By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 30 November 2019 at 11:04 am
Photos by Tom Rivers
MEDINA – A runner, Ryan Czaja of Middleport, dressed as Santa in this morning’s 7thannual Home for the Holidays 5K in Medina. There were 120 participants during the race, which started in the Canal Basin before heading down Route 31. Santa finished the race in 37:49.
The course shifted to the canal towpath and ended on North Main Street in front of the American Legion.
Many of the runners wore Santa hats, Christmas lights, crazy socks and other decorations to celebrate the holidays.
Proceeds from the race will go to the Knights-Kaderli Memorial Fund, which assists Orleans County residents fighting cancer.
Anna Rickard, 17, of Middleport was the first female to cross the finish line, with a time of 19:54. Anna also won the race last year.
Brennan Root, 24, was first overall in a time of 16:08. He also has won the race before.
Alden Cayea, 19, of Medina was second overall for the men in time of 18:02.
Lindon Morici, 35, of Albion was the second female overall in a time of 20:51.
Jack Cecchini, 13, of Medina is congratulated after coming in 15th overall in a time of 22:29. He is congratulated by Steve Karas in the Santa hat and Tina Drum. Jack’s mother Julie also ran the race.
Olivia Sweet, 11, of Lancaster heads for the finish line.
Medina will be busy today bringing in the holiday season. The events are capped by a Parade of Lights at 6 p.m.
By Ginny Kropf, correspondent Posted 29 November 2019 at 8:06 am
Photos by Ginny Kropf: Andrew Meier and Chloe Palov stand in front of the Bunkhaus Hostel which Meier has created out of the former dentists’ offices of William Bellavia and Peter Igoe on West Avenue. Palov has settled in Medina to run the Bunkhaus.
MEDINA – For a girl who hails from Washington, D.C. and spent the last 10 years living in Roanoke, Va., relocating to the quaint village of Medina is quite a leap of faith.
But that is just what Chloe Palov has done.
“In the spring of 2017, I wanted a change,” she said. “I wanted to go somewhere new. I got out the atlas and literally just put my finger on a spot.”
In 2015, Andrew Meier was looking to pick up a new property and the former dentist office of Dr. William Bellavia and later Dr. Peter Igoe was near his building on West Center Street. The upstairs had already been converted into two apartments, and Meier felt because the downstairs had been outfitted for a dentist’s office, with many small rooms, finding a suitable commercial tenant might be a challenge.
It was at that time Palov came to town and reserved a room upstairs.
“I was only going to stay a few weeks, but I fell in love with the place,” Palov said. “The charming village, the canal, the shops. It was like something out of a Norman Rockwell painting. After I had stayed several months, I moved downstairs in the home. Then I asked Andrew why he didn’t turn the whole downstairs into a hostel. Andrew was not familiar with a hostel, but I had traveled all over the world and stayed in hostels.”
She suggested the small rooms would be perfect for bunks.
On Dec. 31 of 2017, Palov had to go back home to take care of some family business and while she was there she decided to take a job driving tractor trailer cross country. She had already made the commitment to go to truck driving school when she got a text from Meier in February 2019.
“I’m getting ready to open the hostel,” Meier told Palov. “Can I convince you to come back to Medina and run it?”
“I’d already had enough of over-the-road driving and I had taken a job driving city bus in Roanoke,” Palov said. “By the end of July, I returned to Medina. It was a 10-hour drive and I arrived on Aug. 1 with my cats. When Andrew brought me into this house and showed me what he had done, it absolutely bowled me over. He took my little idea and expanded it. What a huge transformation it was.”
“Through the lens of a hostel, the small rooms made perfect sense,” Meier said.
Palov has now lived in every space in the house.
Bunkhaus manager Chloe Palov shows one of the rooms in the hostel with two bunk beds.
“When I greet guests who arrive, I feel like I’m welcoming them into my home,” she said. “This is where I want to put down my roots.”
Unlike a hotel, Palov explained a hostel is a facility where guests share amenities, such as a kitchen, bath and living area. Palov provides cereal, coffee and fruit and guests are free to bring in any other food they want to cook. There is also a laundry for their use.
“I’ve stayed in many hostels, and you meet people from all over the world and from all walks of life,” she said. “When you stay in a hotel, the only people you ever meet are those in the elevator.”
Meier said Palov provides what people want in a hostel and don’t often get.
“She’s a wonderful addition to the community,” he said.
The Bunkhaus provides a good night’s sleep, and it’s “wallet friendly,” Palov said.
She explained hostels started in Europe.
The Bunkhaus hopes to cater to people who ride the Erie Canal and give them a comfortable and affordable place to stay.
