ALBION – A dance studio that has been part of downtown Albion for 17 years was honored as the “Organization of the Year” on Saturday by the Genesee-Orleans Regional Arts.

Dance Reflections by Miss Heather received one of the Genean Awards given by GO ART! Those awards are given to artists, arts supporters and organizations in Genesee and Orleans counties.

Heather Hapeman started Dance Reflections in 2006. It has grown to 127 dancers. The recital on May 13 drew the biggest crowd yet at about 700 people.

Hapeman works with dancers beginning at age 2 right through high school.

“My heart has always been with dance and teaching,” Hapeman said today. “I can see them grow up and their personalities come alive.”

Heather and her husband Jared have upgraded their downtown building at 50-52 North Main St., with new windows on the second and third floors that were previously boarded up. They have a new black steep ceiling in the dance room, and also remodeled an office and bathroom.

Dance Reflections was the lone winner from Orleans County during the genean celebration on Saturday. Other winners included:

Individual Artist Lifetime Achievement: David Burke, a painter from Bergen

Supporter of the Year: the late James R. Owen of Batavia (GO ART!’s library is now named in his honor at Seymour Place in Batavia.)

GO ART! Volunteer of the Year: Don Fryling, a photographer from Batavia

“It was really a wonderful experience,” Hapeman said about the awards event. “I commend GO ART!”

Photo by Tom Rivers: Heather and Jared Hapeman and their daughter Coraline, then 5, are shown in May 2021 in the dance studio that Mrs. Hapeman opened in 2006. Dance Reflections by Miss Heather has been a mainstay in the Albion downtown. They celebrated their 15th anniversary in 2021.

There are several parades and services planned to observe Memorial Day in Orleans County.

ALBION – The parade starts at 10 a.m. at Main Street near the park Street intersection. From there the processional goes to East Avenue, and then to the middle school.

A service will be held in front of the middle school at approximately 11 a.m.

HOLLEY – Parade participants will arrive at the American Legion/Holley Post Office between 9:30 a.m. and 9:45 a.m. Participants will line up and proceed towards the traffic light and turn left on Route 237. The parade will go directly to Hillside Cemetery.

A ceremony will be held at the Veterans Memorial Flag Pole, including the placement of wreaths and the reading of the Gettysburg Address.

KENDALL – A ceremony will be held at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, May 30, at the Kendall Community Park where there is a war memorial and gazebo. It is located on Kendall Road, across from the Kendall Elementary School. Kendall observes the holiday on May 30, which was the original day of Memorial Day. It was changed to the be the last Monday of May in 1968 to have a three-day weekend for federal employees.

LYNDONVILLE – A parade will start at 9 a.m. from the parking lot at St. Joseph’s Catholic Church on lake Avenue and participants will march to the library for the ceremony which follows. All participating groups are encouraged to bring a bouquet of flowers or potted plant to place at the memorial stone when prompted during the ceremony.

MEDINA – The parade will start at 11 a.m. at the Olde Pickle Factory building on Park Avenue and proceed to the State Street Park where a ceremony will be held at about noon.

Taking one of the river cruises is a great way to see the River Walk in San Antonio.

Let’s go on an adventure together….to San Antonio!

Part three of my recent Texas Adventure covers day four and five in San Antonio. On day four, I left Galveston about 7:30 am to take the approximately four hour drive to San Antonio. The trip was all interstates, so I didn’t get to see much of the countryside on the way. I was disappointed that I didn’t get to see any pastures with long horn steer or ranches, but guess they were well hidden off the highway or maybe it wasn’t the best part of Texas for that sort of thing. At any rate – it was a long, but pleasant drive.

I had booked a 48 hour Hop-on-Hop-off bus and River Walk cruise combo tour. So, I drove straight there. I highly recommend if going to downtown San Antonio that you contact your destination and ask about the best place to park. I found that the parking is all paid lots or metered street parking. Your destination can help you save some money and long walks – it could mean the difference between $25-30 per day and $6 per day or having to keep feeding the meter throughout the day. Also, when I called the Alamo, they gave me the GPS address for a nearby hotel because if I plugged the address for the Alamo in my GPS, it would have taken me to an inaccessible location due to construction. Call ahead and ask – you’ll be glad you did!

The River Walk in San Antonio is a must see with lots of shops and restaurants and beautiful settings.

