Photos and information from Lyndonville Youth Commission
LYNDONVILLE – The Lyndonville Youth Commission has sponsored a summer recreation and activity program for the youth of the Lyndonville Central School District for over 50 years.
Recently the commission partnered with the district summer reading/math camp with programming using the school facilities. The Town of Yates, Village of Lyndonville and the Lyndonville Area Foundation sponsor the program.
Mondays through Thursdays from 9 a.m. to noon for five weeks there were over 100 children a day at the school facilities for athletic activities, arts and crafts, playground opportunities and boardgame fun.
Students attending the academic enrichment program also participated in the recreation program.
The community is grateful to the Lyndonville Area Foundation, the town and village government, and the school district for providing socialization and physical activities for our youth during the summer.
YATES – On Friday, August 19th, the Town of Yates will celebrate its bicentennial with the second of its three fairs, dubbed by committee coordinator Joanne Suhr as, “A Street Fair.”
The event will be from 5 to 9 p.m. on Main Street in Lyndonville between Maple and Eagle Streets. There is no charge for admission.
After the “Family Fair” in July featuring live music from a Lyndonville school chorus, a church choir comprised of some of the churches in town, and a barbershop quartet, this second of three events should have the feel of a street dance.
Although thru traffic – especially all trucks – will be diverted around downtown Lyndonville, local traffic and people attending the fair will be allowed to park closer to the event. Main Street will be closed between Maple and Eagle, and the Town will have food trucks and tables and chairs on the street.
Several vendors will be set-up in the parking lot behind the Town Hall, and of course the Friday evening farmer’s market will be running at the old Pennysaver.
From 5 to 7 p.m., there will be a DJ and music in front of the Town Hall, and then from 7 to 9 p.m., the Who Dats will be performing live at that same location.
There will be a Civil War encampment in Patterson Park, southwest of the Town Hall parking lot along the reservoir, which will include several cannon fire demonstrations during the evening.
At 6 p.m., Catherine Cooper, the Orleans County Historian, will guide a cemetery tour at Lynhaven Cemetery on Housel Avenue. At 7 p.m., Steve Goodrich, American Legion Lyndonville Post Commander, will lead a cemetery tour. Both tours will begin at the flag pole in the cemetery.
Joanne Suhr is hoping that everyone comes out for the fun gathering, “What better way is there to celebrate the Town’s bicentennial than to have a street party?!”
As a reminder, please mark your calendars for the “Grand Finale Lake Fair” on Saturday, Sept. 24, from 1 to 9 p.m. at the Town Park.
For more information go to the Town of Yates website: townofyates.org, or call Town Supervisor Jim Simon, 716-946-2075.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 9 August 2022 at 11:25 am
LYNDONVILLE – A concert that was cancelled last night due to the threat of rain will be this evening on the lawn behind the Yates Community Library, 15 North Main St.
The trio called Mystic Sisters will be performing from 6:30 to 8 p.m. in a concert that is free to the public. People are welcome to bring a lawn chair or blanket.
Emily Cebula, the library director, said the group from Rochester is popular with the local crowd. The Mystic Sisters have been members of the popular group Blue Sky.
Provided photos: The band Crash Cadillac performed outside the Yates Community Library on Thursday evening. Members of the Lyndonville Lions Club served up grilled hot dogs and iced cold beverages during the event.
Posted 8 July 2022 at 3:34 pm
Press Release, Lyndonville Lions Club
LYNDONVILLE – Just off the heels of a very successful July 4th celebration the Lyndonville Lions Club closed out the first week of July with their 13th Annual Community Appreciation Concert.
The outdoor concert event was held at the Yates Community Library outdoor stage on Thursday evening and featured Crash Cadillac as the musical headliner. The annual event is free of charge and is meant to show the clubs appreciation for all those who attended the recent July 4th celebration.
Lions Club President Harold Suhr stated that the club had a record turnout for the 4th of July event and thanked everyone who attended and for their efforts in keeping the event safe, clean and family-friendly. Suhr recognized and thanked the Orleans County Sheriff’s Office.
“They were tremendous with traffic control and security throughout the entire day and worked well into the evening getting people home safely after the fireworks display,” Suhr said. “The Lions are extremely grateful for all the people and organizations that sponsored the fireworks display.”
This years’ effort to upgrade the evening concert series seems to have been met with much approval and again Suhr thanked the Concert Series Sponsors. Sponsors included at the Bronze Level: Dr. Thomas Madejski, Paul Mullane and Shelby Crushed Stone; Silver Level: The White Birch Golf Club, Steven Vann from Burger King, Drum Oil and Propane and the Johnson/Feigl Families; Gold Level: Baxter International; Platinum Level: Batavia Downs Race Track and Gaming.
