JANUARY
•Byron-Bergen High School received delivery of $25,000 worth of state of the art equipment to support the agriculture, biology, chemistry, and physics programs. The school received an America’s Farmers Grow Rural Education Grant for the equipment.
•Hilton junior Tah’Jae Hill achieved a career milestone on January 8 when he scored his 1,000th career point. Hill was the fourth player in program history to reach 1,000 points.
•Long-time Holley wrestling coach, John Grillo, announced that he would be retiring at the end of the season. He was honored at the Hawks senior night on January 15.
•The Clarkson Town Board held a special meeting on January 15 following the abrupt resignation of Town Supervisor Jerry Underwood. The board elected Christa Filipowicz to serve the remaining year of the term. She became the first woman to hold the supervisor position in Clarkson.
•Two events were held in Brockport on January 17 to honor civil rights leader Fannie Barrier Williams.
•Randy Dumas was honored with a Brittany Fellowship Award by the Genesee Region Kiwanis for his tireless efforts on behalf of the Empire State Games, and his volunteer fundraising efforts to assist individuals and families dealing with effects and costs associated with pediatric Lyme disease.
•A $5.8 million project that repaved and rehabilitated 7.2 miles of the Lake Ontario State Parkway between Route 19 in Hamlin and Route 237 in Kendall was completed.
•The Greater Brockport Chamber of Commerce presented the Alan S. Bader Community Service Award to Cindy Ingraham, the Beautification Award to Carl Grasta of Gardenway Construction, and the Business of the Year Award to Jimmy Zisovski of Jimmy Z’s.
FEBRUARY
•The Village of Hilton began efforts to develop a new Comprehensive Plan.
•For the first time in school history, a team comprised of 15 Brockport High School students qualified for the New York State Science Olympiad Tournament.
•The Tri-County Youth Hockey Squirt Travel team earned a Silver Medal in the U-10 Ice Hockey competition at the 2019 Empire State Winter Games in Lake Placid on February 3.
•2004 New York State champion Donald Williams of Kendall and three-time Section V champ in the early 1980s Trevor Graham of Spencerport were among seven 2019 inductees into the Section V Wrestling Hall of Fame.
•Students at Churchville Elementary School raised $18,332, and Chestnut Ridge Elementary School raised over $23,000, for the American Heart Association’s Kids Heart Challenge.
•One year removed from winning only two games, Spencerport’s hockey team rebounded in a big way to win their first Division title since the 1998-99 season and reached the Section V final for the first time in program history.
•The 2019 Hilton Cadets were the first team in New York state history to have four individual wrestling state champions in one season. Gregor McNeil (99 lb.), Greg Diakomihalis (113 lb.), Ryan Burgos (126 lb.) and Sammy Deprez (195 lb.) all won NYSPHSAA Division 1 state titles in Albany on February 23.
MARCH
•In celebration of Women’s History Month, a series of articles shared the stories of women who were long-time residents of this area – Helen Lemcke, Mary (Wittman) Rupp, and Jean Martin Brooks.
•Zarpentine Farms in Hilton received a grant through the Farmland Protection Program to permanently protect 98 acres of farmland from future development.
•The First Presbyterian Church of Holley held a free concert on March 17 in celebration of its 200th year.
•The Hilton Winter Drumline placed first at the WGI East Regional Preliminary Competition on March 16 in Toms River, NJ where they outscored 20 drumlines from seven eastern states. The group was also awarded a promotion to the prestigious Percussion Scholastic Open Class.
•Cornell sophomore and Hilton native Yianni Diakomihalis claimed his second national title at the 2019 NCAA Wrestling Championships. He was among a group of athletes honored at The White House in November.
•The Brockport Golden Eagles womens gymnastics team won the 2019 National Collegiate Gymnastics Association National Championship, their first title since 2012, led by senior Candis Kowalik, who earned the title of NCGA All-Around National Champion.
•The Spencerport Area Chamber of Commerce presented the Citizen of the Year Award to Jim Barton and Gary Penders, Business Person of the Year Award to Carol Nellis-Ewell, Civic Beautification Award to the Spencerport Volunteer Firemen’s Exempts Association, and Member of the Year Award to Diana Coleman.
•Byron-Bergen Central Schools named Kenneth Hay (Class of 1966) and Dennis DeVelder (Class of 2001) to the district’s Alumni Hall of Fame for 2019.
Spencerport resident Nathan Paetsch was lending a veteran presence to help the Rochester Amerks down the home stretch of their season.
APRIL
•Nancy Steedman retired on April 1 after serving 12 years as Mayor of Churchville.
