Dice Run raises money for food pantries in Medina, Niagara County
Photos by Ginny Kropf: Medina Lions, from left, Ann McElwee, Jim Punch and Don Colquhoun sit at the welcome area in Medina’s canal basin, as they wait for the first motorcyclists to arrive during a dice run Sunday to benefit food pantries in Niagara County and Medina.
MEDINA – A dice run sponsored by Niagara County Lions clubs on Saturday, and which Medina Lions participated in for the first time, has netted $750 for food pantries in Medina, Lockport, Wheatfield, Lewiston, Wilson and Olcott.
It was four years ago when Duane Snyder of Olcott pitched an idea to his local Lions Clubs, suggesting they have a dice run to support food pantries in the local area.
Motorcyclists Pete and Lois Kaminski of Youngstown were the first to arrive in Medina during a dice run Sunday to benefit local food pantries. This is the first year Medina Lions have taken part in the event, which also included Lions clubs from Olcott, Wilson, Lewiston, Lockport and Wheatfield.
“I thought it was a worthy cause and knew there were needy people,” Snyder said Sunday, after a very successful fourth dice run.
Although Medina Lions didn’t have any motorcyclists who participated, they did set up a table in the canal basin’s gazebo, where they welcomed riders who shook the dice and were offered a free bottle of water. The five Niagara County Lions clubs which participated were Lockport, Olcott, Wilson, Lewiston and Wheatfield.
Medina Lions members who set up the welcome area and greeted cyclists were Don Colquhoun, Jim Punch, Ann McElwee and Russ and Christine Thompson.
The first cyclists to arrive in Medina were Pete and Lois Kaminsky of Youngstown. They said it was a beautiful ride to Medina and they had been here before and loved to come to Medina.
According to Snyder, the ride started at Woodcock Brewing Company in Wilson. Next was the Silo in Lewiston, where they received free ice cream. At Bob Weaver Motorsports in Wheatfield, they were provided with free water. The company also provided gift certificates for prizes. Snyder added that Sue at Bob Weaver Motorsports promoted the ride heavily on social media, which resulted in a number of riders.
In all, he said a record 50 riders participated.
In Lockport, their stop was at Lake Effect Ice Cream on the canal. After leaving Medina, the route took them to their final stop at Olcott, where Snyder said Aaron Day, an Olcott Lion, had also promoted the ride on Facebook.
While not a lot of the riders were Lions members, Snyder said they appreciated the support from other motorcyclists who joined them. All the stops were manned by Lions’ members, he said.
At the end of the day, the ride netted $750, which will be divided up between food pantries in all six towns, Snyder said. Prize money for the riders came from registration fees (each rider and co-rider paid $10 to participate) and donations from the community.
