This newsletter is a

publication of the Town of

Hamburg Dept. of Youth,

Recreation and Senior

Services. Phone: 646-5145

Email: recreation@

townofhamburg.com

VOL. 8, No. 3

Dash-n-Splash,

Blast, men’s roller

hockey, basketball

championships

2

3

4

Bowling Rocks,

Senior Services

honors volunteer

& fun at the Fair

5

Gym, Swim

programs, Fall-

Winter skating at

Arena set to go

6

Intro to the

Performing Arts

6

Staff Listings &

Program

information

7

Thank you to

our sponsors

7

TOWN OF HAMBURG Third Quarter 2019

PAGE 1

Youth, Recreation & Senior Services Quarterly

PAGE

Grants, honors, awards:

A $2,500 Growing Ten-

nis Together grant was

received from USTA

Eastern. Funding will

support personnel and

equipment costs.

The Erie County Sum-

mer Youth Employ-

ment Program once

again partnered with us

to provide 3 staffers at

our day camps.

The Buffalo Bills

Foundation granted

YRSS $5,000 to be used

for our youth football

initiatives.

SASI’s Steps to Em-

ployment Program pro-

vided one summer intern

to YRSS.

YRSS once again part-

nered with the Fron-

tier Central School

District in a federal

program that provides

free meals to youth 18 &

under at the Loring Ave-

nue Playground & addi-

tionally this year at

Woodlawn Beach State

Park.

A “Take Me Fishing”

grant from the National

Recreation & Parks

Next Learn to Skate/Beginner Hockey set Oct. 30,

additional fall programs open October, November

It’s not too late—

registration is open for

Hamburg’s Skate Great

Learn-to-Skate and Be-

ginner Hockey programs

through fall and winter.

Classes are held on

Wednesdays at 5 and 6

p.m. for children and

adults, ages 3 and up at the

Hamburg Town Arena.

Session 2 begins Oct. 30.

Additional start dates

include Session 3, Dec.

18; and Session 4, Feb.

19. Thursday morning

Daytime Learn to Skate is

scheduled to begin Nov. 7.

A third Skate Great pro-

gram, Rising Stars, an in-

troduction to figure skat-

ing, is also scheduled for

four sessions on Wednes-

days at 4:15 p.m. for any-

one who has attained basic

skating skills. Rates are

$77 for residents and $90

for non-residents for Ses-

sions 2, 3 and 4. Register in

See ‘Skating’ Page 6

Farewell to Woodlawn Adventure Camp—this group

of campers was photographed on their last day of summer

day camp, Aug. 23. The Town of Hamburg will no longer

operate Woodlawn Beach State Park after the end of the

year, bringing nine years of the town-run camp to an end.

See ‘Grants, honors,’ Page 5

INDEX Fall recreation kicking into high gear

Page 2

TOWN OF HAMBURG Third Quarter 2019

The Town of

Hamburg’s 29th Annual

Dash-n-Splash Mary T.

Blakeslee Family Fun

Run was held July 27

under sunny skies with

nary a drop of rain in

sight. The run/walk

course travels from

Frontier High School to

the Hamburg Town Park,

ending at the beach.

Proceeds benefited the

Town of Hamburg

Recreation Foundation.

Topping the list of

winners were Overall

Male, Jacob Kurzawa,

13:50 and Overall

Female, Aileen Hoak

Lange, 16:17.

Dash-n-Splash results

by age category and

place are: Age 8 &

Under: Males: 1st, Alex

Woodward; 2nd, Brodey

Krempa and 3rd, Tanner

Gorlewski. Females: 1st,

Gabrielle Kleinmann, 2nd,

Andie Homer and 3rd,

Elena Brown.

Age 9-13: Males: 1st,

David Dreyer, 2nd,

Karsten Homer and 3rd,

Jack Kurzawa. Females:

1st, Autumn Pupo, 2nd,

Grace Tanski and 3rd,

Savannah Wilcox.