•The Greater Churchville-Riga Chamber of Commerce presented the Citizen of the Year Award to Gary Zimmerman, Business Persons of the Year Award to Ron and Julie Michalko of Lighthouse Kayak & Canoe, Civic Beautification Award to Nancy Steedman, Paul Robinson, and the Village of Churchville, and Member of the Year Award to Judy Johnson.
•Sherry Farrell, Recreation Supervisor for Hilton-Parma Recreation, received the Robert W. Miner Memorial Good Gal Award from the NYS Recreation and Park Society. Ryan Rockefeller, also with H-P Rec, received the Young Professional Award, and Ogden Town Supervisor Gay Lenhard received the Elected Official of the Year Award.
•Barefoot Landing Plaza celebrated its Grand Re-Opening on April 6, exactly one year after fire destroyed part of the plaza.
•The Hilton-Parma Senior Center marked its 35th anniversary with a dinner celebration on April 24.
•The Spencerport Education Foundation was formed to provide supplemental funding and resources to the Spencerport CSD.
•Brockport’s Welcome Center was under new management as the Village Board appointed Susan Smith and Tim Eldred as Director and Assistant Director, respectively. The Welcome Center was previously managed by an all-volunteer committee.
•The Martha Street Bridge in Spencerport re-opened following winter-long repairs.
•With 652 nominations, the Seymour Library won the Rochester Regional Library Council 2019 Public Library of the Year award.
MAY
•Five Brockport-area museums held open houses at the same time for a “Night at the Museums” event on May 4.
•The third annual Linda Clifford Memorial Jamboree, held May 5 in Brockport, raised $8,500 for the Wilmot Cancer Institute.
•On May 9, Howard Hanna held the Grand Opening of their new, fully remodeled offices in Spencerport. Over 100 people attended the Open House.
•The Hilton Golf Team defeated Brockport to win the Monroe County West Division 1 title for the first time in school history.
•The Parma Hilton Historical Society celebrated their 50th anniversary with a Grand Banquet attended by 170 people on May 18.
•Rick Kanous, of Clarkson, became the first American in Unified Tae Kwon Do to earn his eighth-degree black belt. His son, Richard, became the youngest Unified instructor to earn his fifth-degree black belt.
•After five years, Carl Gouveia stepped down as Director of the Seymour Library to accept a position at the Fairport Library.
•The newly appointed Commissioners of the International Joint Commission visited Greece on May 28 for a listening session with elected officials of shoreline communities about the impacts from high water levels on Lake Ontario and the St. Lawrence River.
JUNE
•Ogden Baptist Church marked its 200th Anniversary with a picnic and special celebration service June 1 and 2.
•Members of the Kendall Elementary School-based 4-H Club and Kendall Elementary students joined forces to plant a school orchard. The six fruit trees were donated by Sara’s Garden Center in Brockport.
•A stone plaque in recognition of the Hilton Garden Club’s 60th anniversary was unveiled at the Hilton Community Center.
•Hamlin New Testament Church organized the Freedom Run 5K, held June 22 in Hamlin, as a fundraiser for the Nicavangelists, a troupe of boys and young men who were rescued from the harsh streets of Nicaragua. They travel the world bringing awareness through storytelling and cultural dancing called “tricking.”
•Riga Recreation opened a Pickleball Complex at Richard McNeely Park.
•Downtown merchants and The College at Brockport teamed to purchase the 30 hanging baskets to decorate Main Street and Market Street in Brockport. Eight large, self-watering planters were purchased by the Village to complement the baskets.
•Three longtime leaders in the Spencerport Central School District – Athletic Director John Pelin, Coordinator of Student Information Services Linda Howell, and Principal of Terry Taylor Elementary School Dr. Monica Macaluso – retired on June 30.
JULY
•The Brockport Community Concert Band returned to the Morgan-Manning House grounds for the Old Fashioned Fourth of July celebration after an absence of several years.
•Classic rock band Blue Oyster Cult performed at the Hilton Firemen’s Carnival on July 10.
•Spencerport Rotary Club spearheaded a Bicycles and Flowers beautification project throughout Spencerport and Ogden.
•New to the Brockport Sidewalk Sale this year was Brockstock – an evening of fun, music, dancing, food, and fireworks – which came about through a collaboration of merchants in the Brockport Merchants Association.
•The Town of Sweden held a dedication ceremony on July 12 for the National Register of Historic Places marker installed at the Soldiers’ Memorial Tower on Owens Road.
•Hendel Farms in Holley closed their store after 40 years in the retail feed and grain business. A partnership with Partyka Farms in Kendall quickly formed, providing customers a new location to purchase Hendel products.
