Provided photos: Medina’s varsity winterguard is shown during its competition on Saturday in Batavia. Medina finished in third place.
Courtesy of Medina Marching Band
BATAVIA – Medina’s winterguards competed for the third time this season on Saturday when they traveled to Batavia. The Batavia show consisted of 18 guard units from WNY and Canada competing in 7 different classes.
In the SA class, the Medina Varsity guard came in 3rd with 67.85, bested by Orchard Park in 1st with 69.32 and Batavia in 2nd with 68.65.
In the RA class, the Medina JV guard came in 3rd with a score of 67.48, topped by Orchard Park in 1st with 69.09 and Gates in 2nd with 68.01.
Winners in the other classes are Legacy in Novice class with 43.92; Venture Cadet with 61.31; Lancaster in A1 with 63.85; Luminosa in Senior class with 69.69; and Legacy in Independent A with 74.12.
The students continue practicing several times per week even through school breaks. Medina’s next competitions are Feb. 29 at Marcus Whitman, Lancaster on March 7, at home in Medina on March 14, followed by Jamestown on March 21. The championships are March 28 at the Gates-Chili school.
Medina’s JV winterguard came in third place at the Batavia event.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 15 February 2020 at 10:42 pm
Theo Irwin, Medina grad, wants to bring back more boxing events to Medina
Photos by Tom Rivers: Caleb Rivera is declared the winner in a bout against John Rondon. It was one of 11 sanctioned boxing matches by USA Boxing today at the Orleans County YMCA in Medina.
MEDINA – The Orleans County YMCA hosted 11 boxing bouts today, which were sanctioned by USA Boxing. These are believed to the first sanctioned boxing matches in Medina since the 1950s.
Medina native Theo Irwin, 26, served as promoter of the event. He also runs a boxing gym in Rochester and had five of his fighters in the ring today.
Irwin started boxing when he was 6 and fought in 29 sanctioned matches. He has been a boxing coach the past three years. This Tuesday he will begin leading a non-contact boxing class at the YMCA in Medina on Tuesdays from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. That class is open to people of all ages.
Ellison Rivera, in red, lands a punch against Cameron Overton.
About 200 people attended the boxing matches today, which was considered a good crowd, especially at a new venue. Irwin would like to have Medina host boxing again in the future, at least once annually. He said the local Y is ideally located between Rochester and Buffalo.
Irwin runs a construction business, framing houses during the day. He is at the gym almost every day at the Montgomery Neighborhood Center on Cady Street in Rochester.
Theo Irwin coached five of the boxers today. He wears a green robe in honor of his Irish heritage. He also served as promoter of the event today in Medina. He would like to make Medina a regular site for boxing matches in the Niagara Region. He said Medina is ideally located between Rochester and Buffalo. The Niagara District of USA Boxing extends from Syracuse to Jamestown.
Sharee Smith, right, eyes his opponent, Javon Taylor of Lockport.
Sharee Smith, 15, has been training with Irwin the past three months. Today’s was Smith’s fourth fight. He lost in a technical knockout to Lockport’s Javon Taylor, who was making his debut in a sanctioned boxing match.
After the bout Sharee said he was eager to get back in the ring. The 150-pound fighter wasn’t discouraged by the defeat.
He said boxing is a great way “to blow off steam.” He also plays football. He likes training with Irwin, one of seven or eight regulars in the gym.
“He’s positive,” Sharee said. “He’s a good role model.”
Boxing takes discipline, and self motivation.
Sharee knows the biggest key for a boxer: “You got to have heart and lot of people don’t have it,” he said.
Theo Irwin, right, checks on his boxer, 15-year-old Sharee Smith. Sharee took some tough punches in the first round. Irwin gave him positive feedback, and encouraged him to move around more in the ring.
Shares Smith and Javon Taylor battle in the ring. Jimmie Phelps is the referee. Taylor would win the bout in the third round in a technical knockout.
Theo Irwin checks on Sharee Smith after the second round. The boxers fought for two minutes and then had a one-minute break in between rounds.
Irwin’s father Mark was active with USA Boxing for about 20 years, including seven years as the chief official. Irwin, a former Medina village trustee, also boxed in his early 20s.
