By Ginny Kropf, correspondent Posted 21 November 2024 at 11:14 am
Holley sees return and growth of jazz band, marching band and Music Boosters
Provided and file photos: Medina native Zachary Busch conducts the Jazz Band at Holley High School, where he is director of the Fine Arts Department and the band program.
HOLLEY – The director of Holley High School’s band program brings a lifetime of talent and passion for music to the table.
Zachary Busch grew up with music, son of Chris and Cindy Busch of Medina. His dad played trombone in the Mustang Marching Band and was a former assistant drum major. Zach believes he and his father were the only father/son duos to each serve as drum major in the Mustang Marching Band, until this year’s Ryder Jones, whose father Ric Jones was also drum major in his senior year.
Zach’s earliest memories of band are seeing his sister in the Mustang Color Guard in the 1990s.
Zach began playing trombone in the fourth grade. He continued to play in Medina’s concert, jazz and marching band as he grew up. He was drum major from 2010 to 2011, when the Mustang Band won the 2010 New York Field Band Conference title in their division and Grand Champion at the 2011 Gorham Pageant of Bands.
He graduated from Fredonia State College in 2015 with a bachelor’s degree in music and in 2019 with a master’s degree. He studied trombone with the late Carl Mazzio, former principal trombonist of the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra. He was a member of the Fredonia Trombone Choir; and a member from 2013-16 and director in 2015-16 of the Fredonia Jazz Ensemble.
Pictured from left in May 2019 include Callie Updike, Evan Valentine, Band Director Zach Busch and Thomas Dobri of the Holley HS Concert Band. The band won first place in a music festival at Darien Lake, topping seven other bands.
Busch started teaching at Holley Junior/Senior High School in the fall of 2016.
“Teaching at Holley is my first and only gig,” he said. “Something I think about often is my goal for this to not only be my first job, but for me to be the only teacher to spend his entire career here and retire from here.”
When he accepted the position at Holley, he knew the first thing he wanted to do was revive their marching band. Over the years they had had several versions of a marching band, but when Busch came on board, they had been two years without one.
“I wanted the students to enjoy the same benefits of marching band I enjoyed,” he said. “Marching band was always a highlight of my life.”
Busch said there was a group of about 20 kids who were enthusiastic about marching band, including wind instrumentalists, a drum line and color guard.
“The group was small, but they knew they were important because they were bringing band back,” he said.
The Holley-Kendall Marching Band Color Guard includes students from both Holley and Kendall school districts.
A joint effort with Kendall had previously been established around 2011, and after getting approval from Holley’s principal Sue Cory, he approached the Kendall administration. The schools already shared other activities, such as unified sports, wrestling, basketball and bowling, and were onboard with a combined marching band.
“Holley and Kendall are rival schools, but I love the way they come together to be better as one,” Busch said.
The Holley-Kendall Marching Band’s first performance was Memorial Day 2017. They played an arrangement of theme songs from “The Magnificent Seven.”
Soon after the marching band’s rebirth came the global Covid pandemic.
“To not only maintain our numbers, but to grow though it was pretty indicative of how much the kids wanted to be part of a band program,” Busch said.
From 20 students in 2017, the band has grown to 50 this year. They have marched in the Holley June Fest Parade, Holley Memorial Day Parade and Albion Strawberry Festival Parade. They competed in Springville’s Pageant of Bands in 2022, winning first place in Class C parade and Best Drum Major. In 2023, they were third in Class B Parade. At Sherburne Pageant of Bands that year they were second in Class B Parade and third in Class B Color Guard.
Members of the Holley-Kendall Marching Band enter the field for a competition.
Several Holley band members shared their passion for the group.
Isabella Emery, 12th-grade trumpet player and drum major of the Holley-Kendall Marching Band, said her favorite part of being in the concert band was seeing the growth during the school year.
