#perry ny

[mushabon]

my 90′s childhood in Perry, NY

[warsawscountrycourier]

Perry's True Farms takes home national award

(Image courtesy of Hoard's Dairyman)

By Bryan Jackson

Day-to-day hard work just paid off for True Farms.

The Perry farmers’ “Farm 2” site was one of six recipients to earn a Platinum Award from the National Diary Quality Awards for excellent milk quality. In addition, Harkins Dairy Farm in Wyoming received a Silver Award, giving Wyoming County another winner.

The NDQA is sponsored by the National Mastitis Council and is in its 19th year. The awards honor dairy producers across the United States that prioritize the highest-quality milk production possible.

Jeff True, who, along with Brian and Glenn True, owns the award-winning site, explained milk quality partially determines how much farms are paid, and the milk is tested every day, when it is picked up.

True had a simple explanation for how “Farm 2,” which houses 280 Holstein and Brown Swiss cows, took the top prize.

“Our second farm just happened to have really, really, really, really good-quality milk,” he chuckled.

The explanation may be simple, but True, who will be flying to California to accept the award, said he appreciates the recognition.

“There were six Platinum Award Winners in the country, so we were one of six,” he said. “It’s pretty exciting and pretty humbling at the same time. It’s pretty cool, when it comes right down to it. We try to do a good job every day at everything we do, and getting some extra recognition for it is even neater.”

[warsawscountrycourier]

A very Perry welcome for the new year: Last Night Perry celebrates 15th anniversary

Mark your calendar for Last Night Perry 2012, celebrating its 15th year of safe, alcohol-free, family-oriented New Year’s Eve fun.

Thirty-eight performers will entertain from 5 p.m. to midnight Monday, Dec. 31 at the Perry Elementary Middle School, 50 Olin Ave., Perry. Sports Night Perry – featuring swimming, organized sports activities, an obstacle course, mini-golf, a gaming pavilion and more –will be help from 5 to 11:30 p.m. at the Perry High School, 33 Watkins Ave.

A free limo service will escort guests between schools.

Early evening events at Last Night include a “street fair,” featuring vaudeville performers, wandering musicians, magic, clowns and more.Younger family members may enjoy Science Magic, the Nimals puppet show, the magic byRob and Carol Allen, the unique creatures of the Reptile Guy, the juggling  feats of AIRPLAY and the wonder of Science Magic.

The band Creek Bend, musicians Ernie Lawrence and Angela Sheik, and the ComedySportz improv comedy troupe aim to entertain adults. Tweens and teens can get drawn by a caricaturist, win prizes at the Grab Bag Game Show or learn to juggle by Jeff Peden.

Midnight brings a Welcome 2012 Celebration, complete with classic dance music by Trilogy, a balloon drop and a prize giveaway.

And to celebrate its 15-year anniversary, Last Night will host two headliner acts. Returning to the Last Night Café at 9 p.m. is musician-troubador Joe Crookston, performing his show “Singing Songs in Minor Keys & Story Songs and Jubilee.”

New this year is Las Vegas comedy-hypnotist Steve Daly, who has performed internationally. Daly begins his show at 8:30 p.m. in the auditorium.

All Last Night and Sports Night activities are covered in the admission price of $5, with a $20 maximum for families of five. Children under school age are free. Light dining and snacks are available.

“For exceptional entertainment, active fun and community spirit, there’s no better place to be on New Year’s Eve,” said committee member John Wheeler. “I am thankful to local individuals, businesses and organizations for their long-standing support of Last Night and Sports Night Perry.”

For more information, call 237-5375, or visit Facebook or lastnightperry.com.

[warsawscountrycourier]

The Stonewall Craftique celebrates store opening in Perry

By Michael Canfield

The Stonewall Craftique held its ribbon-cutting ceremony in downtown Perry on Saturday, welcoming customers with a variety of door prizes, refreshments and sales on seasonal items.

The store, originally located in Castile, was purchased by Shari Wagner and moved to 16 Lake St. in Perry in August. The Stonewall Craftique sells a variety of candles, crafts and jewelry, as well as jams, jellies and sauces. The store reopened on Aug. 22.

The original owner of the store, Denise Smith, was going to close the store to move closer to her daughter, when one of Wagner’s co-workers asked Smith about selling the business instead of closing it.

“We were longtime customers,” Wagner said. “Us girls used to go there on our lunch breaks and one of my co-workers said, ‘Geez Denise, you’re not going to sell it?’”