One of the first guests to stay at the Bunkhaus was a rocket scientist from John Hopkins.
Meier and Palov hope the Bunkhaus will be attractive to the many bikers who come through Medina while riding the towpath. The former waiting room for the dentist’s office is now space where bikers can safely leave their bikes for the night.
Guests are asked to strip their beds in the morning and put the dirty laundry in the hamper.
Meier is planning to add one more room which will accommodate a queen-size bed. In the spring, he also plans to put in a patio with a privacy fence.
“We hope people will see us as part of the revitalization of Medina,” Palov said. “I sensed the resurgence two years ago when I was here, and I want to be part of that.”
Palov is also a published author in 11 languages. She writes thrillers under the name C.M. Palov.
Palov is happy to give anyone a tour of the Bunkhaus. She can be reached at (585) 735-6031. They also have a Facebook page and a website at www.bunkhausmedina.com.
Photos by Tom Rivers: Spectators line up on Main Street to watch the Parade of Lights last year in Medina. The Lyndonville Fire Department was among the participants.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 28 November 2019 at 9:40 am
45 entrants on Saturday don’t include a previous grand champion
MEDINA – There are 45 community organizations and businesses signed up for Saturday’s Parade of Lights in Medina. None of the entrants are recent grand champions.
Takeform, the two-time defending champ, decided instead to puts its energy into helping decorate Rotary Park. The Albion FFA, the grand champion in 2016, and Matt Mundion of Matt C.M. Contracting, who won from 2013-2015, also won’t be in the parade.
“We’ll definitely have a new winner,” said Jim Hancock, the parade chairman.
Takeform, the grand champion of the Parade of Lights in 2017 and 2018, won’t have a float in Saturday’s Parade of Lights. The Medina company instead has helped decorate Rotary Park for the holiday season.
The 45 entrants matches the number from last year. This year there will be 17 new entrants in the 11thannual parade, which Hancock believes is a record.
“There are some I’m anticipating some big things from,” he said.
The parade starts at 6 p.m. from the Olde Pickle Factory and heads down Park Avenue to Main Street in the downtown. The parade route has been extended down Main Street to near the American Legion and Hartway Motors. Five Star Bank is making its parking lot available for people who need handicapped parking spots.
This year’s parade includes music at Rotary Park by Prime Time Brass from Churchville at 5 p.m. and the Community Tree Lighting ceremony at 5:30, followed by a fireworks display by Young Explosives at about 5:45.
The Albion FFA was the grand champion of the 2016 parade when the FFA made a float with more than 10,000 lights. The Albion FFA is taking a break from the parade this year. The FFA won the grand champion award in 2016.
Matt Mundion of Matt C.M. Contracting was grand champion in the Parade of Lights in 2015 with the “Medina Express,” a train with four units. Mundion was the grand champion of the parade for three years.
Orleans Community Health will continue to offer many services in Medina, Albion and Batavia
Press Release, Mark Cye, President/CEO of Orleans Community Health
MEDINA – Due to the recent $1 million reduction in state funding, Orleans Community Health (OCH) will be implementing staff reductions and re-assignments in order to maintain health services in our community.
The re-evaluating of operations is nothing new to the healthcare industry but is essential to allow us to keep providing the quality care that Orleans Community Health provides.
OCH will continue to meet your needs as a community hospital by offering quality services including: Surgical, Medical Surgical, Transitional Care, Emergency Department, Imaging, Cardiac, Laboratory and Residential Care.
We will also continue to offer Renal Dialysis in Batavia and Medina, as well as Primary Care, Walk-In Care, Laboratory, Physical Therapy, Occupational Therapy, Speech and Occupational Health Services in Albion.
In addition, we will continue to explore viable options to expand services to our local community while maintaining fiscal stability. We recently added podiatry and urology services and in December, we will be opening a Wound Care Center at the hospital.
Our mission continues to be to improve the health of the community we serve by providing equal access to quality health care services, at the right time, in the right place, with the most efficient use of resources.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 21 November 2019 at 9:38 pm
Photo by Tom Rivers
ALBION – Orleans County Legislator Skip Draper today presented a recognition award to the Medina Marching Band for winning the state title last month at the Carrier Dome in Syracuse.
Accepting the recognition for the band includes from left: McKenna Callard, Lacey Kenward, Jada Draper and Miranda Zelazny.
Medina on Oct. 27 won the Small Schools 1 Division in New York State Field Band Conference Championship. Medina scored 91.6, which topped the seven other marching bands in the division.
