Press Release, First Presbyterian Church of Holley
Philip Benier
HOLLEY – The First Presbyterian Church of Holley is pleased to announce they have called Rev. S. Philip Benier to serve as our pastor beginning April 7.
Rev. Benier has led numerous worship services at the church during the past year and a half as a Pulpit Supply from the Presbytery of Genesee Valley so he is not “new” to Holley. Rev. Benier is a graduate of Brite Divinity School, Ft. Worth, Texas and worked as the assistant to the Director of the Presbyterian Night Shelter, handling all grant information as well as filing and providing presentations on homelessness in that Texas community.
He served a congregation in Toledo, Ohio prior to coming to the Rochester area where he was associated with Twelve Corners Presbyterian Church in Brighton. His previous background is in banking for 17 years and then he worked in healthcare, assisting individuals with special needs to provide them with the best of care.
The Holley church looks forward to our partnership with Rev. S. Philip Benier and invite everyone to join us on any Sunday morning at 10:30 a.m. We’re the brick church at the traffic light. The address is 34 E. Albion Street, Holley.
Come get to know us as we strive to achieve our mission statement: “We are a God-loving, deeply rooted, compassionate, inclusive, charitable church, a symbol of hope, growing in service to our Holley community and beyond.”
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 26 March 2024 at 3:07 pm
Andrea Newman selling posters of painting as fundraiser for Holley festivals
HOLLEY – Andrea Newman, an artist from Holley, created a painting celebrating the upcoming solar eclipse. Holley is in the path of totality and very close to the center line of the eclipse. (The center line will pass over neighboring Brockport.)
Andrea Newman
Newman’s acrylic painting on canvas shows Holley’s lift bridge over a shallow Erie Canal. At about 3:20 p.m. on April 8, Holley will be in darkness as the sun is blocked by the moon. Totality will last for almost four minutes.
It is a rare event. Orleans County was last in a total eclipse in 1925.
“I’m excited,” Newman said today. “It’s going to be a great day.”
Newman was asked by Holley Mayor Mark Bower to create a painting commemorating the eclipse. Bower saw an eclipse poster featuring the Erie Canal with many of the canal towns listed on the border of the poster. He was disappointed Holley wasn’t included.
He reached out to Newman, a former Holley Board of Education member who works as an artist. She also is an adjunct communications professor at SUNY Brockport.
She is happy to help the Holley community celebrate the eclipse. She is selling posters of the painting as well as digital downloads through her Etsy site (click here). Proceeds will be donated to the village to go towards community festivals.
Newman experimented for a few days on creating a silhouette for the painting. She settled on the lift bridge for the scene in Holley, because she said the lift bridge is such an iconic landmark.
“It’s going to be a monumental day,” she said about April 8. “It’s so cool it’s coming right this way.”
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 19 March 2024 at 4:00 pm
HOLLEY – School officials are putting together the budget for the 2024-25 school year, and the spending plan is expected to be well under the district’s authorized tax cap.
Sharon Zacher, the assistant superintendent, said the budget is currently projected at a 1.99 percent tax increase. Holley’s tax cap cushion allows for up to a 3.972 percent tax increase, with the district’s carrying over some tax cap room from prior years, Zacher told the Board of Education on Monday.
While some school districts are slated for a decrease in state aid in the governor’s executive budget, Holley’s total state aid would increase by about $600,000, from $20,095,541 to $20,665,520.
However, Zacher said an on-time state budget seems unlikely by April 1, with some disagreements to be resolved among the State Legislature and governor.
Zacher feels comfortable forecasting a budget at $29,115,000, which represents a 2.4 percent spending increase, or up $695,000 from $28,420,000 in 2023-24.
Holley’s preliminary budget would maintain its existing programs and add one full-time elementary teacher, a 0.4 part-time Spanish teacher, and 0.2 part-time science teacher.
The budget with a 1.99 percent tax increase would raise the tax levy by $155,926 – from $7,835,466 to $7,991,392.
