Photos by Tom Rivers

MEDINA – Medina Mayor Mike Sidari, second from left, joined members of Luke Nelson’s family and Alex Feig, president of the Medina Skate Society, for a ground-breaking celebration today for Medina’s new skate park at Butts Park.

The $550,000 park is named in memory of the late Luke Nelson of Middleport. He often came to Medina as a kid and young adult to use the former skate park. He was 32 when he passed away on April 22, 2017. His family has donated to the park and helped organize fundraisers to upgrade the site.

Alex Feig, president of the Medina Skate Society, pushed to raise local funding and secure the grants for the project.

“He loved coming here,” said his mother Terri Nelson. “He would come here and skate and skate.”

Initially the family just wanted to raise money to buy a bench at the park so family and friends could relax and watch the skaters.

But the opportunity was there for a matching grant for up to $250,000 from the Ralph C. Wilson Jr. Foundation. Alex Feig, president of the Medina Skate Society, rallied the community to support the project.

Generous benefactors stepped forward, and many smaller fundraisers allowed the Skate Society to pass its fundraising goal, Feig said.

“It all added up,” he said. “We just didn’t stop.”

Feig often skated with Nelson and the two worked together for a year at Barden Homes. Feig said the previous skate park was outdated and there were cracks in the asphalt. The new park will be an attraction for Medina, and give skaters a safe place for their sport.

The Medina Skate Society lined up nearly $550,000 to build the new site at Butts Park. That includes $250,570.53 raised through local fundraisers and donations. That allowed the Skate Society to maximize a $250,000 matching grant from the Ralph C. Wilson Jr. Foundation.

The Skate Society also has been awarded $42,000 for an Environmental Impact Award grant by The Skatepark Project, formerly the Tony hawk Foundation. The $42,000 will be used for storm water management and bioswales.

Design by Spohn Ranch Skateparks: The new skate park in Medina will have many elements for skaters, from the beginning level to intermediate and more advanced skill levels.

A six-person construction team from Spohn Ranch Skateparks arrived in Medina to start work on the project on Tuesday, following site work from the village Department of Public Works. That included removing the previous asphalt surface and adding fill for the site. The old skate park was a repurposed tennis court.

Spohn Ranch’s schedule for construction is for 14 weeks, which puts the anticipated opening of the park in early September.

Mayor Mike Sidari praised the Skate Society and Nelson’s family for their efforts in pushing for the park.

“It’s quality of life for the village residents,” Sidari. “This will be a draw for Medina, bringing people from other communities.”

Many of Nelson’s family members were part of the ground-breaking today, including his parents, Terri and Ken Nelson; sister, Casie Nelson and her daughter, Adelita, aunts, Dawn Powell and Catherine Puff; cousin, Sarah Powell and her daughter, Remi Gill; and nephew, Otice Lokey.

Catherine Puff, Luke’s aunt, said she has enjoyed meeting the many skateboarders in Medina through the fundraisers and skate jams.

“The Medina skater kids have become like our family,” said Puff, a Newfane resident.

The family has bought them pizza and cheered on the skaters when they do some of their daring tricks on the skateboard.

Dawn Powell, also one of Nelson’s aunt, said she never would have imagined she would spend so much time at a skate park.

Summer recreation program set for 6 weeks

MEDINA – With the closing of the NAPA store on North Main Street, the Village Board has decided to remove the designated 15-minute parking spot.

A sign designating the spot from Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. is expected to be removed soon, possibly by the end of the day. NAPA had its last day on Main Street on April 30. The new NAPA corporate owner, Genuine Parts Company based in Atlanta, also acquired CarQuest. It moved the Medina operations to the CarQuest site on Maple Ridge Road at the Tops Plaza.

In other action during last week’s Village Board meeting:

• The board also approved a 6-week summer recreation program, and hired Taylor Schaal to be the director. The program is a joint effort by the village and towns of Shelby and Ridgeway.

The program starts June 28 and will include swimming at the school and a park program.

“We are going to go ahead with the program,” said Village Trustee Owen Toale, who serves on the Joint Medina Recreation Commission. “Not having anything last year wasn’t good. We have to do something for our residents.”

More details about the program will be forthcoming.

• The board hired Andrew Steel of Oakfield as a firefighter/paramedic and Braden Beutel as a mechanic who will work on village-owned vehicles, including for the police, DPW and Fire Department. Steel currently works for the LeRoy Ambulance Service.

