HOLLEY – A possible explosive device was removed from a Holley home on Franklin Street on Friday, and taken to a safe location for detonation, Holley Police Chief Bob Barton said.

Holley officers were called to the scene at 3:30 p.m. on Friday to investigate a suspicious condition, Barton said.

“While at the location, a possible explosive hazard was observed,” he said. “The Monroe County Bomb Squad was notified and responded.”

The device was taken and detonated in a safe location.

Due to the age of individual involved the name won’t be released to the public, Barton said.

UPDATE: The mother of the child involved responded on the Orleans Hub Facebook page, apologizing for any panic that people felt. She said her child mixed hydrogen peroxide in a jar and added a little acetone from gel nail polish remover pads after seeing a video about making a homemade firework.

“She was brave enough to let the cops know what was going on, and she had absolutely no ill intention,” the mother said. “The cops came and investigated, and they had to deal with it as if it were a bomb. I am very thankful that they took all the precautions that they could take in this situation.”

HOLLEY – The lift bridge on East Avenue in Holley will be closed beginning 8 a.m. on Thursday and is expected to reopen by April 10, the state Department of Transportation said.

The bridge was originally constructed in 1911. Motorists should utilize the bridge carrying State Route 237 over the Erie Canal or other nearby canal bridges during the closure, the DOT said.

Covid wiped out shows in 2020, 2021

Photos by Tom Rivers

HOLLEY – Thomas Dobri plays the lead role of Ren McCormack in Holley’s musical performance of Footloose. Shows are 7 p.m. Friday, and 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. on Saturday

Dobri, a senior, is grateful to be performing for a live audience after there wasn’t a show last year and in 2020 the musical was cancelled on the day of the show. Holley had prepared for about three months for High School Musical. Opening day was March 13. The cast and crew were told that afternoon the show wouldn’t go on – that night. Dobri remembers they believed they would be able to perform in about two weeks. But school never opened again for in-person learning that year due to Covid-19 restrictions.

“We tried and we tried and we tried,” Dobri said about the cast and crew for High School Musical. “It’s such a relief that things have come back to normal and I get one more try.”

Last year there wasn’t a musical at Holley. This year, the production is back and is led by a new team – executive director Dustin Gardner, and music directors Samantha Heagerty and Brandon McArdell. Previous director Dan Burke retired. Kellie Burke also was the longtime musical choreographer.

Dustin Gardner, right, leads the cast in a warmup during rehearsal on Wednesday.

Gardner grew up and graduated from nearby Kendall. He said he is happy the mask mandate was lifted for indoors and students can perform with cloths covering their mouths or with shields. He didn’t want muffled voices or faces obscured.

During rehearsal on Wednesday he urged the cast to give a high-energy performance, with smiles and exaggerated movements. But he stressed to have fun – and enjoy the opportunity to be on stage.

There are 35 student sin the cast and another 15 in the stage crew.

Dobri said being in the musicals – first in seventh grade – helped him develop confidence and become much more outgoing.

“I was a very shy and reserved student in the seventh grade,” he said.

He praised the cast and crew for working hard on the show since early January.

“We’re putting a lot into it because we’re so glad to have this program back.”

Tickets are $7 and can be purchased online (click here) or at the door.

Gabe Lindsay portrays the Rev. Shaw Moore who leads a crackdown against dancing and rock-and-roll music in the rural town of Bomont. Ren and his mother Ethel just moved there from Chicago. They find the small town to be very conservative.

Grace McKeon plays Ariel Moore, the minister’s daughter. She enjoys dancing and an active social life despite her father’s disproval.

Jose-Angel Valentin plays Chuck Cranston, Ariel’s rough-edged boyfriend. He sings, “The Girl Gets Around.”

Broek Ostrom plays a slow-witted cowboy named Willard Hewitt. He is trying diffuse the wrath of principal Harry Clark (portrayed by Mason Neale) for Ren after the principal sees Ren dancing in school. The principal explains that dancing is illegal in the town of Bomont.

BrookeLynn Kruger (right) plays Rusty and Ellie Quincy is Wendy Jo while performing “Somebody’s Eyes” about how people are watching you in a small town.

Grocery store worker finds gold wedding band

Photos courtesy of Kelly Ryan: Don Ryan is happy to have his wedding ring back.