Wagner, who has worked in a dental clinic in Perry for 20 years, was brought up as a possible buyer. Buying the store was a risk, she said, but one worth taking.

“It wasn’t planned, but it just felt right,” Wagner said. “I guess it was time for a change. I haven’t been nervous once.”

“Perry has seemed to fill up the Main Street area,” she said. “They’re making things work, and things are happening.”

The move to downtown Perry has worked out well for the business, she said. Business has been good, and the environment is good for small businesses.

“It’s an ideal spot to get locked into,” Wagner said.

While Wagner worries about business slowing down during the winter, the warm welcome she’s received from neighboring businesses gives her confidence that things will continue to go well.

The new store has been renovated, but retains some of the original features of the building, including wooden floors and a tin ceiling.

New businesses like the Stonewall Craftique opening in Perry is a sign of the areas strength, said Laura Lane, president of the Wyoming County Chamber of Commerce.

“I think it signifies to the continued growth and businesses coming into Perry,” she said. “It’s like the old adage: If you build it, they will come.”

Roxzan Vallance attended the ribbon cutting ceremony, and has been to the store several times since it reopened. She’s glad to see it in downtown Perry.

“I love stuff like this, especially around the holidays,” she said. “I’ve been bringing my family down since I found out about it.”

[warsawscountrycourier]

SLB Salon celebrates one-year anniversary

By Kristy Kibler

In January 2009, Perry native Sarah Billings returned to her hometown after working in upscale salons for eight years in New York City. But she wasn’t back to work in the hair industry — at least not yet.

“I wasn’t sure if I was ready to actually plant my feet and stay here in Perry or not,” she said.

Instead, Billings, lured by the promise of free food from her mother Anita’s Hole in the Wall Restaurant and free rent, returned to Wyoming County to finish a degree in business administration. She began working at Perry’s Schmidt and Volk accounting firm, but after two tax seasons, something was missing.

“It was very gratifying to help people behind the desk and get people back significant refunds, but I missed working with people, and I missed doing hair,” Billings said.

On Sept. 13, 2011, Billings opened the doors to SLB Salon and Boutique, 1 S. Main St., Perry. With a layout, designed by Perry’s In Site Architecture, that emphasizes privacy, the SLB experience aims for sophistication and comfort. Billings said her upscale aspirations for her salon were discouraged by some at first.

“In preparation of doing the salon and doing our business plan, everyone was like, ‘Is this actually going to work in Perry? It won’t work, people don’t want this, it can’t be this nice,’” she said. “And my thing was, if it’s not the way I want it and it’s not as nice as I want it, I don’t want to do it at all.

“I only know how to do things the best way and to be the most successful, so it had to be perfect.”

“I’m very grateful to the community and my customers for being so supportive and making it the most amazing first year that I could possibly ever have dreamed of,” Billings said.

The journey that led Billings to owning her own salon began decades ago, when her mother would take her on Saturday trips to the late Perry resident Edna Wood’s Woody Beauty Shop.

“As a little girl, I thought it would be so fun to have my own little salon,” Billings said. “I think that started the mind process of ‘oh, I want to do hair.’”

She worked at Expressions Salon in Geneseo as a teenager and participated in the BOCES cosmetology program in her junior and senior years of high school. When she turned 18, Billings moved to New York City, where she worked as a shampooer at the salon of celebrity hair stylist Frederic Fekkai.

Her time at Fekkai, as well as at the renowned Pierre Michel salon, reinforced the lessons she’d learned in BOCES, such as the importance of the shampooing process and head massage that goes with it. She also learned new skills, like how to style hair with just a brush and hair dryer in place of a curling iron or flatiron.

Billings said in addition to her technical skills, she learned to emphasize elegance over trendiness.

“It’s more about being classic,” she said. “It’s really knowing the client and really consulting with them.”

That consultation includes taking into account the client’s profession and lifestyle, physical attributes like face and eye shape and their personal style before making a cut.

Billings said although she thinks some people balk at SLB’s pricier-than-average rates, her skills and training and the experience received by clients makes it worth the extra cash.

“I think some people are cautious of spending the money, that they feel that I am so expensive here,” she said. “But I really haven’t had anyone come in and be like, ‘This is so expensive.’ It’s not bad — you get what you pay for.”

Most of SLB’s clients are Perry residents, but other hail from all over Livingston, Genesee and Wyoming counties. Billings said seasonal residents of Silver Lake also frequent the salon, excited to have an upscale experience so close.

