Polly and Doug Smith of Grand Island observed their 55th wedding anniversary Aug. 8 with a family dinner, including both children and three of four grandchildren, in Warfield's Restaurant, Clifton Springs, New York.

Mr. and Mrs. Earl Grimes of Grand Island will celebrate their 60th wedding anniversary on Saturday, Sept. 8.

Singer/songwriter Marc Scibilia, a Grand Island native now living and working in Nashville - and signed to Capitol Records' IRS label - is returning to Western New York Friday to perform at Babeville's 9th Ward. Doors open at 7 p.m. for the 8 p.m. event. Tickets are $10.

The Miracle League of Grand Island and WNY celebrated another high-water mark in the organization's brief history with Saturday's ribbon-cutting for a new playground in Veterans Park.

On a warm summer's afternoon, three young women and their families sat on folding chairs amidst the gardens of the Huth Road Elementary School courtyard. They were there Friday to receive their high school diplomas after spending hours working on academic areas of difficulty in summer school.

Kids needing a haircut before going back to school have a new old-school option.

The Real Barbers II has opened in the Grand Island Plaza, next door to M&T Bank and across from Adrian's Custard and Beef.

Grand Island Historical Society officers Carolyn Doebert, Sharon Nichols and Maggie Gushue presented a framed copy of the original 1864 deed of the fifth-oldest house on Grand Island to current owners Robin and Bryce Shipman at their recent festive sesquicentennial birthday celebration.

What started out three years ago as a combination of Mike Geblein's retirement party and friends really like to cook peppers so let's have a cook-off has evolved into an annual event at the Geblein compound.

Grand Island High School students took home the People's Choice award and a third-place yellow ribbon from the Chalk Walk competition at the Lewiston Art Festival Saturday.

The Grand Island Town Board proclaimed Aug. 16 National Airborne Day in the town during its meeting Monday and encouraged Islanders to observe and commemorate the event.

The Grand Island Town Board has called the results of the first month of use with the new 95-gallon wheeled recycling carts "fantastic."

In a press release to the media this week, the board said the amount of recycling by Grand Islanders in the first month of using the carts that were delivered in May by Republic Services has increased.

Buffalo Division Manager Terry Schweitzer and Municipal Services Manager Terry Grady of Republic Services met recently with the Town Board to review the recycling numbers and the overall program, the statement said. According to the town, when compared to the same time period last year, the Grand Island recycling rate has increased by more than 30 percent.

Island contractors showed up at Town Hall Monday to criticize a proposed local law that one called "blue collar vs. white collar."

A public hearing at the monthly Town Board meeting was attended by many of Grand Island's contractors, who gave input on Local Law Intro No. 13 of 2014 that would amend chapter 407 of the town code to allow contractor maintenance yards as a special use in certain residential districts, subject to certain conditions.

Just before taking public comments, Town Supervisor Mary Cooke said, "What's currently going on in town right now may not all be legal, and we're trying to figure out a way to allow someone who has a small operation to be able to work in their property that they have without disrupting their entire neighborhood so that we don't get complaints from people who say, 'I live in a residential neighborhood. I didn't sign up for this.' "

During the Monday evening meeting of the Grand Island Board of Education, trustees heard reports on a variety of topics, including some important staffing changes. Dr. Andrés Arroyo is leaving his position as assistant principal of Grand Island High School to become principal at Newfane High School. Arroyo has served Grand Island for the past seven years and earned his Ph.D. in educational leadership and policy from the State University of New York at Buffalo.

His resignation comes close behind that of Assistant Principal Michael Lauria, who left his job earlier this summer to become principal at Springville High School. Administrators acted quickly to search for and to hire replacements for Arroyo and Lauria, and high school Principal Dan Quartley introduced the new staff to the Board of Education at Monday's meeting. They are T. Michael Carter and Corey Gray.

The new disability-friendly playground in Veterans Park, part of the Miracle League complex, is now complete and open for play "for the whole Western New York community," said R.J. Wynne, president of the Miracle League of Grand Island and Western New York.

This year's Paddles Up, hosted by the Niagara Greenway Commission, drew tourists and locals alike to Beaver Island State Park to experience the area's largest paddlesports event.

Residents in Grand Island are about to benefit from a national backpack giveaway campaign.

