MEDINA – Village residents re-elected Todd Bensley and Owen Toale to the Village Board today.
The two were unopposed on the ballot for four-year terms as trustee. Bensley, a Medina government teacher, led with 50 votes. Toale, a retired newspaper publisher, received 36.
There were also some write-in votes with Todd Ralph and Nicole Ralph each getting 2, and Peter Huth getting 1.
The new trustee terms start April 1.
Lyndonville and Medina both have village elections today, with polls open from noon to 9 p.m.
Lyndonville has three candidates running for two village trustee positions that are four-year terms. The spots are currently filled by Darren Wilson and Mary Kage. They both want to continue on the board. Kimberly Kenyon also will be on the ballot.
Kage is running under the Kage Party, Kenyon under the Pool Party, and Wilson picked the Main Street Party.
Voting is at the Village Hall on 2 South Main St.
Medina has two candidates seeking two spots on the board. Incumbents Owen Toale and Todd Bensley are both seeking re-election to two-year terms. They are both running under the Accountability Party.
The election is at the Senior Center, the former railroad depot on West Avenue.
Photos by Tom Rivers
MEDINA – The cast of Arsenic and Old Lace goes over the play during a dress rehearsal on Sunday at Medina High School.
Pictured from left on bottom include Gary Steverson as Mr. Witherspoon, Ray Flugel as Dr. Rev Harper and Lieutenant Rooney, A. Peter Snodgrass as Mortimer Brewster, and Jim Staebell as Teddy Brewster. Top row includes Cathie Borczuch Puleo as Martha Brewster and Gail Ingalsbe Graesser as Abby Brewster.
The two women are sisters and are considered sweet old ladies, but they are actually killers, poisoning lonely old men and having them buried in the cellar.
The upcoming shows will be 7 p.m. March 21, 22, 28 and 29 at Medina High School Auditorium. For reservations and ticket information, call (585) 993-1968 or go to westsideacademy.biz.
Proceeds go to the 2020 European Tour by the West Side Academy of Visual and Performing Arts.
Dan Doctor is director of Arsenic and Old Lace. He works as the community outreach liaison for Medina Central School.
He founded the West Side Academy on Main Street in Medina in 2011, which trains students in dancing, singing and acting. About 17 to 20 students and parents are going on a trip to Europe in the summer of 2020. The students will be performing at five festivals.
Doctor thought one way to raise funds for the trip would be through a dramatic play.
“I would prefer we perform because that’s who we are,” he said. “We’re performers and we wanted to perform rather than sell stuff.”
Some of cast members in the current show worked with Doctor when he directed plays and musicals at the Palace Theatre in Lockport, beginning in the mid-1990s.
Peter Snodgrass plays Mortimer, a dramatic critic who discovers his two aunts’ hobby of poisoning men with a glass of home-made elderberry wine laced with arsenic, strychnine and a pinch of cyanide.
Steve McQueen is Jonathan Brewster and Gail Graesser is Abby Brewster. Jonathan is Abby’s nephew. He is a short-tempered psychopath who has committed numerous murders.
Ray Flugel of Medina has been in local community theater for several years. He is a retired registered nurse. His son, Eric Flugel of Albion, is making his stage debut in the play.
Photo by Tom Rivers: McKenna Callard of the varsity Medina Winterguard is shown during competition on March 9 at Medina’s home show.
JAMESTOWN – Medina’s Novice and Jr. Varsity winterguards traveled to Jamestown on Saturday for competition along with 15 guards from New York and Canada.
In the Novice class, Medina won 1st place after competing against Legacy and Hinsdale. In the RA class, Medina’s Jr. Varsity guard won 1st with a score of 73.75 after competing against Prizm and Legacy.
Winners in other classes were Ventures in the Cadet class with a score of 68.21; Batavia in the A1 class with 75.05; Legacy in SR class with 69.99; Ventures Independent A with 77.45; Jamestown Express in SO with 80.50; Lancaster in IO with 80.6.
Medina will next compete this Saturday in Corning with March 30 the championships at Gates Chili High School.
MEDINA – The village is seeking the community’s input about the Maple Ridge Corridor, including ways to make the busy road safer for pedestrians and cyclists.
A 13-question survey asks community members how frequently they use Maple Ridge, for what purposes and if they would use the road more often if there were designated spots for pedestrians and cyclists.
Click here to see the survey. The survey will be available online until March 29.
The village was approved for a $50,000 grant to study pedestrian and bicycle accommodations on Maple Ridge Road, from Bates Road to the former Ames Plaza.
