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Albion Alumni Foundation honors donors, scholarship winners

Staff Reports Posted 10 August 2015 at 12:00 am

Photos provided by Alumni Foundation – The Albion Alumni Foundation held a reception last week that included Maurice and Courtenay Hoag, who have endowed a scholarship that awards $10,500 for over four years to students majoring in chemical engineering. Pictured, from left, includes Maurice Hoag, Kyler McQuillan, Trevor Hadick and Courtenay Hoag.

WATERPORT – The Albion High School Alumni Foundation held the first of what it hopes will become an annual event to honor its scholarship donors and recipients.

For this inaugural event, held at the home of Chris and Pat Haines last Wednesday, the Foundation Board of Directors honored the donors and recipients of both its largest scholarship and its most recently added scholarships.

This event was a unique opportunity for the donors and recipients to have one-on-one time meeting and talking with each other.

Maurice and Courtenay Hoag attended the event and met two recipients of a $10,500 scholarship that provides $2,625 annually to the students who major in chemical engineering. Trevor Haddick and Kyler McQuillan are both recipients.

“I was truly honored to tell him all the things that the scholarship has allowed me to achieve,” said Trevor Hadick, a student at Carnegie Mellon University. “Talking with Mo was remarkable. Getting to hear about his experiences in the field and stories regarding his world travels reminded me that you never know what the world has in store for you.”

The Panek family is funding two scholarships, including the John Panek Memorial Scholarship in honor of Jim Panek’s father. Kerry and Jim Panek are pictured with the scholarship winner, Sara Millspaugh.

Brenda McQuillan, Kyler’s mother, also was grateful to meet the Hoags and thank them for the generous scholarship.

“It was a pleasure to meet the man who is so graciously supporting Kyler’s college education through a scholarship,” Brenda McQuillan said. “Mr. Hoag shared the experiences he had throughout his 30-year career as a chemical engineer. Mr. Hoag’s enjoyment of working in this field and his resulting success were inspiring for Kyler to learn about first hand. Kyler walked away from this meeting even more excited about the education that lies ahead of him and his future career in the field of chemical engineering.”

Jim and Kerry Panek of Albion attended the event to represent two scholarships funded by the Panek family. The John Panek Memorial Scholarship ($1,000) is going to Sara Millspaugh, who is attending Cornell University.

Jayne Bannister, who is heading to Kansas State University, received the $1,000 Panek Family Farm Agriculture Scholarship.

New Medina Postmaster takes the oath

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 10 August 2015 at 12:00 am

Scott Streebel said Postal Service remains ‘valuable necessity’

Photos by Tom Rivers

MEDINA – The Medina community has a new Postmaster to lead an office of 15 workers, making sure about 20,000 pieces of mail each day reach the 4,900 addresses in the 14103 zip code.

Scott G. Streebel, center, took the oath of office on Friday when he was sworn in as the 27th Postmaster. He is pictured with recently retired postmaster Charles Carpenter, left, and Jason Domagala, manager of Post Office operations for 98 post offices in the 140-141 area.

“It’s in good hands with him at the helm,” Carpenter said about Streebel.

Streebel began his 12-year postal career as a city carrier in Buffalo in 2003. He was promoted to a supervisor position at the Buffalo Processing and Distribution Center in 2006. He has held additional supervisor positions at Buffalo stations and branches, and has filled in as the Postmaster of Medina intermittently over the last six years.

Streebel said electronic communications – email and text messages – have reduced personal correspondence through the mail. But there is still a big volume for delivery packages, magazines, letters and other mail, including medicine.

“I still see it as a valuable necessity for America,” he said about the Postal Service.

Carpenter served as Medina Postmaster for 11 years. He likes how the Postal Service staff gets to know the residents in the Medina community, and tries hard to accommodate resident requests.

Charles Carpenter shakes the hand of Scott G. Streebel, the new Postmaster in Medina.

A big variable with the mail delivery is the weather, Carpenter said. A snowstorm locally, or even outside the area, can present a challenge with timely delivery. But Carpenter said the Postal Service is dedicated to the job.

Domagala said the Postmaster role continues to evolve and become more complex. He said Streebel has the skills for the job.

“In today’s business environment, a Postmaster needs to be able to work with our customers, maintain our retail and delivery operations, and manage our complex network of employee programs,” said Domagala. “Scott is well qualified to fulfill the role and is an asset to the Postal Service and to the community he serves.”

Some other tidbits about the Medina Post Office:

George E. Callaghan was the longest tenured Postmaster with 32 years from April 1937 to September 1969.

