Funding would target economic development, housing, and waterfront

MEDINA – Village officials have been anxiously awaiting word from the Governor’s Office whether Medina will be awarded a $10 million grant through the Downtown Revitalization Initiative.

Ten of those grants will be announced around the state. Gov. Cuomo has already announced five: Fulton in Central New York, Baldwin in Long Island, Peekskill in the Mid-Hudson, Hornell in the Southern Tier and the Niagara Falls Bridge District in WNY.

Medina is in the Finger Lakes region. This is the fourth round of the DRI, where communities submit applications and the state decides the winner. Previous $10 million grant winners in the Finger Lakes region include the City of Geneva in 2016, the City of Batavia in 2017 and the Village of Penn Yan last year.

‘Within the past few years, it has become increasingly evident that this historic and vibrant village has become a destination for young entrepreneurs, hastening a multifaceted commercial and cultural renaissance driven by considerable private investment.” – Chris Busch, Medina Planning Board chairman

Medina faces stiff competition for the $10 million. Some of the applicants include the Village of Waterloo, City of Canandaigua, Town of Seneca Falls and the Village of Newark.

Medina Mayor Michael Sidari said the community has put together a strong application. It benefitted from the work of committee that completed a Local Waterfront Revitalization Plan to better utilize the Erie Canal, Oak Orchard Creek and Glenwood Lake.

The DRI program is intended to transform vulnerable, vacant or forgotten areas of the state into livable, walkable, dynamic neighborhoods.

Communities should show existing momentum with public and private investment in the neighborhood and surrounding areas.

Medina was able to count $375 million in recent investment, led by Baxter which acquired the Medina operation of Sigma International for about $250 million and has spent another $10 million upgrading its facility in the Olde Pickle Factory.

“Medina has experienced outsized capital investment and job creation in recent years for a community of its size,” the village states in its application. “Companies like Fortune 500 Baxter have invested an estimated $10 million in local infrastructure and added 400 jobs since 2012, many of which pay more than $100,000 per year.

“Canadian firms like Brunner, Pride Pak, and Hinspergers leverage Medina to access US markets, while local investors have contributed more than $10 million to grow their own businesses and to restore some of the most historically significant properties in New York State. Funding from the DRI will allow Downtown Medina to build off these recent economic successes and will likely encourage additional private investment into our growing and diversifying economy.”

Photos by Tom Rivers: Medina officials believe the Canal Basin could be a bigger asset with more amenities for boaters and better entrances and seating areas on the rear sides of Main Street businesses.

Some of the recent investments in Medina include:

• $6 million at Bent’s Opera House, for restaurant, hotel and performing art space;

• $10 million by Brunner on a 48,000-square-foot expansion in 2014;

• $6.75 by Cobblestone Hotel for a new 10,567 square-foot building will include 58 hotel rooms, a 50-plus person conference room, and a bar.

• Hinspergers Poly Industries, multi-million investment, doubling the complex to its current 83,000 square-foot footprint.

• Newell Shirt Factory Building – $1.5 million historic restoration project converted an 1876 shirt factory into a trendy, upscale coffee shop and craft cocktail bar with law offices and extended-stay lofts on the upper floors.

• The Olde Pickle Factory (Fisher Price) – Nearly $8 million has been invested in this 430,000 square-foot facility to create a state-of-the-art facility that can house a diverse array of tenants.

• Pride Pak – $30 million in 2016 to construct a 68,000-square foot state-of-the-art facility for vegetable processing and packaging.

• Takeform has invested more than $10 million in the last 5 years in infrastructure, equipment, software technology, and human capital, and recently completed a 15,000 square-foot expansion to accommodate growth.

• BMP spent $1.8 million to double manufacturing space in 2004.

• Western New York Energy spent $90 million in 2006-07 to build the first ethanol plant in the Northeast United States.

• 414/416 Main Street – $750,000 investment to transform 9,000 square feet into a single-family home, co-working space and a restaurant (Mile 303).

