January
•There were many changes in local leadership. Jack Barton was sworn in as Parma Supervior on January 1. Kevin Johnson was sworn in as the new Sweden Town Supervisor on January 2, taking over the office from Rob Carges. Jerry Underwood became the Town of Clarkson’s first new Supervisor in 36 years suceeding Paul Kimball. Underwood donated his first year’s salary to the Seymour Library.
•Todd Baxter, of Ogden, was sworn in as the new Monroe County Sheriff after defeating four-term incumbent Patrick O’Flynn in the November election.
•At age 29, Clarkson’s new Town Justice Ian E. W. Penders was one of the youngest judges in New York State.
•Despite the concerns of neighbors, the Ogden Planning Board gave preliminary and final site plan approval to Delaware River Solar, LLC, for a solar energy facility proposed at 760 Washington Street.
•Reverend Joanne Gilbert-Cannon retired after serving 10 years as pastor of Brockport First Baptist Church. She was the first female pastor in the history of the church.
•Spencerport Area Chamber of Commerce presented Jenny Rae Brongo with the Citizen of the Year Award, State Farm Insurance with the Business Person of the Year Award, Brindle Haus Brewing with the Civic Beautification Award, and Glynne Schultz with the Member of the Year Award at its Banquet on January 26.
•The Hilton Lions Club, with community support, donated a new motorized scooter to Joe Bullis. For over 20 years Bullis sold the morning newspaper at the corner of South Avenue and Main Street.
February
Peter Raimondo was part of the cast.
•The Hamlin Public Library hosted a Meet the Director reception on February 3 to introduce new Director Christine Gates to the community. Gates had previously served as the Churchville-Chili High School librarian.
•The Brockport Village Board presented the 2017 Monika W. Andrews Creative Volunteer Leadership Award to Gary Skoog for his 50 years of volunteer service within the community. Hanny Heyen and John Rombaut each received certificates of merit.
•Clyde Bianchi (1987) was inducted into the Byron-Bergen Athletic Hall of Fame.
•The Village of Holley was awarded a $165,600 grant for revitalization funding.
•The College at Brockport gymnastics team defeated Rhode Island College to become the number one ranked gymnastics team in the country.
•Students at Churchville Elementary School raised a record-setting $21,230 during their Hoops for Heart fund drive for the American Heart Association.
•Union Congregational United Church of Christ honored 32 Churchville area first responders by serving them a free spaghetti dinner.
•Brockport won their second consecutive Section V Class B boys indoor track and field championship.
•Hilton sophomore Greg Diakomihalis won first place in the 113 lb. Weight class at the NYSPHSAA Wrestling Championships. He won his third state title in triple overtime and finished the season undefeated.
March
•The Greater Churchville-Riga Chamber of Commerce presented its Citizen of the Year Award to Mayor Nancy Steedman, Business Person of the Year Award to Dwayne Berg of Dwayne’s Barber Shop, Civic Beautification Award to Thompson Builds Inc., and Member of the Year Award to Joan Hawthorne at the annual Awards Dinner.
•Churchville-Chili High School put on a production of “The Phantom of the Opera” which received numerous accolades at the Rochester Broadway Theatre League Stars of Tomorrow Gala.
•Greece and Parma received more than $942,000 in grants to restore and rebuild following the 2017 Lake Ontario flooding.
•Friends of Hamlin Beach State Park was awarded a $15,740 matching grant to enhance the history trail at the Civilian Conservation Corps/World War II Prisoner of War Camp on Moscow Road within the park.
•Local robotics teams won big at the FIRST® Robotics Competition Finger Lakes Regional Tournament at RIT. Churchville-Chili’s Team 340 took first place, Spencerport’s Team 3015 won the Chairman’s Award, and Hilton’s Cadet Robotics earned the Rookie All Star Award.
•Jerrod Roberts, assistant principal at Brockport’s A.D. Oliver Middle School, was selected as a 2018 NYS Assistant Principal of the Year by the School Administrators Association of NYS and the National Association of Elementary School Principals.
•Sara Manning’s 150th birthday was celebrated at the Morgan-Manning House in Brockport. She was the last occupant of the historic home which bears her family name.
•Byron-Bergen added three alumni to the district’s Alumni Hall of Fame – Jacqueline Mullen (1972), Michael List (1978), and Kimberly (Thompson) McLean (2000).