The band this season performed to a program titled, “Walk the Path.” This was Medina’s 53rd season competing as a marching band.
By Ginny Kropf, correspondent Posted 19 November 2019 at 9:52 pm
MEDINA – Parade of Lights chairman Jim Hancock has announced a longtime supporter of Medina’s Christmas celebrations will be the grand marshal of the Parade of Lights at 6 p.m. on Nov. 30.
Jackie DeHollander, who with her late husband Shelley, thrilled children for more than 20 years as the couple portrayed Santa and Mrs. Claus.
“She loves bringing smiles to children and this is our way of saying thank you for her years of dedication,” Hancock said.
Hancock has also released the names of bands which will entertain on the four corners in Medina and during the parade.
Medina’s state champion Mustang Marching Band will return with a newcomer, the Jordan-Elbridge Downbeat Percussion. They will be joined by Prime Time Brass of Webster and Mark Time Marchers of Churchville, who are making their sixth appearance.
Hancock said floats are coming in slowly and he encourages individuals, companies and businesses to enter a float. He thinks perhaps the extra cold November and recent snowstorm may be deterring people from getting out and working on a float. He is optimistic a warmup in the weather will result in more entries.
He also wants to remind the public the parade route has been extended by nearly a block on North Main Street, and he is grateful to Five Star Bank for offering the bank’s parking lot for handicapped parking. Those who are disabled may park there and watch the parade from that spot.
He added the fireworks over Main Street before the start of the parade will be “absolutely spectacular” this year.
MEDINA – The Oak Orchard Elementary School Student Council rallied their classmates to share some of their Halloween treats with troops overseas.
Teachers Natalie Scott and Sue Lehman delivered the candy, along with cards that the students made, to an organization that packages the candy and sends it to deployed soldiers.
“The students and staff at the school were incredibly generous with sharing their Halloween candy,” says Ms. Scott. “We ended up collecting 285 pounds of candy! We are always glad to participate and thank the military for protecting our country.”
Photos courtesy of Hill family: Andrew Hill is in the top row of the photos as a Medina Mustang football player, a Roy-Hart Ram wrestler and Barker baseball player. His brother Zachary is on the bottom row. The brothers said they enjoy making new friends in Medina and Roy-Hart, and appreciate the opportunity from the neighboring districts to be on their teams.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 18 November 2019 at 5:47 pm
Mustangs in the fall, Rams in the winter and Raiders in the spring
BARKER – Andrew and Zach Hill, twin brothers from Barker, are playing the sports they love. That’s not out of the norm locally.
But the two brothers are unusual in wearing the school uniforms for three different districts. They play varsity football for the Medina Mustangs, and just started the wrestling season as a member of the Roy-Hart Rams. In the spring, they play baseball for the Barker Raiders, their home district.
Photos by Tom Rivers: Andrew and Zach Hill wear their Roy-Hart wrestling sweatshirts while holding the letters they earned for playing for Barker and Medina teams.
The brothers and their parents are very appreciative of the partnership among the local districts in allowing Barker to be part of the Mustang football team, and for Roy-Hart accepting the wrestlers from the next-door district.
Andrew and Zach, age 15, said their teammates and coaches have all made them feel welcome. They said they were nervous in August 2018, when they showed up at Medina for their first football practice.
“I was a little shy but it became easier,” Zach recalled during an interview at his home on Drum Road. “They coach said we are all Mustangs.”
Eric Valley, the Medina football coach and athletic director, said the Mustang team has benefitted from having players from Barker and Lyndonville. He said those players are very committed to the program, and have longer bus rides for practices and games.
“We greatly appreciate the sacrifices they make,” Valley said.
This year’s varsity team had two players from Lyndonville, three from Barker and 23 from Medina.
Valley pushed back the starting time for practices by a half hour to 3:45 to accommodate the players from Lyndonville and Barker who have the longer travel times. The practices are over at 6:15. The Barker players don’t get home until about 7 p.m.
Valley said he welcomes the Barker and Lyndonville players and doesn’t draw attention to which school they are from.
“I don’t single them out,” he said. “We’re all Mustangs.”
Valley would like to have more Barker and Lyndonville players. He isn’t able to be at those schools during the school day to encourage people to play. Bill Bruning, a Barker physical education teacher, helps spread the word about the Mustang football program for Barker players. Bruning is the offensive coordinator for the JV Mustang team.
In Lyndonville, Valley’s wife Laura Valley is a high school physical education teacher. She helps nudge some prospective players for the team.
The athletic directors at Lyndonville and Barker also help make students aware of the opportunity to play for the Mustangs.
