ALBION – Hoag Library experienced an increase in circulation for books, non-book materials, eBooks and audiobooks in 2023, a year when the library also added a music series.

Betty Sue Miller, director of the library, went over highlights of the year during the library’s annual meeting on Monday. Total circulation for books and non-books was 42,898 with 32,323 books and 10,575 non-books. (That compares to 40,082 in 2022, with 28,927 from books being checked out and 11,025 non-books including laptops and hot spots for internet access.)

The circulation was up 2,816 or by 7.0 percent for books and non-books. The eBook circulation was up by 1,741 or 25.9 percent from 6,727 to 8,468, according to the annual report.

Total items checked out – books, non-books and digital materials – added up to 51,366, up by 9.7 percent from 46,809 in 2022.

Hoag was used in other ways in 2023:

• 4,757 items loaned out through inter-library loan
• 5,666 items borrowed through inter-library loan
• 619 programs with 5,365 attendees
• 446 notarized documents
• 1,174 meeting room bookings
• 27,883 WiFi sessions
• 379 reference questions
• 900 Fax services
• 57 homebound deliveries

Two trustees were also elected to four-year terms during the annual election. Jim Babcock, an incumbent, received the most votes of three candidates, and was picked on 64 of 83 ballots. Carole Patterson, a former board member, is back for a new term after receiving 51 votes. Kevin Doherty, an incumbent trustee and former board president, came in third with 38 votes.

After the annual meeting, the trustees met and picked their officers and chose to keep the same leaders: Linda Weller as president, Mary Covell as vice president, Dawn Squicciarini as secretary, and Rachel Hicks as treasurer.

The library has an overall budget of $693,150 in 2024, up $10,050 from $683,150 in 2023. The library will be seeking $664,510 during the May 21 vote that also includes the school budget, the board of education candidates and other propositions for the school. Voting will be from noon to 8 p.m. at Hoag Library.

The library’s amount to be collected by the school is up $10,000 or by 1.5 percent from the $654,100 in 2023. It remains under the $754,350 in 2021, the last year Hoag was still paying on the mortgage for a new library that opened in 2012.

Photos and information courtesy of Medina Lions Club

MEDINA – The Medina Lions Club on Saturday teamed up with Scouts and their leaders from Troop and Pack 28 for clean up at Lions Park by the Erie Canal in Medina.

Each year the Lions clean and mulch the parks, trees and flower beds. Mulch is provided by the village of Medina and brought onsite for the work.

This year seven Lions Club members and approximately 12 scouts pulled weeds, spread mulch, and cleaned the area. Each worker was treated to a hot dog lunch when the work was done.

The Medina Lions wish to give special thanks to Todd Draper and Tim Miller, the adult leaders from Troop and Pack 28, for mobilizing the help.

The Lions motto is “We Serve” and we greatly appreciate the help from the community to allow us all to enjoy a nicer area.

Press Release, Orleans/Niagara BOCES

MEDINA – The Orleans Career and Technical Education Center’s (OCTEC) Advanced Manufacturing and Engineering (AME) program was awarded a $250,000 naming rights grant from the Gene Haas Foundation to upgrade the classroom at the Orleans/Niagara BOCES site.

Now that the renovations are completed, it is one of the premier Career and Technical Education CNC labs in the country, said AME teacher Bill Rakonczay.

“We are thrilled to have received this very generous grant from the Gene Haas Foundation,” Rakonczay said. “The director of the Gene Haas Foundation, Kathy Looman, encouraged me to apply for the funds because she said she has heard a lot about our program, and from what she saw from our social media accounts. I think that speaks volumes about what we do here.”

There will be a ceremony for the grand opening of the new Gene Haas Advanced Manufacturing and Engineer Lab at 1 p.m. on Thursday, with an open house to follow from 2 to 6 p.m. The O/N BOCES is located at 4232 Shelby Basin Rd., Medina.

The AME program teaches students CNC programming, CNC set-up and operation, along with engineering principles. The AME program at the Orleans/Niagara BOCES also partner with NASA for their HUNCH program with the students making parts for the stowage lockers that go to the International Space Station.

“Gene Haas Foundation is thrilled to partner with Orleans/Niagara BOCES on this upgrade to their facility,” Looman said. “This naming program is an endorsement of the best CNC programs in the world. This grant was established for the purpose of highlighting those programs in order to raise the standard of Manufacturing Technology programs everywhere. We would like to thank William Rakonczay and the entire team at Orleans/Niagara BOCES for the success it has had as we look forward to the future.”

