A small gathering was held on Friday to celebrate the installation of a new clock downtown, donated by Carl and Trish Timko and installed by Fredonia Department of Public Works crews and a worker from the Verdin Company at the corner of Temple Street and Main Street.

The gathering started with a blessing by Fr. Dan Walsh of Holy Trinity Church.

“It’s totally fitting that I was late today, to remind us how we need clocks,” Fr. Walsh joked. “On the other hand, I would like to give the excuse that with God, there’s no such thing as time. I’d like to think I was living in God’s time… We need clocks, and we need to be mindful of using our time to make the world a better place, our time to reach out to people, our time to greet people and bring them closer to each other, and closer to God. We might ask ourselves, ‘how well we are using our time, and how are we going to use that time from now on?'”

After a moment of silence, Fr. Walsh began his blessing over the clock.

“Lord God, we thank you for giving us this time to make the world a better place. We thank you for Carl and Trish Timko, who have given us this clock to remind us what we should be doing with our time, our energy and our lives. Bless this clock. May it always remind us of how much you love us, God, and how much we in the community help one another out,” Fr. Walsh said before sprinkling holy water over the village timepiece.

It was then announced that the clock dedication was occurring on the same day as the Timko’s 55th wedding anniversary, for which Fr. Walsh said a few words as well.

“When Jesus went to the first wedding, he blessed that water and turned it into wine. The waiters in charge said, ‘People usually serve the best wine first, then when the people have been drinking awhile, a lesser vintage. You have served the best wine last,” Fr. Walsh said.

“Look at this lovely couple, and we like to think that after 55 years, their love is even deeper and richer and more full-bodied than ever before. Their love and their goodness and their faithfulness to one another, again, like this clock is a reminder of what can be accomplished with God’s love, and using the gift of time that God gave us.”

The end of his speech and dedication was met with thunderous applause. Afterward, Melissa Thompson, family friend of the Timko’s and one of the helping hands in getting the clock established, went up to the front of the crowd to deliver Trish Timko’s speech for her.

“Our gift to Fredonia for the love you have given us. We give you this clock and our love. It’s our way of saying thank you, Fredonia, for welcoming us to your beautiful village.

“We had looked for a place to call home and have our business. From the moment we saw the Commons and beautiful Fredonia, we knew we had found the perfect place to call home. We thank you – Carl and Trish Timko,” concluded Thompson to yet another round of applause.

Afterward, a small luncheon was held at The White Inn with close family and friends to celebrate the dedication and the Timko’s wedding anniversary – complete with a cake designed to look like a clock.

The Timko’s reside on East Main Street in Fredonia. Carl, a former Fredonia village justice, held memberships in the NYS and Chautauqua County Association of Magistrates, Erie-Niagara Funeral Directors Association and the Chautauqua County, New York State and National Funeral Directors Associations. Mrs. Timko is a former beautician that had assisted at Larson-Timko Funeral Home when they owned the business.