“It’s conditioning and discipline,” he said about the sport. “A lot of it is mental toughness because a lot of the training is solitary. You have to be disciplined. A non-disciplined isn’t going to last long.”
About 200 people watched the boxing today at the YMCA in Medina. This photo shows Javon Taylor of Lockport vs. Sharee Smith of Rochester. Jimmie Phelps is the referee.
Joe Taylor, 35, of Lockport trained two of the boxers who fought today, including his son, Javon, 14. Javon won in his debut.
Joe Taylor is a top-ranked kick boxer. He competes for the world title on March 21 at the King of the Cage United States Cruiserweight Championship. The match will be the main event at the Seneca Niagara Casino in Niagara Fall. His father, the late Johnnie Taylor of Medina and Lockport, was a professional boxer who fought at Madison Square Garden.
Taylor takes time to train kids who want to try boxing. He said the sport demands focus and discipline, and that can be transformative to the teens.
“It makes kids want to do the right thing and not the wrong thing,” he said. “The kids love it.”
After the matches ended, Theo Irwin takes apart the ring, which was originally used at the former Boston Garden and now is owned by a gym in Rochester.
Photos by Tom Rivers: This photo from September shows contractors working on the Bent’s Opera House, a dominant structure at the intersection of routes 63 and 31 in Medina’s historic downtown business district.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 14 February 2020 at 3:14 pm
MEDINA – The Orleans Economic Development Agency approved a sales tax break on the $1.5 million in furnishings and kitchen equipment at the 30,000-square-foot, three-story site at 444 Main St., which is being turned into a restaurant, 10-room hotel and events center.
The sales tax exemption will save Bent’s Opera House LLC $120,875 in sales tax on $1,550,911 in expenditures, which includes $821,869 in kitchen equipment and restaurant furnishings, $499,491 in hotel furnishings and fixtures, and $120,875 on furnishings and fixtures at the events center on the top floor.
In paperwork filed with the Orleans EDA, Bent’s listed a target completion date for the project for this coming September. Bent’s expects to create 22 jobs at the site and draw customers from Rochester, Buffalo, Canada and nearby Niagara County, as well as other states and European countries. The jobs will pay an average of $43,318 a year, according to the Bent’s application with the EDA.
The Bent’s redevelopment is led by Medina businessman Roger Hungerford.
“The event center is going to provide a venue that is unparalleled in the United States given the fact that it is a renovation of a 155-year-old opera house,” Bent’s officials stated in the EDA filing.
The EDA said Bent’s qualified for EDA assistance because the site will be a tourism draw with a high-end farm-to-table restaurant, 10 unique hotel rooms, and an event space for up to 180 people.
The door is open for the many construction workers who have been working to save the Bent’s Opera House and transform it into its new purpose as a restaurant, hotel and events center.
The developer hasn’t sought any other EDA assistance for the project, including a discounted phased-in property tax through a PILOT or a sales tax abatement for construction materials.
The property previously was tax exempt when it was owned by the Orleans Renaissance Group. Now it is generating property taxes for the Village of Medina, Town of Ridgeway, Orleans County and Medina school district.
In an application with the EDA, Bent’s officials said the events center will host concerts, weddings and receptions, shows and speakers.
“Grand chandeliers will draw people’s eyes up to the restored, decorative ceiling on the third floor,” wrote Lisa Tombari, director of historic properties and operations for Talis Equity, a Hungerford company. “The entire third floor is being renovated, leaving the stage and stage side boxes with their original decorative wood and trim.”
The stairs from the second to third floor are the original from when the opera house was built in 1865. The hardwood floors will be restored for the events center.
On the second floor, where there will be 10 hotel rooms, many of the original doors, doorways, window trim, hardwood floors and ticket booth will remain intact and restored to their original beauty, Tombari wrote.
The farm-to-table restaurant will be open seven days a week with the bar area having room for 20 people and the restaurant seating approximately 55.
“While our intent is to preserve as much as possible, the first floor of the building was most recently a bank and most original items have been removed long ago,” Tombari said in the application. “We are replacing the windows and doors to look like the originals, but at the same time will be energy efficient.”
