By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 18 May 2025 at 6:10 pm
Photos by Tom Rivers
HOLLEY – Holley students and community volunteers spent about four hours today working on the Vietnam War memorial outside the VFW. The group reset more than 500 bricks, removed weeds and put down a perimeter of mulch. They also painted the shells by the Vietnam War era tank.
Some of the volunteers also worked on the site for a few hours the previous week.
The Holley Interact Club and EarlyAct sent a group of about 100 students in the community to pick up litter, clean headstones at Hillside Cemetery and for the first time work on the memorial by the tank.
Gage Campbell goes underneath the tank to pick up broken glass and debris.
Jack Breuilly, center, removes bricks while Gage Campbell climbs them before they were reset. Gage’s dad Matt Campbell was able to get the lights working at the site.
The memorial initially was installed in 2009 as part of an Eagle Scout project led by Dylan Lotzow.
The volunteers wanted to get the site looking good in time for Memorial Day on May 26.
Interact, EarlyAct clubs also will be cleaning headstones at Hillside Cemetery
Press Release, Holley Central School
HOLLEY – The Holley Interact and EarlyAct Clubs are gearing up to host their fifth community Clean Sweep on Sunday from 10 a.m. to noon.
Historically, over 100 students, staff and community members have participated where they sweep the canal park, walking paths and village sidewalks collecting trash to both better the environment and restore beauty to the community.
Due to the annual fall Cemetery Clean Up being postponed earlier this school year, participants will also be cleaning headstones at the Hillside Cemetery as part of this year’s Clean Sweep.
The Clean Sweep event is planned in alignment with the Parks & Trails New York annual state-wide Earth Day Canal Clean Sweep. The Cemetery Clean Up is organized in partnership with Clarendon Town Historian Melissa Ierlan. This marks the seventh year for Cemetery Clean Up where students give back to the community and honor the generations of local residents who have been buried in the cemetery since 1866.
Volunteers will meet at the Holley Elementary School parking lot. They will then be split up within the Village of Holley, Holley Canal Park and path, and Hillside Cemetery. Some will travel by foot and some will be shuttled by bus.
About Interact and EarlyAct Clubs:
Holley MS/HS implemented Interact Club in 2017. It is offered to students in grades 7-12 interested in volunteering their service to their community and school. Interact is the largest club in the school with over 70 active members. They participate in multiple service projects throughout the year, including Parks & Trails New York Adopt-a-Trail program, assembling bagged lunches for Open Door Mission, preparing and serving meals at Orleans Koinonia Kirchen and more.
Inspired by Interact, the Elementary School launched EarlyAct Club in 2023 where fifth and sixth graders can gain an increased awareness of knowledge of their community and participate in service projects, including assembling homeless necessity bags, goody bags for active military members, and for Golisano Children’s Hospital. Both clubs are sponsored by the Holley Rotary Club.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 12 May 2025 at 10:00 pm
Provided photos
HOLLEY – Nora Lindsay (center), a junior at Holley Junior-Senior High School, is shown with Neil and Diane Valentine, parents of Evan Valentine.
Lindsay sold cookies in April in memory of Evan, who passed away at age 18 on February 21, 2021 after a courageous battle with acute myeloid leukemia. Evan was very active in Holley’s music program and also was a soccer player and Eagle Scout.
Lindsay was able to donate $700 for the C.U.R.E. Childhood Cancer Association in memory of Evan Valentine.
“This community will not and can not forget everything Evan meant to us,” Lindsay said in a message to promote the cookie sale for the C.U.R.E.
Photos courtesy of Holley Central School: Elementary Art Club students pictured with Dustin Reisman and Elementary Art Teacher Amanda LeClair.
Posted 6 May 2025 at 8:52 am
Press Release, Holley Central School
HOLLEY – The Holley Elementary Art Club recently unveiled customized painted pizza pans at Dustin’s Pizzeria in the Village of Holley.
Students spent months working on the paintings. They were hung beside pizza boards that were painted by the Holley High School painting class in 2018. Students were excited to see their work displayed and hope community members enjoy the artwork for years to come.
Dustin’s Pizzeria has partnered with Holley Central School for various projects throughout the years, including exiting opportunities like this, as well as career exploration opportunities for students interested in the food industry or opening their own business.
Dustin Reisman (center) pictured with wife and Holley Board of Education member Jennifer Reisman (left), and Holley Superintendent Karri Schiavone (right) at Community Champion recognition.