I took the double decker open top bus to some of the stops and got off at the River Walk. WOW – I absolutely LOVED the River Walk – do yourself a favor and do NOT miss it if you’re ever in San Antonio. It is a peaceful and beautiful oasis in the middle of the city with wonderful shops and restaurants and lots of gardens, statues, and other cool things to see and do along the way. I am very glad I had a ticket for the river cruise. It was a great way to see the entire River Walk from the water on about a 30 minute ride with a wonderful guide who talked all about the history of everything we saw. It is a long stretch, so I’m sure I wouldn’t have gotten to see it all if I tried to walk the whole way down one side and back the other. I did stroll around a bit after the cruise before I want back to the bus stop to finish the city tour. 

After the tour, I went to the hotel. I chose the La Quinta at the airport. It was a nice hotel, but the location wasn’t ideal. The write up made it sound like it was close to the downtown area, but it was actually about a 15 minute drive to downtown in very congested traffic. The upside was that I was only about two minutes from the airport the morning I had to fly out to head home! So, it was fine, but if I had it to do again, I’d pay a little more for something right downtown where I could have left my car parked and walked to most of what I planned to do.

You can’t go to San Antonio without a visit to The Alamo – it doesn’t disappoint!

For day 5, I had booked tickets for the Alamo. Now – you need to know something very important about The Alamo. It is FREE to get into most of the park, but they do require you to reserve an entry time in advance to go in the church and you can only do that on their website – www.thealamo.org (this is also a great link for tons of information about The Alamo). Apparently, they only allow about 100 people inside at any given time, so they control that with the reserved entry time tickets. But, you can stay as long as you want to get the full experience and if it isn’t one of their peak tourist seasons, you likely won’t encounter a lot of people – that was the case for me, so that was nice. While it is free to enter the park, you are able to purchase either a headset that narrates a self-guided tour or you can pay a little more for a tour guide that takes you through with a small group of people. Also, the museum on site is a small extra charge, if that interests you. Be sure to visit the website to read all about what to expect so you can decide what, if anything, extra you may want to pay for. I paid for the headset and entry to the museum, so the entire visit ended up costing me about $20. I didn’t really use the headset, though – most everything had visual aids to explain what I was looking at and, personally, I found the headset to be a distraction. However, the small fees help support the upkeep of the park, so it was well worth it.

The Long Barrack at the Alamo is the oldest building on the Alamo historic site, dating back almost 300 years to the site’s origins as Mission San Antonio de Valero. It served as the quarters and offices of the Spanish missionaries.

I very much enjoyed The Alamo. I spent several hours wandering around the park, looking at all the buildings and exhibits, and just sitting in the peaceful and beautiful gardens. I was struck by the fact that this nearly 300 year old historic site is smack dab in the center of a large, modern city. It’s like walking back in time when you stroll through the gates and reality sinks in when you get glimpses of the city when looking out over the walls of the property. Really cool. I can say that I will definitely “remember the Alamo” and my time there. Don’t miss the chance to embrace a little history when you visit San Antonio.

After I finished with the Alamo, I drove to Austin for the late afternoon and evening…..but, I’ll leave my stories about Austin for my next article in two weeks…..watch for it! 

Check out my blog posts with more photos from SanAntonio:  

San Antonio
The Alamo

Happy Adventuring!

Photo by Tom Rivers

MEDINA – The Village Board agreed to dedicate use of one of the docks at the Erie Canal for a new business offering boat rides.

Brian Hellner will need to pay $125 a month or $625 for the season to have exclusive access to one of the docks.

Mayor Mike Sidari said brick-and-mortar stores pay village taxes. He said it’s only fair a business using the dock pay a fee.

“We have to maintain down there and mow the lawn,” Sidari said about the Canal Basin area.

Brian Hellner of Newfane is looking to open a new business offering rides for up to six people on a 20-foot-long pontoon boat. Hellner said he has been a licensed charter captain the past 12 years and an avid boater the past 50 years. He also is a former vice president of the Buffalo Maritime Center.

Hellner said he sees an opportunity to grow tourism in the village through the canal cruises. He plans to call the business, North Star Charters. He would like to offer one-hour rides from Friday through Sunday from June to the fall. The Erie Canal closes to boating traffic on Oct. 11. It opened for its 199^th season on May 19.

Photo by Tom Rivers: Medina’s fast-charging stations are planned for the Canal Basin near the median where there is access to electricity. There would be four spots with each station having two.

