mural that is 25 feet high and 21 feet wide. Barnes worked on the project over the summer, painting trees, a church, wheat fields and an apple orchard.

Arthur Barnes is shown with the two murals together. His mural blends in with artwork painted on the back of the library last year by Tony Barry.

Barry painted a portrait of Holley’s namesake, Myron Holley, and a Erie Canal scene. Myron Holley was an early commissioner for the canal.

Barry shared some of his leftover paint and a color scheme for the overall project.

“I owe a lot to Tony Barry,” Barnes said. “It was his idea.”

Shaw said Barnes did a great job with the mural, and was very welcoming to the public when they stopped by to see the progress.

“I met some old friends and I made some new ones,” Barnes said about working outside on the mural. “It was more fun than I thought it would be.”

This is the sixth large-scale mural Barnes has done in Orleans County. The other five are canal scenes, including his first one in Holley from about 30 years ago. That one is on display in the Murray-Holley Historical Society Museum.

Grounds could be sold by Diocese; Volunteers hope festival will continue for many more years

Photos by Tom Rivers

HULBERTON – Joe Morlino was among many volunteers cooking food at St. Rocco’s Italian Festival on Sunday in Hulberton. The event has been a big fundraiser for the St. Mark’s and St. Mary’s Catholic Parish.

Morlino has been volunteering at the festival for 20 years. He is cooking French fries, ravioli and mozzarella sticks.

The festival included a bocce tournament, arts and craft vendors, food, a beer tent, and other activities.

Sunday was the 49^th St. Rocco’s Italian Festival.

The property has been listed to be sold by the Buffalo Diocese, but church members have advocated that the property be kept by the local church and continued to be used for the Italian Festival, which volunteers say is a community event, bringing many former Holley residents back for a homecoming.

Bishop Michel W. Fisher said the Diocese will announce its final recommendations this week or early next week on what churches and properties will be closed and sold in the Diocese.

Kevin Lynch, a former Holley mayor, eyes where to toss the ball in the bocce tournament. Lynch and three of his high school friends – Charlie Smith, Bernie Ruggeri and Paul Gifaldi – have been playing as a team for about 30 years. They were 1-1 in the early going of the tournament on Sunday.

The bocce tournament had 10 teams on Sunday, up from eight last year. Another tournament was held on Sunday at the courts at Hickory Ridge Golf Course. The goal is to be the closest to the small ball. The first team to 16 wins, and the team has to win by at least 2 points.

Dan Mawn prepares waffles to be deep fried and then covered in confectionary sugar. He has been volunteering at St. Rocco’s since 2009, when Holley ended its firemen’s carnival.

I hadn’t noticed the plaques on the festival grounds until Sunday. This monument sign is concealed in bushes.

One side facing the road declares: “In gratitude to the J. Walter Koessler Family (Greater Buffalo Press) for the gift of this land and building.”

The other side is in memory of the Rev. James D. Walker, who served St. Mary’s, St. Rocco’s and St. Mark’s.

HOLLEY – The Holley community is expanding a celebration of residents who are 90 and older to include people outside the village of Holley in the towns of Murray and Clarendon.

Those 90 and older will be celebrated at 1 p.m. on Sept. 13 in the Village Square with a reception in the Community Free Library.

Those residents of Murray and Clarendon who are 90 and older as of Sept. 13, and residents of the village of Holley who have turned 90 since September 2022 are welcome to the gathering.

To attend, call Holley’s Village Clerk, Rainey Losee, at (585) 638-6367 with name, age and contact information as soon as possible.

Photos courtesy of Orleans County Soil and Water Conservation District

HOLLEY – The popular Holley Falls and Canal Park has many dead ash trees, including trees that have toppled.

The Orleans County Soil and Water Conservation District has been able to secure a $350,046 grant from the United States Forest Service to pay to clear out the dead trees.

Gov. Kathy Hochul last month announced the recipients of the Urban and Community Forest Grants. Soil and Water Conservation Districts applied on behalf of municipalities and communities that face environmental challenges due to climate change as well as economic disparities.

“As many residents of the Village of Holley and throughout Orleans County visit the park for hiking, fishing, and picnicking, keeping the park safe for visitors as well as protecting this environmental resource remained a high priority for our organization,” said Katie Sommerfeldt, district manager for Soil & Water in Orleans County.

“We are excited to take on new and challenging projects that will benefit the community we serve.”

The Village of Holley DPW will be doing the work over the next three years. Sommerfeldt said the work could start this winter.

Photos by Tom Rivers

MURRAY – Orleans County Sheriff Chris Bourke speaks during Sunday’s Back the Blue rally in Murray. Bourke said law enforcement officers appreciated the support of the community as the job becomes more challenging with what Bourke said are “pro-criminal” laws.

Bourke is critical of state legislation that make it more difficult for judges to set bail for people who have been arrested and are a danger to the community.

He shared how the SWAT team arrested a drug dealer in Orleans County and that person was sitting back on their porch a few hours later, smoking a cigarette.