Zach Hill, #54, and Andrew Hill, #56, join Mustang teammates Chris Goyette, #14, and Brian Fry, #8, during warmups on Oct. 18 when they played the Albion Purple Eagles.
Andrew and Zach both played for Medina’s JV team in 2018. They were moved up to varsity this year as sophomores. Zach weighs 160 and Andrew is 220.
“They were good JV players and we had needs at linemen,” Valley said. “They both played steady throughout.”
The football season is over and the brothers have moved into the wrestling season. They have turned in the Mustang blue and white for Roy-Hart purple.
The brothers were in a youth football program with Roy-Hart. They said joining the Rams wrestling team in high school didn’t feel very foreign because they had played football with many of the Roy-Hart boys when they were younger.
Sometimes the Hill brothers wrestle some of their Medina football player teammates.
“It’s fun to go against each other,” Andrew said.
The boys’ parents, Mike and Beth Hill, see a much bigger friend circle for their sons because of the merged sports opportunities. During wrestling tournaments, Andrew and Zach sit with Roy-Hart and Medina.
“It’s kind of cool and unique to watch as a parent,” said Mike Hill. “You’re competitors, but in a way you’re teammates and friends.”
The Hills’ house is centrally located among the three districts. They have a Middleport address and are actually closer to the Roy-Hart campus than the Barker school. They are about 8 miles from the Barker campus, 7 miles from Roy-Hart and 12 miles from Medina. Students who live in Somerset go to Barker but they have a much longer drive if they are competing for Roy-Hart or Medina. Barker does provide bussing for the students.
Mr. Hill is a 1983 Roy-Hart graduate. He played on the school’s football team as an offensive and defensive lineman. He wrestled for Roy-Hart and competed in track, throwing the discus.
“Those football memories, I remember that a whole lot more than math class,” Mr. Hill said.
Zach Hill, #54, joins his Mustang teammates for the national anthem on Oct.18 prior to the football game in Albion.
As school enrollments shrunk locally, some districts cut back on programs or merged teams. Hill worried his kids wouldn’t have a chance to play football in high school or wrestle. He was pleased to see Barker work out agreements where Barker kids could be on the teams for other districts.
“As a parent you want to see your kids afforded the same opportunities that you had,” Hill said. “That’s why we’re thankful to have these other programs accept them in.”
The Hill family remembers going to the Vets Park in Medina and seeing the field with artificial turf, the lights for night games, and the locker rooms.
Andrew and Zack had played baseball games there, but they were awestruck on that initial visit as members of the football team.
Beth Hill, the boys’ mother, said the Medina facilities “are just awesome.” And the Medina parents welcomed them, too.
Valley, the Medina coach, preached a unity message – to players and parents – at the start of the season.
“They weren’t made to feel like Barker kids who were playing for Medina,” Hill said. “They were Mustangs.”
Hill said his sons have become more outgoing and open to other people through their experiences at Medina and Roy-Hart. They have impressed their father with their work ethic and determination to contribute to the football and wrestling teams – while wearing other school colors.
“They’ve really worked their tails off,” Hill said.
He also likes that the boys have been exposed to competition beyond the Niagara-Orleans League by playing for Medina’s football team, where they have went up against Lew-Port, Dunkirk, Iroquois, Maryville, Maritime/Health Science in Buffalo, Akron and local rival Albion.
“Their exposure to competition and other kids has been expanded by so much,” Hill said.
Andrew and Zach both said they are now used to wearing the school uniforms for three different districts. It no longer feels unusual. They are looking forward to wearing the Barker maroon and white in the spring for the baseball team, where Zach is a catcher and rightfielder and Andrew is a pitcher, third baseman and designated hitter.
Until then, it will be the purple and white of Roy-Hart. The brothers said they are happy they have so many more friends now through their participation with teams in Medina and Roy-Hart.
“I would definitely know less people,” Zach said if he only played for Barker.
“We’re friends with more people from different districts,” Andrew said.
Photos by Tom Rivers: Georgia Thomas has decorated the Medina Historical Society with 300 stuffed animals, including about 250 of her own. These ones on the steps are from the Medina Area Association of Churches and are available for $5. Those sales will be used towards purchasing Christmas presents for local children in the MAAC’s annual toy drive.
By Ginny Kropf, correspondent Posted 18 November 2019 at 9:33 am
MEDINA – Realizing museums can often be stuffy, Georgia Thomas knew they had to come up with something to draw people into the Medina Historical Society, which plans to be open during Medina’s Olde Tyme Christmas celebration on Nov. 30.
Then it hit her!
Stuffy?
How about “stuffed”?