• Village of Medina water and sewer upgrades at $8 million. The village has recently begun a $7.3 million upgrade to its wastewater treatment plant and completed a $800,000 upgrade to its water system. These investments will facilitate the expansion of the Medina Business Park and the growth of the village.

Medina wants to build off those successes and investments. Medina lists $29 million in projects. If the community’s $10 million application is approved, Medina will need to work with the state to determine how to divvy up the $10 million.

Medina wants to add pedestrian amenities to the pathway behind the buildings facing the Canal Basin.

Medina’s application lists the following projects to be considered for DRI funding:

• Streetscape Improvements at an estimated $1 million in DRI funding

Medina wants to improve the downtown pedestrian experience through street furniture, landscaping, and crosswalk enhancements on Main Street and Pearl Street.

The village wants to enhance crosswalks; add more benches, bike racks, trash receptacles and pedestrian lighting; and plant more street trees and shrubs.

• Rail with Trail, a multi-use trail along the Medina Railroad from the museum to Main Street, at an estimated DRI funding request of $200,000

The village wants to improve a gap within the pedestrian network and improve the connectivity from the Railroad Museum to the downtown. A “rail-with-trail” would create a multi-use path alongside the rail line.

• The Canal Village Farmer’s Market would become a year-round market with a community kitchen, distillery and event space as part of a $3 million project, with $2.8 million in DRI funding

The market is in its fifth year at the northeast corner of West Center Street and West Avenue. The market, which is run by Orleans Renaissance Group, currently operates on select weekends throughout the year out of a small building and temporary stands in the parking lot.

The ORG is seeking to construct a large, enclosed structure to allow for continuous, year-round operation of the market. The structure will be anchored by three tenants: the farmer’s market with a community kitchen and exhibit space; a distillery or microbrewery on the second floor; and a rooftop event space.

• Canal Basin Park – Improved waterfront access and amenities at the Canal Basin Park for $2 million, to be funded with the DRI.

The village in its application says the spot is hampered by an “overabundance of paved parking space and limited recreational access to the Erie Canal.” Medina wants to increase public access to the waterfront area and encourage recreational and passive use at this prime waterfront location.

Recommended improvements include:

• Installation of a pedestrian boardwalk along the rear facades of Main Street buildings;

• Conversion of the existing parking space into public greenspace with access to the Erie Canal;

• Construction of a promenade along the Erie Canal;

• Installation of boating docks on the Erie Canal;

• Comfort amenities, such as restrooms and showers;

• Crosswalk enhancements to improve pedestrian connection across East Center Street.

The village anticipates the changes would prompt building owners to “activate the rear facades of the buildings on Main Street, creating commercial opportunities on both sides of these structures and allowing for the development of new businesses.”

• State Street Park – enhanced programming to make the park a year-round recreational destination, with an ice skating rink, enhanced lighting, boat tie-ups, benches and bicycle racks, and a construction of a nature trail at a $600,000 cost, with the DRI funding $500,000.

The installation of motor boat tie-ups will allow boaters on the canal to join in on the enjoyment of local musicians’ performances at the bandstand during the summer months while the ice skating rink will allow for winter activities and encourage continued use of the park even during the off-season, the village stated in its application.

• Lions Park Boater Access – The village seeks $250,000 for the DRI to install boat tie-ups and docking facilities at the Lions Park near the Route 63 lift bridge.

The village, in its application, says boater amenities and docking infrastructure are limited within Medina. Throughout the community engagement process, the public consistently expressed a need for additional boater amenities along the waterfront.

This project also includes the creation of a fitness trail through Lions Park, with various pieces of fitness equipment located along the trail.

• Medina Falls Overlook – The village wants to better utilize the Medina waterfalls by adding a viewing platform and overlook off the Erie Canalway Trail, near the Horan Road Bridge. The project would cost an estimated $1.9 million with the DRI funding $1.5 million.