Zacher said the budget will be finalized next month by the board of education and then go for a public vote on May 21.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 19 March 2024 at 12:21 pm
Local schools, county discussing how to offer services for preschoolers with disabilities
HOLLEY – It’s been nearly four years since Rainbow Preschool closed, ending a program that served children ages 2 ½ to 5 with developmental and intellectual disabilities.
Rainbow Preschool shut down sites in Albion and Batavia, leaving no similar programs in Orleans or Genesee counties.
Officials at Holley Central School said children with disabilities now are either not getting early intervention services before age 5, on waiting lists or have to travel much farther away.
“There is no center-based program in Orleans County serving children with special needs,” Brian Bartalo, Holley school superintendent, told the Board of Education on Monday. “We’re worried about kids coming to our PreK and kindergarten who are struggling and not as prepared.”
It is county government’s responsibility to provide services for young children with disabilities before they enroll in a public school.
Rainbow Preschool for about 50 years used to provide special education, physical therapy, occupational therapy, assistive technology, counseling, parent training, music therapy, and speech/language therapy for students to prepare them for kindergarten.
The school was run by the Arc of Genesee Orleans. At its peak, the school served 300 children. The enrollment for 2020-21 was at 26 students.
The school in Albion was located at the Arnold Gregory Complex at 243 S. Main St. In Batavia, Rainbow Preschool was at the former Robert Morris school on Union Street.
Bartalo said county officials will have a meeting later this month with representatives from the five school districts in Orleans County to brainstorm how the services could be provided locally.
“They are leaning into the school districts about how to solve this,” Bartalo said.
In a related issue, Stephanie Sanchez, director of special programs for Holley Central School, said the district recently received surveys from 145 parents of students with IEPs (Individualized Education Plan). The district has a 98.6 percent positive response rate from parents of students with disabilities, well above the state target of 94 percent.
“I’m glad our parents feel supported,” Sanchez told the Board of Education.
Photos by Ginny Kropf: (Left) Scottie Osborne, a volunteer at the Eastern Orleans Community Center, organizes the free food which is offered the community on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. (Right) Jeanette Worsley, lead case manager/health coach at Community Action, chats with James Salvatore, who brings produce from Navarra’s Farm Market and Greenhouses in Eagle Harbor to the Eastern Orleans Community Center, which community members can purchase.
By Ginny Kropf, correspondent Posted 19 March 2024 at 8:07 am
Site has expanded services to promote healthy lifestyles
HOLLEY – Community Action of Orleans and Genesee is excited to announce several new programs to serve people in need locally.
One of the most important things is a “Prevention Pays” campaign launched this spring through their Axis of Care.
Axis of Care was executive director Renee Hungerford’s much acclaimed pilot program she started after becoming director nearly two years ago.
The program was designed to help overcome barriers which prevent people from living a healthy, active life, said Katrina Chaffee, director of Community Services and Reporting.
From left, Katrina Chaffee, director of Community Services and Reporting, volunteer Rachel Escovar and Jeanette Worsley, lead case manager/health coach at Community Action enjoy camaraderie at the Eastern Orleans Community Center on Friday.
“Axis of Care focuses on helping people make changes that lead to good health and a better quality of life,” she said.
One person who can attest to the success of the program is volunteer Rachel Escovar. She started with the nutrition program and lost weight.
“She is such an inspiration,” Chaffee said. “She had to have hip replacement in December, but first had to lose weight and quit smoking.”
Her goal is to lose another 40 pounds and to stay healthy, she said.
“This all falls in with Renee’s Axis of Care,” said Jeanette Worley, lead case manager/health coach for Community Action.
When Worsley began researching things Community Action could do to bring preventative medicine to Orleans County, she came up with several unique ideas, including offering food vouchers as an incentive for people to take part in health screenings.
The response to the food voucher incentive was overwhelming, but many recipients voiced concern that they were unable to get to farmers’ markets to use them.
“The big problem here is people don’t have transportation,” Worsley said.
Worsley happened to be at Navarra’s in Eagle Harbor, and knew they offered custom weekly produce boxes and accepted fresh food Rx vouchers. A conversation ensued and Navarra’s agreed to allow Community Action staff to accept orders from customers for produce boxes from Navarra’s.
