Hamlin’s Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC)/Prisoner of War (POW) site is one of only 377 WWII Prisoner of War Branch Camp sites in the US and is the second largest German POW camp in Western NY. One of the top ten historical sites of its kind in the country, the campsite is on part of Hamlin Beach State Park, located East of the Southern park entrance behind an old farmhous Read moreHistoric Stories That Need to Be Told about Hamlin’s CCC/POW Camp
Sarah Wilhelm has been the 4-H Resource Educator in Ontario County since June 2019, but she began her 4-H journey at age 14. She says, “I was just a horse-crazy kid who wanted to show at the State Fair.” To do so, Sarah’s parents signed her up for 4-H, knowing nothing more about 4-H other than horse showing. Once in the program, Sarah learned all of the other aspects and opportunities that were involved. Read moreHorse-Crazy Kid to Youth Ambassador: Spotlight on Sarah Wilhelm, Ontario County 4-H Resource Educator
It’s almost Spring, and many young adults are getting ready to celebrate the time of year they will remember for a lifetime. Prom is an essential rite of passage for many American youths, but for countless teens, this important transition to adulthood is out of reach due to poverty. Many low-income families today find the accessibility of incorporating an affordable dress, shoes, and accessories into their everyday budget as likely as a real-life Cinderella attending the ball after meeting her fairy Godmother. Read moreSomething Magical is in the Air: Fairy Godmothers of Rochester is at Marketplace Mall through March
The minimum income required for a family to cover basic expenses (food, housing, transportation, health care, and childcare) is much higher than the federal poverty line, and it’s also higher than what an individual working full-time at minimum wage makes. Salaries of half of all women-headed households are insufficient to cover basic necessities. Read moreWomen’s Foundation Encourages Community Support
1st grade Daisy Girl Scout Troop 40062 of the Victor-Farmington Service Unit helped serve the free community dinner on March 11th at the Presbyterian Church on Main St. in Victor. Read moreDaisy Girl Scouts Serve Community Meal with Smiles!
Each year since 1973, Christians from Wayland and surrounding areas celebrate Easter by symbolically retracing the steps Jesus took to his crucifixion on Calvary. Midday Good Friday each year, residents meet at the Wayland Town Hall to begin the 2-1/2 mile trek to and then up Selbig Hill, renamed Calvary for the occasion. Read moreWayland Celebrates 50 Years of their iconic Way of the Cross Walk
Local artist, Sandra Ann McDannel, 61, has had quite an artistic life. A child of two public school art teachers, she graduated Cum Laude with an ASS degree in graphic art from Finger Lakes Community College, Magna Cum Laude with a Bachelors in Fine Art Printmaking from Buffalo State University, and then earned an MFA in Printmaking from the University of Cincinnati.
A true daughter of the American Revolution, Emily Parmely Collins was born on August 11, 1814 in Bristol, NY (now South Bristol) and lived there for 40 years. Her father, James, initially served in the Revolutionary War as a drummer boy. Later as a soldier, he helped evacuate New York with Washington’s troops, fought at the battle of Trenton and skirmishes along the Delaware River, and survived Valley Forge. It is not surprising that his spitfire of a daughter, the youngest of eleven, would become one of the country’s first suffragists.
At the House of John, a comfort care home on Spring Street in Clifton Springs, staff and volunteers work hard to provide physical care, emotional support, and spiritual sustenance as its terminally diagnosed residents approach the end of their lives. September 2023 marks 30 years the House of John has helped 786+ residents and their families.
Etched on a sentry box wall in Gibraltar, this passage often resounded in me as I thought of my brother’s unheralded return from Vietnam in the 60s. His surprise arrival late one night brought joy after a very long eighteen months away. It also reminded me that my mother’s family still awaited closure on their son who was listed missing in action (MIA) in WWII, then officially declared dead. The lack of a burial, a ceremony, a closure, lingered years later. My mom often said that her brother’s death allowed her non-English speaking immigrant parents to afford to buy a farm outside the Buffalo area. Little did she know that their escape from memories of their neighborhood home would keep the mystery of his death.
When waiting for an appointment the other day, I saw a squat book sticking out above the typical short-attention-span magazines: 14,000 Things to Be Happy About by Barbara Ann Kipper. The unassuming white cover with huge black serif font intrigued me. I flipped through it initially, thinking what on earth are these seemingly random blips of human experience? My practitioner called me in, so I had to put down the book, but it stuck with me.
I like asking Would You Rather questions with friends and family. Yes, it’s one of my quirks. My interest likely originally rose from reading the Dr. Seuss book Would You Rather Be a Bullfrog? to my girls so many times over the years. My youngest is now eleven, so it’s been quite a while since the last time I read it out loud, but the mere mention of it still tosses lines/pages around my brain.
Last year when the George Eastman Museum unveiled the bronze, life-sized sculpture of Fairport native and famed actor Philip Seymour Hoffman in May, its future in Rochester was unclear. The sculpture was crafted by David Annand and commissioned by film producer James Declan Tobin with funding provided by the Sumner Roy Kates Charitable Trust.
On Friday, February 17th, students in sixth grade as well as several clubs and student organizations celebrated the accomplishments of historic and contemporary Black individuals throughout the day of learning. Highlights included a demonstration from special guests, pianist and composer Timothy Digba Ogunbiyi and dancer/choreographer Solange Rodrigues, followed by a group presentation by Byron-Bergen High School students Dayanara Caballero, Deborah Catalino, Malachi Smith, Roman Smith, Solomon Smith, Joshua Tardy, and Ava Wagoner.