Dustin Reisman, owner of Dustin’s Pizzeria and Holley Class of 2000 graduate, was named the Holley school district’s 2025 Community Champion for Public Education. This recognition is presented by ACT for Education in order to honor area businesses, service organizations, and community leaders who serve as exceptional supporters of our local public schools and students. He was honored at their recognition breakfast on May 2.
“Dustin Reisman has supported the students and families of Holley Central School for many years,” said Holley Superintendent Karri Schiavone. “Dustin’s Pizzeria is a regular donor for fundraisers and other school events. His support of the school and our students is endless. His involvement in Holley’s events and the community at large is commendable, noticed, and most importantly, done with true intentions of quiet support.”
Students are thrilled to see to their artwork on display at Dustin’s Pizzeria.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 25 April 2025 at 4:11 pm
Photos courtesy of Isabella Zasa
HOLLEY – The Village of Holley this morning planted an Acer tree in the Public Square in honor of the 200th anniversary of Orleans County and the Erie Canal.
Pictured from left include Holley Mayor Mark Bower, County Legislator John Fitzak, Erie Canal Recreationway Commission member Ken DeRoller and County Historian Catherine Cooper. Bower, Cooper and DeRoller are all members of the county’s bicentennial committee.
Photos by Tom Rivers: This group are among the dedicated members of the VFW in Holley. Pictured from left include Mark Morreall, the acting commander; Greg Miller; Will Silpoch, the quarter master; and Dave Rearick, the adjutant and a leader in the district.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 22 April 2025 at 11:33 am
Small band of active members says the VFW provides important community service, camaraderie
HOLLEY – It was nearly 53 years ago when the VFW established a post in Holley with 36 charter members.
The group took over a former railroad freight station and created a safe haven for veterans of foreign wars to share in camaraderie and community service.
The post only has a small core of active members, and those who remain the backbone of the local VFW say they need a new generation to join and keep the post going.
“It’s very worthwhile,” Mark Morreall, the acting commander, said about the local VFW post. “We’d like to pass the torch.”
The VFW’s current commander, Todd Klatt, is a younger veteran who is deployed to Guantánamo Bay, Cuba. Klatt is a mechanic in the National Guard.
The VFW hosts a number of fundraisers – chicken barbecues, raffles and other events – to raise money to keep up the hall and give to veterans.
About three or four times a year Morreall goes to the NYS Veterans Home in Batavia distributing gift cards, pizza, chocolate and other presents for the veterans. He usually goes around Christmas, the Super Bowl, Memorial Day and Veterans Day.
Morreall, age 69, joined the VFW 14 years ago when there were several members who were World War II veterans and others who served in Korea and Vietnam. But Morreall said many of those members have since passed away, and veterans from more recent wars in Iraq and Afghanistan haven’t been joining the post.
“Our numbers are thing, very thin,” he said during an interview last week at the post at 8 Veterans Drive, just south of the railroad tracks off South Main Street. “It’s not just here. It’s the Legion, too.”
The Holley VFW Post includes a memorial by the front door to the nine soldiers from the Holley community who were killed during the Vietnam War. Those young men include: John P. Davis, age 30: David Duane Case, 20; Ronald P. Sisson, 23; Howard L. Bowen, 20; Gary E. Bullock, 24; Gary Lee Stymus, 26; George Warren Fischer Jr., 23; Paul Scott Mandracchia, 18; and David States, 21.
Dave Rearick, 78, has been active in the district leadership for the VFW, including as a commander. The district includes Orleans, Livingston, Wyoming, Genesee and Niagara counties. It has seen 10 posts close, going from 29 to the current 19, Rearick said.
“It’s happening all over New York State and the country,” Rearick said about posts struggling to have enough active members.
Membership at the post costs $30 a year and an application can be picked up by stopping by the VFW. The organization has 120 people on its membership rolls, but a small group of less than 10 does most of the work keeping the post going.
Will Silpoch, 72, has been the quartermaster for more than three decades, handling the duties of treasurer. He also served a two-year stint as commander of the post.
He said the organization needs more fundraisers to keep the finances in the right direction. The VFW has a chicken barbecue planned for June 14.
Mark Morreall, left, and Greg Miller check on a Vietnam era tank that has been outside the post since 2009. Shells around the perimeter need to be repainted and the site needs some landscaping. Morreall said it is getting more difficult for the aging members to keep up with all the work at the post. A plaque by the tank states “In memory of our brothers so they are not forgotten” and lists the nine young men from Holley killed in the Vietnam War.