“It is fun to look back on our progress and the great music we have made,” she said. “I first knew I wanted to be a part of the marching band when my elementary band director started talking about marching band. I expressed my interest and she invited me to join in fifth grade as a banner carrier. My favorite part of being in the Holley-Kendall Marching Band is the family feeling I get during the course of our session.”
Senior Owen Schultz, trombonist and assistant drum major, isn’t sure what drew him to join the band in seventh grade.
“It was more of a gut feeling this was something I should be part of,” he said. “My favorite part of concert band is contributing to the larger goal of giving great music performances. I knew I wanted to join the marching band because Mr. Busch said it would be a good opportunity to ‘play loud,’ and in my opinion, that is the best way to play the trombone.”
Maggie Keehan is a senior and alto saxophone player. She got to watch all her siblings play in the band and knew she wanted to be part of the fun they had. She didn’t join until her junior year, when her friends told her how much fun it was.
“My favorite part is building new friendships with people I normally wouldn’t see or interact with.”
Sophomore Aidan Kelley signed up for band in fourth grade. A clarinet player, he said he has always loved music and it plays a big role in his life. He joined marching band in sixth grade after the invitation from Busch.
“I’ve enjoyed being part of the growth of the program ever since,” he said. “I have made friends with people I wouldn’t have otherwise met.”
Holley’s band began in 1958 as the Holley Hawks Marching Band under the direction of Raymond Shahin. They enjoyed tremendous success, including State Fair championships and New York State Field Band Conference titles under direction of Jerry Kelsey.
The Kendall Royal Blue Marching Band was formed in 1963 under the direction of Richard Roberson and had many top finishes at the State Fair from 1963 into the 1970s.
Students perform during a performance of the Holley High School Concert Band, under the direction of Zach Busch of Medina.
Busch also revived the Holley Jazz Band in 2019 with 15 members. It was derailed by Covid in 2020 but the jazz band came back in 2021. It has grown to 30 members in grades seven through 12.
Holley Music Boosters was revived in 2022 and is still building up, Busch said. They have helped with travel costs for the Music Department trips, including Philadelphia this year; purchases for the Marching Band, such as new instruments, and registrations for students attending area All-State festivals.
Busch said he still bounces ideas off his dad.
“I know he loves it and has an ear for it,” Zach said. “And I value his perspective, as well.”
Zach’s wife Andrea, originally from Staten Island, is music teacher at Oak Orchard Elementary School and assistant band director for the Mustang Marching Band.
As for Zach, he loves his job and wouldn’t want it any other way. In addition to his duties as band director, he is chair of the Holley Fine Arts Department, Holley golf coach and president of the Orleans County Music Educators Association.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 21 November 2024 at 10:00 am
Faith Smith, shown in top row in center photo with her husband Michael Smith, has been named one of six “Hometown Heroes” by Save A Lot.
ALBION – The director of the Orleans Koinonia Kitchen has been named one of six “Hometown Heroes” by Save A Lot.
Faith Smith has served as volunteer director of the OK Kitchen since it opened in June 2022 at Harvest Christian Fellowship. She also led the community kitchen for more than a decade when it was based at Christ Episcopal Church.
The OK Kitchen serves several hundred meals every Thursday, and has expanded to frozen soups for people to take home.
“Faith’s contributions go far beyond providing a hot meal,” Save A Lot stated. “She is deeply compassionate, offering birthday goodie bags, distributing gifts to needy children at Christmas, and delivering meals to shut-ins while performing wellness checks. She supports other community organizations, provides free items to those in need when there is a surplus, and assembles essential items like blankets, hats, and toiletries for the homeless. Tirelessly, she recruits volunteers to help with OKK’s mission.
“Her work is entirely unpaid, driven solely by her passion for helping others. Faith Smith is selfless, hardworking, compassionate, resourceful, and deeply committed to her cause. Her efforts ensure that no one in her community goes hungry, and she makes the most of every resource and donation she receives.”