Navarra’s has a list of 25 to 30 items customers can choose from, indicating whether they want a $10, $20 or $30 box. The list changes every week, Salvatore said.
On Friday’s Navarra’s delivers the weekly orders to the Eastern Orleans Community Center, where customers can pay in cash or with their vouchers.
James Salvatore, whose family owns Navarra’s, delivers the produce boxes to the Community Center. Demand has grown so much, he sets up a table with fresh produce, flowers, relishes, etc., which people can purchase.
“We wanted to help get produce to the community at a reasonable price,” Salvatore said. “We know prices in the stores are high. And we grow all of this produce.”
Debbie Rothmund is director of the Eastern Orleans Community Center in Holley.
Navarra’s also sells flowers from Wild Dahlia in Brockport and popcorn from Sweet Treats by Gertie in Albion.
Community Action is also exploring options to expand accessibility to fresh produce to those who lack transportation to traditional markets and stands. They are considering becoming a site where SNAP clients can purchase farm market tokens using their EBT benefits and SNAP Stretch, which doubles recipients’ SNAP value at farm markets.
Another program at the Community Center is the food giveaway on Monday, Wednesday and Friday, when volunteers pick up donated food from Wegmans and Walmart.
This past Friday’s free food included boxes and boxes of chicken thighs, vegetables, salad greens, lo mein meals, breads and baked goods.
Those who can get a ride come for the free food and stay for lunch. A typical day sees 40 to 50 individuals come in, said Debbie Rothmund, manager of the Eastern Orleans Community Center.
One who comes often is Billie Jo Van Hoy from Hamlin.
“An aide brings me three days a week,” Van Hoy said. “I come for the food and the friendliness. Food is so expensive in the stores, and I’m on a fixed income. Here, I can get fruits and vegetables, and sometimes hamburger or chicken. It really helps.”
Another lady who asked to just be called “Patti,” comes for lunch every day and for the friends she meets and the conversations.
“I get the free food on Monday, Wednesday and Friday, because I’m retired and I couldn’t spend the money on the things I get here.”
A gentleman named Rick also comes often, and sometimes brings his brother, who has special needs, for socialization. Rick sometimes plays guitar for the crowd. He appreciates the food distribution, but really enjoys having fun and making conversation with the others.
Community members fill the room at the Eastern Orleans Community Center in Holley most days. Here, they wait for lunch on Friday, after choosing from a large assortment of free food provided by Wegman’s and Walmart.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 15 March 2024 at 11:26 am
Provided photo
HOLLEY – Holley Rotary Club President Shannon Brett, right, presents a Paul Harris Fellow award to Elaine Berg during the club’s meeting on Monday.
Berg has been an active member of the club for six years. She also is involved in many community organizations, including as a member of the Murray Town Board.
A Paul Harris Fellow is Rotary’s top award and is named for the founder of the organization.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 13 March 2024 at 8:48 am
Provided photos courtesy of Rainey Losee
HOLLEY – The Holley Village Board on Tuesday presented certificates to the Holley girls varsity soccer team which went 19-4 this fall and advanced to the state tournament.
The Holley team had an outstanding season as Genesee Region Division 1 Champions, Class C Sectional Champions, Class C Regional Champions and advanced to the NYS Section V Semi-Finals.
Mayor Mark Bower was joined by village trustees Jessica MacClaren, John Morriss and Rochelle Moroz in presenting certificates to the team at the village offices in the former Holley High School.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 8 March 2024 at 6:23 pm
Provided photos
HOLLEY – The Holley school district is partnering with the Town of Murray, Village of Holley and property owners Lisa and Kevin Logsdon to display banners recognizing outstanding high school seniors in the classroom, the arts and on the athletic fields.
The top photo shows three banners in the inaugural honorees. The banners are displayed on a brick wall of Dustin’s Pizzeria on Geddes Street.
At the end of each marking period, Holley will recognize a Scholar Athlete, Scholar/Fine Arts and Scholar/Service. The criteria is fairly straightforward: an 85 and above average for the marking period and outstanding accomplishments during that time in athletics, fine arts and service.
“High school leaders and staff choose the recipients and our village and town will place banners of each selected student for all to see,” said Holley mayor Mark Bower. “Our future rests in our youth and it is a community’s role to acknowledge our students.”
