Provided photos – Brandi Guild talks with Robert Batt, a 4-H Youth Development Educator with the Cornell Cooperative Extension in Orleans County.

Press release
Medina Central School
MEDINA – While many schools are dropping their community service requirements for students, Medina High School is making it an integral part of their learning experience.

This is the third year that social studies teachers, Todd Bensley and Michael Pickreign, have used their creativity to get students to talk to local agencies and be able to sign up on the spot for their minimum of 10 hours of volunteer time.

The teachers invite about 12 local organizations to set up tables in the cafeteria and then the high school seniors spend a period going from table to table to learn more about the agency and what kind of help they need.

“In the past, we had students who wouldn’t sign up for their community service,” Mr. Pickreign said. “They wouldn’t know where they could go to volunteer or what would be expected of them, so they didn’t bother. This way they have to go to each table, talk to the representative and then they get to pick which one is the right fit for them.”

Morgan Nashwenter, Aracely Hernandez with Sue Metzo from the Medina Area Association of Churches (MAAC).

Mr. Bensley said that not only is community service a nice thing for students to do in order to develop empathy, but makes a difference in their hometown, helps them build their resume and become more well-rounded individuals.

“A lot of them are surprised by how much they enjoy it,” he said. “It is eye-opening for them and makes them feel good about positively impacting the community. Some of them end up volunteering more time than the requirement.”

At the end of their volunteer experience, students give a presentation to the class about the history of the agency they chose and what their experience was.

“We hear a lot of positive feedback from the students and the agencies,” Mr. Pickreign said.

“I think in terms of education, this gives the students a chance to apply what they learn in class to real needs in the community,” Mr. Bensley said. “It’s an enriching experience for everyone.”

Photos by Tom Rivers

MEDINA – The Medina Fire Department treated the community to fun and many tips for preventing fires during an open house today, which is the start of National Fire Safety Week.

The top photo shows Shalin Mack, 5, of Medina aiming water at targets with help from Medina firefighter Jeff Tuohey.

Dale Heiser from the NYS Office of Fire Prevention and Control brought a trailer to Medina to show some common household fire hazards. Some lighters are made to look like toys, which can be an attraction for children and lead to accidental fires, Heiser said.

He had a hair dryer in a sink (with no water). He warns people, especially college students, to keep hair dryers and curling irons away from sinks.

He also showed extension cords that are intended to be temporary, but are used 24-7 in some households. Those cords can cause fires.

The stove also has a pot with the handle within reach of children. Heiser urges people to turn the pots so the handles can’t be easily grabbed by kids.

Dale Heiser also simulated smoke in the trailer, and showed people how smoke rises. That’s why they should get low – “Stay Low and Go!” – during a fire.

Chad Kenward, a Medina police officer and member of the Orleans County Multi-Agency SWAT Team, took questions from the public about the SWAT team and its vehicle.

The open house included New York State Police “seat belt convincer,” an interactive ride allows people to experience a simulated vehicle crash and gain an appreciation for why seat belts matter.

The Orleans County Sheriff’s Office “Safe Child” program, where children can be finger printed, and have their child safety seats checked for proper installation, also was available.

Mark Watts and his wife Denise are pictured in a 1933 fire truck that was used by the Medina Fire Department until 1972, when it was taken out of service. The truck was purchased by Joe Conley and he owned it until Watts bought it in 2007.

The truck had been out of the public eye since the 1970s, until Watts had it in the 2009 Memorial Day parade. The truck has been a regular in that parade, plus the Lyndonville Fourth of July parade, in recent years.

Caleb Fisher, 2, gets behind the wheel of the 1933 fire truck with his mother Audra next to him. Caleb’s father Adam Fisher is an EMT with COVA and a firefighter with the Barre Volunteer Fire Company.

Provided photo – Medina Police Officer Jason Barnum talks to Joe Byrne’s eighth grade class. Students shown in back row are Cooper Fearby, Simon Fox, Jacob Washbon and Neal Martin.

Press Release, Medina Central School

MEDINA – Jason Barnum, the new school resource officer for Medina, was invited to speak with eighth grade students in Mr. Joe Byrne’s class.