Rosemary Gorman was the first woman to serve in the role on January 1993. She is currently the Postmaster in East Amherst.

The Post Office was built in 1931 at West Avenue and West Center Street. It has a Colonial Revival style and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It is the only Post Office in the state with this particularly ornate design.

Retaining wall topples at Boxwood Cemetery

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 10 August 2015 at 12:00 am

Photos by Tom Rivers

MEDINA – The big retaining wall made of Medina sandstone by the chapel at Boxwood Cemetery fell over in late July.

The Boxwood Commission expects insurance will cover most of the cost of having the wall reset with the existing sandstone, Commission Chairwoman Kathy Blackburn said.

A cemetery caretaker was mowing the hill by the wall when the wall gave out, Blackburn said. She is thankful the worker wasn’t hurt when the wall toppled.

She expects the wall will be reset and “shorn up” soon. The commission is working with its insurance company on the project.

The chapel was built in 1903. The 20-acre cemetery on North Gravel Road (Route 63) was recently included on the National Register of Historic Places.

Blackburn said a historical marker will soon be erected to note the cemetery’s historical significance.

It was originally established in the Rural Cemetery manner in 1850. Boxwood Cemetery is characteristic of the Rural Cemetery movement.

Prior to that movement, most burial grounds tended to be in church yards and associated with a specific denomination, according to Boxwood’s National Register nomination. Rural Cemeteries created a non-sectarian burial place that emphasized romantic associations with picturesque, park-like natural landscapes.

20th person arrested in ongoing drug sweep

Staff Reports Posted 10 August 2015 at 12:00 am

Medina man also faces firearms charges

Terry Holloway

MEDINA – The 20th suspect of the ongoing drug sweep conducted by the Orleans County Major Felony Crime Task Force was charged on an arrest warrant in the Village of Medina after a vehicle stop by the Medina Police Department on Aug. 1, the Task Force reported today.

Terry Holloway Jr., 32, of 404 East Oak Orchard St., Medina faces numerous drug and weapon charges relating to the sale and distribution of heroin, crack cocaine and the sale of an AR-15 semi-auto assault rifle with over 200 rounds of ammunition, the Task Force reported.

Holloway has been charged with 2 counts of criminal sale of a controlled substance in the third degree (Class B felonies), 2 counts of criminal possession of a controlled substance in the third degree (Class B felonies), 1 count of criminal sale of a firearm in the third degree (Class D felony), and 1 count of criminal possession of a firearm in the third degree (Class D felony).

Holloway was arraigned in the Albion Town Court by Town Justice Joseph Fuller and was committed to the Orleans County Jail on $100,000 cash bail. Holloway is to return back to Town Court on Aug. 19 at 9 a.m.

Holloway faces further charges regarding the sale and possession of the AR-15 semi-auto assault rifle and could also face potential federal charges, the Task Force said today.

Provided photo

Ryan Tuttle

In a separate investigation, the Task Force on Saturday was assisted by the Medina Police and the Orleans County Sheriff’s Department in conducting an undercover operation involving the sale of a Glock 40 caliber semi-auto pistol and ammunition, which ended up being reported stolen out of the state of Florida.

Police arrested Ryan W. Tuttle, 24, of 3421 North Gravel Rd., Medina. He has been charged with 1 count of criminal sale of a firearm in the third degree (Class D felony), and 1 count of criminal possession of stolen property in the fourth degree (Class E felony).

Tuttle was arraigned in Albion Town Court by Justice Fuller and was committed to the County Jail on $100,000 cash bail. Tuttle is to appear in Shelby Town Court on Thursday at 6 p.m.

Tuttle faces further charges regarding the sale and possession of the stolen firearm and could face potential federal charges, the Task Force reported.

Major drenching soaks area

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 10 August 2015 at 12:00 am

Photos by Tom Rivers

MEDINA – It rained hard today in Orleans County beginning around 5 p.m. These photos show East Center Street (Route 31), where there were some big puddles of water at spots on the road during the storm.

More rain is expected tonight, possibly another 1/2 to 3/4 inch. Tuesday more showers are likely and possibly a thunderstorm before 8 a.m., then a chance of showers and thunderstorms after 8 a.m., according to the National Weather Service.

ARC bus accident sends several to hospital

Staff Reports Posted 10 August 2015 at 12:00 am

MEDINA A two-vehicle accident this afternoon in Medina involved a Genesee ARC bus with 13 passengers who sustained minor injuries. Many of them were transported to Medina Memorial Hospital but none had serious injuries, according to a county dispatcher and Medina firefighter.