“Medina Falls is one of the Village’s stunning natural wonders,” according to the village’s application. “Its 40-foot drop dazzles onlookers and makes a great challenge for any kayakers willing to brave it. The scenic Falls, however, lacks an easily accessible viewing point and is obscured by brush, foliage, and a significant grade change that can be dangerous for interested onlookers to traverse.”

• Wayfinding Signage – Install a cohesive and well-branded system of wayfinding and directional signs at a cost of $200,000 with the DRI funding $150,000.

The signs would direct visitors to the Erie Canal, Waterfalls, public parking and other resources. Medina wants to add gateway signs, directional signs, kiosks and interpretive signs, light pole banners and identification signs for destinations and parking areas.

• Small Grant Fund – This fund will support economic-development related activities through the distribution of small grants to local businesses and investors. Medina would like a $900,000 fund with the DRI paying $600,000.

The fund is intended to support projects that retain jobs, generate increased economic activity, and improve the economic viability and livability of Downtown Medina. Eligible projects could include historic rehabilitation and repair, facade improvements, land acquisition, new construction, and event programming.

• Mustang City: Adaptive Reuse of the old Medina High School – A $9 million project with the DRI request at $3 million.

A developer, Talis Equity, seeks to transform 90,000 square feet into 40 loft apartments. Mustang City will fulfill Medina’s need for additional housing options and will allow for a new kind of “maintenance-free” living, with amenities and services including grocery delivery, cleaning, and laundry pickup. Just steps from the Erie Canal and downtown’s restaurants, shops and nightlife, Mustang City will provide attractive living options for anyone from young entrepreneurs to retirees, according to the village’s DRI application.

• Snappy’s Mixed-Use Development: This project at $1.8 million includes a $1 million DRI request. It would redevelop the Snappy facility on Commercial Street by the Erie Canal into a mixed-use commercial and residential space. The property could be redeveloped with the first floor for commercial uses and the second floor for residential.

The Marina on Main would transform four storefronts on Main Street.

• Marina On Main – This project at 333-339 Main St. would create a canal-side indoor and outdoor event space at an estimated cost of $1.65 million. The DRI request is for $1 million.

Marina on Main is envisioned as an upscale, multi-use event center with both indoor and outdoor seating to cater to a variety of events and special occasions including weddings, reunions, and other large gatherings for 200-plus guests. The ground floor is envisioned as a mixed-use space with connectivity to the canal.

This project proposed by the Zambito family will revitalize and repurpose four underutilized storefronts along Main Street. It will also improve the rear facades along the canal, which presently detract from the pedestrian experience along the trail.

• Walsh Hotel Mixed-Use Redevelopment – The building at 525 West Ave. would be rehabilitated and redeveloped, creating a mix of apartments and hotel rooms. The project is an estimated $1 million with the DRI request at $600,000.

Tim Cooper is working to turn the 9,400-square-foot building to include either 8 apartments, 6 to 8 hotel rooms, or a combination of both on the 2 upper floors. The ground floor will house The O’Brien & Ceallaigh Bar and Lounge.

• Medina Railroad Museum Campus – The $1.5 million project seeks $1.2 million in DRI to create a welcome center on Main Street and courtyard space.

The Medina Railroad Museum is one of the largest tourism drivers in the village, drawing approximately 40,000 people annually. The museum wants to expand its footprint and to create more of a campus-like complex. The campus will extend east from the existing museum building to the old train station near Main Street, creating a visible and intriguing presence along the main thoroughfare.

The train station building, which is owned by the village, will act as a welcome center and small exhibit space, attracting people off Main Street and to the museum (while the senior citizen’s center that presently occupies this space will be relocated to City Hall).

A landscaped pedestrian plaza will connect the train station to the existing museum building.

On the southern side of the tracks, the campus plan calls for the creation of a park-like courtyard space adjacent to the library. This courtyard will include the installation of two, permanent dining cars – to be rented out for weddings and other events – as well as an enclosed pole barn building, which will be used to store and repair cars.

The campus is intended to strengthen the museum’s position in the village, to enhance its status as a regional tourism generator, and to bring visitors into downtown.