The Cellular Connection, the largest Verizon Premium Wireless retailer in the U.S., in a joint effort with its customers, has announced that it will donate 100,000 backpacks full of school supplies to children through its School Rocks Backpack Giveaway. Last year, the company donated 60,000 backpacks.

More than 350 participating TCC stores across the U.S. are inviting local families to bring their children to the store between noon and 2 p.m. on Aug. 2 to pick up a backpack filled with pencils, paper, a pencil box, folders, glue and more.

A Grand Islander stole the spotlight from a famous Victoria's Secret model Monday and ended up on the front page of various international news websites.

Island native Kara Dudley is the anonymous woman seen upstaging supermodel Karlie Kloss in several Internet photos posted July 21 on celebrity websites. Dudley was photographed coming out of a New York City shop after searching for Taylor Swift, who had appeared to have gone into it earlier. She saw the paparazzi, but was oblivious to the statuesque Kloss, who was standing directly behind her.

A Ward Park resident told the Grand Island Town Board that she expected to retire to the duplex she owned for the last 14 years, but a neighboring property changed her mind.

Patricia Kostenbauder told the board at its monthly meeting in Town Hall Monday that she expected to spend her retirement at her home at 80 Ward Park. "However, we had a change of plans because of the transient vacation come next door," she said.

"Because of the problems with this house, because they continue this illegal transient vacation house, which is a business in a residential area, we've decided to sell our duplex," Kostenbauder said.

In an age focused on social media and the iPhone craze, millennials are losing touch with good old-fashioned hard work. Technology has made it too easy for this generation to forget about the labor involved in running a successful business, regardless of the industry.

The Grand Island School and Business Alliance has been active for more than 20 years, introducing high school students to an environment that requires hard work for success.

Students can choose to compete in the organization's Corporate Bowl, shadow local employers and personnel, partake in mock job interviews, and hear community speakers made possible by GISBA, so that these young participants are better prepared for the working world.

"So, it's very unusual," stated Town of Grand Island Supervisor Mary Cooke. She was referring to the back and forth communication that exists between town officials and the Grand Island Board of Education and district administration. The current schedule of joint meetings with the town and school boards stands at a healthy three times per year, a precedent that was set when the Robert W. Christmann was superintendent of schools. Current superintendent, Dr. Teresa Lawrence, has continued to place a priority on the meetings.

On Monday evening, the Grand Island Board of Education held its annual organizational meeting in the Grand Island High School Professional Development Room. As part of the board's regular monthly meeting, organizational meeting business included swearing in of trustees Susan Marston and Karen Carroll prior to the meeting.

Lisa Pyc was voted in as the new school board president in a 4-2 vote, replacing Tak Nobumoto, who lost his board seat in the May election. Susan Marston was elected as vice president in a 5-1 vote. Trustee Paul Krull was absent from the meeting. District Clerk Janet Schuster administered the oath of office to the new officers.

Jim Sharpe, chairman of KidBiz, said it was great day to be in the Town Commons Saturday, but that's usually the case for the Chamber of Commerce event that provides children a chance to run their own businesses.

The Grand Island High School Class of 2014 is a work in progress just like the school building from which they graduated Sunday.

Jeanne Anstett, pictured, has been a crossing guard at the corner of Warner and South Park so long she's helped second generation kids cross the streets to Huth Road Elementary School.

The Grand Island Lions Club held its annual installation dinner at Byblos Niagara Resort & Spa. A number of members were recognized for perfect attendance and years of service.

The Grand Island Alumni Association will hold "Friday Night Under the Lights" when the first night football game on the Ransom Road campus in Grand Island Vikings history takes place at new Gene Masters Field.

Grand Island Dance Center recently took part in the Fairy House Festival, a yearly event held at Artpark in the Village of Lewiston.

On Saturday, June 14, the annual Father's Day Lawn Mower Race and Classic Car Show took place along the West River to support Grand Island Relay For Life. This family-friendly event, founded by Islander Floyd Doring even had a race category for push mowers for the younger race fans.

An Island group is seeking to explore environmental issues on the Island through the medium of photography.

The Grand Island PhotoVoice project began Wednesday night at St. Timothy Lutheran Church with an introductory meeting attended by more than a dozen people. The GI version of the PhotoVoice tool is meant to express viewpoints of community members regarding their health and environment in the wake of the 2013 conviction of Tonawanda Coke for polluting and violating the federal Clean Air Act.

