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VOLUME 2 ISSUE 48
CAR. TR. BULK RATE US POSTAGE PAID PERMIT NO. 844 OLEAN, NY
NOVEMBER 30 - DECEMBER 6 , 2017
Your Hometown Newspaper
Serving Springville, the surrounding communities and Springville-Griffith Institute Central Schools
Upcoming Events Dec. 2 Concord Country Christmas Dec. 3 Springville Community Chorale Christmas Concert Dec. 9 Farm to Table Seasonal Supper Dec. 9 Drive-In Living Nativity Dec. 15 Holiday Diva by Diva Springville Center for the Arts
Celebrate the Holidays in Springville
By Jennifer Weber
December is here and with it comes a variety of holiday events to enjoy right here in Springville! Concord Country Christmas Dec. 2 It’s that time of year again to celebrate an old-fashioned Concord Country Christmas on Saturday, Dec. 2 from 11 a.m.-3 p.m. at the Concord Mercantile located at 17 Franklin Street, Springville. As tradition holds, Santa’s Reindeer will be outdoors in the parking lot waiting for your visit. Enjoy the holiday sounds from Partners in Time and the Mercantile Musicians while sampling a wide variety of homemade sweets baked by the volunteer elves of the Concord Historical Society. Don’t forget to look around the mercantile to find that perfect gift for someone
special. And of course, Jolly Old St. Nick will be around for photographs. Oh and one last thing— parents, don’t forget to bring your letters for Santa and drop them off in the North Pole Mailbox. All letters with
a self-addressed stamped envelope will be checked on the naughty and nice list and receive a response! For more info, call (716) 592-0094 or visit www. concordnyhistoricalsociety. org.
Seasonal Supper to Highlight Food Artisans and Local Farmers Dec. 9 Edible Crush and Art’s Cafe are partnering to bring a pop-up Farm to Table dinner experience to See Springville Events page 9
Public Hearing on Genesee/ Route 240 Intersection Dec. 4 PAGES 4-5 Sports schedule Basketball season preview Middle School play
By Rich Place
The public will have the opportunity to offer feedback on proposed changes to the intersection of Genesee Road, Sibley
Road and Route 240 during a meeting Monday, Dec. 4 at the East Concord Fire Department. The meeting is expected to include town and county
officials, as well as engineers, to explain potential solutions to remedy the awkward intersection where the three roads converge. The idea of installing a roundabout, a four-way stop and a traffic light have all been considered, most recently at a Concord town board meeting over the summer. “This will take a care of a real, real bad situation that has existed for many, many years,” said Legislator John Mills, R-Orchard Park, who has been involved for several years in searching for potential remedies. A roundabout “seems to make the most sense,”
Concord Town Supervisor Gary Eppolito said this week, but the decision has yet to be finalized. Public conversation at the meeting Monday could help aid officials in making a decision, he said. “If there’s a lot of opposition to it, that may be rethought,” he said. “But right now that seems to make the most sense. I can tell you this — one thing everyone agrees with is that something has to be done.” The Erie County Department of Public Works’ highway division last October announced
know which church bell was ringing? And why would the bell ring? As an alarm to call folks into town, for a celebration or for a wedding, a funeral, or to let people know that the services were
getting ready to start at the church. They were also used to announce or sound the time of the day. Oh, how I enjoy the sounds of the church bells ringing!
See Genesee/240 page 12
A Look Back: Church Bells of Springville By Jolene Hawkins
This photograph is from the Springville area, circa 1875. Notice the white picket fences to keep the free range animals from entering the yards . Fiddlers green Park Where the GAR Soldiers monument now stands, as well as the band stand, was also fenced in with turnstiles on all four corners. They actually had cattle drives that went through town on the way to auction. The center church is the wooden Baptist church on the corner of Church and North Buffalo Streets. The one to the right is the brick Free Baptist Church; to the left of center is the brick Methodist Church, then the brick Presbyterian Church. Did you know that each
of the churches had bells, and combined they weighed about 5,000 pounds! The Free Baptist Church bell weighed in at 1,140 pounds; the Methodist bell weighed 1,060 pounds; the
Presbyterian bell weighed 1,058 and the Baptist bell was a light weight of only 680 pounds. I wonder if each bell had its own tone, or a tune that it would play…. For how else would they
Community Christmas Party Friday Dec 15 6-8 PM
www.emerlingcdjr.com
Holiday Movies, popcorn, door prizes, refreshments, pizza, gifts for the kids, bounce house and SANTA!!!
195 West Main Street, Springville NY (716) 592 - 2881 • Open Mon & Tues 9 - 8, Wed 9 - 5, Thurs 9 - 8, Fri 9 - 5, Sat 9 - 4