Barnum has been with the Medina Police Department for seven years and he shared with the students numerous examples of things he has experienced while performing his duties.

“As a police officer you have to be very careful not to violate someone’s privacy and you have to articulate every move you make if you have reasonable suspicion,” he told the class. “I think with me sharing my experiences, it made them realize how the laws affect them and why they were created.”

Officer Barnum said he enjoyed talking to the class.

“Many of the students had great questions and we got into some interesting discussions and debates about the laws,” he said. “I think a great side benefit was that it allowed the students to get to know me and feel comfortable with me. I want the students to know I am here as a resource for them and I think it was a good ice breaker. ”

Mr. Byrne said he is grateful for Officer Barnum for coming in and talking to his students.

“He did six sessions and I think it was great for the students to hear his personal stories,” Byrne said. “It definitely made the laws more real to them.”

At the beginning of school every year, Byrne discusses Supreme Court cases that directly affect the eighth-graders in his class.

“For two days we go over six cases that affect everything from the students’ right to free speech, athlete drug testing and privacy rights in school,” Mr. Byrne said. “We usually talk about cases like Tinker v. Des Moines Independent School District where students wore black armbands to protest the war in Vietnam. When school officials told them to remove them, the students refused and they were suspended. The court sided in the students’ favor, but only as long as it was not disruptive.

“Basically they said students have a right to express themselves as long as it allows the school to keep order. Another important case we discussed was New Jersey v. T.L.O. where the Supreme Court ruled in favor of the school saying although students have an expectation of privacy, but that it has to be balanced with the school’s responsibility for maintaining an environment where learning can take place. Therefore, a student’s belongings can be searched, but not arbitrarily.”

Fire Department welcomes public to open house on Sunday

MEDINA – The Fire Department has the Village Board’s permission to seek a federal grant for about $150,000 to replace four defibrillators.

Captain Jonathan Higgins said the department has four defibrillators that are nearly a decade old, and cost $5,000 annually to be checked and maintained.

The Medina FD last month was awarded a $77,837 grant for new fire hoses, nozzles and a thermal imaging camera. That grant is through the Department of Homeland Security’s Assistance to Firefighters Grant Program.

Higgins said many departments receive the AFG awards year after year. He urged the Village Board to try for another grant through the program.

The board agreed to pay Grantmaster Inc. $2,400 to prepare the application for the Fire Department. Higgins said that is less than the $5,000 the department has in its budget for grant writing services.

Higgins also invited the Village Board and public to attend the Fire Department’s annual open house on Sunday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. (A special firefighter memorial service will be conducted at 10 a.m. in front of City Hall at 600 Main St.)

The open house is part of National Fire Safety Week, and allows local residents and business owners a chance to interact with their firefighters and learn fire safety information.

This free event is open to all ages, with special family activities planned throughout the day. There will be a Fire Safety House where people can practice home escape plans and learn about home fire safety. There will also be opportunities to learn proper fire extinguisher techniques, practice calling 911, and to receive information about smoke and carbon monoxide detectors.

The community can also see fire trucks (including antique ones) and tour the fire station at 600 Main St.

Special guests and demonstrations include the Medina Police Department K9 Unit, Orleans County SWAT Team, and the New York State Police “seat belt convincer,” an interactive ride allows people to experience a simulated vehicle crash and gain an appreciation for why seat belts matter.

Also present will be the Orleans County Sheriff’s Office “Safe Child” program, where children can be finger printed, and have their child safety seats checked for proper installation.

The department will also have a bounce house for kids to enjoy, as well as food available for purchase.

MEDINA – The business office at Medina Memorial Hospital will be closed on Thursday due to a transformer being replaced.

People can still make payments at the hospital’s registration office on Thursday. The business office is expected to reopen on Friday.

Photo by Tom Rivers

MEDINA – The big 3-million gallon water tank on Route 31A is being drained so inspectors can check the tank for structural deficiencies.

Crews started draining the tank this morning and it should be empty of water at about 3 a.m. Tuesday (Sept. 29), said Peter Houseknecht, Medina Department of Public Works superintendent.

The tank has interior cracks that were identified in a previous inspection when the tank was full of water. Draining the tank will give inspectors a better chance to assess the tank, which was built in 1959 on Route 31A.

