Provided photo: FFA students, from left, working on a Little Free Library include Thomas Vasquez, Ryenn Oliver, Jacob Washbon and Dale Parker.
Press Release, Medina Central School
MEDINA – The FFA students at the Medina High School have started to build Little Free Libraries to hopefully place at Rotary Park and Pine Street Park. The FFA needs the Village Board to OK the project.
The whole concept of a Little Free Library is a “take a book, return a book” exchange. Anyone may take or bring a book to share. It’s a great way for people to share their favorite books with members of their community.
FFA Advisor Mr. Todd Eick and his students are even making a traveling one that they can bring to the farmer’s market with them.
“I think it is a great idea and we have decided to fill our library with books on nature, animals and plants since that is what we enjoy,” Eick said.
The libraries have popped up all over America and are a way for communities to inspire a love of reading. It increases access to books for all readers of all ages which ties in nicely to the school district’s WE READ campaign.
“I was looking online to see where there are other little libraries like this and although there are many in Buffalo and Niagara and Monroe counties, there is a definite lack in Orleans County,” Eick said. “If we get this approved by the Village Board it will be a great way to make reading more accessible to everyone.”
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 27 March 2018 at 12:27 pm
File photo by Tom Rivers: JJ Heideman of BAD-AsH-BBQ served up pulled pork and other food during the Orleans County Heritage Festival on Sept. 8 at Forrestel Farm in Shelby. The Village of Medina will charge food truck operators $25 a day if they do not have a physical location within the village.
MEDINA – The Village Board wants to welcome food truck operators for village events, but the board doesn’t want the operators to just cash in at the expense of food businesses with brick and mortar locations.
“We don’t want to take business away from the taxpaying businesses in Medina,” Mayor Mike Sidari said at Monday’s Village Board meeting.
The board, however, didn’t want to impose unreasonable fees that would keep the food trucks away.
“We want the food trucks because they are fun and draw people to the community,” said Marguerite Sherman, a village trustee.
The board decided to charge food truck operators $25 a day with a maximum presence of six days a month.
Businesses with brick-and-mortar locations within the village will be exempt from the fee. Not-for-profit organizations also will likely be exempt but they need to submit a request that will be reviewed by the Village Board.
In other action:
• The board agreed to set aside two docks at the Canal Basin for Pedal and Paddle Medina, which rents Hydrobikes and kayaks. The business, owned by Victor and Heather DiGiacomo of Middleport, opened last July in Medina. They will be charged $100 a month for each dock section, or $200 a month. The village also will designate one spot in the parking lot for the Pedal and Paddle, which carries some of the equipment on a trailer.
The business, the only of its kind along the canal in Orleans County, has been a welcome addition, said Owen Toale, a village trustee.
• The board agreed to provide barrels, barricades and a stage for the Lions Club’s community yard sale on June 2, but declined to provide portable bathrooms, saying it didn’t want to establish a precedent where the village provides bathrooms for community events.
• Approved use of part of Butts Park for LOYAL’s youth football and cheerleading program from Tuesday through Friday evenings from late July to early November.
• Agreed to close a section of West Avenue from Park Avenue to the property line by the Railroad Museum and Lee-Whedon Memorial Library. That part of the street will be closed to traffic for the annual “A Day Out with Thomas” when Thomas the Tank Engine is at the museum on May 19-20, and May 26-27.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 27 March 2018 at 10:58 am
Courtesy of Orleans EDA: The Orleans Economic Development Agency has given two new roads by Pride Pak on Route 31A to the Village of Medina. This map shows the 300-plus acre Medina Business Park, which the EDA says is the largest shovel-ready business park in Western New York. The site includes land north and south on Maple Ridge Road, just west of the Bates Road intersection.
MEDINA – The Village of Medina has two new roads. The Village Board on Monday accepted the roads, each about 300 feet long, from the Orleans Economic Development Agency.
The roads were built beginning about two years ago on each side of the new Pride Pak vegetable processing plant.
The Village Board hasn’t officially named either road, but one of the new roads will be named for Pride Pak while the board and EDA haven’t settled on the other name, village officials said after Monday’s Village Board meeting.
