By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 8 August 2015 at 12:00 am
MEDINA – Businesses served up sugary treats today as part of the second annual Sweets in Summer dessert-tasting event that included 24 stops in the downtown business district, including the Book Shoppe.
The store owner, Sue Phillips, holds a tray coffee-flavored cupcakes.
The Medina Business Association organized the event, which drew about 125 participants, up from the 100 in the debut Sweets in Summer last August.
Phillips said the tasty treats helped bring more people to her store.
These cupcakes with chocolate frosting were available at the English Rose Tea Shoppe. The site also served up biscuits with honey, and scones with raspberry curds.
Hans Rosentreter, an employee for the Creekside Floral and Design, holds some of the treats that were at the store.
Today’s festivities in Medina also included a concert by the Mercury Blues Band. Lead singer Denny Hayden sings one of the band’s blues rock songs. Myron Sharvan plays the guitar at right.
The Mercury Blues Band includes, from left: Myron Sharvan, Denny Hayden and George Bidleman. Bob Granfield plays the drums in back.
The band, Blind Leading the Blind, also performed in the Canal Basin.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 7 August 2015 at 12:00 am
File photo – These cream puffs with edible flowers were among the desserts featured in the inaugural Sweets in Summer event last August in Medina.
MEDINA – It will be a busy Saturday in Medina with many events and entertainers for the community.
The State Canal Corporation is helping to spread the word about the Medina events as part of the 10th annual “Canal Splash” with many canal towns hosting events from Aug. 7 through the 16.
The Canal Corporation highlighted some of those activities in a press release to media members throughout the state.
The Medina Business Association has its Sweets in Summer dessert-tasting event from 1 to 5 p.m. on Saturday, featuring 24 tastings of chocolate, cookies, candy and other treats.
The Medina Tourism Committee also has two concerts in the Canal Basin with The Blind Leading the Blind playing from 2 to 4 p.m. and then the Mercury Blues band performing from 4 to 6 p.m.
The Villages Farmers’ Market will also be open from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the corner parking lot at West Center Street and West Avenue.
Wide Angle Art Gallery is welcoming a new exhibit with work by Ve MacKay and Zoe Fabian. The Book Shoppe also welcomes local author Jane McBride for a book signing from noon to 2 p.m.
The Canal Corporation urges people to visit the canal towns during the 10 days with so many concerts, festivals and other events along the 524-mile-long canal system. (Albion is hosting a wine-tasting event on Aug. 15.)
“For the tenth consecutive year, Canal Splash! will attract visitors from throughout New York and far beyond,” said Brian U. Stratton, director of the Canal Corporation. “As a result of its continued success and growth, this year’s festival will host an expanded schedule of events, providing residents, families and tourists with even more opportunity to celebrate and enjoy the beauty and versatility of the canals.”
MEDINA – Orchard Manor celebrated the 102nd birthday for Marian Boyle (center) with a party today. Two other residents – Louise Cockram and Grace Allen – also have topped 100 years old, and they have birthdays this month.
This photo shows, front row, from left: Laurie Seager, activity assistant; and and Kayla Williams, activity aide. Second row: Louise Cockram, Marian Boyle, and Grace Allen. Back row: Jamie Murphy, activity director; and Dave Denny, administrator.
Residents and staff gathered to celebrate Marian Boyle’s 102nd birthday at Orchard Manor Rehabilitation & Nursing Center. The facility has three centenarians, all having birthdays in the month of August.
Louise Cockram will be 106 on Aug. 28. When she was born in 1909, the mayor of Tokyo presented Washington, D.C. with 2,000 cherry trees which President William H. Taft had planted near the Potomac River. The Indianapolis Race Track opened, and eggs were $.14 a dozen.
Louise Cockram lived in West Bergen, where she raised her family. She recalls baking cookies, cakes, and pies to sell. She also made clothes for her family. She learned how to knit and crochet from her teacher, after school. Louise says she has no secret to her longevity. She continues to do Physical Therapy and still loves to play bingo.
In 1913, when Marian Boyle was born, the 16th Amendment to the Constitution was ratified, authorizing the Federal government to impose and collect income taxes. Ford Motor Company introduced the first moving assembly line, and the price of milk was $.35 a gallon. Marian Boyle was welcomed into the world on Aug. 6 in Shelby Center and was baptized at Trinity Lutheran Church of Medina.
