Medina

Participants sought for 10th annual Parade of Lights on Nov. 24

File photos by Tom Rivers: Takeform Architectural Graphics in Medina won the grand prize in in the 2017 Parade of Lights by creating a scene of Medina on a flatbed trailer.

By Ginny Kropf, correspondent Posted 22 October 2018 at 8:20 am

MEDINA – It’s not too early to start thinking about a float in this year’s Parade of Lights, scheduled Nov. 24 in downtown Medina .

This will mark the 10th anniversary of the spectacular parade, and the planning committee has been busy for weeks coming up with special features to honor the event.

Provided photo: The committee planning this year’s Parade of Lights is encouraging everyone to start thinking about entering a float in this year’s parade Nov. 24. Special prizes and features will celebrate the parade’s 10th anniversary. Seated from left are chairman Jim Hancock, Trudi Schwert and Reinhard Rogowski. Standing are Dave and Gail Miller, Kathie Valley and Dave Schwert. Committee member Betty Rogowski took the picture.

The parade was an idea of Jim Hancock, who chairs the event. His former pastor at St. Peter’s Lutheran Church , the Rev. Emily Frank, told him about the small town in Michigan where she came from that had been doing a parade of lights for more than a decade.

“I thought if that small town can do it, why can’t Medina,” Hancock said.

He put together a committee and the rest is history, he said.

The parade has continued to grow in support and participation. Each year the committee solicits donations from corporations, individuals and other organizations, who have continued to be very generous, Hancock said.

“I am amazed at how the number and beauty of the floats has grown,” he said. “People from all over our state have seen pictures online and marvel at the floats.”

Hancock is assisted by Dave and Trudi Schwert, Dave and Gail Miller, Reinhard and Betty Rogowski, Kathie Valley, and Duane and Pat Payne. Mark Irwin has also been involved.

This year’s parade will feature four bands – the Medina Mustang Marching Band, Downbeat Percussion (who play during halftime at Buffalo Bills’ games), Mark Time Marchers and Prime Time Brass.

Trudi Schwert said the Downbeat Percussion band is from Syracuse and approached Medina to be in the parade.

In honor of the 10th anniversary, Dave Schwert said each parade entrant is asked to incorporate the number “10” in their float somehow.

Another change is this year the judges will come to the assembly area at the Pickle Factory to talk to entrants and pre-judge the floats.

Matt CM Contracting won the Star Award for a candy cane themed float in 2017.

The grand prize this year for the best overall float will be $1,000. Other prizes will also be awarded to floats in various categories, which include Commercial/Business, Not-for-Profit, Religious, Service Club/Organization, Fire Company, Little Elf Award, Star Award, Community Spirit Award, Santa’s Pick and Other.

“One thing, we know it takes time and effort to construct a float, so we are asking early to give everyone time to develop a float and work on it while the weather is still good,” Dave Schwert said.

The Parade of Lights caps off Medina ’s Olde Tyme Christmas celebration and the arrival of Santa Claus that day. The celebration features children’s activities, food, entertainment, lighting of the Christmas tree in Rotary Park, and fireworks at 5:45, prior to start of the parade at 6 p.m.

The Boy Scouts sell hot beverages, hotdogs and chili at the staging area, and each entrant will receive a $5 coupon toward food.

The parade will leave the Pickle Factory and head down Park Avenue to Main Street, then turn north on Main Street to Pearl Street .

All information, including entry blanks, are available online at www.ChristmasinMedina.com or by calling Hancock at 798-2118.

Return to top

Medina band performs at Orchard Park; State championships are next

Posted 21 October 2018 at 9:30 pm

Courtesy of Medina Marching Band

ORCHARD PARK – The Medina Mustang Marching Band traveled to Orchard Park on Saturday to compete for the last time before the state championships.

Twelve bands competed at Orchard Park, with inclement weather forcing the show indoors. Normally a band performs in competition on an entire football field complete with their entire band, guard and props. In this case the band and guard are crowded into a gym without props and do a “stand still.” They play all the music but are not able to convey their show with all of its formations. Subsequently there are no numeral scores given out but instead are given ratings.

In SS1 Medina was given a rating of “Outstanding.” The bands in SS3, Jordan Elbridge, Pioneer, Falconer-Frewsburg and LeRoy were rated at “Excellent.”

In LS3 Hilton was “Excellent” with Greece rated at “Outstanding.” In LS2 Jamestown, Orchard Park, Webster and West Seneca were “Outstanding.” Lancaster was the only National Band and was rated “Superior.”

The NYSFBC are Sunday, Oct. 28, at the Carrier Dome in Syracuse. There will be a total of 53 bands performing in 6 divisions starting at 8 a.m. Medina performs in SS1 at 6:54 p.m.

Return to top

Medina Sandstone Hall of Fame adds 3 more sites

Photos by Tom Rivers: Three buildings were inducted into the Medina Sandstone Hall of Fame on Thursday. Representing the James Prendergast Free Library in Jamestown includes Tina Scott, library director, and Ned Lindstrom, a member of the library’s board of trustees; Representing St. John’s Episcopal Church in Clifton Springs is Andrew VanBuren, the church's rector; Representing Lafayette Avenue Presbyterian Church/Lafayette Lofts in Buffalo are Paul Meyer, a member of the Session, and Diane Poleon, a member of the church.