• Medina Hotel and Conference Center – This $4 million project includes $2 million in the DRI. It would repurpose the former Dipson Diana Theater (currently Medina Theater) into a conference center at 601-611 Main St.

The theater sits underutilized in a prime location on Main Street. This project by the Cardone family proposes to stabilize and restore the theater and to transform it and the adjacent former warehouse into a conference center and hotel complex.

The former 7,900 square-foot theater will be converted into a large event space with capacity for more than 350 people and will also feature a restaurant in the ground floor. The adjacent 20,000 square-foot former warehouse will be converted into a hotel to accommodate conference-goers and other visitors.

“Within the past few years, it has become increasingly evident that this historic and vibrant village has become a destination for young entrepreneurs, hastening a multifaceted commercial and cultural renaissance driven by considerable private investment,” wrote Chris Busch, Medina Planning Board chairman, in a letter of support for the application.

The rear side of businesses on Main Street, facing the Erie Canal, would benefit with better facades, seating areas and a path for pedestrians.

“Medina’s ‘renaissance’ and revitalization has and will continue to attract young families, tourists, culture seekers, trail, cyclist and history enthusiasts, recreational boaters and entrepreneurs seeking to invest and grow in a thriving community.”

Busch said a $10 million DRI grant would be “a transformative breakthrough event in the economy of Medina and the region.”

He praised the Medina officials and community leaders for putting together the application and presenting a vision for the community.

“Medina’s successful application for DRI funding will without a doubt, lead to dramatic improvement in the regions’ key economic indicators of job creation, continued private investment, expansion of tourism, and increase of tax revenues, as well as the preservation of vital cultural and historic assets,” Busch said in his letter of support.

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MEDINA – Based on Ronan Tynan’s newfound love for Medina, Orleans Renaissance Group president Chris Busch wouldn’t be surprised to see the Irish tenor return in another two or three years.

Tynan was very verbal in his appreciation of the amenities in Medina during his performance Saturday at St. Mary’s Church. He poked fun at Medina sandstone, which he learned Medina was famous for, and praised his accommodations.

Tynan, a medical doctor, internationally acclaimed Irish tenor and motivational speaker, first appeared at St. Mary’s Church during a concert Sept. 17, 2016, with his accompanist William Lewis. It was Tynan who reached out to the Orleans Renaissance Group requesting a return visit, which was attended by about 520 people.

“Dr. Tynan and Mr. Lewis have expressed both publicly and privately their love for Medina and their desire to return,” Busch said. “From St. Mary’s to the Hart House, Zambistro’s and the Shirt Factory, they had a wonderful experience and said as much many times. I can tell you those comments are genuine. They are two of the most kind, thoughtful and generous people with whom any of us at ORG have ever had the pleasure of working with.”

Photo courtesy of Chris Busch: A nearly packed audience filled St. Mary’s Church on Saturday for the performance of Irish tenor Ronan Tynan, who can be seen at the front of the audience.

Tim and Catherine Cooper, who were instrumental in bringing Tynan to Medina both times, couldn’t stop smiling during Tynan’s performance.

“It still amazes me he is in Medina,” Tim said.

Catherine said it was particularly moving for her to realize many in the audience had parents and grandparents who were connected to the church, through significant events in their lives. She and Tim have previously been to performances of Tynan at Kleinhans Music Hall and the University of Buffalo.

“His voice is so magnificent,” Catherine said.

Busch called the concert “simply breathtaking.”

“People who attended were awestruck by his voice,” Busch said. “He truly connects with the audience. They laugh, they cry and they gave a rousing standing ovation. This was a world-class event all the way.

Proceeds from the evening will be used by ORG to fund other arts, culture and preservation projects, Busch said.

Photo courtesy of Michael Sargent: Ronan Tynan gave a powerful performance on Saturday at St. Mary’s.

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Event is kickoff of Fire Prevention Week

MEDINA – The Medina Fire Department held its annual open house Sunday, featuring a display of firefighting equipment, activities for children, training for adults and a visit by Mercy Flight. The open house is in conjunction with Fire Prevention Week.

