By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 28 October 2022 at 9:46 pm
Photos by Tom Rivers
MEDINA – Downtown Medina was busy this evening with hundreds of kids, and many of their parents, in costume for the annual Beggar’s Night, which is the Friday before Halloween.
Elizabeth and James Philipps of Medina joined their daughter Collins, 1, in wearing Care Bears costumes.
“We do everything for her,” said Mr. Philipps.
The couple said they are enjoying being parents to their 14-month-old daughter.
“She’s our first baby,” Mrs. Philipps said. “Why not have fun with it?”
Randy Ruhlman, owner of Fitzgibbons Public House, added some crazy hair while giving out candy to kids, including Mia Fitzsimmons, 4, of Medina who was wearing a Mermaid skeleton costume.
Cory Wispelaere hands out candy at the Mystic Dragon’s Lair and the soon-to-open Patriot Supply outdoors store. Most of the downtown businesses gave away candy for Beggar’s Night.
This youngster gets some help with his costume while hurrying to get in line for Beggar’s Night.
Carrie Ribbeck is dressed as a sloth at Avanti Pizza while giving away treats to sisters Kayla and Alex Verrantti of Medina. Ribbeck has worked for Avanti since it opened in Medina 22 years ago.
Sophia Kleeh, 5, of Lyndonville is happy to collect candy from the businesses, including a chocolate ball from Morgan Woodworth in the dalmatian costume for lily and sparrow.
Kingston Simons, 3, of Lockport has a SWAT costume on while making the rounds in the downtown. Here he receives a treat from Bernie Burger and Trisha Mathison of A Kut Above.
Angela Waldriff, owner of Ashlee’s Place in Medina, gives out candy with help from Brielle Lederhouse.
“It’s fun to see all the kids’ costumes,” Waldriff said.
By Ginny Kropf, correspondent Posted 27 October 2022 at 5:16 pm
‘Sometimes people forget how much a church can be an asset to a community. I’d love to see this church grow beyond what I could imagine, with ministries, public outreach and community involvement.’ – Kevin Lawson
Photos by Ginny Kropf: Calvary Tabernacle Assembly of God’s new pastor Kevin Lawson checks out a delivery of bread in the church’s food pantry.
MEDINA – When the Rev. Vince Iorio announced his intention to retire from his duties at Calvary Tabernacle Assembly of God, the church didn’t have to look far to find a replacement.
Kevin Lawson graduated in 1989 from Royalton-Hartland High School in Middleport, then attended Erie Community College for a year. He joined the Marines, where he was hurt, and after an honorable discharge he went to work for a contracting company out of Buffalo, working there for 25 years and Rochester for seven years.
He started going to church when he was 12 or 13, and said he knew then God had put a calling on his life, but really didn’t understand what that meant.
“Then life got in the way,” he said. “I had married a lady from Middleport, and after 18 years, we divorced and I had to start over. It was very humbling.”
They had a son Troy, now 25.
Kevin had been going back to church sporadically, and then started going regularly again, where he met Krista Scholes from Shelby.
“I believe now God was using the experiences in my life to help me connect with people,” Lawson said. “Calvary had been my childhood church, and Vince was here then and he was here when I came back to the church.”
He and Krista, who then had five girls, were married in 2015. They had both taken on leadership roles in the church as youth leaders. In 2016, Kevin went through the New York School of Ministry.
“I had already known in my heart God was moving me in that direction, and I knew I wasn’t going to be completely happy until I did that.”
He continued on his journey and went through the process of being credentialed as a minister through the Assemblies of God. At the same time, he was serving on the board of Calvary Tabernacle Assembly of God when they moved forward with the Rev. Iorio’s vision for a new church, breaking ground in the summer of 2016.
Kevin was a construction manager in his full-time job, while going to ministry school, and became supervising constructor for building the church. They opened their doors in October 2021.
Kevin had already taken a role at Calvary Tabernacle as associate pastor when the Rev. Iorio announced his intention to retire in mid-January.
Pastor Kevin Lawson, left, his wife Krista and mother Brenda Lawson chat with the Rev. Vince Iorio, former pastor of Calvary Baptist Church, who recently retired and has been succeeded by Kevin.
The Rev. Iorio, 68, was pastor of Calvary Tabernacle for 15 years, and said it was time to pass the torch.