Thomas has a ton of stuffed animals, more than 250, which she carted to the museum and started a display. Then she contacted Alice Zacher at the MAAC Thrift Shop and learned they had about 50 stuffed animals there. Thomas went and got them all. Then she learned MAAC’s animals all come with adoption stickers so people can “adopt” a stuffed animal, while supporting MAAC in its efforts to help the community.
One of three Nemos at the Historical Society is in the bathroom with other stuffed animals. The bathroom has many aquatic creatures.
As an added feature, Thomas hid three Nemo’s throughout the museum and the person who finds them will get a year’s membership to the Medina Historical Society, which is valued at $20 for a family.
Also, everyone who visits the museum during the Olde Time Christmas Celebration can take a candy cane off the tree.
“Everyone loves candy canes,” Thomas said.
Several high school students have volunteered to work at the museum that day, which will be open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
“We are hoping to help kids understand we are preserving Medina’s past for the future,” Thomas said.
The Medina Historical Society is located in a home built in 1841 at 406 West Ave.
Georgia Thomas dressed up seven moose stuffed animals and they are gathered around the dining room table for a “Moose-giving” with a turkey as the centerpiece. Thomas, a retired sign language teacher, used many of the stuffed animals in her lessons with her students. The turkey, for example, is actually a finger puppet.
Mr. and Mrs. Incredible are among the superheroes in the military room, which includes several displays about local soldiers. Thomas’s late husband, Terry, served in the Vietnam War. His uniform is on display in the room.
Many of the stuffed animals are wearing Santa hats, or Christmas sweaters. These two seals are enjoying some libations.
Thomas put in a whale in an old washing tub. The fish in back sings, “Jingle Bells.”
The museum is usually open by appointment. The Nov. 30 event is a day when it will be open for the community for regular hours, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Thomas hopes the stuffed animals will bring children and their families into the museum, and hopefully convince some to become members. The membership fees help heat the building and preserve the collection.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 17 November 2019 at 9:43 am
Photos by Tom Rivers
MEDINA – Larry Szatkowski sets flags in a barrel on Saturday morning at the Conservation Club on Bates Road in Medina.
Veterans in Medina retired more than 1,000 American flags on Saturday, after collecting them earlier in the morning from local cemeteries. Those flags were placed there by veterans and Boy Scouts in May, prior to Memorial Day.
There were also bags of worn flags that were turned in by residents at drop-off locations at KeyBank, Medina Savings and Loan (Generations Bank), Ace Hardware, the VFW on East Center Street, the American Legion on North Main Street, and Veterans’ Service Agency office on Route 31 in Albion.
There was a ceremony prior to flags being put in the barrels, where one flag was cut, including the stars and 13 stripes. In this photo Deputy Steven Fox of the Sheriff’s Office, a five-year Marine Corps veteran, holds a red stripe of a flag with Jim Freas.
The veterans first recited the Pledge of Allegiance and then stood in silence until the entire flag was consumed by the flames.
The seven red stripes and six white stripes together they represent the original 13 colonies.
“The red stripes remind us of the lifeblood of the brave men and women who were ready to die for this, their country,” said veteran Dave Kusmierczak. “The white stripes remind us of purity and cleanliness of purpose, through word and deed.”
The stars represent the 50 states of the country. “The blue is for truth and justice, like the eternal blue of star-filled heavens,” Kusmierczak said.
These veterans – Larry Szatkowski, Steve Johnson and Legion commander Glenn Whitmore – bring flags to be retired in the burn barrels. The Medina veterans do flag retirement ceremonies at least twice a year, with another event near Flag Day in June.
Peter Huth, left, and David Kusmierczak bring flags for the retirement. The veterans said it is disrespectful to have worn and tattered flags at veterans’ graves. New flags will be put out in May at veterans’ graves at local cemeteries.
Dave Kusmierczak, a member of the American Legion and VFW, has been part of the flag retirement ceremonies for about a decade.
Jim Freas, past commander of the VFW and American Legion in Medina, puts a flag in the fire. The proper way to dispose of a flag is by burning or burying.
To see a video of flags being retired, click here.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 13 November 2019 at 9:07 am
File photo by Tom Rivers: Pictured, from left, last November include Sherry Tuohey, coordinator of Christmas Box Program for MAAC; Annette Finch, Community Services director for Community Action; Michelle Figueroa, case manager for Community Action; Ronnie Barite, president of board of directors for Community Action; Andrew Szatkowski, toy drive chairman; and Shawn Ramsey, owner of Canalside Tattoo.
MEDINA — A one-day toy drive will be back for the third straight year on Nov. 30, which is the Saturday during Medina’s Old Tyme Christmas and Parade of Lights.