The EDA orchestrated the road construction to accommodate Pride Pak and future development at the Business Park. The Orleans County Highway Department took the lead on the road construction, and the Village of Medina DPW installed the sewer infrastructure, with the Town of Shelby Highway Department helping with both the road and sewer work.
The EDA typically takes the lead in getting new roads built in a business park, and then turns the finished road over to the host municipality.
The road on the east side of Pride Pak is done, but the western drive has the potential to go farther into the business park and connect with another road off Bates Road, said Jim Whipple, the EDA chief executive officer.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 26 March 2018 at 10:33 pm
Site will include 3 fenced-in areas by Compost Plant
MEDINA – After about a year discussion, the Medina Village Board this evening gave the final approval for a new dog park, which will include three fenced-in areas by the Compost Plant on North Gravel Road, just south of Boxwood Cemetery.
Alaina Wilson has been leading the effort for the dog park. She will now push to raise $15,000 to $20,000 for the project.
“It’s for the people, and the dogs, and our village,” she told the Village Board.
The village last year first presented Gulf Street Park, north of the canal, for the dog park, but neighbors said they were concerned the park would bring unwanted noise and smells to their residential area.
The fenced-in area will have two sets of gates to enter. There will be separate fenced-in areas for small dogs, large dogs and also an agility area.
The enclosed area will allow dogs to be off-leash, with the area exclusive to dogs and their handlers.
There were two residents this evening who voiced concerns about the project at the Compost Plant, saying it may bother residents and visitors to the cemetery.
Excessive barking won’t be tolerated and dog owners will be expected to clean up after the dogs. Wilson said the people that use a dog park care about their animals and want them to get exercise and socialization.
Wilson said she will work to set up a GoFundMe for the park. Donations can also be set to the Village Office and be designated for the Dog Park. Wilson said the fundraising success will determine how soon the park can open.
Mayor Mike Sidari said the park will be open sunrise to sunset, just like the other village parks.
Wilson will take the lead in fundraising to construct the site. Sidari said the village may have to pay an extra $1,500 a year for insurance for the dog park.
Village Trustee Owen Toale said the dog park will be a addition for the community, and also the first one in Orleans County.
“We’re providing services to the residents of Medina,” Toale said. “It improves the quality of life.”
Provided photos: Medina’s Varsity Winterguard performs on Saturday at Corning-Painted Post.
PAINTED POST – The Corning-Painted Post school district hosted its first winterguard show on Saturday with 15 guard units performing in competition.
In the Novice class Medina took 1st place, the Cadet guard also won 1st place, and Medina’s Varsity guard won the Scholastic A class with a score of 76.49.
Medina’s Novice class performs and won first place.
In the Regional A class, Gates won 1st place with a score of 76.32; in A1 class, Corning-Painted Post came in first with 74.15; in Senior class Lakeside won with a score of 71.22; Orchard Park won the Scholastic Open Class with a score of 79; and in Independent A class, Gates was the winner at 80.08.
The next time Medina’s guards will perform is at the Winterguard Championships on Saturday, April 7. The Championships will be held at the Gates-Chili High School located at 3 Spartan Way, Rochester.
The gates open at 11 a.m. and the show starts at noon. Admission is $15 for adults and children under 5 are free. Medina’s Novice guard performs at 12:21; the Cadet guard at 12:30 and the Varsity guard at 4:10 p.m. A total of 35 guards will perform and the retreat is scheduled for 6 p.m.
The Cadet guard from Medina also finished in first on Saturday.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 23 March 2018 at 11:25 am
MEDINA – The school district has tweeted its disapproval of recent comments by former Vice President Joe Biden and President Donald Trump, where they challenge each other to a fight.
Biden started taunts on Tuesday when he was speaking an anti-sexual assault rally at the University of Miami. He told students if he and Trump had attended high school together, Biden probably would have “beat the hell out” of Trump.
Trump on Thursday morning put out a tweet: “Crazy Joe Biden is trying to act like a tough guy. Actually, he is weak, both mentally and physically, and yet he threatens me, for the second time, with physical assault. He doesn’t know me, but he would go down fast and hard, crying all the way. Don’t threaten people Joe!”