“I always had great team leaders, many of whom are still there,” he said.
He is proud of his accomplishment in building the new church.
“What seemed like an impossibility, God made possible,” he said.
Retirement means the Rev. Iorio can spend more time volunteering in the community. He has been volunteering at the Medina’s Tourism Booth in Rotary Park during the summer and he is a volunteer driver for the Orleans Joint Veterans’ Council van service.
Kevin was voted in full time on July 23 by the board and congregation.
“I have a large vision for growth in this church, to help people in the community,” he said. “Sometimes people forget how much a church can be an asset to a community. I’d love to see this church grow beyond what I could imagine, with ministries, public outreach and community involvement.”
His goal for the church moving forward is to stay focused on God’s will.
“I am grateful for the people in this church who have supported me and the transition,” Kevin said.
Calvary Tabernacle begins Sunday activities with coffee hour at 9:30 a.m., to which everyone is welcome, followed by worship at 10:30 a.m.
Prayer meeting is at 7 p.m. Tuesdays with the Spanish-speaking church meeting there at 2 p.m. Sundays, led by Jovannie Canales. Family night is at 6:30 p.m. Wednesdays.
The pastor said the Spanish-speaking church is a big help to Calvary Tabernacle, supporting them in everything.
Calvary Tabernacle is the location of a food pantry from 9 a.m. to noon Tuesday and Thursday. The pantry provides food for more than 100 families a month in Orleans County. Donna Poore manages the food pantry, and Daniel Tabor picks up donated food, while Michael Jaeger does stocking.
They receive free bread, groceries and meats weekly from Aldi’s, and other foodstuffs from Foodlink. Any non-food donations received are given to MAAC’s Thrift Deport.
At 10:30 on Nov. 13, the church will have a building dedication service and retirement celebration for the Rev. Iorio, and everyone is invited to attend.
Photo by Tom Rivers: The Village of Medina has this sign at the Medina Canal Basin to greet visitors to the community.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 26 October 2022 at 10:40 am
MEDINA – The Village of Medina is again on the short list for receiving a multi-million-dollar grant to bolster the downtown business district.
Medina has been a finalist two other times for a $10 million state Downtown Revitalization Initiative. But the village hasn’t been picked for the money yet.
Last year Medina missed out on the $10 million to the Village of Newark in Wayne County and the City of Rochester. Other previous $10 million grant winners in the Finger Lakes region include the City of Geneva in 2016, the City of Batavia in 2017, the Village of Penn Yan in 2018 and Seneca Falls in 2019.
Medina village officials gave an overview of potential projects on Friday during a Zoom conference call with the Finger Lakes Regional Economic Development Council.
Mayor Mike Sidari said he felt better about the reception to the presentation than in past years based on the comments and questions from Council officials.
Medina presented a plan for $10 million DRI and also for a new $4.5 million NY Forward program, where the grants are targeted for downtowns in hamlets and villages.
Gov. Kathy Hochul in July announced the state is making $200 million available for downtowns – $100 million to invigorate smaller and rural downtowns and $100 million for downtown areas in metropolitan areas.
Medina has a committee that identified residential, commercial and tourism projects that would build on recent successes and investments in the downtown and canal area.
The committee members that presented the plan with Mayor Sidari include Village Trustee Tim Elliott, Trustee Marguerite Sherman, and residents Kathy Blackburn, Chris Busch and David Flynn.
Sidari didn’t want to make the different plans public yet, but he said they build off the 2021 proposal.
Medina’s application in 2021 sought funding for streetscape improvements, a multi-use trail along the Medina Railroad from the museum to Main Street, upgrades to Canal Village Farmer’s Market, improved waterfront access and amenities at the Canal Basin Park, enhanced programming at State Street Park (ice skating rink, enhanced lighting, boat tie-ups, benches and bicycle racks, and a construction of a nature trail), boat tie-ups and docking facilities at the Lions Park, a viewing platform and at Medina waterfalls, wayfinding signage, small grant fund for local businesses, adaptive reuse of the old Medina High School to turn into apartments, and redeveloping the Snappy facility on Commercial Street by the Erie Canal into a mixed-use commercial and residential space.
Village officials during Monday’s Village Board meeting said the funding from the state will build on significant private and public investment in the downtown in the past 20 years.
