Photos by Tom Rivers

MEDINA – Classic car lovers strolled Main Street in Medina on Wednesday evening, admiring more than 250 vehicles on display for the annual Super Cruise to close out a season of car shows.

Milo the dog was popular, too, with the people. He is owned by Mike Evans of Lockport, right with beard. Evans brought a 1973 Volkswagen Type 181 for the car show. It was his first time in the show.

Car owners had to pay a $10 entry fee for the first time. Evans didn’t have a problem with that expense. “It helps offset some of the costs,” he said.

These cars include a 1935 Rolls-Royce owned by Rollin Hellner at left, and the 1965 Plymouth AFX owned by Greg Sanderson at right.

Hellner, one of the car show organizers, said only a few car owners spoke against the $10 fee being charged for the first time. Hellner said the fee goes towards the costs of the show, which included entertainment, advertising and trophies. He noted many other car shows charge an entry fee. This Saturday’s Olcott Beach Car Show has a $20 entry fee.

Hellner said the Medina car show was promoted on radio stations in Western New York. He also went to shows in Buffalo, trying to bring more cars to Medina for the show. He saw some first-timers from East Aurora, Buffalo and other communities.

“I want people to experience Medina who have never been here before,” Hellner said. “I’m real happy with the  turnout and feedback.”

The back end of a 1965 Ford Mustang owned by Royce Stinson is in front in this photo. The cars drew lots of people to Main Street, where a section was closed to traffic.

Terry Buchwald continued a Super Cruise tradition performing as Elvis. Here he is singing and dancing to “Don’t Be Cruel.” Buchwald has been an Elvis impersonator for over 30 years.

Buchwald entered the scene on a motorcycle.

Dennis Lapp brought a 1951 Ford F1 to the car show.

This 2020 Dodge Challenger owned by Todd Pendars has a theme celebrating the super hero, “The Thing.”

MEDINA – The Medina Village Board on Monday gave its blessing for upcoming community events, including today’s classic car cruise-in on Main Street.

The board, however, said it should have been notified sooner about the car show today on Main Street, and the plan to charge car owners $10 to be in the show. That show has always been free to display a car.

Village staff need to set up a stage for Elvis impersonator Terry Buchwald, and also close off a section of the street to traffic.

Mayor Marguerite Sherman said there have been some “newbie mistakes” by organizers Rollin Hellner and Tom Snyder with giving notice and getting approvals from the village. However, she said she appreciates their efforts in organizing the car shows this summer.

She said she was concerned about the $10 charge that was announced about a week ago. Hellner and Snyder said the show will include official judges for the first time and trophies for the top cars.

But Sherman worries the $10 fee may “sour” some of the car owners.

The board approved the car show, but board members said they would like to see how the $10 fee is used to cover expenses for the super cruise.

Trustee Mark Prawel opposed the show saying appropriate notifications haven’t been made to village department heads.

The board also approved the Sept. 28 Ale in Autumn beer-tasting event where up to 800 tickets will be sold with tastings at 24 stops. The event is organized by the Medina Area Partnership.

Check-in will be at the Senior Center at 615 West Ave. with staggered start times at 1, 2 and 3 p.m.

Police Chief Todd Draper said there haven’t been issues with the event in the past. The attendees are well behaved with no rowdiness, he said.

The board also approved use of village streets for the Hometown Wellness 5K on Oct. 19 to benefit the Knights-Kaderli Memorial Fund, which supports people with cancer in Orleans County.

Hometown Wellness is organizing the event for the second year. The debut event in 2023 had 81 participants. The course includes the canal towpath, State Street Park and some village streets. The police department will assist with traffic control during the race that starts at 9 a.m.

Chief Draper said there are at least three 5Ks in the village each year. He would like to see organizers of the events add more signs that say “Race in Progress” and “Runners Ahead” to alert drivers that runners and walkers are out.

File photo by Tom Rivers: The current fire hall is too small for a bigger ladder truck that is expected to arrive in December 2025. Currently there is only two inches of clearance from the top of the truck to get in and out of the bay in the fire hall.

MEDINA – The Village of Medina is accepting proposals from engineering firms to design a one-bay addition to the fire hall.

Those proposals are due by Sept. 12. The village will hire an engineering firm to prepare the bid specifications for the addition, which is needed to accommodate a larger ladder truck due to arrive in December 2025.