•Over 100 people attended the retirement party for Chris Daily who had worked for the Seymour Library for 29 years, most recently as the Young Adult Services Coordinator.
April
•The Hilton CSD Winter Drumline won the First Place Gold Medal at the 2018 New York State Percussion Circuit Championship in Syracuse. The ensemble also won awards for Best Music, Best Visual and High Score.
•The Town of Sweden held a Grand Opening of the Sweden Town Park Lodge on April 14. The Sweden Community Foundation secured a grant that provided the majority of the funding for the lodge and gifted $10,500 to pay for furnishings.
•The Churchville Lions Club donated $10,700 to the Churchville Volunteer Fire Department for the purchase of a new HURST Jaws of Life tool.
•Hilton Education Foundation was one of 13 national award winners that received a $10,000 grant from the Arby’s Foundation in support of their Make A Difference Day project which was recognized for fostering local volunteerism and having a positive impact on the Hilton-Parma community.
•Hamlin resident Kyle Foelsch was the winner of NYS Recreation and Parks 2018 Scholarship. An army veteran and student at The College at Brockport, Foelsch was also serving as sports coordinator and program assistant for Hamlin Recreation.
•The Town of Hamlin awarded its Extra Mile Award to residents Michelle Johnson and Rick Wright.
•Hilton Cadet Robotics FIRST® Team #6868 won the Rookie All-Star Award at the FIRST® World Championship in Detroit.
•The Village of Brockport celebrated Arbor Day with a tree-planting event at 260 State Street at the front of Allied Frozen Storage. The 15 Eastern Red cedars were planted to improve the view for residents impacted by the Canal Corporation’s clear-cutting.
May
•The Emily L. Knapp Museum opened for the season on May 1 with a new “Street of Shops” display on the third floor showing side-by-side storefronts representing merchants on Brockport’s Main Street in the late 1800s and early 1900s.
•AJ Gruttadauro, a 2016 Brockport High School graduate, competed with the US Race Walk Team at the 2018 IAAF World Race Walking Team Championship in China. He completed a 50km event and was the first US competitor to cross the finish line with his best time of 4:16:23.
•The Linda Clifford Memorial Jamboree was held May 6 at the Brockport Elks Lodge. Organized by Dick Clifford in loving memory of his late wife, the entire $10,000 in proceeds from the event went to Wilmot Cancer Institute.
•Vicki Newman, a math teacher at Hilton High School, received the Empire State Excellence in Teaching Award which came with $5,000 to use towards professional development. She was nominated for the award by student Michael Speciale.
•Hamlin Town Clerk Kathi Rickman was awarded the “Roger J. Robach Conservative of the Year Award,” the Monroe County Conservative Party’s highest and most prestigious honor.
•The Route 531 Terminus Project entered its final phase which included the reconstruction and widening of Route 31 from west of Salmon Creek Road to the Route 531 eastbound on ramp.
•A new patio and dock was being built in memory of past members and as a tribute to fallen firefighters at the Spencerport Firemen’s Exempts Club.
•Hilton’s long time dentist, Dr. Milton Shulman, died May 18. When he retired in 2013 at age 94, Shulman had been continually in business for 64 years in the same location.
•Joanne Formicola of Spencerport and the late Dan Andrews Jr. of Hilton were among this year’s inductees into the Rochester NY USBC Bowling Hall of Fame.
•Genesee Community College marked the end of their 50th Anniversary celebration by sealing a special Time Capsule inside the stairwell at the south end of the Richard C. Call Arena. Over 200 items of college memorabilia were included in the capsule which is set to be opened in May 2068 as part of GCC’s 100th Anniversary celebration.
June
•After 82 years of providing an ambulance to the Hilton-Parma community, the Hilton Fire Department voted to terminate responding to medical emergencies with ambulances, and provide a First Response service to the community with a non-transport vehicle. Effective June 15, Greece Ambulance began serving the Hilton-Parma Fire District.
•The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency was undertaking an extensive binational Cooperative Science Monitoring Initiative to focus on the protection and restoration of Lake Ontario and its watershed. The priority of this year’s monitoring was to improve the understanding of nutrients entering the Lake Ontario ecosystem and their impacts on water quality and the aquatic food web.
•The Clarendon Lions Club put up a Little Free Pantry box on Town of Clarendon property for residents to help each other by donating or taking non-perishable pantry items.
•The Hilton Board of Education adopted a Zero Waste Policy with the goal of achieving 80 percent landfill diversion throughout the district.