• The board approved a transient business application for Phantom Fireworks to set up outside the Medina Lanes, a bowling alley on Maple Ridge Road, from June 20 to July 4 and sell sparkling devices and other legal fireworks. The permit is for 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. each day. The company needs to pay a $100 application fee and then $25 for each of the 15 days or $475 total.

• The village intends to apply for a grant for about $30,000 that would pay for an engineering study of Medina’s water system, prioritizing future needs for infrastructure upgrades, including waterline replacements, pump stations and the water tank. There will be a public hearing on the grant application at 7 p.m. on June 28 at the Senior Center on West Avenue. The funding would be through the state and could help Medina pursue a larger grant through the federal American Rescue Plan for infrastructure.

Quest was 24 years in the making; brothers follow parents as 46ers

Photos courtesy of the Pane family: The Pane brothers and their celebrate on Saturday when they reached the top of the Rocky Peak Ridge in the Adirondack Mountains. Pictured from left include: Anthony Pane, Karen Pane, Keith Pane and John-Louis Pane. Mrs. Pane is a fourth-grade teacher at Medina.

Three brothers from Medina became 46ers on Saturday when they climbed the Rocky Peak Ridge, the last of the 46 highest peaks of the Adirondacks where they trekked to the top.

It was a challenge 24 years in the making. John-Louis, Keith and Anthony Pane follow in their parents’ footsteps as 46ers. Karen and Joe Pane completed all 46 climbs back in 1990.

As young climbers the Pane brothers are shown in 2006 at Nye Mountain. They are shown from left – oldest to youngest: John-Louis, Keith and Anthony.

When the brothers were younger, they tagged along with their parents. But then the boys’ schedules got busy with high school sports, the marching band and summer soccer leagues.

“So the opportunities to travel to the Adirondacks became limited,” their father said. “Before long the boys were traveling to the Adirondacks with high school friends and college friends while leaving their slow-hiking parents behind.”

When the bothers were kids, the family used to make day trips to the Adirondack Mountain Club Campground.

“As they got a bit older we started backpacking trips that included climbing several of the peaks each day,” Joe Pane said.

The brothers have grown up, working jobs away from each other, which made completing the last of the 46 peaks difficult.

John-Louis, 29, graduated from George Washington University and works for Fannie Mae in Washington, DC.

Keith, 27, graduated from Clarkson University and works as an engineer at BAE Systems in New Hampshire.

Anthony, 25, earned his degree from the University of Rochester and he works for the National Institute of Health.

In 2019, after graduating from the U of R, Anthony hiked solo in the Adirondacks for a week, leaving one peak to finish. Last week his brothers joined together and climbed 12 peaks to catch up to Anthony. And then on Saturday they celebrated their final peak as a family on Rocky Peak Ridge.

“They were committed to finish the final peak together,” their father said.

Once they register the achievement they will be given a number and will be entered in the 46er history books. For more information on the Adirondack 46ers, click here.

Photos by Ginny Kropf: Jim Hancock and Elizabeth Passarell chat in front of the Tourism Booth which opened Monday for the season. Passarell has been volunteering in the booth for most of its 12 years.

MEDINA – The Medina Tourism Committee officially opened its Tourism Booth in Rotary Park on Monday.

Jim Hancock, who coordinates the booth for the Tourism Committee, and volunteer Elizabeth Passarell were on hand for opening day.

Jim Hancock points out some of the information available in the booth to volunteer Elizabeth Passarell on opening day Monday.

Hancock was happy to report that 14 volunteers had signed up for the summer season and will have a presence at the booth from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday and from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturdays.

The booth has been located in several downtown locations since its founding, until finding a home in the holiday Santa House a few years ago.

The Santa House is centrally located downtown and only minutes walking time from the Canal Basin.

Handcock pointed out the tremendous amount of information that is available in the small house. There are handouts of local attractions, post cards for sale, “Barge Into Medina” T-shirts, Sandstone Society books for sale, information on the Sandstone Hall of Fame and copies of self-guided walking tours throughout Medina.

One thing Hancock pointed out was the list of all the places to eat in Medina. Counting those downtown in the business district and Mariachi de Oro on Maple Ridge Road, there 12 restaurants of different kinds.