The Medina School District today at about 10:30 this morning urged Trump and Biden to be better role models.
“President Trump tweeted that he would destroy Joe Biden in a fight, after the former VP said he would beat up Trump,” Medina Central School District tweeted. “If students did something similar to these two 70+ year olds, they’d be disciplined per code of conduct. Adults-remember you are role models and kids are watching!”
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 22 March 2018 at 4:20 pm
File photo: Clothing Depot volunteers are pictured in 2014 and include, from left: Sharon Breckinridge, Donna Barnum, Alice Zacher and Sue Metzo.
MEDINA – The Clothing Depot, run by the Medina Area Association of Churches, will be heading to a different site, the former Bells Supermarket at the corner of Orient and Starr streets.
The Clothing Depot is current part of the old Medina High School, the Calvary Tabernacle Assembly of God on Catherine Street.
But that building has been purchased by Roger Hungerford and Talis Equity and will be renovated into apartments. The MAAC can stay in the building until June 30.
The MAAC said the former Bells site, which is owned by Matt Mundion, will be better location for displaying the used clothing, furniture and other items. The site has one big room. At Calvary, the MAAC uses a larger room and then four smaller rooms, said Sue Metzo, one of the board members and a volunteer with the Clothing Depot since 2006.
“It’s big enough and it has parking,” she said about the former Bells.
The site needs work before the MAAC can move in. The group is seeking community support to help with renovations. If the MAAC can assist Mundion with work on the building, that will result in a much more affordable lease. If Mundion has to do the improvements, Metzo said MAAC will have to pay more for rent.
The group has sent an appeal letter to the community, seeking support with renovations to the building.
The Depot has provided a way for residents to donate quality clothing and housewares, and then be purchased by customers, especially many in lower-income families, Metzo said.
The MAAC raises about $30,000 to $35,000 from the Clothing Depot each year that is donating back to the community, assisting Scouts, church projects, senior citizens, high school scholarships, Hospice of Orleans and other organizations.
Metzo said the MAAC has been looking for a site for the Clothing Depot for about 18 months. Many of the sites required rent that was three or four times what the MAAC has been giving Calvary. Mundion has offered a good deal, she said.
Once renovations are done, Metzo said the MAAC will start moving over many smaller items to the former Bells. The MAAC may need a professional mover to help with larger items, such as racks, counters and tables.
“We would certainly appreciate any donation of materials, money, or talent that anyone could give,” Metzo said.
The MAAC said the former Bells will need a new cage for incoming donations, a wall to separate the store area from the work area, more lighting, a furnace, and a good cleaning before it is painted.
The Clothing Depot goes back to least 2005 at Calvary. There are about 25 volunteers from several churches who run the site, which is open on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday.
Donations can be sent to the MAAC, PO Box 253, Medina, NY 14103.
Provided photo: Emily Winters greets Medina Lions Club President Dean Bellack during a Lions meeting earlier this month.
MEDINA – Emily Winters, a Medina native who is a registered nurse and professional development specialist at Highland Hospital in Rochester, shared with the Medina Lions Club about her experiences in Puerto Rico.
Winters was part of a group of 11 health care providers from Rochester who went to Puerto Rico to assist in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria.
Winters spoke to the Medina Lions Club on March 5 about her 16-day volunteer effort in Puerto Rico. Winters went with a team out of Highland Hospital that worked to bring medical relief to those in a time of great need, said Dean Bellack, Medina Lions Club president.
Her story included her personal feelings of anticipation and anxiety of making such a trip and how such different experience shapes how you view life when you return.
Her team treated hundreds of people per day from minor issues to major critical needs.
“They saw it all,” Bellack said. “In addition, Emily Winters finds time to raise her family, commute to her position as a Nursing Professional Development Specialist at Highland Hospital in Rochester. The Medina Lions appreciate your commitment to Medina and your profession.”
She is the daughter-in-law of Bob Winters, who is a member of the Medina Lions Club. The club has 52 members and is active with several community events every year.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 21 March 2018 at 10:49 am
A zany cast of characters hits the stage in Lyndonville
Photos by Tom Rivers
LYNDONVILLE – Qasim Huzair stars as Uncle Fester in the upcoming production of The Addams family by Lyndonville and Medina students. Huzair is shown at rehearsal on Wednesday. The people in the back are the “Ancestors.” Uncle Fester sings about his love for the Moon.
