Photo by Tom Rivers: Nathan Pace and his wife Margaret will be closing the Medina law office of Mack & Pace on May 31 for a three-year sabbatical while they lead a mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Guatemala City.

MEDINA – Nathan and Margaret Pace are following a higher calling beginning this summer when they take a break from the Mack & Pace law firm for three years to lead a Mormon mission based in Guatemala City.

They will lead the mission’s 180 to 200 full-time missionaries, young adults who are often on their first extended time away from their families.

Over the three years, the couple expects to work with 400 to 500 missionaries, with new groups of 24 young men and woman coming in every six weeks. The missionaries serves between 18 to 24 months.

“We are so excited,” Mrs. Pace said. “We have loved young people our whole lives. I cannot wait to get there.”

The law firm will close for three years. Mr. Pace said he expects the office will reopen on July 1, 2029.

While they are gone, Tom Seaman, a Lockport attorney, will maintain documents – wills, trusts, powers of attorney.

“We have a solid plan that our clients will be taken care,” Pace said. “I love my clients. We have thousands of people that we have worked with and helped through the most difficult times in their lives.”

He hasn’t taken on new criminal cases, but the office will continue to do estate planning, power of attorney and health proxy until May 31. He and his wife fly out to Guatemala on June 14. The Paces will have a short transition with the current leaders before they take over.

Provided photo: Nathan and Margaret Pace have raised their six children in Medina. Beginning on July 1, they will lead 180 to 200 young adults over three years in Guatemala.

Nathan Pace, 60, said he is grateful for the chance to serve the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in such a big role. He has learned Spanish and has been studying the Guatemalan culture.

“Guatemalans are the most humble people,” he said. “And they have the best food.”

Nathan will stand out in the crowd. He is 6 foot, 7 inches. That towers over the average man at 5’ 3’’.

“I will be a giant,” he said.

He knows the two-year mission assignments can be critical for young Mormons to embrace their faith and also to serve others. The missionaries in his charge will work in an urban environment and also out in the jungle areas. Guatemala City has 3.3 million people – and more than 30 volcanoes.

Pace was born in Wyoming, but moved to Medina when he was a boy after his father, James Pace, was transferred to the FMC plant in Middleport.

Nathan said he loved growing up in Medina. He went to Brigham Young University and met his wife, who from North Carolina. Nathan served his mission commitment in Spain for two years, and he said the president of the mission had a tremendous positive influence on him.

Nathan and Margaret spent the first 12 years of their marriage in Salt Lake City where he was an attorney, a city councilman and a judge pro tem.

Their goal was to raise their children in Medina. Their six children graduated from Medina. The Paces have 13 grandchildren.

Nathan for the past 21 years has teamed with Tom Mack to run the law practice at 534 Main Street, Suite 6. Margaret Pace is a paralegal and office manager of the law practice.

Nathan also has been active in his church, first as a leader of a congregation in Lockport and then as president of nine congregations in Western New York.

He then was picked as part of the Area 70 leadership in the Northeast from North Carolina to Canada. Nearly every weekend he was gone, doing leadership trainings and working with Mormon members. He was often away Friday morning to Sunday night or Monday morning.

Pace’s tenure as an Area 70 leader ended last Aug. 1 and he thought life would slow down a little. He and Margaret became certified scuba divers and went on vacations.

But a new opportunity would be presented in January: to live in Guatemala City and lead the mission for an area of 4.5 million people including the city and more remote areas.

Nathan and Margaret welcomed the opportunity to serve in the volunteer role for the next three years.

“It may seem crazy but every adult should do something crazy,” Mrs. Pace said. “It’s everything we love all wrapped into one. It’s the most amazing thing.”

Pace said he will bring his skills as a planner to the assignment as well as one who enjoys working with other people.

“Fundamentally, it’s sharing the love of Jesus Christ and the willingness to love the people,” he said.

He is grateful his wife will be with him as the lead the mission.

They will strive to monitor the physical, mental and spiritual health of the young missionaries.

The Paces said they will be doing frequent Zoom video conferencing with the parents of the Mormon missionaries, letting them know how their children are doing. They know the anxiety when a young adult goes away as a missionary for two years.

Their son Levi served in Uruguay in southeastern South America bordering Argentina; Nate was in inner city Chicago; Lincoln served in Ecuador; and Isaac recently finished a two-year commitment in Peru.

Mr. Pace said he and his wife have been studying the photos and bios of the 180 missionaries who will be in Guatemala City when they start as the leaders.

“We pray for them every day,” Nathan said. “And not only for them, but that we’ll be sensitive to their needs. We are so enthusiastic and optimistic and looking forward to these relationships.”

Budget includes $300K profit from sale of ladder truck

Photo by Tom Rivers: The Medina Village Board approved the village’s new budget on Monday for 2026-27. From left includes trustees Jeff Wagner and Jess Marciano, clerk/treasurer Jada Burgess, mayor Debbie Padoleski, and trustees Mark Prawel and Scott Bieliski.

MEDINA – The Medina Village Board on Monday approved the village’s budget for 2026-27 that shrunk a tax increase from 22 percent in the tentative budget on April 13 to a final figure of 1.3 percent.

The budget is boosted by $300,000 in profit from the sale of a new ladder truck. Medina also will be spared about $130,000 from making the first bond payment for the truck.

To net a $300,000 profit, the village would need to sell the truck for $2.1 million. The village already has received offers for $2 million for the truck without any advertisement, said trustee Scott Bieliski. The board said on Monday it will reaching out to three different brokers to try to maximize the price for the new truck. The broker would get 1 percent of the sale, or about $20,000 and that fee may be paid by the buyer, Bieliski said.

Medina is looking to sell the truck, which will spare it from the $130,000 annual payments over 20 years and also save the village from taking on the expense of an addition to the fire hall to house the truck. The truck is too big for the existing fire hall.

The village budget was adopted unanimously by the board on Monday. It preserves all existing village positions. The budget a year ago eliminated four firefighter positions and also didn’t fill a vacancy in the DPW. The board also cut the K9 program and withdrew from having the Medina PD as the school resource officer.

The budget for 2026-27 increases spending in the general fund by 2.0 percent from $7,723,296 to $7,877,764. The tax levy is up by 1.29 percent or $50,418 from $3,910,344 to $3,960,762.

The tax rate will increase by 21.5 cents from $13.995 to $14.21 per $1,000 of assessed property.

The village’s tax base decreased by $690,258 from $279,406,911 to $278,716,653. New townwide reassessments won’t take effect in the village until the 2027-28 budget.

The new budget was the first one for Steve Cooley as fire chief and Christian Navas as the police chief. They both thanked the board and Jada Burgess, the clerk/treasurer, for their assistance with the budget.

Mayor Debbie Padoleski said the department heads all attended extra meetings and worked hard with the board to reach the final spending plan.

The board also approved the water fund budget, which is up 1.1 percent or by $23,395 – from $2,210,778 to $2,234,173.

Medina also adopted the sewer fund budget, which increased by 8.7 percent or by $118,133 – from $1,360,558 to $1,478,691.

The village’s new fiscal year starts on June 1.

Photos by Ginny Kropf: Victoria Chatfield of Williamsville watches as Mackenzie Sullivan of Medina buys a book from author Ed Ashton during an Independent Bookstore Day event at Author’s Note in Medina. Chatfield comes to the store at least four times a month and belongs to every book club there, she said.

MEDINA – It was five years ago to the day when Julie Berry and her husband Phil opened Author’s Note at 519 Main St.

As the store celebrated Independent Bookstore Day on Saturday, Berry, who is also an author, said she could never have imagined its success.

“It’s been so joyful,” she said. “I am thrilled to feel so much love and support from our customers and community.”

Not only were visiting authors busy selling and signing their books, but customers were finding many other books of interest, including Berry’s latest novel If Looks Could Kill, which debuted on the  New York Times Best Selling list.