Greg Miller, age 67, recently became more active at VFW and assists at many of the fundraisers and also in part of the honor guard that attends funerals for veterans including Tuesdays at the National Cemetery in Pembroke.
“I’m the youngest guy on the honor guard,” Miller said. “We’re trying to get a younger generation.”
Miller served 22 years in the navy, enlisted at the end of Vietnam. He also worked with Kodak and Gleason Works, jobs that took him all over the world.
He said he formed stronger bonds with his friends in the military than those at Kodak and Gleason Works.
“There is a certain camaraderie that you get in the service that you don’t get in the civilian world,” he said.
A display inside the VFW includes rifles used in war from the Civil War, World War I, World War II to Korea.
The post was established April 23, 1972 with founding members Charles R. Aldrich, David F. Arnold Jr., John E. Baker, Lewis B. Bowen, Edward F. Carlo, Anthony C. Fallato, Thomas J. Finnefrock, Donald C. Gaines, Charles L. Gunter, Raymond J. Hampson, Kenneth A, Ioannone,
Ivan S. Johnson, Roy S. Kerstetter, Peter P. Korn, Nicholas Mastramano, John V. McAllister, Robt. J. McAllister, Samuel S. McMillion, Frederick J. Newton, John A. Pera, David W. Perrier, Wayne C. Porter, George J. Robertson, Albert J. Sailus,
Roger E. Sargent, Frederick A. Smith, Ralph L. Smith, Dominick Tiberio, Donald J. Lavender, Richard E. Weader, William P. Rase, Harold M. Pratt, Jack W. Wilcox, George H. Bartlett, John W. Wilcox and John P. Bowen.
The VFW and two of the former Marine Corps League members are shown inside the hall at the VFW, which can be rented for $125 for events. From left in front include Ray Madigan Jr. and Tom Sietman from the Marine Corps League, and VFW leaders Mark Morreall and Dave Rearick. In back are Will Silpoch and Greg Miller.
One veterans’ organization based in Holley turned in its charter last year. The Marine Corps League was also based at the VFW. That group started about 20 years ago with 15 members but was down to three.
Ray Madigan Jr. and Tom Sietman, two of the last members, said the group wasn’t able to bring in new members to keep the organization going. Madigan said it became too difficult for the few members to keep up with all the tasks of running the organization, especially now that they’re older.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 17 April 2025 at 6:21 pm
Former joint fire district chairman also served on Village Board, School Board
Photo by Tom Rivers: The turnout gear for Mark Porter is set outside the Holley fire hall as a tribute to the long-time volunteer firefighter who passed away on Tuesday at the fire hall on Thomas Street. Porter also was active in the community with prior roles as chairman of the Murray Joint Fire District, a member of Holley Board of Education, and a village trustee.
HOLLEY – The Holley community and firefighters throughout the Orleans County are mourning the death of Mark Porter, a former Holley fire chief who was a commissioner for the Murray Joint Fire District.
Porter, 54, was found deceased in the fire hall on Tuesday. Porter spent many hours a week at the fire hall on Thomas Street.
“He was dedicated to everything he did, whether sports or the fire service,” said Kevin Dann, captain with the Murray Joint Fire District.
Porter retired in 2023 after 30 years with Monroe Ambulance as an EMT/dispatcher. He is a past fire chief for the Holley Fire Department and was elected commissioner of the Murray Joint Fire District, serving as its chairman. He also served as a Holley village trustee and a member of the Holley Board of Education.
Porter also was a wrestling and baseball coach, and was sports coordinator/director for Joint Youth Recreation in 2012.
“Mark gave so much of himself to this community with respect to his selfless service as a firefighter for many years,” Holley Mayor Mark Bower and Murray Town Supervisor Gerry Rightmyer said in a statement.
They noted his service on the Joint Youth Recreation, as a village trustee and Board of Education.
“As supervisor and mayor and on behalf of our two boards, we acknowledge what a loss this is to our community, to the fire district, and the Holley Volunteer Fire Department,” Bower and Rightmyer said. “Let us all take time to remember Mark and his many positive contributions to Murray and Holley.”
Photo by Tom Rivers: Murray Joint Fire District Chief Rick Cary, left, and Mark Porter, the fire district chairman at the time, are shown with the district’s new fire engine in this photo from January 2024. The fire district picked a white color for the truck, instead of red as part of an rebranding effort for the joint district, which includes the former Holley and Fancher-Hulberton-Murray districts.