Age 14 to 19: Males:

1st, Preston Bova; 2nd,

Shawn Blair and 3rd,

Liam Bonner. Females:

1st, Aurora Smith,

2nd,Rachel Zielinski and

3rd, Serena Young. Age

20 to 29: Males: 1st,

Alex Schaffstall, 2nd,

Ryan Fortuna and 3rd,

Stephen Fortuna.

Females: 1st, Brittany

Owens, 2nd, Monica

Schaffstall and 3rd,

Aubree Gross.

Age 30 to 39: Males: 1st,

Justin Gange, 2nd, Ian

Schroeder and 3rd, Ryan

Szymanski. Females: 1st,

Colleen Carroll,

2nd, Melissa

Suajeck and 3rd,

Nancy Cruz. Age

40-49: Males:1st,

Brian Losel, 2nd,

Nicholas Budney

and 3rd, Clint

Homer. Females:

1st, Amanda

Kurzawa, 2nd,

Kimberly Pupo

and 3rd, Becky

Wilcox. Age 50-

59: Males: 1st,

Peter Schaffstall,

2nd, Jimmy

Moscato and 3rd,

Chuck Barnes.

Females: 1st, Sharon

Fortuna, 2nd, Donna Ann

More and 3rd, Sue

Schaffstall.

Age 60-69: Males: 1st,

Tom Meka, 2nd, Fred

Luongo and 3rd, John

Shepherd. Females: 1st,

Kathy Gregoire, 2nd,

Robin Curtis and 3rd,

Cyndi Weislo.

Age 70 and Over:

Males: 1st, Stewart Wade

and, 2nd, Ed Russell.

(photo, bottom far left).

Females: 1st, Dorothy

Gaines (photo, second

from left).

8 & Under first, second & third place winners below are:

Boys: Alex Woodward, Brodey Krempa & Tanner Gorlewski

(not in order). Girls, from left: Elena Brown, Gabrielle Klein-

mann and Andie Homer.

Top runners: Jacob Kurzawa, Aileen Hoak Lange.

Dash-n-Splash

Stewart Wade & Ed Russell Dorothy Gaines

Page 3

TOWN OF HAMBURG Third Quarter 2019

Many took advantage of sunny

skies and warm temperatures to en-

joy a great variety of Blast on the

Beach activities at Hamburg Beach

and Park. Below, this group of girls

were styling with balloons and the

First Place winners of the Sand

Castle Contest were the Sealander/

Staniszewski team, from left: Ella

Staniszewski, age 6, Ava

Staniszewski, age 3, Madelyn

Sealander, age 10 and Michelle

Sealander (mom). Other activities

include, counterclockwise at right:

Elvis Tribute performer Terry

Buchwald with audience paraticipa-

tion. At center, Marty Lalka won

the hot dog-eating contest although

he had competitors (photo inset) .

Lalka, center, the Hot Dog Champ,

is shown with family, friends and

fans holding his “big check” for the

$100 prize. Helping him heft his

winnings are Hamburg Supervisor

Jim Shaw, left, and Council Mem-

ber Tom Best Jr., right.

Blast on the Beach

Page 4

TOWN OF HAMBURG Third Quarter 2019

‘WHACKY’ WEDNESDAY

Hamburg’s Day Camp

Friendship campers left the

Recreation Center at the Nike

Base behind on July 24 on a

field trip to their counterpart at

the Orchard Park Recreation

Department. Kids from a num-

ber of day camps from through-

out Western New York met for

a day of fun, treats, friendship

and general “whackiness.”

Team McFall wins Hamburg Summer

Roller Hockey Championships Aug. 14

Team McFall won the 2019 Hamburg Recrea-

tion Summer Roller Hockey Championships

Aug. 14 at the Town of Hamburg Arena with a 7

to 3 score against the previously undefeated

Team Gilbride. The champs are shown, left to

right. They are, kneeling/sitting: Ryan Horn-

berger, Jordyn Bellitto, Kyle Fallon, Colin Cop-

pola and Tyler Bellitto. Standing: Griffin Coppo-

la, Ryan Piniewski, Neil Dake, Alex Peters, Joe

Fentzke, Brendan McFall and Josh Dake. Roller

Hockey is a program of the Town of Hamburg

Department of Youth, Recreation and Senior

Services.