An engineering report from June said the village could spend $600,000 to $1 million in repairing the tank and making improvements to give it at least another 20 years of use.

The village is seeking state and federal grants and assistance to help upgrade the tank. Houseknecht is hopeful grants through the U.S. Department of Agriculture or the state Environmental Facilities Corporation can bring the village’s costs down for a rehab of the tank.

A report from Larsen Engineers said the village needs to at least fix the interior cracks and put in a mixing system. To build a new tank would cost $2.5 million or more, according to the Larsen report.

Houseknecht said the village will tackle tank upgrades next year. There is some concern about another harsh winter and the toll that weather could have on the concrete tank, he said.

The tank should be refilled in two to three weeks. Houseknecht said it is a reserve supply for village residents and businesses. Having the tank off-line won’t have much impact on water pressure, he said.

13 schools compete in Fall Festival of Bands

Photo by Tom Rivers

MEDINA – Vets Park in Medina hosted 13 schools and about 1,000 spectators for the Fall Festival of Bands competition on Saturday.

The top photo shows Madelyn Stencel, drum major for the West Seneca Marching Band, which performed “Metallic.” West Seneca finished first in the Large Schools Class 3 with a score of 73.15.

Photo by Wendi Pencille

Trenton Crews competes with Medina despite having his arm in a cast. Medina was the only school in the Small Schools Class 1 and received a score of 80.65. That was the second highest score of the night. Lancaster, which competes in the Nationals Class, had the highest score with 83.15.

Photo by Wendi Pencille

The tuba section competes for Medina. This year’s show for Medina is called “Illusions.” Medina will next be in action on Oct. 3 at West Genesee.

Photo by Tom Rivers

A member of the Color Guard for West Seneca is part of the show, “Metallic.”

Photo by Tom Rivers

Nicole Bradbury, on the stand, is drum major for the Hilton Crimson Cadets Marching Band, which performed “This Just In” during Saturday’s competition in Medina.

Photo by Wendi Pencille

Leaders of the band from Falconer, which performed a show with a Wizard of Oz theme, wait to hear their score. Falconer came in third in Small Schools Class 3.

Event helps showcase local businesses

Photos by Tom Rivers
MEDINA – Rose Elliott, owner of Rose’s Alterations at 104 West Center St., is dressed as a barmaid during today’s Ale in Autumn event in Medina.

More than 700 people bought tickets for the event, which is organized by the Medina Business Association.

Elliott is pictured inside the first floor of the Bent’s Opera House. She said beer-tasting has proven a fun event for the business owners and the crowds of people sampling the beer.

Meghan Fuller serves beer at ellen j goods, a store with repurposed furniture. Her parents, Lynn and J.R. Brundage, operate the business. Meghan, 35, said she is pleased to see Medina drawing so many young adults to shop and visit the community for special events.

This sign is on the sidewalk outside The Bread Basket on Main Street.

This is the seventh time Medina businesses have hosted the Ale in Autumn. Last year was a sell-out with all 750 tickets sold. The Medina Business Association topped 700 tickets sold this time, but didn’t quite get a sell-out, said Cindy Robinson, MBA president.

She was pleased with the turnout, especially because Batavia and Buffalo also had beer-tasting events today.

The event makes a few thousand dollars for the MBA, which will use some of that to replace banners in the downtown. Robinson said the MBA may use some of the proceeds from Ale in Autumn to buy new garbage cans that have a historic feel to better blend in with the downtown.

“It’s not meant to be a big money-maker,” she said about the event. “We just want to bring people downtown to see our businesses.”

Kim Keil, co-owner of The Wide Angle Art Gallery, serves beer-tastings from the gallery on Main Street. Wide Angle opened a year ago during Ale in Autumn.

Keil said the beer-tastings get people to the gallery, where they see the work of local artists and learn about classes at Wide Angle.

Andrew Meier, owner of the Hart House Hotel, serves tastings of beer. Meier, the mayor of Medina, said many of the people on the trail of beer-tastings didn’t know there was a boutique hotel in downtown Medina with six rooms.

The Ale in Autumn event served its purpose for the merchants, helping to get potential customers inside the shop doors.