“It always amazes me that this little village can support that many eateries,” Hancock said.

Passarell enjoys her hours in the Tourist Booth. A retired Medina school teacher who taught for 28 years, she said she was always interested in Medina’s history.

Hancock pointed out a bicycle rack near the Tourism Booth, where the YMCA plans to place half a dozen of their e-bikes for tourists to rent.

Additional volunteers are always welcome.

Photo by Tom Rivers

MEDINA – Lukin Szatkowski, 10, and his mother Sara are shown selling “Team Jimmer” bracelets today at the Tim Hortons in Medina. The bracelets are in honor of Jimmer Szatkowski, Lukin’s uncle who was diagnosed last month with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, also known as Lou Gehrig’s Disease. ALS is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and the spinal cord.

Jimmer Szatkowski, 48, is a Medina native. He now lives in the Syracuse area and owns two Chick-fil-A restaurants, with sites in Cicero and Clay. His family is expected to deliver Chick-fil-A to the Tim Hortons employees today in appreciation for hosting the bracelet sale. Tim Hortons also is donating $1 for every $5 bracelet sold.

Lukin and Sara were joined today by Lukin’s brother Wyatt, 7, and the boys’ father, Andrew, who is Jimmer’s brother and Sara’s husband.

The Szatkowskis will be at Tim Hortons until about 5 p.m. today.

The bracelets and cards include a message that May is ALS Awareness Month.

“We have hope that there will be a cure; however ALS research is underfunded,” the card states. “We need funds to make this Cure possible!”

The fundraiser will direct 100 percent of the funds to research, clinical trials and also clinical care at Healey Center for ALS at Massachusetts General Hospital.

Julie Berry, acclaimed author from Medina, sees resurgence in independent book stores

Photos by Tom Rivers: Julie Berry is shown late Saturday afternoon after a busy first day at the Author’s Note, the former Book Shoppe at 519 Main St.

MEDINA – It was Friday night when Julie Berry posted on social media that Saturday would be opening day for Author’s Note.

She was expecting a soft opening on Saturday, with some people popping in to see the remodel of the former Book Shoppe.

But longtime customers and the Medina community wouldn’t have a tepid debut for store. There was a line waiting for outside the Author’s Note when it opened at 10 a.m. at 519 Main St. and the people kept coming throughout the day.

“I hoped for a good day but it was an extraordinary day,” Berry said on Saturday afternoon. “We’ve had a phenomenal first day.”

The Author’s Note has completed the full remodel of the store. The back section, where the Book Shoppe used to sell toys and games, is expected to open in about three weeks as an area for children.

It has been an ambitious remaking of the space, with two drop-down ceiling taken down to showcase the original tin ceiling, which needed repairs, sanding and painting.

The linoleum and floors, and the sub-flooring also were removed. That revealed a hardwood floor that was sanded after the staples and nails were pulled up.

Berry said the floor and ceiling makes the store feel bigger and taller.

“This has been a dream to have a book store,” Berry said.

The Author’s Note team includes, from left: Erica Caldwell, book buyer; Julie Berry, owner; and Olivia Marchese, book seller.

She bought the business from Gloria and Fred Fierch. They operated for the Book Shoppe for about a year. Susan Phillips previously owned the store for 21 years.

Berry said the Book Shoppe has a clear following in the community. She expects those core customers to keep coming back, and she will be working to draw in new people.

Julie Berry is an acclaimed author of 25 books, including several award-winning youth adult novels. She is holding her latest book, Cranky Right Now, which was released on May 11. This photo shows the tin ceiling and hardwood floors that are now visible as part of the store’s remodel.

Besides selling books in the store and online through the Author’s Note website, the inventory will include toys, puzzles, crafts and science-based projects for children. And Author’s Note will continue to offer a customer favorite: coffee.

Berry is a 1991 Medina grad who has written 25 books, with some under a pen name. She has won numerous prestigious awards.

Berry, her husband Phil and their children were living in Los Angeles last year when her sister told her the Book Shoppe was for sale. Berry welcomed the chance to come back to her hometown, and own a book store. She moved back to Medina in November.

Phil and many of Berry’s family and friends have tackled the renovations with zest.

“I see Author’s Note creating a community for book lovers and connecting readers to their favorite authors,” Berry said. “I think of all books as being an ‘author’s note’ to the world. I hope this community will see this book store as my love note to Medina.”

