Provided Photo
ORCHARD PARK – The Orchard Park High School hosted the Cavalcade of Bands on Saturday, where nine bands performed. Medina was the only SS1 participant and scored 81.85.
There are two more shows before – Oct. 11 at Victor and Oct. 18 at Webster – before the championships on Oct. 26 at the Carrier Dome in Syracuse starting at 8 a.m. The SS1 Class will start at 6:46 p.m. with Medina performing at 7:12 p.m.
The Jan. 4, 1920 issue of The Buffalo Express details the fatal fire.
Edward O’Brien
MEDINA – It was bitterly cold on Jan. 3, 1920 when a fire broke out of a South Main Street house owned by Walter Crisp.
Edward O’Brien was the village’s street and water superintendent. He worried the cold temperatures would crimp water pressure, making it harder for firefighters to put out the blaze.
O’Brien was on the scene, helping a firefighter place a ladder on the house when the roof caved in. The chimney then toppled and landed on O’Brien, killing him. His 9-year-old son Francis was there for his father’s last breath before running home to get his mother, according to the Jan. 4, 1920 edition of The Buffalo Express.
File photo by Tom Rivers – Medina firefighters Josh Wolck, left, and Matt Jackson served as the honor guard for a new firefighters’ memorial in front of City Hall that was dedicated Sept. 28, 2013. There will be another memorial service at 10 a.m. today and Edward O’Brien’s name will be added to a brick by the memorial.
About a year ago the Fire Department dedicated a new memorial outside City Hall for firefighters who died in the line of duty and also unveiled memorial bricks in honor of past firefighters who have since died.
Today, O’Brien will be recognized with a memorial brick as part of a memorial service at 10 a.m. outside City Hall.
Jonathan Higgins, a captain with the Medina FD, said the department wants to honor O’Brien for his heroic efforts.
The department learned about O’Brien’s tragic death after the memorial was erected about a year ago. Some of O’Brien’s family are expected for today’s service.
The memorial service will precede the department’s annual open house from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. That will include a chicken barbecue, an opportunity to meet firefighters and tour fire trucks, experience a rollover simulator and give in a blood drive.
Photos by Tom Rivers
MEDINA – If you drive down Mustang Drive to Medina High School, you may do a double-take. New this school year is a small barn and fenced-in pasture. There are llamas, sheep, a goat and a calf out munching on grass.
Students in boots are doing farm chores, hauling feed and water.
Welcome to the district’s agriculture program, which is taking students out of the classroom for more direct hands-on learning.
Justice Snook, a student in Medina’s introduction to agriculture course, pets a goat in the district’s new farm, which will enhance Medina’s agriculture program.
Monsanto approved a $25,000 grant for Medina to bolster its agriculture program. The grant paid for a small barn, a fence around the 1-acre pasture, security cameras, and a hydroponic system that will produce about 80 pounds of a feed a day.
“It’s fun to come out here and learn about it,” said Justice Snook, a freshman.
One class of students is pictured near the pasture and a new barn. The grain bins in back have been there for several decades.
In previous years, the 100 students in the agriculture classes were confined to the classroom, listening to PowerPoint presentations by teacher Todd Eick. Rather than showing the students pictures of different types of feed, the students can feel the different textures and feed the animals themselves.
This year students in Intro to Ag, Vet Science, Agriculture Engineering and Technology, and Environmental Applications will all have experience getting outside and working with the animals.
Todd Eick, FFA advisor and agriculture teacher, talks with students while inside the new barn. Chickens and rabbits are also planned for the building.
“We’ll have about 100 kids daily interacting with the animals,” said Todd Eick, the agriculture teacher and FFA advisor.
He stressed with students on Thursday the farm is highly visible to the community and will need to be kept clean, as a showcase for education.
“This is a living laboratory for us,” he said.
Chantelle Kidney, left, and Alexis Maines show the different pelletized feed for the animals. Students will learn how animals have different nutrition needs for protein, fiber, calcium and phosphorus.
The animals will be used for either their fiber – llamas and sheep – or for meat – goats, chickens and rabbits. The calf may join a dairy herd at another farm when it gets bigger.
Eick tends to the animals on the weekends and over the summer, with help from some FFA members. The FFA program has grown to 130 in the high school and another 95 in the junior FFA program.
The agriculture program also has apple trees in a partnership with local grower Jeff Smith. Eick also is working with the FFA to develop two community gardens on district property.
“Even if these kids don’t become farmers, one of my goals is for them to become more self-sufficient, to show them how much you can do on 1-acre,” Eick said.