“You don’t have to drive to Rochester and you don’t have to drive to Buffalo to get your hair done,” she said. “It’s like, just because we’re Perry, it doesn’t mean we can’t have something beautiful.”

To mark its first year in business, SLB will be offering deals on jewelry and styling products throughout September and October. Billings is also planning on hosting a Mirabella makeup educator on Oct. 22 to offer makeup tutorials. Details are still being worked out, but the day could also include deals on eyebrow waxing, hairstyling and more.

For updates and more details about upcoming special offers, visit SLB Salon and Boutique on Facebook. For more information, visit slbsalonboutique.com.

[warsawscountrycourier]

Jake’s Barber Shop celebrates a century of service: Tradition, quality keep customers coming back

By Carrie Dylag

Jake’s Barber Shop in Perry celebrated 100 years on Monday, Aug. 20 with coffee, snacks and recollection of fond memories.

The shop first opened in 1912 and was owned by Shorty Lanckton. The shop is named after Jake Jacuzzo, who began working for Lanckton as an apprentice. Jacuzzo attended Robert’s Barber School and graduated in 1955. He eventually bought the shop from Lanckton in 1963.

Talking with the customers or the two barbers at the shop, Barbara Mucher and Heidi Hoffman, it’s easy to get a sense of who Jacuzzo was.

“If it weren’t for him we wouldn’t have the opportunity to keep this going,” Mucher said. “He was so liked—everyone was welcome here, and he accepted everybody. He never turned anyone away.”

Hoffman laughed as she told a story of how Jacuzzo would say hi to anyone, even if he didn’t know them.

“He would say hi to everyone walking by, then ask me, ‘Who was that?’” she said. “I would always tell him ‘I don’t know, you were the one who said hi to them!’”

Mucher and Hoffman have tried to preserve his legacy and the old-fashioned atmosphere of the shop by continuing to be welcoming and carrying on other traditions that Jacuzzo had. The only complaint about the traditional feel is that the shop only accepts cash or check.

“We don’t accept credit or debit cards,” Hoffman said. “People get upset, but we are old-fashioned.”

Customer Bernie Hartman thinks the girls are doing a great job keeping up the shop. 

“It’s a nice hometown barbershop. It makes you feel comfortable,” Hartman said. “They’re nice girls, you feel at home, the price is right and they do a good job.”

The shop contains old pictures lining the walls and a flyer including prices from 1916. A haircut was only 25 cents back then, and a whisker trim was 15 cents.

The shop also has an original barbers desk. Hoffman explained that customers used to receive a ticket when they came in. The desk had slots in the top, with the name of each barber next to it, and customers would put their ticket in the slot of whoever did their hair. At the end of the day, the owner would count up the tickets in each slot and pay each barber accordingly. Hoffman said Jacuzzo used the desk until he retired.

Still more old-fashioned trinkets and tools can be found throughout the shop, which Hoffman said is a result of the fact that Jacuzzo saved everything.

“He had boxes of clippers and scissors because he never threw anything out,” she said.

The boxes are still at the shop, filled and piled high in the basement. Hoffman and Mucher said they just can’t throw them away, because Jacuzzo wanted to keep all of it.

Mucher and Hoffman worked directly under Jacuzzo and believe he touched many lives of both the customers and themselves.

“I’m thankful for having such a wonderful teacher. He not only taught me barbering but about life, too,” Mucher said.

She told a story about how Jacuzzo once went to Florida and left her alone at the barbershop.

“Saturday was so busy, so I called Jacuzzo and said ‘You have to fly home. I can’t do this,’” Mucher remembered. “He said, ‘If I didn’t think you could do this, I wouldn’t have left you.’”

Mucher was touched that he believed in her. She was only 18 years old, but he would always say she’s got what it takes.

“And here I am 14 years later,” she said. “I love it, and I love his customers.”

Hoffman agrees she loves what she does.

“If I couldn’t work here, I wouldn’t work anywhere else,” she said. “It’s whole experience coming in here—it’s not just getting your hair cut.”

[warsawscountrycourier]

Perry resident honored for years of weather service

By: Carrie Dylag

For local Perry resident Gary Jurkowski, the weather is more than just a report he watches on television. For him, it’s a daily hobby, and he gladly reports the weather to the National Weather Service in Buffalo. 

Earlier this month, Jurkowski, a certified weather observer through the Cooperative Observer Program, was honored for his 15 years of contributions to the National Weather Service. Dan Kelly, observing NWS program leader, visited Jurkowski’s home on Thursday, Aug. 9 to present him a certificate of recognition, as well as a pin and mug, for his dedication to the program. 