Also known as “Jimmy” or “Gumby”, Marian married her sweetheart in 1936. She enjoyed being a housewife and raising her family. Her hobbies included refinishing furniture, cooking & baking, knitting & crocheting.
Marian continues to enjoy moving around in her wheelchair, attending various activities and musical programs, and of course, her coffee & cookies.
In 1914, World War I began. The world’s first red and green traffic lights were installed in Cleveland, Ohio and the cost of a first class stamp is $.02. On the 8th day of August that year, Grace Allen was born.
On a recent trip down memory lane she recalled growing up in Oakfield, graduating high school in 1932. She wanted to go further in school to perhaps study English or French, but didn’t go to college.
She did, however, write West Barre news articles for the Batavia Daily News and the Medina Journal Register. Grace said that her secret to living a long life is hard work. She recalls family liking her good cooking and doing a lot of canning for winter meals. She never made much of her birthday, saying that it’s just another day. But, Grace will indeed have a slice of birthday cake this year.
Provided photos – Marty Busch, the Medina code enforcement officer, shops and chats at Panek’s Pickin’ Patch at the Canal Village Farmers’ Market.
MEDINA – The new farmers’ market in Medina will start accepting senior coupons as well as Women, Infants, and Children coupons this Saturday.
The Canal Village Farmers’ Market opened on July 11 at the parking lot on West Center Street across from the Post Office. It’s open from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturdays.
The market has been accepted into NYS Farmers’ Market Nutrition Program, which provides checks to low-income, nutritionally at-risk families enrolled in the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for WIC and Senior Nutrition Programs. The checks are redeemable for fresh fruits and vegetables at participating farmers’ markets.
“We’ve had several inquiries weekly regarding the availability of these services,” said Chris Busch, president of the Orleans Renaissance Group, which organizes the market. “With the market going into its fifth week very strong, we’re excited to be able to add this to the offerings. Last week we attracted 450-plus patrons.”
Crowds gather at the new farmers’ market in Medina last Saturday. Organizers say more than 450 visited the market that day.
Current produce featured at the market comes from Panek’s Pickin’ Patch, Roberts Farm Market, Stymus Farms, SK Herefords and Sunrise Bees. Other regular vendors include Shirt Factory Café, Sweet Source Bakery, Wide Angle Art Gallery and 810 Meadworks. The Old English Tea Shoppe and Renko Meat Processing also will return on Aug. 15.
The market often includes entertainment, and this week will feature musician Mark Buell and a historical talk and walk by Erica Wanecsk. She will lead a short discussion of what shopping was like in historic Medina versus current day.
“The market continues to grow every week,” Busch said. “We offer a great variety that changes a bit week to week.”
The market is managed by Gail Miller, an ORG volunteer.
Contributed Story Posted 4 August 2015 at 12:00 am
Provided photos
LYNDONVILLE – Lyndonville hosted the Summer Honor Music Festival concert last Thursday featuring 140 students in Albion, Lyndonville and Medina.
The Summer Honor Music Festival was started last year as Summer Honor Band. This summer a chorus was included in the festival.
Students entering grades 5 through 7 were chosen to participate by their music teachers. The students rehearsed from9 a.m. to noon or 1 to 4 p.m. for each group. There were about 140 students total, and many participated in both groups.
The two bands were directed by the elementary band teachers from the three districts: Jeanette Sheliga, Medina; Lindsey Fix, Albion; and John Bailey, Lyndonville. Chorus directors were Kathy Bleiler-Dick, Medina; and Jennifer Neroni-Trupo, Lyndonville.
Each band performed three different songs and the chorus performed five. The festival culminated with a combined performance with both bands and the chorus performing “America the Beautiful” together.
Lyndonville students wore orange, Medina students wore blue and Albion musicians had on purple shirts.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 3 August 2015 at 12:00 am
~Tribute~
Photos by Tom Rivers – Bob Waters, president of the Medina Sandstone Society, gives a rallying cry on Dec. 11, 2013, during the inaugural induction of the Medina Sandstone Hall of Fame. Waters believed the community should take pride in its history, including the many landmark buildings around the state made from the local stone.