MEDINA – The total cost for the Village of Medina’s two fast-charging stations is estimated at $370,000.

It shouldn’t cost the village anything, unless the village opts for short-term financing, said Matt Zarbo, a managing engineer with Barton & Loguidice.

He went over the grant and project with the Village Board this week. Medina on April 17 was approved for a $245,184 grant for two direct-current fast charger pedestals.

The state Department of Environmental Conservation and National Grid will also contribute to the project, Zarbo said.

Medina will go through the design and procurement phase of the project. Zarbo said the village needs to pay upfront and then get reimbursed. Medina can consider short-term financing or using existing village funds, Zarbo said.

The state and National Grid will pay for all construction, design, engineering, signage and painting for the project, but the short-term financing expense may not be included, Zarbo said.

When Gov. Kathy Hochul announced the funding for Medina last month, it was part of $8.4 million awarded statewide for charging stations. Medina was one of 28 to receive funding for the fast-charging stations that take only 45 minutes.

The Village of Albion one of 454 to be awarded $10,500 for two Level 2 charging ports that take longer for a charge.

The charging stations approved for Medina need to be in the downtown area and there needs to be four parking spots designated for electric vehicles at the charging stations.

Village Board members on Monday said there may be some pushback from business owners about having spots reserved for electric vehicles.

“We are excited to have them don’t get me wrong but  we have a shortage of parking spots in the village,” said Village Trustee Marguerite Sherman.

Zarbo said he sees the fast-charging stations as a big benefit to the businesses. They will be the first fast-chargers for public use in the county, and will show up on apps, drawing electric vehicle drivers to Medina.

Zarbo suggested the spots go in the Canal Basin parking lot, where there is existing three-phase electric infrastructure in the median of the parking lot. That would make the project less costly.

“This should help the businesses not hurt them,” Zarbo said. “Apps show where fast-charging stations are located. You may draw more people here.”

Users of the charging stations are expected to be billed through a credit card or an app.

Photos by Tom Rivers

ALBION – Orleans County legislators issued proclamations for EMS Week and Mental Health Month.

County Legislator Skip Draper, right, presents a proclamation on Tuesday for EMS Week to Kristin McAdoo, chairwoman of the EMS Council in Orleans County. She is joined by Justin Niederhofer, left, the county’s emergency management director and Scott Buffin, the deputy emergency management coordinator.

“The members of emergency medical services teams are ready to provide lifesaving care to those in need 24 hours a day, seven days a week,” the proclamation states. “The members of emergency medical services teams, whether career or volunteer, engage in thousands of hours of specialized training and continuing education to enhance their lifesaving skills.”

County Legislator Don Allport presents a proclamation about Mental Health Awareness Month in May to Melinda Rhim and other mental health workers in the county.

The proclamation states mental illness will impact one in four adults and one in five youth at some point during their life, regardless of age, gender, race, ethnicity, religion or economic status.

“Early diagnosis and appropriate treatment of mental health disorders among children, adolescents and adults provide them with better opportunities to lead full and productive lives,” legislators stated. “Mental Health Awareness Month was developed to bring public awareness to the mental health challenges facing children, adolescents and adults, and to diminish the stigma associated with it.”

Press Release, Congresswoman Claudia Tenney 

WASHINGTON, DC – Congresswoman Claudia Tenney (NY-24) joined with Congressman Brian Higgins (NY-26) in a bipartisan letter urging the United States Secretary of State to work with the Government of Canada to find a solution to exempt Americans from Canada’s Underused Housing Tax.

The push came ahead of Memorial Day weekend, which typically marks the start of the busy cross-border summer season for cottage owners.

Additional signers of the letter include Representatives Joe Courtney (CT-2), Nicholas Langworthy (NY-23), Mike Kelly (PA-16), Andy Kim (NJ-03), Brian Mast (FL-21), Paul Tonko (NY-20), Jennifer Wexton (VA-10), Nancy Mace (SC-01) and Max Miller (OH-07).

Signed by Democrats and Republicans from six states, the members note the concerns they are hearing from residents, “We write to you today to voice frustration and concern on behalf of our constituents impacted by the Government of Canada’s recently implemented Underused Housing Tax. This 1% tax on vacant or underutilized properties owned by ‘non-resident, non-Canadians,’ is unfairly impacting Americans who own property in Canada and putting the strong bond between our countries in jeopardy.”

