Joanna Gardner, a Medina native who now is a professor at Pacifica Graduate Institute in California, will be in Medina on Nov. 23 to discuss her book, The Practice of Enchantment.

MEDINA – With a lifelong interest in mythology and a sister who is a New York Times Best Selling author, it is no surprise Joanna Gardner’s first literary effort would be a book on mythology.

A Medina native and sister of Author’s Note owner Julie Berry, Gardner, a PhD, will visit Author’s Note on Nov. 23, where at 3 p.m. she will debut her first book, The Practice of Enchantment.

“I’ve been following in Joanna’s footsteps my whole life,” said Berry, who is four years younger than her sister. “She taught me to read before I ever entered school, and she taught me to love books and stories with my whole heart. She is an exemplary scholar, an inspiring educator and a true creative. I can’t wait to celebrate her new book at Author’s Note.”

Gardner will read from her book, discuss her research and insights and answer questions.

Like her sister, Gardner grew up in Medina and graduated from Medina High School. She now makes her home in Santa Barbara, Calif., where she is adjunct professor in Pacifica Graduate Institute’s Mythological Studies program, and is director of marketing and communications for the Joseph Campbell foundation. She is also the lead author of Goddesses: A Skeleton Key Study Guide, and co-founder of the Fates and Graces, hosting webinars and workshops for mythic readers and writers. More about her work can be found on her website at www.joannagardner.com.

Gardner said she has been interested in mythology since she was very young and was given the Big Golden Book of Mythology.

The Practice of Enchantment is published by the Joseph Campbell Foundation. Campbell was a renowned scholar and mythologist, best-known for his exploration of widespread themes in mythology and storytelling, particularly through his influential concept of the “Hero’s Journey” and his groundbreaking book, The Hero with a Thousand Faces.

During the Covid pandemic, Gardner wrote 14 essays, which she was inspired by Campbell’s work to compile into a book, The Practice of Enchantment. This volume demonstrates that applying the power of myth to the challenges of life can bring new perspectives to difficulty, and transform monotony into enchantment.

Gardner brings her expertise as a mythologist, writer and teacher to these essays, which explore myth as it intersects with life and creativity, Berry explained.

With essay topics including tricksters, dreams, goddesses and family, The Practice of Enchantment is perfect for lovers of myth and the classics, seekers of magic and wonder who may feel lost in the modern day, and any readers interested in expanding their lens of understanding our world.

“Writing these essays helped me experience imagination, metaphor, beauty and bliss, and helped me understand more fully that these abstract ideas are renewable resources,”

Gardner said. “I believe they surround us like radio waves of enchantment. The more I tune into them, the more the signal strengthens.

“My favorite thing about mythological stories is how they activate the imagination,” she said. “They are obviously not literally true, but you imagine, and that activates your imagination and makes it stronger for your creative.”

While this is Gardner’s first book, it won’t be her last.

“I have lots of ideas, but I don’t know yet what the next one will be,” she said. “But there will be another, and it’s a good chance it will be strongly influenced by mythology.”

She said she is so grateful to her sister for the event at 3 p.m. Nov. 23 at Author’s Note, and thrilled it gets to be in her home town.

The event is free and open to the public. Pre-ordering copies is recommended. For those unable to attend, signed books can be ordered at www.authorsnote.com. For more information, Author’s Note can be contacted at (585) 798-3642 or online at www.authorsnote.com/events.

Photos and information courtesy of Orchard Rehabilitation and Nursing Center

MEDINA – Veterans at Orchard Rehabilitation and Nursing Center in Medina were recognized on Monday during Veterans Day.

The veterans at the site on Bates Road went outside with the Honor Guard from the American Legion and VFW, which fired a three-gun salute during Veterans’ Day ceremonies.

Students from Mrs. Lehman’s 3rd grade class at Clifford Wise Middle School made cards for 20 heroic veterans at Orchard Rehabilitation and Nursing Center.

Pictured from left include students Travis Schaal, Margaret Dunham, Liam Davies, Charlotte Sheehan and Gabriella Watts.

Pictured  from left: Parker Jackson, Bryce Allen and Rayne Davis.

Pictured from left: Mason Beatty, Kole Reding and Seraphina Neroni.

Photos by Tom Rivers

MEDINA – The Medina Rotary Club’s latest fundraiser showcased culinary talent and food and wine from the local community.

About 40 people attended a five-course dinner on Saturday evening at the Sacred Heart Club.

Peter Bartula, Medina Rotary Club president, wanted a new fundraiser that would help the Rotary Club generate funds to give back to the community, while offering an event to bring people together over a great meal.

Chef Lionel Heydel prepared the five-course meal with pairings from Leonard Oakes Estate Winery. Heydel is shown making Robuchon potatoes next to Jake Muessigerodt, who was cooking spinach.

“Lionel is an amazing chef,” Bartula said.

Heydel said the farm-to-table shows the agricultural bounty of the local community. Heydel has prepared other farm-to-table dinners for businesses and organizations.

Dan Doctor, a member of the Rotary Club, volunteered as a server for the dinner. JT Thomas, in back right, also is a member of the Rotary Club and vice president of Sacred Heart which hosted the meal.