Toys can be dropped off from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. at Canalside Tattoo Company, 540 Main St. The toys will be distributed by Community Action of Orleans & Genesee, and also the Medina Area Association of Churches.
Last year the toy drive filled 12 bags with toys and also netted $1,001 to buy toys and food for families.
The money was raised through a Chinese auction, where for every toy donated or for every $5 given in cash, people get a chance to win one of 20 packages donated by local businesses.
Andrew Szatkowski serves as the toy drive organizer. He is putting together packages from local businesses. If they want to donate items or gift cards, they can reach him at ajs@takeform.net or (585) 205-0581.
The MAAC distributes toys to about 150 children and their families in the Medina area. The toys from the one-day drive supplement the toys given in the 30 red barrels that are set up at Medina locations.
Community Action is collecting toys and food for about 350 children in their families in Albion, Holley, Kendall and Lyndonville.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 11 November 2019 at 7:47 pm
‘He is the glue that keeps us all together’ – VFW commander Dan Anderson
Photo by Tom Rivers
MEDINA – Leaders of two veterans’ organizations in Medina today presented awards to Jim Freas for his service to veterans.
Freas, a Vietnam War veteran, is past commander of the VFW and Legion in Medina. He also is involved with the Marine Corps League based in Albion.
Pictured from left include Dan Anderson, VFW commander; Jim Freas; Glenn Whitmore, Commander of American Legion Post #204 in Medina; and Steve Johnson, vice commander of the Legion in Medina.
Click here to see a video of the awards presentation.
Freas, 80, is a past commander of both the VFW and American Legion in Medina. He also was county commander of the Legion for Orleans County. He served in the Marine Corps from 1956 to 1969 and did two tours of duty in Vietnam. After Vietnam, he joined the Army Reserve for 10 years.
Freas is in the Honor Guard and attends about 50 funerals for veterans each year. He helps contact veterans to make sure they have a presence at funerals for veterans.
He also is the emcee of the annual Memorial Day observance at State Street Park and contacts the veterans’ organizations for their role in the event.
Jim Freas, right, was part of an Honor Guard that did Veterans Day observances at monuments for vets in Medina, including this one by the Orleans County YMCA, which was originally the Medina Armory. Dave Kusmierczak is at left.
Dan Anderson, commander of the VFW, presented an award to James “Gunny” Freas for “meritorious and distinguished service” to the VFW Lincoln Post # 1483 and the VFW of the United States.
The American Legion in Medina presented Freas with a “certificate of appreciation” for his many years of dedication to the Legion and the country. The certificate was signed by Glenn Whitmore, Legion commander, and Steve Johnson, Legion vice commander.
Anderson of the VFW moved to Medina six years ago after 23 years in the military. He said Freas was the first one to welcome him to the community and the VFW.
“He has done so much for the veterans around,” Anderson said about Freas. “If anyone has a question about the VFW or Legion, he knows the answer or will find out. He is the glue that keeps us all together. Jim seems to be everywhere.”
Freas said he enjoys the time with the veterans in the organizations. He praised the veterans for attending the funerals, often in rainy and cold weather.
“We have a good bunch with a lot of dedicated guys,” he said.
He welcomed more younger veterans to be part of the Honor Guard, which attends funerals and other functions.
Freas has attended all 12 Patriot Trips led by State Assemblyman Steve Hawley, where about 100 people go annually to see memorials to veterans in Washington, D.C. Freas helps as a guide and also raises money to cover some of the costs of the trip.
He was asked why he is so involved in the many efforts.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 11 November 2019 at 3:39 pm
Photos by Tom Rivers
MEDINA – Russell Young plays Taps today at Butts Park in Medina while the Honor Guard stands at attention.
Young and the local veterans stopped at several war memorials in Medina for observances on Veterans Day. The group of about 15 veterans also stopped by Orchard Manor, a nursing home on Bates Road, for a service and to visit veterans there.
Click here to see a video of the veterans offering a prayer, a rifle salute and then the playing of Taps at Vets Park.
These veterans, including Steven Earle (third from left) of Lyndonville, do a rifle salute by the Korean War Memorial at Pine Street Park on Park Avenue. This is across from the Olde Pickle Factory. Employees at Baxter Healthcare who are veterans stepped outside the building to observe this tribute to veterans.
Dave Kusmierczak salutes while Taps is played by the Korean War Memorial. Kusmierczak began each stop by reading the Veterans’ Prayer.