The show features 38 students from the two schools, plus another 17 in the stage crew. In addition, the superintendents from both school districts are playing in the pit band. Jason Smith of Lyndonville is playing the trombone and Mark Kruzynski of Medina is on the drums.
The performances are Friday and Saturday at 7:30 and Sunday at 2 pm. The shows are at Lyndonville High School’s Stroyan Auditorium, 25 Housel Ave. Tickets are available at the door.
Shelby Green plays Grandma, who is 102. She calls out to a 90-year-old man in the crowd and welcomes a get together.
Jennifer Trupo is director of the musical. She held auditions in November and students have been rehearsing for about four months.
She wanted to do the show because it is zany and features several character actors. She knew the cast had the talent to pull off the show.
“They have embraced it and they are having fun with it,” Trupo said. “We have a lot of phenomenal character actors. Most of the leads are in 9th or 10th grade. They’re very young but they are very amazing.”
It’s a love story, really. There may be some dark themes and an obsession with death, but the latest musical by Lyndonville and Medina students is also a love story between Wednesday Addams (Layna Viloria) and Lucas Beineke (Jacob Corser), who come from two very different families.
Christian Hahn portrays Gomez Addams, the patriarch of the family. He is shown while the Addams family welcomes the Beineke family for dinner. The Beinekes increasingly grow alarmed by the ghoulishness of the Addams family.
Cora Payne plays Morticia Addams, the family matriarch who fears, with her daughter’s engagement, that Morticia is less needed to her family. She is shown with two Dancing Ancestors, Sawyer Wilson (left) and Trenton Crews.
The Ancestors make many appearances during the show.
Brian Cunningham plays Pugsley Addams. He steals a potion from Grandma and intends to give it to his sister, hoping she wouldn’t go through with the wedding. The potion is supposed to bring out someone’s dark nature.
Tamara Huzair stars as Alice Beineke, the mother of Lucas. She drinks the potion intended for Wednesday and in front of everyone declares her marriage is passionless.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 20 March 2018 at 11:06 pm
Sidari, Sherman and Elliott ran without opposition
MEDINA – The incumbent mayor and two trustees were re-elected today in a low-key election without any opposition.
Mike Sidari was elected mayor with 41 votes, while Marguerite Sherman received 46 for trustee and Tim Elliott was picked on 43 ballots.
The trio ran together two years ago under the “The Village Party” and is back for two more years.
Sidari is an active member of the Medina Fire Department. He is retired as the food service administrator for the Orleans Correctional Facility in Albion.
Sherman is a special education teacher at Medina. Elliott is co-owner of Brushstrokes Studios in Medina.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 20 March 2018 at 8:35 am
Photo by Tom Rivers: Medina Mayor Mike Sidari is pictured with elementary students during an Arbor Day celebration on April 29, 2016. The village has been planting about 60 to 80 trees each year for more than a decade.
MEDINA – Mike Sidari says it’s a good time to be Medina mayor with the downtown thriving, new businesses opening in the Medina Business Park and many residents committed to volunteering and improving the community.
Sidari is finishing his first two-year term as mayor and is unopposed in today’s election. He said years of groundwork are paying off with the revived downtown and businesses such as Pride Pak opening in the Medina Business Park. Takeform Architectural Graphics also is doing a big expansion and a new hotel, Cobblestone Suites, is expected to start construction this year on a 58-bed hotel.
The Orleans Economic Development Agency is marketing more land in Medina for businesses. The sites have access to infrastructure and the low-cost hydropower from Niagara Falls.
“There are a few projects coming up,” Sidari said. “The village is starting to make a comeback.”
Medina can’t sit idle and wait for the development. Sidari said the village will be doing a study of its sewer plant with assistance from the Orleans EDA.
“We will be looking at what we have now and where we need to be in the future,” Sidari said.
The village should look to increase sewer capacity to meet the demands of an anticipated buildout in the business parks, he said.