The upgrades to the classroom took place over the course of this summer and this year’s classes walking into the new Gene Haas Advanced Manufacturing and Engineering Lab at the beginning of the school year.

“It is a very exciting time for me and for the students,” Rakonczay said.  “We have a state-of-the-art learning lab. It’s been completely transformed.”

The Gene Haas Foundation has played a very important role in Mr. Rakonczay’ s program for many years providing scholarships to his students to continue their education. Gene Haas, the sole funder of the foundation bearing his name, is the founder and owner of Haas Automation, the largest machine tool builder in the western world.

The foundation was created by its namesake in 1999 to focus on manufacturing education in the form of scholarships for CNC machinist training.  It donates millions of dollars every year to manufacturing education and the community.

There are over 300,000 manufacturing jobs that are currently unfilled due to a lack of skilled workers. Those numbers continue to grow daily due to retirements.

“I get calls all the time from companies who desperately need machinists,” Rakonczay said. “There are just not enough trained workers out there.”

ALBION – Hoag Library will have its annual meeting today at 7 p.m., and voters in the library service area of central Orleans will elect two people to be trustees.

There are three people running for two positions with four-year terms. Voting is from noon to 7 p.m. at the library.

Kevin Doherty and Jim Babcock, the incumbents, are back on the ballot, along with Carole Patterson, a former board member from 2009 to 2013.

Patterson is retired from The Village of Orleans. She was part fo the feasibility study with the Ivy Partners for the new Hoag Library before it was built in 2012. She remains invoIved with the Friends of Hoag Library.

“My vision for the future as part of the Hoag Library board is to support and address staff concerns, support and assist with new program ideas,” Patterson said in a candidate statement on the library website. “I would like to see a daytime book club for members of the community who are unable to attend evening sessions. Continue to support Friends of Hoag as outside support for library needs not included in annual budget. I feel the library is the cornerstone of Albion providing services for the entire community.”

Kevin Doherty was the board president when the new library was built. He owns a technology services company, Doherty Communications, and is a former member of the Board of Education.

Jim Babcock, a local contractor, also has been involved in many community efforts.

“I believe the library is a valuable asset to the community and with great stewardship it can continue to be,” Babcock said.

Provided photos

MEDINA – Joseph Andrew Brueckner became Troop 28’s newest Eagle Scout on Sunday during a ceremony and celebration at Glenwood Park in Ridgeway.

In the photo at left, Brueckner thanks people for their support during his scout journey, including Todd Draper in back. In the photo at right, Brueckner celebrates with Scoutmaster Tim Miller.

Brueckner has been a scout since the 1st grade. His Eagle Project consisted of adding 2 benches and 10 birdhouses at Glenwood Lake.

This photo shows a group of all Eagle Scouts. From left Scoutmaster Tim Miller, Steve Miller, Joe Brueckner, David Vanderwalker, Todd Draper and Eli Pask.

Brueckner is a senior at Medina High School and is in the AME program at BOCES.  He works as an intern at Amada Tool America in Batavia as well as helping with his family’s restaurant and catering business. He plans to continue his education after high school but is uncertain which school he will choose.

Joe Brueckner is shown with his family, including father Matt Brueckner, mother Kim Brueckner and brother Brandon Brueckner.

Joe Brueckner does a trust fall with Eagle Scouts Tim Miller, Eli Pask, Steve Miller, David Vanderwalker and Todd Draper (not shown in photo).

Provided photo: Lyndonville Teachers Association President Shane Price, left, is shown with candidates endorsed by the LTA, including Megan Bruning, Patrick Whipple and Matthew Heinsler. LTA Treasurer Tammy Mallon is at right.

LYNDONVILLE – The Lyndonville Teachers Association has announced its support for three candidates for the Board of Education who are challenging incumbents in the May 21 election.

The teachers’ union is backing Megan Bruning, Patrick Whipple and Matthew Heinsler.

The incumbents seeking re-election include Board President Ted Lewis and members Susan Hrovat and Steve Vann.

Lyndonville Teachers Association issued a statement, saying it endorses Bruning, Whipple, and Heinsler “who are pro-teacher and are willing to collaborate with teachers, staff, students, parents and the community toward overall student and district success.”

The LTA said the three endorsed candidates “are committed to an atmosphere of teamwork where all constituents play a role in decision making and achievement of the district vision for the present and the future.”