The study may help Medina make its case for a state grant to help pay for sidewalks on that stretch of Maple Ridge. The $50,000 grant from the Genesee Transportation Council includes a $5,000 local match from the village.
Medina previously has applied for a TAP – Transportation Alternatives Program – grant for sidewalks and a pedestrian bridge over Oak Orchard Creek. The village has been denied TAP funding so far.
The TAP is 80 percent federally funded with a 20 percent local share. The funding is from the federal government, but awarded by the state.
The sidewalk project with a small bridge was estimated to cost $1.3 million, according to initial cost estimates from Labella Associates in Rochester. Medina has found other funds for the bridge, using money from a revolving-loan fund that was managed by the Orleans Economic Development Agency. That fund is being closed out, with the remaining money going to projects in Orleans County that increase handicapped accessibility or serve low-income residents.
Many people walk along Maple Ridge Road or use motorized wheelchairs. Mayor Mike Sidari said the sidewalks would improve safety for many local residents.
Maple Ridge has become busier with GCC, manufacturing plants, chain stores and a residential community. The Orleans EDA also expects construction to start soon for a hotel on Maple Ridge next to the Pride Pak vegetable processing plant.
Photos by Tom Rivers: Medina Mayor Mike Sidari speaks during a new conference on Friday. The mayor said Medina Memorial Hospital is critical to the community for providing care to people in Medina, Orleans County and eastern Niagara. The hospital also is an important employment provider, Sidari said. Marc Shurtz, who is next to Sidari, is the hospital’s corporate compliance director and head of information technology.
MEDINA – Orleans County’s lone hospital is trying to raise awareness about proposed cuts in Medicaid, which would reduce Medina Memorial Hospital’s revenue by $400,000 the next two years.
For a rural, low-volume hospital those cuts can be devastating, said Larry Knox, political and community engagement coordinator for 1199SEIU, a union for healthcare workers.
“In rural hospitals there is no fat to cut,” he said during a news conference and rally on Friday at Medina Memorial Hospital.
Gov. Cuomo proposed the Medicaid reductions as part of his budget proposal in January. Healthcare workers from throughout the state will be in Albany on Tuesday to send a message to state legislators to restore the $500 million in Medicaid funding for hospitals of all sizes.
Larry Knox, right, is the political and community engagement coordinator for 1199SEIU, a union for healthcare workers. Several union members attended the conference at Medina Memorial on Friday. Healthcare workers will be in Albany on Tuesday to protest the proposed Medicaid cuts.
“The union and the hospital administration do not always agree on issues but in this case we are in total agreement,” said Amy Stiles, a respiratory therapist at Medina Memorial the past 19 years. “These cuts will assuredly lead to more layoffs which will severely impact safe patient care.”
The hospital is part of Orleans Community Health, which has healthcare sites in Albion, Medina and Batavia.
Mark Cye, OCH chief executive officer, said the Medina Memorial is the only “safety net” hospital in the region.
“Consistent state and federal funding cuts jeopardize the future of hospitals across our state,” Cye said.
Stiles, the respiratory therapist, urged the state to look for cuts elsewhere in a $175 billion state budget.
“The health of our community is at stake,” she said.
Photos by Tom Rivers: Jeremy Brandenburg of Medina heads down a ramp during a Skate Jam on Sept. 15 at Butts Park. The current equipment and asphalt surface has been around for many years and has cracks and other issues.
Press Release, Alex Feig, Medina Skate Park president
MEDINA – The Village of Medina has been awarded a Built-To-Play Skatepark Grant from the Tony Hawk Foundation & Ralph C. Wilson Jr. Foundation for a new concrete skatepark, which could be ready in spring 2021.
The matching grant provides between $50,000 and $250,000 towards the construction of a new public skatepark.
A skateboarder enjoys the Skate Jam on Sept. 15 in Medina.
The grant provides a large funding opportunity for the construction of new professional-quality skateparks and is specifically available to only 16 underserved counties in the Eastern Michigan and Western New York areas. During this particular grant round Medina was the only municipality to be awarded a grant in New York.
Members of the local skatepark advocate group, the Medina Skate Society, have pursued the grant on behalf of the Village of Medina and will be the integral fundraising entity in charge of raising the majority of the funds.
The Orleans Renaissance Group is acting as the pass-through agency for the skatepark funds and currently is holding $12,000 of donations for the skatepark project.
The grant deadline for fundraising is in March 2020 and the Tony Hawk Foundation wants to see construction of the final skatepark completed by March 2021.