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 19 October 2018 at 7:35 am

Buildings inducted from Jamestown, Buffalo and Clifton Springs

MEDINA – Three buildings that were built in the late 1800s from local Medina Sandstone were inducted Thursday afternoon into the Medina Sandstone Society’s Hall of Fame.

The new inductees include the Lafayette Avenue Presbyterian Church/Lafayette Lofts in Buffalo, St. John’s Episcopal Church in Clifton Springs and the James Prendergast Free Library in Jamestown.

The Medina Sandstone Society started the Hall of Fame in 2013 and has now inducted 27 structures into the exclusive club. There are plaques for the inductees inside City Hall at the main meeting room.

The Sandstone Society accepts nominations each year. So far, 54 places have been nominated. Don Colquhoun, one of the Hall of Fame Committee members, said many other prominent sites worthy of induction have yet to be nominated.

Colquhoun and Jim Hancock, president of the Sandstone Society and chairman of the HOF Committee, said there will be new inductees for many years to come.

“We’re not even close,” Colquhoun said about honoring all of the awesome Medina Sandstone sites.

The Sandstone Society wants to recognize well-maintained buildings and other sandstone sites that are unique and architecturally significant. The society has inducted churches, public buildings, private buildings and ornamental buildings/structures.

“We have truly been amazed at the multitude of buildings from this seemingly indestructible building material,” Hancock said.

The new inductees include:

• Lafayette Avenue Presbyterian Church/Lafayette Lofts in Buffalo

Paul Meyer, left, is a member of the Session at Lafayette. He listens to the citation from Don Colquhoun about the church and its loft apartments.

The Lafayette Presbyterian Church had the building constructed at the corner of Lafayette and Elmwood avenues in 1894.

The church is a sterling example of the use of Medina Sandstone in the Romanesque Revival style with a large cruciform floor plan and an attached rear chapel. Lafayette was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2009.

More recently, the rear of this historic church building was repurposed into the Lafayette Lofts, offering a number of modern living spaces, culinary center, the office and meeting spaces without compromising the original architectural design and beauty.

“It is a great example of historic preservation at its best,” said Don Colquhoun, a member of the Hall of Fame Committee.

• St. John’s Episcopal Church in Clifton Springs

Andrew VanBuren, rector at St. John’s, said the congregation takes great pride in the church building.

Construction of this church on Main Street in this Ontario County village was completed in 1883, after the cornerstone was laid in 1879.

The church’s Belgian Gothic style makes this edifice remarkably unique. The Medina sandstone was brought by barge from Medina along the Erie Canal to Port Gibson and transported by wagon or sleds to the build site.

“If you visit Clifton Springs and drive down Main Street, heading east and look up, you’ll see this beautiful Medina Sandstone church silhouetted on the horizon, welcoming you to this historic village,” Hancock said.

Andrew VanBuren, the rector at St. John’s the past 3 ½ years, said the church of 35-40 attendees faced a $50,000 project to repoint stones. The congregation raised the funds and is determined to not let the building fall into disrepair.

“It’s important for us to have a structure that welcomes people,” he said.

He praised the generations before him that have worked so hard with the building.

• James Prendergast Free Library, Jamestown

The Prendergast family donated the money to build a library in Jamestown in memory of James Prendergast, son of this Chautauqua County city’s founder. Architect A.J. Warner of Rochester was given $65,000 to design and build a 127-foot by 100-foot structure that was completed in 1891 after 11 years of effort.

Tina Scott, Prendergast library director, accepts the award.

This sturdy-looking building was built of rock-faced Medina sandstone in the Richardsonian Romanesque style.

The use of contrasting gray and red sandstone, curved arches over the entrance and a lovely turret on the southeast corner give the library a uniquely enchanting appearance.

In the 1960s, an expansion and modernization project added 16,500 square feet to the library, but the Medina Sandstone south side entrance and interior rooms remained largely unchanged and still retain all the charm that the Prendergast family would have appreciated.

Tina Scott, Prendergast library director the past 10 years, said the sandstone building is so sound it was once used as a bomb shelter. She loves the marble floors inside and the alternating sandstone colors, the red and gray.

The building is a source of pride in the Jamestown community, she said.

“It was built to last,” she said. “You don’t see them built like that these days.”

Scott said she didn’t known there has a Medina Sandstone Hall of Fame until recently when she was notified the Jamestown library would be inducted. She praised the organizers for their local pride and for recognizing the outstanding sites.

“It’s awesome because you’re keeping the history of your town alive,” she said.

Jim Hancock, president of the Medina Sandstone Society, gives the welcome message during the Hall of Fame program. He stands in front of a revamped display of all the inductees since 2013.

Takeform Architectural Graphics in Medina has donated all of the plaques in the Hall of Fame. The local company also did a redesign of the display, which was running out of room for new inductees. The new display has room for another four or five years, Hancock said.

Bill Hungerford, president of Takeform, has been a Sandstone Society supporter and member since the group started in 2004.

For more on the Hall of Fame, click here.

