Photos courtesy of Lyndonville Central School

LYNDONVILLE – Lyndonville students interview Bob DeMallie on Friday as part of an oral history project.

The school district welcomed and honored about 40 veterans. There were veterans from each branch of the military who met with middle and high school students to discuss their lives before, during and after the military.

Students listened intently as veterans shared memories and answered questions. The students will create a report for each interview and incorporate them into a book to share with the district.

State Assemblyman Steve Hawley was among the veterans who shared some of his experiences. He served seven years in the Ohio Army National Guard and the US Army Reserves.

He has been a member the past nine years of the Assembly Veterans’ Affairs Committee and sponsored legislation to aid veterans and current service personnel. During his keynote speech, Hawley reflected on his father’s military service in World War II and discussed his annual Patriot Trip to Washington D.C.

Hawley presented Lyndonville Central School with a NYS Assembly Citation in recognition of the district’s First Annual Veterans Day Program. The district also received recognition from NYS Senator Robert Ortt for celebrating Veterans Day and honoring those who have served the country.

Local veterans check in on Friday morning for the event at the former elementary school.

“The project was a meaningful way for students to understand the dedication of our military personnel and the sacrifices they have made for our freedom,” said Superintendent Jason Smith.

The district would like to thank all the veterans who participated in this year’s Veterans Day Project and Laura Moore, fifth-grade teacher, and local veteran Bob DeMallie for project coordination and assistance. The district looks forward to hosting the event again next year.

Lyndonville students welcomed veterans for the event on Friday.

(Editor’s Note: There is 5K run and walk this morning at 11 to benefit the Veterans Van Service in Orleans County. This second annual event starts at the Junior Wilson’s Sportsmen’s Club on Bates Road in Medina. Click here for more information.)

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LYNDONVILLE — Students will spend part of today interviewing Lyndonville area veterans as part of a new oral history program at the school.

Students in grades 5 and 11 will be talking with veterans today at the former elementary school.

They will start his morning at 9:30 and will be together until just after lunch.

About 35 to 40 veterans will be at the school to share their experiences with students.

“You need not to have seen combat to be part of this program as we feel that all who wore the uniform have made their contribution and have a story to tell,” the district said in a letter to veterans. That letter was signed by Jason Smith, district superintendent, and Laura Moore, a fifth grade teacher.

State Assemblyman Steve Hawley will also give a keynote speech. He is a veteran, serves on the Assembly’s Veterans’ Affairs Committee and leads local veterans each September on a Patriot Trip to see memorials in Washington, D.C.

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Press Release, Lyndonville Central School

Photo courtesy of LCS: Jason Smith, superintendent of Lyndonville Central School, welcomes Sawyer Wilson as the student representative on the Board of Education. Lyndonville voters last May approved having a student as an ex officio member of the BOE.

LYNDONVILLE – The Lyndonville Board of Education approved the appointment of Sawyer Wilson, a senior at Lyndonville, to serve as its first student ex officio member during the October BOE meeting.

The voters approved a referendum in May authorizing the Board of Education to appoint a student to serve as an ex officio member. To be eligible for appointment, a student member must be a senior who has attended the district’s high school for at least two years prior to the selection. In addition, the student must have student government experience and be approved by the superintendent.

Sawyer Wilson, a life-long resident of Lyndonville, has attended the school district since kindergarten. He has been a member of the student council for a few years and was elected president this fall.

“I have known Sawyer for eight years. He is a conscientious, hard-working student,” said Jason Smith, the district superintendent. “I am confident he will be an asset to our Board of Education and will provide a true student perspective.”

Wilson’s first board meeting as an ex officio member is Nov. 12. Wilson will sit with the board members at all public meetings, will participate in all board hearings/meetings and will provide monthly reports.

As an ex officio member, he will not be allowed to attend executive sessions or receive any compensation. Wilson will serve as a non-voting member through June 2020.

The senior is excited about being the first student to sit on the LCSD Board of Education.

“The Board does a lot that we (the students) don’t see but we feel,” Sawyer said. “I hope to help students appreciate and understand this. I would like to provide the student perspective to decisions that are being made.”

Sawyer is the son of Darren and Wendy Wilson. He plans to apply to Geneseo and Nazareth Colleges and majoring in childhood education with a minor in political science or theatre.