Sidari said the state funding would set up Medina as a much desired community to live and work for a new generation. He spoke Monday during a meeting attended by many local high school students.
“This board wants to make this village nicer for your generation so you will choose to live and work here,” Sidari told the students.
Trustee Owen Toale said the state funding would make a big difference for a village of about 6,000 residents. “It’s bookoo bucks,” he said. “We could make Medina an even nicer old-fashioned town than it is.”
The state is expected to announce the DRI and NY Forward grant winners in December.
By Ginny Kropf, correspondent Posted 25 October 2022 at 2:53 pm
Provided photo: Ron and Lynda Felstead of Medina were among the guests at last year’s Treasure Island event. Ron has been a longtime member of the Orleans Community Health Foundation board.
MEDINA – Orleans Community Health’s top fundraiser Treasure Island is scheduled for Nov. 5 at Shelby Fire Hall.
This is the 28th annual Treasure Island Auction Benefit, which has raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for dozens of causes, projects and equipment throughout the Medina Memorial Hospital system.
This year’s honorary chair is Dr. Richard Elman, Emergency Department director at Medina Memorial Hospital. Starting at the hospital in 2016, Dr. Elman manages the clinical and administrative responsibilities for Orleans Community Health’s critical access emergency department, with a volume of more than 8,000 patients per year.
Proceeds from this year’s Treasure Island event is earmarked for Orleans Community Health Foundation’s IV pump replacement campaign, which is more than half way to its goal.
Treasure Island will help close the gap to replace these IV pumps throughout Orleans Community Health and Medina Memorial Hospital, according to Megan Johnson, executive director of the Orleans Community Health Foundation, which sponsors Treasure Island.
Pumps are used in both dialysis locations for infusion treatments, and in Medina Memorial Hospital’s emergency, operating and recovery rooms, in radiology, long-term care unit and on patient care floors.
Tickets for Treasure Island are $50 per person and can be purchased online at www.charityauction.bid/treasureisland2022. Attendees can look forward to a buffet dinner catered by Zambistro, silent and live auctions, a Lucky Cork wine pull and exclusive onsite games.
The silent auction will be open to the public again this year online. Bidders do not have to purchase a ticket or attend the event to participate. Many items are featured in the silent auction this year, including two trips; a five-night trip for two to the Alaskan Frontier and a three-night Vancouver salmon fishing trip for two. To participate in the silent auction, visit the event website above and “Register to Bid.” Winners will be notified via e-mail after the event closes.
Sponsors of Treasure Island are Independent Health, Lawley Insurance, Takeform, Niagara Veterinary Properties and Jr. Wilson’s Sportsmen’s Club.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 25 October 2022 at 10:15 am
Village declares snails, old merry-go-round as surplus items and will be sold
File photo by Tom Rivers: The snail at Pine Street Park, and another one at Butts Park, were declared surplus items by the Village Board on Monday and will be sold. The village’s insurance company recommended the snails be removed.
MEDINA – The snail jungle gyms at Pine Street Park and Butts Park will soon to be sold through an online auction site after the Village Board declared them to be surplus items on Monday.
“The insurance company recommended we take them out because don’t meet requirements for modern day safety of playground equipment,” said Jason Watts, the village’s superintendent of the Department of Public Works. “They were more of a nostalgic thing for our parks.”
Mayor Mike Sidari said a safety audit by the village insurance carrier deemed the snails unsafe. The snails were removed in August.
“If there was an injury claim the insurance company would not pay for the claim,” Sidari said today.
The snails will be listed on the Government Deals online auction site. The village kept the snails in recent years, while the playgrounds were upgraded with newer equipment.
Watts said the snail that was at Pine Street Park is in better shape. The eyes fell off the one from Butts Park.
The board also voted to declare the merry-go-round that was at State Street Park as surplus. That was removed this summer because “it was in tough shape,” Watts said.
Other miscellaneous equipment, a Vermeer woodchipper, track paver and snow plow also were declared surplus and will be sold.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 25 October 2022 at 9:18 am
Village officials frustrated some business owners, employees park too long on Main Street
MEDINA – The Village Board again debated whether it should scrap a two-hour parking limit in the downtown, saying that limit is hard to enforce. The board also doesn’t want to do away with the two-hour signs because some people might park on Main Street for many hours.