Genesee ARC has a contract to transport children with disabilities in Orleans County. The bus rear-ended a Crew Cab pickup truck about 4:15 p.m. on South Main Street in front of Orleans Ford, according to a report from The Daily News in Batavia.

Cobblestone Museum director resigns for full-time position at college

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 10 August 2015 at 12:00 am

File photos by Tom Rivers – Matt Ballard, pictured in 2014 outside the Cobblestone Church, is taking a full-time job with Roberts Wesleyan College. He will continue to work as the Orleans County historian.

GAINES – The director of the Cobblestone Museum worked his last day on Sunday at the museum. Matthew Ballard is starting a full-time position as collections services librarian at Roberts Wesleyan College in Rochester.

Ballard, 27, has been a director at the museum since February 2014. He spearheaded many projects at the museum complex, including new exhibits, building repair efforts, a revamped Web site, and strengthened partnerships with other historical associations and organizations. He also cultivated potential donors towards the only National Historic Landmark in Orleans County.

“He has helped to move the museum towards the goal of expansion and enrichment for every visitor,” said Mary Anne Braunbach, president of the Cobblestone Society board of directors.

The museum’s season continues until Oct. 11. Conner Wolfe will serve as interim director until the season ends on Oct. 11. Wolfe is in his final semester at Brockport State College as a history major. He has been interning with Ballard.

Matt Ballard is pictured with an exhibit about doctors and medical care in Orleans County from the 19th Century.

The museum also has a part-time volunteer coordinator, Sue Bonafini. She will work more hours the last two months of the museum’s season.

Ballard also works as Orleans County historian. He will keep that part-time job. He also wants to stay connected with the Cobblestone Museum. He was appointed to a volunteer position to the Board of Directors for the museum on Thursday.

“I’ve grown attached to the place,” Ballard said about the museum.

He has a master’s degree in library science. He will use that degree in his new job, which also offers full-time pay and benefits.

The museum put new roofs on the Cobblestone Church and a neighboring brickhouse last year, projects that Ballard said were in the works before he arrived.

The Cobblestone Museum has two exhibits this season about the war, including a display of 20 to 25 World War I posters that were discovered while cleaning out the Swan Library. Some of the propaganda posters ask, “Are you 100 percent American?”

He developed an exhibit and lecture series in 2014 – “Medicine at the Museum” – about medical care in the 1800s. The museum showed an extensive collection of artifacts, and many were also donated from community members for the exhibit.

“Medicine at the Museum” features photos and write-ups on many of the pioneer physicians and pharmacists in the county.

The museum also hosted a lecture series with four speakers discussing Orleans and WNY medical history.

Ballard developed an exhibit this year about World War I. “The Great War” has been overshadowed by the second World War that followed about two decades later. The service and sacrifice in the first World War isn’t fully appreciated locally or nationally, Ballard said.

Provided photo – The Cobblestone Society Museum owns this fox that was stuffed by Akeley when he was 16 and living in Clarendon.

Ballard also is excited about a joint restoration effort with the Clarendon Historical Society. They are working together to have a fox restored that was originally stuffed by famed taxidermist Carl Akeley.

When he was 16 and living in Clarendon, he stuffed a fox, which later was donated to the Cobblestone Society Museum. The fox spent years in a glass case inside Farmers’ Hall.

The museum and the Clarendon Historical Society are working to have the 135-year-old fox cleaned and put in an air-tight display.

Camp Rainbow closes out summer of fun

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 9 August 2015 at 12:00 am

Photos by Tom Rivers

KNOWLESVILLE – Dakota Morris, 7, of Holley swings at Camp Rainbow in Ridgeway on Friday, the last day of a five-week camp season.

Camp Rainbow is owned and operated by The Arc of Orleans County. There were 82 campers at the site this summer, enjoying swimming, special events, music, arts and crafts, nature study, sign language, cooperative games and athletics.

Makkiah Morris, 6, of Holley dribbles a soccer ball. He is the younger brother of Dakota.

The camp is open to children with and without disabilities. About 20 percent of the campers have developmentally disabilities and 30 percent have attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. About half of the campers have no disabilities.

“We’re totally integrated,” said Pattie Kepner, the camp director.

Kennedi Howerton, 8, of Albion gets ready to hit a whiffle ball thrown by Dylan DeSmit, a member of the Arc staff.

James Trembley of Barre has fun on a scooter.

The sand box has been a popular spot during camp. The swimming pool is in the back.