•Eleanor Humphrey, of Spencerport, died June 12 at age 102. Humphrey was one of the first local women to be accepted into the University of Rochester Medical School.
•Three basketball/ four square courts on the grounds of Hilton’s Northwood Elementary were dedicated in memory of Andrew Rohloff, a Northwood student who passed away in 2015 at age 11. Rohloff’s family raised nearly $18,000 for construction of the play areas.
•St. Leo’s Church in Hilton closed their Second Time Treasures store which had offered gently used clothing and household items.
•Brockport’s Deputy Mayor William G. Andrews retired from the board on June 30, the end of his sixth year in office. Andrews returned to his previously held position as village historian. His latest book, Brockport in the Age of Modernization, was released in July.
July
•A multi-agency law enforcement exercise was conducted at The College at Brockport to help prepare first responders for an active shooter scenario.
•On July 15, Brockport First Baptist Church celebrated the ten-year anniversary of their Gathering Table which serves a free hot meal to anyone in the community on the third Sunday of each month.
•The Holley Board of Education selected Brian Bartalo as the next Holley CSD Superintendent. Bartalo, who had served as principal of Hilton High School since 2005, assumed his new role on July 16.
•Spencerport Fire Department, with mutual aid from 14 departments, battled a large field fire at Colby Homestead Farms in Ogden on Monday, July 16. A tractor caught fire and the fire spread quickly through the field, burning an estimated 10 to 12 acres of hay and grass.
•An event was held at the Ogden Farmers’ Library to collect food and school supplies as part of the Puerto Rico One Box at a Time project started by Spencerport resident Maria Delgado Sutton to help recovery from Hurricane Maria.
•Holley and Kendall were among only 30 schools in New York State to earn the School of Distinction Award from NYSPHSAA for the 2017-2018 school year for having 100 percent of their varsity teams qualify for and receive the Scholar-Athlete team award during their respective sports seasons.
•St. Paul Lutheran School and Church in Hilton received a $24,097 grant from the Ralph C. Wilson Jr. Legacy Fund for Youth Sports at Rochester Area Community Foundation. St. Paul planned to partner with Hilton-Parma and Hamlin recreation departments to provide a number of youth sports and recreation opportunities.
August
•The Preservation League of New York State was trying to protect the historic “teaching tug” Urger from being pulled out of service to be used as a dry-land exhibit at a Thruway Visitor Center.
•Rachel Hockenberger, a 2017 graduate of Hilton High School, earned the title of 2018 National American Miss New York at the state pageant.
•Tammy Bleier, of Greece, was leading the Plastic Lakes Project to research, educate and combat plastic pollution on the Great Lakes.
•The American Legion Greece Post 468 hosted a Warrior Benefit Concert on August 11 to raise funds for wounded veterans. The American Legion Riders led the escort of guest-of-honor veterans from Spencerport to Greece.
•Chinappi’s Firearms & Supplies on West Ridge Road was burglarized twice in less than a week. Between 45 and 50 guns were believed to have been stolen. The Monroe County Sheriff’s Office removed the remaining firearms from the shop as a public safety precaution.
•The YMCA of Greater Rochester showcased new upgrades at Camp Northpoint during a community open house on August 16.
•Brockport’s Capen Hose Co. No. 4 Fire Museum held an open house to show off their collection of historic fire fighting equipment. An interpretive panel outlining the history of the museum was installed shortly thereafter using an historic fire hydrant as a mounting.
•The Seymour Library received a $75,301 NYS Library Construction Aid grant. They planned to use the funds to renovate two existing spaces into four study rooms for tutor and small group study.
•Clarkson’s Good Neighbor Days included a week of special events including the unveiling of a Little Free Library donated by members of Girl Scout Troop 60233. Residents were encouraged to perform random acts of kindness throughout the week.
Church of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Brockport held a ground breaking for their new parish center.
•The Hilton Central School District welcomed Jeffrey Green, Ed.D., as the new principal of Hilton High School.
September
•Holley began their first season playing eight-man football.
•Byron-Bergen CSD received a $25,000 America’s Farmers Grow Rural Education Grant. The money was to be used for data collection instruments for science classes and to bolster the district’s newly established agriculture program.
•The Ogden Police Department was asking for the community’s help in creating a database of potential sources of video-based evidence in Ogden and Spencerport.
•Brockport CSD celebrated their new artificial turf athletic field during a ribbon cutting ceremony on September 14.