Justin Niederhofer, the Orleans County Emergency Management director, noted zporter was the current EMS lieutenant and commissioner with the Murray Joint Fire District and a retired captain with Monroe Ambulance.
“Mark was a dedicated public servant who gave selflessly to his community through decades of leadership, compassion and commitment,” Niederhofer said. “His service touched countless lives, and his loss will be felt deeply across the first responder community. We honor his memory, his legacy, and his unwavering dedication to protecting and serving others.”
Porter was a proud graduate of Kendall Central School and served on the alumni committee.
He battled a serious case of Covid in 2021 that left him in a coma for 100 days. He rebounded and pushed hard to be home in time for Christmas Eve in 2021 to see a new grandchild.
“He would do anything for you, whether you were family or a friend,” said his niece, Shannon McMillion. “If he didn’t have an answer, he’d find it.”
Porter is survived by his wife Rose, three children and five grandchildren.
There are calling hours at the Christopher Mitchell Funeral Home in Holley on Saturday, April 26, from 3 to 7 p.m. with his funeral service on Sunday, April 27, at 11 a.m. at the funeral home.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 8 April 2025 at 7:44 pm
HOLLEY – The Village of Holley will plant a tree on April 25 in the Public Square in celebration of the bicentennial for both the Erie Canal and Orleans County.
The village will have a commemoration at 10:30 a.m. and will share about the 200th anniversaries of both the county and the canal in a ceremony expected to last 15-20 minutes.
Mayor Mark Bower welcomes the community to the event which is also on Arbor Day.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 27 March 2025 at 8:47 am
HOLLEY – A nearly $200,000 grant will upgrade equipment for the Holley Police Department.
The federal funding was accepted by the Village Board last month. The U.S. Department of Justice makes the money available to states and local jurisdictions.
Holley was awarded $198,546. That will pay for a 2025 Dodge Durango patrol vehicle that is fully set up with technology for the Police Department, said Police Chief Bob Barton.
The Holley PD also will replace five body cameras and 10 tasers. It will also be part of the LiveScan fingerprinting and photo database through the state Division of Criminal Justice Services.
Barton said the grant will make a big impact on the Holley department that includes three full-time officers and seven part-timers. The full-timers include Barton as chief, and officers A.J. Fisher and Nick Pahura.
Holley also received a $15,845 grant for new computers and technology in the two police vehicles.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 23 March 2025 at 9:10 pm
Danny Campbell, Ron Meiers reach 50 years of service
Photos by Tom Rivers: Danny Campbell was recognized for 50 years of service to the Clarendon Volunteer Fire Company on Saturday. He speaks to about 225 people during a banquet at the Clarendon Rec Hall.
CLARENDON – The Murray Joint Fire District and Clarendon Volunteer Fire Company held a combined fire department banquet and awards celebration on Saturday night, with about 225 people attending the event at the Clarendon Rec Hall.
Both groups recognized members with milestone anniversaries and they also recognized top responders and others with significant contributions to the organizations.
Clarendon Fire Chief Bob Freida presents gifts to Danny Campbell on reaching the 50-year milestone with the Clarendon Volunteer Fire Company.
There were two firefighters recognized for 50 years of service. Ron Meiers, a past Holley fire chief, remains very active with the department, which has been part of the Murray Joint Fire District since 2021. Meiers was unable to attend the banquet on Saturday. He will be recognized in an upcoming commissioners meeting, said Fire Chief Rick Cary.
Danny Campbell has been an active volunteer with the Clarendon Fire Company for 50 years. He followed the example of his late parents, Everett and Letha, by joining the fire company. Mrs. Campbell was especially dedicated to the Clarendon ambulance.
“My parents were so big into it that I just followed their footsteps,” Campbell said.
He twice served as fire chief, and has been president and held every office except treasurer and secretary. He still drives the fire trucks to many scenes.
Danny’s son, Matt, has 30 years in with the Clarendon Volunteer Fire Company and Danny’s grandsons are eager to join.
Danny credited his wife Diana for her understanding when duty called him away so often.
“In my 50 years I’ve seen a lot but the number one person I have to thank is my wife,” he told the crowd.
Campbell, 68, said he intends to stay active as a firefighter for as long as he can.
“When the tones go off, I respond,” he said.