(Left) Chrissy Bloom of Albion buys books for her kids during Independent Bookstore Day Saturday at Author’s Note. (Right) Scott Robinson of Medina brought son Roux to Author’s Note on Saturday to meet Crush, the therapy dog, whose owner/trainer Wendi Pencille has written a book about him.

Customers and the community came out on Saturday, the store’s fifth Independent Bookstore Day, during which they welcomed authors Kate Hosford of Brooklyn, Ed Ashton of upstate New York, Pembroke School librarian David Neth and Wendi Pencille of Shelby.

Ashton said he and his wife Jennifer, a professor at Brockport State College, enjoy coming to Author’s Note and Medina.

“It’s a beautiful store and town,” he said.

Chrissy Bloom of Albion came to buy books for her kids.

“I’m glad I came,” she said, as she deposited a stack of books on counter.

Ashley Harnish of North Tonawanda, center, holds the Golden Ticket she found hidden at Author’s Note, during Independent Bookstore Day on Saturday. The prize earned her 12 free audio books. With her, at left, are Amanda Tarsdale and Katie Edwards, right, both of Medina.

Many book club members came as a group, including Victoria Chatfield of Williamsville.

“I come here at least four times a month,” Chatfield said. “I belong to every book club here.”

McKenzie Sullivan of Medina said their entire book club met for lunch at Zambistro’s, then came to Author’s Note, where she picked up Ashton’s latest book and had it autographed.

“I’m enjoying this little independent bookstore,” Chatfield added. “I like to shop local. Our book club member come from three or four counties.”

As an added attraction, Berry had hidden a golden ticket somewhere in the store, which was discovered by Ashley Harnish of North Tonawanda, who visiting the store with her book club friends Amanda Tarsdale and Katie Edwards of Medina. She won 12 audio books, which she loves, she said.

Wendi Pencille came to the book signing with her therapy dog Crush, the subject of her first book, Crush Finds His Place.

Author’s Note owner and best-selling author Julie Berry, kneels down to kiss Crush, the St. Bernard therapy dog owned by Wendi Pencille, left. Pencille signed copies of her first book, Crush Finds His Place, during Independent Bookstore Day.

The idea to write a book came about when Pencille and her therapy dog were visiting Bornhava, a preschool in Snyder which deals with children with disabilities.

“They cannot find hard cover books, so I decided to write one,” Pencille said.

In it are pictures of the children.

Proceeds of her book will go to Bornhava and the CNC Learning Center in Amherst.

Pencille said when she starts training a therapy dog, they pull its tails and step on its toes, things a young child would do. So when children actually do those things, the dog thinks nothing of it.

Copies of her book and those of the other authors are all available at Author’s Note or by visiting AuthorsNote.com or e-mailing info@authorsnote.com.

Provided photo: This is the group of kids Andrew Szatkowski was able to get to the Salvation Army’s summer camp last year. He needs $2,000 this year, and volunteer chaperones to ride down and back.

MEDINA – Andrew Szatkowski’s lifetime passion has been helping children have a happy childhood. He was instrumental in starting a corporate toy challenge to benefit Community Action’s holiday giveaway.

While participating in the toy drive, he became acquainted with Annette Finch, who at the time managed the Red Kettle drive at Community Action for The Salvation Army. He learned from Finch about a Salvation Army camp on the banks of Seneca Lake in Penn Yan. Children from Orleans County could go and spend a week at Long Point Camp.

Photo by Ginny Kropf: Andew Szatkowski, although busy as the new general manager of Hinspergers Poly Industries, still finds time to pursue his passion of helping children attend summer camp.

There used to be a Salvation Army camp in Kendall – Camp Troutburg, which catered to children in lower-income families.

While Camp Troutburg has closed, The Salvation Army continues to provide summer camp at Long Point Camp. It has become Szatkowski’s current mission to sending kids to summer camp in Penn Yan. Attending camp is already financed by donations to the Red Kettle Campaign, but Szatkowski is trying to raise $2,000 for transportation to get the children to camp and home again.

“As a kid I went to camp at Camp Troutburg and I loved it,” Szatkowski said. “A lot of kids in Orleans County went there, and I know there are a lot of kids here now who would enjoy Long Point Camp and benefit from it.”

Anyone wishing to donate to help with cost of transporting kids to camp may contact Szatkowski at aszat74@yahoo.com or by calling (585) 205-0581. They also may bring donations payable to The Salvation Army to open enrollment nights at Hoag Library from 5 to 7:30 p.m. May 14, 21 and 28.

Szatkowski will be there to help any family register and to answer questions. Registration for camp must be done online. Any money collected over the required amount will be used towards next year’s season.

Eligible children must be between 6 and 12. The camping week is Monday through Friday.

Camping activities include swimming, arts and crafts, canteen, evening programs, hiking, outdoor living, kayaking, music, sports and recreation, archery, a gaga pit and more.

Ann Vail, service extension director for the camp, said they can accommodate 192 youth a week. They are fully staffed, she said.

She said attendance dropped after Covid. The camp reopened in 2023 and is continuing to grow. She said Orleans County kids are being targeted for the last week in July.

Honorees include Dr. Warren Blount, Michael Royal, Nelda Toussaint and Mary Woodruff

Photos by Ginny Kropf: Michael Royal, assistant superintendent of Mooresville, N.C. School District and a 1997 graduate of Medina High School, accepts his Distinguished Alumni Award in ceremonies Thursday. Looking on at right is school principal Michael Cavanagh.

MEDINA – Four extraordinary individuals were honored at ceremonies Thursday afternoon at Medina High School with induction to the Distinguished Alumni Hall of Fame.

Honorees were Dr. Warren Blount, a 1963 graduate of Medina High School; Michael Royal, a 1997 graduate; Nelda Toussaint (posthumously), 1947 graduate; and Mary Woodruff, 1965 graduate.

The program began with a welcome from Michael Cavanagh, High School principal, followed by introduction of honorees by the school’s Student Government officers.

“Today we honor four individuals who will be recognized for their outstanding contributions to their community and/or chosen career,” Cavanagh said. “Listen to their stories and I am sure you will agree they are quite inspirational.”

Next, Lilah Class led the audience in the Pledge of Allegiance, followed by the A’Cappella Select Ensemble under the direction of Rachel Trillizio singing “Sawubona.”

The audience at Medina High School’s Distinguished Awards Ceremony Thursday afternoon was entertained by the A’Capella Select Ensemble, under the direction of Rachel Trillizio.

This was followed by an overview of the awards presentation by Christopher Mulcahy Jr., who explained the Distinguished Alumni Award is given annually to honor alumni, promote school spirit, foster pride in the school and community and to serve as an incentive for the current student body.

“The people we honor today are proof we are all capable of achieving greatness and truly making a difference in society,” Mulcahy said.

The Distinguished Alumni awards were established in 2003. To earn this honor, a person nominated must be a current or former member of the school community who has graduated at least 10 years ago and who has achieved one of more of the following: achieved excellence in their chosen career, made outstanding contributions to their community or profession, or made an outstanding contribution to humanity as determined by the Distinguished Alumni Committee.

“What we find quite interesting is the diversity among our honorees,” Mulcahy said. “They have definitely left their mark in society, whether it is right here in our hometown or in places throughout the world.”

Each honoree was presented with a plaque, and a second plaque will be displayed in the hallway leading from the cafeteria toward the agriculture room.

The late Dr. Warren Blount’s nephew accepted his Distinguished Alumni Award at ceremonies Thursday afternoon at Medina High School.

Madelyn Elliott introduced the first honoree, Dr. Warren Blount, whose award was given posthumously and accepted by his nephew Travis Evans.

Dr. Blount embodied the virtues of character, patriotism and grit throughout a lifetime of extraordinary service, which began as a member of the United States Marines, third Forces Reconnaissance Battalion. Serving three tours of duty during the Vietnam War, Blount displayed immense bravery during the Battle of Khe Sanh and the Tet Offensive. His gallantry in the face of conflict earned him numerous prestigious honors, including the Purple Heart, the Naval Commendation Medal, Bronze Star and the Vietnam Cross.