Save A Lot, a large discount grocery chain with about 800 stores in 32 states, accepted nominations for Hometown Heroes and to showcase the people and organizations making a difference in the communities Save A Lot stores serve.
The six winners will receive $500 gift cards for Save A Lot. The Hometown Heroes include:
Tammy Amburgey, President, Middle Creek Community Development & Food Pantry, Prestonsburg, KY
Doug Ducheney, Owner, Children Without A Gift Ministry, Bronston, KY
Grant & Gina Hasty, Founders, Lord’s Café, Whitley City, KY
Jessica Lee, Founder, Help the Homeless, Somerset, KY
Faith Smith, Director, Orleans Koinonia Kitchen, Albion, NY
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 20 November 2024 at 8:54 pm
Photos by Tom Rivers
ALBION – Construction crews gave a worn-down section of Ingersoll Street new pavement today, after the old pavement was removed on Tuesday.
Ingersoll has faced much more traffic than usual in the past two years with the Main Street lift bridge closed for major repairs and an overhaul. That lift bridge could reopen next month.
The state Department of Transportation had a section of Ingersoll milled and repaved between Bank and Caroline streets, the sections closest to the lift bridge.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 20 November 2024 at 3:33 pm
Photo by Tom Rivers
ALBION – Joyce McNutt, the Orleans County commissioner of jurors, accepts a proclamation from County Legislator Fred Miller on Tuesday declaring November as Juror Appreciation Month.
McNutt said jurors are needed in trials at the local and county courts, and also for the grand jury.
The proclamation from the Legislature states, “The right to a trial by jury is one of the core values of American citizenship and the obligation and privilege to serve as a juror are as fundamental to our democracy as the right to vote.”
The Legislature said it appreciates the services of Orleans County residents “who annually give their time and talents to serve on juries whether it be in person or on telephone standby.”
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 20 November 2024 at 2:25 pm
Provided photo: One free preparedness class will be available per household for people completing the Citizen Preparedness Training Class on Nov. 25.
CARLTON – Orleans County Emergency Management will be offering a Citizens Preparedness Training Class on Nov. 25 that is open to county residents at no cost.
This training will help people to prepare for severe weather events, said Justin Niederhofer, the county’s emergency management director.
“The registration for the event last year was overwhelming and interest exceeded capacity so this year Carlton Fire Company has stepped up to host the event at the Carlton Rec Hall, which will allow a much greater capacity,” he said.
The class will be on Nov. 25, starting at 6 p.m. at the Carlton Rec Hall, 1853 Oak Orchard Rd.
The NY Citizen Preparedness Training Program provides an introduction to responding to a natural or human-caused disaster. Participants are advised on how to properly develop family emergency plans and stock up on emergency supplies. Each family that attends will receive one preparedness kit.
Pre-registration is required. Click here to register.
ALBION – The Orleans County Youth Board today said organizations seeking funding for youth services programs and projects must have their applications submitted to the county by Dec. 10.
Applications are for programs and projects in Orleans County that take place between Oct. 1 and Sept. 30, 2025.
Kelly Kiebala, Orleans County Youth Bureau Administrator, said there are three different funding categories, the Youth Development Program (YDP), Youth Teams Sports (YTS), and Youth Sports & Education Opportunity Funding (YSEOF).
There are separate applications and the required documents for each funding source can be found on the Youth Bureau website (click here).
“The Youth Board encourages all youth organizations to download the applications and understand the different requirements for each grant,” Kiebala said. “Organizations should apply for the funding that best suits their programs and maximizes their funding opportunities. We appreciate the important work these groups do in serving our youth and want to be sure they do not miss the deadline for funding.”