HOLLEY – Don Ryan is happy after getting his wedding ring back today after it had been missing for nearly a month.

Ryan, 88, of Holley had the ring come off when he was shopping at the Aldi’s store in Brockport. But he didn’t realize it until later that day on Feb. 12. He had been to the doctor’s office, too, and wasn’t sure where it might have come off. Ryan had lost weight so the ring must have slipped off.

He recently lost his wife of 66 years, Darl, on Nov. 5. He and his family searched his house, his vehicle and even used a metal detector in the yard to try to find the ring.

His daughter Kelly reached out to Aldi store manager Amy DeFelice of Holley about the ring. The store employees didn’t see it soon after Ryan called, but they kept looking.

On Saturday night at about 10 employee Mike Pearson spotted it on the floor near the an area with flowers. He was cleaning and remembered DeFelice telling the employees to be on the lookout for a ring.

Kelly was thrilled to get a call last night that the ring had been found.

“It’s a blessing,” she said. “It’s a miracle.”

Her father is very appreciative that Aldi’s kept up the search, especially after nearly a month had passed.

“It’s awesome that there are people out there who still care for other people,” Kelly said.

Her parents were married for 66 years. Mrs. Ryan owned a ceramic studio for many years in Holley. Mr. Ryan is a Kodak retiree and long-time volunteer Holley firefighter.

Photos courtesy of Dustin Gardner

HOLLEY – Ziah Colon, who played a leading role as Rusty in the 2011 version of Footloose, met over Zoom with Holley students in the cast and crew of the school’s upcoming musical, Footloose. Colon has also starred in NCIS and Joyful Noise.

Dustin Gardner, Holley’s co-director for the musical, follows Colon on social and reached out to her about talking with the Holley students.

“I thought, ‘What could I do to get the kids even more pumped up for the show in a week?’” he said.

Colon agreed to meet with the students through Zoom video conferencing. Gardner hasn’t heard of a movie star meeting with high schoolers who were getting ready to perform the same show as a musical.

“It  was very unique opportunity for the students,” Gardner said.

About 40 students attended the zoom session with Colon on Friday afternoon.

“I really appreciated getting to speak with her,” said Thomas Dobri, a senior who plays Ren in Footloose. “I do still struggle with nerves from time to time so to hear from a professional that she does too and to hear her own remedies was really good for me. I think she gave a lot for younger members to think about as well – with energy and with ‘making your character your own.’”

Grace McKeon, a senior who plays Ariel, appreciated that Colon met with the students and shared insights from the stage.

“I’ve never had a conversation with an actor/actress, it was so cool to be able to talk to one and ask questions,” McKeon said. “It was nice to hear that she started right where we are now and that everything we’re doing is perfectly fine. She mentioned breathing exercises we could do to help us become our character that I think we will definitely try.”

Sue Cory proud of family atmosphere at school

Photos by Tom Rivers: Sue Cory, the high school principal, and Brian Bartalo, the district superintendent, present the high school diploma to Jamel Hildreth during graduation on June 27, 2020. The district moved the ceremony to the school parking lot due to Covid restrictions that capped attendance at 150 for outdoor ceremonies.

HOLLEY – Sue Cory will be retiring on June 30 as principal of the Holley Junior-Senior High School. She has been principal for about 12 years during a time of a major capital project at the school and gains in student academic achievement.

Cory said new clubs have emerged for students and the district has embraced students’ social, emotional and mental health, along with academics.

“I love Holley,” Cory said. “We do a great job of taking care of each other. We really are family.”

Cory has worked at Holley for about 34 years. She started her career for four years as a home economics teacher in Ticonderoga and then worked a half year at Brighton. She has been a guidance counselor at Holley, a teacher on special assignment and director of student services.

Cory has been eligible to retire but wanted to help students and staff work through the challenges of the Covid-19 pandemic.

“I’m ready for the next chapter,” Cory said. “I know I have made a difference in the lives of some and they have definitely made a difference in my life.”

Cory spoke on Wednesday evening to the Orleans Hub while she watched a JV basketball game between Holley and Kendall girls. That game and the varsity contest that followed also were a fundraiser for a student battling lymphoma. Cory and many of the attendees wore green T-shirts in support of the student, Ella Richards-Dyson, a high school junior.

Cory said the small school district rallies around students facing a health crisis.