Trustee Tim Elliott has raised the issue recently, saying there are a few people, including a business owner, who park for several hours on Main Street.
“I brought up because people complained we’re not enforcing tickets,” Elliott said during Monday’s board meeting.
However, the board doesn’t want strict enforcement where it would chase away some customers who visit multiple shops and go to a restaurant, exceeding the two hours.
Deputy Mayor Owen Toale said doesn’t want to see the village writing parking tickets to downtown customers.
“It would be counterproductive to our Main Street being busy, and our retailers and restaurants being successful,” he said.
The business owners and their employees should be encouraged to park in the municipal lots where there isn’t a time limit. Police Chief Chad Kenward said he has spoken to people with a reputation for overstaying the two-hour limit, but that hasn’t dissuaded them yet.
Village attorney Matt Brooks said the common way of enforcing a parking limit, by chalking tires, has been ruled unconstitutional in court.
Mayor Mike Sidari said the village would need a camera system with internet service to enforce the parking limit.
Sidari said he went into Monday’s meeting thinking it made more sense to eliminate the parking limit in the downtown because the village isn’t enforcing it. However, he agreed with Toale that keeping the two-hour signs posted is a deterrent to more people parking for multiple hour sin the downtown.
Sidari said he doesn’t want to put in parking meters, either.
“If we take the signs down, business owners and employees could take more spots,” he said. “We’re between a rock and a hard place.”
Sidari said the village has several municipal lots near the downtown that are only a short walk away from Main Street.
Trustee Marguerite Sherman said the village is looking at grants to make the municipal lots more inviting. She said she has spoken with several business owners who want to keep the two-hour parking limit.
If the board ends the two-hour Main Street parking, there would be a public hearing. But the board said it won’t be pushing that right now.
Toale said the issue of a downtown often full of vehicles is a good issue to wrestle with..
“The bigger problem is when there are too many spaces available because people aren’t coming to the businesses and restaurants,” he said.
Provided photo: Firefighters used aerial ladder trucks to put out a fire this morning in the former S.A. Cook Furniture Factory at 525 East Ave. in Medina. Firefighters were called to the scene at about 9:30 a.m.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 24 October 2022 at 9:15 pm
MEDINA – The village has issued an emergency demolition permit for large manufacturing site on East Avenue that has been vacant and a target of vandals in recent years.
This morning there was another fire at the three-story building at 525 East Avenue. This 70,600-square-foot building was previously used by the S.A. Cook Furniture Factory.
Mayor Mike Sidari praised firefighters for a quick knock down of the fire. Firefighters used aerial ladder trucks from Medina, Albion and Shelby to put out the flames. No firefighters went inside because the building is considered to be too dangerous, said Code Enforcement Officer Dan Gardner.
The property has been sold multiple times through the property tax auction, including in 2016 when it only fetched $100.
A more recent owner – Open the Windows of Heaven, Apostolic Ministry – doesn’t have insurance on the building. The church group also doesn’t have the resources to make extensive repairs or to demo the site, Gardner said.
He issued the church a notice about a year ago that the building was unsafe and not secure. He issued that notice again today.
Mayor Sidari said the village will seek out state and federal assistance to take down the building. Gardner said the third floor caved into the second floor, well before the fire. It seems like every time he goes by the building, more windows are broken.
“It’s absolutely not safe,” Gardner said.
He said the demolition costs would be well into the hundreds of thousands.
By Ginny Kropf, correspondent Posted 24 October 2022 at 8:00 am
Photos by Ginny Kropf: Charlene and Jeff Smith, left, are greeted by Norma Jean Foster and MAAC’s new president Barb Vreeland at the October meeting Tuesday night at the First Baptist Church in Medina. A special part of the meeting was welcoming the area’s new pastors.
MEDINA – The Medina Area Association of Churches held its regular meeting Oct. 18 at the First Baptist Church.
The organization, known as MAAC, meets the third Tuesday of September, October, January, February, March or April (excluding the month of Easter) and May.
Amanda Kroening, director of the children’s ministry at OneChurch, talks about the church’s move to West Avenue.