“This is really about discovering the places in Medina,” Meier said.

Photo by Cheryl Wertman

MEDINA – Subbing for King Charles Beach who was busy playing in the football game, first runner-up Brad McPherson escorts Homecoming Queen Holly Heil to the field at halftime of the Medina/Lyndonville vs. Barker/Roy-Hart football game this evening at Vet’s Park.

Check local sports for highlights of the game.

Randall Bane teaches churches to be more expressive

Photos by Tom Rivers – Randall Bane is founder of David’s House, a religious education organization that aims for “fully expressive worship.” Bane teaches Christians to use banners, garments, flags, drama and dance in church services. He is pictured at his house in Medina, where he has created an altar and chapel. He wants to show how Christians can express their faith in bold and charismatic ways.

MEDINA – Randall Bane said church services don’t need to feel boring. For the past four decades, Bane has taught Christians use color and symbols in banners and flags, and to include dance and drama for “fully expressive worship.”

Bane is the founder of David’s House, a religious education institute. He advocates using creative talents in church services.

“The visual expression of the faith is endless,” Bane said. “But a lot of churches have a retrenched style of worship that can be very boring.”

Bane and some guests will give a performace at the Beegarten in Medina on Oct. 3 at 7:30 p.m. and on Oct. 4 at 6:30 p.m. The shows at 113 West Center St. are free and open to the public. They will also be teaching some Israeli folk dances that Bane said are easy to learn.

Bane, 74, left small-town Lyndonville a half century ago and headed to New York City to work as an actor, singer and dancer. (He also was a taxi driver for two years.)

Photo courtesy of Randall Bane – Randall Bane performs during the Creation Festival in 1983.

After about a decade as a professional actor, Bane became a Christian at age 33 and turned his focus on using his theatrical and performing arts skills as a ministry for God. When he became a Christian, he was living in Columbia, Missouri, on a professional theater contract in St. Louis.

He would travel the country and the world the next 40 years performing and teaching churches to bring movement and visual arts into worship. He is considered a pioneer of Christian dance.

He developed characters such as “Obie the Love Clown” and performed at Christian festivals, on Christian television and numerous venues around the country while he was living in Kansas City.

A year ago he bought a house in Medina, a 10-room building he is using as the base for David’s House, a religious education institute. His home at 801 West Ave. includes a fabric workshop where he teaches people to make banners, flags and garments.

Bane is pictured as Obie the Love Clown in this program from more than three decades ago.

He leads classes on drama and dance, and helps worship leaders at churches to bring all the performing arts disciplines together for a service.

Christians have long used art in churches. Bane notes stained-glass windows, sculptures, language and architecture have all brought out the best in peoples’ creative talents.

“Dance, drama, and architecture are all ways to express our love to God,” Bane said.

Churches were more charimastic in worship, Bane said, until he observed a significant drop off in the 1990s. Many African-American churches remain expressive, and some congregations even have dance teams, he said.

But Bane said more churches should incorporate dance, drama and bold colors in their services.

He has travelled to Singapore and China, where churches utilize performing arts.

“The underground churches in China are very lively,” Bane said. “In Southeast Asia there has been a tremendous flowering of faith.”

Bane has returned to his roots to be near his mother Mildred, who he said is 98 and going strong. He also thinks God may have a plan for him, using his house in Medina as a base for helping Christians to enliven their worship services.

Bane is pictured near the altar he made that is displayed in his Medina home. “The visual expression of the faith is endless,” he said.

Provided photo from Medina Marching Band

MEDINA – The Medina Mustang band competed for the first time this season on Saturday at Jamestown High School. It was a rainy start to the show but all seven bands were able to perform outside.

Medina was the only contender in the SS1 class and scored 76.35, which was about par for their first show in comparison with past years.

“The kids performed very well for their first show of the year,” said Jim Steele, band director. “For the seniors it was the beginning of the end of a great career in band. For the 35 rookies, it was their very first show – very exciting to say the least, very proud of all of them.”

Medina hosts the next competition, the Fall Festival of Bands on Saturday at Vets Park. It is a great opportunity to see the band without having to travel too far, said Kathy Dreyfus, publicity chairwoman for the band.