Firefighter and paramedic Steve Miller said they had a good turnout of visitors before rain in the early afternoon brought activities to a close.

The fire department had all of its equipment on display, including ambulances, fire trucks and the new small rescue truck and boat.

Steve Miller, left, Medina firefighter and paramedic, and Jason Bessel, deputy chief of Ridgeway Fire Department, watch Bessel’s children Olivia, 8, and Jonathan, 4, climb out of the fire safety trailer at Medina Fire Department’s annual open house on Sunday.

Jason Bessel, deputy chief with Ridgeway Fire Department, drove Ridgeway’s antique fire engine, a 1977 Pierce, and stayed throughout the day with his two children. Another antique truck on display was Medina’s old No. 10, a 1946 Mack owned by Timothy Cooper.

Boys Scout Troop 28 had a booth set up to serve refreshments. Activities included checking out a fire safety trailer and hose competition, where youth could try their hand at aiming a water hose at a target.

Inside the fire hall, there were games and treats for children, and Stop the Bleed training and CPR for adults.

Families head inside the fire house during Sunday’s open house at Medina Fire Department. In addition to activities and displays outside, there were games and treats inside for children and Stop the Bleed training and CPR for adults.

Devin Kinne, 13, of Medina stands by the fire safety trailer on display at Medina Fire Department’s open house Sunday. Devin visited the fire department, where he tried his hand at hitting a target with a fire hose. He also went through the fire safety trailer, where he learned how to put out a fire.

Justin McAdoo, 15, took this picture of Medina Fire Department’s ladder truck during the fire department’s open house on Sunday. Justin can’t wait until he turns 16 in April, so he can join Ridgeway Volunteer Fire Department, where his mother is a paramedic and assistant chief.

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MEDINA – The first toy show sponsored by Medina FFA on Saturday morning will most likely become an annual event, according to FFA adviser Todd Eick.

The show at Medina High School was held in honor of lifelong Medina farmer, the late Lee Roberts, who was an avid collector of farm toys.

The day began with a pancake breakfast, during which Eick presented Ginny Roberts with number one in a set of 50 collectible Steiger Panther 111 PTA-310 tractors. The remaining 49 will be sold, Eick said. He plans to obtain a set every five years and then auction them off.

“All the money will go to benefit FFA,” Eick said.

Todd Eick, adviser of Medina’s FFA, presents Ginny Roberts of Medina with number one in a series of 50 toy Steiger Panther 111 PTA-310 tractors during a pancake breakfast Saturday at Medina High School. The remaining 49 will be sold to benefit FFA projects. Roberts’ late husband Lee was a collector of farm toys.

He said the kids will decide what is needed most for the miniature farm the FFA maintains on the southwest side of the high school property.

In the high school gymnasium, nearly a dozen vendors were set up with their massive collections of farm toys.

Les Segrist of Waterloo has been collecting toys since 1985.

“I got started after seeing a friend customize a piece of equipment, and the bug bit me,” he said.

John Seifert of Lyndonville started collecting farm toys about 10 years ago, after retiring as a farmer. His favorites are four-wheel drives, and he said his collection fills his basement and den. He attends four toy shows a year, including those in Brockport, Pavilion and Geneseo.

Nick Adams of Medina goes all over to toy shows. He has been collecting for the last 15 years and his collection includes race cars and semi-trucks. Two of his favorites are a 1965 and 1969 Mustang convertible.

William Nice of Medina got started collecting toys in 1979 because of a joke.

“I had a 50-acre farm across from the fairgrounds, but I didn’t have any equipment,” Nice said. “I had to borrow from other farmers, and I started telling everybody it would nice if I had some equipment of my own. So for Christmas that year, everyone gave me toy tractors.”

His collection includes John Deere, International, Allis-Chalmers and Massey Ferguson. A favorite of his is a Farmall Super M.TA tractor.