Photo by Tom Rivers: Sawyer Wilson has been active in the Lyndonville-Medina school musicals. He is shown last March during Sister Act. He played the role of a dancing custodian.

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Provided photos from Lyndonville Lions Club

LYNDONVILLE – The Lyndonville and Medina Lions Clubs did eye screenings on Tuesday for 140 students at Lyndonville in grades kindergarten through 7. The top photo shows Lions Club members from left: Bruce Schmidt, Jim Hancock, Don Colquhoun and Lynne Johnson.

Jim Hancock screens one of the 140 students who had their vision checked on Tuesday.

The Lions Club members were assisted by several Lyndonville Leo Club members. The Leo Club members, under the direction of Adviser Aimee Chaffee, escorted students to and from the screenings.

This was the fourth year in a row that the vision screening has taken place in Lyndonville. Some vision issues have been discovered over the years.

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Photos by Tom Rivers: Firefighters respond to the scene of a fatal fire this morning on Route 18, east of Route 63.

YATES – The Orleans County Sheriff’s Office has identified the victim in this morning’s fatal fire in Yates. Minnie Holt, 80, was killed at about 5 a.m. in a fire at 11848 Roosevelt Highway (Route 18).

Firefighters and Sheriff’s deputies arrived on scene to find a house on fire in the rear and the inside full of thick black smoke.

Holt likely died from smoke inhalation. She was on the phone with an Orleans County public safety dispatcher as she tried to get out of the house. The Monroe County Medical Examiner’s Office is doing an autopsy.

About 50 firefighters responded to the call from Lyndonville, Carlton, Ridgeway, Shelby, Middleport and Medina.

Orleans County and state fire investigators are on scene to determine the cause of the fire. The road remains closed to traffic as of noon today.

The Town of Yates and Orleans County highway departments will help take down the house today.

First responders are shown at the scene at about 7:30 this morning.

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Photos by Tom Rivers

YATES – A woman, 80, died this morning in a fire at her home on Route 18, Orleans County Undersheriff Chris Bourke said at the scene.

Firefighters and deputies were dispatched to the house at 4:54 a.m. The house was full of thick black smoke. The fire appears to have started in the rear of the house.

The woman likely died of smoke inhalation. She was on the phone with an Orleans County dispatcher, trying to get out of the house, when she likely passed away.

The woman’s name isn’t being released, pending family notifications.

Deputies arrived to the scene on Route 18, just west of Breeze and Foss roads, nine minutes after the 911 call. The doors were locked. One deputy injured his hand, breaking the glass on a  door to gain entry. That isn’t a serious injury, Bourke said.

About 50 firefighters responded to the call from Lyndonville, Carlton, Ridgeway, Shelby, Middleport and Medina.

Orleans County and state fire investigators are on scene to determine the cause of the fire. Dale Banker, the Emergency Management Office coordinator for the county, said he expects the Yates highway department will be on the scene later today to help tear down the house.

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Photos by Tom Rivers

LYNDONVILLE – A mourner holds a candle outside Bill’s Sub Shop while a procession passes on Main Street at about 7:30 this evening.

About 250 people attended the candlelight walk in honor of Brooke Allen, 21, and Ricky Forder, 20, two recent Lyndonville graduates who were killed in a car accident on Oct. 10 on their way to work at Lake Ridge Fruit, an apple packing facility on Route 104 in Gaines.

The group walks down Main Street. They had an escort in a sheriff’s patrol car driven by Deputy John Doyle.

The walk began at the school on Housel Avenue and then proceeded to the baseball field on Lake Ave. Many brought their own candles and balloons.

“It ripples through the whole community,” one of the mourners said of the tragic deaths.

Amanda Howell, second from right in front, is Brooke’s mother. Howell thanked the community for its support since the car accident.

“I don’t have the words to express,” she said. “Thank you. Thank you.”

Brooke graduated from Lyndonville in 2016. Among her survivors is a 1-year-old son, River.

“She was one of the sweetest people you ever knew,” said her friend, Meghan Gapa, 28, of Lyndonville. “She could also be sassy and tell it like it is.”

Forder graduated from Lyndonville in 2018. He played on the school’s basketball and baseball teams. He enjoyed making his friends and family happy, going fishing and dancing to music.

This candle is outside Bill’s Sub Shop on Main Street.

Wes Bradley, a member of the Lyndonville Fire Department, helped direct traffic. He removed his hat and stood at attention out of respect when the mourners walked by.

