BICENTENNIAL: Murray celebrates town's birthday

By Nicole Coleman<br><a href="mailto:colemann@gnnewspaper.com">E-mail Nicole</a>
The Journal-Register

July 30, 2008 09:17 pm

— HOLLEY — The Town of Murray will host a celebration this weekend 200 years in the making.
In observance of their bicentennial, the town is sponsoring a host of family-friendly events Friday, Saturday and Sunday in and around the Village of Holley, said planning committee chairman David Dill.
The event will kick-off at 4 p.m. with a ziti dinner prepared by the Holley Fancher Murray Fire Department in the elementary school cafeteria. A Holley Rotary Club sponsored musical revue will follow at 7 p.m. in the auditorium. Tickets for both the dinner and revue are $10 for adults and $7 for children 10 and under. Otherwise, they can be purchased separately.
“We wanted to show some of the history of the town and incorporate some of that in the celebration,” Dill said. “That’s where the musical revue comes in.”
Performed by students and residents, the revue is a chronological body of songs and dances once popular over the last two centuries. The evening will take the audience from 1808 to present day decade by decade, Dill said. The directors are Kelly Evans and Kenny Cole.
“It’s going to be a fun, full weekend,” said Marsha DeFilipps, Murray town historian. “Everything seems to be falling into place perfectly. ... It’s one of those things you only get to do once.”
A commemorative 102-page book honoring the occasion, “The Bicentennial History of Murray,” will be available for the first time Saturday. Written by DeFilipps and Mike Boccaccio, the highly photographic collection provides a bird’s eye look at the canal, quarries, cemeteries and hamlets that make up Murray’s past.
DeFilipps said the town was founded April 8, 1808 and named after John Murray, a large landowner from New York City. It was originally a part of Genesee County and included Clarendon, Kendall, Murray, Swedon, Clarkson and Hamlin.
“The last of the townships to be taken off was Kendall in 1837,” she said. “That left Murray with 18,033 acres.”
As of 2007, Murray has become home to 4,707 people, in addition to 1,700 in the Village of Holley, DeFilipps said. Unlike many areas, it has maintained its rural, small town character, she said.
For those seeking to learn more about Murray’s history, the Murray/Holley Historical Society Depot, located on the Geddes Street Extension just outside the village square, will be open for viewing from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday. The historical society has been busy preparing the displays for viewing, DeFilipps said. There are a number of pieces from the first schools and early settlers.
Down at the Holley Canal Park, vendors and craftspeople will line the Andrew Cuomo Canalway Trail, said planning committee member John Morriss. The “flea market” will feature everything from ceramics to jewelry to wood items and home interiors, he said.
New York Sportswear will sell souvenir T-shirts. The Holley Garden Club will sell plants and flowers. And Robert Boccaccio, the individual who donated his time engraving the Medina sandstone trophies, will have an engraving booth. Other booths include Mary Kay cosmetics, Longaberger baskets, homemade hot sauce, healthy coffee, hand bags, fishing poles, CDs and DVDs. Face painting will be available for the youth.
The band “Just Having Fun” will perform in the gazebo and food will be sold nearby: Italian ice, deep fried Oreos, pitzells, pizza and strawberry shortcake, to name a few.
From 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. in Saltport Pond, the Department of Environmental Conservation will host “Free Family Fishing Day.” Instruction, poles and bait provided. No fishing license required as the pond is catch and release. All youth anglers will receive a fishing packet with tips and a tackle.
“It is my understanding that the DEC puts on only four of these a year,” Morriss said.
In addition, there will be a class car show and carnival at firemen’s field on state route 237 across from the elementary school. The Holley Fire Department has a chicken barbecue, hots, hamburgers and fries on tap. The Ladies Auxiliary will sell fried dough.
“We’re hoping we’re going to get some motorcycles out,” Morriss said. “The firemen are having a horseshoe tournament.”
Saturday will also see an annual village yard sale, a “big trucks” display behind the former Jubilee market building and a 2 p.m. watermelon eating contest at the gazebo. The parade at 5 p.m. will loop around the village square and end at the school soccer fields.
“The parade should be huge,” DeFilipps said. Five bands and over 15 floats are scheduled to partake.
The sports boosters will offer refreshments before the fireworks at 9:30 p.m., Dill said. Free shuttle service will be available Friday and Saturday.
The weekend will wind down Sunday with a Bocce tournament at St. Rocco’s field in Hulberton. St. Mary’s Church will serve refreshments.
The six-person committee has been preparing for the event since Jan. 2007. Additional members are Sandra Heise, Cindy Oliver, Donna Merritt and Ed Merritt.
Dill said the Village of Holley has been extremely helpful and cooperative throughout the entire process.
“Hopefully the weather is going to hold,” DeFilipps said. “I think it will be very interesting to a lot of people, whether they’ve lived here all their life or just moved in.”
For a complete schedule, visit www.townofmurray.org.
Contact reporter Nicole Colemanat 798-1400, ext. 8227.

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