Nick Pifer of Holley can hit the long ball.

The camp counselors share a laugh on Friday during lunch.

The Shenberger family donated property for Camp Rainbow on Townline Road in Lyndonville to offer children with disabilities the opportunity for fun with other children. Volunteers spent hundreds of hours clearing the land and building facilities.

The summer day camp was founded in 1970.

The property not only serves campers, but is available for other camps, retreats and functions.

Man with Orleans County ties mentored Eli Lilly, the pharmaceutical giant

By Matthew Ballard, Orleans County Historian Posted 9 August 2015 at 12:00 am

Henry C. Lawrence – Pharmaceutical Mentor

A native of Bainbridge, New York, Henry C. Lawrence was born on Aug. 5, 1820 to Richard Lawrence and Sarah DeZeng. Richard moved his family to Lafayette, Indiana prior to 1845 where he established “The Good Samaritan” drug store in 1844 on the north side of Lafayette’s public square. It was in 1853 that Henry would enter into a partnership with his father and younger brother, George DeZeng Lawrence.

In 1854, Henry Lawrence married Martha Stevens of Knowlesville, but their life together was short. She died on Oct. 10, 1855 at her father’s home in Orleans County. Henry remarried to Martha’s older sister Maria Stevens Flintham, the mother of Albion undertaker William S. Flintham.

Shortly after his arrival in Indiana, Lawrence became an active member of the Free and Accepted Masons, an organization emerging from the persecution of the Anti-Masonic movement of the 1830s and 1840s. In 1853 he was selected as the Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of Indiana and remained in that position until 1854. It was during that year that the partnership with his brother ceased and he took full ownership of the family business.

Taking considerable interest in the business, Lawrence expanded upon the basic medicines in which his father dealt; drugs, medicines, paints, and dyestuff. He added perfumes, hair dressing, fertilizers, and spirituous liquors for both recreational and medicinal uses. It was also during this time that Lawrence took an aspiring young Eli Lilly under his wing as an apprentice during the years of “The Good Samaritan” drug store.

Lilly was present during the growth and expansion of Lawrence’s business, witnessing the transformation of the business into “The City Drug Store” around 1857. Translating from a French pharmacology journal, Lawrence instructed Lilly in the method of dipping pills in molten gelatin to produce an easy-to-swallow capsule.

The mentorship between Lawrence and Lilly ended in 1858 when it was determined that Lilly was more than capable of conducting himself in the drug business. Nearly 10 years later, Lilly would set himself on a path towards developing one of the largest drug manufacturing businesses in the United States; a company that still bears his name today.

Lawrence met his untimely death in 1862 as the result of an accident and his body was interred within his father-in-law’s lot in Knowlesville.

As part of the 1868 sesquicentennial celebration of the founding of Masonry in Indiana, a bronze plaque was erected at the gravesite of Lawrence with the assistance of Eli Lilly and Company. This marker pays tribute to Lawrence, “an encouraging teacher” and mentor of a pharmaceutical giant.

Fishing Derby has changes in leaderboard

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 9 August 2015 at 12:00 am

A Pennsylvania man is the new leader in the Orleans County Fishing Derby, which has $8,800 in prize money, including $4,000 for the biggest fish.

Joseph Miller of Harrisburg is atop the leaderboard with a Chinook salmon that weighed 25 pounds, 5 ounces. The derby started on Aug. 1 and continues until Aug. 16. The Albion Rotary Club puts on the annual event.

Other division leaders include:

Salmon: 25 pounds, 4 ounces – Thomas Huth of Mogadore, Ohio;

Rainbow trout: 12 pounds, 5 ounces – John Jankowski of Sloan, NY;

Brown trout: 14 pounds, 5 ounces – Chad Kennedy of Marlborough, Mass.;

Lake trout: 17 pounds, 12 ounces – Mike Engle of Hamlin, NY.

For more information on the derby, click here.

Years in the making, miniature carnival is ready for big debut

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 9 August 2015 at 12:00 am

Hudson Magic Midway, built by Albion men, will be unveiled at Erie County Fair on Wednesday

Photos by Tom Rivers

ALBION – The Sky-Flyer, a new midway ride built in 2014, is a towering attraction in the Hudson Magic Midway, a collection of 40 miniature replicas of midway rides from the 1950s to the most recent innovations in amusement park rides.

Three Albion men – Charlie Zicari, his brother Frank, and their close friend Jay Pahura – will debut the Hudson Magic Midway inside a 40-foot-long semi-truck trailer this Wednesday at the Erie County Fair in Hamburg.