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Brooke Allen

Calling hours and funeral services are set for two Lyndonville graduates who were killed in a car accident last Thursday on their way to work at Lake Ridge Fruit, an apple packing facility on Route 104.

Brooke Allen, 21, was driving when she struck a deer at 6:49 a.m. on Route 104. The car swerved, hit a guardrail and landed upside down in Beardsley Creek in about 5-foot-deep water.

Allen and her passenger, Richard “Ricky” Forder, were both pronounced dead at the scene.

Allen graduated from Lyndonville in 2016. Among her survivors is a 1-year-old son, River.

Richard Forder

Relatives and friends may call on Friday from 6 to 9 p.m. and on Saturday from 10 to 11 a.m. at Oak Orchard Assembly of God Church, 12111 Ridge Rd., Medina, where her funeral service will be at 11 a.m. on Saturday with the Rev. Andy Sass officiating. Burial will follow immediately at Lynhaven Cemetery.

Memorials for Brooke may be made to the family for the loving care and support of her son.

Ricky Forder graduated from Lyndonville in 2018. He played on the school’s basketball and baseball teams. He enjoyed spending time with friends and family, going fishing, and dancing to music.

Ricky’s relatives and friends may call from 1 to 4 and 6 to 8 p.m. on Wednesday at the Christopher Mitchell Funeral Home, 21 West Ave., Albion. His funeral service will be from 11 a.m. to noon Thursday at the funeral home.

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Photo by Ginny Kropf: Lyndonville United Methodist Church Pastor Olga Gonzalez and member Ruth Hedges display some of the items which will be available during the church’s fourth annual Harvest Festival on Oct. 12.

LYNDONVILLE – Lyndonville United Methodist Church’s pastor, Olga Gonzalez, is anxiously awaiting the church’s fourth annual Autumn Festival this Saturday.

Gonzalez began serving as pastor at the Lyndonville church July 1, 2018. She had heard such nice things last year about the festival and was looking forward to it, when she realized she would be in Cuba on a mission trip.

“Now I want to invite all the people this year to come and shop,” she said.

The festival will run from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and will feature homemade baked goods, a room full of craft items and fresh produce on the lawn, said organizer Ruth Hedges.

Many donated gift certificates and baskets will be up for bids during a silent auction, which will end at 1:30 p.m.

Hedges urges everyone who attends to “think Christmas presents, while helping the church as well.”

Lunch will be available, consisting of beef on weck or Salen’s hot dogs with macaroni salad, baked beans and a beverage. There will also be cups of chili.

Other activities include face painting for children and shopping in the church’s thrift store.

Resales Thrift Store opened on March 31 and will be open during the Autumn Festival. The store has had an outpouring of support from the surrounding community, both with donations and customers, Hedges said.

The store could always use more volunteers. It is open 15 hours a week, she said, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Wednesday, Friday and Saturday and from 5 to 8 p.m. Thursday. Anyone interested in helping can call Hedges at (585) 866-9133 or by e-mail at recanham@yahoo.com.

The Harvest Festival is just one of many activities and programs which the church is sponsoring.

The church this past Monday began a six-week study of Adam Hamilton’s book Creed: What Christians Believe and Why. Used in conjunction with a six-session DVD, the book explores the Apostles’ Creed and Foundational Christian truths, such as the purpose of life. The group meets from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. in the Wesley Lounge upstairs, led by Anne Hyndman. The study is open to anyone. Those planning to attend are asked to contact the church office to make sure they have enough books.

Darcy Brabon has organized Lyndonville Youth Serving Seniors, a group of youngsters who want to help seniors in the Lyndonville area. In September, the group went to the Lyndonville cemetery and cleaned the headstones of veterans. Each month they will work on a new project, such as raking leaves for people or taking paper products to those who might need help making cards. This group is looking for new ideas on who or how to help seniors. It is open to any young person who would like to participate.

The church will still continue to have its Mini Mall for children during the Lyndonville Christmas celebration on Dec. 7. Festivities will be relocated to the Fellowship Hall this year, so Hope Resales may remain open in the basement.

Divorce Care meetings led by Sharon Allen continue to run periodically throughout the year, when interest is shown. Help, hope and healing are offered through this support group which meets weekly.

Anyone interested in any of the church’s projects may contact the church office at (585) 765-9313.

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