Orchard Park
Town
Village of Orchard Park
Country	United States
State	New York
County	Erie County
Elevation	866 ft (264 m)
Coordinates	42°45′43″N 78°44′29″W / 42.76194°N 78.74139°W / 42.76194; -78.74139
Area	38.6 sq mi (100 km2)
- land	38.5 sq mi (100 km2)
- water	0.1 sq mi (0 km2), 0.26%
Population	29,054 (2010)
Density	753 / sq mi (290.7 / km2)
Incorporated	1850
Town Supervisor	Janis A. Colarusso (D) Town Council David R. Kaczor (D, R) Edward J. Graber, Jr. (R) Nancy W. Ackerman (R) Eugene L. Majchrzak (R)
Timezone	EST (UTC-5)
- summer (DST)	EDT (UTC-4)
ZIP code	14127
Area code	716
FIPS code	36-55266
GNIS feature ID	0979318
Location of Orchard Park in Erie County
Location of Orchard Park in New York
Location of New York in the United States
Website: http://www.orchardparkny.org

Orchard Park is a town in Erie County, New York, a suburb southeast of Buffalo, New York. According to the 2010 census, the population is 29,054. This represents an increase of 5.13% from the 2000 census figure.^[1] The town contains a village also named Orchard Park. Orchard Park is one of the "Southtowns" of Erie County.

History[link]

In 1803 Didymus C. Kinney and wife Phebe (Hartwell) purchased land and built a cabin in the southwest corner of the township. The following year, a migration of Quaker settlers began.

The town was separated from the Town of Hamburg in 1850 and was first named the town of Ellicott, after Joseph Ellicott, an agent of the Holland Land Company. Within months, the name was changed to the town of East Hamburgh. Around 1934, the town was renamed Orchard Park after its principal settlement.

In the early 1900s a large fire burned down most of the central part of the village of Orchard Park around South Buffalo Street.

Buffalo, Rochester and Pittsburgh Railroad Station and Johnson-Jolls Complex are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.^[2]

Geography[link]

Orchard Park is located at 42°45′43″N 78°44′29″W / 42.76194°N 78.74139°W / 42.76194; -78.74139 (42.762159, -78.741405)^[3]. According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 38.6 square miles (99.9 km²), of which 38.5 square miles (99.7 km²) is land and 0.1 square mile (0.2 km²) (0.18%) is water.

US 219 passes through the west part of the town and forms junctions with U.S. Route 20A (Quaker Street) and NY 179 (Milestrip Road).

US 20 (Southwestern Boulevard) passes through the north part of the town and forms a junction with NY 277 and NY 240 (Orchard Park Road).

Demographics[link]

As of the census^[4] of 2010, there were 28,272 people, 11,553 households, and 7,656 families residing in the town. The population density was 717.7 people per square mile (277.1/km²). There were 10,644 housing units at an average density of 276.4 per square mile (106.7/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 97.9% White, 0.5% Black or African American, 0.2% Native American, 0.9% Asian, <0.1% Pacific Islander, 0.2% from other races, and 0.6% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.0% of the population.

There were 10,277 households out of which 33.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 64.3% were married couples living together, 7.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 25.5% were non-families. 22.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.62 and the average family size was 3.09.

In the town the population was spread out with 25.2% under the age of 18, 5.7% from 18 to 24, 25.6% from 25 to 44, 26.8% from 45 to 64, and 16.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females there were 92.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.7 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $87,424, and the median income for a family was $102,906. About 1.1% of families and 2.4% of the population were below the poverty line.

Communities and locations in the Town of Orchard Park[link]

• Armor – A hamlet at the west town line.
• Buffalo, Rochester and Pittsburgh Railroad Station - a former railroad station listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
• Chestnut Ridge Park – A popular county park with a wide range of activities is located in the south section of the town of Orchard Park on Chestnut Ridge Road (Route 277).
• Duells Corner – A hamlet south of Orchard Park village.
• Ellicott – A hamlet south of Orchard Park village.
• Erie Community College – The official location of the south campus, although most of the campus is in the adjacent town of Hamburg.
• Loveland – A hamlet on the east town line.
• Orchard Park – A village located at the junction of Routes 240 and U.S. 20A.
• Ralph Wilson Stadium – The home stadium of the NFL's Buffalo Bills lies on the western edge of the town.
• Webster Corners – A hamlet north of the village of Orchard Park by the intersection of Webster and Orchard Park Roads.

