Families, businesses and organizations decorate trees at Veterans Park

Photos by Tom Rivers

LYNDONVILLE – The Village of Lyndonville turned on the lights Saturday for 82 Christmas trees decorated at Veterans Park. Many of the trees are decorated in memory of loves, while businesses and organizations also puts lights and ornaments on the trees.

Lyndonville started the tradition in 2013 with 26 trees. It has continues to have a strong response from the community.

This tree with angel at top was decorated by the family of Derwood and Dorothy James.

One of the trees is decorated by the Bradley family for family members including Wes Bradley, who was a founding member of Christmas in Lyndonville Committee. For the first 12 years of the celebration, Bradley served as the emcee when Santa arrived by carriage and led the countdown to Santa flipping the switch to light up the trees.

Bradley, a beloved teacher and coach in Lyndonville, passed away on Sept. 27. He also was chairman of Lyndonville’s fireworks effort for many years.

Carla Woodworth, left of Santa, served as emcee on Saturday and helped guide Santa to the “North Pole” electric switch so he could turn on the power for all the trees.

The Hardner-Smith family decorated the tree in lower right in memory of Dr. Elizabeth Lucyszyn. It includes a chicken ornament on top.

This tree is decorated in honor of Mark Hughes, a Lyndonville teacher and coach who passed away on June 4. Hughes was known to many as “Mr. Lyndonville.” He was a very active part of the school district for 52 years.

The patriotic tree with flags was decorated by Lyndonville Lions Club.

Veterans Park is the site for Lyndonville’s display of trees. The trees stay lighted up until just after New Year’s Day.

Jennifer Trupo, a music teacher at Lyndonville, and her chorus students sang “Silent Night” and other Christmas songs outside the Yates Community Library before Santa arrived and the trees were lighted up.

There were nearly 20 activities throughout the day on Saturday for Christmas in Lyndonville beginning with a community breakfast/basket raffle from 8 a.m. to 11 a.m. at the Lyndonville Presbyterian Church. The day concluded with a Christmas LaLaPalooza at the Lyndonville Presbyterian Church.

Amelia McDonald, 3, of Lyndonville was among about 100 kids who were able to meet Santa inside the Village Hall.

The lighting of the trees brought many people to Veterans Park on Saturday evening.

The trees are all decorated in a different way by families, businesses and organizations.

‘Christmas in Lyndonville’ includes many activities throughout the day

Photo by Tom Rivers

LYNDONVILLE – The Village of Lyndonville will host many activities on Saturday as part of its community Christmas celebration.

The community has decorated 82 Christmas trees at veterans Park. The lights on the trees will be turned on at 5 p.m. by Santa.

The village started the tradition of decorating the trees in 2013 with 26 the first year. The number steadily grew reaching a record high of 98 in 2022. There continues to be a big response to decorating the trees with 85 in 2023, and 82 in both 2024 and 2025.

The trees stay lighted up until just after New Year’s Day.

There are nearly 20 activities throughout the day beginning with a community breakfast/basket raffle from 8 a.m. to 11 a.m. at the Lyndonville Presbyterian Church. The Webber Cafe will host holiday cookie decorating station with crafts from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m.

There will be caroling at Veterans Park from 4:30 to 5 p.m. just before Santa’s arrival and the lighting of the trees.

Afterward, Santa will be available to visit with kids from 5:15 to 6:30 p.m.

The events conclude with a Christmas LaLaPalooza at the Lyndonville Presbyterian Church. Click here to see the full schedule of activities.

Christmas in Lyndonville is sponsored by the Village of Lyndonville, Lyndonville Fire Department, Lyndonville Lions Club or the Lyndonville United Methodist Church.

Photo by Tom Rivers: This photo from Dec. 17, 2022 shows volunteers getting ready to place wreaths on veterans’ graves at Lynhaven Cemetery on Housel Avenue in Lyndonville. Volunteers placed 441 wreaths at veterans’ graves as part of the Wreaths Across America observance.

LYNDONVILLE – The Lyndonville community will be placing wreaths on about 450 graves of veterans on Dec. 13. This will be the eighth year the American Legion will be holding a ceremony at noon and then joining volunteers to set the wreaths for veterans as part of Wreaths Across America.