“The concert was well attended and social media feedback shows a positive response to the Lions Clubs efforts to bringing in top name local entertainment for the evening concert,” Suhr said.
The concert headliner band DoubleShot gets a picture with Medal of Honor recipient David Bellavia just before they honored him with their rendition of “American Soldier” by Toby Keith.
The club further expressed their gratitude to Medal of Honor Recipient David Bellavia, who served as grand marshal of the parade.
“It was nice to have Sgt. David Bellavia back home to allow Lyndonville to express their appreciation for his service and sacrifice,” said Russ Martino, one of Lyndonville Lions Club’s senior members for over 45 years.
Last of all, the Lions are extremely appreciative for the voluntary efforts of the men and women of the 911th United States Air Force Reserve from Pittsburgh. This unit was responsible for the military flyover tribute to our local veterans just before the parade.
Photo by Tom Rivers: Main Street was packed just before noon with people waiting for the parade and also a military flyover. The parade returned for the first time since 2019.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 5 July 2022 at 8:49 am
Photos by Tom Rivers
LYNDONVILLE – Members of the Lyndonville school band play patriotic music during the parade in Lyndonville on Monday. The parade returned for the first time since 2019.
The community festival was cancelled in 2020 and last year was back in a scaled-down format without a parade.
Eric Villalta, the Lyndonville grades 7-12 band teacher, leads the group during the parade. The students and crowd wore lots of red, white and blue.
It was a packed Main Street for Monday’s parade, especially in the Lyndonville downtown. The procession started at noon and ended at about 1:10 p.m. This photo shows a float from the Class of 1982, followed by Weed Man Lawn Care Services based in Albion.
Kim Recco, from the Class of 1982, passes out candy along the parade route.
A young parade watcher takes in the action from a higher perch in the parade.
A lineup of classic cars heads down Main Street.
About 10 vehicles in the Peoples Convoy-NY decorated their vehicles in patriotic displays. They were seeking to “End the Mandates!”
These two girls are draped in American flags while walking along the Peoples Convoy, which featured several tractor trailers and other vehicles.
The fire trucks were a little too loud for these parade spectators.
These veterans acknowledge the crowd. They are riding on a trolley that debuted on Memorial Day.
State Sen. Rob Ortt, left, and Assemblyman Steve Hawley had lots of fun in the parade.
A bear holds a flag as part of a float from Wandering Trails Taxidermy by Ashley.
Gordon-Fisk Inc. on Ridge Road in Medina brought several lawn mowers for the parade procession.
A group of motorcyclists from the Albion and Brockport Elk Riders and Old Crow Motorcycle Club were part of the parade.
Lyndonville Fire Department members marched in their hometown.
Debbie Taylor, fire chief for the East Shelby Volunteer Fire Company, tosses candy.
These veterans – Tom Snyder in Navy uniform and Issac Robinson at right, wave to the crowd from a patriotic float.
The Oak Orchard Assembly of God promoted its upcoming “Kid’s Krusade” program.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 5 July 2022 at 1:18 am
Photos by Tom Rivers
LYNDONVILLE – These two watch the fireworks from atop a vehicle during a 40-minute show at Lyndonville on Monday night.
The Lyndonville Lions Club hires Young Explosives for the show, and it is one of the biggest displays in Western New York.
Before the fireworks, cousins Aubrey and Tyler Goetze of Lyndonville have fun with sparklers in the grass for the softball field next to where the fireworks were set off.
The fireworks are reflected in the water by the Johnson Creek dam with Lyndonville Central School in back.
Liam Goetze, 2, of Lyndonville handles two sparklers after he enjoyed some S’mores with his family.
Fireworks are launched by the team from Young Explosives.
The band Double Shot from Buffalo performed an outdoor concert for 2 ½ hours. They closed the concert with “Highway to Hell” by AC/DC.
These photos near the end of the fireworks show include the steeple of the Lyndonville United Methodist Church in the foreground.
Jayden Wyant, 3, of Albion has fun with a sparkler.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 4 July 2022 at 6:46 pm
Photos by Tom Rivers
LYNDONVILLE – David Bellavia waves to people along Main Street during Lyndonville’s Fourth of July parade today.
Bellavia, a Lyndonville grad, is a Medal of Honor recipient. He received the medal from former President Donald Trump on June 26, 2019 at the White House.
Bellavia served as the grand marshal of today’s parade which started at noon and ended at about 1:10 p.m. Scott Schmidt, the county’s chief coroner, is driving the car.