“We’re not taking care of our citizens,” Bourke said about the legislation. “This should be about protecting people and quality of life.”

Judges should be allowed to review a defendant’s criminal history and determine whether that person is a flight risk in setting bail, Bourke said.

About 150 motorcyclists and 70 other vehicles participated in the 50-mile ride in Orleans County that started and ended on Monroe-Orleans Countyline Road. The ride went along Route 31 from Holley through Albion to Medina, and then went north on Route 63, and came back east through Ridgeway, Gaines and Murray.

The state’s “Raise the Age” law also means people can’t be prosecuted as an adult until they are 18, instead of 16.

Other legislation, including discovery laws, have titled the balance towards criminals, Bourke and other speakers said during the rally.

“We love you if you support the police and if you don’t support the police,” Bourke said. “We take care of everybody.”

Many elected officials and those seeking public office welcomed the chance to speak at the rally, including from left: State Sen. Rob Ortt, Murray Town Supervisor Gerry Rightmyer and Kimberly DeRosa, a candidate for the 135^th Assembly District on the east side of Monroe County.

Ortt said the State Legislature needs more conservative members who will push back on “pro-criminal legislation” that he said is making our communities less safe and putting law enforcement officers in more danger.

He cited the examples of officers killed in New York City and Syracuse by people who would have been held in jail before the bail reform changes, which Ortt said has turned the state into “catch and release” program for criminals.

“We need strong candidates who won’t be swayed,” Ortt said about having more Republicans in the Legislature.

Rightmyer, the Murray supervisor, said he is particularly angered by people who burn the American flag and then replace it with another country’s flag.

DeRosa said the state laws have gone in the wrong direction with community safety.

“Criminals are emboldened by policies that don’t give them any kind of consequence,” she said.

Congresswoman Claudia Tenney said she would have loved to have ridden her motorcycle on the 50-mile trip but had five events on Sunday. She wore earrings that looked like handcuffs for the Back the Blue rally.

She said the bail reform has made law enforcement more dangerous. She cited the death of Rochester police officer Tony Mazurkiewicz, who was shot and killed on July 21, 2022 in an ambush.

Tenney urged the crowd of about 300 people to support candidates who stand by the Constitution, which she said emphasizes public safety and border security.

This vehicle shows a sign in support of Donald Trump and Congresswoman Claudia Tenney.

Ayesha Kreutz, left, and Peter Vazquez spoke at the rally. Kreutz is a member of the Protect Kids Coalition. That group opposes Proposition One on the back of the November ballot. Kreutz said it is presented as an Equal Rights Amendment but is a “Parent Replacement Act,” giving parents less say in how their children process gender identity and medical decisions.

Vazquez is a candidate for Monroe County clerk. He said he the country need to move past political party labels. He is focused on “God, country and family.”

He spoke against the progressive left and “the buffoon in the White House.”

Many of the rally attendees displayed signs to show their support for law enforcement.

Assemblyman Steve Hawley railed against recently passed state legislation that he said put the communities at risk around the state.

“We are absolutely appalled and dismayed at what law enforcement is facing from the people in Albany,” Hawley said. “Our society has lost its way. The police are our last line of defense.”

These speakers include from left: Orlando Rivera, a candidate for State Assembly; Gregg Sadwick, a candidate for the 25^th Congressional District against Joe Morelle; and retired Gates Police Chief James VanBrederode, who is running for state senator.

Rivera thanked the law enforcement officers for their service.

“You get up every day serving us tirelessly and you don’t have to,” Rivera said.

Sadwick, a Navy veteran and business owner, said, “You will never see me sitting or kneeling against you.”

VanBrederode said state legislators are out of touch with how police officers do their jobs.

This was the fifth “Back the Blue” ride through Orleans County and the event has many vocal supporters for Donald Trump. There were a few Trump flags at Sunday’s rally, but the message and flags were more focused on the “Back the Blue” message. The rally was held on property owned by David Paul and his family.

Monroe County Legislator Virginia McIntyre, an opera singer, sang the national anthem.

File photo by Tom Rivers: A caravan of about 500 vehicles were part of the first “Back the Blue” ride on Sept. 12, 2020 in Orleans County. Here they pass underneath a giant American flag on Route 31 in Holley.

MURRAY – A “Back the Blue” ride will cover 50 miles in Orleans County today, starting at David Paul’s property on Monroe-Orleans Countyline Road.

The ride shows support for law enforcement and is expected to include several hundred participants who will leave 3823 County Line Rd. at about 1 p.m. and go to Route 31 and then head west to Medina. They will turn onto Route 63 and go north to Route 104 and then head east to Monroe-Orleans Countyline Rd. The entire ride is about 50 miles.

Before the ride there will be a rally on Paul’s property with conservative talk show host Bob Lonsberry serving as emcee. The scheduled speakers include Orleans County Sheriff Chris Bourke, Assemblyman Steve Hawley, State Sen. Rob Ortt and Murray Town Supervisor Gerry Rightmyer.

Monroe County Legislator Virginia McIntyre is expected to sing the national anthem.