You’re here checking the site, so you know: Orleans Hub is a vital resource for our community. Day in and day out, we share information and insights that matter to those who live and work in the towns, villages and hamlets of our county. Local advertisers help make the Hub possible, and so can you.

Donate today to keep Orleans Hub healthy and accessible to all. Thank you!

Former Bernzomatic site in Medina bought and will be modernized for manufacturing

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 16 October 2018 at 2:48 pm

File photo by Tom Rivers: The former Bernzomatic plant is pictured in 2014 after it was closed by its last tenant, Worthington Cylinders.

MEDINA – A new owner has purchased the former Bernzomatic complex from Newell Operating Company, a subsidiary of Newell Brands.

The manufacturing plant has 160,000 square feet and has been vacant since 2014. It was last used by Worthington Cylinders, which had 174 employees in Medina. The company closed the Medina plant in mid-2014 and shifted those operations to a Worthington site in Wisconsin.

Worthington bought Bernzomatic in 2011. Bernzomatic had operated in Medina since 1969, making torches.

Worthington makes cylinders for the torches in Wisconsin. The company closed its site in Medina and shifted the torch production to Wisconsin, where the company said it could do everything at one site, saving in transportation costs.

The building has sat empty for more than four years.

It has been purchased by Kyle Brent through his B360 Holdings LLC. Brent plans to upgrade and rehab the former manufacturing site.

“The entire site will be completely modernized so the building and complex can again accommodate a fully-functioning manufacturing operation and warehouse, if that’s what a tenant needs, and there will still be plenty of flex space for separate offices or a call center,” Brent said in a news release from the Orleans Economic Development Agency.

The main building is 160,000 square feet with ceiling heights ranging from 14 feet to 22 feet. There are two grade-level doors and 12 truck doors with levelers.

“The former Bernzomatic facility was designed and built to accommodate manufacturing,” said James Whipple, CEO of the Orleans Economic Development Agency. “There are very few buildings around anymore with high ceilings, multiple truck docks, rail access and expansion potential like this complex. And Kyle Brent knows exactly how to turn this property into a prime development site.”

There is rail access to the 33.85-acre site located at 1 Bernzomatic Drive in the Village of Medina, which is situated in both the towns of Ridgeway and Shelby.

“Kyle Brent’s restoration of the entire Bernzomatic complex means Medina will have more options,” said Medina Mayor Michael Sidari. “There continues to be a lot of interest in Medina as a place to do business. The village is committed to working with Kyle to implement his vision for the property. We want to do everything we can to work with him to bring more opportunities and jobs here.”

The location has been primarily used for industrial purposes since 1915. It was operated as a cannery and food processing center when it was purchased in 1969 by Birds-Eye. Bernzomatic, a division of Newell-Rubbermaid, later acquired the site to manufacture and distribute hand-held torches for soldering, welding and brazing.

Zoned industrial, with available infrastructure and access to low-cost hydropower, the site is located along Bates Road near the Medina Business Park, the largest shovel-ready business park in Western New York and the Finger Lakes.

“Having worked with Kyle on this project for quite some time, there is a lot to be optimistic about,” said Gabrielle Barone, Orleans EDA’s vice president of development. “With this complex sold and under the control of a successful businessperson like Kyle, I am confident this project will pay off with significant economic development.”

Kyle Brent’s company Brent Industries, home of KJ Motorsports and Outdoor Furnace Supply, will remain on Mountain Road in Middleport.

“The last two years of this acquisition have been a marathon, now it’s time to tackle modernizing Bernz,” Brent said. “This next phase is something I’ve really been looking forward to.”

Return to top

Medina elementary students explore fire safety trailer

Posted 15 October 2018 at 11:45 am

Provided photo: Oak Orchard Elementary School Principal Julie Webber and Mrs. Lehman’s third grade class are pictured with Medina firefighters Steve Miller, Joe Simmons and Matt Jackson.

Press Release, Medina Central School

MEDINA – The Medina Fire Department recently spent some time at Oak Orchard Elementary School talking to students about fire safety and allowing them to explore the Orleans County’s Emergency Management Office’s fire safety training trailer.

The 35-foot-long trailer is available to all 12 fire departments in the county and was paid for with a $75,000 state grant from State Sen. Robert Ortt. The trailer is used to help children and families develop a fire escape plan.

“We were lucky enough to have the trailer for the whole week,” says Oak Orchard Principal Julie Webber. “We like to get the community into the school as much as possible and this lets the children know that the fire department is here to help them. Our students, grades first, second and third got to visit the trailer. Pre-K and kindergarten had a traditional fire safety talk in the classroom. It was very cool. They practiced crawling on the floor to exit the trailer. It’s a real-life experience for them. They also got to practice calling 911.”

The trailer is set up with a kitchen area, hallway and a bedroom. The firefighters talked about how to handle pots and pans on the stove and kitchen fires. They also discussed the importance of touching the doors to see if they are warm before opening them.

“We had the trailer the week before Fire Prevention Week to showcase this to the school,” said firefighter and paramedic Steve Miller. “We pumped fog into the trailer to simulate smoke and we talked to the students about having two ways out of their home. We also talked about the importance of changing your batteries in your smoke detectors twice a year and overall fire safety and what to do in the case of an emergency.”