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 20 November 2024 at 10:37 am
‘It won’t be perfect this year, but it’s going to be pretty cool’
Photos by Tom Rivers: Michael Bonafede, right, and a team of volunteers work on a float last week at Bonafede’s property. Mick Tower, in back, worked for the late Charles Howard with many of the floats and attractions he had at Christmas Park in Albion and also at the State Fair. Howard was founder and director of a Santa School in Albion from 1937 to 1966. The committee organizing the lighted Christmas parade on Dec. 14 has named the parade in his honor. It is now the Charles W. Howard Hometown Parade.
ALBION – A committee working on Albion’s Christmas parade on Dec. 14 has changed the name from Santa’s Hometown Parade to the Charles W. Howard Hometown Parade.
The committee wants to pay tribute to Howard, who ran a Santa School in Albion from 1937 to 1966. He also operated Christmas Park beginning in the mid-1950s. That site attracted about 80,000 people a year.
Howard turned part of his farm on Phipps Road into Christmas Park with amusement park rides, a petting zoo and other attractions.
The parade on Dec. 14 already has 20 floats committed as well as bands. It will honor Howard with more than the parade name.
A group of volunteers is building a float in Howard’s style. They are putting Santa in an older sleigh, and it will appear to be ready to take flight with a group of reindeer.
“New generations of people don’t know Charles Howard,” said Michael Bonafede, one of the volunteers building the float. “He is an excellent role and a unique asset for this area. His character and integrity were the keys to his success.”
The float design team includes, in front from left: Ron, Mick and Mike Tower. In back, Michael Bonafede, Frank Jenks and David Valente.
The volunteers last week made a 20-by-10 foot deck for the float. It has room for an 8-piece band on the back of the float with the sleigh in the middle and the reindeer up front.
Michael Bonafede said the sleigh was acquired in Connecticut and the sleigh will usher in Santa for the parade. The sleigh has a classic look. Its curved in the front which matches some of the photos from when Charles Howard portrayed Santa in the Macy’s Thanksgiving parades in the 1950s and early 1960s.
The group wants to build an iconic float to cap the parade. Howard was known for his creative mind in building floats. The Albion group building the new float will create a display where it will look like nine reindeer are taking off.
Bonafede found two long pieces of metal that used to be part of a soccer goal on his property. For many years, Bonafede hosted the youth soccer program in Albion.
Frank Jenks and Ron Tower brainstorm how to best position the sleigh on steel railings that used to be the top of a soccer goal. Mick Tower, in back, offers some insights. He urged the group to not “bite off more than they can chew” with the first float.
Howard, too, would repurpose pieces of wood and other materials to make his displays. One of his employees, Mick Tower, is helping with the new float. Tower, 89, was tasked by Howard to turn his visions into reality. (Tower will serve as grand marshal of the upcoming parade.)
Tower was part of a team that built the track for a train at Christmas Park, a tunnel, wooden snowflakes, wooden icicles hanging down from the roof, the fire place, and many other projects. There was never a slow moment. Howard had short- and long-term projects. Tower recalled the effort in turning a pond on the property into Snowflake Lake.
Bonafede said the volunteers eventually would like to have the reindeer in motion and some other special effects. For this year, the reindeer may just be lawn ornaments.
“It won’t be perfect this year, but it’s going to be pretty cool,” Bonafede said.
Tower’s son, Ron and Mike, also are part of the team building the new float. Like their father they work in construction.
Frank Jenks also is part of the team, and so is David Valente who has put in a steel railing on the float and is working on other touches to give it strength and some seasonal flare.
David Valente of Hamlin has repurposed steel for railings on the float. Bonafede secured the steel and Valente said he is pleased to lend his talents to the project.
The group is seeking donated artificial Christmas trees to fill out the float this year. Anyone willing to donate can contact the parade chairwoman, Susan Oschmann, at (585) 202-0594 or susanoschmann@gmail.com.
She welcomes more entries for the fourth annual parade. Participants can sign up by Dec. 13. Click here for more information about registering to be in the parade.
Oschmann said several sponsors are backing the parade, which is allowing the committee to double the prize money. First place gets $600, with $400 for second and $200 for third.