Education[link]

The Orchard Park Central School District has four elementary schools (Eggert, Ellicott, South Davis, and Windom)(Grades K-5), the Orchard Park Middle School(Grades 6-8), and the Orchard Park High School. The mascot for the Orchard Park School District is the Quaker.

Principals: Eggert: Mrs. Mary Lou Stahl Ellicott: Mr. Terry Spicola South Davis: Christine Rassow Windom: Mrs. Wendy Gloss Middle School: Mr. David Lilleck High School: Jonathan Wolf

Elementary School runs from 9:00-3:15. Middle School runs from 8:00-2:30. High School runs from 7:25-1:50.

Bryant and Stratton College is located in Orchard Park.

Erie Community College (ECC) is at the western town line.

Orchard Park also has a number of private, Catholic schools, including Nativity, St. John Vianney, and Our Lady of the Sacred Heart.

Culture[link]

Art[link]

The annual Quaker Arts Festival, an outdoor art and craft show, is held each year on the picturesque campus of the Orchard Park Middle School on the third weekend of September. It was organized in the 1960s by Orchard Parkers John Coleman of The Suburban Press and Chet Seymour of the Orchard Park Presbyterian Church, and was originally held on the grounds of the Orchard Park Presbyterian Church. In its early days, the festival was cosponsored by the newspaper and the church. The festival is now cosponsored by the Orchard Park Jaycees and R.W. Publications, publisher of the Orchard Park Press.

Music[link]

Since 1985, under the direction of the Orchard Park Council of the Arts, local businesses and the Town of Orchard Park sponsor free outdoor musical entertainment throughout the summer at the Pavilion bandstand on the grounds of the Middle School.

Organized in 1949, the Orchard Park Symphony Orchestra, composed of more than 70 volunteer musicians, performs four regular concerts each year in the High School Auditorium.

The Orchard Park Chorale was founded in 1975 under the sponsorship of the Adult Education Program of the Orchard Park School District. It's more than fifty singers perform regularly at the Orchard Park Presbyterian Church.

Food[link]

Orchard Park is home to Taffy's Hot Dog Stand at the corner of U.S. Route 20 and NY Rtes 240 & 277, and Eckl's Restaurant famous for roast beef on kummelweck rolls, located on Ellicott Rd south of the village. The town is also home of the 3000th Tim Hortons restaurant location.

Media[link]

Print newspapers[link]

• The Orchard Park Press - Weekly
• The Orchard Park Bee - Weekly

Sports[link]

• Ralph Wilson Stadium, the home stadium of the NFL Buffalo Bills is located in Orchard Park.
• The Orchard Park High School football team won the 2008 and 2011 New York State Public High School Class AA Championship.
• The Orchard Park High School baseball team won the 1988 State Championship.
• The Orchard Park High School volleyball team won the 2008 New York State Championship.
• The 1993 and 1994 Orchard Park Little League Baseball team won the New York State Championship.
• The Orchard Park Little League has baseball and softball divisions at all levels.
• The Orchard Park Starz girl's travel softball program is made up exclusively by Orchard Park players and competes in the Metro Girl's Softball Association.
• The Orchard Park Youth Basketball Association (OPYBA)
• The Orchard Park Little Loop Football

The Orchard Park Sox, an adult Men's Baseball team The Orchard Park Shock, a flag football team established in 2008

Orchard Park wrestling club sends wrestlers to nationals 2011 and 2012

Notable residents – current and former[link]

This unreferenced section requires citations to ensure verifiability.