Jonathan Oakes, the winemaker for Leonard Oakes Estate Winery, discusses how the different wines worked well with elements of the dinner.

The meal started with goat cheese and local mushroom bruschetta, then roasted butternut squash bisque and smoked gouda crunch with classic Riesling.

The dinner then included salad with seasonal greens, pickled apples, root vegetable medley, pickled onions and maple Vadouvan vinaigrette. Served with Sauvignon Blanc.

The main course included chicken fricassee, Robuchon potatoes, shaved Brussels sprouts with Steampunk brown snout cider.

The five-course dinner was capped with dessert, a boozy baked local apple served with Pommeau.

Emily Chambers of Medina, a culinary arts student at the Orleans/Niagara BOCES, helped prepare the dessert.

Photos by Tom Rivers

MEDINA – Leonard Oakes Estate Winery announced on Tuesday it will be closing after 16 years. The winery invited the public to come out Friday through today to purchase remaining bottled inventory. The tasting room on Ridge Road has been very busy the past two days.

The photo on top was taken at about 6 p.m. on Saturday.

The Oakes family appreciates the many people who have been to the winery the past two days, the two biggest days of the year, said Wendy Oakes Wilson, general manager for the business.

“We know this has been a special place for a lot of people,” she said on Saturday evening.

Many of the customers gave her hugs and thanked the family. Some of the customers traveled from out-of-state to be at the tasting room this weekend, in what might be its last time open.

Jonathan Oakes, the winemaker at Leonard Oakes, said in a Facebook post on Tuesday the decision to close the winery “has been excruciatingly difficult.”

He thanked Leonard Oakes’ customers for their support the past 16 years.

“We absolutely adore the community we have built with you around sharing the (fermented) fruits of our labor here in Western New York,” he wrote in the post. “While we may be on uneasy emotional footing at this time, we would absolutely cherish the opportunity to embrace our community once again. We would love a chance to look back with pride and not sorrow. To share a glass, a memory, or an embrace. To cheers for change and the positive things it may bring.”

The Leonard Oakes Estate Winery will be closing soon. The winery’s tasting room will be open from noon to 3 p.m.

The decision follows the announcement from the Oakes family that it is selling the fruit orchards in Lyndonville area after 105 years in the family.

The apple and wine business both are very challenging, especially within a family business without huge economies of scale, Oakes family members said.

Wilson said the business of the winery suffered since the Covid pandemic hit in March 2020. Although restrictions eased for people to come to the winery later that year, there has been a big drop off in people going out with friends for wine tastings, Wilson said.

Leonard Oakes continued to have some big days at the winery – during the summer for the Wednesdays on the Lawn concert series. But Wilson said the big crowds tended to only be there for events, and not regular days.

The Oakes family acquired the property of the former Winters Feed Company at 10609 Ridge Rd. in 2007 and put an addition on for the winery and tasting room. A few years later the Oakes family added a pavilion for special events.

For several years the winery held its largest event at the end of August: the Steampunk Festival that often attracted 1,000 people wearing futuristic costumes with a Victorian theme. The festival showcased Leonard Oakes’ SteamPunk Cider.

Bryan DeGraw, Jon Sherman and Marguerite Sherman spend time chatting Saturday evening in the tasting room at Leonard Oakes.

DeGraw owns 810 Meadworks, which moved to Leonard Oakes two years ago after eight years in downtown Medina. 810 Meadworks also will be closing.

DeGraw said he is grateful for the decade of making mead in Medina and appreciates another two years of making and selling mead at Leonard Oakes.

DeGraw said the alcohol industry is changing – and shrinking.

“I wanted to create a place for people to escape and find respite,” DeGraw said about the Meadworks experience. “I’m proud that we did.”

The Shermans have been steady customers of 810 Meadworks and Leonard Oakes.

Marguerite Sherman is Medina’s mayor. She said the community feels pain when long-time local businesses close. She noted Case-Nic Cookies also is closing the end of December after 29 years on Main Street.

“When the small businesses start to go it hurts,” Sherman said. “We are all families.”

Photo by Tom Rivers: The Lee-Whedon  Memorial Library was constructed in 1966 as an 11,000-square-foot public library. The building could get an 4,785-square-foot expansion.

MEDINA – The Lee-Whedon Memorial Library on Dec. 10 will ask voters for permission for a $5.2 million bond to expand the library.

The vote will decide whether Lee-Whedon can proceed with a 4,785-square-foot addition to the back. The project would add two meeting rooms, two tutoring rooms, a programming room with makerspace, Friends of the Library book sale room, a quiet research room, a teen room and 14 parking spots.

The library has scaled back the expansion, eliminating some of the decorative architectural elements. A year ago, the building project was estimated in the $7-$9 million range. The library scaled back some of the features of that plan, while keeping the space for the addition.

Lee-Whedon has already secured $795,320 in grant funding from the state and is actively applying for additional funds, said Kristine Mostyn, Lee-Whedon director. She estimated Lee-Whedon will be able to secure $1.6 million in total from the state.

