Photo by Ginny Kropf: Larry Flynn, left rear, stands with Randy Heideman next to the nearly completed car Heideman plans to race next month at the Bonneville Salt Flats.

LYNDONVILLE – Randy Heideman has had a love of racing (cars and motorcycles) all his life, and has spent his entire life in the automotive business in one form or another.

He was sales manager for Weld Wheels, owned a collision shop in Ridgeway, ran a used car lot and for 50 years raced motorcycles.

“But with age comes a roll cage, so at the age of 64 I gave up racing motorcycles,” Heideman said.

But racing is not out of his blood.

His next endeavor is to take a 1934 Chevy Coupe, which he has built almost entirely from the ground up, to the world speed races at the Bonneville Salt Flats, Utah.

He bought the car seven years ago, and started rebuilding it into a race car, with help from friends Larry Flynn, a top mechanic, and Jerry Guy, a head engineer from Fisher Price.

“I have built 95 percent of this car here in my garage,” he said.

When he got the car, its wood frame was rotted and the only piece he could salvage was a strip in the door under the passenger’s window. Every other inch of the car he has fabricated out of steel.

Bonneville Salt Flats is home to all kinds of speed-shattering records that are set in many different racing events there, including Bonneville Speed Week, which begins this year on Aug. 4. Bonneville Speed Week attracts hundreds of drivers in all racing categories, who compete to set new land speed records in all kinds of racing categories.

Heideman doesn’t think he stands a chance to break any speed records. Not knowing the rules at Bonneville, he made all kinds of modifications to the car, which require him to be in a much more difficult class, he said.

Provided photos: (Left) This is the hood of the 1934 Chevy Coupe when Randy Heideman of Lyndonville started rebuilding it seven years ago. (Right) Here is the 1934 Chevy Coupe after Randy Heideman put an industrial Hemi engine in it.

His class is C/BGCC, which stands for Class/Blown Glass Classic Coupe.

“Some people in this class may spend $1 million on an engine alone,” Heideman said. “This is not about a record. It’s just seeing how fast I can go. It’ll probably be the world’s fastest industrial Hemi, which is the engine I put in it.”

The engine is capable of 200 miles per hour. He has never driven that fast before, and will have to do a run on a test track before the actual race.

Heideman has a bucket list on which he has some pretty exciting adventures. In the 1990s, Heideman and several of his friends were the first to ride their motorcycles on the pipeline from Fairbanks to the Arctic Ocean.

Heideman, Randy Flynn, his mechanic and crew chief, along with several others will leave July 29 to drive to Bonneville in a motor home, towing the race car on a trailer. They are planning on a four-day drive to the Utah/Nevada border.

“It will be a big accomplishment if I can get this car to go as fast as it’s supposed to,” he said. “It will be hard with all the old suspension on it.”

Photos by Ginny Kropf: (Left) Randy Heideman points to the strip around the window of the car he is rebuilding, which is the only piece of the original wood frame he could salvage. (Right) The rear of Randy Heideman’s rebuilt 1934 Chevy Coupe race car shows some of the 300 louvres on the car, a race driver’s prayer and the required parachute to enter the Bonneville Salt Flats world speed races in Nevada.

The car also has 300 louvres on the hood, sides and trunk, all made by a man from Rochester in his 90s. It is also required to be equipped with a parachute.

While Heideman did the body work on the car, Flynn was the mechanic. Heideman said Guy, who helped set up a facility for Fisher Price in China, is also an avid drag racer, engine builder and hot rod/muscle car builder. Flynn is also well-versed in hot rods. Both helped him every step of the way and he couldn’t have done it without them, he said.

Mark Weld, an artist from Middleport, painted the graphics and gold leaf lettering on the car.

It’s number, 5151, has special meaning for Heideman. His number when he raced motorcycles was 51, but when he asked if that number was available for Bonneville, he was told no. Then he asked if he could have 151, but was told they don’t have any numbers of three, but the official said they could give him 5151. His wife looked up the meaning of numbers and 5151 has an angelic connection.

