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Holiday spirit Fourth-graders create garland for village celebration
Forty Liverpool Elementary fourth-graders are helping the village of Liverpool get into the holiday spirit by creating décor for its upcoming holiday celebration. LE Art Teacher Alexandra Smith recently was approached by the village and asked if some of her students could create holiday ornaments if it fit in with her art curriculum. Smith was happy to help. After considering a number of projects that would hold up in the winter weather, Smith decided students would make ornaments out of foam circles. With the help of the LE Parent Faculty Organization, Smith purchased the supplies needed for the project, including foam, beads, string, pipe cleaner and glitter. Once completed, the students’ ornaments were strung to create a custom garland, which will be displayed in the Johnson Park pavilion. The village’s annual holiday celebration was held in Johnson Park on Sunday, Dec. 10
Submitted photos
Rowley bows out
Clay Republican ends campaign for Mannion’s vacated state senate seat By Russ Tarby Contributing Writer On Dec. 2, Onondaga County Legislature Chairman Jim Rowley announced that he is dropping out of the race for the 50th District State Senate seat. The former supervisor from the town of Clay, Rowley initiated his candidacy over the summer. But after Republicans lost two countywide elections in November, he re-evaluated his chances of winning in the 50th District in 2024. Because next year’s presidential election will likely see increased voter turnout, Rowley said Republican candidates will face uphill battles. While Onondaga County Executive Ryan McMahon cruised to re-election over Democrat Bill Kinne last month, the GOP lost two other countywide races. Democrat Marty Masterpole handily overcame a challenge from Republican Casey Jordan with more than 60 percent of the vote. And a hand recount last week confirmed that Democrat Emily Essi had unseated Republican incumbent Lisa Dell in the race for county clerk. “It’s completely irrational for me to continue with my candidacy in this environment,” Rowley posted on Facebook on Dec. 2. Salina Town Supervisor Nick Paro is now the only Republican who has declared candidacy in the 50th District. Rowley did not endorse Paro, though prominent local GOP figures, including former Congressman John Katko, hosted a Paro $1,000-per-person fundraiser on Dec.7 at the Century Club in Syracuse. On Dec. 4, a group of 15 local Republicans signed a letter of support for Paro. Those supporters – including county legislators Collen Gunnip and Deb Cody, former Manlius town supervisor Ed Theobald and Solvay Mayor Derek Baichi – don’t seem to share Rowley’s pessimism. In their letter of support for Paro, they observed, “In a town where Democrats firmly outnumber Republicans, Paro has been elected and re-elected by wide margins in the double-digits.” Three Democrats are also seeking their party’s nomination to run in the 50th District: State Assemblyman Al Stirpe, Onondaga County Legislature Minority Leader Chris Ryan and Tom Drumm, a former Oswego County Legislator. Stirpe beat Paro once before, drawing 58 percent of the vote in 2018 when Paro had challenged Stirpe for State Assembly. The 50th District’s current senator, Democrat John Mannion of Geddes, has decided against running for a third term next year and will run instead for Central New York’s seat in Congress against incumbent Republican Brandon Williams.
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The Silverwood Clarinet Choir will perform at the Liverpool library Dec. 17.
Silverwood Clarinet Choir to celebrate the season By Russ Tarby Contributing Writer
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ow celebrating its 17th anniversary, the Silverwood Clarinet Choir is a 14-piece ensemble that encompasses all the voices of a true choir. Led by founders Ken and Kathy Freer of Manlius, the group performs original compositions as well as arrangements of well-known pieces – music in all styles from around the world – music that is both entertaining and challenging. Its instrumentalists are from Oswego, Onondaga, Madison and Cayuga counties. The clarinet choir, conducted by Syracuse City School District music instructor Frederick Willard, will perform a free concert at 2 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 17, at the Liverpool Public Library. The Silverwood Clarinet Choir (SCC) often opens its concerts with a charming composition showcasing seven families of clarinets. Penned by British radio producer Luke Whitlock, the tune “Silverwood” was commissioned by the ensemble itself and now serves as a
perfect calling card for the band. It’s a lively introduction to each of the choir’s 14 musicians. As such, “Silverwood” sounds more like a friendly conversation than a cerebral exercise in music theory. Its rippling rhythms give way to declaratory hellos, celebratory huzzahs and a few good-natured chuckles all punctuated by startling stop times. As the cheerful melody unfolds, each of the clarinets – from the wailing E♭ sopranino to the roaring contrabass – makes a statement attesting to the musicians’ individual talent and enthusiasm. Whitlock’s composition also demonstrates an astonishing team spirit that lifts SCC head and shoulders above your run-of-the-mill chamber group. The SCC stands proudly among the best clarinet choirs in the world, groups such as Toronto’s Wychwood Clarinet Choir, Los Angeles Clarinet Choir, Rochester’s New Horizons Clarinet Choir and England’s South Wales Clarinet Choir. The SCC plays a wide array of music ranging from classical to popular. Debussy’s “Ballet from Petite Suite” and Prokofiev’s “Overture on He-
brew Themes” may be performed along with popular seasonal pieces such as “Reindeer Rag,” “Parade of the Tin Soldiers” or “A Christmas Jazz Medley.” Conductor Frederick Willard began his professional career working with legendary Broadway orchestrator Michael Gibson with the hits of Kander and Ebb. Willard has been composer or lyricist on “Fractured Fairy Tales: The Musical,” “A Remarkable Story: Voices of Pan Am 103” and “Desdemona: A Play about a Handkerchief ” presented at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. Willard has toured Singapore, Colombia, Brazil and throughout the Eastern seaboard as a musical director and keyboardist. His arrangements have been performed by the Lionel Hampton Orchestra, Melba Moore, Ronnie Leigh, the Central New York Jazz Orchestra and the Syracuse, Hartford and Tenerife symphony orchestras. Sunday’s performance concludes the library’s fall concert series, “Resounding reeds,” which showcased saxophones and clarinets. The series was supported by a state grant administered by CNY Arts.
Volume 131, Number 50 The Star-Review is published weekly by Eagle News. Office of Publication: 2501 James St., Suite 100, Syracuse, NY 13206. Periodical Postage Paid at Syracuse, NY 13220, USPS 316060. POSTMASTER: Send change of address to Star-Review, 2501 James St., Suite 100, Syracuse, NY 13206.
schools: Sixth-graders assist math teachers at conference.
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sports: C-NS girls claim another title at Jensen Relays.
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Calendar �������������������� 3 death notices ����������� 9 Editorial ��������������������� 4 Obituaries �������������9-10
PennySaver ��������������B1 schools ���������������������� 2 Sports ����������������������� 11