Sidari sees the downtown getting stronger with the renovation of the Bent’s Opera House into a restaurant, boutique hotel, and wedding venue with space for a market serving healthy options next door. Talis Equity and Roger Hungerford are driving that project. They are also planning to convert the former Medina High School into apartments.
Medina last year applied for a $10 million downtown grant from the state, but was denied with the funds going to Batavia. Sidari said village stakeholders are working on another application for the Downtown Revitalization Initiative. If Medina is approved for those funds, it would speed up more projects in the downtown and by the canal waterfront.
“We’re definitely applying for that again,” Sidari said.
He is retired from the Orleans Correctional Facility, a men’s prison in Albion where he was the food service administrator providing meals to 1,000 inmates. He oversaw 7 employees plus 80 inmate workers.
Sidari has been on the Village Board for four years, with the first two as a trustee and the past two as mayor.
“I’ve enjoyed it,” he said. “I’ve learned a lot and I’m still learning. Our goal is to make Medina better.”
Sidari is unopposed today along with Trustees Marguerite Sherman and Tim Elliott. The trio is running under “The Village Party.” Voting is from noon to 9 p.m. at the Senior Center, 615 West Ave.
Provided photo from Corning Museum of Glass: A barge with mobile glassmaking equipment will be in Medina on Aug. 11-12.
MEDINA – The Corning Museum of Glass announced that the 2018 GlassBarge tour will visit Medina, docking at Medina Canal Basin on August 11-12.
As the 2018 signature event for the statewide celebration of the Erie Canal Bicentennial, GlassBarge will offer free public glassmaking demonstrations at each scheduled stop during its four-month tour.
GlassBarge commemorates the 150th anniversary of the Brooklyn Flint Glass Company – now known as Corning Incorporated – relocating to Corning via the New York Waterways by canal barge.
In celebration of this pivotal journey, the Corning Museum is recreating the voyage with GlassBarge – a 30′ x 80′ canal barge equipped with Corning’s patented all-electric glassmaking equipment. In addition to sharing the story of glassmaking in Corning, the GlassBarge tour emphasizes the continued role of New York’s waterways in shaping the state’s industry, culture, and community.
“We are thrilled to visit Medina to bring to life the historic waterway in their community,” said Rob Cassetti, senior director, creative strategy and audience engagement at the Corning Museum. “The Corning Museum of Glass has taken mobile glassmaking around the world, and we can’t wait to share the beauty of this endlessly versatile material with our closest neighbors across New York State.”
GlassBarge begins it tour in Brooklyn on May 17 and will travel north on the Hudson River, then westward along the Erie Canal from Albany to Buffalo before making its way to the Finger Lakes. A ceremonial last leg of the trip will take place by land, concluding in Corning with a community-wide celebration on Sept. 22. (Besides stopping in Medina, GlassBarge will also be in Brockport from Aug. 17-19.)
“The Village of Medina is excited to host the Corning GlassBarge along with the Lois McClure as they travel the Historic Erie Canal commemorating not only the bicentennial of the Canal but the 150th anniversary of the glass company move through the waterway from New York City to Corning,” said Mike Sidari, mayor of the Village of Medina. “I encourage area residents to bring their family and friends to historic Medina and enjoy the only port of call for the GlassBarge and the Lois McClure in Orleans County. While visiting please feel free to walk around our beautiful canal side business district and enjoy all the locally owned stores and restaurants.”
A flotilla of historic ships will accompany GlassBarge, including the Lois McClure, a replica of an 1862 canal barge, and the C.L. Churchill, a 1964 tugboat, both part of the permanent collection of the Lake Champlain Maritime Museum. The museum will share the story of 19th-century canal life and how materials were shipped on New York’s waterways. On the Erie Canal, GlassBarge will be moved by an historic tug from the fleet of the South Street Seaport Museum, connecting upstate and downstate by water.
GlassBarge will provide daily demonstrations from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. on August 11-12 at the Medina Canal Basin. All demos are approximately 30 minutes long, and reservations are strongly encouraged through free timed tickets that will be available at www.cmog.org/GlassBarge. Reservations will open 4-6 weeks prior to each stop. Demos can also be viewed from shore without a reservation.