Photos by Tom Rivers
MEDINA – The Palettes of Orleans concluded its second season with a reception and auction this evening at Leonard Oakes Estate Winery in Medina.
In the top photo Laura Gardner, left, and Sam Roskowski look over some of the 27 pieces of artwork on display, including the bottom row, from left, by Clara Lake, Jen Scott (dog) and Patricia Worrad.
The palette project was coordinated by the Orleans County Chamber of Commerce with proceeds going towards art scholarships at each of the five school districts in the county.
This photo shows artwork by Connie Mosher (flowers) and Ed Rosko.
Provided photo – U.S. History teacher Pierson Bell is dressed as a Revolutionary War solider in this photo with Victoria Vought (left), Abby Maines and Adam Cotter.
Press release, Medina Central School
MEDINA – U.S. History teacher Pierson Bell has a very unusual way to bring history to life to his students at Medina High School. He comes dressed to class as a British soldier.
“I am a Revolutionary War re-enactor and belong to a British regiment headquartered out of Rochester,” he said. “I got into it as a hobby when I was in graduate school at William and Mary, which is located in Colonial Williamsburg, the 18th century living history museum.”
His students have been studying the American Revolution since the beginning of the school year and when they focused on the military conflict and warfare of the 18th century, it seemed like a perfect time to wear his military uniform.
“The linear tactics, standing shoulder to shoulder and shooting at each other, seems silly to us in the 21st century, but it makes perfect sense to those in the 18th century due to the inaccuracy of the weapons,” he said. “We discussed factors that led to the American victory and some of the myths Hollywood movies perpetuate like Mel Gibson’s ‘The Patriot.'”
Mr. Bell says he loved this lesson because of its hands-on approach and because students ask questions on what they observe.
“As teachers we work hard to convey our passion for our subject to our students and hopefully excite them about their learning,” he said. “Showing students that my passion for history goes beyond work hours goes a long way in building credibility with them and creating interest for the subject.”
Photos by Tom Rivers
MEDINA – Paintings by Orleans County artists will be sold to the highest bidder during a reception this evening, a project that will try to raise $1,250 for art scholarships – $250 for each of the five school districts in the county.
The top photo shows a painting of fishermen by Suzanne Wells of Waterport. The painting was displayed at Tillman’s Village Inn.
This is the second year the Orleans County Chamber of Commerce has coordinated the Palettes of Orleans. Last year it debuted with 70 paintings on palettes. This year the numbers were reduced and the format was switched to an 11-by-14-inch canvas.
This photo features artwork created by Jen Scott. The Book Shoppe in Medina displayed Scott’s work.
There will be a reception from 5 to 7 p.m. today at Leonard Oakes Estate Winery at 10609 Ridge Rd., Medina. The public is welcome to attend and bid on the 27 pieces of art.
Provided photos
MEDINA – The school district is flying black and white mourning flags following the death of beloved middle school teacher Barbara Barnes. She was killed in a car accident on Monday morning in Newfane on her way to school.
Barnes taught special education at the Clifford Wise Middle School for 18 years. She lived in Newfane. Her husband Bruce is a town justice. They have two sons, Troy and Braidy. Barnes is also survived by her step-children, Livia Santschi, Evan and Thaler.
Barbara Barnes
The mourning flags at the school district will be at half mast on Saturday, the day of Barnes’s funeral. There will be calling hours at the Rutland & Corwin Funeral Home on Friday from 2 to 7 p.m. with the funeral service at 11 a.m. Saturday at the Newfane Methodist Church.
Donations can be made to the Barbara Barnes Memorial Scholarship, Medina School District C/O Christine Griffin, One Mustang Drive, Medina, NY 14103.
Photos by Sue Cook – Joey Robinson, left, explains the audio clip they are playing. Matt Roeseler operates the laptop and Brian Bogan provides extra information.
By Sue Cook, staff reporter
MEDINA – The Medina Area Paranormal Society (MAPS) revealed their ghost-hunt findings at a talk at Lee-Whedon Memorial Library last night for more than 75 people.
The group conducted investigations at three locations in Medina: the Greek Revival at 107 Pearl Street, NAPA Auto Parts and the Medina Historical Society.
Catherine Cooper is the director of the Lee-Whedon Library and is a board member of the Medina Historical Society. She invited the MAPS group to reveal their findings to the public to generate interest in the history and because the Halloween season is approaching. MAPS was invited to each location because the owners of each location were experiencing something they believed to be paranormal.
The Historical Society has hosted cemetery tours and ghost walks, with the events drawing good-size crowds. Cooper said there is community interest in the paranormal.