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 6 March 2024 at 10:01 pm
Photos by Tom Rivers
HOLLEY – Gabe Lindsay stars in the role of Seymour in Holley’s production of Little Shop of Horrors. He holds a plant he named Audrey II. Seymour was a disheveled flower shop worker who becomes more hip and famous due to Audrey II’s rise in stardom.
Holley has about 70 students in the cast and crew of Little Shop of Horrors. Show times are Friday at 7 p.m., and Saturday at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m.
Lindsay is Seymour in the 7 p.m. shows both days, while Aidan Kelley plays the part during the 2 p.m. show.
Kohle Pachla plays the role of Mr. Mushnik, owner of a struggling and rundown flower shop. Audrey II brings many customers and sales to the shop, changing its fortunes. Jax Richards-Dyson plays Mushnik in the Saturday afternoon show.
The show is directed by Dan and Kellie Burke. Mr. Burke directed his last show in 2020 and then retired a year later. He returned to lead the show this time, teaming with his sister Kellie Burke. He is thankful to be back directing the cast.
During his last musical four years ago, the students had the show cancelled just before opening night due to Covid restrictions in March 2020. Holley did High School Musical that year.
Burke has been subbing almost every day this school year at Holley, responding due to a shortage of substitute teachers.
He said being in the Holley district is his retirement dream come true. He worked as a biology teacher at Holley and a baseball coach, while directing the musicals for three decades.
Burke said there is a magic with musical productions, taking students from many backgrounds and comfort levels on stage and having them work together and perform a show.
“You see the kids build an energy and do things they didn’t think they could do,” he said during intermission at today’s rehearsal. “You see them transformed.”
Some kids push their limits with a solo on stage. Others stretch themselves by being in the cast, singing and dancing. Others contribute through set design and being part of the stage crew.
Jayda Shampine plays the role of Audrey and sings, “Somewhere That’s Green.” She who works in the flower with Seymour, who admires Audrey and names the mysterious in her honor.
Abigail Merkley plays Audrey during the Saturday afternoon show.
Burke, as director, has long had multiple casts. His belief is to give every kid a chance to have the biggest role they can.
Mushnik and cast members are excited to listen to Seymour being interviewed on the radio about the famous plant in the flower shop.
Audrey II’s success leads to a major upgrade and renovation at the flower shop.
Orin Scrivello (played by Owen Schultz) is Aubrey’s abusive boyfriend and a sadistic dentist.
Seymour reacts in horror as Audrey II eats Orin Scrivello. Seymour was angry at how Scrivello treated Audrey so poorly.
Feeding the plant the dentist satisfied Audrey II’s thrist for blood, momentarily. Seymour discovered the plant’s appetite for blood when he pricked a finger on a rose thorn. Audrey II thirstily opened its pod at the smell of blood.
Gabe Lindsay, who plays Seymour, said the plant gets meaner as it gets bigger, and its appetite more demanding.
“When you take a risk, be prepared to accept the good and the bad,” Lindsay said about the message in the show.
He plans to major in musical theater when he heads to Geneseo State College next year. Lindsay said he is grateful for the chance to be in the Holley musicals since he was in junior high.
Audrey II grows to an immense size as it feeds its appetite. Jose-Angel Valentin is the voice of the plant during the evening performances and Nico Unterborn is in the role on Saturday afternoon.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 2 March 2024 at 10:28 am
Provided photos
HOLLEY – Contractors are on site at Sam’s Diner this morning helping to stabilize the building in the Public Square after the back wall collapsed on Friday morning.
Joe Penna of Holley is doing an emergency shoring of the back of the building. Steve Morgan is removing stone debris.
The scene shut down traffic in the Public Square until 8 p.m. Friday due to concern vibrations from the passing vehicles could cause more of the building to cave in.
Sam’s Diner owner George Gitsis thanked the community for the outpouring of concern and support for a much-loved restaurant in Holley. George’s father, the late Sam Gitisis, opened the diner in 1978.
While Route 31 is back open to traffic, the east one-lane strip in the Square from Red, White and Moo to Sam’s, and past Dr. Dan Schiavone’s dental office and the community center remains closed to vehicles.