The ceremony begins at noon at Lynhaven Cemetery. There will be other activities after the wreaths are set at Lynhaven, with others put at veterans’ grave sites at Yates Center Cemetery, Robin Hill Estate, the Greenman Road Cemetery, Lott Cemetery on Angling Road and a cemetery on Marshall Road.

“I want to remind visitors and volunteers alike in Lyndonville we are fortunate to have a memorial fund set up in memory of  Fred (Fotius), Peter, George Menel and Ernest Stelianou by their sister Anna,” said Steve Goodrich, commander of the American Legion in Lyndonville and coordinator of Wreaths Across America for Lyndonville. “All veterans (current & future) graves will receive a wreath at no expense to the veteran’s families.”

Any donations made to the Lynhaven Cemetery will be redirected to the Boxwood Cemetery in Medina to help support the wreaths’ effort there, Goodrich said.

There will be a complimentary volunteer appreciation luncheon at the Webber Café afterwards. Webber Café also will offer free crafts for kids, including rock painting and cookie decorating.

The Grinch will be at Sweet Tilly’s Mercantile on Main Street, offering ornaments for kids.

Photos by Tom Rivers: Allen and Rose Phillips opened Rosenal Hardware today at 29 South Main St. They ran a hardware store in Albion the past two years next to Save-A-Lot before moving the store to Lyndonville.

LYNDONVILLE – Allen Phillips tried to stay retired from the hardware business but he finds he likes to share his knowledge with the public.

He started working with a hardware distributor 50 years ago when he was in high school. He worked as a sales rep for many years, visiting hardware stores all over the region.

He finally retired, but when a new hardware store opened four years ago in Albion, Phillips decided to take a part-time job at Pro Hardware. Not longer after he became the store’s manager and then two years ago, the owner.

He renamed the store, Rosenal Hardware, which is a combination of his wife’s first name and his, Al.

The couple lives in Lyndonville and they decided to move the hardware store closer to their home.

Allen and Rose Phillips chose the name, Rosenal Hardware, as a combination of their first names, Rose and Al. Rosenal Hardware is located a building that saw a major renovation. Lyndonville native Robert Smith owns that site as well as others on Main Street that have been significantly refurbished.

Today was an unofficial opening day at 29 South Main St. They are still settling into the space. Only half of their hardware inventory is currently available at the site.

Phillips said Rosenal has a full array of hardware products, from a paint department to plumbing, electrical, nuts, bolts, rakes, shovels, rock salt, fasteners and many other products. Rosenal sells DeWalt power tools.

Rose and Allen are happy to have the store in Lyndonville, where the couple raised their four daughters: Amanda, Alicia, Rachael and Dana.

Rosenal will be open Monday through Saturday. Call (585) 765-1144 for more information.

Photos by Ginny Kropf: Volunteers on duty at Lyndonville United Methodist Church’s Hope Resales Holiday Shop are, from left, Cathy Bane-Dinse, Cathie Barry, Anne Hyndman and Roxinne Montague.

LYNDONVILLE – Anyone looking for an unusual or unique Christmas gift just might want to check out Hope Resales Holiday Shop at Lyndonville United Methodist Church.

Hope Resales Thrift Shop was an idea developed by former church member Ruth Hedges in 2019, before she moved east to be near her family.

Since then, the shop has generated thousands of dollars, which have benefited the church and its missions.

“Ruth was in charge of missions for our church and got the idea to start a thrift shop to earn money for missions,” said Cathie Barry, a church member and thrift shop volunteer.

Cathie Berry and Colleen Gooding look at a list of charitable causes to which the Lyndonville Methodist Church has donated with profits from their Hope Resales Thrift Shop. The shop’s Christmas Store recently opened, with an entire fellowship hall full of holiday items.

The shop was immediately popular and profitable. Then they decided to open a separate holiday shop at Christmas time.

“People who work in our sorting room say there’s not a day goes by that they don’t get donations of Christmas items,” Barry said.

“This is the place to get good deals on games and toys,” said volunteer Anne Hyndman. “People who regularly shop here are always asking when are we opening the Christmas store.”

The Christmas Store grew from an idea developed years ago by their women’s group, who started a mini mall at Christmas, where children could come and shop for their parents and friends at very reasonable prices.