The group working on the Santa float also said they would welcome a spot to store it in the offseason if someone has space in a barn, Quonset hut or garage. For more information, contact Bonafede at (585) 749-1413.
By Ginny Kropf, correspondent Posted 20 November 2024 at 10:03 am
ALBION – When Jami Allport accepted the position as director of Genesee-Orleans Ministry of Concern in August 2023, one problem soon caught her attention – the homeless population in Orleans County.
“People say homelessness is not a problem in rural counties like Orleans, it is a city problem,” Allport said. “It’s not. And we have to educate the public that homelessness is here and it’s not going anywhere.”
The mission of Ministry of Concern has always been to help those in need, and Allport wanted to further that mission any way she could.
“I jumped in with both feet, and started attending any meeting I could,” she said.
When she heard about Point in Time count by the Homeless Alliance of Western New York, she knew that was something Ministry of Concern had to be involved with. When she met Aeddon Cayea, grant writer at United Way of Orleans County, he offered and was successful in applying for a grant from the Greater Rochester Health Foundation.
“The grant is for two years and allowed us to hire Warren Harding, a retired cop, as Homeless Outreach coordinator,” Allport said. “Our goal is to seek out and interact with the homeless community.”
Jami Allport, director of Genesee-Orleans Ministry of Concern, shows what is in the new backpacks being given to the homeless.
Harding was looking for something to do which was more fulfilling than the odd jobs he had been doing. His first day was spent walking through woods, along railroad tracks, around abandoned buildings and even under tractor trailers to seek out the homeless.
“I came back to the office and started to digest what I’d seen,” Harding said.
Point in Time had devised a survey which homeless are asked to complete, asking very simple questions as to why they are homeless and where they have been sleeping. The surveys were only being conducted by Point in Time once a year, and Allport wondered why they couldn’t do it more often.
“I realized we weren’t going to get answers if we only sought them once a year,” she said. “With the grant we received the end of August, we can conduct the surveys all year.”
Allport met with Nyla Gaylord, director of United Way of Orleans County, who urged her into the warming center in Albion. Independent Living reached out and said they were getting ready to do the annual Point in Time count.
Information acquired goes into the system for New York state.
“The more we show great need, the more money we can get for Orleans County,” Allport said.
In order to seek out the homeless and encourage them to make out a survey, they need volunteers 18 or older. Allport will arrange training. She is also planning a series of informational workshops for the community to share what homelessness looks like in Orleans County.
One big benefit from the grant is allowing Ministry of Concern to purchase waterproof backpacks filled with essentials for a homeless person to survive, if only for a short time. One room at GOMOC’s new headquarters in the First Presbyterian Church in Albion is filled with the backpacks, which contain a blanket, two bottles of water, two MREs with a fork, a hat, scarf, gloves, two pair of socks, a shower cap treated with shampoo that doesn’t need to be rinsed out, baby wipes, sunscreen, waterless toothbrush, sunscreen and a self-inflating air mattress.
At the turn of a dial, the air mattress rolls back up. Also included is a $10 gift card to McDonalds or Burger King and pamphlets with information on services a homeless person might need.
Since implementing their mission a week ago to serve the homeless, Ministry of Concern has seen an average of one person per day.
“Unfortunately, this won’t end their homelessness,” Allport said. “There is no place to put them right now with the severe housing crisis in Orleans County. We want them to know this is a safe place for them to come to. We will not advocate for them, but with them. We will walk alongside them in their journey.”
Allport also announced her office has funds available for rental assistance and is ready for children to be signed up for free Christmas gifts.
For more information or to sign up as a volunteer, call (585) 589-9210.
By Ginny Kropf, correspondent Posted 20 November 2024 at 8:05 am
MEDINA – As is traditional in Medina the day after Veterans’ Day, Medina DPW was out early in the morning taking down the veterans’ banners for another year.