MEDINA – Orleans County lost one of its biggest boosters last week with the death of Robert E. Waters. The former publisher lived a full life, leading the local newspaper, raising two daughters with his wife Barbara, and playing an influential role in civic affairs.
Waters was a community dynamo for nearly a century. In addition to leading the local newspaper, Waters was a key leader in finding a new use for the Medina Armory when it closed in 1977. It would become a YMCA. (The Y recently completed more than $500,000 in upgrades to the former Armory, setting the building up for years of more use.)
Waters relished life in a small town. He was pleased with the recent resurgence of the downtown Medina business district, with the influx of investment and young entrepreneurs.
“It used to be young people couldn’t wait to get out of here,” he told Orleans Hub in April 2014 when he was being honored as a Heritage Hero by Genesee Community College and Orleans Hub. “I’ve always been a small-towner. Maybe the small town is coming back.”
The Heritage Heroes were honored for the first time in April 2014 as part of the Civil War Encampment. Waters stood out for a lifetime of commitment to the community.
He used the written word to preserve local history. He has written publications – he wouldn’t call them books – about Medina’s sandstone past, the community’s boom years from 1900 to 1930, and a publication of penny post cards about Medina in 2012: “Greetings from Medina, New York.”
Bob Waters in April 2013 signs a copy of the Medina Sandstone Society’s latest publication, “Medina, My Home Town – Fond Memories.” Waters tended the Sandstone Society’s booth at the Orleans County Chamber of Commerce’s Home and Garden Show.
While Waters loved the written word, he has also provided leadership and some of the heavy lifting for community projects, perhaps most notably the reuse of the former Armory on Pearl Street.
That 90,000-square-foot structure was built in 1901. After the state closed the building in 1977, Waters and the Armory Action Committee met weekly and negotiated with the state to keep the utilities on, make needed repairs and eventually transfer the site to the community so it could be used as a YMCA.
“When the National Guard left, the property could have gone down hill in a hurry,” Waters told Orleans Hub last year. “Now the Y is just running with it.”
Even at 90, he was leading the Medina Sandstone Society as the group’s president. Waters turned the Sandstone Society into a dedicated group that relishes the rich local history of the area. He backed efforts to create a Sandstone Hall of Fame that inducts buildings and landmarks made of the local sandstone.
Waters also pushed to create the Sandstone Trust that doles out small grants to community projects, from restoring stained glass windows, boosting the archives at the Lee-Whedon Memorial Library, and repairing stonework at the former Armory, as well as numerous other initiatives.
Waters was meticulous in his dress, wearing suits and bowties. But he was far from pretentious. Many residents received notes from Waters over the years, praising them for their good works, whether opening a new business, planting flowers or painting their house.
Waters exuded enthusiasm for the community.
“He loved the character of small-town life,” said his daughter Julie, who works in central communications for Cornell University. “He believed that small towns have a lot of vitality.”
When the bishop of the Western New York Diocese for the Episcopal Church visited Medina on June 17, Bob Waters gave him a tour. The Right Rev. R. William Franklin is pictured at Medina City Hall with Waters after the two looked at the Sandstone Hall of Fame, which includes St. Paul’s Cathedral in Buffalo, a giant Episcopal church made of sandstone from quarries in Hulberton.
Waters graduated from Medina High School in 1942 and served in World War II with the Army. After he earned a degree from Miami University of Ohio, he joined the family business, The Journal-Register in Medina, in 1949.
The paper would expand its coverage under Waters, with a big push to cover all of Orleans County. Mike Wertman was hired as a reporter in 1978. He covered local sports and other community news, including local government.
At that time, Waters wanted more in the newspaper from outside Medina. He pushed Wertman and the staff to be a county-wide paper, and Waters embraced coverage of girls sports. He would make sports a full-time job for Wertman. Waters gave this advice to Wertman: “The more names you could get in the paper, the better.”
Wertman said Waters was influential in the careers of many journalists. Many got their start at The Journal with Waters as their mentor. Behind closed doors with staff, Waters was optimistic, looking for the good in the community and its residents.
“He was always positive and pro-Medina,” said Wertman, who now covers sports for the Orleans Hub.