After his military service, Blount became a highly skilled surgeon’s assistant in cardiac vascular surgery. His career in Michigan saw him assist in more than 6,000 open-heart surgeries and transplants. He furthered his education at the Michigan University College of Human Medicine, completing a residency in emergency medicine to expand his capacity to care for those in crisis.

He concluded his career in Tallahassee, Fla., where he served 17 years as a practicing emergency physician at the Capital Region Medical Center. Known for his unwavering compassion and dedication, he treated every patient with the same steadfast resolve he showed as a Marine.  He remains a shining example of the heights a Medina alumnus can reach through hard work and a heart for service.

Evans also described the suffering Blount endured because of Agent Orange – first having his right leg amputated and finally succumbing from Agent Orange at the age of 78. He is buried in Arlington Cemetery.

“He was a fantastic individual and a compassionate surgeon,” Evans said.

The next honoree, Michael Royal, was introduced by Ava Blount, who said Royal has built a distinguished career defined by academic excellence and leadership.

“A member of the National Honor Society and a record-setting athlete in the 4×400 relay, Royal carried his Medina work ethic to the Mooresville Graded School District in North Carolina,” Blount said.

Since 2001, Royal ascended from an award-winning mathematics teacher and principal of Mooresville High School to chief operations officer, where he oversaw more than $100 million in construction projects, and currently serves as assistant superintendent of the school. His visionary leadership in digital learning and student growth earned him the 2016-2017 Administrator of the Year Award and led to his appointment as interim superintendent in 2022.

In addition to his administrative success, Royal is a legendary figure in North Carolina athletics. One of only five coaches inducted into the Mooresville High School Athletic Hall of Fame, he led his teams to a staggering 39 team titles and six state championships. Most notably, his 2007-08 boys’ teams achieved the historic “Triple Crown,” winning state championships in cross country, indoor track and outdoor tract, a feat unmatched by any other boys’ program in state history.

Beyond the scoreboard, Royal’s contribution to humanity is seen in his devotion to his brother, Corey. By running marathons for Team Spina Bifida, Royal turned personal loss into a mission of hope, raising vital funds and awareness in Corey’s memory.

In spite of his deep roots in Mooresville, where he has been honored by Rotary as a Paul Harris Fellow and an active community volunteer, Royal remains a “Mustang” at heart. Inspired by the civic example of his father Craig Royal, Michael frequently returns to Western New York to support the Buffalo Bills and participate in local races. Whether he is mentoring students, guiding a district of 6,000 pupils or honoring his brother’s legacy, Michael Royal exemplifies the character and grit of a Distinguished Alumnus. He resides in Mooresville with his wife Mary and two daughters, continuing a life of service that makes his hometown proud.

Royal said he was humbled to be standing before the audience as a member of the Class of 1997. He also paid tribute to his grandmother Sheila Royal who had passed away last year.

“Twenty-nine years ago on this stage I graduated and received my diploma,” Royal said. “There were five teachers who made an impact on me, my coach, Jack Kiebala, Maria Biano, Steve O’Dea, Ed Weider and Cynthia Kiebala. I see them as the architect of my character, and I am honored they are all here today.”

Royal added, “The race is not always to the swift. It is to those who keep running.”

In conclusion, he added, “As we approach National Teacher Appreciation Week, please know you are appreciated.”

Jeff Toussaint, left, and Jennifer Cardone accepted their mother Nelda Toussaint’s Distinguished Alumni award posthumously from Medina High School principal Michael Cavanagh.

Nelda Toussaint was introduced by Izabella Garcia, who called her “a woman of remarkable intellect and determination.”

Toussaint graduated at the age of 16, then went on to earn a degree in fine arts from Syracuse University. Returning to her hometown, she applied her meticulous organizational skills to the management of her family’s farm and multiple local law offices. For more than seven decades, she remained a pillar of the Medina community, balancing her professional acumen with a deep-seated commitment to civic duty. Whether managing complex finances or serving as an active member of the First Presbyterian Church, she moved through life with a grace and precision that earned her the enduring respect of her peers.

Toussaint’s most profound legacy lies in her unwavering advocacy for local education. For more than 20 years, she served as a vital member and president of the Medina School Board, steering the district through decades of growth and change. Her passion for the schools did not end with her formal tenure; she continued to serve on the budget committee and attend meetings well into her nineties. Beyond the boardroom, her leadership extended to the Medina Memorial Hospital’s Association of Twigs and the Woods Creek Pony Club, reflecting a lifetime mission to enrich the social and educational fabric of the village she loved.

To all who knew her, Toussaint was a portrait of vitality and spirit. An adventurer at heart, she traveled the world, notably riding a camel across the Sahara at the age of 89. Yet, her greatest pride was found closer to home in the achievements of her grandchildren, for whom she never missed a performance, game or graduation.

Nelda Toussaint’s life was a master class in active citizenship and family devotion. Through her decades of leadership on the school board and her tireless volunteerism, she exemplified the very best of the Medina spirit, leaving behind a community that is stronger and more vibrant because of her dedicated service.

Her children, Jennifer Cardone and Jeffrey Toussaint, accepted her award posthumously.

“Mom would be so honored,” Jeffrey said. “She volunteered her time to many organizations, but serving on the School Board was something she was very proud of.”  She followed her father Laverne Beeton, who served 16 years on the School Board.

“Education was her great interest and the Medina School Board was her passion,” Jeffrey said. “She went until she couldn’t go any more. She would be humbled by this award. Service was a labor of love for her.”

Jennifer said her mom was born during the Depression and never did things for the accolades. She fought fiercely for agriculture and music, which were usually the first things cut in tight budgets.

File photo: Mary Woodruff, coordinator of the Hometown Heroes effort in Medina, is pictured in May 2019 with banners of showing the late Vincent Cardone and Mitchell Mason, a member of the Navy.

The final Lifetime Achievement Award recipient was Mary Brennan Woodruff, who was introduced by her grandson Brennan Woodruff.

His grandmother has dedicated her life to enriching her community and empowering others, Brennan said. Her distinguished 35-year career in education at the Royalton-Hartland School District was marked by a versatile mastery of teaching, ranging from elementary classrooms to specialized middle school mathematics.

Beyond the classroom, Woodruff served nine terms as union president and chairing the district’s Professional Council. Her commitment to her peers and her students established a standard of excellence that remains a benchmark for educators in the region today.

Woodruff’s impact on the local landscape is perhaps most visible through her visionary leadership of the Medina Hometown Heroes project. Inspired by a family tribute to her father-in-law in his hometown, she launched the program in 2019 to honor the military men and women of Medina. With meticulous attention to detail and profound empathy for grieving families, Woodruff has coordinated the placement of more than 410 banners throughout the village. Her tireless work has transformed the streets of Medina into a living gallery of gratitude, ensuring the sacrifices of local veterans are never forgotten.

In 2012, Woodruff made history by becoming the first woman elected to the Ridgeway Town Board in its 200-year history. Now serving her third term, she remains a steadfast advocate for her constituents and a vital member of the Decorate Medina Committee. Recognized by the Orleans Hub as an Outstanding Citizen, Woodruff embodies the spirit of a Distinguished Alumna. Her journey from a Medina student to a barrier-breaking leader and community guardian serves as an enduring inspiration to the entire Medina area.

Mary Woodruff, a 1965 graduate of Medina High School, shares her appreciation at being chosen recipient of a Distinguished Alumni award.

Woodruff was touched by her grandson’s introduction, and honored to be nominated as a Distinguished Alumna.

“I am humbled,” she said “It was a wonderful surprise.”

She acknowledged her family and friends in attendance, saying “I am so truly thankful for the presence of my family members, close friends and all of you who are connected to me.”

Her class was the largest class to graduate from MHS, she said.

She praised Medina’s mayor, village clerk and DPW workers who supported the Hometown Heroes program and helped with displays and removal of banners.

“All of you were influential in who I am today,” Woodruff said.

She addressed the youth who are “adults of the future,” saying they will accomplish great goals and build stunning careers, just as she did.