Nice owns a construction business, and spends six months in Florida and six months in Medina. He transports his collection back and forth and attends a four-day event in Florida which features 240 acres of vendors.

Donna Wolfe is one of the few women vendors. Her collection includes railroad cars, miniature buildings, army tanks and airplanes. She has been collecting for 10 years.

Saturday’s event also spilled over into the high school parking lot, where several vendors from the weekly farm market were set up. A display of antique vehicles included Farmall and John Deere tractors, a Jeep and fire truck.

The toy show was the result of a lot of work and planning by Eick, the FFA students and FFA alumni, including Cliff Barber, who one vendor said was instrumental in lining up vendors for the show.

William Nice of Medina was one of the vendor’s at Medina FFA’s first toy show Saturday. Nice holds a Farmall Super M.TA, his favorite toy in the collection.

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MEDINA – The PLAY/GROUND art show at the former Medina High School attracted 4,100 people from Friday through Sunday, more than double the attendance during the event’s debut last year.

The immersive art experience included works by 34 artists, who encouraged people to interact with the pieces.

Talis Equity and the Hungerford family worked to put on the show with Resource: Art in Buffalo. The school is currently mostly vacant and will be turned into apartments. Right now Talis and the Hungerford family are working to redevelop Bent’s Opera House.

The preview party on Friday was sold out with 750 people, many coming by shuttle from the Hotel Henry in Buffalo.

“There is excitement in the air,” said Medina artist Tom Zangerle, who attended the show on Saturday afternoon. “This is just fantastic.”

In “Newton’s Clock,” artist Michael Bosworth used the elements of a pinball machine to create a series of interactive works.

Amanda Besl set up “Persphone,” an ethereal forgotten greenhouse at the bottom of the stairs. “Are the contents languishing within or bursting to escape their confines?” participants were asked.

In “Rolling Thunder,” by Tom Holt and Quincy Koczka, skateboarding ramps were painted and turned into artwork.

Sara Di Donato painted life-size images of girls from different eras for “If These Walls Could Talk.” The installation was in a bathroom. Di Donato, a painting and drawing professor at Brockport State College, wanted to show “the performance of girlhood in the present is a reverberating echo of the past, yet constantly fluid and changing.”

Kari Achatz made “Betwixt,” patterned passageways and shadows. She wanted participants “to be seen and unseen at the same moment.”

“Into the Void”  was a popular installation, with many people posting images of the space on social media. William Quintana and Christa Trautman made a set of six telescoping, brightly colored boxes to replace the traditional four walls. “The bright hues are meant to entice users to explore the space further and immerse themselves in the unknown well of color.”

People check out “Medina Green,” by artist Nate Hodge of Brockport, in a former locker room in the school.

The art show included a Medina artist, Kathryn Granchelli. She created a Zen garden-like  installation. She filled the room with sand and paper-clay sculptures. She said the exhibit was inspired by her travels in the deserts. She runs a nanny referral agency for families in New York City, Los Angeles and abroad. She is also is an accomplished artist.

Granchelli welcomed the chance to be part of PLAY/GROUND in her hometown.

“I really think it’s great for Medina to experience something outside the norm,” she said.

Ani Hoover created the “Shade Garden” in a stairwell. She made the display out of plastic bags, thrifted lampshades and lighting hardware. She sought to take neglected materials and transform them into “an unconventional oasis of light and shadow.”

Julian Montague expanded on the murals in the hallways he started last year.

People check out “Safe Space,” created with cardboard and white plaster by Rich Tomasello with help from 150 students at Kenmore, Town of Tonawanda and Starpoint schools. The installation addresses the anxieties of growing up in American schools where lockdrown drills are commonplace.

Marquis Burton and Tara Sasiadek’s “Wave and Shore” installation was popular. The artists encouraged participants to pause and take in fresh sensations.

Carina and the Six String Preacher perform in the auditorium at the school on Saturday afternoon. Musicians performed in the space over the weekend.

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MEDINA – In 2016, the Orleans Renaissance Group reached out to famed Irish tenor Ronan Tynan to see if he would be interested in performing at St. Mary’s Church in Medina.