The Town of Hamburg Depart-

ment of Youth, Recreation and

Senior Services concluded its

2019 Men’s Summer Adult

Basketball League

with its Champion-

ship Game Aug.

7. All games of the

eight-week season

were played at the

Town of Hamburg

Senior Community

Center on Southwest-

ern Boulevard.

For the second

straight summer,

Olympus, captained

by Josh Becker, de-

feated Tune Squad, captained

by Kevin Marcinkowski, in the

championship game. The final

score was 74-69. Clark

Brueckl led Olympus with 24

points, while Jay Bergmann

scored 23 for Tune

Squad. Olympus beat Young

Man’s Game (Adam Dietrick,

captain), 62-48 in one semifi-

nal, while Tune Squad topped

Young Bloods (Justin Smith,

captain), 57-47 in the other

semifinal. The Department will

offer Men’s Basketball

Leagues resume for the Fall/

Winter season with Wednesday

evening play starting in early

November.

Registration is under way.

Please contact the Recreation

Department at 646-5145 for

more information or to obtain a

CHAMPS – Team Olympus won the Hamburg YRSS Men’s

Summer Adult Basketball League Championship once again.

Pictured from left are: Brandon Camacho, Andy Steger, Clark

Brueckl, Josh Becker and Rob Genco.

Team Olympus retains Adult BB League Championship

Page 5

TOWN OF HAMBURG Third Quarter 2019

.

Monday bowlers

‘Grants, honors,’ continued from Page 1

Association supported the restocking of

the pond at Taylor Road Park to allow

fishing of the mature fish in our “catch

and release” program.

AUGUST:

Town of Hamburg Senior Services be-

stowed the first annual Volunteer of the

Year Award to Robin Miller at their

2019 Doc Webster Picnic that recognizes

volunteers who assist at Senior Services

and Hamburg Adult Day Services

(HADS). The award and picnic are named

in honor of Dr. William Webster who vol-

unteered for over 20 years playing the

piano for participants at Adult Day Ser-

vices several times each month, including

his final performance weeks before his

passing in December of 2017.

Volunteer of the Year—from left are: YRSS

Deputy Director Joe Wenzel, HADS Program

Coordinator Meghan McGahey, Robin Miller,

YRSS Director Marty Denecke and HADS

Senior Program Coordinator Rosanne Witryk.

Bowling Rocks met for two different weekly

classes this summer at Braymiller’s Bowling

Lanes in the Village of Hamburg. The Monday

class is shown top left and the Wednesday

group, middle. In the bottom photo, Youth En-

gaged in Service (YES) Program volunteers

Miranda Gelyon and Grace Gorczyca assisted

Christine L., a participant in the Town of

Hamburg Adult Day Services program at the

Erie County Fair in Hamburg.

Wednesday bowlers

Bowling fun, Fair visit & volunteer honored by Seniors

Page 6

TOWN OF HAMBURG Third Quarter 2019

Adaptive Recreation, Satur-

days through May, (started

Sept. 28) one-hour sessions by

age beginning at 10 a.m. (8 to

15 years old) and 11:30 a.m.

(16 to 28) in the Donny Thiry

Gym at the HSCC. Fee is $35.

Saturday Open Gym for

youth ages 7 to 18, Saturdays

from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. begin-

ning Nov. 9 at Pinehurst and

Blasdell Elementary Schools.

FREE

Swim programs, no charge

for Town of Hamburg resi-

dents, start late October

through March 24. Programs

at Frontier High School in-

clude: Lap Swim, Tuesdays, 6-

7 p.m.; Open Swim, Saturdays

& Sundays, 2-4 p.m. Lap

Swim is for anyone 14 & over,

Tuesdays 6-7 p.m. & Satur-

days, 4-5 p.m. Also, Swim for

individuals with disabilities,

7-9 p.m. on Tuesdays is for an-

yone with a physical, cognitive

and or developmental disabil-

ity. There is a $15 fee for this

program which requires pre-

registration. Check website for

start date.

