Happy 90th Mr. C, wishing you 90 more!

Mr. and Mrs. C are some of the nicest people you will ever meet. If you have had anything to do with music in this area in the last 50 years, chances are you may know them! They seem to know everyone… whether they can remember their names or not is another question Back in May, Mr. Cox celebrated 90 years while surrounded by friends and family from all over the globe. I was lucky enough to be there and capture the faces of those children, grandchildren, great grand-children, nieces, nephews, students, neighbors, bandmates, and friends.

Throughout the image-making process, from proofing to ordering to delivery, I was in the Cox home numerous times. Each time Mrs. Cox would pull out a few photos to show me: photos from her past that meant a lot to her. I saw images from the 1920s through 2011 displayed all around her home. This last trip was perhaps the most special. I was bringing them the Photo Book filled with their favorite images from the celebration. As the two of them sat on the couch flipping the pages, I could see tears forming in her eyes. They had lost one of their friends since the party. Another had been diagnosed with Cancer. She pointed to each person and told us all about them.

Then we got to the back, where there is a two page spread of the whole family… all 30 of them! She pointed to two photos on their walls. One looked to be ~15 years old, it was a group photo but was taken before some of the grandkids had been born. Another looked only a handful of years old, it was beautiful, but also was missing some VIPs. Then she looked at the book in her hands and almost hugged it– they were all there, she said.

Wow. The power of photography. I can’t tell you how many times I was thanked for making this book, but now its my turn to say thank you. Thank you Mr. and Mrs. Cox for showing me the true power and purpose of photography. I loved every one of our meetings and seeing the photos that are important to you. Thank you for allowing me to add to that collection. I wish you many more years of turning the pages and quizzing each other on the names of everyone present!

Mr. C's favorite color

Candid images of the four children

Mr. & Mrs. C

The Whole Family

This event was much to big for one photographer! I had the pleasure of shooting with Heather McKay and Angie Carter as we ran around capturing as much as we could! We also had two assistants, Terri Parthum and Jolene Creighton helping out on the back end! What a team! It was a blast to work with everyone, I hope that our work will bring in some important dollars for building the park!

Below are just a few photos from the event, for MUCH more please visit and purchase from the official gallery, with proceeds going to the park! Thanks!

Many riders performed on a variety of ramps and rails.

Skaters and riders performed tricks for the crowd throughout the day.

The biggest fundraisers got to have dinner with the professionals!

Jim Maddison, President of Friends of Roc City Skatepark, addressed the crowd about the importance of the park and giving kids a safe place to skate.

Local shops generously donated a wonderful spread of items that were auctioned off with proceeds going to the park. Highlights included autographed skateboards and guitars.

Aerial Arts of Rochester wowed the VIP party with their incredible performance of strength and beauty.

It was a gorgeous morning for a run, and these runners were enjoying it!

As the size of the race has grown, so has my photography crew. This year, I was glad to have help from my good friend Erin Perrotta out on the race course. We had the fast-fingers job of capturing every runner as they passed us by. At the finish line, my lovely husband, John, captured the racers as they crossed the line and received their time. Between the three of us, we captured over 1500 images in just over an hour. I then sorted through them to find the best of each person. Along with a commemorative t-shirt, each entrant will receive two 4×6 prints to remember their accomplishments by. One is from the race course, and the second is at the finish line.

The first place finisher (left) came in with a time of 16:30! Congratulations Ethan! The group to the right was not far behind him.

Prints will be going out in the mail next week, so watch your mail boxes! If you are interested in larger prints or wall art, contact me today! Congratulations to all that walked and ran, you made me tired just watching! I look forward to seeing you again next Memorial Day!

The inspirational story this year was the man waving here, who finished the course in just over one hour. Charles is 95 years young, and made it look easy! It was especially wonderful that all the finished racers stayed around to watch and cheer as he crossed the finish line.

The flag backdrop was especially fitting, since this race takes place in the Birthplace of Memorial Day. Each participant has the right to be proud of their accomplishments!

Congratulations to all 334 who crossed the finish line!

Congratulations Emory and Judy on your first 50 years together!

We also photographed the annual 5k Race, which has grown this year to nearly 250 runners! Congratulations to Jack Sutliffe and all of the Celebrate Commemorate committee for another year of a job well done!