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 14 February 2020 at 10:49 am
BOMET will buy 10 acres of Medina Business Park for project on Bates Road
MEDINA – A Canadian company that operates an electronics recycling operation in Albion is planning to build a new 52,000-square-foot facility in Medina.
BOMET Recovery in Medina will differ from BOMET Recycling in Albion. The new operation is “remanufacturing” of plastics, while the Albion site is focused on recycling.
Construction of the new manufacturing plant could start this year and would be located across from Western New York Energy’s ethanol plant on Bates Road. The Orleans Economic Development Agency intends to sell 10 acres of the land for $200,000 to the Canadian company with is led by Zhan “Bo” Zhang. BOMET is based in Cambridge, Ontario.
He sent a non-binding letter of intent to the EDA on Feb. 12 about purchasing the land in the business park at $20,000 per acre.
BOMET also discussed the project last month with the Village of Medina Planning Board. A final site plan still needs to go through the Planning Board.
Jim Whipple, chief executive officer of the Orleans EDA, said the Medina site would likely have 20-25 employees when it’s up and running.
The EDA said BOMET has proven to be a good employer in the county. The company in 2013 bought a warehouse on McKinstry Street in Albion for $176,000. That building had been vacant for about a decade.
BOMET did significant renovations including a new roof at the property, where electronics are recycled.
Photo by Tom Rivers: The Cobblestone Suites hotel on Maple Ridge Road was scheduled to open in March. But most of the construction work ceased since just before Christmas. Work is expected to restart soon with the hotel to open likely in the summer.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 13 February 2020 at 9:13 am
MEDINA – Contractors were a steady presence on Maple Ridge Road last summer and fall, building a 39,000-square-foot hotel with 58 rooms.
The project was about 80 percent complete until construction largely stopped just before Christmas when the builder wasn’t getting paid.
A financing holdup is expected to soon be resolved with construction to resume and the hotel likely to open in the summer.
The Small Business Administration approved a loan for the project last March, but then changed its rules in June or July, unbeknownst to the developer or Generations Bank, which is providing $7.3 million in loans for the project, said Andina Barone, a spokeswoman for the Orleans Economic Development Agency.
The Generations Bank money is contingent on the SBA loan. With the SBA financing held up that has also put the brakes on the Generations funding, Barone said.
The SBA changed its policy for loaning to franchises with management contracts. Cobblestone Suites is owned by the Medina Hospitality Group, which is headed by Todd “Booka” Hanes of St. Mary’s, Pa.
He contracts with WHG Companies to manage the hotel. Brian Wogernesem, President/CEO of Cobblestone Suites, also owns WHG.
Cobblestone Suites has 125 hotels in small towns in several states, with another 75 projects in development. The company’s hotels range in size from 31 to 73 rooms, with 45 the average size, Wogernesem said on May 16 during a ribbon-cutting celebration in Medina. This is Cobblestone’s first project in New York.
Cobblestone Suites is Orleans County’s first branded hotel. The Orleans EDA worked for about five years to bring the project to the community, seeing the hotel as a way to boost tourism revenue and keep visitors in the county longer, which would help local businesses.
“Everyone at the IDA, the board, the developers and the brand knocked themselves out to bring Cobblestone to Orleans County and New York,” Barone said. “It’s unfortunate the developers have encountered so many obstacles doing business in New York State.”
Cobblestone Suites has carved a niche with a “mid-scale product” that isn’t an economy hotel or a “mom and pop” operation, Wogernesem said.
The hotels in the small towns have a corporate base with local businesses, family events (weddings and funerals), and tourists. The big hotel chains don’t operate in small towns, he said.
The SBA on Jan. 23 agreed to give Cobblestone Suites an exemption on the financing policy, Barone said. The loan signing hasn’t taken place yet for the $1.9 million from the SBA.
“We expect a closing date soon,” Hanes said. “We’ll have a better idea of a completion schedule for the hotel after we see the revised construction schedule being submitting this week in order to set the loan closing. The hotel is 80 percent complete.”
Cobblestone Suites works with BriMark Builders from Wisconsin. That company filed liens on Oct. 28 and Nov. 25 against the project for nearly $2.9 million for the costs of materials, furnishings and labor.