Village officials were looking at a two-bay addition and upgrades to the existing fire hall, but scaled that project back when estimates topped $6 million.

Medina Mayor Marguerite Sherman said an engineering report, detailing the one-bay addition, is needed to help the village pursue grant funding to help pay for the new space. She is hopeful for state and federal assistance with the building addition.

The board needs to find an affordable solution because the new truck will be delivered in about 16 months.

“We’re going for a bare-bones building for something to put this truck in,” she said during Monday’s board meeting.

The new ladder truck will have a clearance of 13 feet. The current fire hall only has room for up to 10 feet, 6 inches in height.

The village will be replacing a ladder truck that is 29 years old with a height of 10 feet, 4 inches. The new bay in the addition is expected to be 14 feet high.

The village received some good news with the fire truck. Medina was looking at a 6.5 percent financing rate for the $1.7 million truck from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. But Village Clerk-Treasurer Jada Burgess said that rate has come down to 4 percent, which would save the village significantly in interest. The final rate won’t be known until it’s time for the village to take out the financing.

Photo by Tom Rivers

MEDINA – The Medina Village Board meets on Monday in the Ridgeway Town Hall. From left the board members include Jess Marciano, Debbie Padoleski, Mayor Marguerite Sherman, Mark Prawel and Diana Baker. Near them in front are Village Clerk-Treasurer Jada Burgess and attorney Matt Brooks. Jason Watts, the DPW superintendent, is at right and Police Chief Todd Draper has his back to camera.

The board has shifted the meeting locations from the Senior Center at 615 West Ave. to the Ridgeway Town Hall at 410 West Ave. The board had its first meeting at the town hall on Aug. 12. Ridgeway is making the town hall available at no charge to the Village Board.

Mayor Marguerite Sherman said the town hall has a better sound system for the public to hear the board members and the meeting space doesn’t have to be set up with tables and chairs, and then torn down the following morning.

At the Senior Center, DPW staff had to set up the tables and chairs before the meeting and then be there the following morning to put things back.

The senior center is a bigger space, and Sherman said many people who attended the meetings said it was difficult to hear the board members and other speakers.

The Village Board also recently changed the start times from 7 p.m. to 6 p.m.

Photos by Tom Rivers

MEDINA – Chris Busch, a trustee of Holy Trinity Parish in Medina, led a tour of the St. Mary’s Cemetery on North Gravel Road last Sunday evening. It is part of the Sunday evening cemetery tours this August, an annual effort led by the Orleans County Historical Association.

Busch believes this was the first official public tour of the cemetery. St. Mary’s started in 1858. There are about 5,000 people buried there. Many of the founders of the Catholic church in medina, which started in 1832, are buried in Lockport because the cemetery wasn’t established in Medina until 1858.

The cemetery is the final resting place for hundreds of Irish immigrants who founded the parish, Busch said. There are numerous Irish surnames throughout the cemetery, he said.

Many of the monuments have the Latin phrase: “Requiescat in Pace,” for “Rest in Peace.”

This marker is for Rev. Richard Harmon, the first resident pastor for St. Mary’s. He was assigned churches from Somerset to Kendall, and travelled by horseback to lead the faithful.

He was tasked with building the church on frontier outside of the village settlements. Harmon died at age 26, less than a year after starting his work in the Medina area.

He is one of nine Catholic priests buried at St. Mary’s.

Sister Bertrand also is noted on this monument. She was a member of the Grey Nuns of the Sacred Heart. She was one of the first nuns to teach in Medina. She died in 1876, at age 25.

Lt. John Butts is buried on the southern end of the cemetery. He is a Medal of Honor recipient who “performed magnificently” while leading soldiers in World War II. Butts was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor for “courage, unflinching valor and inspiring actions” in Normandy, France on June 23, 1944.

There were about 35 people on the tour. These two women look close at the monument for Patrick O’Grady and his family. He was a prominent sandstone mason and builder who helped lead the construction of the First Baptist Church in Medina, Bent’s Opera House and portions of the original St. Mary’s Church. Three of his children died from tuberculosis within about 6 months of each other.

The large sandstone monument notes the deaths of O’Grady at age 58 on Jan. 4, 1886.

The three children who died in 1885 include Lizzie at age 15 on Feb. 9, Eddie at age 21 on March 31, and John at age 28 on Aug. 21.