 She shared her journey beginning with education, teaching at Royalton-Hartland, as a representative of her town board and director of the Hometown Heroes Banner project.

Her secret, she shared, is “Fill your path to success with people who will be there for you, so others can gain from your actions. Consideration of others is a mighty goal.”

Woodruff also addressed students in the auditorium, a percentage of whom will pursue success by joining the armed services.

“You are the future ‘freedom fighters,’” she said.

She shared the story of Glen Stewart, who at the age of 15, changed his birthday so he could enlist during World War II. His daughter was in the audience Thursday.

She spoke of other heroes, such as those who fought in Vietnam, which inspired her to take on the Hometown Heroes program.

“Our village has displayed more than 600 banners since 2019,” Woodruff said. “Those banners revealed information that was sad to read, MIA, KIA. The banners teach us empathy.”

She added the Hometown Heroes banners has been one of the most supported projects the village and towns have experienced. People come from other states to visit in the summer so they can see a family member’s banner, which claims this family member is a hero.

One of those heroes and the reason she started the Hometown Heros Program is Sgt. Willis Burr Woodruff, a World War II serviceman and her father-in-law. His courageous action provided food for starving villagers.

“Sports figures and pop stars get labeled ‘heroes,’ but servicemen and servicewomen are the true heroes,” Woodruff said.

Nominations are welcome for future honorees to the Distinguished Alumni Hall of Fame. Click here to see an online form. Nominations are due to Michael Cavanagh by July 31.

Members of the Distinguished Alumni Committee are Michael Cavanagh, chair; Allissa Dunham, Lawrence Fox, Susan Holland, Karen Jones and Mollie Mark.

Shared Decision Making Committee members are Teagan Balaban, Joseph Byrne, Michael Cavanagh, Sara Cinquino, Alissa Dunham, Sara Flansburg, Amy Fuller, Theresa Gobeli, Connie Heschke, Nicole Homme, Karen Jones, Mollie Mark and Debra Tompkins.

Photos by Tom Rivers

LYNDONVILLE – These saxophone players from Albion – left to right include Isla DeBoard, Kailee Anstey, Carter Krull and Phoebe Allen – perform during Friday’s night Jazz Coffee House in the Lyndonville gym.

Lyndonville for many years hosted its own jazz event with coffee and desserts in a smaller gym at the district. This year the event was expanded for the first time to include all five districts in the county. About 700 people attended the event which was organized by the Orleans County Music Educators Association.

The music boosters groups from the five districts arranged for the refreshments. There were 20 tables on the floor of the gym and the bleachers were mostly full.

There was no admission charge. Donations were accepted to support the OCMEA Scholarship Fund for seniors pursuing a career in music.

The Medina Junior High Jazz Band plays “Thriller.” The group is directed by Kyla Leno, a Medina graduate.

The Holley Junior/Senior High Jazz Band performed two songs at the concert. Director Zach Busch is in back on the trumpet.

The Kendall High School Jazz Band is led by Lindsey Chalmers.

Kelly Follman (center), Lyndonville music teacher, directed an All Star Jazz Band of juniors and seniors from the five districts. Follman presented the idea of all five school districts performing in a jazz showcase that could rotate to other districts in the future.

Follman is retiring at the end of this year. She also performed with the other teachers to close out the concert. She said playing with all of her teacher friends was a big motivator in wanting to bring all five districts together for an evening of jazz.

The instrumental music teachers in the county played “It Don’t Mean a Thing (If It Ain’t Got That Swing).”

Lily Botsford has a solo in Lyndonville’s fifth and sixth grade jazz group, which is directed by her mother, Becky Botsford. The group played “Don’t Stop Believin’.”

Becky Botsford, Lyndonville elementary music teacher, speaks on the microphone and welcomes the crowd to the first Orleans County Music Educators Association Jazz Coffee House. The Lyndonville band led off the concert.

These saxophonists play in Medina’s Junior High Jazz Band.

The Medina Senior High Jazz Band performs, including a soloist on saxophone.

Photo by Tom Rivers: Second-graders in Medina’s Glee Club make a heart shape with their hands while singing “I’d Like to Teach the World to Sing” during an Arbor Day ceremony today. The Glee Club also performed “Sunshine Day” and “Joy to the World (Jeremiah was a Bullfrog).”

MEDINA – The Village of Medina celebrated Arbor Day today with second- and third-graders from Oak Orchard Primary School helping plant four of the 51 new trees in the village.

The students each got to toss a shovel full of dirt in the big holes along Gwinn Street where new trees are going in the public right-of-way along the sidewalks.

Medina has been named a “Tree City USA” for its ongoing commitment to planting trees.

Jason Wetherbee, a second grader in Mrs. Brooks class, helps plant a Red Jewel Crabapple tree on Gwinn Street near Williams Street. Another group of second-graders planted the same type of tree less than a block away on Gwinn near Frank Street.

Farther down the street going south, third-graders planted two Zelkova serrata trees.

Medina Mayor Debbie Padoleski reads a proclamation about Arbor Day. She thanked the Tree Board volunteers for their efforts to bring new trees to Medina.

Arbor Day was first celebrated in Nebraska when that state celebrated planting more than a million trees. J. Sterling Morton in 1872 proposed that a special day be set aside to lant trees.

“Trees are enjoyed by everyone, young and old, wherever they are planted, and are a source of happiness and beauty in our village,” Padoleski said.

The Tree Board is led by Mary Lewis with Jake Hebdon, Lisa Tombari and Esther Weeks as members. Chris Busch, the past board chairman, also assists in selecting the trees as the village’s forestry coordinator.

The Medina DPW has planted 51 trees this spring on West Oak Orchard Street, West Avenue and Eagle, Gwinn and West Center streets.

Medina elementary students have been a part of the Arbor Day celebration for many years in Medina.

These second-graders in Dana Reeves’ class planted a tree with gusto this morning.

Medina’s urban forestry program is recognized as a Tree City USA by the National Arbor Day Foundation.

The new trees are funded through donations. Information about donating can be obtained at the village clerk’s office or by downloading the ReLeaf brochure online at www.villagemedina.gov or by contacting Lewis at mLewis.villagemedina@gmail.com. Checks for tree donations should be made payable to the Orleans Renaissance Group, Inc. – Notation: ‘ReLeaf Medina’ and mailed to PO Box 543, Medina, NY.

Andrea Busch, a music teacher at Medina, leads the Glee Club which has been part of Arbor Day for several years now.

The new trees will make up for some of those that are lost each year. Jason Watts, the Medina DPW superintendent, said the village usually has to take down about 40 to 50 trees annually that are decaying or dead and are in danger of falling.

Photos by Ginny Kropf: Hinspergers at 430 West Oak Orchard St. in Medina has expanded several times since coming to Medina 25 years ago. The company was named the “Business of the Year” for 2015 by the Orleans County Chamber of Commerce.

MEDINA – Hinspergers Poly Industries will continue its successful operation in Medina under new management, with the announcement of the retirement of general manager Greg Budd.

Budd is succeeded by Medina native Andrew Szatkowski, who came on board Nov. 1, 2025.

Greg Budd, general manager of Hinspergers since it opened in Medina in December 2001, has announced he will retire as of May 29. His replacement, Andrew Szatkowski, is already on the job.

Hinspergers is owned by Peter Hinspergers of Mississauga in Ontario, Canada. He also has a plant there and in Nova Scotia.

“He always wanted to have a presence in the United States,” Budd said. “He looked as far as the Carolinas and the Northeast to the Midwest, before settling on Medina.”

Budd and his wife made Medina their home, and said it has been an interesting 24 years.

“It has been a great experience,” Budd said. “I’ve made many friends and became a member of Shelridge Country Club. I’ve promised to come back and play golf.”

There were several reasons for choosing Medina, Budd said. One was the fact the company made swimming pool covers, and because it is so cold and snowy in the northeast, every pool owner would be interested in having a pool cover.

Another reason is that Medina is only a two-hour drive away when there are company meetings. And, the 25,000-square-foot building on Oak Orchard Street was attractive and they were able to purchase enough additional land to expand.