“What is on paper has more to do with the delay in the SBA loan, not acrimony,” Hanes said. “The financing through Generations Bank was contingent upon the SBA loan, so all the financing has been held up as a result – and the project is 80 percent complete. This has not been an easy situation, but we have had a longstanding and productive relationship with everyone BriMark and have no reason to believe that will not continue.”
He said the legal filing with the liens was “a necessary precaution for everyone involved – Medina Hospitality and BriMark.”
Hanes said Medina Hospitality and BriMark are “working together in the best interest of the project.”
He is optimistic the hotel will be a popular venue once it opens.
“I’m on Cobblestone’s advisory board and immediately knew this hotel will be a great fit for Orleans County,” he said. “We love the area and can’t wait to be a part of the community.”
By Ginny Kropf, correspondent Posted 10 February 2020 at 6:04 pm
Provided photo: Newly hired Shelridge Country Club superintendent Michael Tross, left, stands by the sign at the golf course with Dave Wagner, right, vice president of the board.
MEDINA – Shelridge Country Club will welcome golfers this spring with a new superintendent and ambitious plans for the new year.
Effective Feb. 17, Michael Tross of Marcellus will begin his duties as superintendent of Shelridge, something which has officials of Shelridge overjoyed.
This is the first superintendent’s position for Tross, 27, although he has served as assistant superintendent and project manager for three years at the famed Apawamis Club in Rye, Westchester County. Apawamis is one of the first country clubs in the United States.
Tross, who replaces former superintendent Brad Balschmitter, comes from a family of golfers. His mother and four uncles all golfed. He was only 5 or 6 the first time he played golf.
“My mother used to drop me off at the driving range, where I’d spend hours on end while she worked,” Tross said. “I developed a knowledge of agronomy and I fell in love with it.”
He attended Cobleskill College, where he played Division III golf. He received a bachelor’s degree in turf grass management. During summers he did internships at Massachusetts International Golf Club and Oak Hill in Rochester.
It was at Apawamis where Tross said he developed a unique skill set.
Tross said he sees Shelridge as a place where he can establish himself as a superintendent.
“I’m really excited about coming to Shelridge,” Tross said. “I am coming back to look at a house with my fiancée, and if we can find a place to live, I hope to be settled there by the middle of February. My main focus is to get to know the property well and take Shelridge to a level of membership it hasn’t seen, something which I think I’m very capable of doing.”
Board vice president Dave Wagner, who led the search committee for a new superintendent, and club manager Brett Decker agree.
“We’re very excited he’s on our team,” Wagner said. “He comes from Apawanis, which is one of the oldest country clubs in the United States.
Wagner is also an avid golfer and anxious to see Shelridge grow and thrive. He was introduced to golf by his father-in-law and fell in love with it, he said. He praised Shelridge’s Friday night couple’s league, of which he and his wife Brianna are members. Their children both play college golf, their daughter at Keuka and their son at Niagara University.
Shelridge has already undergone the start of renovations, which Decker said have changed the whole vibe of the country club. These include a complete facelift inside with new carpet, new foyer and covered entryway. Upstairs, two bathrooms will be added this year, with possible expansion of the dining room and enlarging the kitchen. Further plans include extending the patio and adding a fire pit and French doors.
The club has already been taking steps to improve drainage on some of the holes, and this is a project in which Tross plans to be involved.
According to Decker, they are not only looking at avenues to improve drainage, but to improve the aesthetics of the golf course, perhaps by adding a pond. Fortunately, he said, several members have donated money to help with this project.
Decker said Shelridge has kept their dues at the same level they were in 2008.
“That’s a minor miracle in this industry,” he said.
The cost of membership for a family for the first year is $795, with an additional $395 for a cart for one person.
Decker added the minimum wage increase has been a big issue for Shelridge.
“The 70-cent-an-hour cost increase in the minimum wage costs us $15,000 a year,” he said. “We don’t want to have to charge members more.”
Shelridge membership has averaged between 230 and 250, and a push will be on this year to increase that number. Currently, Decker said 40 percent of their members are from Medina and 25 percent from Lockport. Others come from throughout the region, from Brockport to Clarence.
Shelridge started its search for a new superintendent in December.
“We had some strong applicants, but we are ecstatic we could come to an agreement with Michael,” Wagner said.