“I’m proud that we’re a staff and school that bands together in happiness and sadness,” Cory said.

Sue Cory speaks to a gym full of students and staff on April 22, 2019 when they welcomed back Evan Valentine, a student who was in the hospital fighting leukemia.

Photos by Tom Rivers

HOLLEY – The Holley junior varsity basketball team warms up on Wednesday before a game at home against Kendall. The Holley players are wearing green T-shirts in honor of Ella Richards-Dyson, a high school junior who was recently diagnosed with lymphoma.

The varsity team also wore the green shirts before their game. There were several fundraisers for Ella during the two games.

“We come together as a small town,” said Sal DeLuca, one of the JV team coaches.

Students and community members were encouraged to leave a message of support for Ella, who is described as an outgoing, hard-working and athletic student.

Olivia Wolf, a ninth-grader, puts up streamers at the entrance of the gym to show support for Ella. The green T-shirts were available for sale.

There were about 70 gift baskets available to bid on, as well as a 50/50 raffle.

Hawkins Daly, a seventh-grader, signs his name after buying 50/50 tickets. Missie Ketchum, right, and her daughter Melia Prince sold the tickets.

Sheri Girvin, a teacher at Holley, welcomes the crowd to the game and encourages them to check out the fundraisers for Ella.

Mark Thomas and Renee Wolf, Holley teachers, coordinated the event on Wednesday with lots of help from students Ava and Ellie Quincy, Rachel Kinsey, Hope Falls, Lydia and Lily Sprague, Lena Golisano and Alyssa Wright.

Photos by Tom Rivers

HOLLEY – A performer with Billy Martin’s All Star Circus entertains the crowd on Wednesday during the first of two shows at the Holley Elementary School Intermediate Gym.

The circus was back after most of its schedule was wiped out the past 23 months due to Covid-19 concerns and restrictions.

Billy Martin has led the circus the past 45 years. Since the group returned to performing iits New York and Pennsylvania tour on Feb. 1, they have been greeted with big crowds.

“It’s very emotional,” Martin said during intermission of the first show. “I thought people might have forgotten about us.”

The circus was able to survive the past two years working out of an amusement park in Iowa for 21 weeks in both 2020 and 2021.

Martin said the group is happy to be back performing in small towns. The tour started Feb. 1 in Lyons.

They perform today in Leroy, then Friday in Medina at the Wise Middle School Gym for shows at 5:15 and 7:15 p.m. On Tuesday the circus will be at Albion with shows at 5 and 7 p.m.

Kids get in for free and tickets for adults are $10 in advance or $15 at the door.

Some of the proceeds from Holley’s performances went to the National Honor Society.

Slinko, a crowd favorite, is back in the ring for Billy Martin’s Cole All Star Circus.

Maggie Edmonds, 4, of Holley gets her face painted during intermission.

The circus is doing two shows at schools in New York to help reduce the crowd capacity. Holley had a full house for the first show on Wednesday.

Angela is back performing her aerial acrobatics.

The souvenirs were popular at Holley.

A juggler tests her skills in front of a capacity crowd in the gym.

For more information on the circus, click here.

Editor’s Note: For the Friday shows in Medina there aren’t presale tickets available for adults. Tickets are only sold at the door. Kids are free with a paying adult. Adult tickets are $15 unless you have a $5 off coupon. Coupons are available at the following locations: Orleans County YMCA, Lee-Whedon Library, Orleans Community Health/Medina Memorial Hospital, Oak Orchard Main Office, Lyndonville Main Office, Champs Mini-Mart on 104, Rudy’s, Mark’s Pizzeria, Cusimano’s, Avanti’s, Marathon gas station in Medina on 31, Kwik Fill in Medina, Chop Shop Pizza in Gasport, Crosby’s gas station in Middleport on 31, and Middleport Family Health in Middleport.

Photos by Tom Rivers

HOLLEY – Ashlea Strouse of the Kendall school district leads the All-County elementary band in “Starsplitter Fanfare” during today’s All-County Festival, featuring some of the top music students at Albion, Holley, Kendall, Lyndonville and Medina.

The All-County music festival returned after the 2021 event was cancelled due to the Covid pandemic. Holley hosted the festival today in the Junior-Senior High School Gymnasium instead of the school auditorium.