• Jim Burt, former NFL nose tackle for the San Francisco 49ers and New York Giants
• Wray Carlton, former AFL halfback with the Buffalo Bills who scored the first-ever touchdown for the Bills
• Eric Herman, children's music entertainer
• Dave Hollins, former Major League Baseball player (Phillies, Minnesota Twins, Mariners)
• Rick James (1948–2004), musician
• Dick Jauron, former Coach of the NFL Buffalo Bills
• John Koelmel, CEO, First Niagara Bank
• Jim Kelly, former professional football player, Buffalo Bills
• Lex Luger a.k.a. Lawrence ("Larry") Wendell Pfohl, former professional wrestler
• Travis Mayer, Olympic medalist in Freestyle Skiing
• Brian Moorman, current NFL professional punter for the Buffalo Bills
• John Murphy, the play-by-play announcer for the Buffalo Bills
• Terrell Owens, NFL wide receiver for the Cincinnati Bengals
• William Sadler, Actor; Saturn Award winner
• Josh Thomas, Defensive End for the NFL Indianapolis Colts
• Mary Travers, Executive Director of the Family Justice Center of Erie County.
• Craig Wolfley, former NFL professional offensive lineman for the Pittsburgh Steelers and Minnesota Vikings
• Ron Wolfley, former NFL professional fullback for the Arizona Cardinals and Cleveland Browns. Current radio analyst for Arizona Cardinals

References[link]

External links[link]

• Village and Town information: Orchard Park
• Orchard Park GIS: Orchard Park

v t e Municipalities and communities of Erie County, New York, United States County seat: Buffalo Cities Buffalo Lackawanna Tonawanda Towns Alden Amherst Aurora Boston Brant Cheektowaga Clarence Colden Collins Concord Eden Elma Evans Grand Island Hamburg Holland Lancaster Marilla Newstead North Collins Orchard Park Sardinia Tonawanda Wales West Seneca Villages Akron Alden Angola Blasdell Depew East Aurora Farnham Gowanda‡ Hamburg Kenmore Lancaster North Collins Orchard Park Sloan Springville Williamsville CDPs Angola on the Lake Billington Heights Cheektowaga Clarence Center Eden Elma Center Harris Hill Holland Lake Erie Beach North Boston Tonawanda Town Line West Seneca Other hamlets Akron Junction Alden Center Armor Athol Springs Bagdad Bellevue Big Tree Blakeley Blossom Boston Bowmansville Brant Brighton Carnegie Chaffee Clarksburg Cleveland Hill Clifton Heights Collins Center Concord Creekside Crittenden Dellwood Derby Doyle Duells Corner Dutchtown East Amherst East Concord East Eden East Elma East Seneca Ebenezer Eden Valley Eggertsville Ellicott Elma Evans Center Ferry Village Footes Forks Fowlerville Gardenville Getzville Glenwood Grandyle Village Green Acres Griffins Mills Holland Hunts Corners Jerusalem Corners Jewettville Kenilworth Lake View Langford Lawtons Locksley Park Loveland Marilla Marshfield Millersport Millgrove Morton Corners Mount Vernon Murrays Corner New Ebenezer New Oregon North Bailey North Evans Oakfield Patchin Peters Corners Pine Hill Pinehurst Pontiac Porterville Protection Sand Hill Sandy Beach Scranton Sheenwater Shirley Snyder South Cheektowaga South Newstead South Wales Spring Brook Swifts Mills Taylor Hollow Town Line Station Swormville Walden Cliffs Wales Hollow Wanakah Water Valley Webster Corners Wende West Alden West Falls Weyer Williston Windom Wolcottsburg Woodlawn Woodside Wyandale Zoar Indian reservations Cattaraugus Reservation Tonawanda Reservation‡ Footnotes ‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties

Megan and Liz (commonly stylized as Megan & Liz) are American pop girl band composed of fraternal twin sisters, Megan and Liz Mace, from Edwardsburg, Michigan. They are both songwriters, and Megan is their guitarist.

Early life[link]

Megan McKinley Mace and Elizabeth Morgan Mace were born on November 21, 1992 in Edwardsburg, Michigan. Megan is the older twin.^{[citation needed]}

YouTube success[link]

Their first video on YouTube, entitled "This Note", is a song which they wrote aged 15.^[1] Their first cover was of "Ain't No Mountain High Enough", originally written by Nickolas Ashford & Valerie Simpson and performed by Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell, but better known from Diana Ross's cover in 1970. They have posted 22 original songs on YouTube (as of March 2012).^[2]

Their YouTube channel currently has over 676,000 subscribers and over 139 million video views. They are the 34th most subscribed music channel on YouTube.^[3]

The duo released their first official music video on May 20, 2011 ^[4] of their self-written song "Happy Never After." Since then they have posted 5 original and official videos. Two days later, on May 22, 2011, Megan and Liz performed at the Totally Tube concert in Westbury, New York, alongside fellow YouTubers Kurt Schneider, Tiffany Alvord, Joseph Vincent, Kait Weston, and Jenna Rose.