“Canada’s Underused Housing Tax is a poorly conceived policy that threatens to drive a wedge between the United States and Canada,” said Congresswoman Claudia Tenney. “Many of my constituents have owned small homes or other properties in Canada for generations, and proposing this tax on them is unfair and unjust. Today, I join my colleagues on both sides of the aisle in urging the Secretary of State to work with the Canadian government to rectify this misguided policy.”

Congressman Brian Higgins added, “For generations, many Americans have owned property in Canada, acting as good neighbors and supporting the Canadian economy. The Underused Housing Tax is an insulting and unjustified attack on these Americans who use these properties not as a prospective investment but as a second home. The tax shouldn’t be imposed on Americans. It sets a dangerous precedent for actions that damage a robust binational exchange.”

Proposed in the Government of Canada’s Budget 2021, the Underused Housing Tax is being collected for the first time this year. The 1% additional property tax was initially due by April 30, 2023. However, confusion, lack of information, and delays in obtaining the required tax ID number caused the Government of Canada to announce it was postponing fines associated with late Underused Housing Tax returns, which are a minimum of $5,000, until October 31, 2023. The Congress members are advocating for a solution to be reached before that deadline.

By Catherine Cooper, Orleans County Historian 

Illuminating Orleans, Vol. 3, No. 18

ALBION – This photo shows Orleans County Civil War veterans assembled on the County Courthouse steps, Albion in the 1890s. The observance of decorating the graves of the war dead with flowers on Memorial Day (originally Decoration Day) was initiated by the Grand Army of the Republic in 1868.

At the outbreak of the Civil War, the men of Orleans County quickly responded to President Lincoln’s April 15, 1861, request for 75,000 volunteers. Committees were formed to organize companies of men: three companies were soon enrolled. Two set out for Albany on May 18th, 1861, and were incorporated into the 28th Regiment.

Town Clerks were authorized to maintain Enrollment of Persons Liable to Military Duty, records of resident able-bodied men between the ages of 18-45 years, with the exception of “idiots” and “lunatics”. Three copies of these enrollment records were required, one to be retained locally, one sent to the Sheriff’s Office, and the third directed to the State Office of the Adjutant General.

Enrollment Record for the Town of Clarendon, 1862.

Supervisor: M.D. Milliken.

Assessors: Thomas Glidden, Loran Hill, Martin Evarts.

Commissioners: Benj. G. Pettingill, Albert J. Potter.

The Enrollment List recorded the person’s name, age and occupation. Reasons for exemption were entered under the column “Remarks”.

The Clarendon list includes such reasons as:

• Downs, William Jr., 20, Farmer, Has one leg cut off below the knee

• Harmon, Austin, 42, Farmer, Lost one eye

Enlistment information was also listed under “Remarks”:

• Curtis, Levi, 20, Farmer, Enlisted Aug. 30. In Capt. Pratts Co., 129th Reg.

A total of 1,928 Orleans County men served in the Civil War:

Albion: 105

Barre: 120

Carlton: 178

Clarendon: 147

Gaines: 268

Kendall: 113

Medina: 133

Murray: 147

Ridgeway: 296

Shelby: 222

Yates: 199

A total of 463, or approximately 25 percent were killed, or died from injuries or illness.

Inside the tower at Mount Albion Cemetery there are nine marble slabs with the names of 463 soldiers from Orleans County who were killed in the Civil War.

The imposing sandstone Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Monument in Mount Albion Cemetery, Albion, which was dedicated on July 4, 1876, is a somber memorial to the fallen, whose names are carved on the nine marble slabs that hang on the walls. A list is also accessible online (click here).

The Orleans County Genweb site also includes information on Orleans County’s Civil War involvement.

Interest in Civil War topics continues. Greg Kinal will present a program on The Battle of Gettysburg at Lee-Whedon Memorial Library in Medina on Tuesday, May 30, at 7 p.m.

Wade J. Murphy  and Jennifer T. Sportsman face numerous felony charges.

CLARENDON – Two people have been charged after numerous stolen items were recovered in Clarendon, Orleans County Sheriff Chris Bourke said.

Monroe County Sheriff Deputies were investigating several larcenies from stores around the Brockport area. Information led investigators from Orleans and Monroe sheriff’s offices to 4216 Fancher Rd. in the Town of Clarendon.