The rides are illuminated and show a history of amusement park attractions, from the signature Sky Wheel at left, to popular concessions and games such as Skee Ball.

The rides are all fully operational on a small scale – but not too small. The Sky Wheel is nearly 5 feet tall at 56 inches.

The trailer that houses the miniature carnival has flags on top, panels that tell the history of the project, and a striking design.

The miniature carnival started in 1953, when the late Albion resident Harold Hudson started building miniature midway rides in the basement of his home on Caroline Street. The display eventually filled two garages from front to back and Hudson welcomed the community to see them.

Hudson used ordinary materials found around his house, plus his creative ingenuity to make the rides. He hand-built many of the rides just as they were being introduced by ride manufacturers to carnivals across the United States.

The Hudson rides were illuminated and fully operational, just on a small scale.

Charlie Zicari was a boy when he saw “Hudson’s Exposition Shows.” Zicari was hooked. He became friends with Hudson and started building rides and helping him with the set up.

The display inside the trailer includes a skyscape, giving the mini carnival a planetarium feel.

When Hudson died in 1989, he left his miniature carnival to Zicari.

Zicari has built many of his own rides, including more recent additions to carnivals. The Zicari brothers and Pahura set up the mini midway at the former Erie Canal Schoolhouse Bed & Breakfast in Albion a few years ago. That was the first time the public had seen the rides in many years.

The bed and breakfast has since closed. The Zicaris and Pahura have been working on a home for the attraction: the long trailer that needs to be moved by a semi truck.

They have been strengthening some of Hudson’s creations to make them sturdy for trips to fairs and other festivals. The rides have been painted with five to six coats of a reflective paint to make them better illuminate in the black light.

“We’re keeping the integrity of his rides but making them stronger for travel,” Charlie Zicari said.

Harold Hudson made this Para-Trooper ride in 1981. The Hudson Midway Magic gives a snapshot of the history of carnival rides.

“There’s nothing out there like this,” said Charlie Zicari.

The two Zicari brothers and Pahura have been chipping away at this project for several years while juggling their full-time jobs. Charlie works for Wegmans in overnight operations. His brother Frank works for General Motors as a team leader. Pahura is a motor equipment operator for the Village of Albion Department of Public Works.

The Hudson Magic Midway has the big rides, but also ticket booths and other features of a carnival.

A big Gondola wheel, built in 2000, looms large from the right side of the display. These rides will all be moving at their individual speeds.

“I’ve always had a fascination with the architecture of amusement rides,” Charlie Zicari said.

Hudson made this replica of the Trabant, which has been refurbished for the new display.

The Zicaris and Pahura have worked together to create some of the newer rides, while restoring some Hudson’s original ones. They have 40 more rides that aren’t part of the current display.

Zicari said they intend to rotate other pieces in the future.

Hudson Magic Midway will be at the Erie County Fair for all 13 days, starting on Wednesday.

Pennsylvania woman is new leader in OC Fishing Derby

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 8 August 2015 at 12:00 am

There is a new leader in the Orleans County Fishing Derby, which started on Aug. 1 and continues until Aug. 16 with $8,800 in prize money up for grabs.

Nicole Brown of Hummelstown, Pa., leads the derby with a 24-pound, 12-ounce Chinook salmon. Grand prize in the derby is $4,000.

The first place winners in four divisions – Chinook, rainbow trout, brown trout and lake trout – all receive $500.

The first place winners, as of the end of Friday, include Salmon: Charlie Eulitt of Oak Harbor, Ohio, 24 pounds, 5 ounces; Rainbow trout: Nicole Brown of Hummelstown, Pa., 11 pounds, 5 ounces; Brown trout: Chad Kennedy of Marlborough, Mass., 14 pounds, 5 ounces; and Lake trout: Mike Engle of Hamlin, NY, 17 pounds, 12 ounces.

Terah Slack of Medina also is leading with the $200 bonus award for biggest fish caught by an Orleans County resident. She reeled in a 22-pound, 2-ounce salmon.

Besides $4,000 for the biggest fish and the $500 for the four division leaders, there is $300 for second place, $200 for third, $100 for fourth and $50 for fifth.

For more information on the derby, click here.

Dance studio marks 10 year-anniversary in Albion

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 8 August 2015 at 12:00 am

Dance Reflections by Miss Heather has become downtown mainstay

Photos by Tom Rivers – Heather Hapeman is pictured inside the dance studio at 52 Noth Main St. in Albion. Hapeman started Dance Reflections by Miss Heather 10 years ago.