The Lyndonville district newsletter includes statements from all six candidates.

Megan Bruning works full-time and two kids in the district. She works as a technical writer for Baxter Healthcare in Medina.

“I represent so many families in this district that battle the balance of work, life, school, finances, parenting and all the other dramas that come with being alive,” she states in the school newsletter. “I have a perspective that I feel is not currently represented at the district level.”

Bruning would like to see more efficient communication from the school district, rather than parents “digging through backpacks to find crumpled up papers of school events.”

She wants to see Board meeting agendas, minutes and highlights more conveniently available and accessible to all of the community.

“There are some frustrations within the district,” she said. “Although, I may not have the magic to fix it all, I have a perspective and experience that can help us drive toward improvement.”

Matthew Heinsler is a squadron commander for the U.S. Air Force. He said he embraces the core values of “Integrity First, Service Before Self and excellence in all I do.”

He writes in the newsletter he wants to serve the people of the school district, and help create a better future for the district.

Patrick Whipple, PhD, is director of Professional Learning Services at Genesee Valley Educational Partnership. He also is a board member for the Lyndonville Area Foundation and a member of the Lyndonville Music Boosters.

Whipple wants more transparency, clear communication and “an unwavering dedication to continuous improvement.”

“Our educational landscape is ever-changing, and we must adapt and innovate to meet the evolving needs of our students, and prepare them for the challenges of the future,” Whipple said. “This means regularly evaluating our policies, practices, and outcomes, and being open to change when it serves the greater good.”

Hrovat, Vann and Lewis said they are looking to reduce the cost to the school district for health insurance.

“Together, we continue to learn about and find ways to improve the current system, which has locked the school into an expensive and difficult to change insurance plan,” Hrovat, a senior state parole officer, said in a message to voters in the school newsletter.

If the district’s health insurance plan was modified, Hrovat said it could enhance the current insurance and “save the community extensively, despite pushback from major players.”

Lewis has been the board president for the past 11 years and has been on the board for 15 years. He is retired as an Environmental Research Scientist and Associate Faculty member in the at SUNY Brockport.

Lewis said he is proud of the high-quality education at Lyndonville, including the district’s ability to continue in-person classes when some restrictions were eased in the Covid pandemic. Many districts had a hybrid schedule with students in-person some days and at home on others. Lyndonville was able to offer in-person all five days of the week for everyone during the 2020-21 school year.

“This achievement took strong local leadership from our Board of Education and Administrative team, as well as commitment and sacrifice from our teachers and staff,” Lewis said. “This is a shining example of what small town education with strong local control can accomplish.”

Steven Vann works as a president of J.S.C Management Group which operates many Burger King restaurants. He sees the small-school atmosphere as a great asset for the community and the top reason for the Lyndonville community to grow. However, Vann said the district needs to be sustainable for years to come.

Vann said his experience in business is an asset to the district in his role on the board – “from HR, construction, budgets, and ability to hold people accountable and ask tough questions.”

Vann pushed for changes in health insurance carriers, which he said would have saved the district $571,000 a year, reducing the tax levy by more than 10 percent.

“While my efforts failed to get this across the finish line, the efforts exposed the resistance of the administration to review other options,” Vann writes in the district newsletter. “The administration purposely delayed the endeavor, which ultimately could have cost us even more money.”

Voting for the board members as well as the district budget and funding for the library will be from noon to 8 p.m. at the Stroyan Auditorium Foyer.

Gas prices continue to trend upward, increasing another 4 cents in the past week in Orleans County, from $3.63 to $3.67 a gallon for regular unleaded. That follows a 21-cent increase the previous three weeks.

Today’s national average price for a gallon of gasoline is $3.65, down a cent from last Monday. A year ago, the price was $3.55, AAA reported.

The New York State average is $3.73, up two cents from a week ago. A year ago, the NYS average was $3.70, AAA said.

Here are the average prices today in Western New York counties:

• Orleans, $3.674
• Genesee, $3.628
• Wyoming, $3.620
• Livingston, $3.675
• Monroe, $3.690
• Niagara, $3.585
• Erie, $3.675
• Chautauqua, $3.630
• Cattaraugus, $3.612
• Allegany, $3.653

“Tepid demand, increasing supply, and falling oil prices could lower pump prices,” AAA said in a statement this morning. “Domestic gasoline demand will pick back up as we get closer to Memorial Day weekend and the traditional start of summer driving season, which will likely come with an increase in prices at the pump.”

