400 enjoy Ale in Autumn in downtown Medina

Photos by Ginny Kropf: Representatives of Medina Area Partnership stand behind a table full of beer glasses as they wait for the first wave of visitors to Ale in Autumn on Saturday at the Senior Center. Front row, from left, are Amanda Pollard, Sarah Fisher, Ann Fisher-Bale, Cindy Hewitt, Grace Fisher and Cherie Scharping. At rear are Patrick Weissend and Tim Elliott. A record 400 glasses were sold.

MEDINA – Medina was a beehive of activity Saturday afternoon, attracting hundreds of visitors to town who participated in Ale in Autumn.

This is the 11th year for the event, and the first year it was sponsored by the Medina Area Partnership.

A record 400 engraved beer glasses were sold in advance to individuals who picked up their glass at the Senior Center, then left to explore the participating businesses on their own. Start times were staggered, beginning at 1 p.m., to prevent congestion along the way.

A Knowlesville family waits to pick up their glasses for the start of Ale in Autumn on Saturday in Medina. From left are Kathy Quackenbush and John, Marilyn and Marissa Colosangi.

Before leaving the Senior Center, participants could buy sheets of tickets on raffle baskets which were available in each store, then drop them in the baskets they chose along the way. A grand prize offered was a one-night’s stay at Bent’s Hotel in the Opera House.

Tim Elliott, a member of the Medina Area Partnership, picked out the alcohol, which represented a variety of ales from across the United States and several foreign countries. They included IPA, Porter’s, fruit, wheat, sour and even pumpkin.

Canalside Tattoo poured glasses of cranberry ginger beer; Creekside Floral offered Mississippi Mud; and Della’s Chocolate offered none other than Chocolate Peanut Butter. The Medina Historical Society’s beer was a very popular and mild Longboard Island Lager.

Jim Wells, a member of the Butts-Clark American Legion Post, took advantage of the crowd at Ale in Autumn in Medina Saturday to sell tickets on a cash raffle to benefit the Warrior House. He is sitting outside Author’s Note book shop.

Other participating businesses were 810 Meadworks, who served their own beer; a lily and a sparrow; ellen j goods; Hemp House; Into the Enigma; Lyric & Lizzy Boutique; Mandeo’s Candy Shoppe; Mark’s Pizzeria; Mystic Dragon’s Lair; Poler’s Pub; Shirt Factory Café; Downtown Browsery; English Rose Tea Shoppe; and Vintage Cigar.

The event brought visitors from across Western New York, from Farmington to Hamburg.

Nicky Henion of Medina, Lindsay Monacelli of Albion and Veronique Flor of Albion were delighted not only at the beers, but the opportunity to see all the little shops they had not been in before.

“I’ll definitely do it again,” Monacelli said.

MAP reminds the public to save the dates for other upcoming events, including Beggar’s Night on Oct. 29; Moonlight Madness on Nov. 18; Olde Tyme Christmas and Parade of Lights from Dec. 2 through Dec. 5; and Wine About Winter on Feb. 5.

Volunteers at Medina Historical Museum were thrilled with the crowd of Ale in Autumn participants who visited the museum Saturday. From left are Edith Grzywacz, Georgia Thomas and Catherine Cooper. Thomas holds a bottle of Longboard Island Lager, which they served, and one of the steins in her collection.