After selling The Journal and the former Albion Advertiser to a large newspaper chain, Park Newspapers, in 1985, Waters would work 10 years as communications director for State Sen. John Daly and his successor, George Maziarz. Waters also served on the Ridgeway Town Board for a decade, and was deputy town supervisor.
He stayed active and engaged in community issues, and found time for golf at Shelridge. He enjoyed playing the game with friends, and his grandson, Cody. Bob was one of five founders of Shelridge Country Club and was its first president.
Julie Waters said the family nearly lost him when he was 40 and in the backyard with his kids. A stray bullet from a target shooter struck Waters in the cheek and left his neck. The injury gave him problems the rest of his life, but Waters and family were grateful for 50 more years.
“He almost died, but he survived,” his daughter said. “We always felt it was a gift that he lived and we had a father.”
Julie said she is grateful to the community for the outpouring of tributes for her father.
“People have expressed a lot for his love of community and family,” she said.
Bob Waters, right, shows Medina resident Roland Howell the Sandstone Hall of Fame during a reception in February 2014. Waters relished his friendships and local history.
On a personal note, I’ve been friends with Bob for 20 years since I moved to Orleans County and had my first newspaper job with the Albion Advertiser. I often went to the Medina office of The Journal-Register to drop off film and lay out the Albion paper.
Bob would often stop by. He sprinkled kind words around the news room, especially for the reporters. He offered some background on the issues of the day.
We remained in touch when I joined The Daily News in Batavia. We became closer friends the past two years. I really enjoy learning about the area’s Medina Sandstone history, and the seeing how far the stone travelled in building mansions, churches and other important community buildings all over the state and beyond.
I thought a Sandstone Hall of Fame would be a nice way to celebrate that heritage. I pitched the idea to Waters and some of the Sandstone Society members. They endorsed the effort – and did all the work.
Bob, like a lot of newspapermen, watched the grim state of the industry with concern. The Journal-Register closed last year. Other small-town papers have also shut down and many larger papers are a shell of themselves.
Bob was a big encourager when the Orleans Hub started. He wanted the local news covered. He even declared himself a “Hubster” in a recent email.
He has been a role model for many in the community, showing the importance of valuing people and history. He was unapologetic in his love for Medina.
He also showed it doesn’t always take a big capital campaign to make a difference. Sometimes it just takes a hand-written note.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 31 July 2015 at 12:00 am
Photos by Tom Rivers – Kim Lockwood, owner of FastFitness in Medina, recently added a tanning business, FasTan. Lockwood, right, is pictured with FasTan manager Danielle Waters at the site, which was a garage and has been renovated with five tanning booths.
MEDINA – In 2004, Kim Lockwood wanted to start a women’s-only gym. She was working as an occupational therapist for the VA in Batavia at the time.
But Lockwood believed there was potential in a business that catered to women with their own gym.
She brought passion and lots of energy to her goal. But she didn’t have a business background. She took a 10-week class through the Orleans Economic Development Agency, a class that helped her develop a business plan and also included insights on taxes, marketing, legal issues, computer skills and other issues.
Lockwood also used a low-interest loan through the EDA’s revolving loan fund to open FastFitness in 2004. She started the business in Albion and added a FastFitness in Medina in 2010. (She sold the Albion location which is now XPress Fitness.)
In 2013, with the Medina site on Main Street crammed for space, Lockwood moved to 627 West Ave., in a former hardware store. She tripled the space for the gym, and six months later opened a fitness room next to the gym for women to take Zumba and other exercise classes. During her winter peak, Lockwood has more than 400 members at FastFitness.
Kim Lockwood, left, gave up a job as an occupational therapist with the VA in Batavia to start FastFitness, a gym for women only. Lockwood credited assistance and ongoing expertise from her business advisor through the Small Business Development Center. Lockwood is pictured with her advisor Sam Campanella, third from left, and another business advisor Dick Pettine, left. Both serve as instructors with the Microenterprise Assistance Program, which is directed by Diane Blanchard, second from left. Lockwood graduated from that 10-week program in 2004 and continues to get advice from her business advisor.
When she was in the MAP program in 2004, she worked with Sam Campanella, one of the class instructors and a small business advisor with the NYS Small Business Development Center.
Campanella has been a frequent resource for Lockwood, connecting her with consultants for marketing, legal issues and accounting. He pitched an idea to Lockwood. He thought a tanning business would complement FastFitness.