Hinspergers in Medina opened its doors Dec. 17, 2001 with 17 employees at the former Jamestown Container site. The building was wide enough for production rooms to produce custom-made pool covers that can spread out beyond 40 feet.

Soon after, in 2003, another 25,000 square feet was added, followed by a 33,000-square-foot addition in 2005. Sales quadrupled and employment had reached 65 when Covid hit. They currently employ about 45 and are hiring.

Since Covid, Budd said it has been a challenge to get and retain good help. The key people, however, have been there many years. He said Hinspergers is clean, light manufacturing and a great place to work.

Retirement will find him and his wife living in Waterloo for six months in the summer, and wintering in Florida for the winters. The couple has two children and three grandchildren.

Budd is confident he is leaving Hinspergers in good hands and said Szatkowski is doing a great job. Szatkowski’s background has been with several local companies, including Takeform and Bernz-o-Matic.

Provided photos: Left to right, Eric Seppala, Center Director, and David Berry, president of the VFW Auxiliary, students Alphonzo Snow, Arletys Arrigo and Sienna Jack, who holding their certificates; and Job Corps Operations Director JT Thomas.

MEDINA – The Iroquois Job Corps in recent years has made it an annual mission to support the VFW Post in Medina on Veterans’ Day.

To show their appreciation, Medina VFW Auxiliary president David Berry today presented the Job Corps with certificates honoring the services provided by the Iroquois Job Corps students.

Annually, students from Job Corps make and bring Veterans’ Day cards to the VFW for veterans. Volunteers from Job Corps pass out the cards, help set up tables for the free lunch for veterans and their families, serve lunch and then assist with clean-up, according to JT Thomas, operations director at the Job Corps.

David Berry, president of the Medina VFW Auxiliary, presents a certificate to Alfonzo Snow, honoring him for the service he provided to veterans on Veteran’s Day.

This year on Veterans’ Day, the sidewalks were covered with snow and student Alphonzo Snow quickly volunteered to shovel all of the sidewalks around the building leading up to the doors, so veterans and patrons would not fall. Besides their volunteering efforts, students that day donated a patriotic bench the carpentry students had made for the VFW.

Berry, Thomas and Center Director Eric Seppala are planning some community service opportunities which will have more students from Iroquois Job Corps working with the Medina VFW Auxiliary to help with local clean-up projects around Medina.

The carpentry students at Iroquois Job Corps also built, and donated a patriotic bench to the Medina VFW Veterans on Veteran’s Day. Veterans from left are Tom Snyder, Eric Delano, Jim Freas, Louis Chraston, Pat Little and Mike Harmer.

Provided images: Local author Wendi Pencille and her dog Crush will be at Author’s Note Bookstore on April 25, where she will join several other artists in signing books to celebrate the store’s fifth annual Independent Bookstore Day.

MEDINA – Medina’s independent bookstore, Author’s Note, will join more than 2,000 bookstores around the country in celebrating Independent Bookstore Day on April 25.

In addition to games, activities and giveaways, the day’s festivities between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. will include visiting authors, Ed Ashton, Kate Hosford, David Neth and Wendi Pencille, who will sign books and greet readers.

Children’s author Kate Hosford of Brooklyn will sign books between noon and 1:30 p.m. She is author of seven picture books and two poetry collections, garnering awards such as an American Library Association Notable Book, a Bank Street Best Book of the Year, a Junior Library Guild Selection and a New York Times Best Illustrated Book.

Children’s author Kate Hosford will sign books at Author’s Note.

Her books have been published in eight languages. Her newest title, You and I are Stars and Night, celebrates the love between children and their caregivers through a magical bedtime adventure. In addition to her appearance at Author’s Note, Hosford will do a presentation at Royalton Hartland Community Library at 6 p.m. April 23, and at 5 p.m. April 24 at Author’s Note, following visits to Oak Orchard Primary School in Medina and DeSales Lower School in Lockport.

Ed Ashton has written several novels, including The Fourth Consort.

Ed Ashton, a celebrated speculative fiction author of Mickey 7, the novel on which the movie Mickey 17 was based, will sign books from 1:30 to 3 p.m. Ashton is also the author of the novels Three Days in April, The End of Ordinary, Antimatter Blues, Mal Goes to War and The Fourth Consort, as well as short stories which have appeared in venues ranging from the newsletter of an Italian sausage company to Escape Pod, Analog and Fireside Fiction. He lives in a cabin on the shore of an inland sea, where he enjoys cancer research, teaching quantum physics to sullen graduate students and whittling. His newest novels, After the Fall and the Fourth Consort released earlier this year.

David Neth has a new book out, This Time Around.

Author D. Allen, aka David Neth, is a local school librarian who will sign books at the bookstore between 10:30 and noon. D. Allen writes heartfelt small-town romance, such as the Montana Beach and Small Town Christmas series.  He also writes urban fantasy and superhero fiction under his own name. A school librarian with more than a decade in the book world, he lives in Western New York with his family. His newest novel, This Time Around, released this week.

Wendi Pencille is a local author who will sign books with her dog Crush from 3 to 4:30 p.m. Crush is the main character, cover model and inspiration for Pencille’s new book Crush Finds His Place. Pencille has spent the past 25 years as a therapy dog volunteer, working with children and adults with special needs. As the human sidekick to Crush, a remarkable St. Bernard and certified therapy dog, Pencille will admit he is the star of the team, while she is primarily the chauffer and treat dispenser.

Over the years, her eight therapy dogs have formed very special bonds with the people they visit. It is one of those relationships that was the inspiration for her first children’s book, Crush Finds His Place. Pencille shares her home in Medina with her family, four dogs, a cat and usually a foster dog or cat as well.

All of the visiting author’s books are available now for purchase or online order from Author’s Note. Reserving copies in advance is strongly recommended.

Independent Bookstore Day spotlights the vitality and creative richness that locally-owned independent bookstores bring to readers, authors and neighborhoods in ways chains and e-commerce sites cannot replicate, said owner and author Julie Berry.

This will be the fifth annual Independent Bookstore Day for Author’s Note and the 13th anniversary of the event sponsored by the American Booksellers Association. In 2025, more than 1,600 bookstores celebrated Independent Bookstore Day. This year, the number jumps to more than 2,000, signifying the ongoing flourishing of independent bookstores nationwide, Berry said.

“Every year, Independent Bookstore Day gets bigger and better,” said American Booksellers Association CEO Allison Hill. “It feels more meaningful than ever this year to celebrate what indie bookstores represent – human connection, diversity and inclusivity, independent thought and independence and the power of community and truth.”

Author’s Note self-chosen theme for the day is “Bookstore Joy,” celebrating the genuine happiness bookstores infuse into the life of their communities by sharing stories and fostering real connection and community.

“The love people feel for Author’s Note and the way they light up when they walk through the door is the beautiful surprise I couldn’t have predicted before I owned a bookstore,” Berry said. “Every day I see anew how deeply our customers care for us. They’re glad we’re here. They feel at home here. They add so much joy to our lives. We hope, on this day especially, to reflect even more of that love and joy back to them.”

Throughout the day, in addition to meeting the authors, customers will share in games, including hunting for a Libro.fm Golden Ticket that will entitle the winner to a year of free audiobooks; crafts with children’s author Kate Hosford and a chance to pet Crush, Pencille’s therapy dog. Customers can win gift cards Author’s Note T-shirts and gift baskets. Several IBD-exclusive items supplied by the ABA will be available for sale or giveaway that day only.

Independent Bookstore Day isn’t only about the intangible benefits indie bookstores bring, but about tangible economic benefits, Berry explained. Local bookstores return two and a half to four times as much revenue to their local economies as chains do, while keeping jobs and revenue local and boosting local sales tax volumes.