Enter the Livingston County historian’s office in Mt. Morris and chances are you’ll see the friendly face of Holly Watson, County Historian since May 2022 and Deputy Historian for the previous ten years. Watson loves what she does and it shows. When I first inquired with her about the Livingston County Heritage Tours for the County Business Directory, Watson was quick to assist and offer suggestions to lead me in a solid direction.
The search is on. In February for the past three years, the Verona Street Animal Society (184 Verona Street, Rochester, NY) crowns a new Roc Top Pet in the Greater Rochester Area. It’s fun and raises money for a great cause for pets in need.
The Cottage Hotel of Mendon is a celebrated favorite among foodies and historians alike. However, most are more familiar with their menu or weekly events than the hotel’s historical significance within the area.
Scrawled across plaques on living room walls or filling displays at design inspiration studios, this adage makes us feel all warm and cozy. We may envision stereotypes of colonial style architecture, contrasting shutters, maybe a picket fence and a walkway, the western nuclear family with its 2.5 children (whatever that means anyway), and we feel “at home.” Or if we don’t feel at home, we have been conditioned to think we should feel at home with such stereotypes.
A health equity award from Univera Healthcare will support Warrior House of WNY and its Aging Strong Program to promote physical health among senior adults aged 55 and older in rural Genesee C…
Debbie Slocum was an elementary classroom teacher for over two decades before she learned about instructional coaching. Her interest began in 2013 when she was teaching third grade and the dis…
As the old saying goes, all good things must come to an end. However, at the Begin Again Horse Rescue in Lima, that doesn’t have to be the case. The horse rescue, as their name suggests, provides abandoned or struggling horses a chance at a better life through rehabilitation and a chance to have a fulfilling life for many years to come.
I met Mike Kaupa some 17 years ago on my first day of middle school band practice at The Harley School. As a timid flute player with high levels of social anxiety, I couldn’t have imagined a kinder, more encouraging band instructor than Mr. Kaupa. While my days playing the flute are long gone, Mike has had a lasting impact on me, my older brother, and countless others as a teacher and as an impeccable, world-renowned jazz musician over the past 40+ years.
Violence against women is a major public health problem and a violation of human rights. Human trafficking is a $150 billion industry and 1/3 of all trafficking occurs in the US. Angels of Mercy is a nonprofit organization in Rochester that combats this trafficking. By training vulnerable, at-risk students around Rochester and elsewhere, they help stop the tragedy. Angels of Mercy focuses its human trafficking education at schools, churches, hospitals, and other organizations around Rochester.
The darkness of that night was blinding. I sat in my car in a church parking lot with tears streaming down my face as I pounded the steering wheel. Bursting out of my car, I walked down the sidewalk in a rage until I came to a liquor store. How can I numb this intense pain? Forcing a smile and hiding my tears, I purchased a big bottle of liquor.
On Saturday, Feb 18, 2023, from 10am-4pm, with or without snow, the Seneca Art & Culture Center at Ganondagan will celebrate winter and the Seneca ways through traditional Native American activities.
Most people may think a small thing cannot significantly change the world. However, when Tom Ferraro received a request for a food donation from the Thomas’ English Muffins warehouse manager in 1978, he took the seemingly insignificant muffins and created something incredible: the organization now known as Foodlink.
On February 3rd, the Food Cupboard of the First Presbyterian Church of Chili received a very generous donation from the Odd Fellow and Rebekah Benefit Fund. This donation was presented to us …
When my kids were growing up, we often visited Springdale Farm (700 Colby Street in Spencerport). It is an excellent place to bring rambunctious children. The fresh air and live animals brighten any day. In my younger days, I enjoyed my grandpa’s farm, especially the pigs, so when I discovered Springdale Farm with my own children, I was delighted.
Over the past century, as the forests of the Bristol Hills regrew following the extensive land clearing and logging of the 1800s, some of the region’s more uncommon wildlife – bear, bobcat, and fisher – have made a noticeable come back. These and other changes in the populations of both wild game and their predators will be the subject of a free lecture at 11a.m. on Saturday, Feb. 18, at United Church of Bristol.
Growing up in Texas during the 1970s was a bucolic experience that brings back fond memories of horned toads and hot roads. I can easily conjure up the deep plum colors of the Bluebonnets that…
Pet Pride Cat Sanctuary & Adoption Center, a no-kill sanctuary for cats on Route 251 in Victor, opened its expanded facility on January 21, 2023, with lots of space for cats to roam, play, and socialize with feline and human friends. Pet Pride is always open for visitors to socialize the cats, playing with them throughout the space and giving them lots of love and attention.
The Genesee Valley Conservancy deals with many environmental issues, both long-term and short-term. From creating natural wildfire areas that residents can enjoy for many generations, to ensuring walking trails in the preserves are clean and relatively mud-free, the Genesee Valley Conservancy protects land in the Genesee River Watershed and helps provide a long-term plan to keep the Watershed viable for many years to come. These goals are part of the conservancy’s strategic plan.
The Empire State showed it cares for animal shelters. Last November, Governor Hochul included the Companion Animal Capitol Fund in her proposed executive fiscal budget for 2023. This unprecedented move showed Hochul and the state recognize the capacity strain pet shelters have endured in recent years, and they commit to providing safe housing for abandoned dogs and cats awaiting adoption.
Joseph Michael Eddinger was extremely outgoing and fun-loving. A natural born athlete, he started playing hockey at the age of five. In high school, he played hockey with the Canandaigua Knigh…
There is a time and season for everything. In 2010, it was time for Aurora House to be born. The Westside needed this comfort care home. Their mission began with raising money and gathering a …
In February 2020, the Wayland Laundry Services building burned to the ground, giving the laundromat’s owner Matt Colangelo a lot to think about and a lot to worry about. Now, as the three-year…