One of the features of the trailer is that the doors can be controlled to get warm to the touch from built-in heating elements. There is a window at the back of the trailer with a ladder that the students practiced getting out of.

“We tell them when there is smoke you want to get nice and low because smoke rises,” Miller said. “We explained the importance of when they get outside to have a meeting place for their family so everyone can be accounted for. Our purpose is to provide fire safety tips to the children and make it fun for them. It’s a great tool for us to use.”

Return to top

LynOaken, Chamber’s Agricultural Business of the Year, continues to diversify and make upgrades

Photos by Ginny Kropf: Wendy Oakes Wilson and her brother Darrel Oakes stand next to the tractor which takes wagons full of visitors through the orchards and vineyard at LynOaken on the Ridge. The family farm will be honored by the Orleans County Chamber of Commerce as Agricultural Business of the Year at the annual awards dinner Thursday night at White Birch Golf Club.

By Ginny Kropf, correspondent Posted 15 October 2018 at 10:21 am

MEDINA – Darrel Oakes and his sister Wendy Oakes Wilson are the third generation to operate the family farm started by their grandfather Leonard Oakes in 1919.

On Thursday evening, LynOaken Farms will be honored as the Orleans County Chamber of Commerce’s Agricultural Business of the Year.

File photo by Tom Rivers: Chris Oakes, orchard manager at LynOaken Farms and the fourth generation to work on the farm, holds a Redfield apple, a variety that was developed in 1938. The apple has a red flesh and pink seeds. It’s one of the heirloom varieties in a U-Pick orchard at the farm.

The award is not only a tremendous honor, but a perfect preview of the events leading up to celebration of LynOaken Farms 100th anniversary next year, Wilson said.

“We don’t know who nominated us for the award, but we were pleasantly shocked and honored,” Wilson said. “Thank you, thank you, thank you.”

Leonard Oakes had just gotten certified in poultry service from Cornell when he purchased land at the corner of Alps and Platten roads in the town of Yates.

“There were apple trees on it, but he wanted to raise chickens,” Wilson said. “He also had row crops, tart cherries and cucumbers.”

When Leonard died in 1951, his son James and new wife Wanda came back from Purdue to run the farm.

“Wanda was just pregnant with Darrel at the time,” Wilson said. “Our father was not into raising livestock and poultry, but was more interested in fruit, so he started planting cherries, apples and peaches.”

James ran the farm until the early 1980s, when Darrel took over.

Wilson at the time was still a teenager. She graduated from high school and went to the University of Michigan, intending to pursue a career in international business. She spent a year in Brazil and a year in Spain as an exchange student.

When Darrel offered her a position on the farm as treasurer and head of sales, she accepted.

Wendy Oakes Wilson pours a glass of wine in the wine tasting room at Leonard Oakes Estate Winery, 10609 Ridge Rd., Medina. LynOaken Farms, run by the Oakes family, has been named Orleans County Chamber of Commerce’s Agricultural Business of the Year.

She is to first to admit she does not have a green thumb and the only thing she has been able to nourish is her husband and son.

“I’m the first employee who is not responsible for anything in the orchards,” she said. “But what I brought to the table was experience in business and accounting, and the ability to sell.”

In addition to the home farm in Lyndonville, the Oakes branched out to Ridge Road, Medina, where they opened a market and gift shop. Since Wilson joined her brother, they have a presence in 90 different locations in Western and Central New York where they sell apples and peaches.

File photo: Jonathan Oakes, the wine maker at Leonard Oakes Estate Winery, serves up some Steampunk Cider from the tasting room in August 2014 during the annual Steampunk Festival at the winery. Oakes dressed up for the festival.

In 2004, they built a controlled atmosphere storage; in 2008 they planted a heritage U-pick orchard with 300 varieties and started a winery; in 2013, they began picking in the heritage orchard and added a pavilion to the property.

This year they have built a new packing facility, which will be up and running in a few weeks and will allow Oakes to do six times more what they currently do, Wilson said. It will also allow them to facilitate the promotion of private label to retailers and to sort peaches on that line as well.

Leonard Oakes Estate Winery will also be operating a new tasting room, called Bar Cultivar, at the Barrel Factory in Buffalo’s Old First Ward.

The Oakes are not content to rest on their laurels, and are talking about expanding the U-pick orchards and remodeling, expanding and repurposing the existing retail building to take advantage of new opportunities, Wilson said.

From Leonard Oakes’ one-main operation in 1919, the family operation grew to seven full-time employees in 2001 and 28 full-time year-round now. Eighty-nine are currently employed during the peak harvest.

The fourth generation of Oakes are heavily involved in the business.

Return to top

Blissett’s owner in Medina honored for lifetime achievement by Chamber

Photos by Ginny Kropf: Blissett’s has expanded under the ownership of Jaye Sullivan, who will be honored with a Lifetime Achievement Award Thursday by the Orleans County Chamber of Commerce.

By Ginny Kropf, correspondent Posted 15 October 2018 at 9:08 am

‘That’s how a small business survives – by adapting to changing times. The biggest challenge has been competing with the big box stores.’ – Jaye Sullivan

MEDINA – Jaye Sullivan can’t remember in her lifetime when there was ever nothing to do.