(Left) Bob Beisang accepts an award from Murray Joint Fire District leaders Pete Hendrickson, center, and Kevin Dann for all of Beisang’s efforts with writing grants, record keeping and solving issues with computers.
(Right) Dan Schiavone was named “Top responder” by Murray Fire Chief Rick Cary. Schiavone and his partner Jenna Amering are fast to respond to many calls during the night. They live about Schiavone’s dental office on the Public Square, not far from the fire station. Schiavone also is knowledgeable on using the fire trucks and trains many of the younger firefighters on how to use equipment.
Mark Porter received the President’s Award for his efforts to move projects forward for the Murray firefighters. Karl Biedlingmaler received the Clarendon President’s Award from Craig Hadden for the many ways Biedlingmaler assists the fire company.
John Morris received a “distinguished service” award from the Murray fire chief for Morriss’s work with the fire police and helping arrange volunteers from the fire district for many of the events in the community.
Jeff Elsenheimer received a “Chief’s Award” for his leadership at scenes when Murray chiefs aren’t there.
Chief Cary said 2024 was the busiest so far for the district with 788 calls. He praised the partnership between Murray and Clarendon, frequently providing mutual aid for each.
Clarendon Fire Chief Bob Freida, right, presents the “Chief’s Award of Excellence” to Rick Cary, the Murray fire chief, on behalf of the mutual aid from Murray for many calls in Clarendon.
Bob Freida received the Clarendon Board of Directors Award for his work getting the Clarendon Benevolent Association started.
Clarendon firefighters responded to 459 calls in 2024.
Freida said the department is looking to replace a chief’s truck and a brush truck this year, and also pave the parking lot by the fire hall/rec hall.
Robbie Weit, 8, was welcomed as a honorary member of the Clarendon Fire Company by Fire Chief Bob Freida and Deputy Chief Don Moiser. Robbie has made posters for both Clarendon and Murray fire halls about the Sept.11 attacks that killed 343 New York City firefighters. Robbie dresses as a firefighter at Halloween and looks forward to joining the department when he is older.
Frank Balys, chairman of the board of commissioners for the Murray Joint Fire District, said the district was awarded a $500,000 state grant last year that will replace turnout gear and self-contained breathing apparatus. Murray is putting its order in for the equipment on Monday.
Scott Elliott of Kendall also was recognized after retiring with 35 years at Monroe Ambulance, including 30 years as a paramedic serving the communities of eastern Orleans and western Monroe. Elliott attended the banquet and was pleased to see so many of the firefighters he has worked with over the years. “It was a chance to say good bye and thank them for working with everyone so long.”
The Clarendon Fire Company’s Board of Directors include: President – Craig Hadden; Vice President – Pat Cain; Directors – Robert Margis, Troy Kingdollar, Earl Jenks, James DeYoung and Dan Campbell.
The Fancher-Hulberton-Murray Fire Company’s Board of Directors include: President – Adam Blosenhauer; Vice President – Joseph A. Morlino; Directors – D.J. Blosenhauer, Billy Bower, Jim Fox and Ed Morgan; Treasurer – Mary Blosenhauer.
The Holley Fire Company’s Board of Directors include: President – Fran Gaylord; Vice President – Raymond McMillion; Directors – Kevin Dann, Shannon McMillion and John Morris; Secretary – Courtney Strickland.
The Clarendon Fire Company’s Line Officers include: Chief – Robert Freida; Deputy Chief – Don Mosier; Assistant Chief – Karl Biedlingmaler; Captain – Troy Kingdollar; Lieutenant – James DeYoung, Bill Gergly and Earl Jenks; and Safety Officer – Dan Campbell and Bob Margis.
The Murray Joint Fire District Board of Commissioners include: Chairman – Frank Balys; Co-Chairman – Scott Harrington; Commissioners – Chris Middleton, Dave Knapp, Robert Beisang, Jenna Amering and Mark Porter; and Secretary/Treasurer – Tiffany Jewell-Frew.
The Murray Line Officers include: Chief – Richard Cary; Deputy Chief – Peter Hendrickson Jr.; Assistant Chief – Kevin Dann; Captain – Jeff Elsenheimer and Chris Chilson; Lieutenant – Allan Smith and Chris Middleton; EMS Lieutenant – Mark Porter and Hunter Salamaca; Fire Police Captain – John Morriss; and Fire Police Lieutenant – Jerry Wagner.