MAAC is made up of representatives from all the Medina area churches, including Alabama Full Gospel Church, Calvary Tabernacle Assembly of God, Faith Bible Baptist Church, Faith Covenant Fellowship Church, First Baptist Church, First Presbyterian Church, Gateway to Heaven Church, Glad Tidings Baptist Church, the Grove United Methodist Church, Holy Trinity Catholic Parish, New Life Alliance Church, Oak Orchard Assembly of God, OneChurch, St. John’s Episcopal Church, St. Peter’s Evangelical Lutheran Church, Trinity Lutheran Church and United Methodist Church of the Abundant Harvest.
MAAC’s ministries are the Medina Clergy Fellowship, MAAC Thrift Depot, Medina Area Christian Theater (MACT) and its biggest program, the MAAC Christmas Barrel Program.
Its outreach ministries include Lenten luncheons, Good Friday Cross Walk, a Thanksgiving service, Advent in the Park, high school scholarships and vacation Bible school.
Newly elected officers are Barbara Vreeland from Holy Trinity Parish, president; Vince Iorio, retired pastor from Calvary Tabernacle Assembly of God, vice president; Amanda Pollard, treasurer, from First Presbyterian Church; Pat Payne, secretary, from the Grove United Methodist Church; and Kathleen Samborski, corresponding secretary, from Glad Tidings Baptist Church.
Ministry representatives are Sue Metzo, Thrift Depot; Sherry Tuohey, Christmas Barrel Program; Robyn Watts, MACT; and at-large positions, Norma Jean Foster and Norma Geiger from First Baptist Church and Charlene Smith from United Methodist Church of the Abundant Harvest.
A position is open for a representative to the Clergy Fellowship.
Pat Payne, left, secretary of MAAC, addresses the meeting Tuesday night at First Baptist Church. She is standing behind Pastor Liz Aristy, new pastor of the First Methodist Church of Medina.
Because the area has so many new pastors, MAAC decided at its recent meeting to recognize those pastors, who are: Kevin Lawson at Calvary Tabernacle Assembly of God; Rich Damey at Faith Bible Baptist Church; Sam and Sue Hershberger at Faith Covenant Fellowship Church; Elizabeth “Liz” Aristy at the Grove United Methodist Church; Kevin Weigel at OneChurch; and Aktar Sohail at St. Peter’s Evangelical Lutheran Church.
The new pastors in attendance shared a little of their background.
The Hershbergers are native Ohioans who came to Faith Covenant Fellowship last year. He resigned a 34-year career to pursue the ministry.
Liz Aristy is a native Dominican, who with her husband Sandy is also a chaplain. She is a conference speaker and missionary with a master’s from Northeast Seminary in Rochester. They have three children. Liz has a degree in organizational management from Roberts Wesleyan and a nursing degree from the University of Rochester. She is founder and president of Redemption Tree International, a missionary evangelistic outreach ministry, sharing the Gospel message in English and Spanish. She also is owner of Self/Care Essentials by Liz and is a selfcare registered nurse in health and wellness.
Kevin Lawson is a Middleport native who is married to Medina native Krista Scholes and has been active in Calvary Tabernacle Assembly of God since he was a teen.
Amanda Kroening was introduced as representative of MAAC’s newest member, OneChurch, who took over the building formerly occupied by Grace Baptist Church. Kroening grew up in Grace Baptist Church and now serves as children’s ministry director for OneChurch.
Sue Metzo gave an update on the MAAC Thrift Depot, which last Tuesday she said had the busiest day in their history.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 22 October 2022 at 10:11 pm
Photos by Tom Rivers
MEDINA – A Day of the Dead display is part of this ofrenda that was created inside the Orleans County YMCA. The Genesee-Orleans Regional Arts Council (GO Art!) teamed with the YMCA and Mariachi de Oro to put on the event today. GO Art! counted 420 participants, the most in the three years the Day of the Dead has been at the YMCA.
This ofrenda in back was created by the Rosario family. An ofrenda is an offering placed in a home altar during the annual Mexican Día de Muertos celebration. An ofrenda is often large and elaborate, and is usually created by the family members of a person who has died and is intended to welcome the deceased to the altar setting.
Jesse Cudzilo, YMCA director, was happy to share the facility on Pearl Street for the Day of the Dead.
“It is exactly what we want this place to be – a place where everybody can come together,” he said.
He was pleased to see the big turnout “from people of different backgrounds enjoying a cultural event.”