Photos by Tom Rivers: The hashtag “Never Again” was displayed on the Medina Mustang logo this afternoon during an assembly at Medina High School.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 14 March 2018 at 10:51 pm
Devin Hogan shared brief descriptions about the 17 people killed in the Florida school shooting. Gina Montalto, 14, was an artist who also participated in the winterguard.
MEDINA – The high school student body gathered for an assembly this afternoon, one month after 17 people were killed in a school shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla.
Students across the country walked out of school in a protest over the series of mass school shootings for nearly two decades now.
Medina students stayed inside the school and remembered the lives lost in Florida. The students viewed a slide show in the auditorium with photos of the 17 people killed at Marjory Stoneman Douglas.
Devin Hogan, a Medina student, read descriptions of the people who were killed, which included three adults and 14 children. The students were on the swim team, in the winter guard, the marching band. They danced and were college bound. Others were in the Junior ROTC and planned to serve in the military.
“Some of these children described may remind you of someone you know,” Hogan said. “Maybe it even reminds you of yourself. It’s been 18 years since Columbine. Things have to change. I feel this is the first step.”
Shelby Green, president of the Medina Student Association, addressed her classmates during an assembly. She wanted to mourn the 17 people killed in the Florida school shooting a month ago, but also wanted her classmates to become politically involved and press politicians for solutions to the shootings.
Shelby Green, president of the Medina Student Association, shared her disappointment that school shootings have become “ a weekly headline in our society.”
Columbine in Colorado was the first mass school shooting nearly 20 years ago. Most of the students in Medina school district weren’t even born when two students killed 12 of their classmates and a teacher at Columbine on April 20, 1999.
“Somehow things have gotten worse,” Green said. “Schools are supposed to be places of learning and growth and somehow, they’ve been twisted into battlefields.”
The assembly’s first goal was to honor and mourn the victims in the school shooting in Florida. But Green also said the community and country need to take steps to ensure “that such acts are no longer a weekly headline in our society.”
The national walkout today represents students exercising their voice.
“Shame on our politicians who cannot set aside their differences and come together to fix this problem,” Green said. “This is not a matter of party or politics, it’s a matter of action. The days of noting red flags after the fact have to be over. There needs to be more funding for counseling, more help for at-risk students, more awareness of potential threats. All parts of government must work together so that people are no longer falling through the cracks.”
Jalin Cooper, a Student Association member, said there are hats with the logos from the schools in Medina and Marjory Stoneman Douglas, with “NeverAgain” embroidered on the back.
For every hat purchased in Medina, one hat will be donated to Marjory Stoneman Douglas.
The school resource officer also addressed the students. Corey Ambrose is a Medina police officer who works with students at the school district.
Corey Ambrose is the school resource officer at Medina.
“I am here for you,” he told the students in grades 8 to 12. “Please be sure to come and report any issue big or small, legal or illegal. I am here to work with you to also show that there is a human side to police officers. We are not robots. We all have families and like to have fun as well, but when there is a job to be done, it needs to be done.”
Ambrose said schools have become much safer in recent years. Schools have made significant upgrades in security with ID card key passes for staff to unlock doors. Visitors are only allowed to enter at a main entrance, and there stronger outside doors and windows that are impact resistant.
“This means it is increasingly difficult for someone to enter any of our school buildings,” Ambrose said. “All of these advancements make this building a safer place to get your education.”
School leaders also work with law enforcement on lockdown drills, fire drills and mass casualty drills (when school is out of session).
Ambrose said everyone should slow down and pay attention to their surroundings. “This is not one person’s job, but the responsibility of everybody.”
He urged the students to first control their own actions and decisions, and to also be vigilant in reaching out to others.
“The message that you can take away from today’s assembly is that safety is the responsibility of everyone,” Ambrose said. “If you see something, say something. When we all work together, great things will happen.”
Provided photo: Pictured, front row, from left: Payton Denniston, Elise Olsen and Sophie Kroening. Back row: Jackson Reese, Molly DeBottis, Robert Clute and Sarah Klaiber.
Press Release, Medina Central School
MEDINA – Buffalo author Sarah Klaiber spent some time with students at Medina’s Oak Orchard Elementary School recently. She read her book “Treasures” and talked about the importance of appreciating things that are often taken for granted.