Rick Cary, the Murray fire chief, said the immediate area by Sam’s also is currently off limits to pedestrians in case there is any shifting in the diner.
He said Schiavone and the Eastern Orleans Community Center should be able to reopen to the public on Monday.
Murray firefighters have been on the scene since shortly after the wall collapsed at about 9:30 a.m. on Friday. They provided an overnight presence. Cary said he expects they will be on scene until this afternoon.
He was inside the diner this morning, and he said it is in good condition despite the back wall collapsing.
The Murray Joint Fire District was assisted on the scene by Village of Holley employees, NYS Special Operations and Monroe County Special Operations, and firefighters from Kendall, Clarendon and Brockport.
Sam’s Diner posted the following message on its Facebook page:
“We are extremely thankful that nobody was hurt. We cannot express how we appreciate everyone who has reached out offering your love and support. We are humbled by all of the local fire departments, village workers, Monroe County Special Operations Unit, code enforcement officers, community members, Mayor Mark Bower, Dustin’s Pizzeria, and countless others that have been working hard to help us salvage the building and to give us their support. It really does take a village as the saying goes and we are beyond grateful! We will keep you updated with the progress.”
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 1 March 2024 at 12:12 pm
Fate uncertain for beloved restaurant in Public Square
Photos by Tom Rivers
HOLLEY – The back wall of Sam’s Diner lies in a pile of rubble today. The wall gave out at about 9:30 a.m. The diner wasn’t open yet and no one was injured.
The situation has closed traffic in the Public Square while the building and the those near it are checked to make sure they are stable.
“It’s heart-breaking,” said Holley Mayor Mark Bower.
The Gitisis family has owned the diner for nearly 50 years. Sam Gitsis opened it in 1978. It is one of Holley’s most popular gathering places.
George Gitsis, the son of Sam Gitsis, is the current owner. He tried in recent months to get an engineer and masons to work on the back of the building but could not get people to commit to the job, Bower said.
“From day one, George and his father, mother and sister have done wonderful work in Holley,” Bower said. “I’m just wanting this business to survive. It’s such an asset to Holley.”
A special operations team from Monroe County is at the scene to check the stability of Sam’s. There are also many local firefighters, code enforcement and the Orleans County Emergency Management Office.
A drone was sent up to give officials a close view of the building to see if there was any additional movement in the walls, said Rick Cary, the Murray fire chief.
The local officials will continue to assess the stability of the building, and that will determine if it can be shored up and reopened eventually, Cary said. A construction company may need to come in and help with the evaluation.
“I expect the restaurant will be closed for a significant amount of time,” Cary said.
Dr. Dan Schiavone has his dental office next door to Sam’s. He is closed today and hopes he can see patients on Monday.
Schiavone, a former Holley mayor, worries about many of the Public Square buildings from the late 1800s.
“These are historic buildings and we do our darndest to save them,” Schiavone said. “But we’re losing the integrity of the Public Square.”
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 27 February 2024 at 1:45 pm
Provided photo
HOLLEY – The Holley Rotary Club on Monday evening honored two members as Paul Harris Fellows, the club’s highest honor. The club is making $1,000 donations to the Rotary Foundation in the name of Craig Lane and Josh Mitchell.
Pictured from left include Craig Lane, a Paul Harris Fellow; club member Brain McKeon; and Josh Mitchell, a Paul Harris Fellow.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 6 February 2024 at 11:42 am
Photos courtesy of Holley Central School
HOLLEY – A group of Holley students and staff took the Polar Plunge on Sunday, going into the cold water of Lake Ontario.
The Holley group raised $2,327 for the Special Olympics. The 15 Holley students are in the Student Council and the Interact Club.
Jim DiSessa, the High School Student Council advisor, has led the Holley group for about a decade in the Plunge. The group was also joined on Sunday by Principal Matt Feldman and six faculty members.
“It makes a difference when you have staff members who are encouraging students to give back to the community, getting involved with them and showing up for them,” DiSessa said.
There were 1,800 people who took the plunge at Ontario Beach Park and set a new record raising $360,000.