This display gave people a chance to write notes to a departed loved one.
The Mexican Day of the Dead Celebration is a time of joyful remembrance of deceased loved ones, filled with an array of colors, scents, sounds and stories.
Centered around the observance of All Saints and All Souls Days on Nov. 1 and 2, the celebration also includes images and ideas about the roles of ancestors that trace back to Mexico’s indigenous peoples. Tradition holds that this is the one time of the year when souls can return to earth for a day and commune with their families and friends.
Erin Allis, 9, of Median gets her face painted by Lydia Fox, a Medina High School student who volunteered as face painter. Other art students at Medina helped with the celebration.
Antonio Cruz Zavaleta created this sand painting.
After he made the sand painting, Antonio Cruz Zavaleta served in the popular face painting station.
The festivities included Mexican crafts, dance and drama performance, sand painting and ofrenda displays, and special food tastings.
Karla Alcalá teaches Mexican folklore dances. A former member of a folkloric dance group in Mexico, Alcalá now teaches community members traditional dance from a variety of regions.
Mexican dance and music performances were shared by Alma de México, a group from Rochester.
Abby Fuller made more than 50 paper flowers that she shared with people.
Eleanor Oakes, 5, of Medina makes a mask.
In another activity, children were welcome to create colorfully decorated skulls or calaveras. GO Art! ran out of all 200 of those sugar skulls that were decorated with icing.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 21 October 2022 at 9:16 am
St. Joseph’s in Albion, Canal Culvert in Ridgeway and Ryan Quarry House in Clarendon recognized by Medina Sandstone Society
Photos by Tom Rivers: The Medina Sandstone Society added three sites to its Hall of Fame at Medina City Hall. There are now 35 sites in the Hall of Fame which was established in 2013. Pictured from left include: Brandan Simon, west region canal engineer for Canal Corporation (representing the Canal Culvert); Maureen and Robert Christian, owners of the Ryan Quarry home on South Holley Road in Clarendon; and the Rev. Richard Csizmar, pastor of Holy Family Parish in Albion which was recognized for St. Joseph’s Catholic Church, its lyceum on Main Street and the chapel at St. Joseph’s Cemetery on Route 31.
MEDINA – The Medina Sandstone Society inducted three members into the Medina Sandstone Hall of Fame on Thursday, bringing the total to 35 sites that have now been recognized since the Hall of Fame was established in 2013.
The three new inductees are all in Orleans County and include the Erie Canal Culvert in the Town of Ridgeway, St. Joseph’s Catholic Church in Albion (including the parish’s lyceum and cemetery chapel), and the Ryan Quarry home owned by Robert and Maureen Christian on South Holley Road in Clarendon.
The Hall of Fame includes churches, mansions, civic buildings, monuments and public works projects from Erie, Pa., to Buffalo, Batavia and Orleans County, Rochester and the Finger Lakes region.
Dave Miller welcomes about 30 people to the Hall of Fame induction ceremony on Thursday in the main meeting room at Medina City Hall. The Hall of Fame plaques are all made and donated by Takeform.
David Miller, Hall of Fame Committee chairman, said the Sandstone Society wants to showcase how the local quarried stone was used to build so many magnificent sites.
“What a wealth of beautiful buildings that have come out of the ground in Orleans County,” he said during Thursday afternoon’s Hall of Fame ceremony at Medina City Hall. “We need to appreciate them.”
About 70 sites have now been nominated for the hall of Fame. The Hall of Fame Committee wants to recognize Medina Sandstone sites with exceptional beauty, architectural uniqueness and longevity, or as Miller said, sites “that have the wow effect.”
Miller said the Sandstone Society welcomes more nominations. (Click here for more information.)
The Canal Culvert on Culvert Road in Ridgeway was initially built in 1823 for the Erie Canal. The current culvert was built in 1911 when the canal was enlarged. This is the only spot where traffic can go under the Erie Canal.
While the Hall of Fame features many ornate churches, mansions and civic structures, the Canal Culvert is the first inductee that served a more utilitarian purpose as a public infrastructure project.
The culvert has a 7 foot, 6 inch clearance, with a peak height of 11 feet inside the tunnel.
