‘Moving forward, we are working on a long-term erosion mitigation plan for the top sections of the cemetery’

Photos and information courtesy of Boxwood Cemetery Commission

MEDINA – If you have visited the historic hillside sections of Boxwood Cemetery recently, you are likely to notice a change; the grass is growing taller, and the mowers have grown quiet in these older, more historic areas.

To some, this might seem like neglect, but in reality, it is a deliberate, urgent rescue mission to save our community’s history at Boxwood Cemetery. Every blade of grass, wildflower, and ground plant is reaching down, weaving its roots with its neighbors and quite literally holding hands underground to save our hillsides from washing away.

For decades, the steep slopes of our oldest sections have faced a quiet crisis. Traditional lawnmowers and string trimmers, while well-intentioned, scrape away topsoil and weaken grass roots on steep inclines.  Without deep roots to hold the earth together, the hillsides are slowly washing away.  Historic headstones are shifting, tilting, and in some cases, falling and breaking as the ground gives away beneath them.

This year, the Boxwood Commission and the Department of Public Works for the Village of Medina have made a conscious, strategic decision to pause mowing on the hillside areas to preserve these irreplaceable monuments and prevent further destruction.

Moving forward, we are working on a long-term erosion mitigation plan for the top sections of the cemetery. In the meantime, we ask for your patience and your understanding to support this healing process. We are not abandoning these sacred grounds; we are giving them the time and defense they desperately need to heal.

This month, Nell Gardner – horticulturist, agronomist, flower grower and historical landscape expert – took a walk with us through Boxwood Cemetery to help us determine if our pause in mowing and string trimming has made a positive impact. She was very hopeful of us being able to stabilize the vegetation in the cemetery. Gardner states that we need to continue to work on the areas that are still bare by planting some low mow grasses and native wildflowers so we can evolve those into well stabilized sod with added value.

Our goal will be to mow roadways and paths on the hillside for accessibility, and outline steep areas to mow once or twice per year. Gardner states, her “hope is that by establishing more vegetation on all the bare areas, reducing mowing and directing drainage, the cemetery will be stabilized and improved.”

Jacob Hebdon, Boxwood Commission president, would like The Boxwood Commission to develop a maintenance plan so that in future years the cemetery grounds will remain sustainable and stable.

Thank you to our community for standing with us as we protect Boxwood Cemetery for generations to come.

Article submitted by Gloria Snyder – Member of the Boxwood Commission.

Photos by Tom Rivers: Jim Steele, director of the Medina Reunion Jazz Band, speaks with a crowd of about 250 people on Sunday at State Street Park. Steele, a retired Medina band teacher, dedicated the final song of “God Bless the USA” to long-time Medina Band volunteer, John Ryan, who served about 40 years as a color guard and winter guard instructor. He passed away at age 85 on Aug. 17.

MEDINA – A crowd estimated at nearly 250 people attended a concert at State Street Park on Sunday afternoon to celebrate the country’s 250th anniversary.

Sponsored by the Medina Tourism Committee, the event featured patriotic and jazz music by the Medina Reunion Jazz Band, led by retired band director Jim Steele and made up by former band students, alumni, staff members of Medina High School and others; puppetry and magic by former television personality Mike Randall; and a reading of the Declaration of Independence by Randall.

Medina music teacher Rachel Trillizio sings “God Bless the USA” during Sunday’s concert.

Medina High School music teacher Rachel Trillizio sang several songs with the band. This is first time the jazz band has had a singer, Steele said. He also recognized soloist Ric Jones of Medina and Bil Tiberio, a man with 44 years at Fairport who Steele said is so talented he finds goodness in anyone who plays an instrument.

Medina Tourism Committee chair Jim Hancock opened the program with a welcome and thanked all who made it possible. This included Sons of the American Legion, who donated money for 250 cupcakes and little flags which were handed out; Hans’s Bakery, which made the cupcakes; and Randall for his patriotic reading and for entertaining with puppets.

“For those who haven’t heard the Declaration of Independence in full, it is an amazing document,” Hancock said. “Mike’s reading was beautiful and very moving.”

Mike Randall brought along some puppet friends and entertained the crowd with their antics.

Hancock also announced Medina was preparing a time capsule, which will be buried in October in Rotary Park, and not to be opened for 50 years. People were encouraged to come up to the tourism tent and add their suggestion to a list of what to put in the capsule.