Mary Woodruff, who heads the banner project, will be at the Medina village clerk’s office from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. today to hand out the banners which have hung for three years and can now be claimed by family members.
Woodruff started the project in 2019 after seeing her husband Paul’s father’s banner while visiting Almond.
“The banners were first hanging on wires in a school gymnasium and they blew my mind,” she said. “I talked to the lady who did them and got the information and brought it back to Medina. Mike Sidari was mayor then and I started to explain the program at a Village Board meeting. That was November 2018 and I got the OK that night. The program took off and has grown every year since.”
The first year 30 banners were hung in 2019, and by 2021, there were more than 100, and then 240 in 2022.
“I can’t say enough about the DPW, who puts up the banners and takes them down,” Woodruff said.
Banners hang for three years, and on the third year, the first year’s banners are taken home and washed by Mary and Paul, then made available for families to pick them up.
Applications for next year’s banners will be available after the first of January. The cost is a one-time charge of $200 for three years’ exposure. A banner may be hung for a fourth year for an additional cost of $125.
Although Paul’s father was from Alfred Station south of Buffalo, Mary hangs it every year, because he is the reason she started the project in Medina. Willis Burr Woodruff was a tech sergeant with the U. S. Army during World War II.
Other relatives, which all hung together on West Avenue near the railroad tracks, were John McElwain, a brother-in-law; Ken Schaal, cousin; and Carl Caleb Jr., Mary’s brother-in-law.
Banners hung have represented veterans in all branches of the military and World War I, World War II, Korean War, Vietnam Conflict and Persian Gulf War. Woodruff is excited at the prospect next year of having at least one soldier represented from the Revolutionary War.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 19 November 2024 at 9:10 pm
Photo by Tom Rivers: The sign at the Crosby’s at the intersection of 98 and 31 in Albion displays the prices for a gallon of gas on Monday evening.
Gas prices continue to decrease slightly and are getting close to an average of $3 per gas for regular unleaded in the country.
The national average price was $3.08 on Monday, down a cent from a week earlier, while the New York State average was $3.15, also down a cent. A year ago the national average was $3.32 while the state-wide average was $3.62, according to AAA.
“The national average is now less than a dime away from dipping below $3 for the first time since May of 2021,” AAA reported on Monday. “But the possible formation of a new hurricane in the Gulf of Mexico could delay or even temporarily reverse the decline in pump prices.”
The national average price for diesel was $3.53 on Monday, down two cents from a week earlier while the New York average was $3.87, no change from last Monday.
The average prices in counties around Western New York include:
ONEONTA – Daisy Perez-Reyes and the SUNY Oneonta iGEM (International Genetically Engineered Machine) team traveled to Paris in late October to compete in the annual iGEM Grand Jamboree and received a gold medal in its first-ever collaboration with students and faculty from Hartwick College.
Perez-Reyes of Albion is studying Sociology at SUNY Oneonta.
The iGEM Grand Jamboree is a competition where teams of students from around the world “push the boundaries of synthetic biology by tackling everyday issues facing the world.” More than 450 teams registered for the competition this year, making the 2024 Grand Jamboree the largest in iGEM history. This was the fifth competition for the SUNY Oneonta team, which won silver medals in the 2020, 2021, 2022 and 2023.
“We could not be prouder of this year’s team, not only for their success, but also for their enthusiasm and dedication to having a positive impact on the world,” said Associate Professor of Chemistry and Biochemistry Kelly Gallagher, who advises the team alongside Associate Professor of Biology Jill Fielhaber.
“Receiving a gold medal represents the culmination of countless hours spent both in and outside of the lab from every student,” said Dr. Fielhaber. “Our team’s first collaboration with students and faculty from Hartwick College makes receiving SUNY Oneonta’s first gold medal all the more significant.”