Sullivan is the third generation of her family to own Blissett’s Specialty Shop in Medina.

On Thursday night, Sullivan will be honored by the Orleans County Chamber of Commerce as recipient of their Lifetime Achievement Award.

Blissett’s was started in 1941 by Sullivan’s grandparents, Chester and Beatrice Blissett, who opened their first store in Albion.

Around 1950, they opened a second store in Medina, Blissett’s Children’s Shop, in space they rented in the S.A. Cook Building.

After experiencing a serious accident, the Blissetts closed the Albion store.

Their daughter Glenyce Stilwell bought the business in the 1970s, and the family all worked there, Sullivan said.

“From the time we were little – even as young as 3, we were in the store,” Sullivan said. “We also had a working farm. There was never not anything to do.”

Bridal wear for the entire party can be found at Blissett’s in Medina, in addition to First Communion dresses. Owner Jaye Sullivan, shown here with a selection of children’s gowns, will receive a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Orleans County Chamber of Commerce at its awards dinner Thursday night. The store was started by her grandparents 77 years ago.

She grew up in a three-generation house, where she helped hoe acres and acres of cabbage and helped to tend 200 pigs.

“We would come to the store every day after school,” Sullivan said. “I count myself lucky being able to work and play with my family.”

“When a grandmother comes in to buy a gift for her grandchild in California, I realize how lucky I was to grow up with my grandparents,” she said.

Sullivan’s sisters, Jackie and Jan, worked in the store while growing up, but chose other careers.

Jan was involved in the store until their mother purchased the building at the corner of Main and East Center Street in 1996 and moved Blissett’s there.

After Sullivan graduated from high school in 1971, she moved to California, then returned to Rochester to work at Sibley’s for a year and a half. In 1983, she married Tim Sullivan, and they have a daughter Mackenzie Smith and grandson Jack, 3.

“If Jack ends up helping me here, he will be the fifth generation,” Sullivan said.

Sullivan took over the store in 2004. She said she gradually had to adapt the business from a children’s store, starting 30 years ago with a small selection of bridal wear. She began added more specialty items, such as christening and prom dresses.

“That’s how a small business survives – by adapting to changing times,” Sullivan said. “The biggest challenge has been competing with the big box stores.”

Sullivan is thrilled to be honored by the Chamber, because she said her grandparents would be so proud.

“My mother also loved this store more than life itself,” she said, a little of which may have just rubbed off on her.

Sullivan has served her community, as a member of the school board and an officer in the Medina Business Association for years and years. She is still a member of the Decorate Medina Committee.

“I’m very grateful to this community and the customers we’ve had through the years – from Buffalo, Syracuse and even Ohio,” Sullivan said. “I’m honored to be chosen for this award, and I will accept it for my grandmother and my mother.”

Return to top

Another 1st place for Medina band, with state competition 2 weeks away

Posted 14 October 2018 at 1:44 pm

Courtesy of Medina Marching Band

The Victor Marching Band hosted a competition on Saturday with 11 bands performing on a chilly but dry night.

In SS1 Medina earned 1st place with a score of 84.45 followed by East Irondequoit in second with 81.50.

Other winners were Marcus Whitman in SS3 with 68.50; Hilton in LS3 with 74.50; Webster in LS2 with 79.85 and Cicero-North Syracuse in the National class with 89.50.

Medina will next perform on Oct. 20 at Orchard Park.

The state championships at the Carrier Dome in Syracuse will be on Sunday, Oct. 28. There is still time to get a seat on the spectator bus by contacting Jim Steele at 585-317-9389.

For true marching band enthusiasts there will be 53 bands performing in 6 divisions starting at 8 a.m. Medina performs in SS1 at 6:54 p.m.

The other divisions are SS3 starting at 8 a.m., SS2 at 10:15 a.m., LS3 at 1 p.m., LS2 at 2:50 p.m., SS1 at 6:15 p.m. and National at 8:10 p.m. As an added treat the University of Buffalo performs in exhibition at 5 p.m. and the Syracuse University at 9:54 p.m.

Tickets for the Dome are available at the door for $19 for adults and $13 for Seniors and children 12 years and under. Parking is $10. There is a new Dome policy which prohibits backpacks or purses. Only allowed bags are clear plastic vinyl and cannot exceed 12″ x 6″ x 12″ or you can use a gallon plastic bag. Additional info can be obtained at NYSFBC.org.

Return to top

Walk raises about $20K to end Alzheimer’s

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 14 October 2018 at 9:56 am

Photos by Tom Rivers

MEDINA – More than 100 people walked 2 miles on Saturday, including a stretch along the Erie Canal, to raise funds to support people battling Alzheimer’s.

The Walk to End Alzheimer’s returned to Medina on Saturday. Last year the walk was in Lewiston. The event was expected to raise $20,000 for Alzheimer’s care, support and research, said Lynn Westcott, the director of development for the Western New York Chapter.

The money funds programs in Orleans County, including support groups, care consultations, educational programs and a help line (1-800-272-3900).

For more on the WNY chapter, click here.

Some of the walkers pass the canal bridge by State Street Park and head to the towpath by the Erie Canal.

Signs at the park offer stark statistics about the disease.