Lockwood researched the issue and crunched the numbers with Campanella. She opened FasTan in March at 627 West Ave., in the same building with FastFitness. She already has more than 200 tanning clients using five tanning booths, including a stand-up booth, a 10-minute tanning booth and a 12-minute tanning booth.
The quick tanning sessions give people a chance to swing by on a lunch break, Lockwood said.
Lockwood is considered one of the biggest success stories in the small business training and assistance program through the EDA, said Diane Blanchard, MAP coordinator.
Lockwood said the small business assistance has been invaluable, and critical for her to grow her business.
Campanella said Lockwood has the key qualities for a successul entrepreneur.
“You need the ability to work hard and work smart,” he said today while visiting Lockwood at FastFitness and FasTan. “You need to have vision and determination and a don’t-give-up attitude. You need to understand the business you’re in.”
Kim Lockwood has a stand-up tanning booth at FasTan, which has five tanning booths at 627 West Ave.
Campanella and Pettine are both part-time certified business advisors. Campanella works out of GCC in Batavia and has 48 clients while Pettine works out of Brockport State College and has 58 clients.
Diane Blanchard, the Microenterprise Assistance Program coordinator, said the two are great resources for business owners. They can help get a business off to a good start and help as business owners grapple with other issues later on.
“They are an advisor forever,” Blanchard said.
Lockwood has grown from using 1,200 square feet on Main Street in Medina to 7,500 square feet at the current location, a former hardware store and garage.
She said the success of the business has her thinking about adding more locations. She has applied to be on the Shark Tank show for a big capital investment to turn FastFitness into franchises. She is waiting to hear from the show.
In the meantime, she may add another location nearby. She said she is grateful she made the decision in 2004 to start the business, and see the hundreds of people who have improved their health and confidence through FastFitness.
The EDA is starting another MAP class on Sept. 8. The program runs through Nov. 17. For more information about MAP, call Blanchard at (585) 589-7060 ext. 101.
Provided photo – Capt. Garret Farman relieves Capt. Michael Ballou as 28th commanding officer of the U.S. Navy repair facility in Japan. The Ship Repair Facility Japan Regional Maintenance Center provides ship maintenance and modernization to Pacific Fleet Type Commanders using advanced industrial techniques to keep the Seventh Fleet operationally ready. Photo by Michelle Bridges, Ship Repair Facility Japan Regional Maintenance Center Public Affairs.
By Alicia Akashi, SRF-JRMC Public Affairs
YOKOSUKA, Japan – Captain Garrett Farman relieved Captain Michael Ballou as U.S. Naval Ship Repair Facility and Japan Regional Maintenance Center (SRF-JRMC) Yokosuka’s commanding officer at a change of command ceremony on July 10.
SRF-JRMC is a full-service ship repair facility providing maintenance, modernization, docking, fly-away and emergency repairs for U.S. Navy vessels. The SRF-JRMC mission is to “Keep the Seventh Fleet Operationally Ready.”
Captain Farman is the son of Robert and Patricia Farman of Medina. A 1986 graduate of Medina High School, Captain Farman attended the University of Rochester, earned a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering.
He was commissioned through the University of Rochester Naval Reserve Officer Training Corps program in 1990. He was awarded a Master of Science Degree in Mechanical Engineering from the Naval Post Graduate School in 2000.
Captain Farman is an Engineering Duty Officer involved with the design, acquisition, construction, repair, maintenance, conversion, overhaul and disposal of ships, submarines, aircraft carriers and the systems on those platforms.
MEDINA – Eliot Lewis visited Medina’s Beegarten at 810 Meadworks Wednesday night.
The current keyboardist of Hall & Oates and featured performer on Live from Daryl’s House spent about 20 minutes fielding questions from the audience. Then he launched into two full sets of songs from his solo career as well as songs by Hall & Oates, Todd Rundgren, Led Zeppelin and Joe Walsh.
Lewis spent time with everybody in attendance before heading off to join Hall & Oates at the Niagara Fallsview Casino for their sold-out performance tonight.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 19 July 2015 at 12:00 am
Eliot Lewis will play at Bee Garten
Photo courtesy of Eliot Lewis – Eliot Lewis will do a solo show Wednesday in Medina before playing with the Daryl Hall & John Oates band in Niagara Falls, Ont., on Thursday.