DiSessa said the plunge has become an annual tradition for Holley.
“Our students enjoy doing the Polar Plunge because it raises money for and helps bring awareness to a great cause, the Special Olympics,” he said. “I think students enjoy the event because it is different, which makes it fun.”
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 20 January 2024 at 4:28 pm
Star Wars characters, G.I. Joes, Atari games and more
Photos by Tom Rivers: Jason Royce, owner of Retro World Toys, stands in his store at 32 Public Store with Slimer, one of the characters from the Ghostbusters movies.
HOLLEY – Step in Retro World Toys, and it’s a step back in time, from Star Wars figures from the 1970s and ’80s, Elvis cards, Atari video games, a Rocky III movie poster, Fisher-Price toys, and a lineup of G.I. Joes and Chuck Norris Karate Kommandos.
Jason Royce has been selling retro toys for several years, mostly online. He had a store in West Seneca but shut it down during the height of the Covid pandemic.
He wanted to open in a storefront again, and preferred a small town. The Barker resident looked at Medina and Albion. He picked Holley after going to an estate sale. When he rounded Route 31 and saw the Public Square, he felt like it would be the perfect fit for his business.
“I fell in love with it,” he said about Holley’s business district. “Seeing Holley, it felt like Hallmark.”
These wresting figures include one of Gene Okerlund, center, who was a long-time interviewer, announcer and television host for the World Wrestling Federation and World Championship Wrestling.
Royce also said the business is close to Brockport, Rochester and Batavia, and can draw people from those communities.
Royce retired as a professional wrestler about two years ago after 25 years wrestling nationally and in more regional syndicates. He generally wrestled as a cowboy character.
With retro toys, he said the sense of nostalgia is a strong among collectors. He expects people will travel to come to the store to check out the merchandise.
The store opened at noon today for the first time and there was a ribbon cutting with leaders from the Orleans County Chamber of Commerce, Village of Holley officials and a representative from Assemblyman Steve Hawley.
There was a ribbon cutting today at noon for the new businesses in Holley. From left include Holley Mayor Mark Bower, Village Trustee John Morriss, Orleans County Chamber of Commerce President Dave Gagne, Retro World Toys owner Jason Royce, Vintage Me This owner Marla Harmon, Assemblyman Steve Hawley chief of staff Eileen Banker, and Darlene Hartway, Chamber of Commerce executive director.
Mayor Mark Bower said Retro World Toys and a companion business, Vintage Me This, are assets to the community.
“It’s great to have another storefront occupied in the village,” Bower said. “It’s unique.”
Royce’s partner Marla Harmon has opened Vintage Me This in the back part of the building. She sells dishes, glasses, zipper pouches, Pyrex stickers, key chains, tote bags and other “fun retro items.”
The businesses are open 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Thursday and Friday, noon to 6 p.m. on Saturday, and noon to 4 p.m. on Sunday.
Marla Harmon also started her own business in the back of the store at 32 Public Square. She touts Vintage Me This as “Not your grandma’s antique store.”
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 18 January 2024 at 11:27 am
Photos courtesy of Holley Central School
HOLLEY – The Holley Board of Education last week presented a “Soaring to New Heights” award to members of the Holley’s varsity girls soccer team that won a Sectional title, Far West Regionals and advanced to the state tournament. It was an historic, record-setting season for the team which made its first trip to the state tournament for Holley girls soccer.
The district also thanked the Holley-Murray Joint Fire District for providing special fire truck escorts for the team bus in and out of town for the sectional and regional victories, and when the Hawks headed to states.
The Holley Transportation Department also commended for making many last-minute adjustments in order to provide spectator busses and get the team to their games.
The Holley Sports Boosters received a “Soaring To New Heights Award” for going above and beyond supporting the district athletic program, the student fans and especially the girls varsity team during the fall season.
“Sports Boosters paid for the majority of student ticket fees throughout girls soccer sectionals/regionals which lifted a huge burden for students,” district officials said in presenting the award last week. “Having a student spectator section supporting them at these games made all the difference for the team. This was on top of keeping the concession stands staffed at football and soccer games throughout the season.”