“We thank theee for the privilege of life and the blessings we enjoy through thy graciousness in our country, the land in which we are given the freedom of speech, religion and the pursuit of happiness,” Kusmierczak read. “Assist us to know thee better and that thou art the God of the universe and our ideal.”
Mark Traxler carried the American flag at each of the stops by the veterans today. He is putting the flag away after the observance at Pine Street Park.
The veterans today started their ceremonies by the American Legion Post near the Glenwood Avenue canal bridge.
From there they went to the Company F Memorial in front of the YMCA, at the Butts-Clark Monument at Butts Park on South Main Street, the Korean War Memorial on Park Avenue, by the tank at Vets Park, by the cannon at State Street Park and by the monument at the VFW.
Veterans also did an observance at the Orchard Manor nursing home and visited with veterans there.
Veterans gather by the monument outside the Orleans County YMCA, which was originally used to train soldiers when the facility was the Medina Armory. The bronze statue of a soldier was dedicated in September.
Tony Vicknair puts his rifle away after the gun salute by the YMCA. The group then headed to its next stop at Butts Park. Steve Johnson is behind Vicknair.
The veterans in the honor guard take their places by a tank before the observance at Vets Park on West Oak Orchard Street .
This is the monument in front of the tank at Vets Park.
Photos by Tom Rivers: Brody Hoffmeister gives his grandmother Debbie Russo a hug at Rudy’s Diner in Medina. The family is grieving the loss of Brody’s mother and Debbie’s daughter, Kelly Duffield. She died from cancer on Oct. 21 and had worked at Rudy’s since it opened in May 1988.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 10 November 2019 at 10:18 am
Brody Hoffmeister is 3rd generation to run popular spot in Medina
Provided photo: Brody Hoffmeister and his mother Kelly Duffield are shown together in this recent photo.
MEDINA – One of Medina’s most popular and enduring restaurants lost its leader last month with the death of Kelly Duffield. She was 49 when she passed away on Oct. 21, after a 2 ½ year battle with cancer.
Duffield has been a big part of Rudy’s since her parents, Debbie and Joseph Russo, opened it on May 10, 1988.
Duffield’s son Brody Hoffmeister is now running Rudy’s with help from his grandmother Debbie, as well as a dedicated group of 20-25 employees.
Hoffmeister, 25, thanked the community for its outpouring of love and support with the loss of his mother. He has received more than 500 messages on Facebook, and many cards and flowers.
“I didn’t realize how the community would be rallying behind us,” he said at Rudy’s last week just after the lunch rush. “I didn’t realize how many people my mom knew.”
His mother worked 12-15 hours or more at the diner, which opens at 7 in the morning and closes at 9 at night. She thought of the “Mojo Burger” challenge, where people can write their names on the wall in the dining room if they can eat the 1-pound burger. There are hundreds of names on the wall.
His mother led the employees, ordered food and tracked inventory, and enjoyed banter with the customers. She owned Rudy’s since 2006.
“My mom made it look easy,” Hoffmeister said. “I didn’t realize how hard this is to do.”
Hoffmeister has grown up at the diner. As a teen-ager he delivered meals to customers in the downtown, and others who might be sick or homebound. Then he washed dishes before moving up to become a cook.
Brody Hoffmeister is pictured with some of the staff in the dining room at Rudy’s. From left include Jennifer McCauley, Dawn VanLeuven and Ellie Kage.
Hoffmeister likes being in the kitchen. The past few years he has been a cook, and has also worked to implement some new technology, including computers for the ordering. Waitresses enter the orders in on a hand-held computer pad, and those orders then appear in monitors in the kitchen. On-line orders also appear on the monitors.
Hoffmeister said Rudy’s will make other improvements, but it won’t change its friendly atmosphere with classic comfort food.
“We aren’t going to the change the quality that makes us successful but we need to modernize so we can go another 30 years,” Hoffmeister said.
Brody Hoffmeister checks an order on the screen in the kitchen. Waitresses take orders on computers, and those orders them show up in the kitchen, which gets the orders to the cooks faster and more accurately. Online orders also show up on the monitors in the kitchen. Hoffmeister also said the new computer system helps him to better track inventory.
His grandparents, Debbie and Joe, opened Rudy’s on May 10, 1988. Kelly was a senior in high school when Rudy’s started. Rudy was Joe’s nickname from when he was a cook in the Vietnam War.
Joe Russo took on a big project of remodelling Rudy’s after a fire badly damaged a dairy business that was there. Joe gave it a distinctive look. It continues today with a 1950s feel inside with Leave It To Beaver posters. Joe and Debbie treasured their customers and there is a large portrait of one customer near the front entrance.