Pete Hendrickson, left, and Don Mosier remember three local firefighters who passed away in 2024, including Don Blosenhauer, a 50-year member of Fancher-Hulberton-Murray; Kerry McCormack, 25-year member of Clarendon and also a long-time EMT with Monroe Ambulance; and Margaret Morse, a 17-year volunteer with the Clarendon fire police.
HOLLEY – The Holley Central School District is pleased to introduce Kelly Hill, who will serve as the district’s new Director of Transportation.
Hill was appointed at the March 17 Board of Education meeting and will assume her role on April 28.
Hill will direct and supervise the district’s Transportation Department, ensuring both efficient operation and safety of students. She brings a wealth of experience, including nine years serving as Safety Supervisor at Student Transportation of America in Alexander, NY, overseeing compliance and training. She possesses her Commercial Driver’s License and is a NYS Department of Education licensed School Bus Driver Instructor and a Department of Motor Vehicles 19A Examiner.
Hill is eager to join the Holley CSD team and start building strong relationships.
“I look forward to making a difference in the lives of my co-workers and the families that I will be serving in this position,” Hill said. “Know that I will do my best to address issues and concerns, and I will be open to working together for the same goal, putting children first in all things. Thank you for this opportunity to serve the Holley community.”
The district extends a warm welcome to Hill.
“I am excited to have someone with Kelly’s experience join the Holley CSD family,” said Karri Schiavone, Holley district superintendent. “I am confident in her ability to lead our Transportation Department and oversee one of the most important responsibilities in our district, the safe transportation of our students.”
This change in leadership comes after the retirement of Tammy Beaney, former director of transportation.
Provided photo: Holley Interact Club members last Thursday served in the food line at the Orleans Koinonia Kitchen. From left serving sloppy joe dinners include Maddie Lowell, Brianna Pellegrino, Lily Moore, Charli Gearing and Kylie Dann. Co-advisor Erin Dibble is in back.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 17 March 2025 at 9:22 am
HOLLEY/ALBION – The Holley Interact Club prepared more than 600 meals last week to be served at the Open Door Mission in Rochester and the Orleans Koinonia Kitchen in Albion.
The Interact Club includes about 80 students committed to community service. The club embraced a “Feed the Need” initiative.
Photo by Tom Rivers: Interact Club members are shown are making 140 peanut butter and jelly sandwiches last Wednesday in the junior/senior high school cafeteria.
Those sandwiches were delivered to the Open Door Mission on Friday. Students decorated bags with artwork and added inspirational messages for 70 bags. Each bag had two sandwiches, chips and juice.
Provided photo: High School Principal Matt Feldman greets students working on the bagged lunches for the Open Door Mission.
This was the second year that the Holley Interactors made sandwiches for the Open Door Mission. Thursday the group served at the “OK Kitchen” for the first time after club advisor Sam Zelent saw a social media post by kitchen director Faith Smith, seeking help preparing and serving meals for one of the Thursdays.
The Holley community donated the food for a sloppy joe dinner, including 90 pounds of ground beef, 83 cans of Manwich, 83 jars of peas, 500 Little Debbie snacks and a $100 from Wegmans. The Holley school kitchen staff cooked the sloppy joes which were then reheated at the OK Kitchen.
“Honestly it was the community that did this,” Zelent, a social worker, said Wednesday about the food.
The following day she and club co-advisor Erin Dibble were with eight Interact students to prepare and serve the food at the OK Kitchen, which is located at Harvest Christian Fellowship in Albion on Route 31.
Photo by Tom Rivers: Sam Zelent, the co-advisor of the Holley Interact Club, gives the group a pep talk before they served sloppy joes last Thursday at the OK Kitchen. Clockwise from Zelent include MacKenzie Fiorito, Lily Moore, Brianna Pellegrino, Leon Wilcox, Charli Gearing, Madie Lowell, Kylie Dann, Joscelyn Underwood and the back of Erin Dibble.
Provided photos: (Left) Brianna Pellegrino and Lily Moore are on cleanup duty at the OK Kitchen. (Right) MacKenzie Fiorito and Joscelyn Underwood greeted the community with smiles while working in the OK Kitchen last Thursday. The students arrived at 1 p.m. and stayed until well after 6.
The Holley Interact Club was amazed by the OK Kitchen and the commitment of the volunteers led by director Faith Smith.
The Interactors would like to be back again soon helping at the kitchen, even though it isn’t located right in Holley.