The national average price for diesel is $3.97, down three cents from last Monday. The New York average is $4.40, no change from a week ago, AAA said.

MEDINA – The past weekend was a busy one in Medina, with many stores offering specials, welcoming an influx of visitors and staging a murder mystery to solve.

Saturday was the Medina Area Partnership’s fun murder mystery event, “When Push Came to Shove.”

Seventeen businesses and 132 people participated in the event, which entailed visiting all participating businesses, talking to the character portrayed in that store and then deciding who killed Austin Franks, an owner of the Franks and Bettor Cold Storage after its grand opening.

Christine and Chris Blowers of Lockport participated in MAP’s annual murder mystery event on Saturday for the first time. They are checking their notebooks here at a lily & a sparrow.

The scene is set in 1904 and all the local people of importance attended the ribbon cutting, which was followed by tours of the cold storage and refreshments. Everyone (they thought) finally cleared out, except Austin Franks, who offered to do a final check of the building.

Later, when the night watchman did his rounds, he found Franks dead at the bottom of the elevator shaft.

Each participating business was given a script listing how the “actor or actress” knew each character involved and how they knew Austin. Each actor had three clues to give out.

The day began with check-in at the Medina Senior Center, where attendees received a wristband, investigator’s booklet, snack and a goodie bag. They had until 4 p.m. to visit all participating locations, then had to decide who the murderer was and e-mail their answer to Medina Area Partnership.

The correct answers were then entered in a drawing to win a gift basket filled with prizes worth more than $250. Winner was Andrea Walton of Medina.

Many participating individuals dressed in costumes of the early 1900s, including Tami Siffsinger of Lyndonville and Carol Bellack and Robin Wehling of Medina.

They were encountered on Main Street as they made their way into Author’s Note, “investigator’s” notebooks in hand.

“We know there’s a lot of hanky panky going on,” Wehling said.

“There’s illicit love, so it could be a woman who did it,” Bellack speculated. “Regardless, it’s a gorgeous day to be out, and we’re supporting the Medina Area Partnership.”

Siffsinger was happy about the gift bag they received, which included their investigator’s notebook and coupons for participating stores. They also had a wine tasting at Main Street Liquor and sampled sweets at Della’s Chocolates.

Chris and Christine Blowers of Lockport were at a lily & a sparrow, checking their notebooks and asking questions. This was their first time taking part in such an activity.

“We always liked to do adventures and this is something different,” Chris said. “We enjoy watching mystery shows on TV, but here we have real life clues.”

Brody George, collections manager at Medina Railroad Museum, played the role of Mayor E. Lou Sieve. He didn’t realize when he volunteered to be an actor, he would be the murderer.

When people came in looking for clues, he said he “loosely made stuff up.”

Overall, it was nice to see all the businesses who participated, he said.

MEDINA – The Medina Area Partnership will continue to implement beautification projects in Medina’s downtown business district with the annual placing of flower pots.

MAP is seeking monetary donations to assist with the cost of flowers, soil and other products needed to achieve those initiatives.

Cost to sponsor a flower pot is $75, and anyone interested is asked to send a check payable to Medina Area Partnership to Mary Lewis, Creekside Floral, 509 Main St., Medina. Lewis is chair of MAP’s Beautification Committee.

Those who sponsor a pot will be recognized on a sign in a flower pot, as well as on the large sign outside of city hall and on the MAP website. Larger donations are also welcome to assist with other beautification projects, where the objective is to make the downtown community and greater Medina area an attractive place to visit.

ALBION – A petition is now available to force a referendum on a proposed joint fire district serving the Village of Albion, and towns of Albion and Gaines.

Representatives plan to be at Hoag Library this week from 4 to 7 p.m. from Monday to Thursday with a petition.

The town boards for the two towns plus the Albion Village Board on April 30 met and voted to create a joint fire district. The new district would move the fire department out of the village budget and into its own taxing jurisdiction with elected commissioners.

The two towns currently pay a fire contract to the village for fire protection.

The vote from the two towns and the village creates a new district to take effect on Jan. 1. The three municipalities are expected to soon appoint five commissioners who would likely start on July 1 and serve about six months until the five commissioners can be elected in December.