“There is just something about this building,” Hoffmeister said. “It’s the memories of the people here, including the people who aren’t here anymore. There are guys who come in here every day at the same time to meet up.”
Mr. Russo passed away on June 3.
Ellie Kage, a long-time waitress at Rudy’s, takes two lunches – beef on weck with onion rings and hamburger stroganoff, to customers last week. Kage was with Rudy’s when it opened and came back 2 ½ years ago when she moved back to the area.
Debbie Russo has been helping her grandson at Rudy’s, including with some of the ordering.
“He’s been doing a good job,” she said about Hoffmeister.
She also thanked the community for its support.
“That’s what keeps us here – the people,” she said. “I come here everyday and I love it. It’s home.”
Rudy’s Diner has been a mainstay with its red awnings on West Center Street.
By Ginny Kropf, correspondent Posted 8 November 2019 at 7:43 am
Donate a dollar and you can ring the bell
MEDINA – A brief history of education in the area will explain the significance of a bell, which is currently on display at Lee-Whedon Library.
The bell is temporarily at the library while the school district considers the best place to display it. Medina High School superintendent Mark Kruzynski said he is excited about the prospects of the bell being returned to the high school.
While it’s at the library, people have a chance to ring the bell from noon to 1 p.m. each day for a donation of $1, which will benefit the Medina Historical Society.
The bell originally sat atop Medina Free Academy on Catherine Street, the site which from 1923 to 1991 became Medina High School. When the Academy building was razed in 1922, the bell was stored in the basement of Central School on South Academy Street.
After fire destroyed Central School in 1967, contractor Carl Petronio Jr. was hired to clean up the rubble and discovered the bell. He removed it to storage and recently donated it to the Medina Historical Society.
Realizing the significance of the bell, former Historical Society president Craig Lacey contacted Barnes Metal Finishing Company, which restored the bell to its former grandeur.
Lee-Whedon Memorial Library director Catherine Cooper provided the history of education in the Medina area.
Foremost, it should be noted that the Medina School System operates the longest continuous free education program in Orleans County and the third longest in New York State, following New York City and Lockport.
Land settlement in this area dates back to 1810. Once early settlers had cleared the trees to build a shelter and began tilling the soil, their next priority was for the provision of education. Betsy Murdock taught the first local school in the summer of 1814. Her school was located in a barn on Ridge Road, which still stands today.
With the advent of the Erie Canal, a population began to grow in what became the village of Medina. The first purpose-built school was a log cabin erected in 1826.
When the village was incorporated in 1832, the population was between 700 and 800 people. School classes were held in the Presbyterian Church, then located on the corner of Cross Street (now Pearl Street) and West Street (now West Avenue). This is the current location of Kwik Fill.
In 1836, a single story stone school was erected behind the current Walsh Hotel. This building was later expanded and became the arsenal for local militia and later a staging area for Civil War soldiers.
Lee-Whedon Memorial Library director Catherine Cooper holds a poster with pictures of the early schools in Medina. The building at top is the original Medina Free Academy, on which can be seen the school bell. The bell is now the property of Medina Historical Society. It has been refinished and is on display at Lee-Whedon Memorial Library. It will be transferred to Medina High School in the near future, as soon as a site can be determined to display it.
Secondary education was provided by private, fee-based academies such as those in Albion, Millville and Yates. Legislation passed in 1851 and 1853 significantly changed the educational system. An amended act of the New York State Legislature on April 10, 1850 allowed a school to combine the features of both a district and a high school. The Union School Act of 1853 allowed the municipality to tax inhabitants to fund a school and to form a board of education to govern it.
At that time, there were only two other high schools operating in New York state. One was in Lockport and the other in New York City. Medina was the first village in Orleans County and in Western New York to adopt this form of higher education and to provide secondary education free to the children of residents.
The Medina Free Academy was built in 1851 of Medina sandstone. It was located on Catherine Street, site of the former Medina High School which was used from 1923 to 1991 and was situated on land which had been donated by Silas Burroughs. The Academy consisted of six rooms, employed six teachers and educated both primary and secondary students. Enrollment was between 300 and 400 students.
An 1892 enlargement of that original building doubled the size of the school. It accommodated 19 teachers and vastly improved classroom conditions. In April 1895, the district was made a “Union Free District,” and a new high school, referred to as Central School, was built in 1896.
The Academy building then became the elementary school. It was razed in 1922 to make way for a larger high school. At that point, Central School reverted to an elementary school. It was that building which was destroyed by fire in 1967, and where the bell was found.
MEDINA – A brief history of education in the area will explain the significance of a bell, which is currently on display at Lee-Whedon Library.