The crowd sizes were smaller than in the past. Rather than have the crowd stay for the entire event, the spectators left after each group performed at the elementary, junior high and high school levels.

The 183 students rehearsed together for the first time today, from the morning through early afternoon until the 3 p.m. concert.

There will be a second All-County Festival in March featuring the elementary chorus, junior high band and senior high chorus.

There were 61 students selected for the senior high band.

Kelly Marzano of Holley directs the junior high chorus in singing “Tuimbe.” The Orleans County Music Educators Association organizes the All-County Festival. Instead of having guest instructors from other districts, teachers from the five districts in Orleans directed the bands and chorus today.

The junior high chorus included 63 students from the five school districts in the county.

Jim Steele of Medina leads the senior high band in performing “Rest.” Steele is retiring after this year. Two of his former students, Zach Busch and Kyla Leno, also led the senior high band. Busch is now a teacher at Holley and Leno teaches at Kendall.

The elementary band included 59 students.

Zach Busch directs the senior high band in performing “Vanishing Point.” Busch is president of the Orleans County Music Educators Association.

Some of the trombone players perform during the senior high concert.

Jennifer Trupo of Lyndonville leads the junior high chorus’s performance of “Didn’t My Lord Deliver Daniel.”

The tuba players brought some big brass sounds to the concert.

Kyla Leno of Kendall directs the senior high band in “His Honor.”

Rachel Trillizio of Medina leads the junior high chorus in performing “Sing To Me.”

Photos and information courtesy of Holley Central School

HOLLEY – The Holley High School National Honor Society inducted 11 students recently. They were inducted based on their application to the faculty selection committee and maintenance of a 90 percent or higher academic average.

The students must demonstrate the five qualities of NHS membership: character, scholarship, knowledge, leadership and service.

New NHS inductees are: Morgan Blosenhauer, Drew Carlston, Hunter Kaminski, Sarah Kelly, Shannon Kelly, Sara Kingdollar, Casey Onisk, Ava Quincey, Elise Quincey, Lily Sprague and Lydia Sprague.

The ceremony began with new inductees called to the front of the Holley Middle School/High School Auditorium, where they were escorted by current NHS members out of the auditorium to change into their black gowns. When they returned, new inductees joined current NHS members on stage for the ceremony. NHS officers lit the ceremonial candles and described each of the qualities of membership.

When the inductees’ names were announced, they received their membership certificates from Principal Susan Cory and signed their names in the book that maintains a record of every NHS inductee since 1938. Superintendent Brian Bartalo distributed membership pins to students’ family members. New inductees were then pinned by their family members before taking the NHS oath of membership as a group.

The guest speaker at the Induction Ceremony was Crystal Dobri, a Holley alumna and Professor of Nursing at St. John Fisher College. She was a member of NHS when she was a student at Holley. When she pursued her master’s degree at Roberts Wesleyan College, she was also part of the nursing honor society there.

Dobri reflected on her time at Holley, saying that Principal Cory was her guidance counselor and NHS Advisor Russ Albright was a first-year teacher when she was a senior. She talked about lifelong learning and all the nametags she’s had over the years as she progressed through being a student and employee in various settings.

“You’ve overcome many barriers in your time as a student,” she said. “You’ve shown your dedication to learning these last few years, and that’s what brought you here tonight. Keep growing and keep learning.”

Principal Cory congratulated the inductees and reminded them, “It’s what we do with our attitude and character that makes us successful.”

Current NHS members are: President Harleigh Andrews, Vice President Adriana Botello, Secretary Hope Falls, Treasurer Thomas Dobri, and members Kirsstin Althoff, Cora Bennage, Tatum Gagne’, Rachel Kinsey, Hayley Lipke, Grace McKeon, Broek Ostrom, Libbie Pecora and Deanna Schubmehl.

Photo courtesy of Dan Mawn

HOLLEY – Annette Curtis won the money/lottery/gift card basket worth about $700. She is shown at the Community Free Library in Holley.

The basket was raffled off last Friday and raised about $1,100 for the Murray-Holley Historical Society.

Several local businesses and Historical Society members donated to the basket, including gift cards from Subway, Dunkins, Sam’s Diner, Walmart, Tops, Tim Hortons, Wegmans, Black North Inn, Holley Falls Restaurant, Hair Salon in Holley and Kim Gottman.