In the late 1990s and early 2000s, the rise in online bookselling, chain stores and e-readers caused many people to predict the death of the independent bookstore, Berry reported. Yet, between 2009 and 2018, the number of independent bookstores rose nearly 50 percent. Harvard Business School researcher Ryan Rafaelli, in a landmark 2020 entitled “The Novel Resurgence of Independent Bookstores,” explained that indie bookstores thrive in an online-heavy book market by differentiating themselves along three lines: Community, Curation and Convening.

Berry continued to explain, “Community” refers to how local bookstores strengthen local economies and add vitality to shopping districts. “Curation” underscores how local book-buyers can select inventory that reflects the tastes and preferences of local shoppers, while “Convening” emphasizes the ways bookstores foster a shared sense of community amongst book-lovers by creating book-friendly spaces and hosting events, such as book clubs, story times and author readings to draw readers together.

For more information about Independent Bookstore Day festivities at Author’s Note, 519 Main St., or to reserve copies of the visiting authors’ books, visit AuthorsNote.com, e-mail info@authorsnote.com or call (585) 798-3642.

Photos courtesy of Chris Busch: (Left) Tiny shovels for young students are ready and waiting for the village of Medina’s annual Arbor Day ceremony at 10 a.m. April 24 at the corner of Gwinn and William streets. (Right) The village of Medina will plant 51 trees this year. Here, they are shown lined up at the DPW waiting for planting.

MEDINA – The village of Medina will observe Arbor Day this year with the traditional tree planting ceremony on April 24.

As in past years, the second and third grades from Oak Orchard Primary School and Wise Intermediate School will take part in the ceremonial planting of trees, beginning at 10 a.m. at Gwinn and William streets. Gwinn Street between James Street and Frank Street will be briefly closed for the occasion.

“Fifty-one trees in all will be planted this year,” said Chris Busch, Medina’s forestry coordinator. “Trees will be planted on West Oak Orchard Street, West Avenue and Eagle, Gwinn and West Center streets.”

This flag indicates Medina has been designated a Tree City USA for 2026.

The ceremony, presented by the village of Medina Municipal Tree Board, will also feature the Oak Orchard Glee Club, directed by Andrea Busch.

Special guests welcomed to the ceremony include mayor Deb Padoleski and village trustees.

“We’d like to give an enormous thank you to School Superintendent Mark Kruzynski for Medina CSD’s continued participation in our annual Arbor Day celebrating, and for providing Mrs. Andrea Busch as a school-based resource,” said Mary Lewis, chair of the Tree Board. “The schools have been an important part of Medina’s Arbor Day tradition for more than 17 years. These young students are the stewards of tomorrow’s urban forest.”

The Tree Board’s focus continues to take a three-pronged approach – main arteries and central business district area/parks and high-need residential areas, according to Chris Busch.

“Though we’ve been planting trees for more than 17 years, the need for plantings in all of these areas continues,” Lewis said. “As old trees come down, new trees are planted. The new trees we’ve been planting in our parks are having a beautiful impact, and we’re beginning to make headway on our neighborhoods. There’s still much to be done. We wish we could do more.”

Science shows that trees in neighborhoods have a real and measurable impact in so many ways, Lewis continued.

“We have tons of feedback constantly from citizens about how much they appreciate the beauty of our tree-lined streets,” she said. “We get similar feedback from out-of-town visitors,  too. It’s very gratifying.”

Medina’s urban forestry program is once again a Tree City USA, recognized by the National Arbor Day Foundation, Busch said. The annual Tree City award honors Medina’s commitment to community forestry, he said.

The Tree City USA Program is sponsored by the Arbor Day Foundation in cooperation with the National Association of State Foresters, and the USDA Forest Service. Tree City USA is awarded annually to those communities who qualify and is a national designation.

Numerous peer-reviewed studies on the impact of neighborhoods with street trees show multiple positive benefits, including increased property values, slower/safer traffic patterns, lower air temperatures and absorption of harmful pollution. The studies also show tree-lined streets in neighborhoods lower blood pressure and improve overall emotional and psychological health, according to Lewis.

“Gifts and contributions from individuals and businesses are essential to our work,” Lewis said. “We’re deeply grateful for this support. It’s crucial to sustaining our future. Medina’s tree-lined streets are a big reason people choose to live or open businesses here, and those donations are what make it possible for us to continue our efforts.”

Tax-deductible donations can be made any time for general tree planting, memorial trees or for “trees on your street,” according to Lewis.

Additional information can be obtained at the village clerk’s office or by downloading the ReLeaf brochure online at www.villagemedina.gov or by contacting Lewis at mLewis.villagemedina@gmail.com.

Photo by Tom Rivers: Medina Village Board members meet in a conference room at the Shelby Town Hall for a workshop meeting followed by budget discussions on Monday evening. Pictured from left and going clockwise: Trustee Scott Bieliski, Trustee Mark Prawel, Mayor Debbie Padoleski, Clerk-Treasurer Jada Burgess, Trustee Jeff Wagner and Trustee Jess Marciano.

MEDINA – The Village Board faces a tall task of trying to pare down expenses and find more revenues before a final village budget is adopted on April 27.

The board held a public hearing on Monday evening on the tentative budget which shows a 22.5 percent tax increase.

Mayor Debbie Padoleski, who campaigned on a more affordable Medina, said the board has more meetings with department heads to try to bring down the tax increase. Padoleski was elected on March 18.

A year ago, the board was in similar predicament with a big tax increase in the tentative budget. Padoleski was a village trustee then and the board would eliminate four full-time firefighter positions, while not filling a vacancy in the DPW and cutting the K9 program.

Padoleski said there aren’t similar cost-savings to cut this time because those cuts were already made.’

The tentative $8,189,601 budget represents a $466,305 more in spending or a 6.0 percent increase from the $7,723,296 in the 2025-26 budget.

The tax levy, what property owners pay in taxes, would increase by $880,423 or 22.5 percent from $3,910,344 to $4,790,767. The tax rate would increase by $3.19 from $13.995 to $17.189.

“This is just the tentative budget,” Padoleski said Monday evening during a public hearing on the budget. “There is still quite a bit more of cutting to do.”

Part of the increase is an additional $139,225 for the first bond payment for a new ladder truck. The board is working to sell that truck, and it’s possible the sale could exceed what the village owes at $1.8 million. There could be some unanticipated revenue from that truck, Padoleski said.

The budget shows a $340,020 increase in salaries (from $3,210,661 to $3,550,681); $5,000 increase in equipment reserve (from $50,000 to $55,000); $17,700 more for capital projects (from $1,756,548 to $1,837,899).

Total revenues are down by $414,118 from $3,812,952 to $3,398,834.

Padoelski said she met last week with the leaders from the towns of Shelby, Ridgeway and yates to request more money from them than the current $35,000 each annually towards the ambulance services in Western Orleans County. She said she sensed resistance to a higher amount from Yates and Ridgeway, while Padoleski said Jim Heminway, Shelby town supervisor, is open “to a new way of doing things.”

Padoleski said the fire department with 17 career firefighters is operating at a deficit of about $1.6 million.

“We’re obligated to come up with a tax rate in the next two weeks,” Padoleski said about a final village budget for 2026-27. “Honestly, right now I don’t know what that looks like.”

Here are the village tax levies and tax rates in the past seven budgets:

• 2025-26 tax levy, $3,910,344; tax rate, $13.995
• 2024-25 tax levy, $3,903,200; tax rate, $13.97
• 2023-24 tax levy, $3,786,964; tax rate, $21.16
• 2022-23 tax levy, $3,296,140; tax rate, $18.95
• 2021-22 tax levy, $3,259,119; tax rate, $18.77
• 2020-21 tax levy, $3,197,059; tax rate, $18.46
• 2019-20 tax levy, $3,138,059; tax rate, $18.32

The mayor also said the village faces costly upgrades in the near future at the sewer plant and replacing very old waterlines. Those undertakings will likely result in higher sewer and water bills for village customers, although she said Medina would be pursuing grants to hep offset the costs.

Provided photo: This photo from December shows Medina’s new ladder truck. The quint truck has a 100-foot ladder and many other capabilities. Medina Fire Department officials visited the truck manufacturing site in Appleton, Wisconsin.