Randy Bushover, right, served as emcee of the kickoff rally at State Street Park.

This group heads up Route 31 to State Street Park to conclude the walk.

Sienna Garcia Mathewson of Albion carries a purple flower which signifies she has a lost a loved one to Alzheimer’s.

The different colors of the flowers have different meanings. Blue flowers represent a person battling the disease. Purple is for a person who lost their battle with the disease. Yellow signifies a caregiver. Orange is for a general supporter of the cause. Personal messages were written on the flowers.

Mary Lou Tuohey hugs her daughter Nicole after Nicole cut the ribbon to kick off the walk. Nicole sold about 1,500 paper links at $1 each to create a chain for the starting line. Nicole raised money through her mother Mary Lou’s business, Case-Nic Cookies in Medina. They sold elephant cookies that added a new link to the chain. Nicole raised the money in memory of her grandma and grandpa.

Return to top

Medina Lions Club, Forrestel Farms team up for scarecrow festival

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 14 October 2018 at 8:48 am

Photos by Tom Rivers

MEDINA – Isabel Casewell, 12, of Medina makes a scarecrow on Saturday at Forrestel Farms, which hosted the scarecrow festival. The Medina Lions Club organized the event. For the first time in 10 years, the event was hosted by Forrestel.

The new venue allowed the Lions to offer more activities and games, and for participants to also tour the horse farm and see other animals.

The Shelby Volunteer Fire Company served chicken barbecue dinners. Other agencies were part of the event, including the United Methodist Church at the food booth, Boy Scouts, the Sheriff’s Department offering child IDs, Cornell Cooperative Extension, and GCASA.

Chance Sochia, 11, of Medina works on his scarecrow.

Pete Kaiser of the Lions Club helped with the assembly of many of the scarecrows.

Many of the clothes come from the MAAC Thrift Shop.

Students in Medina High School art classes painted the faces on the scarecrow heads. Iroquois Job Corps students made the stakes for the bodies, with the wood for the stakes is donated by Matt Mundion.

A scarecrow is put together on one of the operating tables.

Skye Rotoli, 15, of Medina welcomed the public to meet this llama named Peaches.

Kim Smith of Barre had many baked goods available at the festival. She has a commercial kitchen out of her home on Eagle Harbor Road.

Return to top

Old Medina HS transformed by artists

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 13 October 2018 at 11:16 pm

Show with 29 artists continues on Sunday

MEDINA – The former Medina High School on Catherine Street has been transformed by artists for a special three-day show that continues on Sunday.

The high school is hosting 29 artists, including Virginia Melynk of Buffalo, shown with her creation using triangular shapes made out of spandex that utilize geometric patterns.

Melynk submitted a proposal to be part of the “PLAY/GROUND” initiative. Artists were given free rein to create in old classrooms, stairwells, hallways and other space in the school.

“It’s getting to engage in an old space and make something new out of it,” she said.

The opening night show on Friday attracted about 400 people, with many from Buffalo.

The show will be open for a final day on Sunday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission is $10, and is free to children 12 and under.

Jonathan Casey gave the back entrance of the school a radical new look.

The gym showcases art and has stops for people to create their own artwork.

Michael Hungerford, regional director for Takeform Architectural Graphics in Medina, sits in the stairwell of the school near a large papier-mâché alligator, created by Bethany Krull.

Hungerford read about a similar project as PLAY/GROUND in a vacant warehouse in New York City. Hungerford knew the old Medina school would be vacant for several months this year. His uncle Roger Hungerford acquired it from Calvary Tabernacle Assembly of God Church and has plans to create apartments out of the school. First, Hungerford is working to renovate the former Bent’s Opera House on Main Street.

Michael pitched the idea of the art installations in the school and the Roger backed the project.

“It is so far beyond my expectations,” Michael Hungerford said. “The work is amazing.”

A closeup of the alligator created by Bethany Krull.

Hungerford said PLAY/GROUND introduced many people to Medina who had never seen the community before, including many of the artists. They had a very positive reaction to Medina.

“I’ve enjoyed seeing the response to Medina, even from the artists who like it,” Hungerford said. “They see cheaper property, which appeals to them because many artists are on a limited budget. This project has planted a seed to get people to Medina, and to the younger people here to see that something like this exists.”

Kyla Kegler of Buffalo created “Thin Space.” She welcomes people to get in the space with the balloons.

Some of the art visitors today get a close look of the exhibit created by Nando Alvarez Perez of Buffalo, who is from Oakland. His artwork is his vision of an ideal classroom setup, with lots of color on the walls, beanbags to sit on and reading nooks.

Kyle Butler of Buffalo created this apparatus for animations. He moves the squares around to create different images. The Michigan native welcomed the chance to create artwork without the pressure of sales.

“Everybody gets a classroom,” he said. “It’s a rare artistic opportunity.”

Colleen Toledano made this piece with pink foam, which proved popular for photos.

Amanda Browder first created “Spectral Locus” for the Albright-Knox Art Gallery in 2016, when large colorful fabric was draped on three buildings in Buffalo. The “Spectral Locus” is in the auditorium of the former school.

Bethany Krull made this hand-built porcelain creation she calls, “Your Very Own Mythical Creature.” It is in the hallway of the former school.