Family Ski/Snowboard Club

for anyone age 8 & over, be-

gins at Jan. 4 on Saturdays at

Kissing Bridge Ski Resort and

continues for eight weeks, 9

a.m. to close (all day pass).

STARS IN THE MAKING: This group of talented kids posed for a

group photo at the recital marking the conclusion of the Town of

Hamburg Recreation’s Introduction to Performing Arts program.

Ice programs, cont’d from Page 1

Public Skate starts Oct. 8 for

daytime; Friday nights, Oct. 18

Ice time is also available at the

Town Arena through the town’s

Skate & Shoot program at 1 p.m.

Monday-Friday for adults 18

and older and for youth 6-9

years from 3-4:40 p.m., on Fri-

days; for youth 10-13, Mondays

from 3-4:50 p.m.; and for youth

14-17 on Tuesdays, from 3-4:50

p.m. (helmet with full face

mask, gloves and skates are re-

quired). To learn more about

town recreation options online,

please visit the department web-

site at www.hamburg-youth-rec-

seniors.com. For more infor-

mation about Skate Great Inc.

programs, please visit

www.skategreatinc.com.

Public Skate is scheduled

Tuesdays through Fridays at

11 a.m. to 12:50 p.m. (beginning

Oct. 8); Friday from 8-9:50 p.m.

(beginning Oct. 18) and Sunday

from 2-3:50 p.m. (beginning

Oct. 20) for youth and adults.

Rental of skates and helmets is

available. Ice time is available

to rent at various times. Call the

Recreation Office at 646-5145

for more information.

To learn more about our ice

programs, please visit

www.hamburg-youth-rec-

seniors.com

or

Skate Great Inc.

programs, visit

www.skategreatinc.com.

New programs begin in October, November, December & beyond

TOWN BOARD James M. Shaw—Supervisor

Thomas Best Jr.—Council Member

Beth Farrell —Council Member

Michael Mosey—Council Member &

YRSS Department Liaison

Michael Petrie—Council Member

Town of Hamburg Youth, Recreation &

Senior Services Dept. Staff:

Martin C. Denecke—Director

Joseph P. Wenzel—Deputy Director

Recreation Staff

Curt S. Herrmann—Sr. Rec Supervisor

Luke T. Sullivan—Rec Supervisor

Timothy M. Jerome—Rec Supervisor

Amy Brown—Recreation Attendant

Senior Services Staff

Joseph S. Pietras—Sr. Rec Supervisor

Marc C. Collins—Rec Supervisor

Adult Day Services Staff

Rosanne Witryk—Sr. Program

Coordinator

Meghan McGahey—Program

Coordinator

Youth Staff

Nicole Dayka, Youth at Risk Coordinator

Beverly Preischel, YES Coordinator

SPECIAL THANKS TO

The following organizations for their sup-

port. Their generosity greatly enhances our

ability to provide quality services.

Special Donations

Dani Fit

The Donny Thiry Foundation

The Rotary Club of Hamburg

The Stahlka Agency

The Town of Hamburg Lions Club

The Hamburg Kiwanis Club

The Watermark Wesleyan Church of

Hamburg

Grant Funds

Buffalo Bills Foundation

Federal Transit Administration

Erie County Legislator Lynne Dixon

Erie County Youth Board

National Recreation & Parks Assn.

NYS Connect Kids to Parks

United States Tennis Association

Major Sponsors

Dick’s Sporting Goods

Pizza Hut

Facility Use

Braymiller’s Lanes

Buffalo Bills

Frontier Central Schools

Hamburg Central Schools

Hilbert College

Kissing Bridge

St. Francis High School

St. Francis Park

The Hub (Watermark Wesleyan Church)

Newsletter designed

and written by

Eileen A. Hotho,

Editor

Page 7

TOWN OF HAMBURG Third Quarter 2019

THERAPEUTIC POOL—Rental options for the town’s therapeutic pool are

available to established, independent, wellness professionals (physical

therapists, chiropractors, fitness trainers, etc.) as a site for low impact

therapy and training options. For information, please call 598-0880.

646-5145 (www.hamburg-youth-rec-seniors.com) recreation@townofhamburgny.com