ALBION – Ten years ago Heather Hapeman started her own business, teaching dance to children and adults.

The business has grown over the years to 130 dancers, which includes people with disabilities and children as young as 2.

Hapeman and her studio, Dance Reflections by Miss Heather, has been a stable part of the Albion downtown. She had the business behind the former Pizza Hut on Hamilton Street, in the current Napa Auto Parts. She moved to 52 North Main St. in 2006, a site that has proven a good fit for the studio.

“I’m glad that I’m here,” Hapeman said in the studio on Friday. “I love being in the middle of everything.”

She and her family, including husband Jared Hapeman, worked to transform the space, repainting the interior, putting in a professional vinyl dance floor, full-length mirrors and dual level ballet bars, while preserving some of the historical features of the space, including an archway. Hapeman said her mother Theresa O’Hearn and best friend Megan Morton are key supporters at the studio.

Hapeman, 34, started dancing at age 3 in classes out of Christ Church. Rhonda Steffen was her first teacher.

“This is what I love to do,” Hapeman said.

Dance Reflections by Miss Heather won “Best use of theme” in the most recent Albion Strawberry Festival Parade in June.

She teaches all of the classes at Dance Reflections, including tap, jazz, ballet, hip hop and family dance. She has a dance team and college level/adult combo classes in lyrical and jazz styles.

She caps each class at up to 14 kids. If interest exceeds 14, Hapeman will split up the class sizes to maintain a more personal experience for her students.

She marvels at the interest in dance in the community and a small county, with several studios teaching children. Hapeman sees the benefits of a dance program, with better physical fitness, balance, coordination, discipline and self-confidence.

“They can exercise and it’s a lot of fun,” Hapeman said.

She earned an associate’s degree in education and has a few classes left at Roberts Wesleyan College before she earns her bachelor’s degree for teaching. She said she uses that expertise at the studio, working with children of all ages.

Dance Reflections also gives back to the community with benefits that have supported PAWS Animal Shelter, the Arc of Orleans County, Hospice of Orleans, Community Action, and the Genesee-Orleans Ministry of Concern.

Hapeman and the studio will be celebrating the 10th anniversary throughout this dance season, culminating with the annual recital in May.

She thanked her dancers and their parents, including some who have been with her since she started the business.

“I have wonderful, devoted and dedicated dance families,” she said.

Sweets and music are winning combination in Medina

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 8 August 2015 at 12:00 am

MEDINA – Businesses served up sugary treats today as part of the second annual Sweets in Summer dessert-tasting event that included 24 stops in the downtown business district, including the Book Shoppe.

The store owner, Sue Phillips, holds a tray coffee-flavored cupcakes.

The Medina Business Association organized the event, which drew about 125 participants, up from the 100 in the debut Sweets in Summer last August.

Phillips said the tasty treats helped bring more people to her store.

These cupcakes with chocolate frosting were available at the English Rose Tea Shoppe. The site also served up biscuits with honey, and scones with raspberry curds.

Hans Rosentreter, an employee for the Creekside Floral and Design, holds some of the treats that were at the store.

Today’s festivities in Medina also included a concert by the Mercury Blues Band. Lead singer Denny Hayden sings one of the band’s blues rock songs. Myron Sharvan plays the guitar at right.

The Mercury Blues Band includes, from left: Myron Sharvan, Denny Hayden and George Bidleman. Bob Granfield plays the drums in back.

The band, Blind Leading the Blind, also performed in the Canal Basin.

Festival puts pets in the limelight

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 8 August 2015 at 12:00 am

Photos by Tom Rivers

GAINES – The Olde Dogge Inn is celebrating its second annual Pet Festival today with many activities, including a pet costume contest.

Trixie is dressed as a queen and Desiree is a lady bug. The two won the costume contest. They are owned by Michelle Wiseman of Medina.

Ken Kuehne, right, holds a snake that proved popular with the crowd, including Mitchell Bias, left, and his brother Evan. The two are from San Antonio, Texas, and are visiting family in the area.

Kuehne brought along many reptiles and other creatures. He owns Know Your Rep, and brings the animals to parties and festivals.

Amanda Kuehne holds a chameleon, a lizard that can change color.

Xavier Penafiel, 9, of Albion holds the end of the big snake’s tail. Xavier attended the reptile and snake demonstration with his father Wilian Penafield.

Kyle Kuehne holds one of the many snakes that were part of today’s demonstration.

There are many vendors selling pet-themed shirts, supplies and services.