The library also anticipates raising $500,000 form the community in a capital campaign drive. Lee-Whedon also has $175,000 in reserves towards the project.

Library leaders expect $2.9 million of the project will be paid for with a bond. That will result in a $34 per year increase in library taxes for properties valued at $100,000.

There will be an informational meeting at 6 p.m. on Dec. 3 at the library. Passero Associates will present renderings of the proposed expansion and Christine Crowley of Fiscal Advisors will present the financial data.

Lee-Whedon Memorial Library was constructed in 1966 at 11,000 square feet. The addition is planned for the back side of the building along North Avenue.

If the bond is approved on Dec. 10 in the public vote, Lee-Whedon anticipates bids will be solicited in the spring, with construction starting in the summer/fall and being complete in December 2026.

For more information, click here to be directed to the Lee-Whedon Memorial Library website.

Here is the floor plan for the building’s expansion.

Ginny Kropf named grand marshal of big parade

Photo by Tom Rivers: The Girl Scouts in the Cobblestone Service Unit in Albion created a float in a Polar Express theme during the Parade of Lights on Nov. 25, 2023. The 16th annual parade will be on Nov. 30.

By Tom Rivers and Ginny Kropf

MEDINA – Entries for the Parade of Lights on Nov. 30 are slowly coming in, and parade chair Jim Hancock urges individuals, businesses, religious groups, schools, fire departments and any other group to consider entering a float.

Prizes are awarded in half a dozen categories.

More than 20 floats have already been entered in this 16th annual Parade of Lights, eight of which are new this year, Hancock said. Several who haven’t entered in years have returned. The deadline to enter a float is Nov. 24 and entry forms can be found by clicking here.

Ginny Kropf is shown with Mike Randall last year when she was featured by Channel 7 as one of WNY’s busiest reporters.

The parade at 6 p.m. caps off Christmas in Medina, which this year will have a new feature in the appearance of Friends of Harmony Barbershop Quartet from Buffalo, who will perform from 2 to 3 p.m. in Rotary Park.

There will also be horse-drawn wagon rides on Main Street from 1 to 5 p.m., complements of Yohe Draft Horses from Albion.

As in previous years, a fireworks display is planned at 5:45 p.m. over Main Street, provided by Young Explosives from the Rochester area.

At 5 p.m., Prime Time Brass will present a concert in Rotary Park, followed at 5:30 by lighting of the giant Christmas tree by the grand marshal.

A full day of activities are scheduled in the downtown business district, thanks to the Medina Area Partnership and the village’s Tourism Committee. They invite folks to come and spend the day, see Santa and Mrs. Claus arrive in a noon parade, along with Pets on Parade, and enjoy what the shops have to offer.

The Parade of Lights Committee has announced the 2024 Grand Marshal for this year’s Parade of Lights is Ginny Kropf.

“Our planning committee was unanimous in our selection,” Hancock said. “The committee tries to select someone local who has been an asset to the Medina community, and Ginny certainly fits this description.”

Kropf has worked as a local news reporter for more than 30 years. Kropf won an Associated Press writing award when she was at The Daily News in Batavia.

She also is active in community organizations, including more than 25 years on the board of United Way of Orleans County and 10-plus years as a member of the Medina Railroad Museum board.

“Ginny has been so supportive of not only our event, but so many other community events over the many years she has been reporting for Orleans Hub and the Hometown Extra. She is one of Medina’s biggest supporters and very deserving of this honor,” Hancock said.

Photos by Tom Rivers

MEDINA – The concrete wall on the northside of the Canal Basin in Medina has crumbled in many spots in recent years.

The State Canal Corp. is planning to spend about $10 million upgrading the wall in the Canal Basin and also making improvements to the towpath from Bates Road to the lift bridge, Mayor Marguerite Sherman said.

She said preliminary designs are about 60 percent complete. She has seen the plans and said the end result will be a dramatic improvement for the community.

The state isn’t ready yet to release the designs, Sherman said. She said the north wall work will be staggered over several years because the work can only be done when the canal in drained during the winter and early spring.

Sherman said the state is bearing the costs of the project without any local share needed from Medina.

Signs alert walkers and cyclists to a bumpy stretch of the towpath on the north side of the Canal Basin. This sign tells cyclists to walk their bikes on a rough section of the trail.

The wall is crumbling and bumpy in many spaces.

The state Canal Corp. also is planning improvements over about 1.5 miles of the towpath. This stretch is just east of the Canal Basin area leading to Bates Road.

Press Release, Medina Police Department

MEDINA – On Nov. 2, at 12:05 a.m. the Medina Police Department was dispatched to Medina Memorial Hospital for report of an assault. Upon arrival at the Emergency Room, officers located and interviewed a 50-year-old man and 47-year-old woman who were both stabbed.

The incident occurred in the Canal Basin shortly before midnight and the victims were transported to the hospital by private vehicle.

Both victims were later transferred to Erie County Medical Center, one by ground ambulance and one by Mercy Flight helicopter.

The female victim has been released from the hospital, and the male victim remains at ECMC in stable condition.

This is an active and ongoing investigation. Anyone with information regarding this incident should contact the Medina Police Department at (585) 798-5602.