“This is my first book,” says Ms. Klaiber. “I don’t know if there will be any more in my future, but I plan on expand on the message of Treasures. It was inspired by a mental wellness journey that I started five years ago. I started taking better care of myself and doing something finally that I loved to do, which is writing. I found my children, who always make me happy, and writing, which I love, were the birth of Treasures.
“My message to little ones is that they can look around and see treasures every day and it’s okay to be blue every now and then,” she said. “My heart just turns to mush listening to the little ones talk about what are their treasures. To see them reflecting on what makes them happy is great. I get a lot of thank you letters from parents for such a simple, meaningful and often overlooked message. I really appreciate the opportunity to be here to share it with the students.”
Molly DeBottis, the librarian at Oak Orchard, was instrumental in getting Ms. Klaiber to come for a visit.
“Someone brought me her flyer when she was speaking at Roy-Hart and I got in contact with her and since she was a local author and priced reasonably it worked out to have her at the school,” DeBottis said. “Her book is very appropriate for grades K-2. It’s a great picture book. I think it is very exciting and a good opportunity to hear firsthand the process of writing a book. It get the kids excited about reading.”
Julie Webber, Oak Orchard principal, added, “I think it is a great opportunity for students to see the full circle of writing; that there is a person behind the book, who writes the book. She can talk to the students about what her message is, in addition to hearing the author read the book herself.”
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 12 March 2018 at 11:54 am
Photos by Tom Rivers
MEDINA – A cannon from World War I that has been a fixture at State Street Park for about 80 years is leaving Medina for several months. A group of local veterans gathered at the park this morning to watch it be loaded on a flatbed owned by Automotive Solutions.
The cannon, manufactured in 1916, was fired during World War I. The cannon was moved from the front of State Street Park on Friday by the Medina DPW to back of the park so it could more easily be loaded up for a five-hour trip to Altoona, Pa. That is the location of Seed Artillery Reproduction and Restoration.
“It’s a piece of history,” said Jim Freas, commander of the VFW in Medina.
Steve Johnson is commander of the American Legion in Medina. His grandfather also served in World War I a century ago.
“This cannon is part of our heritage,” Johnson said. “We have to preserve our history.”
George Bidleman, owner of Orleans Ford, is paying $40,000 to have the cannon restored. Bidleman started at Orleans Ford as general manager in 1987. In 2002, he became the owner. He said the cannon is a prominent memorial, a reminder of the sacrifices of veterans.
“They all risked their lives,” he said about veterans.
Bidleman, center, is pictured with local veterans and Eileen Banker, chief of staff for State Assemblyman Steve Hawley.
The cannon was manufactured in 1916 and was fired during World War I. Every Memorial Day for about 80 years, the Medina community has gathered by the cannon for the solemn ceremony.
The cannon, however, has become badly deteriorated and will be restored for $40,000. George Bidleman of Orleans Ford is raising the funds for the project.
The cannon will be stripped down. The parts will be repaired and re-manufactured if necessary. The gun will be primed and painted with epoxy primer and finished to match the original WWI paint scheme.
The Orleans Renaissance Group first pushed for saving the cannon about two years ago. The VFW and American Legion both supported the effort. The ORG raised $12,000 that will be used for site improvements for when the cannon comes back, which could be in time for Veterans’ Day in November.
Local veterans including David Kusmiersczak and Glenn Whitmore watched the cannon be pulled to the road in the park, so it could be put on the truck.
The cannon is a British Heavy Field Gun known as a B.L. 60 Pounder, manufactured in 1916 by Elswick Ordnance Company, Newcastle upon Tyne, England.
It weighs 6 tons, is a 5 inch/127mm caliber, 21 feet in length and 6 feet in width. The gun was originally issued to battery in France, April 1917 and fired 2,871 rounds during its first tour. It was returned to England in 1917 for repairs and reissued to battery in France, September 1918, firing an additional 1,471 rounds.
Chris Seefeldt, left, of Automotive Solutions works with owner Shawn Callard, right, to secure the cannon on the truck for the trip to Pennsylvania.
The cannon is strapped down for the trip.
Automotive Solutions heads down State Street with the cannon.