Since moving to Nashville, Tennessee the duo has been added to Nashville Hootenanny's 'Teen Hoot' roster, where local artists perform for a crowd of teens at Westwood Studios. Megan and Liz have appeared in June 26, 2011 and August 20, 2011 performances and play both covers and original songs for further shows.^[5] In the August 20 show, they performed a duet with "Need Your Poison" co-writers Memphis High.

Their second music video, "Rest of You", was released on June 17, 2011.^[6] The video was shot in their hometown of Edwardsburg with several of their friends. Views of Lake Michigan can be seen in the video. The single was released two days prior to the music video's release on YouTube and Celebuzz.

In the beginning of August 2011, Megan and Liz debuted their new single, "Here I Go", on Celebuzz!. The song was co-written by the girls and Paula Winger.^[7]

In late August 2011, the twins released their next original song, "Run Away", along with a corresponding music video. The girls co-wrote the song with Alexz Johnson and Jimmy Robbins. The video was shot at Edwin Warner Park in Nashville.^[8]

"World's Gunna End", another Megan and Liz original, was released on September 6, 2011. The accompanying music video was released on September 12. Megan and Liz co-wrote the song back in May 2011 with songwriter and music producer Chris Sernel.^[9] The girls, along with their video producer (who had appeared in the "Here I Go" music video), visited over thirty locations in Nashville to shoot the many alternating scenes in the video.^[10] The girls released an acoustic version of the song as a free download on their Facebook fan page on October 3.^[11]

A Twinning Christmas EP (2011)[link]

In early September 2011, Megan revealed on her official Twitter account that they would be releasing a Christmas EP before the release of their debut album.^[12] Their EP, A Twinning Christmas, was released online (digitally on iTunes and Amazon MP3) on November 15, 2011.^[13] Their first original Christmas song, "It's Christmas Time", was released on November 8.

Debut Album and Recent Releases (2011-)[link]

In June 2011, the girls announced that they had officially begun production on their debut album, to be released in the spring of 2012.^[14]

In mid-September 2011, Megan & Liz announced that they were heading to Los Angeles, California to shoot multiple music videos. One of them was for an original song, "Are You Happy Now?" (co-written with Paula Winger), which was directed by Shenae Grimes of 90210. This song was also recorded for the Do Something organization against bullying.^[15] The single was released on October 8, 2011. The music video premiered on Teen.com on October 17, 2011. The website had been promoting Megan & Liz the week prior, including releasing exclusive behind-the-scenes footage of the video shoot with Grimes, premiering a video teaser, and hosting a giveaway of some of the props used in the video.^[16][17] As of now, an acoustic version of the song taken from one of their live performances is available as a free download on their Facebook fan page.^[18]

Their original song, "Old School Love",^[19] was released early on December 21, 2011, with the re-release slated for January 3, 2012. The filming of the video was completed on October 1, 2011.^[20] It was written by Megan and Liz, along with Alexz Johnson and Jimmy Robbins.^[21] The video was released on January 16, 2012.^[22]

The duo performed their unreleased song, titled "Switch Hearts", at a show at Michigan State University in late October. A new unreleased song, "Just Friends", can be heard in the girls' tour vlog released in early December.^[23][24] They have also performed their original, "Better Than Me," in November 2011. In late December 2011, it was revealed that the duo would be collaborating with Zach Porter from the boy band Allstar Weekend, on a song called "Telescope."^[25] Megan confirmed that this song will be featured on their debut album, along with "Switch Hearts."^[26] They filmed a music video for another unreleased song, "Long Distance," in middle of March.^[27] A demo version of the song was made available for download on April 9, 2012 when fans received ten clicks on their "share" links through a Facebook app.^[28]

