Medina church at former Apple Grove Inn will celebrate site’s restaurant history
The Grove United Methodist Church will serve up big meal, memories on Sept.19
Photos courtesy of the Rev. Mike Breunig: This photo of the outside of the Apple Grove Inn was taken in 2007.
MEDINA – The Grove United Methodist Church is celebrating on Sept. 19 the restaurant from which it took its name, with a buffet dinner and presentation renewing memories of the former Apple Grove Inn.
When the United Methodist Church needed a new home, in 2013 they moved into the building which for many years was the Apple Grove Inn and then vacant.
Earlier this spring, the Grove United Methodist Church had planned to have a Lenten dinner with a guest speaker, but, unfortunately, the speaker had to cancel and the church did not have time to locate a replacement to fill the spot, according to the Grove’s pastor Barb Brewer.
After canceling the Lenten dinner, the church decided to take more time in planning another event.
This is hostess Segrid Van Auker greeting guests Mrs. Karlton Davis and Mrs. John C. Collins.
Pastor Brewer was talking with Nate Sanders, who uses the church kitchen for his business, Elite Foods, in which he sells healthy and pre-packaged meals for public consumption. The two started talking about the Apple Grove Restaurant and Sanders suggested doing an Apple Grove buffet dinner. For years, the original Apple Grove Inn was famous for its gigantic and delicious buffet.
The pastor liked the idea and took it to the Worship Committee, who liked it as well.
The Grove UMC is currently selling tickets to the Sept. 19 event, which promises to be an evening of good food, with a buffet and presentation on the history of the Apple Grove Inn. There will be two seatings for dinner, at 4 and 6 p.m.
A portion of the proceeds will be donated to food pantries at The Vine and St. Peter’s Lutheran Church.
Jeff Wagner, who worked at the Apple Grove and later purchased it, is shown on the stairs.
The menu for the evening will consist of roast pork loin with apple glaze, roasted chicken thighs, mashed potatoes, fresh green beans, candied carrots, dinner rolls, garden salad and homemade applesauce. A dessert table wlll hold the Apple Grove’s famous bread pudding, apple crisp and sugar-free butterscotch pudding. Coffee and tea (hot or cold), lemonade and ice water will be the available beverages for the evening.
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The Apple Grove Inn was a landmark restaurant/lounge in Medina which began in 1927 as a hot dog stand and grew into one of the most popular restaurants in the state, having been owned for decades by Walter Hilger.
It had several rooms, including the Greening Room, Baldwin Room and Johnny Appleseed Lounge, where an apple tree grew up to the roof. At its peak the restaurant could seat at least 700 customers. For decades, people came from all over to celebrate everything from weddings and proms to anniversaries, retirements and more.
This photo shows the Apple Grove Inn before the United Methodist Church transformed it into a church.
For many years, the Apple Grove ran a boat, the Miss Apple Grove, from across the street on the Erie Canal.
After a fire, several owners and declining popularity, the restaurant closed.
A presentation on the history of the Apple Grove Inn will follow each dinner seating at the Sept. 19 event..
Tickets are currently available for $25 and are selling quickly, Pastor Brewer said. They are available at the church during office hours, which are 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tuesdays, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Thursdays and 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturdays.
Those wishing to purchase tickets should park on the west side of the building and enter through the office door. To make other arrangements to purchase tickets, contact the church at (585) 798-2142 or Pastor Brewer at (716) 598-8543. If no one is there, leave a message and someone will return the call.
This Baldwin Room photo was taken from the outside, looking through a window. On the far right is the Greening Room and entrance