MEDINA – The concert series at the Bee Garten in Medina will feature a high-profile musician on Wednesday when Eliot Lewis, from the Daryl Hall & John Oates band, plays a solo show.
Lewis will play the following night in Niagara Falls, Ontario, at Fallsview Casino Resort. He welcomes a chance to share his music, including in small towns.
“I love trying out new places and having new experiences,” Lewis said by phone. “There’s been a lot of great surprises.”
Lewis plays the guitar, keyboard, bass, and drums, and he is a rock, R&B, and soul singer, a songwriter and producer. He joined Hall & Oates in 2003. He was a member of The Average White Band, a Scottish soul band, from 1989 to 2002.
“Playing with Hall & Oates is an amazing day job,” Lewis said. “They have so many great songs.”
Lewis has his own music, with five albums to his credit. He has played in major venues all over the world, as well as on The View, The Voice, Conan O’Brien, Today Show and Jimmy Kimmel.
Lewis is a featured performer on the award-winning TV show, Live From Daryl’s House with Daryl Hall. Lewis said Live From Daryl’s House has been a big boost for his career.
In Medina, he will share his own music following a question and answer session with the audience. He said he will talk about some of his musical experiences. Tickets are also available for dinner with Lewis before the show. For more on tickets and the Bee Garten, click here.
Thom Jennings is coordinating the concert series at the Bee Garten, the former Boiler 54 at 113 West Center St. Jennings writes concert reviews for the Niagara Gazette. After reviewing a Lewis concert last year, Jennings and the musician stayed in touch. Jennings reached out to him about performing in Medina.
Lewis said he is happy to play at the Bee Garten.
“I want to support anywhere that supports live music,” he said. “I’m always open to new musical experiences.”
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 16 July 2015 at 12:00 am
U.S. News & World Report puts both in top 15 percent
Two schools in Orleans County have been named among the top high schools in New York and the in the country.
Both Medina and L.A. Webber Middle-High School in Lyndonville were named to list of top schools by U.S. News & World Report. Both were recognized as Silver Medal winners by the publication.
Lyndonville was ranked 1,895th out of about 21,000 high schools in the country, and Medina was ranked 1,967th. That puts both of the districts in the top 10 percent nationally.
To determine the 2015 Best High Schools rankings, U.S. News & World Report used methodology to identify great high schools. Those schools must serve all of its students well, not just those who are college bound, and the schools must be able to produce measurable academic outcomes to show it is successfully educating its student body across a range of performance indicators, U.S. News says on its website.
The publication looked at reading and math results for all students on each state’s high school proficiency tests. U.S. News then factored in the percentages of economically disadvantaged students – who tend to score lower – enrolled at the schools to identify schools performing much better than statistical expectations.
U.S. News then examined if a school’s disadvantaged students – black, Hispanic and low-income – were outperforming disadvantaged students in the state.
In a final measurement, U.S. News studied college-readiness performance – using Advanced Placement or International Baccalaureate test data as the benchmarks for success.
L A Webber Middle-High School is ranked 176th within New York, out of 1,259 schools. Lyndonville offers Advanced Placement courses and 46 percent of students participate in AP classes. Lyndonville has 309 students in the middle-high school, and 89 percent are considered economically disadvantaged, with 8 percent of the student body a minority.
Medina was ranked 182 out of 1,259 among New York high schools. The district offers AP courses and 42 percent of students take those classes. In Medina, 38 percent of students are considered economically disadvantaged. The student body of 665 students is 19 percent minority.
In an email today, Jeff Evoy, Medina district superintendent, said this is the first time Medina has been named an award winner at U.S. News & World Report.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 14 July 2015 at 12:00 am
Photos by Tom Rivers
RIDGEWAY – The Medina Tourism Committee, State Canal Corp. and some passing cyclists celebrated a new interpretive panel on Monday morning explaining the Canal Culvert and other culverts along the Erie Canal system.
The panel is along the towpath on the north side of the Culvert.
Jim Hancock, chairman of the Medina Tourism Committee, said many cyclists, walkers and other canal users pass by the spot without realizing the remarkable culvert below.