On December 2, 2011, the girls performed at the annual 107.5 The River's Acoustic Christmas 2011 concert in Nashville, alongside Demi Lovato, Hot Chelle Rae, Colbie Caillat, Andy Grammer, and Cobra Starship.^[29] On December 9, the girls were invited to perform at Z100 Jingle Ball 2011 Pre-Show in New York City.^[30][31]

In January 2012, the girls travelled to L.A. to film a music video for another original song, "A Girl's Life."^[32] The video was released a short while later on January 30, 2012.^[33]

In May 2012, they performed on the Village stage at the annual Wango Tango concert event.^[34] In that same week, Megan & Liz won the Macy's iHeart Radio Rising Star contest, which means that they will be the opening act at the iHeart Radio Musical Festival, held in Las Vegas, Nevada in the September of 2012.^[35]

This Time EP (2012)[link]

Megan & Liz's fourth EP, This Time, will be sold in physical form for a limited time in F.y.e. stores nationwide. It was released on February 28, 2012.^[36] This EP contains seven original songs, six of which had previously been released as singles. The other original song is called "Princess Charming."^[37] The EP was also released on iTunes on February 20th.^[38]

Personal life[link]

Both of the girls attended Edwardsburg High School in Michigan, where they were both cheerleaders. After their relocation to Tennessee, they returned to Michigan to graduate with their class in June 2011.

Liz can play a little bit of piano and is currently attempting to learn the guitar in her spare time.^[39] Liz is also a vegetarian, while Megan is a pescatarian.

The twins have met and collaborated with several other fellow YouTube artists, such as Memphis High, Emily Harder, Boyce Avenue, and Tiffany Alvord. They have also listed YouTube artist Christina Grimmie as one of their inspirations.

Other inspirations of the Mace twins include Taylor Swift, Beyonce, Demi Lovato, Katy Perry and Aly & AJ.

They teamed up with Friskies to raise $1,000 for the Friends for Dearborn Animal Shelter during the 2010 holiday season. The donation was awarded when their holiday jingle video surpassed 100,000 views after 18 days.^[40]

As of May 2011, the sisters have relocated to Nashville, Tennessee to pursue more music opportunities.^[41][42] They now release their singles through Collective Sounds.^[43]

The duo also have a beauty channel on YouTube where they post videos that focus on hair, makeup, and style, as well as aspects of inner beauty.^[44]

Discography[link]

Megan & Liz have released two EPs. Their first EP is available for online download through Amazon.com and iTunes. It contained all original songs. Their self-titled second EP was only available to purchase on tour in February 2011. This EP contained three covers, as well as two original songs. Their cover "Your Guardian Angel" on the EP was previously unreleased and has not been released online. Their Christmas EP was released in November 2011, which contained two original songs and three covers of popular holiday songs.

Singles[link]

Tour[link]

In mid-January, the Mace twins announced they would be special guests along with Tiffany Alvord on tour with the band Boyce Avenue. They will be on tour from February 11 to February 27. On March 1 they announced that they will open for Boyce Avenue in two more shows at the end of the month. The dates are below:^[49]

In late August, Megan & Liz announced that they will be opening for Action Item on their upcoming, "The Stronger The Love" tour, along with Burnham, Hollywood Ending, and The After Party. They will appear in eight shows.^[50]

The girls joined Allstar Weekend along with Hollywood Ending, Before You Exit, and The After Party on select dates during the winter portion of their 2011-2012 tour.

In February 2012, Megan & Liz began their F.Y.E./radio tour, where they will travel to radio stations across the Mid-Western part of the United States. They will also be performing in various F.Y.E. stores while promoting their EP, "This Time". More dates are to be announced.

References[link]

External links[link]

• Megan and Liz official website
• Megan and Liz at Last.fm
• Megan and Liz YouTube band page

Ben Holmes (November 6, 1890 – December 2, 1943) was an American film director and screenwriter. He directed 56 films between 1929 and 1944. He also wrote for 35 films between 1928 and 1944.

He was born in Richmond, Virginia and died in Hollywood, California.

Selected filmography[link]

• So This Is Harris! (1933)
• The Saint in New York (1938 - directed)
• The Saint's Double Trouble (1940)

External links[link]

• Ben Holmes at the Internet Movie Database
• Ben Holmes at AllRovi

This article about a United States film director born in the 1890s is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. v t e