The plain white walls in the hallways are no longer.

Even the stairways were given a new vibe by the artists.

Elizabeth Cooper of Medina also is a featured artist. She created angels doing acrobatic moves in one of the stairwells. Todd Belfield of Jeddo Mill Antiques assisted with the installation.

“It’s fabulous,” Cooper said. “Everybody has very interesting stories on how they got started.”

Cooper has the angels doing acrobatics. The rings are from barrel hoops. She is impressed with the variety of art work in the project.

“I feel like this is a spark for something very interesting happening in Medina,” Cooper said.

For more on PLAY/GROUND, click here.

Return to top

Sourced Market recognized by Chamber as New Business of the Year

Photos by Ginny Kropf: Darlene Hartway, right, and her children Katie Misiti and Travis Hartway arrange merchandise in their store near Millville. Sourced Market and Eatery has been named New Business of the Year by the Orleans County Chamber of Commerce.

By Ginny Kropf, correspondent Posted 13 October 2018 at 8:28 am

MILLVILLE – Pursuing a dream has led to a local family being named New Business of the Year by the Orleans County Chamber of Commerce.

Sourced Market and Eatery’s owners Charles and Darlene Hartway and their children – Katie Misiti, Travis Hartway and Nathaniel Hartway – will be recognized with other winners at the Chamber’s 20th annual Awards Dinner on Oct. 18 at White Birch Country Club in Lyndonville.

Charles comes from a farming background, but went to work at Hartway Motors in Medina, the dealership owned by his parents, Chuck and Bonnie Hartway. When Chuck decided to retire, Charles and his sisters became partners in the dealership, until he decided to sell his interest and pursue his love of farming.

He and Darlene, with their seven children, bought a dairy farm in South Dakota and moved there.

After several years, a neighbor wanted to expand and offered to buy their land and entire equipment. They decided it was time to move back to Medina .

Charles started a certified organic farm on Fruit Avenue, while Darlene took a microenterprise class sponsored by Orleans County IDA. Katie and Travis also graduated from the class.

From left, Travis Hartway, his mother Darlene Hartway and his sister Katie Misiti stand among a sea of pumpkins on display at their store, Sourced Market and Eatery, which was named New Business of the Year by the Orleans County Chamber of Commerce.

In November 2017, the family opened their store on Maple Ridge Road, Sourced Market and Eatery, featuring an array of organic products and locally sourced food.

“We want customers to know where their food comes from,” Darlene said.

All of the family is involved in the business.

Three of their sons run Hartway Brothers Farm near Millville, land once owned by their grandfather. The boys, Nathaniel, Justin and Franklin, grow squash and pumpkins for the market. Nathaniel also works for a farmer in Bliss.

Katie plans the menu every week, handles the majority of work in the kitchen, and also coordinates catering events. Travis is the baker and is often at the counter serving customers. He said one of their most popular features is the “to-go” salads. An example might be an Asian sesame, ginger and quinoa salad. Lunches are also popular, with offerings such as a beet reuben. There are also lentil, Greek and fall harvest salads.

The store sells farm-raised beef from the Bannister family at The Bridges, as well as duck, rabbit, Polish and Italian sausage, lamb and pheasant, all USDA inspected. Their daughter Bailey is married to Robert Bannister. The Bannister farm not only supplies all the beef for the store, but a lot of the apples, peaches and nectarines.

Daughter Martha works at Mile 303, the new restaurant in Medina, and once a month, Darlene collaborates with Mile 303 to do a brunch. A different style of food is featured each time, she said.

Sourced Market and Eatery also carries honey, cheese, jams and jellies, maple syrup, juices, tofu, gluten-free and vegan options and yogurt bowls.

Since opening their doors, they have already expanded and added a room for dining and displaying more produce.

Darlene grows the herbs and some of the vegetables she uses in a garden outside the store’s door.

The store and eatery are open from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday through Friday (eatery closes at 2 p.m.). Saturday hours are 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. (eatery is open all day). Starting in November, the business will open at 8 a.m. every day instead of 7 a.m. on Tuesday through Friday.

They are not open for supper, but the nutritious meals at Sourced sell for $8 to $9 and are a big hit.

“They are healthy, home-cooked and reasonably priced,” Darlene said. “Today’s special is lemon grass beef with jasmine rice and steamed green beans. We do as much farm-to-table as possible.”

Travis said they thought of themselves as being small and an “underdog,” so winning the Chamber recognition was a pleasant surprise.

“This area is growing and has a lot of new business, so we are surprised and very honored by the Chamber award,” Darlene said.

Return to top

Medina cuts the ribbon on new playground

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 10 October 2018 at 8:09 pm

Provided photo

MEDINA – Village officials were joined by some local children at 5 p.m. today to cut the ribbon on a new playground at Butts Park. Dallas Kepner joins Mayor Mike Sidari, right, in cutting the ribbon.

Other Village Board members in back in green shirts include, from left: Marguerite Sherman, Todd Bensley and Owen Toale.

The Medina Department of Public Works and community volunteers did a lot of the construction work for the new playground. The DPW continued to work on the site on Tuesday and this morning.

The new setup replaces a wooden playground, which was rotted and in rough shape.