She has an office downstairs and will continue to write two to three hours a day. She also will spend several hours in the store with customers.

Her cousin Erica Caldwell is a key part of the operation, as the book buyer. Caldwell owned her own book store in Batavia, Present Tense.

Berry said many independent book stores are seeing a resurgence with Covid-19 restrictions giving people more time to read. The pandemic has also made many people value small town merchants more, including the locally owned bookstores.

“The bookstores that succeed are the ones that have created a community with their customers,” she said.

Photos by Alicia Vanderwalker: FaithAnn Vanderwalker, a senior at Medina High School, celebrates her graduation this past weekend from Genesee Community College by throwing her cap in the air.

MEDINA – FaithAnn Vanderwalker has achieved an honor rarely attained by youth her age. She has graduated from college before she finished high school.

FaithAnn, a daughter of Todd and Alicia Vanderwalker of Stone Road, graduated this weekend from Genesee Community College with a degree in liberal arts and natural sciences, a month before she will graduate from Medina High School as valedictorian.

Her future plans include attending the State University of New York School of Environmental Science and Forestry in Syracuse to major in wildlife biology and environmental science.

FaithAnn earned more than 90 college credits during the last four years of high school. She was a member of the Advanced College Studies ACE class, where she began her college journey while in Middle School, after being nominated for the two-year math/science prep program, according to her mother Alicia. FaithAnn attended college classes concurrently while enrolled in advanced classes at Medina High School.

In addition, FaithAnn was on the Provost List for having a GPA at the college of higher than 3.75, and was part of the Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society. Along with her extra courseload during the past six years, she participated in the Medina Mustang Marching Band and is a three-sport athlete.

In sixth grade, FaithAnn won first place in the Math Science Prep Science Fair during her enrollment process for college. More than 200 students from the GLOW region were nominated for the program and they then needed to apply and complete knowledge tests in math. Only the top 50 made it into the program and went on to compete in the science fair.

FaithAnn Vanderwalker

FaithAnn is also very involved in her church and youth group, with whom she has gone on two mission trips to Mexico, where they are helping to build an orphanage. In her free time, FaithAnn has chickens, goats and a large garden. She loves the outdoors and is currently working on hiking the 46 high peaks in the Adirondacks. She has won first place in the 90-mile Adirondack Canoe Classic with her dad.

“FaithAnn gives her all to everything she has done and has made her family, school, church and community so proud of her,” her mother said.

Group makes sure veterans recognized at Millville, West Shelby, Marshall Road and Bates Road cemeteries

Zach McAdoo, a volunteer from the community, places a flag on a veteran’s grave in Millville Cemetery on Saturday morning. McAdoo was one of a handful of community members who assisted the Lincoln Post VFW and Butts-Clark American Legion Post.

Jim Freas, standing at right, instructs Girl Scouts, Cub Scouts and members of the VFW and American Legion in Medina on placing flags on veterans’ graves in local cemeteries.

MEDINA – Placing flags on veterans’ graves before Memorial Day has been a tradition for veterans’ groups in Medina for decades.

The only thing that has changed is that the number of veterans who turn out to volunteer is declining, said Dave Kusmierczak, a member of the Butts-Clark American Legion and Lincoln VFW posts in Medina.

As is customary, the veterans met at the VFW Post on East Center, along with members of Girl Scout Troop 82094, Cub Scout Pack 28, their leaders and parents and several community volunteers.

Jim Freas welcomed the group and explained the cemeteries they would be visiting. He said a handful of veterans last week had already placed flags on a dozen of small cemeteries located throughout the Medina area.

On Saturday, the volunteers went to Millville Cemetery, West Shelby, Marshall Road and Bates Road. In all, they estimate they placed more than 500 flags on veterans’ graves.

The flags will remain in the cemeteries until after Veterans’ Day in November, when the volunteers will return to retrieve them.

Veterans who placed flags on veteran’s graves in Millville Cemetery were, from left, Norm Slayer, a Korean War veteran, Steve Johnson, Dave Kusmierczak and Glen Whitmore, all members of the VFW and American Legion in Medina.

Tony Vicknair, a member of the VFW and American Legion in Medina was one of less than a dozen veterans who helped place flags on veterans’ graves Saturday morning.