But some community members want the joint fire district to go to a public vote. Richard DeCarlo Jr., co-owner of the Heritage Estates mobile home park, and Laura Bentley, owner of Bentley Brothers and the Tavern on the Ridge, say more details are needed on the costs to taxpayers with the new joint fire district.

DeCarlo and Bentley do not live within the fire district, but they are both significant taxpayers in Albion and Gaines. They both said they support the joint fire district, but more information should be provided to the public.

“I understand there is a need for this,” DeCarlo said about the fire district. “It has to happen. But there’s been a lack of transparency.”

Bentley and DeCarlo believe a public referendum would force the local officials to present more details, and the plans for the fire department’s future in regards to new fire trucks, whether a new fire hall is in the pipeline, and other expenditures.

During an April 24 public hearing about the joint fire district, residents were told the fire district budget would likely be $750,000 to $850,000 a year, well above the current $350,000 for the fire department. That $350,000 has left the fire department without a reserve fund for a new ladder truck at an estimated $2.2 million and another fire engine at about $1.1 million. Those trucks will be needed in the near future to replace aging apparatus, deputy fire chief John Papponetti said.

The fire district intends to lease the current fire hall on Platt Street. But DeCarlo would like to know if that is the long-term plan for the district, to stay at the current fire hall or build a new one.

During the public hearing, residents could ask questions, but no answers were provided outside of the prepared presentation.

Because three different municipal boards voted in favor of forming the district, three different petitions are being passed to force a referendum. The petitions need to be turned in within 30 days from the April 30 votes from the three boards.

Bentley said the two towns require signatures from at least 5 percent of the registered voters in the last gubernatorial election. She said that is about 100 in both Gaines and Albion.

But the village requires signatures from at least 20 percent of the registered voters or about 650 people.

“Everyone is in a favor of a fire district,” Bentley said. “But we want to see more information, including a budget breakdown for the next three years.”

ALBION – The first of two public hearings on a proposed district court will be 7 p.m. Tuesday in the legislative chambers at the Orleans County Office Building, 14016 Route 31 W, Albion.

A second hearing will be 7 p.m. on June 4 at the County Office Building.

Proponents of the court say it would offer better service at a lower local expense. But opponents say there will be less local control, and a reduced local expense isn’t guaranteed.

Orleans County voters will likely be asked this November in a public referendum whether the county should create a district court that would be staffed full-time and could include multiple towns in the county.

The issue almost went to a vote last year, but was withdrawn as a referendum to allow more time to complete a study on the financial implications, and other pros and cons of the court.

County Legislature Chairwoman Lynne Johnson was part of a committee that has been studying the district court. She believes the committee’s report “leaves no doubt this is the best path forward.”

She said the district court would represent collaboration and cooperation among local governments, while bringing down court costs and increasing services.

“Are significant cost savings, better use of resources, streamlined court management and making better use of law enforcement personnel’s time enough to overcome the inertia of ‘things are fine the way they are?’” Johnson said during her state of the county address in March. “We are certainly going to find out.”

The Orleans County Magistrates Association has been steadfastly opposed to a district court. The town justices and court clerks at the town level have all signed a resolution last October saying they are opposed to a district court in Orleans County.

“The Magistrate Association of Orleans County is opposed to any efforts to eliminate the local and convenient access to justice by our citizens and find that the Town Courts of Orleans County provide a meaningful and necessary presence within our community for judicial resolution of conflicts, continued public safety of our citizens, and the protection of constitutional guarantees for all of our citizens,” according to the resolution signed by the justices and court clerks.

Provided photo

HOLLEY – The Holley school district has picked the Holley Rotary Club to receive “A Community Together for Education” or ACT award for its support of Holley students through scholarships and its partnership through service clubs in the school – Rotary Interact at the junior-senior high school and EarlyAct for grades 4-6.

Brian Bartalo, left, the district superintendent, presented the award to Jeff Martin, center, and Josh Mitchell from the Rotary Club.

Holley is part of the Monroe 2-Orleans BOCES and all school districts in the BOCES pick an ACT recipient or “community champion” each year. Last year Holley chose TeacherGeek for its support of STEM projects in the district and also teacher development.

Bartalo attended the canal and community trash pickup event on Saturday led by the Rotary Interact Club. Many Rotarians joined about 100 students in picking up litter in the community.

The district superintendent also noted another big annual effort when about 70 Interact Club students clean headstones at Hillside Cemetery.

Holley Rotary also sponsors many events throughout the school year, Bartalo said.