“Whatever money a child had, we accepted it for the gift they wanted,” Barry said. “It was a custom for parents to sit in another room drinking coffee and eating cookies while volunteers helped their children shop. There was also a room for wrapping.”

A customer browses in Hope Resales Holiday Shop at Lyndonville United Methodist Church. The shop is full of all kinds of Christmas items, from games and toys to clothing and Christmas trees.

Hyndman said people would come in and give them donations to be used for children who didn’t have any money to buy gifts.

After the lady who came up with the idea died, people were constantly asking if the church was going to do it again. The result was the Christmas Store.

“People like to shop here because they get good deals on games and toys,” Hyndman said.

This year could end up being a record year for giving, Barry said. Last year they gave a total of $10,000 to their church missions and to local charities, including the food pantry housed at the Presbyterian Church, Orleans Koinonia Kitchen in Albion, a homeless shelter in Lockport, the United Methodist Committee on Relief, local libraries, PAWS Animal Shelter and more. They have already donated $9,000 to various causes and anticipate a very busy month ahead.

This table features an assortment of miniature Christmas buildings and accessories.

“It takes a lot of volunteers to run the thrift shop,” Barry said. “We need sales people, cleaners, sorters, organizers and people to create displays. We can always use more help. It’s really kind of fun. Some great friendships have been made with the people we work with here. And we really love the people who shop here. We often pray together before we open the doors.’

“And we have prayed with our customers who came through the door,” Hyndman said.

Hope Resales has become a favorite place to shop for many people.

“Often, we open the doors at 10 a.m. and by 10:02 there are eight people in the store,” Barry said.

Hope Resales, managed by Colleen Gooding, is located in the basement of the church at 102 North Main St., and offers clothing in all sizes for the entire family, gifts, housewares, jewelry and more. Entrance is through the door on the northeast corner of the building. The Christmas Store is in the fellowship hall, one floor above. Hours are 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Wednesday, Friday and Saturday and 4 to 7 p.m. Thursdays. The Christmas Store opened Nov. 5 and will be open through Dec. 20.

Photos and information courtesy of Lyndonville Lions Club

LYNDONVILLE – The Lyndonville Lions Club held its second annual Oktoberfest on Saturday at the White Birch Golf Resort in Lyndonville.

The Die Wiesen (festival goers) enjoyed lively, traditional German music performed by The Frankfurters German Band. Their performance featured authentic Bavarian bell music and several pieces played on the Alpine horns—both instruments deeply rooted in the Bavarian Alps region of southern Germany.

Guests were treated to a hearty German buffet featuring bratwurst, sweet and sour cabbage, and pork schnitzel, followed by apple streusel for dessert. Of course, Oktoberfest beer also made an appearance and was enjoyed by all the attendees.

This year, the Lions added a new highlight to the program – the crowning of Oktoberfest Royalty. This fun tradition pays homage to the origins of Oktoberfest, which dates back to the early 1800s. The very first Oktoberfest was held in southern Bavaria to celebrate the marriage of King Ludwig I and Princess Therese von Sachsen-Hildburghausen. Guests from Munich traveled to the royal festivities, which featured horse races, music, and plenty of Bavarian beer.

Since then, Oktoberfest has become an annual celebration held in late September and early October, drawing millions of visitors to Munich each year — and it’s estimated that over one million gallons of beer are enjoyed during the festival.

The Lions also introduced the Traditional “Shot Ski”, a lively addition that has become a staple at modern Oktoberfest celebrations. The tradition traces its roots to Alpine skiers in the Bavarian Alps, who began sharing shots together from a single ski to celebrate camaraderie and good cheer.

The Lyndonville Lions Club would like to thank everyone who supported this year’s Oktoberfest fundraiser and helped make it such a success. We hope all who attended had a wonderful time celebrating with us!

Looking ahead, the Lions are excited to host several upcoming community events, including the annual Village Christmas Tree Lighting in late November and the second annual Snowflake Bowling Tournament on Saturday, February 28th. Additional details on these events will be shared soon.

As we move through the beautiful fall season, the Lions extend warm wishes to all and ask that God continue to bless our community and this great nation we call home.