•Lt. Col. Michael Charnley, of Churchville, took command of the NY Army National Guard’s 42nd Combat Aviation Brigade on July 20. He was promoted to Colonel in October.
•The Daylily Garden at Ogden’s Colby-Pulver House was dedicated in a ceremony on July 26. The Ogden Historical Society worked for several years to develop the garden.
•Homesteads for Hope held a ribbon cutting on July 24 to celebrate the grand opening of the Rotary Farm Store & Classroom, the farm’s first established business open to the public.
•2014 Churchville-Chili graduate Katie Flynn earned a roster spot on Team USA for the 2019 World Rowing Championships held in Florida the final weekend in July.
AUGUST
•Huether Heating and Cooling was celebrating 50 years of service.
•At 101 years young, Fern Pellett, of Churchville, attended all but one of the Vink family’s 100 reunions. She only missed the 1947 reunion because she was on her honeymoon.
•The Parma Public Library was awarded $50,000 in state aid for roof renovations.
•Byron-Bergen Senior High School was named on the 2019 list of America’s Best High Schools as determined by U.S. News & World Report.
•Digital Bookmobile National Tour made stops at the 25th annual Brockport Arts Festival and at the Greece Public Library. Visitors to the interactive exhibit learned about digital materials available at local libraries.
•All restrictions were lifted from the football field at Parma Town Park following Town efforts to eliminate high levels of arsenic that had been found in the soil.
•Mary Jane Holmes Chapter #440 of the Order of the Eastern Star celebrated their 110th birthday.
•The Hamlin Lions Club presented the Robert J. Uplinger Distinguished Service Award to Lora and Jeff Partyka in recognition of their continuing service to the community.
•Books in plastic bags were hung in Sagawa Park to launch ”Brockport Reads” so that children could take a book, read it, and hide it for another child to do the same.
SEPTEMBER
•St. Luke’s Episcopal Church in Brockport debuted the Opus II pipe organ they received as an anonymous gift.
•The first Rochester Recreation Festival was held in Spencerport on September 14 to promote and encourage outdoor recreation.
•Mike Boedicker became the new Director of Brockport’s Seymour Library.
•Two Spencerport residents were featured during the 2019 KeyBank Rochester Fringe Fesival. Ann Mitchell performed her one-woman show “Suffragettes UNITE!” and 17-year-old Anthony Presciutti performed a show filled with magic and mentalism.
•September 20 was declared “Mary Curtis Day” in honor of her 100th birthday. Relatives and friends gathered for a celebration at
Cottage Grove Memory Care in North Chili.
•Joseph Nettles of Boy Scout Troop 324 in Hamlin completed his Eagle project of creating a garden at the Hamlin Public Library to showcase a historic millstone.
•Byron-Bergen School Board President Debra List received the 2019 Albert W. Hawk Distinguished Service Award from the Genesee Valley School Board Association.
•The Town of Sweden received a $4,327,000 funding commitment to expand public water. It will be the largest infrastructure project in the town’s history and the first public water line expansion since 2010.
•Byron-Bergen’s Rob Kaercher received the Rising Star Award from the National Association for College Admissions Counselors.
•NYSDOT held an information session on a proposed road diet for Rt. 104 between Rt. 259 and Rt. 261, slated to begin in 2020.
•Brockport was making efforts to have the west side of the village listed as a historic residential district.
•The Town of Bergen celebrated the completion of the Robins Brook Park pavilion on September 28.
OCTOBER
•A ZipKrooz, a two-way zipline allowing for continuous zooming action, was installed at Brockport’s Barry Street Playground during a community build on October 5.
•On October 5, Don Potter performed a sold out show in Rochester. Potter rose to local fame as part of the duo Bat McGrath and Don Potter. McGrath died on October 1, just days before Potter’s concert.
•Hilton CSD inducted Sarah Blodgett Bermeo, Ph.D. (Class of 1993), Howard Crumb (in memoriam, Class of 1940) Bonnie Lupo (Class of 1983), Chuck Partridge (Class of 1976), LT Sara Richardson Onyango (Class of 2004), and Scott Verbridge, Ph.D. (Class of 1998), into the Alumni Hall of Fame.
•Wheatland Chili teacher JoAnne Iovoli was presented with the Rochester Area Chemistry Teacher of the Year award.
•A proposed $15 million project to rehabilitate the canal lift bridges on Rt. 19 in Brockport and Rt. 98 in Albion was announced with work slated to begin in 2022.
•After 40 years, Dr. Tom Ophardt retired, closing Dr. Tom Optometry on October 17.