I went looking for the grave marker for Marcia Tuohey, who was key leader for Medina and Orleans County. She passed away at age 84 on Aug. 7, 2014. Marcia was well known for her stylist hats.

She was the first woman to serve as Medina’s mayor and then the first woman to serve as chair of the Orleans County Legislature, which she did for eight years.

Photos courtesy of Medina Mustang Band Boosters

MEDINA – The Medina Marching Band played in Newfane’s Bicentennial Parade on Saturday.

The band played music and marched down Main Street for the Niagara County town’s 200^th anniversary celebration.

Provided photos: (Left) Nick Joy of the Medina Police Department speaks during Friday’s graduation of the Niagara County Law Enforcement Academy. Joy served as president of the 82nd Basic Class. (Right) Tanner Ferris of the Medina PD is congratulated for completing the six-month program.

MEDINA – Two Medina police officers on Friday graduated from a six-month police academy.

Nick Joy and Tanner Ferris were among 21 graduates in the 82^nd Basic Class of the Niagara County Law Enforcement Academy.

The new graduates, Nick Joy at left and Tanner Ferris at right, are pictured with Medina Police Chief Todd Draper.

The two officers were hired by Medina in February. Now that they have completed the six-month academy at Niagara County Community College, they will do field training with the Medina PD.

The graduates represented law enforcement agencies The two officers will take a six-month police academy starting Monday at Niagara County Community College then they do field training with the Medina PD.

At the academy students completed classroom instruction, physical training, defensive tactics and firearms training.

Besides Medina, the graduates include officers and deputies from the Niagara County Sheriff’s Office, Niagara Falls Police Department, North Tonawanda and Lockport police departments, and Genesee County Sheriff’s Office.

Joy has been a trainer and co-owner of the Hustl House gym in Albion and Medina. Ferris is a 2017 Albion graduate with a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice from SUNY Brockport. He was working for Keeler Construction.

Photos by Ginny Kropf: (Left) Nicole Tuohey, left, holds a frosted elephant cookie, while her mother Mary Lou Tuohey holds a string of “elephant chains” Nicole has made. Every time a customer buys a cutout elephant cookie at Case-Nic Cookies, Nicole adds a link to the chain, with the goal of stringing them the entire block of Main Street. All money raised benefits the Alzheimer’s Association. (Right) Lisa Robinson gets instructions from Mary Lou Tuohey at Case-Nic Cookies on how to fill out a basket raffle form to support the upcoming Alzheimer’s walk on Sept. 7.

MEDINA – Supporting the Alzheimer’s Association is a tradition near and dear to the family of Nicole Tuohey and her parents.

Nicole’s maternal grandparents both died from Alzheimer’s, her Grandpa Bradley at age 65 and her Grandma Bradley at age 89.

With the help of her mom, Mary Lou Tuohey, Nicole makes sure the public is kept aware of the disease and the toll it takes.

A poster in Case-Nic Cookies, the store run by Mary Lou on Main Street, lists Nicole’s “NOT” Fun Facts of a loved one having Alzheimer’s.

Some of her memories are,  “Grandpa couldn’t remember he had a wife, four children and six grandchildren. Grandpa wore diapers, had to be fed and couldn’t dress himself. And Grandpa never got to know me.”

Nicole has the same memories of her grandma. “She couldn’t remember her husband died of Alzheimer’s. She couldn’t remember how to sew, play golf, read books or do crafts. Gramma spoke ‘gibberish’, wore diapers and had to be fed. Gramma had a doll named Andrew that she held and cuddled, just like she did to me.”

Now Nicole has one last “NOT” for fun question.

“Since Gramma and Grandpa Bradley both had Alzheimer’s Disease, do you think my Mom will get it?”

On Sept. 7, many members of Nicole’s family will participate in the Walk to End Alzheimer’s, while others will be helping with events at State Street Park and Case-Nic Cookies.

Since opening her store, Mary Lou has allowed non-profits to use her store windows for basket raffle fundraisers. During the Covid pandemic, when customers didn’t come in the store, Mary Lou devised a system where customers could pick up a form in the doorway, mark their choice of baskets, leave the money for the tickets in an envelope and drop it in the mail slot.