He was not only interested then, and performed to a sold-out audience at St. Mary’s Church, but reached out to ORG again about returning this year.

“He genuinely enjoyed his experience in Medina,” said Chris Busch, president of ORG. “Of course we said ‘yes’ to his return. Since we saw him last, he sang at the bedside and funeral of President George H.W. Bush.”

Tynan will again appear at St. Mary’s Church at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 5.

Ronan Tynan performed to a sold-out crowd of 650 at St. Mary’s on Sept. 17, 2016.

In a telephone interview this week, Tynan said he was impressed with Medina and looking forward to his return.

“It is a quaint town,” he said.

Tynan is no stranger to Western New York, he said. He used to sing for the Buffalo Sabres when Tom Golisano was owner.

Although he has sung for presidents at their funeral and inauguration; decorated veterans; at St. Patrick’s Cathedral, Carnegie Hall and the Washington National Cathedral; and across the National Mall and for popes at the Vatican, Tynan still prides himself on singing music which appeals to audiences of all ages.

His previous appearance at St. Mary’s Church was one of the most incredible events Busch said he has ever witnessed, certainly in Medina.

“He has an amazing presence,” Busch said. “Never have I seen an audience so thrilled and so moved.”

Tynan credits his amazing life to having wonderful parents.

“They always supported and encouraged me,” he said.

Born on a farm in County Kilkenny, Ireland, Tynan was born with lower leg deformities. Despite this, his parents never let his disability stand in his way. He attended an all-boys school and vigorously competed in athletic activities. A motorcycle accident at the age of 21 resulted in both his legs being amputated below the knee. Out of this tragedy came triumph, as Tynan went on to compete as a double amputee and win 18 gold medals and set 14 world records in the Paralympics Games from 1981 to 1984.

Then, Tynan decided to study medicine and became a medical doctor, specializing in orthopedic sports medicine. By the time he pondered singing, his life was already one of incredible accomplishment. He was 30 years old in 1993 and in his fifth year of medical school when he began to study voice.

By 1998 he had established himself as an award-winning tenor and joined Irish tenors Anthony Kearns and Finbar Wright. They went on to legendary fame across the globe. He left the group after six years and began his now legendary solo career.

In addition to thrilling sold-out audiences with his incredible voice, Tynan is one of the most sought after motivational speakers in the United States.

“We have amassed a very credible track record with serious artists over the years, including some world-class artists, such as Anonymous 4 and the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra,” Busch said. “We’ve also hosted the Genesee Symphony Orchestra, Genesee Chorale (whose director is Ric Jones of Medina), Fredonia Trombone Choir, BPO Brass, Greycliffe String Quartet and Buffalo Tango Orkestra. We’re quite proud of the talent we’ve brought to Medina, and apparently, Dr. Tynan felt we were credible, as well.”

The 2016 concert by Tynan was an idea of Timothy Cooper, local funeral director, whose Irish family heritage and love of Ireland are well known in Medina.

“Tim travels there often, and once wondered aloud to me if ORG thought Tynan might entertain at an event here,” Busch said. “So we reached out and he accepted. Tim was thrilled when he learned the great tenor had said yes, and generously helped sponsor the event.”

“I always remember my parents talking about Bill McGrath, a Medina native who became a great tenor,” Cooper said. “It left an impression. It’s not often you have talent like that in Medina. Ronan’s is an amazing story, how he became disabled yet went on to become a doctor.”

Busch said Tynan would be a hit anywhere he performs.

“But think about it – to have one of the world’s great tenors perform in the soaring beauty of St. Mary’s Church, an old Irish parish,” Busch said. “How could an event such as that be anything else but an epic, world-class event. To have our small town and parish host a voice, not once, but twice, which has performed for popes and presidents is quite remarkable and an endorsement to our little village. Not since the heyday of Bent’s Opera House has talent of such international renown come to Medina.

Tickets are available online at www.medinaalive.com, or at the door if not sold out.

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