The crowd also enjoyed pizza and beverages from Dubby’s Wood Fired Pizza, who was set up in the park with a food truck. Hazel and Honey also served baked goods and lemonade.

These cupcakes with red, white and blue frosted were available to the crowd, courtesy of the Sons of the American Legion.

The afternoon concluded with a salute from the American Legion and VFW Honor Guard, which Hancock said was a beautiful ending to Medina’s celebration of the nation’s Birthday Party in the Park.

In addition to Hancock, members of the Medina Tourism Committee are Jan Smith, Barb Gorham, Kelly Kiebala, Ann Fisher-Bale, Kathy Blackburn, Dawn Borchet and Debbie Padoleski.

Photos by Ginny Kropf at left: Mike Randall recited the Declaration of Independence to the crowd. Photo courtesy of Barb Gorham at right: Hans Rosentreter  from Hans’s Bakery stands with 250 cupcakes he made for Medina’s celebration of the 250th anniversary of our country.

The Bennett and Green families watch as Mike Randall performs a magic rope trick for the children.

Photos by Tom Rivers: Jim Hancock, chairman of the Tourism Committee, thanks the band for their performance and then prompted the crowd to sing  “God Bless America” near the end of the concert.

The Honor Guard, with members from the American Legion and Veterans of Foreign Wars, fired a gun salute and with echo taps.

‘All That Sustains Us’ concludes today in Medina

Photos by Tom Rivers: This group is on a bird-watching expedition on June 7 on the Glenside Avenue canal bridge, looking towards the wooded area along the Erie Canal towpath. The Triennial hosted several workshops and expeditions in the past three months exploring the environment, ecology and sustainability. The exhibitions have an overall theme of “All That Sustains Us.”

MEDINA – The Medina Triennial concludes today after three months as a showcase of art installations from 39 artists at 10 locations in Medina.

Most of the works are located in the former Medina High School. The $2 million initiative has been funded by the New York Power Authority, the Canal Corp. and other sponsors. There is no admission charge.

About 30,000 people have come to Medina to see the Triennial in the three months. Attendance has grown, especially in August. On Saturday, more than 500 people stopped by the Medina Triennial Hub, the welcome center that also includes two of the art installations.

Organizers are pleased with the response from the public, many glowing reviews in art publications and the funding support. Kari Conte, co-director of the Triennial, said she fully expects there will be a second triennial in three years – 2029.

Kari Conte, co-curator and artistic director of the Triennial, introduces Richard Ibghy & Marilou Lemmens at Rotary Park on June 7. The two artists created a whimsical toolshed that highlights how birds use tools. They will be back today for another discussion at Rotary Park from 2 to 3 p.m.

Medina has felt the increase in visitors, said Jim Hancock, the Medina Tourism Committee chairman. He helps staff the Visitor Center at Rotary Park.

“We have people stop by Visitor Center asking about the Triennial,” Hancock said. “Our visitors are way up. There have been a lot more people in town than in years past. It’s just been busy.”

Federico Rosario, the community engagement and programs coordinator for the Triennial, said there was a noticeable jump in visitors after an Aug. 1 article in the Buffalo News that encouraged people to see the Triennial and its exhibition of artists from 21 countries.

He said about 35 to 40 percent of the visitors had never been to Medina before. Some visitors have come back more than once to fully experience the Triennial.

Most of the visitors make a day trip from Buffalo, Rochester and Toronto.

“Word of mouth has been the most powerful way people are learning about the Triennial,” Rosario said.

The former Sacred Heart Church site in Medina features an installation, “Exhibit” by Mary Mattingly. Rooted in a living sculpture: a multi-tiered shelving unit of glass jars and terrariums containing edible plants adapted to a changing climate. Mattingly also created the popular floating garden on a barge that is moored in the Canal Basin.

Sacred Heart Church hosts works from four artists or collectives including a palm tree constructed from 540 handmade soap bars cast from recycled cooking oil. This was created by FIBRA, an all-women collective – Lucia Monge, Gianine Tabja, and Gabriela Flores del Pozo – from Lima, Peru.

An exhibit of trophies repurposed to pay homage to working people is in the gym of the old high school. Jean Shin, an artist who works out of New York City and the Hudson Valley, has given a new purpose to more than 400 trophies on display at the old high school. Instead of celebrating athletic achievements, Shin now has the trophies to highlight everyday professions: caregivers, food service employees, postal carriers, sanitary workers and others whose labor is often unappreciated.