Photo by Tom Rivers

LYNDONVILLE – Dylan Cote of Pavilion casts a line out on Friday evening at Johnson Creek in Lyndonville. This is a spot near the top of waterfalls of the dam.

“This is the magical spot,” Cote said.

He usually catches blue gill, bass, cat fish and carp. Cote frequently is in Lyndonville to see his girlfriend.

He said several salmon fishermen were in the area on Friday. The salmon make it all the way up Johnson Creek from Lake Ontario, but can get no farther than the dam. Cote said sometimes the big fish are jumping, trying to get past the dam.

Photos by Tom Rivers

YATES – A fire last night destroyed a home owned by Jim Dix at 1401 Murdock Rd.

Firefighters were dispatched to the scene at 1:22 a.m. When they arrived, the house was fully involved with fire.

No one was injured in the blaze. Lyndonville firefighters were assisted at the scene by Ridgeway, Shelby and Medina.

Mike Heideman, the Lyndonville fire chief, said the scene was cleared at 3:54 a.m.

Fire investigators were also called to the scene last night.

Church will dedicate refurbished pipe organ, celebrate people featured on quilt from 1987

Photo courtesy of Lyndonville Presbyterian Church: This quilt was made in 1987 by a Sunday School class at Lyndonville Presbyterian Church.

Press Release, The Rev. Martha Mitchell, pastor of Lyndonville Presbyterian Church

LYNDONVILLE – Eight years ago, when I first came to Lyndonville Presbyterian Church, a parishioner rescued a quilt from storage in the church basement.

We hung it in our dining hall. Since then it has fascinated people who wander in. Some head right over saying, “My name is on this quilt!”

The Sunday School class made it in 1987 when the church was the United Presbyterian Church. Ever since we placed it for public display, we have dreamed of hosting a homecoming.

We are hoping that many of the people on the quilt will materialize in person. They are now parents or even grandparents. Some of the leaders are deceased. We thought it would be fun for people to reunite who once knew LPC and contributed to its history.

Saturday, October 11^th, we invite anyone who ever had any connection with Lyndonville Presbyterian Church to come on over and mingle at 107 North Main St.

• 11a.m. to 3 p.m. family activities like ring toss, cornhole, a fishpond, chalk drawing (so you can fill up our parking lot with chalk art), pumpkin decorating and more.
• Beef on Weck lunch at noon, free will offering.
• Photo Booth so that we can get as many photos as possible to correspond to the names on the quilt for an updated picture quilt.

Sunday, October 12^th, we are dedicating our refurbished pipe organ during our special musical worship service at 10:30 a.m. Once again, all are invited to join us.

A coffee hour follows worship, so come peek in and see where you once spent time. Or just come join us for two days of wonderful celebrations whether you’re an old friend or a brand-new curiosity seeker.

Bring your whole family and head over. We look forward to seeing you on October 11th or 12th or both!

Press Release, Village of Lyndonville

LYNDONVILLE – Beginning on Sept. 23, the Village of Lyndonville will be conducting leakage testing on the sanitary sewer system located within the village.

It is anticipated that this testing will take three days and end on Sept. 25. This test is being conducted as part of a study to locate and identify areas of ground and surface water entering the sanitary sewer system.

It is important to find and identify these sources because they may seriously affect the efficiency of our Wastewater Treatment Facility and increase operating expenses.

During the test, a non-toxic smoke will be blown into the sanitary sewer system to reveal leaks where storm water and surface waters may be entering the sewer. The smoke that is utilized for this testing is manufactured specifically for this purpose, and it leaves no residual odor or stains, and has no adverse effect on plants or animals.

 It does have a distinctive, but not unpleasant, temporary odor. The visible smoke and odor only last a few minutes, where ventilation is adequate.

To conduct the test, smoke will be introduced at specific sanitary sewer manholes located on the streets. During the test, personnel will conduct a visual observation along streets and around individual homes, for smoke exiting storm sewers, roof gutters, and other areas which may be connected to the sanitary sewer system.

Smoke should not enter your home unless the plumbing is defective or if your home contains drains which are infrequently used.  Several days prior to Sept. 23, please pour or run water down all drains in your home or building to assure that drain traps are filled and in working order.

Please feel free to contact the Superintendent of Public Works Devan Freeman at 585-765-9312 if you have any questions regarding this notification.