The new playground and wood chips cost just under $40,000. Sidari said the volunteer labor from the community saved several thousand dollars for the installation.

Return to top

Chamber’s Business Person of the Year is dedicated to farmers’ market in Medina

Photo by Ginny Kropf: Gail Miller, left, checks out the pumpkins at Maggie Roberts’ stand at the Canal Village Farmers’ Market. Miller has been the volunteer coordinator for the market since it opened in 2015. She has been named Business Person of the Year by the Orleans County Chamber of Commerce for her efforts.

By Ginny Kropf, correspondent Posted 10 October 2018 at 8:40 am

MEDINA – When Gail Miller retired in 2013 as a business analyst for IBM, she wasn’t planning on going back to work.

But that’s exactly what she did – as volunteer coordinator of Medina ’s Canal Village Farmers’ Market.

Her efforts in developing the market, securing vendors and promoting local agriculture have earned her the distinction of Orleans County Chamber of Commerce’s Business Person of the Year. She will be recognized with the other Chamber honorees on Oct. 18 at the White Birch Country Club in Lyndonville.

“I was on the board of the Orleans County Farmers’ Market, and when it quit, I thought it was a shame,” Miller said. “I mentioned it to several people, including Cindy Robinson, who said she would be willing to help get another market going. I must admit, it was more work than I thought it would be, but it has been well worth it.”

Miller is at the market, which operates in the former bank lot on the corner of West Avenue and West Center Street, every Saturday morning. The lot is owned by the Orleans Renaissance Group, which sponsors the market.

File photo by Tom Rivers: Gail Miller strives to make the market a fun place. She wore an Angry Bird costume in 2015 near Halloween. She is pictured with Chris Busch, chairman of the Orleans Renaissance Group, which oversees the farmers’ market.

In July 2015, the new market opened with eight vendors. There are now 20 on most Saturdays, who offer a variety of products, such as sausage, pork, chemical free and heirloom produce, dehydrated mixes, vegan food, baked goods, poultry, flour and maple syrup.

There are also vendors with children’s books and wineries who rotate every Saturday. A Canal Kids’ Tent provides games, puzzles, chalk art and free books to children.

“While our goal is to have farm-based products, we try to build on that and have a variety,” Miller said. “We have a different artist every week, who might do pottery, needlework or painting. It’s like a part-time job, and if it wasn’t for my husband helping me, I would be spending hours every day.”

They provide a community tent for non-profits to use each week. A recent week it was used by the Knights-Kaderli Fund to promote their annual walk/run. Another week, it might be yoga demonstrations.

Miller said she couldn’t believe it when she learned she had been recognized by the Chamber.

“I don’t think of myself as a business person, but more of a coordinator to help other people reach their goal, while helping the community get good, healthy and home-grown food,” she said.

She credits Chris Busch, the ORG chairman, for his work with the market, especially doing all the advertising, and eight other volunteers.

Miller is an active member of her community in other ways, as well.

She is membership chairman for the Medina Historical Society, a volunteer for the Parade of Lights and a member of Medina hospital’s Honeysuckle Twig.

Miller grew up in Cambria on her family’s crop farm, where she worked.

“While I am honored by the Chamber award, it is a tribute to the market and all its vendors,” she said. “It’s been a group effort.”

Return to top

Medina students learn about community service options locally

Photos courtesy of Medina Central School: Ryenn Oliver stopped by a display and chatted with Teresa Wilkins (Home for the Holidays 5k) and Debbie Tompkins (PTSA).

Posted 9 October 2018 at 2:52 pm

MEDINA – Every year, Medina High School staff organize a Community Day in the cafeteria. Participant in Government teacher Todd Bensley said that the school extends an invitation to different community organizations to come and try to get students to do community service with them.

“Each student has to do 10 hours of community service with an organization,” Bensley said. “We had 14 organizations show up so that students could make the initial contact and then it is up to the students to follow through with the contacts.”

Students met in the cafeteria and made their way around all the tables so that they could see what kind of activities the organizations offer. Mr. Bensley said that some students have already done their community service and didn’t have to pick from the options at the cafeteria. “They are free to pick their own organization to volunteer at,” he said. “This gives them an opportunity to make a connection with a non-profit.”

Sue Metzo from the Medina Area Association of Churches discusses the organization with Justine Sargent and Patience Worley. Back row: Emma Baldwin, Courtney Lang, Zoey Adkins, Alexis Greco and Libby Cook.

Chairperson of Community Action in Orleans and Genesee Counties, Ronnie Barhite, said she thinks it is very important for students to volunteer their time.

“Being involved helps them to realize that it is not just about you,” she said. “They need to help others because that is how a society works when people work together. If they give a little volunteer time, maybe when they leave school they will find other places to volunteer. A lot of volunteer jobs turn into your real job or your second or third job. It gives the kids a real sense of accomplishment.”

Jennifer Ossont, who also teaches Participant in Government at the High School, said, “It is so important for our students to see that our school is a vital part of the community, and we appreciate these organizations coming in to expose our students to all of the great resources and opportunities our community has to offer. It is a win-win situation for the community and our students.”

Michael Quackenbush hears about the Education Recreation Club from Dan Doctor.

Return to top