•The 2019 inductees to the Brockport CSD’s Athletic Wall of Honor were Doug Cunningham, athlete/coach, Class of 1962; Mike Militello, athlete, Class of 1989; David Schickler, athlete/volunteer, Class of 1981; Carol Van Der Karr, athlete, Class of 1985; and Christine Kleinhans Viscardi, athlete, Class of 1986.
•The Sweden Community Foundation was raising funds for a gazebo near the Town of Sweden Lodge to be dedicated in memory of Willie Sweeting, lifelong resident and recreation advocate in the town.
•Jacob Patanella, of Churchville, won the national championship in the men’s hunter class while competing in the USA Archery National 3D Collegiate Championships.
•The Greece Historical Society marked 50 years preserving the town’s history with a celebration dinner.
•Chili Town Clerk, Virginia Ignatowski, was awarded the 2019 Cheryl Steinbach Annual Archives Award for Excellence in Local Government Records Management.
•New Yorkers were able to take advantage of early voting thanks to election reforms passed by state lawmakers.
NOVEMBER
•There were highly contested elections in Sweden, Clarkson, and Hamlin. Randy Hoke and Rhonda Humby unseated incumbents Mary Rich and Lori Skoog in the race for Sweden Town Board. The entire Republican slate was victorious in Clarkson. And the race for Hamlin Town Clerk came down to a difference of just 25 votes with Patty Jo Groenendaal narrowly defeating Keylee Gilfilian.
•Brockport CSD Superintendent, Dr. Lesli C. Myers-Small, was appointed Assistant Commissioner of School Reform and Innovation with the New York State Education Department. Dr. Myers-Small’s last day with BCSD is tentatively January 6, 2020.
•The Brockport Rotary Club celebrated 50 years of service with an exhibit in the Local History Room at the Seymour Library and a special reception on November 7.
•Spencerport’s girls volleyball team won their first division title in over 25 years, and the girls soccer team won the Class A Section V title, advancing to the state final four for the fourth consecutive year.
•Churchville-Chili Saints won the Class B1 boys volleyball Section V title.
•The College at Brockport Golden Eagles football team won their third consecutive Empire Eight Conference title.
•Chili American Legion Post 1830 Auxiliary celebrated, along with the national American Legion Auxiliary, 100 years of service on November 10.
•The National Association of Biology Teachers honored Michael Szczepanik, Hilton High School biology teacher, as the 2019 Outstanding Biology Teacher for New York.
•Jackson Lemcke, from Troop 125 of Hilton, completed his Eagle Scout Project to clean and restore over 400 gravestones in Parma Union Cemetery.
•Meghan Lodge retired on November 15, after 20 years with the Village of Churchville, where she was serving as Clerk/Treasurer.
•An entertainment-packed evening celebrated the life of beloved music icon, Joe Dady, on November 16 at Hochstein Music Hall. One half of Rochester’s own Dady Brothers for over forty years, Joe died from complications of Myelodysplastic Syndrome earlier in 2019.
•Canal View Elementary Principal Carol Robinson retired effective November 17, capping a 41-year career in education, with 20 years in Spencerport. Denise Lemcke was appointed to take over the position as of January 6, 2020.
•Natalie Porter, Tiffany Wenzel, and Emily Richards earned their Girl Scout Silver Award for building a gaga ball pit at Parma Town Park.
DECEMBER
•Brockport HS Principal Dr. Brian Weller resigned. Melody Martinez-Davis took over the position effective December 9.
•Five new members were inducted into the Churchville-Chili Athletic Hall of Fame: Alan Fodge – Class of 1968; Andre Fontenette – Class of 2000; Richard Rose – Class of 1965; Adam Steinwachs – Class of 1995; and Jeff Winden – Class of 1990.
•Kendall’s FIRST LEGO League team, the Lost Lightning Eagles, won the Innovative Solution Award on December 8 during the Finger Lakes Championship regional competition. The students created the website www.kendallreads.com to promote Kendall’s library. In November, the team won the Champions award at a qualifier tournament.
•Madison Hoadley, a 2018 graduate of Spencerport High School and congenital heart disease survivor, was featured at the Go Red for Women® Luncheon on December 10.
•Gregory Holcomb was presented with the Clarkson Citizen Award for his volunteer service at the Hamlin Dog Shelter
•Enduring the wind and the rain on December 14, over 100 people walked store to store in the village of Spencerport to support the first annual Tastival Wine Walk event.
The Year in Review was compiled by
Joanne Michielsen from past issues of
Suburban News & Hamlin-Clarkson Herald.