Jurkowski has been observing weather for much longer than 15 years, though. He was in the US Air Force during the Vietnam War as an air traffic controller. Part of his job in that capacity, was acting as an official weather observer.

“That’s when my interest started,” Jurkowski said.

Since he left the Air Force in 1970, he has been sending in reports to the NWS station in Buffalo. Jurkowski has three weather stations set up on his property, and records all the information at his home.

Becoming a weather observer is all done on a voluntary basis. There are a little over 10 thousand observers across the United States and 50 in the area. Reports sent in are archived and used for researchers on issues such as droughts and climate change.

Reports can also help areas receive federal funding after a large storm—the data collected from observers is what the government uses to determine the funding. For instance, the core of engineers at the Mount Morris dam uses the information to determine water level and what changes need to be made to the gates at the dam.

Observers are given training and must record the weather on a daily basis.  

“We get a lot of people interested, but they don’t last long once they realize it’s on an everyday basis,” Kelly said.

Kelly said because many people do not stay in the program for very long, 15 years is quite the accomplishment. He said he is glad people like Jurkowski contribute to the program.

“We really appreciate all that you do for us,” Kelly said.

In addition to his weather duties, Jurkowski was also the Perry Chief of Police and the Perry Village Judge for nine years. His plans for the future are simple: to continue observing the weather for as long as he can. 

[warsawscountrycourier]

Perry Recreation celebrates another season

By: Carrie Dylag

The Perry Village Recreation program is coming to an end, but the summer has been full of fun for its participants. The six-week program began in July and will wrap up on Friday, Aug. 17. The program takes place at the Perry Village Park from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday.

The Perry recreation program originally started in the 1980s and was run completely by the village.

“We’ve got a long tradition of having an active (recreation program),” said Terrence Murphy, the village administrator.

Five years ago, the YMCA took over the program due to the increase of rules and regulations.

“With new regulations and safety, it was easier and more feasible,” Murphy said. “They have the staff and the expertise, so why not use it?”

“It’s $11,000 for a six-week program, and they do a lot of activities,” he said. “Out of our $2 million budget, we are only spending $11,000 on the program.”

Parents still must pay a fee, which is $45 dollars a week for Perry residents and $75 for non-residents.

Murphy is glad they have made the switch to the YMCA, as it has made things run smoothly.

“It’s worked out nicely. They do the safety, paperwork, hiring—it’s a nice way to do it,” he said.

Employees compete two, eight-hour training courses and are fingerprinted and trained in CPR and first aid. An inspector checks the pool, and the YMCA provides its own certified lifeguards.

There are ten counselors working at the program and between 75 to 100 children attending in a given week. MacDonald said they are always careful with participant-to-counselor ratios to ensure proper supervision. The program usually hires local residents, which provides employment opportunities during the summer for teens or returning college students.

With the high temperatures this summer, MacDonald also said she encourages the children to wear sunscreen and to drink water by placing water jugs throughout the park.

Activities

Each week of the program has a different theme, with many of the activities scheduled during that week coinciding with the theme. Activities include various sports such as basketball, football, hockey, kickball and swimming, as well as water games with water balloons and sprinklers. Sue MacDonald, the director of the program, said she tries to get the kids involved when picking activities, so they are activities they want to do and will enjoy. They also have activities for the hottest days of summer.

“We do arts and crafts so they aren’t outside in the heat and can be inside where its cooler,” MacDonald said.

YMCA Mission Outreach Director Sarah Moore, said program officials also look for activities such as cooking or science experiments to incorporate the STEM program, which stands for Science, Technology, Engineering and Math.

Field trips have been limited this year due to bussing expenses, but the program has been able to bring field trips to the park instead. The library provides a weekly program, and the children have been visited by the Genesee Country Museum and a wild animal exhibition. They have also been able to walk to the bowling alley in Perry to go bowling.

MacDonald has incorporated healthy living options into the program by not only encouraging healthy eating but also cooking healthy items such as zucchini bread and homemade granola bars with the children.

Murphy said the program’s diverse activities are important benefits to village children.

“It gets kids outside and actively involved in different programs such as athletic stuff, reading and arts and crafts,” he said.

Moore agreed and said that for working parents, it’s a great alternative to kids sitting around inside all summer.

“It’s great for socialization,” she said. “We do a variety of things instead of kids staying home and playing video games.”

During the last week of recreation, the counselors will send the program participants out with a bang with a block party that will include a talent show, an inflatable obstacle course and a bounce house.