MAPS originally started in 2008 with seven members, when the group members were in high school. As time went on and graduation approached, they disbanded. In 2013, Joey Robinson and Matt Roeseler decided to reform the group and included Brian Bogan and Scott Barber in the four-person team.
Provided photo – A strange mist was captured in the front room of the Medina Historical Society, across the hall from the war room. Their K-II electromagnetic meter was stating they had a high reading and this was photographed at the same time.
“These guys got interested in doing their own research here locally so we asked them last year to speak,” Cooper said. “They’ve done more research this year and so we invited them back. We like the fact that there are young people interested in investigating the past and they’re using new technology to support their interests. They’re very professional.”
MAPS was inspired by watching the television show “Ghost Hunters” and uses similar equipment to conduct their own investigations. They use tape recorders, flashlights, temperature gauges, a camera and K-II meters, which measure electromagnetic fields.
They have also made some of their own equipment such as a full-spectrum camera, which captures non-visible light; an electromagnetic field generator, which is thought to possibly energize spirits; and a ghost box.
Roeseler explained the ghost box, saying, “There’s a lot of different variations of it, but we’ve got a radio that scans through the stations really quickly. I put it in a foil box so it cuts down on the actual voices coming through so it’s more white noise and more validation.”
The Medina Historical Society welcomed MAPS back into its building at 406 West Ave. for a second time. The museum was built in 1841 and belonged to the Merritt family. It was turned into the Town of Ridgeway building and eventually became a museum.
“I’m sure over time people have died there because it was a home and people tended to die at home in the past,” Cooper said. “I think the reason that the Historical Society might be haunted is that we have a collection of items that were of personal use and personal interest and had attachment to people that have gone on. I can only surmise.”
“At the Historical Society, some of the members would be very skeptical and others would be believers,” Cooper said. “Of the believers, a few of the board members attest to having seen a person in the kitchen.”
MAPS also investigated the NAPA Auto Parts building. It was constructed in the 1830s and held a jail cell in the basement. There were also more upper apartments, but a fire destroyed them. At least one death has occurred in the building, but possibly more.
“The owner has the upstairs apartment,” Joey Robinson said. “We validated some of the stuff he’s heard go on there, like he says he hears knocks all the time and these unexplained footsteps.”
The Greek Revival building on Pearl Street was constructed in the 1850s and served as a rooming house for a while. There was a murder at the location in the 1980s.
The audience listens intently to the clips, trying to determine what is being said in them.
MAPS captured electronic voice phenomena (EVPs) at all three locations. EVPs are voices of supposed spirits captured on a recording device that can be heard during playbacks. Many of the recordings are cryptic in nature because the voices are quiet and words can’t always be heard clearly.
Some of the more distinct recordings this year included children’s laughter at the Historical Society and a male voice at NAPA that is possibly saying, “What have I got in my pocket?” The Greek Revival produced an EVP of male voice saying “hey” and another of a little girl saying “matches” in response to the members trying to find matches in the room.
Other sounds the group recorded are footsteps and banging. All the evidence is scrutinized and people may interpret the evidence differently. Much of it can be left to personal interpretation and some people may be highly skeptical of it.
The group works hard to find scientific explanations that may disprove the evidence as well. They have disproved some experiences as light from car headlights, sounds from plumbing or exterior noise. Exposed electrical wiring can even create an electromagnetic field that can cause the brain to send signals to make a person feel like they are being watched or even experiencing something paranormal.
“People can contact us,” said Robinson. “If someone calls and says they have something in their house, we’ll come and investigate their house. As of right now, we’ve done commercial business areas and the museum, but we’re willing to branch out and do other places around here. We like it enough we’ll probably be doing this for a little while, so wherever it goes, it goes.”
To contact MAPS, visit the group’s Facebook page by clicking here.
Historical Society members also welcome people to join them on the last Monday of every month at the Lee-Whedon Library to learn more about local history.
HARTLAND – A Medina man is in serious condition after an accident in Hartland this afternoon, the Niagara County Sheriff’s Office reported.
Steven R. Churchfield, 48, of Medina was headed east at about 5 p.m. on the 9400 block of Ridge Road when he failed to negotiate a curve in the road, the Sheriff’s Office reported.
The vehicle traveled onto the south shoulder striking a utility pole, severing the pole in half. The vehicle continued off the road where it overturned coming to rest in a field.
Churchfield was transported by Mercy Flight to Erie County Medical Center for treatment of his injuries. He is currently listed in serious condition at ECMC. The accident is being investigated by Niagara County Sheriff’s Office Accident Investigation Unit. Charges are pending, the Sheriff’s Office said.