MEDINA – Village officials will soon be putting together a package for prospective buyers of Medina’s new ladder truck.

A new administration on the Village Board, led by new mayor Debbie Padoleski, wants the ladder truck sold soon.

The truck is currently in Tonawanda where is waiting for a part, the cover for a metal box for tools. The truck hasn’t been put into service and the letters haven’t been put on that says it is a Village of Medina Fire Department truck.

Photo by Tom Rivers: Mayor Debbie Padoleski said she wants the village to push to sell the new ladder truck. Trustee Mark Prawel is at right.

“I’m hoping we can move forward with a sale,” Padoleski told other Village Board members during Monday’s board workshop meeting. “I want to keep this ball moving.”

Before she was mayor, Padoleski was on the board as a village trustee. She led a majority that included Mark Prawel and Scott Bieliski to vote on Feb. 9 and declare the truck surplus and begin the process for selling it.

Padoleski campaigned that the truck is unaffordable for the village. Besides buying the truck at $1.7 million, Medina would likely need to put an addition on its fire hall to house the truck. The current fire hall only has 10-foot, 6-inch clearance. The new truck can’t fit in the fire hall.

The truck with the addition could put the village on the hook for up to $4 million, Padoleski has said.

She wants to sell the truck at a minimum bid to pay off the loan, which is close to $1.8 million. The first of 20 payments at $139,225 is due in the village’s 2026-27 budget. That budget needs to be approved by the end of the month.

The Village Board needs to determine a minimum bid for the truck because there could be other costs, including a broker’s fee. The board could settle at a $1.9 minimum, Padoleski said.

The truck is expected to be back in Medina today. The village will take photographs of the truck, and prepare precise specifications for interested buyers. The potential bidders will likely want to come see the truck in person.

The mayor, who took office last week, said the truck could be sold through a sealed bid or an RFP (Request for Proposals).

Trustee Scott Bieliski said many fire departments have shown interest in the truck, including nearby Brockport and departments in other states. The village could sell the truck for more than $2 million, making a profit on the sale. Similar new ladder trucks are now $2.4 million at the time of the order with a wait from the manufacturer that could be three to four years.

Bieliski said Medina could work out a deal with Brockport and avoid needing a broker. A broker would charge a 1 percent fee and likely make about $20,000.

Village attorney Matt brooks said the Village Board is obligated to try to maximize the sale price. That could mean utilizing the services of a broker.

Bieliski said he would work to put together a bid package and reach out to brokers to help with the potential sale. In the meantime, the truck is expected to be stored in the DPW facility when it’s back in Medina.

Photo courtesy of Medina Triennial: This is a production still for Two Waters, 2026, by Tania Candiani. It is a new commission for the Medina Triennial.

Press Release, Medina Triennial

MEDINA – The Medina Triennial is pleased to unveil the full list of artists of its inaugural edition, All That Sustains Us, taking place June 6 to Sept. 7 in the Western New York village of Medina, along the Erie Canal.

Co-Artistic Directors Kari Conte and Karin Laansoo have invited 39 artists and collectives from across five continents to create a free, walkable, village-wide exhibition featuring over 100 works, including new site-specific commissions by 18 artists shaped in response to Western New York’s communities and ecosystems—many created in collaboration with local residents.

Following a year of on-the-ground research, Conte and Laansoo developed a curatorial framework rooted in the intersection of art, ecology, architecture, and rural contexts, while prioritizing local production to minimize carbon-intensive shipping.

Bringing artists from across the globe into dialogue with Medina and Western New York, the Triennial unfolds amid the histories, materials, and social worlds of the region. The works on view approach maintenance through linked themes: land relations and extraction, waterways and water stewardship, labor and repair, public life and community building, and the visible and hidden systems that shape everyday life.

Moving across different scales, the exhibition brings together building blocks and ruins, folklore and industry, farming and food security, interspecies kinship and ecological grief, as well as broader questions of conflict. Throughout Medina’s buildings, canalfront, parks, and former industrial sites, visitors encounter works that embody both endurance and fragility.

“All That Sustains Us echoes a question artist Mierle Laderman Ukeles posed in 1969 and never stopped asking: what does it take to keep things going? The Medina Triennial asks what forms of labor, knowledge, and commitment sustain civic life, ecological systems, and the built environment, especially under conditions of strain,” said Kari Conte and Karin Laansoo, co-artistic directors of the Triennial. “The works gathered here emerged from research and dialogue with artists and offer many distinct positions. What connects them is a shared attention to the forces, materials, and ideas that hold communities together, and to the conditions under which those structures begin to break down.”

The Triennial’s sites span the full breadth of the village. Situated in a former sandstone hotel overlooking the canal, the Medina Triennial Hub will serve as a welcome center, a home for education and residency programs, and a site for two major commissions—48 Collections from the Erie Canal by Futurefarmers and Reflection by Asad Raza.

The main exhibition site is 25,000 square feet of the Catherine Street Old Medina High School building, which has been closed to students and the public for more than three decades and recently celebrated its 100th anniversary, where new commissions include A Good Wall by James Beckett, Two Waters by Tania Candiani, INT. HOME(S) by Ash Arder, THE TELL by Matt Kenyon, and Between Blossom and Core by Kärt Ojavee.

Works will also be presented at the Medina Railroad Museum, Orleans County YMCA, Medina Memorial Hospital, Rotary Park, State Street Park, and Sacred Heart Church, as well as installations directly on the Erie Canal.

Anchoring the outdoor program is a new site-specific commission by Lina Lapelytė, Faithfully Recording, a durational performance where singers and construction workers collaboratively build a public sculpture from reclaimed Medina sandstone on the Medina Railroad Museum’s grounds.

Scott Hocking presents a new commission in the empty lot beside the historic Medina Theater on Main Street. Further highlights include Anne Duk Hee Jordan’s water purification sculpture I travelled 66 million years to be with you and then you came, to be shown at State Street Park; Community Toolshed for the Birds by Richard Ighby & Marilou Lemmens, an interspecies collaboration installed at Rotary Park; Jane Jin Kaisen’s Sorrow Waters This Land; and Evelyne Leblanc-Roberge’s multimedia installation All the hours, presented at the Medina Memorial Hospital.

The Triennial also marks the first U.S. presentation of works by Deirdre O’Mahony and Tokyo-based collective SIDE CORE, whose large-scale installation at Sacred Heart Church brings their distinctive engagement with construction infrastructure and public space to an American audience for the first time.

New works were produced under the Medina Triennial Fieldwork Residency, an initiative that gives artists time, space, and resources within Medina—including a cohort of local scientists, architects, farmers, and small business owners from across Western New York—to support research, foster collaboration, and deepen community connections. The program is designed to tailor commissions to the region through immersion in the village and its surroundings.

Photo by Tom Rivers: Mary Mattingly is shown in September on a canal barge that she will be turning into a floating garden that should bear fruit this summer as part of the inaugural Medina Triennial. Mattingly will transform the 27-by-80-foot barge into a showcase for plants and nature. She led a similar initiative in New York City, and that repurposed barge drew 350,000 visitors and more than 900 guided tours.

In Fall 2025, Mary Mattingly and James Beckett began their residencies to create new commissions for the Triennial. Mattingly developed Floating Garden, a barge-based living artwork built with local residents and students from the Rochester Institute of Technology led by architect Amanda Reis, while Beckett explored how architecture carries local history, material intelligence, and slow instability, in collaboration with the University of Buffalo.

This Spring, Selva Aparicio and Michael Wang are in residence in Medina—Aparicio at work on Maintenance, a broom carved from anthracite coal, while Wang develops Future Sugarbush, a nascent sugar bush grove planned by the artist, and Sugarbush Energy, a canned maple sap drink that will be available for free throughout the Triennial, and at select businesses across Medina.

The Triennial also creates a space for recontextualization of existing works. Alice Bucknell’s Staring at the Sun, a sci-fi documentary about solar geoengineering and the limits of rendering the atmosphere as something wholly knowable, will be shown in the U.S. for the first time.