The new panel draws attention to spot, the only place on the 363-mile-long canal where a road goes under the canal.
“This will let people know there is a significant architectural structure there,” Hancock said. “It’s one of a kind.”
Hancock helped organize the panel dedication on Monday. He wanted the event to express appreciation to the Canal Corp. for putting up the panel, and for also being a good caretaker of the nearly 200-year-old manmade waterway.
“We just wanted to say , “Thank you,'” Hancock said.
Here are some highlights of the panel, which also includes information on other culverts on the canal:
The panel notes the original culvert in Medina was dismantled in 1854 and rebuilt the following year. It was further upgraded in 1895.
Medina doesn’t have the only significant culvert on the canal system.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 13 July 2015 at 12:00 am
Jordan Gailey
A Medina High School graduate was killed in a hit-and-run accident on early Sunday morning in South Carolina.
Jordan Gailey, 29, was walking along U.S. 17-A in Summerville when he was struck around 3 a.m. on Sunday. The driver fled the scene.
The South Carolina Highway Patrol is asking for the public’s help in investigating the fatal hit-and-run accident. Police do not information on the type or color of vehicle that was involved.
Gailey grew up in Orleans County and was working in construction. He recently moved to Summerville.
He was known as a free spirit and his fun-loving ways, a family member said this morning. Gailey’s Facebook page includes many tributes from his friends, saying he was unforgettable as the life of a party.
After being struck by the vehicle on Sunday, Gailey died about seven hours later at the Medical University of South Carolina Hospital in Charleston.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 11 July 2015 at 12:00 am
Photos by Tom Rivers
MEDINA – Panek Farms in Albion was selling these raspberries and other fruit and jams today at the new Canal Village Farmers’ Market.
The market opened today for the first time. It will be open every Saturday from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Dawn Keppler of SK herefords in Shelby cuts some beef for a sample of the farm’s meat. This is the first time the farm is trying a farmers’ market.
“I’ve been pleasantly surprised,” Keppler said about the turnout. “We’ve got good feedback from people about our locally grown beef.”
The market is located in the parking lot at the corner of West Avenue and West Center Street, formerly used by a bank. The spot is located across from the U.S. Post Office.
This photo shows Bryan DeGraw of 810 Meadworks, left, and Cindy Robinson of the English Rose Tea Shoppe.
DeGraw said the market introduced many people to Meadworks.
“I love this village and I want to see it do well,” DeGraw said.
Jennifer Ohar Scott, an art instructor at Wide Angle Art Gallery, paints on site at the market today. The gallery sold art and also promoted upcoming classes.
Stymus Farms from Barre had fruits and vegetables for sale.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 7 July 2015 at 12:00 am
Photo by Tom Rivers – The parking lot at the corner of West Avenue and West Center Street, formerly used by a bank, will be used for a farmers’ market on Saturdays beginning July 11 and continuing through late October.
MEDINA – A new farmers’ market will debut this Saturday in downtown Medina.
The market came together after news that a previous market in the Canal Basin wouldn’t continue this year in Medina or Albion. That market was open from late June to late October for 10 years.
The new Canal Village Farmers’ Market won’t be in the Canal Basin. It will set up in a parking lot owned by the Orleans Renaissance Group at the corner of West Center Street and West Avenue. It’s across the Post Office in a busy part of Medina.
Gail Miller is the volunteer coordinator of the market, which will have about 10 vendors. That includes four or five farms, two meat producers, honey, tea, art from the local Wide Angle Art Gallery and music on some Saturdays, including opening day on July 11. The market will be open every Saturday for about four months from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Miller said the market will be convenient for residents, especially for people in the downtown who may not have transportation to the grocery stores. The market also gives farmers a venue for selling their fruits and vegetables.
“I’m hoping being in a busy trafficked area will draw more people to the market,” Miller said.
Miller said more vendors are welcome to contact her at 585-798-3904.
She said ORG members Chris Busch and Cindy Robinson pushed to have the market in the downtown. Busch created the name and designed the logo for the market.
Miller grew up on a farm in Cambria in neighboring Niagara County. She said Orleans County is a rural area with many farms.
“The local farmers need a place to sell their goods,” Miller said. “It will be convenient for the public to have them in one spot.”