This year’s team included 16 SUNY Oneonta students from a wide variety of majors – including Biology, Biochemistry, Chemistry, Dietetics, Early Childhood/Childhood Education, Earth Science, English, Exercise Science, Philosophy, Political Science and Sociology. They worked on both the scientific and human practices aspects of the project.
Hartwick team members included majors in Biology, Biochemistry, Chemistry and Mathematics. Together under the mentorship of faculty from both SUNY Oneonta and Hartwick, the students worked on a project titled, “pHish and CHIPS,” to create a device that would neutralize water automatically after detecting the presence of extreme pH imbalances.
“It all started with thinking about what the CHIPS and Science Act meant for upstate New York and all the investment in semiconductor manufacturers that has impacted the state,” said Dr. Gallagher.
Signed into law by President Biden in August 2022, the Creating Helpful Incentives to Produce Semiconductors (CHIPS) and Science Act has accelerated the development of new semiconductor chip fabrication plants throughout the United States, with two plants planned for construction near Oneonta. Research for the team’s “pHish and CHIPS” project began in April 2024.
According to the team’s project description, water is crucial to the manufacturing process of semiconductor chips. Prior to release or recycling of these chips, fabricators purify their wastewater by adjusting the pH level and removing contaminants called polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). With millions of gallons of water to process daily, real-time pH adjustment presents sustainability and water management challenges.
Part of the iGEM students’ goal was to use their knowledge of synthetic biology to design a pH-sensitive wastewater system that would “turn on” and release buffers to neutralize the water in the presence of pH extremes during the chip fabrication process.
While one part of the team was concerned with the research and development of the pH device, the human practices group investigated the ethical and regulatory landscape of the project and how to best engage public interests and concerns.
This included how to successfully approach corporate sponsorship, researching what human impacts are related to these types of waste streams, where current holes in regulations exist and what can be done to help close those gaps, and how the group can improve industry issues.
Together, the full team worked on “pHish and CHIPS” with United Nations Sustainable Development Goals Six (Ensure the availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all) and Nine (Build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialization and foster innovation) in mind.
The 2024 iGEM Grand Jamboree was four days long, from Oct. 23-26, at the Paris Convention Center – a roughly 15-minute drive from the Eiffel Tower.
At the conference, the team had a booth set up and coordinated times for each member to represent “pHish and CHIPS.” With guidance from their faculty advisors, each student was prepared to answer questions during the judging session by being an expert on at least one part of their project. When they weren’t at the booth, the students explored the other presentations at the Grand Jamboree.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 19 November 2024 at 3:55 pm
About 100 people seek winter clothes during event in Albion
Photo courtesy of Jack Burris: Hands 4 Hope made jackets, boots, gloves and other winter clothing available on Sunday in a Red Jacket Rally after a Spanish-speaking Mass at Holy Family Parish in Albion.
ALBION – The Hands 4 Hope ministry has been offering prayers and food for nine years now, making Saturday morning stops in Albion, Holley and Medina.
Hands 4 Hope has added winter coats, boots, hats and gloves to that effort with monthly Red Jacket rallies.
Jack Burris, the Hands 4 Hope founder and leader, decided to focus a Red Jacket Rally on the Spanish-speaking population of the community. The rally was held this past Sunday after a Spanish-speaking Mass at Holy Family Parish. Burris and a team of volunteers set up outside the church with the clothes on racks and tables.
About 100 people were able to take clothing with the cold weather around the corner.
Hands 4 Hope typically does a Red Jacket Rally the third Thursday in September, October and November. There is another one planned for Thursday from 10 a.m. to noon at Evans Ace Hardware, 342 East Center St., Medina.
Hands 4 Hope welcomes donated jackets, from children to adult sizes, as well as boots, hats and gloves. They can be dropped off inside the Arnold Gregory Office Complex in Suite 174 at 243 S Main St., Albion.
Photos by Tom Rivers: These tables have kid-size boots and other winter clothing. This photo was taken after about 100 people went through, picking out coats and other winter apparel.