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By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 10 February 2020 at 11:38 am
Photo by Tom Rivers: Medina has a historic downtown business district that is home to many restaurants and businesses.
MEDINA – The Medina community has applied to HGTV to be featured in the “Home Town Takeover” series. Small towns throughout the country, including Albion, have put together videos, making a pitch to be featured on the show.
The Medina Area Partnership and the Village of Medina made a collaborative application to HGTV for the competition.
As part of the application a video, photography, and introduction to Medina were all included. Mayor Mike Sidari supplied a video that was recently created by CGI Communications.
“We’re already getting great traction from the video, it came at the perfect time to meet the requirements of this application,” Sidari said.
The video begins with a welcome message from Sidari. A narrator then touts the village as “a great place to stop for the day or stay for a lifetime.”
“A small tight knit community, Medina is home to a little over 6,000 residents, many of which have invested in a variety of shops, restaurants and hotels
“Medina, New York — Shop, Stay, Explore.”
The applications for “Home Town Takeover” needed to be submitted by Feb. 7. The new Home Town Takeover series will air with six episodes in 2021. The show is led by Ben and Erin Napier, who since 2017 have had a popular show called Home Town, where they restore homes in their hometown of Laurel, Mississippi.
“Whether Medina is selected during this review process or not, the entire exercise further shows that our community is always ready to come together,” said Scott Robinson, president of the Medina Area Partnership. “Two weeks ago, I received an email mentioning the opportunity. I immediately reached out to Mayor Sidari and others to see how we could collaborate. Medina is at its best when we’re working together, and it’s something we’re all constantly doing.”
The Medina Area Partnership is a collective voice of its members and a community of peers unifying on important matters, sharing information and resources, creating an atmosphere for the betterment of the business climate in Medina, Robinson said. The group aims to provide a network for collaboration, education, growth and profitability.
“This collaboration between the Village of Medina and the Medina Area Partnership is just one example of how we work together for the betterment of the community,” Sidari said. “When Scott reached out to me about this contest, my first thought was what a great way to showcase our village. The Village Board is always seeking ways to improve the quality of life for the residents of the village.”
By Ginny Kropf, correspondent Posted 10 February 2020 at 9:24 am
MEDINA – The Medina Sandstone Trust is thanking the community for its years of support, which have allowed the Trust to honor requests for annual grants.
The community endowment just completed its ninth year of making small grants to local programs, projects and organizations, which during that period total nearly $40,000.
Members of the grant selection committee for the past nine years have been Kelly Kiebala, Mark Kruzynski, Cindy Robinson, Cal Tuohey and chair Mike Zelazny. They met in November and have announced this year’s eight grant recipients.
The Arc of Genesee/Orleans plans to rebuild the nature trail at Camp Rainbow to make it wheelchair accessible. St. John’s Episcopal Church’s grant will assist in the restoration of a stained glass window sill and frame. Orleans Recovery Hope Begins Here will purchase a pop-up shelter, table and chairs for community education programs. Boxwood Cemetery Commission’s grant will enable them to rehab the tombstone of the first Medina resident. And the Medina Historical Society will use their grant for their monthly speaker series.
In addition, the grants contributed to some larger programs. Orleans County Adult Learning Services (OCALS) grant will partially fund a new community outreach program. Orleans County YMCA’s grant will help with the cost of their Before and After School Enrichment Program, while P.Raising Kids Child Care Center will use the money to help upgrade their kitchen.
“Scores of worthy projects have been supported since 2010 and the grants have covered a wide range,” Zelazny said.
Grants run from $200 to $600 or even, in some unusual cases, $1,000. Zelazny gave examples of typical grants in past years. These include money for the local library to digitize historic hometown newspapers, dollars for stonework repairs and interior upgrading at the YMCA, placing of historical plaques downtown, help for installation of a downtown sound system, an annual scholarship for a graduating Medina High School senior and much more.
During the past nine years, about 75 grants have been approved the citizen selection committee.
“Late each autumn, we invite grant applications and even though the amounts given are modest, they are genuinely helpful to many projects which benefit our community, Zelazny said.