He is confident his guardian angel will be watching over him.

Heideman already has his next project in the works. He has purchased a 1949 Austin from England, which he is going to rebuild. It was a four door, but he has converted it into a two-door.

“You never see a four-door race car,” he said.

Photos by Tom Rivers

LYNDONVILLE – It was another crowd-pleasing fireworks show at Lyndonville to cap the Fourth of July.

Young Explosives set off the fireworks for 40 minutes, beginning at 10 p.m. The Lyndonville show is one of the largest fireworks displays in Western New York.

A big crowd of people brought blankets and lawn chairs to watch the show behind the school on the athletic fields.

The band Flipside performed “Beat It” by Michael Jackson. The band performed many classic rock songs in stage by the Lyndonville baseball field.

Mark Christy is lead singer for Flipside, singing hard-hitting rock and roll from Billy Idol, Ozzy Osbourne, Styx and Journey, to many other singers, including pop and country stars.

People relaxed and enjoyed the fireworks, with many cheering after the finale.

Photos by Tom Rivers

LYNDONVILLE – Bob Eberle dressed as Uncle Sam and waves to the crowd along Main Street during today’s Fourth of July parade in Lyndonville.

Eberle was in the parade last year with the Lyndonville Class of 1982. He was asked to be Uncle Sam today and did it for the first time.

He was happy to add a well known July 4^th character to the patriotic procession.

“A lot of people look forward to coming back to this small town and seeing friends they haven’t seen in the past five to 10 years,” Eberle said.

Molly Ingersoll, a member of the Leos Club at the school, passes out American flags before the parade. About 5,000 flags were available to the crowd.

Russ Martino, the grand marshal for the parade, rode in a car driven by Scott Schmidt. Martino was a shop teacher in the high school for 16 years and then a principal in the elementary school for 17 years. He later served as the yates town supervisor. Martino also has been a member of the Lyndonville Lions Club for 42 years.

He said it was a thrill to have many people yell out greetings to him in the parade, either calling him “Russ” or “Mr. Martino.”

“I’ve never found a friendlier place or nicer people,” Martino said.

Just before the hour-long parade a military flyover passed over Lyndonville – twice. The plane came from the 911th United States Air Force Reserve from Pittsburgh, Pa. The flyover was at about noon.

 This group tries to get photos of the plane as it flies over Main Street.

Pudgie’s Veggies was in the parade promoting its sweet corn, tomatoes, squash, zucchini, cucumbers and potatoes. Many local businesses were part of the parade.

Gordon-Fisk, Inc, a lawn equipment sales and service business on Ridge Road in Medina, brought several lawn mowers to be in the parade.

This group waves from a boat on a trailer. They are representing Ontario Shores Realty which “specializes in waterfront property.”

These kids squirted water from a float promoting an upcoming Vacation Bible School at Oak Orchard Assembly of God from July 9-12.

Mark Hughes accepts a donation to go towards the Lyndonville fireworks show. Next year will be the 50th anniversary of the Lions Club putting on a Fourth of July celebration for the community.

Robert Batt, executive director of the Cornell Cooperative Extension, wears a 4-H costume to help promote the upcoming 4-H Fair from July 24-29. He is chatting with Shawn Cook, one of the fair volunteers.

Motorcyclists in ABATE of Orleans County brought a big group near the start of the parade.

Everett and Sylvia Bruning wore capes and passed out candy for Gallagher Hill Trucking in Albion. Their cousin Kendyll Kidney also was generous handing out treats.

American Legion member Joe Hausler joined other veterans on a trolley for the parade.

Bill Wolter, a candidate for Shelby highway superintendent, waves to people along Main Street.

Wandering Trails Taxidermy by Ashley had animals holding flags.

Dancers from Dance Theater in Medina toss candy to kids along the parade route.

The Murray Tractor Pull promoted its event on July 22.

This lineup includes a costumed Deadpool character, members of Hometown Wellness Center in Medina and youth football players in RBL (Roy-Hart, Barker and Lyndonville).