This group gathers for food and conversation at the Triennial Hub on Saturday. This is the office and welcome area for the Hub. It is located in the former NAPA Auto Parts building at 345 Main St. This site had more than 500 visitors on Saturday.

People on Sunday check out the exhibits inside the historic Medina High School, where many of the art exhibits are located. In back artist Aki Inomata entitles this piece as “How to Carve a Sculpture.” Based in Tokyo, Inomata traveled to five zoos in Japan providing material for beavers to create these gnawed-wood sculptures. The smaller sculptures were made by beavers and the bigger ones were machine-carved versions on a larger scale.

‘A wonderful experience for us in Medina’

By Ginny Kropf, Correspondent

Photo by Scott Robinson: Roux, 5-year-old son of Scott Robinson and his wife Alix Gilman, is fascinated by a painting of the late Niagara Falls artist Jay Carrier. The painting is in Room 102, with several other artists’ work in the historic Medina High School.

MEDINA – As the inaugural Medina Triennial approaches its last day, residents and visitors are reminded they have one more chance to view this first-time extravagant venture, which began the first week in June.

“Over the past three months, we have watched visitors from near and far come to experience artworks by 39 artists and collectives across 10 sites throughout the village,” said Kari Conte, creative director. “The response from both critics and visitors has been beyond anything we could have imagined.”

The Triennial’s primary indoor sites, Medina High School and Sacred Heart Church, are free and fully accessible. Conte shared that the high school now has a platform lift to the second floor, and accessible parking is available behind the building.

Twenty-eight of the 39 artists’ works are exhibited on the first and second floors of the high school, while James Beckett’s “A Good Wall” occupies the southeast corner of the front lawn.

Recently, Scott Robinson and his wife Alix Gilman took their 5-year-old son Roux to view the exhibits. Much to their surprise, many of the exhibits fascinated the young child. At Medina High School, he stood staring at Jay Carrier’s painting. They couldn’t tear him away from an ecological video, Robinson said.

“Roux joined me at the hospital for the artist’s overview, and to my shock he stood the entire time so ‘he could pay attention.’ Then on Sunday, we finally walked the old high school. Hours after we got home Roux asked Alix if we could do something for the people who lost their homes (referring to the exhibit of keys of people who have lost homes in Palestine.) He’s currently trying to figure out a way to build homes, invite the people over to ours or buy them food.”

Robinson is director of marketing at Medina Memorial Hospital, where one artist’s exhibit is available for viewing, half outside and the other side in a covered walkway.

“Over the last couple of months, I’ve been able to see firsthand the impact of the Medina Triennial,” Robinson said. “Everyday I watch as patients, visitors, team members and out-of-town guests view the installation at Medina Memorial Hospital. The response has been great. Questions are asked, opinions are shared and there is excitement that the hospital was able to participate. For a building that’s been part of the community for 101 years, it’s great to be able to take part in this exciting time. I’ve also had the opportunity to speak to many of the first-time visitors to our village. I bartend at the Shirt Factory once a week, and there hasn’t been a day over the summer where someone doesn’t set their Triennial book on the bar and invite a conversation about Medina – something I love talking about. There’s no question this has further put Medina on the map.

“On a personal note, we’ve made this a family adventure,” Robinson continued. “Our 5-year-old has participated in the butterfly release, he attended the presentation at the high school and we’ve all walked around the old Medina High School and Triennial Hub.”

During their recent trip to the historic Medina High School, Robinson said Roux never stopped asking questions, even after they returned home.

“Art is meant to be enjoyed, it’s meant to drive conversation, and it’s meant to share emotions,” Robinson said. “What we never realized was that our child would be so impacted by some of the installations he experienced. One of my fondest memories of this summer will be the moments we spent at the Medina Triennial sites.”

Jeanne Crane, a former nurse at Medina Memorial Hospital, said she has visited the display at the hospital and the barge in the Canal Basin.

“This has been a wonderful experience for us in Medina, especially for people who are unable to travel,” Crane said. “Many talented artists have exposed us to a world we do not see in our small community. It was well-publicized and many visitors have come and spent money in our community. This has been a wonderful event. Thank you to the organizers.”

Cora Goyette of Medina volunteered as one of the guides for the Triennial. Visiting the sites on one its last days, she said, “It’s quintessentially Medina.”