“Orleans County is a small county and we need to stick together,” Zelent said.
Charli Gearing, right, and the Interactors serve in the food last Thursday.
“I gained a lot of knowledge about my community and its needs and that there should be more opportunities like this for us younger kids to help make a difference,” she said.
Another student, Madie Lowell, said the experience was “eye opening.” She is impressed by the volunteers to help out every week, preparing and serving an average of 500 meals.
Faith Smith, the OK Kitchen director, said she appreciated the service and the enthusiasm from the Holley students. She welcomes more groups to try preparing and serving a meal. They can contact her at (585) 319-1578 or by email at mesilly12@yahoo.com.
The Interact Club is also looking forward to its next big event, the community cleanup on May 17 when they pick up litter along the canal trail, village streets and parks.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 14 March 2025 at 4:12 pm
Photos by Tom Rivers
HOLLEY – Holley Jr./Sr. High School will be performing the musical Grease this evening at 7, and then two shows on Saturday at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. Click here for ticket information.
The top photo shows four of the Pink Ladies at a pajama party. Isla Schultz is Marty and she shows a new ring to her friends, from left: Jayda Shampine as Frenchy, Hanna Ostrom as Jan, and Mallory Davis as Rizzo.
Marty sings, “Freddy, My Love.” She is in a long-distance relationship with a Marine. He sends her gifts while he’s stationed in Japan.
Aidan Kelley is Danny Zuko, the leader of the Rydell High T-Birds. His falls in love with Sandy. He is singing, “Summer Nights.”
Bailey Bibbins plays the lead role of Sandy. She also sings “Summer Nights” about her summertime love affair with Danny. Sandy later transforms from schoolgirl sweetheart into a biker beauty.
Khole Pachla is Doody and sings “Those Magic Changes.” Doody is a member of the T-Birds and Frenchy’s boyfriend.
Holley has 62 students in the cast and crew. Kayla Thrower is making her directorial debut for Holley. Thrower, 25, was in the musicals when she was a Holley student.
She is a social studies teacher for seventh- and eighth-graders. She said the musicals helped build her confidence when she was a student.
“I loved it when I was in school,” Thrower said during a rehearsal this week. “It brought me out of my shell.”
She said the musicals are a supportive environment for students.
“It’s fun because you can take on a different persona,” Thrower said. (She was Ursula in Holley’s production of Little Mermaid.) “Every year it’s a chance to build a family.”
It’s a busy weekend for local school musicals. Besides Holley the shows includes Kendall with Willy Wonka, Medina with Momma Mia, and the Albion Middle School with Little Mermaid.
Lyndonville will be performing Newsies from March 21-23, with Albion High School is doing Cinderella on March 28-29.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 13 February 2025 at 1:41 pm
Photo by Tom Rivers
MURRAY – Firefighters pulled some of the siding off a house at 3388 Groth Road so they could get water directly on an electrical fire that was smoldering just after noon today.
The electrical fire started at the service entrance cable, firefighters said at the scene.
They were able to keep the electrical fire from turning into flames and causing more damage. National Grid also happened to be in the area and one of the Grid workers was able to shut off the electric from the meter, helping to keep the fire from spreading, said Bob Freida, the Clarendon fire chief.
Murray firefighters were assisted in mutual aid by Clarendon, Kendall and Hamlin.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 4 February 2025 at 2:27 pm
HOLLEY – The Village of Holley has been awarded a $75,000 state grant for an inclusive playground that will ADA-accessible.
“Nestled beside the Erie Canal, this addition reflects the Canal’s role in enhancing quality of life and creating welcoming spaces for all,” the Canal Corp. said in announcing the funding on Monday.
Holley has the matching funds for a project that will total about $150,000, Mayor Mark Bower said.
The village has $35,000 set aside for the playground and the Town of Murray has committed $25,000 towards the project. The Holley Department of Public Works also will provide in-kind services with excavating and site work, Bower said.
Community volunteers will also be asked to help construct the playground which will allow Holley to maximize the funding towards the equipment for children.
The village will soon seek bids from playground companies for the equipment. Bower is hopeful construction will start in April.
The playground will go where there was one previously along the canal path. That playground wasn’t accessible to people with disabilities, had fallen into disrepair and was removed in 2022, Bower said.
The mayor thanked the Orleans County Health Department for helping to secure the grant for the village.
Holley also recently was awarded a grant to put in a kayak launch and new decking and stairs at its canal park.