The stone tunnel is 200 feet long, 11 feet high at its peak and 19 feet wide. It is an iconic site in Orleans County, and is one of a kind on the 524-mile-long canal system – the only place where you can drive under the canal. The site has been featured on Ripley’s Believe It or Not.
The culvert was originally built in 1823 and was enlarged when the canal was expanded. The current culvert was built in 1911 as part of the Barge Canal enlargement.
The stone arch structure has a reinforced concrete prism liner directly above it, said Brendan Simon, west region canal engineer for the Canal Corp.
“The structure is near and dear to the canals,” Simon said. “I don’t know of any other structure like it on the canal system. Our staff is passionate about maintaining key pieces of infrastructure like the stone arch culvert.”
Simon said the Canal Corp. is gearing up for the 200th anniversary celebration of the Erie Canal in 2025. That year Buffalo will host the World Canals Conference.
Photos by David Miller: The Ryan Quarry House has been lovingly restored and cared for by Maureen and Robert Christian. The home was built in 1863 from stone likely obtained from the nearby banks of Sandy Creek. A former quarry on the property is now a 2-acre pond. This farmhouse became the office building for the Ryan Company quarry beginning in 1920.
The induction of the Ryan Quarry House at 4160 South Holley Rd. in Clarendon is the first Hall of Fame inductee that has a direct link to a Medina Sandstone quarry operation.
The house was likely built from sandstone from the banks of the east branch of Sandy Creek. This was in 1863 when there weren’t any commercial quarries in Clarendon.
This part of Clarendon and Holley would later have three quarries – Down’s and Gorman’s quarry in 1881, Gleason Place quarry in 1890 and the large Ryan Company quarry in 1920.
The Ryan quarry was adjacent to the house at 4160 South Holley Rd. and the building was used as an office building for the Ryan Company in the 1920s and much of the ’30s. Writing from Civilian Conservation Corps workers were found inside on the walls of the house during a later restoration.
Dave Miller of the Sandstone Society praised Maureen and Robert Christian for an extensive renovation and upkeep since they bought it in 1977. They credited their aunt Flo Johnson for saving the site when she bought it in 1950. At that point the site had been abandoned with a collapsed roof and trees growing up inside the house.
“She was told it was too far gone,” Mr. Christian said. “But she always wanted a stone house in the country.”
The Christians bought the house from her in 1977 and raised their three children at the house. Mrs. Christian said the sound of the nearby creek and waterfalls is peaceful and relaxing.
“We just love the history of it,” she said. “It’s built like a fortress.”
Her husband said the family has tried to maintain a part of the county’s sandstone legacy.
“That’s what it’s all about – being a steward of it,” he said.
Miller said the Hall of Fame would like to include more history of local quarrying families. The group welcomes biographies of families that were prominent in the local quarrying industry.
Photos by Tom Rivers: St. Joseph’s Catholic Church in Albion is a new member of the Medina Sandstone Hall of Fame. The First Baptist Church, right, is St. Joseph’s neighbor on West Park Street.
The induction of St. Joseph’s Catholic Church is long overdue, said Jim Hancock, a member of Hall of Fame Committee. The site was nominated this year by former County Historian Bill Lattin. It joins other Albion sites in the Hall of Fame including the Pullman Memorial Universalist Church, First Presbyterian Church of Albion, and the Civil War Monument at Mount Albion Cemetery.
St. Joseph’s Church was dedicated in 1897, built of locally quarried sandstone in a Gothic Revival style on West Park Street. The parish also dedicated St. Joseph’s School and Lyceum on Main Street in 1905 and then a new chapel at St. Joseph’s Cemetery on Route 31 in 1920. The lyceum is the first school to be included in the Medina Sandstone Hall of Fame.
The Hall of Fame Committee praised Holy Family Parish for its care of the three sites for more than a century.
The Rev. Richard Csizmar, pastor of the parish since 1994, said many people over the years have given resources, time and talent to keep up the sites. The lyceum recently completed a $100,000 renovation, he noted.
“They’re so valuable, so beautiful, and so memorable” he said about the buildings. “They are gifts from God.”
The Medina Sandstone Society also highlighted the lyceum and chapel in the Hall of Fame induction for St. Joseph’s, which is in the Holy Family Parish.
Editor’s Note: Orleans Hub editor Tom Rivers is a member of the Medina Sandstone Hall of Fame Committee.
