The City of Lockport got an early start on the Fourth of July celebration with a parade Thursday. Anna Merritt school students Daniel Slonina and Christopher Palumbo tossed candy to the crowd from the Lockport Police command center. The Dolan Post Color Guard of the American Legion
had the honor of leading off the Fourth of July parade. Matt Milliman gave Elijah Cunningham a lift so he could see the parade more easily. The pair are part of the Altro community pool summer program.
Today, fireworks are scheduled for 10 p.m. at Olcott Beach over Lake Ontario.
Newfane plans a Kids March at 12:30 p.m. Saturday.
Children in patriotic colors will parade from Krull Park to Carousel Park, where kids can ride on the merry-go-round. The fireworks Saturday are sponsored by the Town of Newfane and the Olcott Beach Association.
The city plans fireworks at dusk Saturday, the Fourth of July, at Outwater Park.
Pendleton activities begin at 5 p.m. Saturday with clowns and children’s events at town hall on Campbell Boulevard. Fireworks are planned at dusk.
Royalton offers a day of activities on Saturday, beginning with a chicken barbecue at 1 p.m. at the Royalton Ravine. The parade is 3:30 p.m. From 5 to 8 p.m., the Kids Zone will offer children’s games.
Three bands will offer entertainment beginning at 5 p.m. Last Call, Urban Renewal and Red House will perform. The town will offer shuttle buses from Terry’s Corners and Gasport fire halls from 5 to 11 p.m.
A townwide garage sale is planned today and Saturday.
HOLIDAY ROUNDUP
Lockport
* Fireworks Saturday at Outwater Park
Rain date Sunday
Newfane
• Fireworks 10 p.m. today over Lake Ontario at Olcott Beach
Rain date, July 10
• Kids patriotic parade, 12:30 p.m. on Saturday at Krull Park
Pendleton
• Fireworks, Saturday at Town Park
• Activities start at 5 p.m.
• Rain Date: Sunday
Royalton
• Chicken barbecue, 1 p.m. Saturday at Royalton Ravine
• Parade at 3:30 p.m.
• Kids zone 5 to 8 p.m.
• Three bands begin 5 p.m., through fireworks.
• Shuttle buses from Terry’s Corners and Gasport fire halls, 5 to 11 p.m.
• Garage sale, townwide, today and Saturday.
Communities
LOCKPORT: City kicks off holiday with a parade
- Communities
-
-
NFTA targets Lockport bus routes for closure
Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority’s proposed service reductions would eliminate all bus service from, to and within greater Lockport.
-
Library adds online selections
Library card holders can check out and download e-books anytime, anywhere by visiting lockportlibrary.org. Patrons can download to a personal computer, Mac and many mobile devices, according to librarian Claire McDonough.
-
Mayor Maedl
Julia A. Maedl is stepping away from politics after 19 years of service to the Village of Middleport in 2001.
Maedl, who was a village trustee for nine years and village mayor for 10 years, will not seek re-election. She says she will remain very active, however.
Since the death of her husband, Robert Maedl in 2008, the Middleport mayor has been running Maedl Woodcrafts. She is on the tourist committee, chair of business association and trustee of Middleport United Methodist Church. She sings in the choir and is in charge of Harvest dinner and chicken barbecue. She manages 28 apartments. -
Memorial tree program off to a good start
The town’s new memorial tree program has been growing quickly.
Councilwoman Cheryl A. Antkowiak said the program is being done with Stedman’s Nursery of Newfane. Residents who wish to have a tree planted will receive an information packet from Stedman’s as well as a map of Day Road Park showing where each of the 85 trees are located. Stedman’s sells the trees along with a plaque if the resident wants one to be put up. -
New recycling bins available soon
Town residents could have some new bins to go along with its new recycling incentive program.