The Medina Sandstone Trust was created in 2009 as an endowment, managed by the Community Foundation for Greater Buffalo. CFGB was established 100 years ago and has a rock solid reputation for financial management, and over the years has managed 900 such endowments. That management has been trustworthy, according to Sandstone Society treasurer Craig Lacy. The original $18,000 in seed money has grown steadily each year, he said.
Sandstone Society board members Lacy, Margaret Schreck, David Miller and James Hancock manage annual investments in the trust.
This year the Medina Sandstone Trust celebrates its 10th year of awarding grants and scholarships to enrich the Medina area. To mark that anniversary, the Medina Sandstone Society is planning special events and fundraising projects.
Photos courtesy of Medina Marching Band: The varsity guard consists of 15 students in grades 9-11. This year their show is “Metamorphosis” about the decision to conform to what is around us or become the person you truly want to be. In the varsity class, Medina took third place with a score of 55.83.
MEDINA – Medina Mustang Winterguard competed for the second time this season on Saturday, with Medina’s two guards coming in second at Victor.
In the Regional A class, Medina’s varsity earned a score of 61.49, which was bested by Gates Chili, 64.48.
In the Scholastic A class, Medina’s junior varsity guard was second with a score of 60.14, which was topped by Batavia, 62.23.
Winners in the other classes were Victor JV in the Cadet class, 60.94; Lancaster in A1, 58.86; Luminosa in the Senior class, 61.06; Gates Chili in Independent A, 66.95; and Victor in Scholastic Open, 63.0.
The Medina guard’s next competitions are Batavia on Feb. 15, Marcus Whitman on Feb. 29, Lancaster on March 7 and Medina’s home show on March 14.
The junior varsity guard consists of 16 students in grades 5-9. Their show this year is “Reach for the Stars” and is about how each one of us has a big dream, places it in a star and sends it into the sky. In life you add more stars in the sky and reach for the ones you realize in life.
MEDINA – A fire in the front bedroom of a Medina duplex caused an estimated $25,000 in damage to a house and contents at 184 State St., the Medina Fire Department is reporting.
Firefighters were dispatched to the scene at 12:32 p.m. with a report of an upstairs fire. Fire Chief Matt Jackson arrived on location simultaneously with Engine 11 in under two minutes and reported smoke showing from the 2 ½-story duplex.
The only occupant home at this address at the time of the fire was outside with the family dog on the Fire Department’s arrival. Crews made entry and began search operations on the second floor. They initially encountered poor visibility and then found fire in the front bedroom, the department said on its Facebook page.
The fire was quickly extinguished and contained to the room of origin. Crews on scene began overhaul and salvage operations and the fire was declared under control at 12:52 p.m.
There is smoke damage to the rest of the second floor with water damage to the room of origin and the front part of the first floor. Crews remained on scene assisting fire investigators until 4 p.m.
Besides the Medina Fire and Police, other departments on scene included the Ridgeway, Lyndonville and Carlton fire departments. The cause of the fire is under investigation by fire investigators from the Orleans County Emergency Management Office.
Both families at this duplex are being assisted by other family members at this time. Damage estimates are tentatively set at $15,000 to the structure and $10,000 to the contents.
There were no injuries to any civilians or firefighters at the scene.
Photos by Ginny Kropf: Jim Hancock, left, head of Medina’s Tourism Committee and organizer of the Parade of Lights, presents the Grand Prize trophy to Caitlyn Klotzbach with the Medina Railroad Museum. The trophy also came with a check for $1,000. At right are Dave Miller and Cathie Valley, members of the parade committee.
By Ginny Kropf, correspondent Posted 5 February 2020 at 10:21 am
MEDINA – The Medina Railroad Museum’s first efforts to enter a float in Medina’s Parade of Lights on Nov. 30 earned them a Grand Prize trophy and a check for $1,000.
On Friday, Jim Hancock, Dave Miller and Kathie Valley, members of Medina’s Tourism Committee which sponsors the Parade of Lights, presented the trophy to Medina Railroad Museum personnel. Accepting the award was Caitlyn Klotzbach, director of group sales for the museum and daughter of the museum’s director Janine Klotzbach. Caitlyn is also the granddaughter of the museum’s founder Marty Phelps.