Bellavia is the first living veteran from the Iraq War to receive the nation’s highest military medal. He was honored for his acts of valor on Nov. 10, 2004 in Fallujah, Iraq.
Bellavia led an infantry squad clearing houses of insurgents, saving the lives of the members of his unit. He is the first living Iraq War veteran to receive the nation’s highest honor for military service.
There was a big crowd out along Main Street for the first Fourth of July parade in Lyndonville since 2019. The Independence Day festival was cancelled in 2020 and the celebration returned last year, except without a parade.
Bellavia is one of five county residents to receive the Medal of Honor. Bellavia has said he is very appreciative to have grown up in Orleans County, where veterans are respected and people are encouraged to serve their country in the military.
He is a radio talk show host for WBEN and also travels extensively as an ambassador for the Army, speaking at colleges, high schools, bases and other events.
Bellavia and Forrest Vosler, another Medal of Honor recipient from Lyndonville, are recognized with Hometown Hero banners on Main Street.
Vosler was assigned as a radio operator and aerial gunner aboard a B-17 Flying Fortress during World War II with the 358th Bombardment Squadron, 303rd Bombardment Group stationed out of England.
On Dec. 20, 1943, Vosler’s fourth combat mission. The plane was under fire and had two engines knocked out with the aircraft windmilling out of control. When a fellow aviator was knocked unconscious, Vosler maneuvered himself into the tailgun. Another 20-mm shell hit the aircraft, sending shrapnel into Vosler’s chest, face, and eyes. He continued to deliver defensive fire upon German aircraft until the attacks subsided. Nearly out of fuel and losing altitude quickly, the crew jettisoned every piece of equipment to lighten the plane.
Vosler, severely wounded and floating in and out of consciousness, begged the crew to throw him out of the plane to reduce weight. As the aircraft plunged into the frigid waters of the North Sea, Vosler crawled out of the aircraft onto a wing. A passing Norwegian trawler quickly picked up the crew and transferred them to a British rescue vessel. One of Vosler’s eyes had to be removed, and the other required extensive surgery.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 4 July 2022 at 3:09 pm
Photos by Tom Rivers
LYNDONVILLE – A United States Air Force C-17 flies over Route 63 in Lyndonville just before noon today for Lyndonville’s Fourth of July celebration.
The flyover was a first for Lyndonville’s July 4th festival, which has been organized annually by the Lyndonville Lions Club for about 50 years.
The plane approaches the Lyndonville at about 11:55 a.m.
The flyover was carried out by the 911th Airlift Wing from Pittsburgh, Pa. The C-17 planes are used by the Air Force Reservists to carry out their mission of aeromedical intratheater evacuations and agile combat support.
Here is a photo looking overhead as the plane passed by, heading north.
Main Street was packed with people for the flyover and the parade to follow.
LYNDONVILLE – Route 63 north, leading to Lyndonville, will close to traffic today at 11:40 a.m. until a military flyover is complete.
The flyover is scheduled for 11:55 a.m., just before the start of the parade in Lyndonville.
The Lyndonville Lions Club is asking people to arrive early for the flyover and parade, and be in pace no later than 11:30.
The Lions Club also encourages everyone to bring an American Flag or homemade signs to the flyover to honor our veterans and men and women in active duty.
The flyover will be carried out by the 911th Airlift Wing from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The plane will be a United States Air Force C-17. These planes are used by the Air Force Reservists to carry out their mission of aeromedical intratheater evacuations and agile combat support.
The grand marshal for the parade will be David Bellavia, a Lyndonville native and Medal of Honor recipient.
Re daylong celebration includes live music, food and craft vendors and other activities. It will be capped by fireworks at 10 p.m.
LYNDONVILLE – Lyndonville Central School will be hosting a pre-kindergarten/kindergarten open house on Monday, July 4, from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m.
Staff will be available on the lawn in front of the school (Main Street location) to help families/students sign up for the 2022-23 school year and gather contact information for younger children in the community.
Staff will also answer questions about Lyndonville’s PreK and kindergarten programs, complete craft projects and read stories to children. You may also visit an early learning classroom.
The district received a NYB5 Transition grant from the NYS Department of Child & Family Services to help fund this outreach program.
Lyndonville is currently accepting registrations for both their PreK and kindergarten 2022-23 programs. If you are a resident of LCSD and your child will be 3, 4 or 5 by December 1, they are eligible to enroll. For more information, please see the district’s website: Lyndonville Central School District (lyndonvillecsd.org) or call (585) 765-3122.