At Monday’s work session meeting, Town Board members approved the purchase of new recycling bins. The town placed an order of 1,000 of the 18 gallon bins for $8,845 and another order of 200 of the 32 gallon bins for $3,110. The large bins are 31 and a half inches in height and 22 inches in diameter.
Both sets of bins will be blue in color and the 32 gallon bins will come with lids.
The 18 and 32 gallon bins were produced by Otto Environmental Services in Charlotte, N.C., a company Supervisor Marc R. Smith said the town has used before for bins. The company still has a rubber stamp with the town logo on it. -
Library names new director
Beverly Federspiel, Director of the City of Tonawanda Public Library, has been appointed as the new Director of the Lockport Public Library.
Federspiel, 49, will succeed Marie Binderman, who is retiring, on Feb. 28.
“I’m excited,” said Federspiel, who has been at the Tonawanda Library three years after serving at the Buffalo and Erie County Central Library for 18 years. “I’ve always loved the Lockport building and the community is very supportive. There are lots of opportunities out there.” -
Winterfest, take two
Winterfest was a big success last year and Winterfest 2011 may even be bigger Saturday at Royalton-Hartland Elementary School and the Hartland Bible Church.
“Last year was the first year and well over 650 people attended, that’s a huge response for an inaugural event,” said Helen Feron, the chairman of the steering committee. “This year we expect more.”
Entertainment and activities are scheduled from 11 a.m. until 4 p.m. including a basket auction at the Hartland Bible Church at 3 p.m., where Magician Robert Geckler will also perform at 2:15 p.m.
The event is geared towards school aged children and free to children 10-and-under. Admissiong is $3 for adults and includes Chinese auction tickets. -
High school project coming along
Construction on Lockport High School is continuing throughout the winter months. Construction crews work on a scaffold on the west side of the building, which is the Locust Street side. The school is undergoing a $23.5 million capital improvement project that includes adding a fitness center, a six classroom addition and completely renovate the auditorium into a brand new fine arts center. The auditorium will also have stage work completed, new music rooms, a renovated foyer and a new entrance on the Locust Street side. There will be improvements made to ventilators and mechanical systems, an art gallery, new windows, as well as new padding and bleachers in the gymnasium. The technology wing also will be updated, and the library renovated to make room for a computer lab. Also, bathrooms will be added nearby. The entire project is expected to be completed in September.
-
Going green
With a symbolic “shot heard ‘round the community,” Lockport’s historic Kenan Center Arena unveiled its new artificial turf indoor soccer field and renovated “annex.”
About a dozen local dignitaries were on hand Thursday night at special dedication ceremony, attended by about 200 parents and soccer players, who wasted little time putting two new soccer fields to work.
The new turf installation was part of a larger arena capital project, which included the renovation of the arena’s adjacent annex room, which was gutted last year to create almost 6,000 square feet of additional space. Parts of the old artificial turf field were used to cover the new, smaller soccer field in the annex.
Lockport Mayor Michael Tucker lauded the Kenan’s effort and others who joined in to make the $106,000 capital improvement project — more than 10 years in the making — a reality. Funders include the Kenan soccer players, who raised about $60,000 selling candy, the Grigg-Lewis Foundation, the Kenan Arts Council, Rotary Club of Lockport and the Lockport Lions Club. -
Residents: Keep new map simple
As the Niagara County legislative district map is redrawn, it’s understood the three cities are most at risk of seeing reduced representation on the Legislature — and that parts of cities and towns could end up oddly paired in the new, bigger districts.
Residents who spoke to the citizen panel that’s drawing up the new map Thursday urged it to keep natural fits in mind as it’s dividing 3 cities, 12 towns and 5 villages into 15 legislative districts.
The map has to be redrawn every 10 years based on results of the U.S. Census, to keep the population count in each district roughly equal. The task is more complex this time, since voters decided in 2009 that they want the legislature reduced to 15 districts/seats from 19. - More Communities Headlines
-
NFTA targets Lockport bus routes for closure