Essentially the Medina Skatepark Society and Village of Medina have a year to raise the matching amount between $50,000 and $250,000 and then another year to build the park using professional skatepark design and construction firms.
There will be many opportunities to donate and every dollar spent will be doubled now that Medina has been awarded this amazing grant opportunity!
For starters the M.S.S. has set up a GoFundMe account to raise the initial amount to receive the match and encourage anyone wishing to donate a large amount over $100 to contact the Orleans Renaissance Group or Medina Skate Society directly.
Medina Skate Society was established in March 2018 and is a growing community organization of volunteers based in Medina. They are focused on improving the Medina Skatepark. This is currently an unregistered association. An unregistered association does not have legal capacity, it cannot acquire property in its name and be a member of another association.
For more information, contact Feig at feigalex@yahoo.com.
Photos by Tom Rivers
MEDINA – Andrea Grant and other members of the Magic of Scout House put on a high-energy show on Saturday at Medina, when 14 winterguard groups performed during Medina’s annual show, “Colorburst.”
Magic of Scout House is based in Kitchener, Ontario, and did a tribute to “Women Who Rock,” which included some of the most iconic rock songs by women. They were one of 14 groups to perform at Medina. Tammy Piccinetti acts as the lead singer to start the routine.
Madison Cairney performs with Magic of Scout House. The show features “Sweet Dreams” by the Eurythmics, “Call Me” by Blondie, “Heartbreaker” by Pat Benatar and “So What” by Pink. Magic of Scout House was first in the Senior Class with 74.27.
Magic of Scout House includes adults who love the winter guard competition. They had the crowd on their feet with the hard-charging routine. This is the guard’s fifth year of competition.
Jenny Hope brings lots of attitude to the group.
Prizm is a group of youth ages 7 to 14 from Hamilton, Ontario. They performed to the music, “Praying” by Kesha.
Prizm members are in sync in their routine. Prizm was third in the RA Class with 67.63. In that class, Medina JV was first with 70.42; Eastridge, second with 68.75; and Corning-Painted Post, fourth with 65.35.
Hinsdale is ready to perform a show called “Claustrophobia.” Music was “Arena” by Lindsey Sterling.
Hinsdale concludes its program. The school was second in the A1 Class with 66.39.
Marcus Whitman performed “Faithfully” by Journey. They were third in the A1 Class with 62.19 points.
Gates Chili titled its program, “I Just Want to Ride My Bike” with music by Queen, Mark Ronson & the Business International, and Pink Floyd.
Gates Chili was first in the A1 Class with 69.38 points.
Sapphire Winterguard, a student-run college guard at Geneseo, performed “Enchanted,” with music by Taylor Swift. The team is in its fifth season of competing. The group was second in the Senior Class with 61.45 points.
Corning-Painted Post performed “If I Ain’t Got You.” The show had a message that the quest for money and material things can be all-consuming. Having friends and family to share it with gives life meaning.
Corning-Painted Post was the champion of the A1 division last year for the Northeast Color Guard Circuit, winning the title for the first time.
CPP competes in the same division as Medina and just edged the host on Saturday in the SA Class. Corning-Painted Post was first with 79.82, just ahead of Medina, second with 78.95.
Destiny Jones performs for Medina, which titled its show, “I Can Only Imagine.” For more photos of the Medina performance, click here.
Medina will next compete on March 16 in Jamestown, March 23 in Corning and the championships on March 30 at the Gates Chili High School.
The Heritage Hurricanes are in their second season in the exhibition division. Some of their members have disabilities. The group is based through Heritage Christian Services in Rochester. Melissa Jaeger, a Medina graduate, is director of the Hurricanes. She participated in the winterguard and band when she was at Medina.
The Hurricanes are competing at two Winterguard events this year: Medina and the championships at Gates Chili on March 30.
The scores on Saturday include:
Novice:
Medina Pony Guard, first with 56.15
Cadet:
Gates Chili, first with 57.09
RA Class:
Medina JV, first with 70.42; Eastridge, second with 68.75; Prizm, third with 67.63; and Corning-Painted Post, fourth with 65.35.
A1 Class:
Gates Chili, first with 69.38; Hinsdale, second with 66.39; and Marcus Whitman, third with 62.19.
SA Class:
Corning-Painted Post, first with 79.82; and Medina, second with 78.95.
Senior Class:
Magic of Scout House, first with 74.27; and Geneseo, second with 61.45.