Buffalo-based Nigerian artist Victoria-Idongesit Udonian, also presenting at the 2026 Venice Art Biennale, will show a new configuration of her large three-part installation, exploring the links between bodies and transit within global labor economies. AKI INOMATA presents How to Carve a Sculpture—an ongoing series of wood carvings produced by beavers enlisted by the artist’s collaborators at zoos across Japan. The Triennial will also honor Jay Carrier—an essential presence in Western New York’s artistic community, who passed away in 2025, presenting three of his mixed media works, The Children Will Heal Us (2018), American Landscape (2015), and Night Dancer (2019) throughout the Catherine Street main site.

The Medina Triennial was initiated with major support provided by the New York Power Authority and the New York State Canal Corporation, conceived as part of a broader strategy to showcase the Erie Canal as active civic infrastructure.

Further programming and event details forthcoming. For more information and to sign up for the official newsletter, please visit medinatriennial.org.

Medina Triennial 2026 Artists

• Ash Arder (she/they) b. 1988, Flint, MI; lives in Detroit, MI
• Selva Aparicio (she/her) b. 1987, Barcelona, Spain; lives in Alfred, NY, and Chicago, IL
• James Beckett (he/him) b. 1977, Harare, Zimbabwe; lives in New York, NY and Amsterdam, Netherlands
• Taysir Batniji (he/him) b. 1966, Gaza, Palestine; lives in Paris, France
• Alice Bucknell (they/them) b. 1993, London, UK; lives in Los Angeles, CA
• Tania Candiani (she/her) b.1974, Mexico City, Mexico; lives in Mexico City, Mexico
• Jay Carrier (he/him) Onondaga/Tuscarora Nations, Wolf Clan; b. 1963, Six Nations reservation in Ontario, Canada; d. 2025, Niagara Falls, NY
• Harun Farocki (he/him) b. 1944, Nový Jičín, Czechoslovakia (present-day Czechia); d. 2014, Berlin, Germany
• Jeneen Frei Njootli (they/them) b. 1988, Vuntut Gwitchin First Nation, Whitehorse, Yukon, Canada; lives in Old Crow, Yukon, Canada
• FIBRA – est. 2019, Lima, Peru; Lucia Monge, b. 1983; Gianine Tabja, b.1983; Gabriela Flores del Pozo, b. 1979
• Futurefarmers – est. 1994, San Francisco, CA; including Amy Franceschini, b. 1970, Patterson, CA; Michael Swaine, b. 1971, Buffalo, NY; and FS Bàssïbét, b. 1997, Elmina, Ghana
• Terike Haapoja (she/her) b. 1974, Helsinki, Finland; lives in Berlin, Germany
• Greg Halpern (he/him) b. 1977, Buffalo, NY; lives in Rochester, NY
• Carole Harris (she/her) b. 1943, Detroit, MI; lives in Detroit, MI
• Scott Hocking (he/him) b. 1975, Detroit, MI; lives in Detroit, MI
• Gözde İlkin (they/them) b. 1981, Kütahya, Türkiye; lives in İstanbul, Türkiye
• Richard Ibghy (he/him) & Marilou Lemmens (she/her) b. 1964, Montreal, Canada; lives in Durham-Sud, Canada b. 1976, Ascot Corner, Canada; lives in Durham-Sud, Canada
• AKI INOMATA (she/her) b. 1983, Tokyo, Japan; lives in Tokyo, Japan
• Anne Duk Hee Jordan (they/them) b.1978, South Korea; lives in Berlin, Germany
• Jane Jin Kaisen (she/her) b. 1980, Jeju, South Korea; lives in Copenhagen, Denmark, and New York, NY
• Matt Kenyon (he/him) b. 1977, Baton Rouge, LA; lives in Buffalo, NY
• Evelyne Leblanc-Roberge (she/they) b. 1981, Maria, Quebec, Canada; lives in Rochester, NY
• Dionne Lee (she/her) b.1988, New York, NY; lives in Columbus, OH
• Lina Lapelytė (she/her) b. 1984, Kaunas, Lithuania; lives in London, UK, and Vilnius, Lithuania
• Matthew López-Jensen (he/him) b. 1980, CT; lives in Bronx, NY
• Cathy Lu (she/her) b. 1984, Miami, FL; lives in Richmond, CA
• Mary Mattingly (she/her) b. 1978, Rockville, CT; lives in New York, NY
• Deirdre O’Mahony (she/her) b. 1956, Limerick, Ireland; lives in Cork City, Ireland
• Abraham O. Oghobase (he/him) b.1979, Lagos, Nigeria; lives in Toronto, Canada
• Kärt Ojavee (she/her) b. 1982, Rakvere, Estonia; lives in Tallinn, Estonia
• Asad Raza (he/him) b. 1974, Buffalo, NY; lives in Berlin, Germany
• Gamaliel Rodriguez (he/him) b.1977, Bayamón, Puerto Rico; lives in Cabo Rojo, Puerto Rico
• Selma Selman (she/her) b. 1991, Bihać, Bosnia and Herzegovina; lives in Amsterdam, Netherlands
• Finnegan Shannon (they/them) b. 1989, Berkeley, CA; lives in New York, NY
• Jean Shin (she/her) b. 1971, Seoul, South Korea; lives in Hurley, NY
• SIDE CORE – est. 2012, Tokyo, Japan; based in Tokyo, Japan
• Victoria-Idongesit Udondian (she/her) b. 1982, Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria; lives in New York, NY, and Lagos, Nigeria
• Mierle Laderman Ukeles (she/her) b. 1939, Denver, CO; lives in New York, NY and Jerusalem, Israel
• Michael Wang (he/him) b. 1981, Olney, MD, USA; lives in Upper Grandview, NY

Photo by Ginny Kropf:  Members of Butts-Clark American Legion Post, Auxiliary and Sons of the American Legion are welcoming the 76th New York State Bowling Tournament to Medina Lanes on April 18. This is the first time the tournament has been played in Medina. From left, in front, are Kim Stevens, Rick and Robin Boyle, Scott Carlton, Cathy Fox, Greg Smith, Judi Overholt and Chris and Jim Foss, owners of the bowling alley. Second row, from left, are Wayne Hale, Bob Stevens, Phil Rudnick, Guy Eaton, Joni and Bob Meehan.

MEDINA – For the first time in 75 years, the Annual New York State American Legion Family Bowling tournament will take place in Medina.

Members of the Butts-Clark American Legion Post, Auxiliary and Sons of the American Legion will welcome 80 bowlers to the tournament at Medina Lanes for four weekends from April 18 to May 10.

The tournament is open to members of posts, units, squadrons and chapters across New York, including Legion Riders.

The committee planning the event has already received incredible support from the community, said Phil Rudnick, a member of Sons of the American Legion.

“We want to thank them,” he said.

Sponsorship opportunities include full, half or quarter page or business card size ads in the program book; lane sponsors with a lane banner with business name and logo; and donations of baskets for a raffle.

“This is an excellent opportunity for the businesses of Medina to shine and encourage visitors to come back again and again,” the committee said.

In addition to Rudnick, committee members include Judy and Rick Overholt, Auxiliary and American Legion members; Cathy Fox, president of the American Legion Auxiliary; Rick and Robin Boyle, Sons of the American Legion and Auxiliary; Scott Carlton, commander of Sons of the American Legion; Wayne Hale, SAL; Bob and Kim Stevens, SAL and Auxiliary; Guy Eaton, Sons of the American Legion; Greg Smith, American Legion; and Bob and Joni Meehan, SAL and Auxiliary.

Rudnick said they invite bowlers to come on Friday night, explore the town and shop.

“We hope they will come back for the Triennial,” he said.

Rudnick acknowledged Penny Brown of Batavia, who spearheaded efforts to bring the tournament to Medina and helped organize it.

“We are very happy to welcome this tournament to Medina, and all the veterans and their families,” Rudnick said.

The event begins with an opening ceremony with flags at 12:30 p.m. April 18 at Medina Lanes.