Hands 4 Hope has already given away 459 coats since Sept. 1, passing the 407 distributed last year from September through the end of December.
Emily Kwiatkowski, the director of discipleship and mission at ONE Catholic, said the parish welcomed the chance to partner with Hands 4 Hope for the Red Jacket Rally.
“There is a very widespread need among the Hispanic community for a wide variety of things,” Kwiatkowski said.
Father Mark Noonan, pastor at ONE Catholic, did a promo of the Red Jacket Rally, speaking in Spanish in a Facebook post, encouraging people to stop by for the winter clothing.
Burris said he was thrilled to see the donated clothing be put to good use, and to send a message to the immigrants and others that the local community values them.
Hands 4 Hope typically sets up away from churches. But this time was stationed outside Holy Family Parish.
“Many people steer clear of churches for a variety of reasons,” he said.
Through the food, clothes and prayers offered by Hands 4 Hope, “they know God loves them through the community,” Burris said.
Jack Burris, right, founded Hands 4 Hope nine years ago. He appreciates the community’s continued donations towards the ministry.
Will make debut with Grease which will hit stage in March
Press Release, Holley Central School
Kayla Thrower, left, will direct Holley’s upcoming school musical of Grease.
HOLLEY – Holley Middle School/High School has announced “Grease” as its 2024-25 musical production.
Teacher and Holley alum Kayla Thrower has been selected as the school’s musical director. She succeeds MS/HS teachers and siblings Dan and Kellie Burke who co-directed Holley’s musicals for over 30 years; both have now retired from the district.
Thrower is a Holley 2017 alum who notably played the role of Ursula in the school’s 2016 production of Disney’s “The Little Mermaid.” She began teaching social studies at Holley MS/HS in 2022. Thrower previously served as musical assistant, vocal coach and head of stage crew for the school’s musical production of “Little Shop of Horrors” in 2024.
“I am incredibly excited and thankful to lead this year’s musical production,” Thrower said. “As a student, the musical was an integral part of my life. The experiences I had on stage brought me out of my shell and taught me valuable life skills. I am immensely grateful to have the opportunity to give that experience back to my students, who continue to impress me with their talent and dedication to the arts.”
Holley MS/HS chorus teacher Kelly Marzano, who has taught at Holley since 2006, will take over the role of vocal director this year.
“The music in ‘Grease’ is not just integral to the storyline, it’s the hallmark,” said Marzano. “I look forward to helping the cast gain confidence in their singing through good vocal technique and applying that to their character portrayals. We’re fortunate to have so many creative and talented students here in Holley. This is sure to be a production for the record books. I am honored to be a part of it.”
Band teacher Zach Busch will support this year’s production as pit director. “Grease” was performed at Holley in 2017, and it was the first musical he was involved in when he began teaching in Holley that year.
“I am very excited to bring this iconic production back to the stage at Holley,” Busch said. “My goal is to provide the best musical accompaniment possible for our students on stage. I also look forward to welcoming student-musicians into the pit to learn from and play alongside our adult musicians.”
Performances will be held at the Holley Middle/High School Auditorium on March 14 at 7 p.m., and March 15 at 2 and 7 p.m. Ticket information will be shared on the HCSD website at a closer date.
“Grease” Synopsis:
Rydell High’s senior class of 1959: duck-tailed, hot-rodding “Burger Palace Boys” and their gum-snapping, hip-shaking “Pink Ladies” in bobby sox and pedal pushers, evoking the look and sound of the 1950s in this rollicking musical.
Head “greaser” Danny Zuko and new (good) girl Sandy Dumbrowski try to relive the high romance of their “Summer Nights” as the rest of the gang sings and dances its way through such songs as “Greased Lightnin’,” “It’s Raining on Prom Night” and “Alone at the Drive-In Movie,” recalling the music of Buddy Holly, Little Richard and Elvis Presley that became the soundtrack of a generation.