By Randy LeBaron

Good morning! Grab your favorite cup. Fill it up. And let’s start this week right… TOGETHER!!!

Well friends, I was quite floored by the amount of feedback that I received from my last article where I wrote about the unseen scars of being bullied. Thanks to the many who wrote letters, sent e-mails, messaged, or simply approached me while I was out and about to let me know that it had resonated with you in some way. I was actually hesitant about submitting it, but it certainly seemed to have struck a chord, so I am glad that I did.   

More than a few of you have also asked about how the different acts of reconciliation that I mentioned came about so I thought as a follow up I would share an abbreviated version of how my broken relationship with my father was redeemed and what I have learned looking back on it. Caveat – even in the abridged form it is way too lengthy for one article – so today I will share some backstory and the events that led to our estrangement and then, in two weeks, I will share about how the healing took place.

To start with, my father’s name was Lloyd LeBaron but everybody called him “Fuzz”, and I mean everybody. Someone once sent him a letter that was simply labeled “Fuzz, Sinclairville, NY” and it made its way to our mailbox. Anyway Fuzz, or Dad as I will refer to him from here on, was born in 1931. He spent much of his childhood in the hospital which caused him to fall behind in school and eventually led to him dropping out, only completing the 4th grade.

He entered the Army when he was 17 and was stationed in Germany. After his first stint he switched to the Air Force where he would go on to run a Carpentry Shop in Paris. While he was in the service he got married and at age 19 had my oldest brother, Rick. The very next year my twin brothers, Rod & Roger, were born. The marriage didn’t last and my Dad went back overseas so my brothers ended up being raised by aunts and uncles.

Fast forward to 1967, and Dad was working as a Tool & Dye Maker at Crescent Tool and ended up marrying a much younger woman (11 years) who was also very much pregnant. My sister Roberta was born and my dad adopted her as his own. By 1974 my dad was 43 years old, already a grandfather a few times over, and did not have becoming a father again on his radar at all. This is where I entered the picture, 23 years after my brother Rick was born I made Fuzz was a father again whether he liked it or not.

In my early years I don’t think he minded so much but once I hit school age and someone made the mistake of asking if he was dropping off his grandson things started to change. Dad had quite the temper and, as an undiagnosed child with ADHD, I would often do or say something impulsively that would lead to being branded by his belt. The reality was that he was older, more easily irritated, and I think somewhat resentful because it was clear early on that I had not inherited any of his mechanical skills. To this day I am still the least handy person around, just ask my wife.

All in all things didn’t seem so bad though, I mean this was the ’80s and most of my friends’ fathers treated them the same way. It seemed normal, until my dad’s world came crashing down. I was in elementary school when my father suffered a heart attack and was taken by Mercy Flight to Buffalo General where he would undergo a quintuple bypass surgery. It was a long recovery and, to make matters worse, he was diagnosed with diabetes and after being prescribed a new experimental pill he had a reaction that nearly killed him. It caused him to lose so much weight that he looked like a skeleton.

To make matters worse he ended up losing his job because he could no longer meet the physical requirements and my older brothers had each made some poor choices that eventually led to divorce for one, drug use for another, and prison for the third. It was at this point that my dad told me in no uncertain terms that he had not wanted to be a father again in the first place and, because he figured I would just turn out like my brothers, I wasn’t worth it.

At that point he disengaged not only from me but my mother as well. He moved into his own room in the house and more or less cohabitated with us. From that point on he did not attend any school functions or go to any of my sporting events. There were even times that friends from school would ask me if my parents were divorced or if my dad was dead and I just responded yes because the truth was too humiliating.

At this point my father was not as physically overpowering as he once was but he could still wound with words. He would often give me demeaning nicknames and, because I had to go to speech therapy throughout school, he would always make fun of me and say that he could never understand a word that I said. As I shared in my last article, this compounded the bullying that I was enduring everyday at school and so even as I was feeling like a helpless victim I also began to be filled with anger and bitterness that was on the edge of boiling over.

Jump ahead now to high school where one of the most tragic moments, the sudden passing of my grandmother, led to a respite of sorts as I moved in with my grandfather to help take care of him. Eventually it was no longer safe for him to stay alone while I was at school so he ended up moving in with my parents, but I remained in his apartment by myself. Things seemed like they were headed in a better direction—some of the bullying at school had dissipated since I had started martial arts. I got involved in the church down the street from where I lived, and I even got accepted to a college in Kansas which, if nothing else, was far away from my father and all the bad memories that I had accumulated over the years.