A search warrant was executed on the property and investigators recovered a stolen UTV, zero-turn lawn mower, utility trailer, jet ski, and a large tow behind camper. Some items had been modified to conceal or remove vehicle identification numbers. The suspects had fled the state shortly after the execution of the warrant.

Jennifer T. Sportsman, 48, was arrested on May 5 when she returned to the residence to retrieve property. She was charged with 4 counts of criminal possession of stolen property 3rd degree, D felonies; criminal possession of stolen property 4th, E felony; and criminal facilitation 4th, A misdemeanor. She was arraigned before county court and released on her own recognizance.

These items were allegedly stolen and recovered after a search warrant on Fancher Road in Clarendon.

Wade J. Murphy, 50, was arrested in Beaufort County South Carolina on May 20 and is currently awaiting extradition to Orleans County. He is being charged with 4 counts of criminal possession of stolen property 3rd degree, D felonies; criminal possession of stolen property 4th degree, E felony; criminal possession of a weapon 3rd degree, D felony; and criminal possession of a weapon 4th degree, A misdemeanor.

Murphy has additional charges in South Carolina, and is currently on probation in New York.

Bourke commended Monroe County sheriff’s deputies and Orleans County sheriff’s investigators Kevin Colonna, Devon Pahuta and Brian Marsceill in a collaborative effort to bring the case to a close.

Provided photos

LETCHWORTH – Ben Brundage, 16, of Kendall crosses the finish line on Sunday in the Vale of Three Falls at Letchworth State Park. He completed three courses that day – the Lower Falls 5K, Middle Falls 10K, and Upper Falls 15K.

The previous day he ran the Sehgahunda trail marathon. He covered 72-kilometers in all or 44.7 miles. He is the youngest to ever complete the Sehgahunda 72.

Two years ago he was the youngest at age 14 to finish the Sehgahunda trail marathon. He did it in 7 hours, 43 minutes as a 14-year-old.

The course is notoriously difficult, with a 3,000-foot elevation change on narrow, winding paths.

As a 15-year-old Brundage lowered his trail marathon time to 5 hours, 43 minutes.

Saturday there was a deluge of rain, and the course turned muddy. Brundage still finished in a new personal best of 5 hours, 4 minutes.

That was 34^th out of 182 finishers. Not too many would then run another 30-kilometers or 18.6 miles on Sunday.

“It is very challenging but it is a lot of fun,” Brundage said today. “It’s not your average marathon.”

His father Daniel also finished the trail marathon on Saturday. His mother Sarah has conquered the course in previous years.

(Left) Ben Brundage stays focused while running a soggy course at Letchworth on Saturday during the Sehgahunda trail marathon. (Right) Ben Brundage smiles and holds a plaque on Sunday for completing the Sehgahunda 72. All of the finishers receive the “Put a Nail in Me, I’m done” plaque.

Ben is a member of Kendall’s cross country and track teams. He runs the 1,600 meter, 800 meter, 400 meter and 4-by-400 relay for Kendall. He competes at Sectionals on Saturday.

He said he enjoys long-distance running and often trains on the country roads in Kendall, Hamlin, Holley and Albion.

A junior at Kendall, he would like to run cross country in college at the Division II level.

Provided photo

MEDINA – These Medina students Bella Gomez (left) and Taylor Frentz are in art teacher Jennifer Scott’s class. They are touching up the village sign outside the village office as part of the Impact Day of doing service projects in the Medina community. Jack Daigle also is part of the effort with the sign.

The students have finished one side of the side and will do the other and put on polyurethane on both sides.

Photo by Tom Rivers: Janet Cheverie accepts a “Special Recognition Award” on Tuesday from the Orleans County Legislature in appreciation for her 35-year career with the county. Cheverie is retiring on May 31.

ALBION – Janet Cheverie was honored by Orleans County legislators with “Special Recognition Award” as she nears retirement from a 35-year career with the county.

She worked the first 11 years with the Department of Social Services as a social welfare examiner. She determined if people were eligible for Food Stamps, Medicaid and other public assistance.

The past 24 years she worked for DSS in the child support collection unit. She has been coordinator of that unit since 2008, overseeing eight other workers. The unit works with 2,000 to 2,500 cases.

Cheverie said the child support unit has been a fulfilling career. She has tried to be fair to all parents, and ensure that children are receiving resources.