This month, the basket raffle is for the benefit of the Alzheimer’s Association, and the drawing will take place after the Walk to End Alzheimer’s on Sept. 7.

The walk starts at 10 a.m. in State Street Park, goes along the canal, back down Main Street and East Center Street back to the park.

Mary Lou and her family first participated in the walk in the early 1990s, when it was at Art Park in Lewiston. Then it moved to Albion for a few years, before coming to Medina.

In the earlier years, regulations prevented the basket raffle from taking place at the site of the actual walk, but this year the raffle will be allowed to take place after the walk in State Street Park.

Activities in the park will also include kids’ games, a bounce house, pizza for sale and free frosted elephant cookies.

The cookies were an idea of Mary Lou’s, who sells them in her store for $1, with the money going to the Alzheimer’s Association. The elephant symbolizes memory – an elephant who never forgets, and a person stricken with Alzheimer’s who never remembers. Nicole makes links out of construction paper, and for each elephant cookie sold, she adds a link to her chain. Her goal every year is to have enough to stretch them the length of the main block of Main Street.

Nicole urges everyone to support the Walk to End Alzheimer’s, whether by walking, donating a basket, supporting the basket raffle or buying an elephant cookie.

Photos by Tom Rivers

MEDINA – Shawn Ramsey, owner of Canalside Tattoo, celebrated the opening of Canalside’s new location on Sunday, which was also Canalside’s annual “Caturday” fundraiser for the Cat by Cat, Inc. organization in Medina.

Canalside had 13 tattoo artists and other body piercers, as well as 150 gift baskets as part of the fundraiser that raised about $24,000. That is up from $18,000 last year and $10,000 in 2022.

Ramsey purchased the building at 627 West Ave. that was last used by AJ’s Play Date. Ramsey turned the site into the “Fantasy Factory” giving tattoo artists their own partitioned space, providing more privacy.

C.J. Cruickshank, one of the tattoo artists at Canalside, works on a raccoon tattoo for Olivia Miller on Sunday during Caturday under one of the ring lights that provides a more subtle, overhead light. The 13 artists were all booked for at least eight tattoos at $100 each with the proceeds going to Cat by Cat.

Cruickshank said she likes the new atmosphere and work space at Canalside tattoo.

“It is still an open vibe but we all have our own personalized space,” Cruickshank said.

Ramsey opened Canalside in 2015 in a small storefront on East Center Street. In 2017, he moved to Main Street at the former Curvin’s News, tripling his space from the first location. He then expanded next door on Main Street in 2020, giving him 3,500 square feet.

The West Avenue building is a chance for Ramsey to own the building and put in partitions, an office space, a gaming room for Ramsey and staff. There also is more display room for Canalside merchandise and to showcase local work from artists and crafters. The Fantasy Factory also has a gym/workout room for Canalside staff, as well as a kitchen and break room.

Canalside opened in the Fantasy Factory on Aug. 9.

Another tattoo artist, David Jednat of Buffalo, praised Ramsey for the layout and look of the new space.

“You can tell he put a lot of thought and time in it,” Jednat said. “This will work really well for the people. Most tattoo shops are really crowded.”

Besides donating his service son Sunday, Jednat agreed to eat a hot dog for each tattoo he did. He was up to seven by 5 p.m., with more to go. (The Boy Scouts were selling hot dogs as part of the Caturday event.)

C.J. Cruickshank works on the new tattoo for Olivia Miller. Miller said it was her sixth tattoo. She was happy to get the tattoo and have the proceeds go to Cat by Cat. She said her family has benefitted from Cat by Cat and she wanted to give back to the organization.

Caturday is a big fundraiser for Cat by Cat, which locally is run by Shannon Blount.

Cat by Cat seeks to humanely “TNVR” cats through targeted trapping. Cat by Cat focuses on a TNVR model – Trap, Neuter, Vaccinate and Return.

The Medina team cares for about 150 cats a year. Feral or community cats are an “overwhelming” problem in Medina and Orleans County, Blount said.

The money from “Caturday” goes towards neutering, medications, vaccinations, food and cat litter, and other supplies.

There were six cats up for adoption at Canalside, including “Chocolate Chip,” a 12 week old kitten.

There were 150 baskets up for raffle at Caturday. The basket raffle raised $7,000 of the Caturday total. Ramsey said body piercing netted over $1500 and tattoos raised nearly $15,000.