Canceling $3,292 will help village revitalize abandoned site

File photo by Tom Rivers: The county’s move to cancel back taxes at 89 Public Square removes another obstacle in trying to redevelop the site.

UPDATED: An earlier article stated the county was forgiving $11,426.91 in back taxes on the building, but it instead is forgiving $3,292 in penalties and back interest.

HOLLEY – The Orleans County Legislature is forgiving $3,292.44 in penalties and back interest at 89 Public Square in Holley, a building the village has been trying to revitalize.

County legislators said the former Odd Fellows Hall “is a historical structure in the heart of the Village of Holley.” The structure was built in 1890 and is at the northeast corner of the historic Public Square.

The Village of Holley Development Corporation has been awarded a $50,000 grant from the Genesee Valley Rural Revitalization Grant Program to put a new roof on the Odd Fellows Hall.

But the county started a foreclosure on the property and wanted the back taxes. The VHDC paid 11,426.91 in back taxes on Monday. The county agreed to cancel the other $3,292.44 owed in back interest and taxes.

Legislators on Monday said canceling the back interest and penalties will allow the VHDC to move forward with the roof replacement.

The Odd Fellows Hall in 2019 was named to the “Five to Revive” list by the Landmark Society of WNY, an annual list that tries to bring funding an attention to important sites in the region.

The VHDC owns the building after the previous owner gave it to the village. The previous owner bought it at the county tax foreclosure auction. The owner bid online from Florida. She saw it as an investment, but no tenants or new buyers emerged.

The village stepped in, not wanting to see the building fall in disrepair and have to be torn down.

Provided photos: Nick Callahan receives a pin from a model after being inducted into the The Order of Towman during the 32ndAnnual American Towman Exposition in Baltimore, Md.

HOLLEY — The owner of a towing company in Holley has been inducted into The Order of Towman by American Towman Magazine.

Nicholas Callahan of Callahan Towing was awarded the Cross of The Order with a Maltese Cross with a unique towing icon. Receiving the Cross of the order puts Callahan into an elite organization of towing professionals nationwide. He was presented the honor last month at the 32^ndAnnual American Towman Exposition in Baltimore, Md.

Sarah Callahan

He was nominated for the recognition by Harris Reed, fire chief of the Murray Joint Fire District. Reed cited Callahan’s community involvement and his work with accident-related tows when dispatched by law enforcement and fire departments.

Nick and his wife Sarah Callahan moved Callahan Towing from Batavia to 106 Geddes St. in Holley about two years ago. They have the contract for emergency towing in eastern Orleans County in the towns of Kendall, Murray and Clarendon.

The Callahans respond to numerous automobile accidents and stay busy with other towing jobs, including emergency roadside assistance and moving vehicles for an auction company.

Both Nick and Sarah operate the tow trucks, and they respond to calls at all hours of the day.

Nick was 18 when he started working for a towing company. At the time his car broke down and he needed to be towed. He talked with the tow operator on scene and even helped to get the car hooked to the tow truck. Soon he had a job with the towing business.

He enjoys the challenge of the job and helping people who are often in distress.

“You need to be able to think on your feet and do it fast,” he told the Orleans Hub during an interview last year.

He knows it is an inconvenience for other motorists when a road is closed due to an accident or incident with a vehicle off the road. He tries to work quickly, while preserving as much of a damaged vehicle as possible.

Callahan Towing in March organized a “Slow Down Move Over Brigade” with tow operators travelling from Rochester to Buffalo. The group of tow trucks traveled about 25 miles per hour so drivers would pay more attention to tow operators on the road.

File photo by Tom Rivers: Sarah and Nick Callahan are shown in this photo from October 2020 when they were preparing for an open house with the community featuring tow trucks and fire apparatus.

Photo courtesy of Orchard Rehabilitation & Nursing Center

MEDINA – The American Legion and VFW in Medina delivered gifts to veterans at Orchard Rehabilitation & Nursing Center to remember them at the holiday season.

The photo shows Dave Kusmierczak from the American Legion and VFW in Medina presenting Ted Fiorito with a Christmas gift. Fiorito served in the US Marine Corps and was very active for many years with the Fancher-Hulberton-Murray Volunteer Fire Company. There are 23 veterans at the nursing center.