Exhibit Class:
Heritage Hurricanes
Photos by Tom Rivers
MEDINA – Medina’s varsity winterguard is ready for their performance on Saturday during their home show. Medina High School hosted a winterguard competition with 14 guards competing over 2 ½ hours.
The varsity guard consists of 13 students in grades 7-12. This year their show is “I Can Only Imagine.” Many people experience the loss of a loved one and this show takes you on a journey that can bring back fond memories of that special person.
Paige Martin holds the photo of a loved one, her late grandmother Shelia Frasier, at the end of the winterguard performance.
Medina’s varsity guard gave one of the most emotional performances during the competition, and many people in the crowd were clearly moved by the Medina winterguard.
Aries McMurray and the guard members danced to “I Can Only Imagine” by Mercy Me. The group performed with a message of one day reuniting with loved ones.
McKenna Callard exuded joy on the floor for the Medina Mustangs.
The season concludes with the state championship on March 30 at Gates Chili.
Orleans Hub will post more photos and results from the competition later today.
The deadline has passed for candidates to be on the ballot for the March 19 village elections in Lyndonville and Medina.
Lyndonville has three candidates running for two village trustee positions that are for four-year terms. The spots are currently filled by Darren Wilson and Mary Kage. They both want to continue on the board. Kimberly Kenyon also will be on the ballot.
The village elections do not include major party affiliations. Kage is running under the Kage Party, Kenyon under the Pool Party, and Wilson picked the Main Street Party.
Voting will be from noon to 9 p.m. on March 19 at the Village Hall on 2 South Main St.
Medina has two candidates seeking two spots on the board. Incumbents Owen Toale and Todd Bensley are both seeking re-election to two-year terms. They are both running under the Accountability Party.
The election will be from noon to 9 p.m. at the Senior Center, the former railroad depot on West Avenue.
The two other villages in the county don’t have elections on March 19. Albion is in an off election year and Holley has its elections in June.
Provided photos
MEDINA – Pack 35 of Medina held its annual Blue & Gold banquet on Sunday. The event celebrates the scouting program.
Seven scouts who are Webelos earned their Arrow of Light, the highest rank in Cub Scouting. These Scouts include, from left: Briley Allen, Colton Smith, Jimmy Dieter, Vincent Gray, Landan Costich, Austin Beutler and Ethan Ladd.
At the cross-over ceremony the scouts were accepted as members of Boy Scout Troop 35 in Medina.
Photo and article courtesy of Medina Mustang Band
LANCASTER – All three of Medina Winter Guard units competed at Lancaster High School on Saturday, where 27 guard units from New York and Canada performed.
In the Novice class Medina’s Pony guard took 1st place. The Jr. Varsity guard competed in the RA class and took 2nd place with a score of 70.58, bested by Lancaster with 74.01.
Medina’s Varsity guard competed in the SA class and took 1st place with a score of 74.12. Orchard Park was second with 70.46.
Winners in the other classes were: Cadet class Victor with 69.25; A1 class Batavia with 73.26; in SR class, the Magic of Scout House with 70.14; in IA class, Gates with 82.31; in SO class, Victor with 79.10 and in IO class, Lancaster with 80.40.
Medina’s next performance will be the home show “Colorburst” on Saturday, March 9, at the high school gym. The doors open at 4 p.m. and the show starts at 5 p.m. This is a great opportunity to see these kids display their talents without having to drive far.
Photo by Ginny Kropf: Jonathan Incho of Medina, a member of Medina’s Masonic Lodge, pours coffee for Pete Lockner of Batavia during a Lenten fish fry last year at the Cataract Masonic Lodge in Middleport. The fish fries will again be served this year from 4:30 to 7 p.m. every Friday at the Lodge, 20 Main St.
With the arrival of Lent comes another tradition – Friday night fish fries served by several non-profits in the area.
The Millville/Knowlesville United Methodist churches and Medina United Methodist Church each put their own spin on the weekly dinners, which not only serve the community, but help put money in their coffers.
One of the longest running organizations to continue the tradition is Middleport’s Cataract Lodge No. 295 Free and Accepted Masons.
After Medina’s Masonic Lodge sold its building, its members now meet in Middleport, with plans to merge with the Middleport Lodge.
As is customary for “brothers” in the lodge, Medina Masons have long supported the Cataract Lodge by attending the weekly fish fries, and many, such as Jonathan Incho, Frank Berger and Scott Mason of Medina regularly help out with the meals.
It was 40 years ago when Leonard Shepard and F. Fred Johnson, now both deceased, organized the first fish fries as a fundraiser during the Lenten season, according to Herb Koenig of Middleport.