The Lyndonville school band, including many students who graduated last month, showed up in big numbers and played patriotic music along the parade route.

The band gave an energetic performance despite the bright sunshine and heat in the low 80s.

Photos by Tom Rivers: These two watch the fireworks on July 4 in Lyndonville last year. They are sitting on top of a truck near the school fields close to the fireworks.

LYNDONVILLE – The Lyndonville Lions Club is ready for a busy day of activities to help the community celebrate the Fourth of July on Tuesday.

The big events are a parade beginning at noon and fireworks at 10 p.m. But there is a lot of things happening throughout the day.

Some of the events include:

• Arts and crafts sale from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the school front lawn
• Antique and classic car cruise-in at 10 a.m. at the school parking lot
• Hot dog stand and other food vendors beginning at 11 a.m. on the school grounds
• Parade starts at noon with Russ Martino as the grand marshal
• Chicken barbecue from 1 until 3:30 p.m. or sold out in the high school cafeteria
• One-Man Band (Mike McCauley) performing from 5 to 7 p.m. in the parking lot behind the school
• Flipside Band performing on a stage by school baseball field from 7 p.m. until the start of the fireworks
• Fireworks by Young Explosives start at 10 p.m.

The Lyndonville Lions Club is organizing the celebration for the 49^th year. This year’s event has a theme, “An Old-Fashioned Fourth of July Celebration.”

The Lions are encouraging all residents to fly American flags or. The Lions have plans to hand out over 5,000 American flags to parade goers.

Just before the parade there will be a military flyover from the 911th United States Air Force Reserve from Pittsburgh, Pa. It is expected that the flyover will pass over Main Street right at noon, just before the start of the parade. This is the second year there will be a flyover before the parade.

This photo at the end of the fireworks includes the steeple of the Lyndonville United Methodist Church in the foreground.

YATES – The Orleans County Legislature on Tuesday accepted a $750,675 bid from Keeler Construction of Barre to build a new bridge over a unnamed creek on Lakeshore Road.

Keeler’s proposal was the lowest bid for the project, legislators said.

The project is 95 percent reimbursable through federal funds, with local money from the Road Fund Capital Project Account covering the remaining 5 percent.

Provided photo

LYNDONVILLE – These five people completed The Murph Challenge on Memorial Day in Lyndonville. They wore 20-pound body armor while doing a 1-mile run, 100 pull-ups, 200 push-ups, 300 air squats, and another mile run for time.

Pictured from left include 14-year-old Austin Fonda of Lyndonville, environmental conservation police officer Shane Dobies, environmental conservation police officer Vern Fonda, State Police investigator Brian Belson and environmental conservation police officer Evan Laczi.

The Village of Lyndonville hosted the challenge for the seventh time. The event is held in memory of Lieutenant Michael P. Murphy, a U.S. Navy Seal killed in combat in Asadabad, Afghanistan on June 28, 2005.

He was 29 when he was killed. LT. Michael Murphy was posthumously awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor on October 27, 2007. Murphy would push himself with fitness challenges, including the tasks in the “Murph Challenge.”

The challenge is held throughout the country, and has raised more than $2 million for the LT. Michael P. Murphy Memorial Scholarship Foundation.

Provided photo: Local veterans are shown with a trolley used for parades in Lyndonville.

LYNDONVILLE – Local veterans are encouraged to be part of Lyndonville’s July Fourth parade. They can march in the parade or ride in a trolley.

Veterans who want to be part of the parade should go to the staging area at the corner of Alps and Platten roads before 11:30 a.m. After 11:30, those roads close to traffic.

The trolley for veterans will be near the front of the procession for the parade, which starts at noon.

Veterans can be dropped off or can try to park along road, although there may not be any parking available, said Steve Goodrich, American Legion commander in Lyndonville.

“Our trolley is handicap accessible, so no worries there,” Goodrich said.

For more information, contact the Post through a Facebook message or email at AmericanLegion1603@gmail.com.