On the day that I left for college my parents drove me to the bus station where I proceeded to get on the wrong bus. Thankfully I realized my error in time and quickly got off to find the right one. That was when my mother ran up to me and said that my dad had made an effort by coming out and that I had not even said goodbye.  She then said that she was afraid I was going to hurt his feelings. In that moment I felt every bit of anger, hate, and resentment that I had toward my father and simply replied, “Good!” as I walked up the steps of the bus without looking back.

See you in two weeks!
Pastor Randy

Photos by Tom Rivers

ALBION – This group takes part in a Mental Health Walk and Health Fair today at Bullard park. Participants joined on the crusher-run walking trail on the perimeter of the park.

The Genesee-Orleans Ministry of Concern organized the event for the first time. Participating agencies at the health fair included GOMOC, UConnectCare (formerly GCASA), NYS Senior Action Council, the Orleans County mental Health Department, Fidelis and Healthy Families (serving Orleans and Niagara counties).

Participants received t-shirts with a quote, “May the Fourth be with your Mental Health.”

Jami Allport, GOMOC director, said the agency wanted a local event as part of May as mental Health Awareness Month.

Pattie Beadle brought two llamas for the event. Beadle is a therapist with the Orleans County mental Health Department. She also has been showing llamas for about 30 years. She noticed at llama shows the animals have a calming effect on visitors.

She is working to have the llamas be certified as therapy animals.

Beadle is shown with “Slick.” Her other llama “Oscar” is in back.

“When people touch a llama, a calm comes over them,” she said.

These people start the walk for mental health. There were several signs about mental health myths and facts posted along the trail.

This sign said the following:

Myth: Children don’t experience mental health problems.

Fact: Even very young children may show warning signs of mental health concerns. Early support can help a child before mental problems interfere with other developmental needs.

Myth: People with mental health problems are violent and unpredictable.

Fact: The majority of people with mental health problems are not or likely to be more violent than anyone else. In fact, many people with mental health problems are highly active and productive members of their communities.

100-plus hunt down litter; Today’s effort dedicated to Danny Cory, husband of retired Holley principal

Photos by Tom Rivers

HOLLEY – Ryan Seward, a Holley seventh-grader, snags an empty beer can from a  drainage area next to the Holley Pharmacy. He is joined by friends Mason McGuire, top left, and Logan Lane with the trash bag.

They were  among more than 100 Holley students and many other school and community volunteers who were out picking up garbage in Holley’s annual Canal Clean Sweep effort.

Holley makes the event a big effort, with students getting a tie-dyed T-shirt to mark the occasion. Students also get a sense of pride in cleaning up litter in the village and along the canal towpath in the town of Murray and Village of Holley.

Holley Mayor Mark Bower addresses the group at about 10 a.m. in the elementary school parking lot. He thanked them for helping to make the Holley community a better place.

The students split into smaller groups with two adult volunteers in each pod. Elementary students in the Rotary Early Act group picked up litter along the canal. The Early Act Club, for students in grades 4 to 6, is led by Jessica Seaward.

The junior-senior high school students dispersed into different parts of the village, as well as the canal park to hunt down trash.

Before the left, they were welcome to a Paula’s Donut. Holley Rotary Club member Craig Lane picked up 10 dozen donuts early this morning. He has made Paula’s Donuts part of the annual tradition for the canal clean sweep.

Brian Bartalo, the Holley school district superintendent, takes a photo of the large group. Many of the students are in the Holley Interact Club, which is led by advisors Samantha Zelent and Erin Dibble.

“They are very excited about this,” Dibble said about the annual cleanup. “this is our biggest event of the year.”

Dibble and Zelent thanked the students, and many teachers and parents who stepped up as volunteers.

Brian Bartalo also addressed the group before they headed out for about two hours of volunteer service.

The cleanup effort was dedicated to Danny Cory, the husband of retired Holley principal Susan Cory. Mr. Cory passed away unexpectedly on April 22 at age 61 while on a vacation with his wife in Nashville.

Mr. Cory attended numerous Holley school events while his wife was principal. Even though he was proud to be a Le Roy graduate, he became an enthusiastic Holley Hawk.

Kayla Neale, a Holley senior, designed the t-shirt for the annual cleanup day.

The students were on the hunt for trash in the village and along the canal.