“We’re helping to get children the support they need,” Cheverie said. “It has been an honor and a privilege to do this job. At the end of the day you feel like you made a small amount of difference for a family working their way through a difficult time.”

Cheverie said the non-custodial parents typically want to do their part to direct funds to their children, but sometimes there are court orders to collect child support and determine the levels.

County legislators, in their citation for Cheverie, thanked her for her commitment to the county.

“Your dedication and expertise have benefited our county tremendously,” they said.

HOLLEY – The school’s trap team has won its conference for the first time since Holley joined the NYS High School Clay Target League in 2016.

This is the eighth season Holley has been in the league. Holley earned second places in prior seasons, but took first this time based on the cumulative scores of its shooters over five weeks of competition.

The team has 18 students, from grades seven to seniors. Holley finished first out of 8 teams in 1A – Conference 10. The scores are counted for 12 of the shooters on the teams.

Holley trap shooting team members are pictured on Thursday evening at their final practice of the season. Pictured, from left, in front are Hunter Pachla, Leigha Walker, Kohle Pachla and Mason Merle. Back row: Tessa Hazzard, TJ Calvaruso, Caleb Donley, Ryan Blodgett, Ashton Buzard, Jaxson Schicker, Teanna Church and Layne Walker. Others on the team not in photo include Max Hollister, Mason Moyer, Evan Press, Joshua Silpoch, Noah St. John and Ronald Thorn.

Holley’s score of 3,984.50 topped Unatego High School in second with 3,573, Genesee Valley in third at 3,331.50, Trumansburg in fourth at 2,874, Sandy Creek in fifth at 2,776, Paul V. Moore in sixth at 2,680, Voorheesville in seventh at 2,310, and Romulus in eighth at 1,751.

Two other schools in Orleans County compete in the trap shooting league. Albion was fifth out of 8 teams in 1A – Conference 1 with East Aurora in first. Kendall was fifth out of 8 teams in 1A – Conference 8 with Berlin High School in first in that conference.

The schools are grouped based on the size of their teams. They compete at their home bases virtually against the other teams. They aren’t competing at the same spot next to each other in person.

Holley’s team competes at the Holley Rod and Gun Club. A trap house fires clay discs at up to 42 miles an hour from five different angles. The shooters move to five different stations and take 50 shots per round. They have to hit targets at different heights, angles and speeds.

Many of Holley’s shooters hit 40 or more of the 50 targets – an 80 percent or better rate.

“It’s practice, practice, practice – and concentration,” sad head coach John Waldron. Other coaches include Butch Moy, Doug Baker and Mike Elsner.

John Waldron, head coach of the team, gives a safety briefing before the team started practice on Thursday. They also had pizza to celebrate their first conference championship for Holley in trap shooting.

The coaches thanked the community for donating money for the team to buy ammunition. There are collections for people to donate at Sam’s Diner and Dustin’s Pizzeria.

Caleb Donley, a freshman, has been on the team for two seasons. He said he didn’t hit many of the targets the first year but now is breaking about half of them.

“It’s great competition,” he said on Thursday at the Rod & Gun Club. “I’ve gotten way better since the first time I did it.”

Caleb said it take s good hand-eye coordination to be a good shooter.

“It prepares you for hunting season,” he said.

Teanna Church, 16, said her skills have improved in trap shooting. She looks forward to joining her father when they go out hunting. Teanna also plays on Holley’s softball team.

Teanna Church, a junior, enjoys going hunting with her father. She said her skills have improved from being on the trap shooting team. She has hit 33 of the 50 targets. She said it was a challenge at first to be a good shooter.

“I’ve grown from when I started,” she said. “I have more confidence. I’m not someone who quits on something.”

She praised her teammates for being disciplined and focused to prepare for the competitions.

“I think we’ve done a very good job,” she said about the trap shooters. “We’ve all grown and have been working very hard.”

TJ Calvaruso, right, and Holley grad Ethan Waldron were partners in a shooting game on Thursday. Waldon, 20, was on the team its first six years. Calvaruso, 15, is one of Holley’s top shooters. He usually hits at least 45 of the 50 clay discs.

TJ Calvaruso has patches showing streaks where he has hit 25, 50 and 75 taregts in a row. His record is 99 consecutive.

Teanna Church, left, and Layna Walker take aim at the orange clay target (high above Layman’s head) at the Holley Rod & Gun Club.