Hancock is head of the Tourism Committee and organizer of the parade. Valley and Miller work with the judges and Valley escorts them through the staging area prior to the parade.
On hand for the trophy presentation were volunteers and personnel who helped work on the float. Michael Greybill works on buildings and grounds at the museum, Amanda Majors runs the ticket booth and gift shop, Brodie George is the layout operator and conductor on special trains and Grace Stewart is volunteer coordinator.
Photo by Tom Rivers: The Medina Railroad Museum’s float is shown Nov. 30 during the 11th annual Parade of Lights. The museum was named the grand prize winner in the parade that included about 45 participants.
The float was a miniature replica of a railroad station. It was originally designed by Phelps and constructed by the Amish. For several years, it has been towed to train events to promote the railroad museum. It also doubles as Santa’s house at the North Pole during runs of the Polar Express.
Turning it into an award-winning float took hours of work. The crew worked from noon to 9 p.m. one day just covering the roof with lights, then it took another day to put lights on the sides.
“They did a tremendous job on their float,” Hancock said. “It was absolutely fabulous.”
Judges were representatives from major sponsors of the parade. Entries were judged on the number of lights, crowd appeal and creativity, Hancock said.
Volunteers and employees of the Medina Railroad Museum pose with the Grand Prize trophy the museum won for its entry in the Parade of Lights in November. From left are Michael Greybill, who works on buildings and grounds; Amanda Major, who mans the ticket booth and oversees the gift shop; Caitlyn Klotzbach, daughter of director Janine Klotzbach and granddaughter of the museum’s founder Marty Phelps; Brody George, layout operator and conductor on special trains; and Grace Stewart, volunteer coordinator.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 2 February 2020 at 9:35 am
Photos by Tom Rivers
MEDINA – Frank Ferri pours wine for Kimmie Martindale of Kendall during Saturday’s Wine About Winter event in downtown Medina. There were 24 stops for people to taste wine, including this location, the Wallflower Studio.
More than 800 people bought tickets for the event, which was organized by the Medina Area Partnership. There were 110 VIP tickets sold, plus another 700.
This was the Partnership’s first big event. It took over Wine About Winter following the dissolution of the Medina Business Association. The Medina Area Partnership includes many MBA members as well as businesses outside of the village.
John Shera, owner of Wallflower Studio, opens a bottle of Arrowhead Red wine from Arrowhead Spring Vineyards in Lockport.
Shera opened the art studio in December. He welcomed the chance to be a host site for the wine-tasting event.
“It’s wonderful to have 600 to 700 people coming inside here,” he said.
Each person was given a souvenir glass for Wine About Winter.
Medina Theatre hosted the VIP reception, which included music by Dave Viterna.
Dave Viterna took center stage and entertained the crowd at the Medina Theatre.
Mary Lewis, owner of Creekside Floral, pours wine for Chelsey Vick of Albion, left, and her friend Hannah Forder of Medina. Forder said she was impressed with the vibrant downtown in Medina. The wine-tasting event took her inside many businesses.
“There are stores I didn’t know were here,” Forder said.
Lewis is pouring Barry’s Red wine from 21 Prix in Portland, Chautauqua County.
Tyler VerCruysse, left, and Shawn Ramsey, owner of Canalside Tattoo Company, get wine ready for the crowd.
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By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 29 January 2020 at 4:34 pm
Teddy Bear Clinic has expanded to all districts in the county
Photos by Tom Rivers
MEDINA – Joanna Miller, left, puts a Band-Aid on this Albion kindergartener’s Teddy Bear. Medina Memorial Hospital hosted four kindergarten classes from Albion today for the Teddy Bear and Doll Clinic.
Students brought along stuffed animals and visited different stations at the hospital. Medina Memorial hopes the event will help children to feel more comfortable if they ever need to go to the hospital.
Joanna Miller puts a bandage on this Teddy Bear’s leg. Miller works as the risk management director for Orleans Community Health, parent organization of the hospital.
The students were asked how their stuffed animals were injured, and most of the kids said the Teddy Bears were jumping on the bed and fell off and broke a leg.
Miller urged the kids to keep the stuffed animals’ limbs elevated and give them lots of rest and relaxation while recovering from the injuries.