Photo by Tom Rivers – John Grimes believes Curvin’s News on Main Street in Medina can be a profitable business. He wants to retire and sell the business after operating it the past 19 years.
MEDINA – It looked like Curvin’s News was closing about a month ago, but owner John Grimes is giving the store more life – but not for long.
Grimes has owned and operated the business the past 19 years. He wants to retire and is looking for a buyer for the business.
“I’m old and out of ideas,” he said. “If someone has an idea they could make a decent amount of business. I think things could be done to make it more profitable.”
Grines is asking $50,000 “or reasonable offer” for Curvin’s, which has been a part of Medina for nearly a century.
Grimes thought he had a buyer for the business but that didn’t come to fruition. He is also trying to sell the next-door video store.
Grimes ran the businesses with his wife Barb. She died on Feb. 12, 2012 at Roswell Park Cancer Institute in Buffalo. Grimes said he has struggled to run the businesses without his wife.
He nearly shut down the business two years ago after a former employee stole about $65,000 worth of lottery tickets.
Curvin’s has long been a popular gathering place for residents. Grimes is hopeful a buyer will step forward and there will be a new generation of Curvin’s for the community.
He welcomes prospective buyers to give him a call at 798-4745 or stop by the store at 540 Main St.
MEDINA – The school district lost a beloved teacher this morning when Barbara Barnes was killed in a car accident in the Town of Newfane.
Jeff Evoy, Medina Central School superintendent, issued the following statement:
“Those of us at the Medina Central School District grieve with the entire community over the tragic accident this morning that claimed the life of one our one of our teachers, Mrs. Barbara Barnes.
“Mrs. Barnes was a long-time teacher at Wise Intermediate/Middle School. She was beloved by students and staff and was extremely dedicated to her students. We ask that you please keep the Barnes family in your thoughts and prayers.
“On behalf of our school community, I want to thank everyone for their support of our students and faculty, as they are also struggling with tremendous sorrow.”
MEDINA – The Medina school community is mourning the loss of teacher Barbara Barnes, who taught at the middle school and died in a car accident this morning.
She was killed an accident at 7:16 a.m. on the way to work. The accident occurred on Lake Road in the Town of Newfane.
School district officials met with her students at 1 p.m. to tell them about the fatal accident. The district also sent a note home with students to inform parents of the news, one of the parents told Orleans Hub.
The Niagara County Sheriff’s Office hasn’t officially released the names of two people who died in the morning accident. The Sheriff’s Office reports that two vehicles collided in a head-on crash. The westbound vehicle, for unknown reasons, crossed the center lane and struck the eastbound vehicle head on.
Both drivers were pronounced dead. The driver in the westbound vehicle had a dog in her vehicle and that dog perished in the crash, the Sheriff’s Office reported.
The Niagara County Accident Investigation Unit is investigating the accident.
Press release, Niagara County Sheriff’s Office
NEWFANE – The Niagara County Sheriff’s Office continues to investigate a fatal head-on crash which occurred this morning in the 6700 block of Lake Road in the Town of Newfane.
Early information indicates the westbound car, driven by Georgia Vaughn, 50, of Olcott crossed the centerline for unknown reasons into the path of an eastbound vehicle operated by Barbara Barnes, 51, of Newfane.
Ms. Vaughn died on the scene. Mrs. Barnes, a middle school teacher in Medina, was transported to Eastern-Niagara Hospital in Newfane where she died a short time later. A dog in Ms. Vaughn’s vehicle also died on the scene.
MEDINA – The Medina Fire Department will have its annual open house this Sunday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. The event for the first time will include a blood drive.
Other activities planned include fire prevention material, equipment on display and an antique fire truck exhibit. The State Police will have its rollover simulator on site for anyone to try.
The Fire Department will also have Chiavetta’s Chicken BBQ from 11 a.m. until sold out. Tickets can be purchased by calling the fire station at (585) 798-1661.
Provided photo – The Medina Mustang Band placed second in its division during a competition Saturday at West Genesee High School.
Press release
Medina Mustang Band
MEDINA – The Medina Mustang Band traveled to the West Genesee High School on Saturday for the band’s third competition this season.
Ten bands in total performed, three of which were in the Small School 1 class. Medina took second place with a score of 79.85 with East Syracuse Minoa in first with 81.45. Oswego took third place with 77.35.
There are three more shows before the state championships at the Carrier Dome in Syracuse. The Mustangs will be at Orchard Park on Oct. 4, Victor on Oct. 11 and at Webster on Oct. 18.
Even though you may have seen Medina perform once before, each week the show is a little different as the co-directors make little changes. The students are able to pick up and learn these changes and perform as expected.