•On September 16, Walker Fire Department and the Hamlin, Morton, Walker Fire District dedicated the meeting room in the Walker Fire Hall to their fallen firefighter Carolyn Hungerford on what would have been her 75th birthday.
•A group from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints in Brockport volunteered to build a boat dock for the Brockport Community Rowing Club.
•St. Christopher’s Catholic Church in North Chili celebrated it’s 50th anniversary on September 23.
•The Harvey C. Noone Post of the American Legion sponsored a Hometown Heroes Tribute Dinner at the Johnson House on September 29 to mark the 100th anniversary of Pvt. Noone’s death in WWI and to honor his mother, Mary, a Gold Star Mother who left money to the Churchville American Legion to build a post home in honor of Harvey.
October
•Spencerport teachers Matthew Amoroso and Nancy Mancuso and Hilton teacher Kirsten Meyers were announced as new members of the NYS Master Teacher program.
•Brockport CSD inducted four members to their Athletic Wall of Honor – Peter Agostinelli (1987), Casey Balog (2003), Jill Finkbeiner-Boadway (1992), and coach Chris Zorn.
•Holley’s Odd Fellows Hall made the Landmark Society of Western New York’s 2018 Five to Revive list.
•A 50 Year Anniversary Celebration of the Chili/Monroe County “Home of Little Guy Soccer” was held October 14 at the Italian American Community Center.
•A new, inclusive playground was installed at Sweden Town Park to provide play opportunities for children of all abilities.
•The Brockport Kiwanis Club held a formal dedication at the Seymour Library for a memorial bench in honor of long-time Kiwanis member Charley Duschen, and Brockport Rotarians dedicated a tree in memory of the late Cortland Fowler, Jr.
•Spencerport won the Section V Fall Cheer Championship for Division 1 Small, narrowly edging out Churchville-Chili, while Hilton won the Section V Class AA boys soccer championship.
•Compassionate Brockport held an interfaith candlelight vigil in Sagawa Park on October 30 in response to the Tree of Life Synagogue shooting in Pittsburgh.
November
•The Route 259 lift bridge in Spencerport was closed three days for repairs. The Martha Street bridge closed soon after for the winter with repairs being done to strengthen the bridge ahead of the planned 13-month rehabilitation of the Route 259 bridge slated to begin in July 2019.
•Hamlin Recreation received a $15,000 grant from the Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation. They used the funds to purchase eight athletic wheelchairs and created a new game, Whizzing Nerf, that people of all abilities could play together.
•To commemorate the 100th anniversary of the conclusion of WWI, the Parma Hilton Historical Society unveiled a new book honoring veterans who served from the local area, With Our Boys – Honor Roll by Tammy and Kyle Mullen.
•Churchville-Chili swept Midlakes to earn the Section V Class B boys volleyball title. •The Spencerport girls soccer team set a NYS record for the longest undefeated streak – 64 games. The streak came to an end with a 1-0 loss in overtime to Jamesville-DeWitt in the Class A state semifinal.
•Ned Dale stepped down as principal of Spencerport’s Cosgrove Middle School to accept the position of superintendent at Elba Central School District.
•Brockport High School welcomed Sandra Uwiringiyimana, author of How Dare the Sun Rise: Memoirs of a War Child, on November 29 as the culmination of a community-wide reading project. The author also spoke at the Seymour Library that evening.
December
•Churchville-Chili inducted five new members into its Athletic Hall of Fame – John Carr (1995), David Harvey-Bowen (1998), Mimi Rague (1981), Coach Paul Setter, and Bernie Voorheis (1939).
•A $10.7 million NYSDOT project began to rehabilitate seven historic Erie Canal bridges in Murray, Albion, Gaines, Ridgeway and Medina. The Bennetts Corners Road bridge in Murray was the first to close for repairs.
•Construction began on a $17 million rehabilitation of the historic former Holley High School. When complete, Holley Gardens will include 41 affordable homes for seniors and public meeting space and offices for use by the Village of Holley.
•Brockport fourth-graders gave a candlelit reading of Mary Jane Holmes’ 1868 novelette The Christmas Font at the Morgan-Manning House. St. Luke’s Church gifted an original copy of the book to the Emily L. Knapp Museum to complete the museum’s collection of Mary Jane Holmes’ writings.
Compiled by Joanne Michielsen from previous issues of Suburban News
and Hamlin-Clarkson Herald.