Dr. Heather Lyon meets with school staff and stakeholders to identify strengths and challenges

Photos by Tom Rivers: Dr. Heather Lyon goes over Lyndonville students’ results on the recent state tests in grades 3-8 for ELA, math and science. Lyon said she will do a monthly focus on student performance for the Board of Education.

Dr. Heather Lyon attended her first Board of Education meeting as Lyndonville superintendent last week.

LYNDONVILLE – The school district’s new superintendent thanked the staff and community for a warm welcome.

Dr. Heather Lyon started on Aug. 1 as the new district leader, following the retirement of Sharon Smith.

“I couldn’t feel more welcomed to Lyndonville,” Lyon told the Board of Education last week. “Everyone has been so kind and I feel like the red carpet was rolled out. This makes me even more excited for students and teachers to return.”

Lyon has classroom teacher, staff developer, principal and school district leader. She most recently was coordinator of Assessment and Data at Gates Chili Central School District.

She said she looks forward to working with the board, administration and staff on building on student successes and also improving on challenges.

She said she will present data each month to the board on student performance and participation. This month she focused on the state assessment tests for grades 3 to 8. She said next month will likely be a close look at results of the Regents tests.

Lyon went over the state testing results which generally shows Lyndonville about on par with the state-wide scores.

To be considered proficient, students need to score at levels 3 or 4.

Charts from Lyndonville Central School: Lyndonville is very close to the state-wide proficiency rates for ELA, math and science.

State-wide assessments for students in grades 3-8 show:

• ELA – 53 percent of students statewide are proficient, up by 7 percent
• Math – 55 percent are proficient went, up by 3 percent
• Science – 44 percent are proficient (up by 9 percent)

Lyndonville results:

• ELA – 51 percent are proficient, down from 54 percent in 2024. The district had 13 percent of students at the lowest level of 1 (down from 17 percent in 2024). There were 36 percent at level 2, up from 30 percent, with 35 at level 3 (compared to 41 percent in 2024) and 16 percent at level 4 (compared to 13 percent in 2024).
• Math – 56 proficient in 2025, up 7 percent from the 49 percent in 2024. Lyndonville had 17 percent ent at level 1 (down from 20 percent), 28 percent at level 2 (down from 31 percent), 45 percent at level 3 (up from 38 percent) and 11 percent at level 4 in both 2024 and 2025.
• Science – 43 percent proficient in 2025 (up from 29 percent in 2024). Lyndonville reports that 8 percent were at the lowest level of 1 in 2025 (up from 18 percent in 2024), 51 percent at level 2 (40 percent in 2024), 38 percent at level 3 (20 percent a year earlier) and 5 percent at level 4 (down from 9 percent).

Lyon presented this summary of findings which show a drop in proficiency in ELA and math as students move into middle school years.

Lyon said she and district staff are analyzing cohort data, and other factors in the results, which became available on Aug. 11.

Lyndonville administrators and teachers will be looking at students “on the bubble” of being considered proficient and try to get them to move from level 2 to 3, she said.

The superintendent looked back at Lyndonville’s ELA results over several years and noted the district has better scores now than before the Covid pandemic in 2020. “Not many school districts can say that,” she said.

The science scores only reflected students in grades 5 and 8. Dr. Aaron Slack, the junior-senior high school principal, said many of the top students in eighth grade don’t take the science or math assessment tests because they are already taking advanced courses. The state doesn’t “double test” students in eighth grade.

Board was deadlocked in July on electing a president, VP

Photos by Tom Rivers: Patrick Whipple led the Board of Education meeting last week in Lyndonville after he was elected to be the group’s president in a 4-3 vote.

LYNDONVILLE – The Lyndonville Board of Education picked a president and vice president to lead the group for the 2025-26 school year.

The election happened about a month later than usual after the board was tied in 3-3 votes on July 15.

Last week the board had all seven members in attendance and Patrick Whipple was elected the president and George Avery is the vice president. They each received four votes.

Whipple will succeed Jerod Thurber as president. Thurber didn’t seek to continue as the board leader due to increased commitments in his professional life. Avery succeeds Megan Bruning as VP.

On July 15, the president’s position was between Whipple and board newcomer, Joanne Suhr. They each received three votes.