Kim Yaeger, a facilitator and member of the St. Timothy congregation, will collect photo submissions from the community that address how the outdoor environment improves, threatens or harms health and quality life.

Happy summer, Grand Island!

Enjoy free fishing (no license required) at Fisherman's Landing at the South Grand Island Bridge on Saturday, June 28, in a contest sponsored by the Recreation Department from 8 to 11 a.m. and 5 to 7 p.m. Prizes will be awarded on July 1 at 2 p.m. More information is available on the "Recreation" page of the town website at gigov.com.

Summer concerts under the Grand Island Rotary Club Gazebo in the Town Commons begin on Tuesday, July 1, and run through Aug. 12. This year, two will be held at Byblos Niagara Resort & Spa: July 8 and July 22. The schedule is on the town's websitegigov.com and in the Island Dispatch. Hope to see you out enjoying some live music!

The Miracle League of Grand Island and WNY is saying "Thank you" to the scores of volunteers who went to work on Father's Day weekend at Veterans Park to build the latest addition to the baseball complex for the disabled.

The process of building a new million-dollar storage and maintenance building for Veterans Park is underway.

At its meeting Monday, the Grand Island Town Board set a public hearing for Monday, July 7, at 8 p.m. in Town Hall to consider an application by Russell Certo to rezone 1881 Bedell Road from R1D to M2 for the purpose of constructing the maintenance building.

Board members held a meeting with Bedell Road residents May 21, where they explained the town would lease the property with an option to later buy it at an estimated cost of $1.2 million. The lease-and-buy option would allow the town to avoid prevailing wage laws and save 20 percent on the overall cost of the project.

A new ride at Martin's Fantasy Island provides a view of Canada, Buffalo and the mist from Niagara Falls, and an 80-foot spinning freefall.

A lifelong dream to open a salon has culminated in Shear Paradise.

About two-dozen supporters watched Lisa and Kevin Dilliot cut the ceremonial ribbon to open the Shear Paradise salon.

At its Monday evening meeting, the Grand Island Board of Education recognized the service of two departing trustees: Emily Ciraolo and Tak Nobumoto.

Superintendent of Schools Dr. Teresa Lawrence thanked Ciraolo and Nobumoto for their service. Ciraolo has been responsible for creating and helping maintain the district's Facebook page. Nobumoto has served as board president after a tenure as vice president. Nobumoto finished fourth out of four candidates up for election to three seats last month. Known for his insightful questions and orderly running of meetings, he will serve until a new president is elected in July at the board's annual reorganizational meeting.

The Grand Island Alumni Association and Grand Island Central School District Athletic Director Jon Roth have announced the first sponsor of "Friday Night Under the Lights."

Pete Hayes, Class of 1974, has signed on as a gold sponsor for the event, which will herald the opening of the new Gene Masters Field at Grand Island High School. The ongoing capital construction project includes a new football stadium, complete with new turf, new seating, new scoreboard and lights.

"Friday Night Under the Lights" will be on Friday, Sept. 19, at Gene Masters Field. The festive evening will begin at 5 p.m. with a gathering of old friends, classmates and players from the past 50 years.

United Way of Buffalo & Erie County is accepting project submissions from nonprofit organizations in Erie County for the annual Day of Caring, the largest one-day volunteer event in Western New York, which will connect thousands of volunteers with projects that will assist area agencies.

Day of Caring will be held Wednesday, Aug. 20, from 9 a.m. until 3 p.m. It is sponsored by Wegmans, HSBC, National Grid and UAW/GM.

Organized by the United Way of Buffalo & Erie County, the annual event is designed to provide volunteer manpower to nonprofit organizations for projects and services that would otherwise cost organizations resources that could be spent on fulfilling their missions.

Hundreds of Islanders partied like rock stars May 31 and June 1 during the 12th annual Relay For Life at Veterans Park.

The Rotary Club of Grand Island and the Grand Island Central School District's PTSA honored 12 graduating seniors from Grand Island High School Tuesday at the annual Rotary/PTSA Students of the Year award banquet, held at Byblos Niagara Resort & Spa.

The Grand Island Chamber of Commerce will host the 18th annual KidBiz Sidewalk Sale on Saturday, June 28, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.