Robert Rook made the first custom-built stainless steel cooker to fit the stove.
The menu has not changed much since 1979, Koenig said.
Deep-fried haddock is still the most popular fish, however, shrimp and chicken have been well received.
Marge Perry’s potato salad is a side dish which people rave about. Other choices include French fries, macaroni salad and coleslaw.
For many years orange blossom ice cream was the perfect ending to the meal, but in recent years that has been replaced with a variety of homemade desserts and donuts.
The dinners are truly a community event, with volunteers from Boy Scout Troop 23 and members of the Roy-Hart National Honor Society having assisted as waitresses, waiters and table setters, much to the delight of diners.
The venue has also provided a place for Girl Scouts to sell their cookies.
Serving will be from 4:30 to 7 p.m. every Friday during Lent at the Lodge located at 20 Main St.
MEDINA – The Medina Board of Education on Tuesday was unanimous in approving intermunicipal agreements with Lyndonville to continue shared sports, as well as the musical program.
“It’s been seamless between Medina and Lyndonville students,” said David Sevenski, president of the Medina BOE. “It’s been a natural fit. It’s opened up more opportunities for kids.”
Lyndonville’s Board of Education also approved the eight agreements last week. There was some debate at Lyndonville over the shared boys varsity soccer team. Some Lyndonville community members and two board members wanted Lyndonville and Medina to go back to having their own varsity boys’ soccer teams. Both communities have about 20 boys interested in playing varsity soccer next fall, more than enough for their own teams.
However, both school boards decided to keep the shared team and avoid “uncertainty from year to year,” Sevenski said.
The numbers for both schools might not be there long-term for each district to support their own varsity boys soccer team, he said.
Lyndonville and Medina both have now approved four-year agreements for eight shared programs. Lyndonville hosts the boys volleyball, girls varsity soccer and the musical program. Medina hosts a boys varsity soccer, varsity football, cross country, the marching band and swimming.
The districts don’t bill each other for students who participate in the programs. That differs with Medina’s agreement with Barker, where that district pays Medina for each Barker student on the Mustang football team.
The 4-year agreements are longer than the one- to two-year agreements that were in place since the district first started sharing programs about six years ago.
Sevenski said the agreements are often hotly debated each year and can “burn up a lot of time.” He said the longer time period allows the districts, students and parents to have set expectations for the programs in the next few years.
Even with the longer agreements, Sevenski said school administrators from both districts will continue to discuss the agreements on a frequent basis.
“We talk about it ad nauseum, looking at all of the different angles and how it is affecting everyone,” Sevenski said.
The agreements also allow volunteers from both districts to participate in the programs, assisting coaches and program leaders.
Both Medina and Lyndonville face declining student enrollments. The shared programs have allowed the districts to offer strong programs, Sevenski said.
Some Lyndonville board members last week said Medina wanted “all or nothing” with the agreements, that Lyndonville needed to do a shared boys soccer team or risk the other merged teams and programs.
Sevenski said Medina didn’t put that pressure on Lyndonville.
“There was no edict from Medina that it had to be all or nothing,” he said. “We went to great lengths to not twist anybody’s arm.”
The two districts are open to expanding their partnership to other programs. Sevenski said they are discussing a shared part-time grant writer for next school year.
Photos by Tom Rivers
MEDINA – Lee -Whedon Memorial Library was a popular place Friday night for a concert by Paul Zittel & Pure Country, a band from Collins. There were more than 200 people at the concert, which is part of the library’s “Finally Fridays” series.
Lee-Whedon hosts concerts on Fridays at 7 p.m. for 10 weeks. Paul Zittel & Pure Country was the eighth concert in the series. Crash Cadillac performs on March 1, with Ron and Nancy One Song concluding the series on March 8.
Claudette and Lynn Creasey of Medina were among the couples who enjoyed dancing during the concert.
Paul Zittel is lead singer for the band, which performed for the first time in Medina on Friday. The band has opened for some of country music’s biggest stars when they have performed in WNY, including Brad Paisley, George Jones, Ricky Skaggs, Charlie Daniels and Aaron Tippin. 
Friday’s crowd was one of the biggest for the concert series this year. Catherine Cooper, the library director, said country music is popular with library patrons. People also were more willing to venture out Friday evening because it wasn’t snowing with bitter cold.
Lee-Whedon has been hosting the Finally Fridays concert series for 18 years. The concerts are free, and made possible with funding from the Friends of the Library and state funds administered by the Genesee-Orleans Regional Arts Council.