On Aug. 19, it was Whipple and Megan Bruning vying for the top spot. Whipple received votes from himself, Thurber, Vern Fonda and George Avery, while Bruning was backed by herself, James Houseman and Suhr.

Whipple thanked the board for backing him. He also welcomed the district’s new superintendent, Dr. Heather Lyon, and said he supports her push for data-driven analysis. The new superintendent said she will do a deep dive each month on statistics measuring student performance. Last week she went over Lyndonville’s most recent grades 3-8 state testing results.

Whipple works as the director of professional learning services for the Genesee Valley BOCES. Two of his children are Lyndonville graduates.

For vice president, Whipple’s supporters all backed Avery. Joanne Suhr was backed for vice president with three votes – from herself, Bruning and Houseman.

Suhr is a retired teacher from Lyndonville. Her husband Harold served on the board for 21 years. His term ended on June 30.

Bruning said Mrs. Suhr would bring a new balance to the board’s leadership with perspective as a long-time teacher at Lyndonville.

Mrs. Suhr said the board leadership needs to consider the opinions of all board members and strive to be transparent in its decision-making for the full board.

Avery said he is honored to serve as vice president.

“I will try to ensure the best team possible and that we’re doing the right things for the district,” he said.

Vern Fonda takes the oath of office as a member of the Board of Education. The oath was administered by Megan Bruning, a member of the board.

Photo by Cheryl Wertman: The Lyndonville community celebrated Mark Hughes’ 50 years as a Tigers baseball coach on May 20, 2022. Hughes was a much-loved Lyndonville coach and teacher who passed away at age 75 on June 4.

LYNDONVILLE – The donations keep coming in for a memorial scholarship in honor of Mark Hughes, a Lyndonville teacher and coach.

Hughes died on June 4 at age 75. Since then, nearly $40,000 has been donated to a memorial scholarship in his name.

The district received 98 donations towards the Mark Hughes Memorial Scholarship, totaling $17,215, in the first month after he passed away. Then another $21,742 came to the district office for the scholarship.

It’s an unusual situation to have money pouring in before the parameters of a scholarship have been set up, school officials. Lyndonville will work with Hughes family on criteria and the process for awarding the scholarships in the future.

The scholarship funds could be managed by the Lyndonville Area Foundation, which oversees several scholarships in the community.

Megan Bruning, a Lyndonville Board of Education member, said the numerous donations are tribute to Hughes and the a generous community.

“This will provide some amazing opportunities for our students for years to come,” she said during last week’s Board of Education meeting.

Hughes was hired in 1972 as a teacher and coach. During that time, Hughes was an integral part of seven sectional titles, 17 league titles and two trips to the state tournament as part of the baseball program.

Hughes was involved in many community efforts, including the Lyndonville Lions Club, where he played key roles with the Fourth of July fireworks, chicken barbecue and parade.

Donations may be made to the Mark Hughes Memorial Scholarship, payable to the Lyndonville Central School District, 25 Housel Ave. Lyndonville, NY 14098.

Photos by Tom Rivers

LYNDONVILLE – The fourth annual Street Dance on Friday night in Lyndonville drew a crowd to a blocked off section of Main Street.

The Buffalo-based band, Bleeding Hearts, played many popular classic rock songs from the ’60s, ’70s and ’80s. There were other kids’ games and a bounce house, as well as several food vendors.

Bleeding Hearts has been performing for more than three decades. The band features David Lloyd on drums and as lead singer, Tim Unger on guitar at right, and Bob Kupczyk on bass at left.

The Town of Yates is the lead organizer of the annual Street Dance, which started in 2022 as part of the town’s bicentennial celebration.

Main Street in the village is closed to traffic between Maple Avenue and Eagle Street.

David Lloyd sings and plays the drums for Bleeding Hearts. Some of the songs later in the three-hour set included, “Brown Eyed Girl” by Van Morrison, “I Want You to Want Me” by Cheap Trick, “Should I Stay or Should I Go” by Clash, and “Shut Up and Dance” by Walk the Moon.

The Lyndonville Sports Boosters were among the food vendors, selling tacos. Pictured from left include Stephanie Freas, Emily Aydelotte and Alisha Schwartzott.

The Boosters are raising money for a new scoreboard in the school gymnasium.