Miller also had a few requests for flu shots.
Nicole Helsdon tends to the needs of this Teddy Bear. Helsdon works as an office manager. She got to be a nurse for the stuffed animals that needed care.
All five school districts in the county – Albion, Holley, Kendall, Lyndonville and Medina – attend the Teddy Bear Clinic and nearby Elba also brings students to help familiarize them with a hospital.
The students also hear from a pharmacist, see the X-Ray machine and learn about good nutrition.
Nicole Helsdon checks the vital signs on this stuffed animal.
Students in Mrs. Lang’s kindergarten class at Albion put their stuffed animals on the X-Ray table.
Erica Chutko, an X-Ray technician and manager of the radiology department, shows the students an X-Ray. She showed them another X-Ray where a child had swallowed a small dinosaur toy.
Nicci Moore, a social worker at the hospital, greets these students.
Joanna Miller was busy putting bandages and Band-Aids on the wounded stuffed animals.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 29 January 2020 at 11:56 am
Photo by Tom Rivers: This house at 1018 South Main St. is boarded up after a fire last night in Medina.
MEDINA – A Medina resident is displaced from his home after a fire last night at 1018 South Main St.
The fire caused an estimated $50,000 in damage, with $30,000 estimated to the contents, said Lt. Steve Cooley, Medina’s public information officer.
“Working smoke detectors were present and activated properly alerting the sleeping resident to the fire,” Cooley said. “One dog and cat escaped the fire but sadly, one cat did perish. The resident will be assisted by family members.”
Firefighters were dispatched to the scene at 11:30 p.m. Medina firefighters arrived on scene with Engine 11 at 11:32 p.m. and reported a 2-story house with smoke showing, Cooley said.
Crews were advised by the lone occupant that no one was inside. Firefighters forced entry in the front door and found heavy smoke and flames on the first floor, Cooley said.
Additional Medina units under the command of Fire Chief Matt Jackson arrived shortly thereafter along with one engine from the Shelby Fire Company to assist with searches and extinguishment.
COVA EMS was requested to provide transport for the injured resident. His injuries are not life threatening and he was transported to Medina Memorial for evaluation, Cooley said.
The fire was called under control at 12:21 a.m. Crews remained on scene until 4:09 a.m., overhauling (searching and containing fire in void spaces) and investigating the cause.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation by fire investigators from the Orleans County Emergency Management Office with assistance from the Medina Fire Department Fire Investigator.
Additional units on scene: Medina Police Department, Lyndonville Fire Company FAST crew (Firefighter Assist and Search Team), Ridgeway Fire Police, Carlton Fire Department Rescue for their cascade system (breathing air refill unit), Orleans County Fire Coordinator Dale Banker, NYSEG, National Grid and Village of Medina Code Enforcement Officer Dan Gardner.
“We would like to extend our thanks to all our public safety partners listed above for their assistance to us during this incident,” Cooley said.
(Editor’s Note: The tour by the Board of Education has since been pushed back to March due to scheduling conflicts.)
Press Release, Oak Orchard Health
MEDINA – The Medina Board of Education on Thursday will tour Oak Orchard Health’s Mobile Dental Unit, which will be at Oak Orchard Elementary to provide services to their students.
For the past 15 years, the Medina School District has collaborated with Oak Orchard Health to provide oral health services to students and their families. Since 2005, the Oak Orchard Health Mobile Dental Unit has traveled throughout Orleans County to various schools, providing dental cleanings and exams, dental treatment, and education to children and adults.
The Mobile Dental Unit travels to these schools on a rotating basis with visits lasting from two to eight weeks. OOH is excited to announce that they now provide vision screenings in addition to our dental services on the Mobile Dental Unit.
The Mobile Dental Unit visits the school district every year for a couple of months to provide cleanings, dental exams, x-rays, and fluoride applications for cavity prevention. If needed, they also provide fillings, extractions, sealants and stainless steel crowns.
A simple vision screen can help identify if a child has vision issues and needs further evaluation. To date, 45 students have used the new vision screening service.
For more information about this service or to schedule an appointment, contact Denise Beardsley, Mobile Dental Unit coordinator, at dbeardsley@oochc.org or call her at 585-267-9236.
