Photos courtesy of KeyBank: Volunteers from KeyBank spread mulch, planted flowers and did other landscaping work at Butts Park in Medina near the Luke Nelson Skate Park and the new basketball courts.

Press Release, KeyBank

MEDINA/ALBION – KeyBank hosted its 34th annual Neighbors Make the Difference Day on Wednesday. Bank employees in Orleans County worked on projects at Butts Park in Medina and Bullard Park in Albion.

From 1 to 5 p.m., hundreds of teammates in Western New York spent time volunteering with community organizations in the region.

KeyBank employees helped clean and beautify the Luke Nelson Skate Park in Medina and Bullard Park in Albion by weeding, spreading mulch, planting flowers and picking up garbage.

They joined thousands of KeyBank teammates nationwide in receiving paid time off to volunteer at more than 550 projects in the neighborhoods where they live and work. In 2025, Neighbors Make the Difference Day coincided with KeyBank’s year-long bicentennial which celebrates the bank’s two centuries of service and enduring commitment to clients, teammates and communities.

Neighbors Make the Difference Day launched in 1991, with a group of KeyBank employees in Alaska who volunteered for service projects. By 1993, KeyBank extended the concept to many of the communities it served, making it an official day of employee volunteerism. Now, Neighbors Make the Difference Day is a hallmark program and leading corporate volunteerism effort in America, showcasing KeyBank’s commitment to communities.

The KeyBank employees are shown at Butts Park in Medina.

Photo by Ginny Kropf: Renee Hemby of Albion, new events coordinator at the Medina Railroad Museum, points to one of her favorite exhibits.

MEDINA – Railroad buffs can look forward to a varied schedule of events at the Medina Railroad Museum, with the hiring of Renee Hemby of Albion as the new events coordinator.

Hemby has a background as a wedding planner and a passion for big events.

Hemby studied criminal justice at Genesee Community College, and after her own wedding, she started selling wedding décor, signs, floral arrangements and arbors, then went to work at Vizcarra Vineyards. When she saw the position at Medina Railroad Museum advertised on the Internet, she thought it sounded interesting.

She is excited to be planning some new events at the museum, including a music series outside, featuring blues and country and food trucks. She is also looking into story hours for children on Saturday afternoons.

These new events will complement the old favorites, such as the return of Day Out With Thomas, wine trains, fall foliage rides and the ever-popular Polar Express.

After a two-year absence, Day Out With Thomas will return for two weekends in September.

Fall foliage train rides will be scheduled every weekend in October, with several wine trains on Oct. 12.

Hemby is hopeful the museum can restore a café car it owns in order to rent it for private parties and showers.

The museum owns three first-class dining cars, which always sell out first. Ticket information is available on Medina Railroad Museum’s website.

MEDINA – The school district will have its annual “Parade of Graduates” on June 13, when members of the Class of 2025 walk from the high school along a sidewalk past the district office, to the intermediate school and concluding at Vet’s Park.

Students will dismiss at 8:35 a.m. with the parade to start at 8:45.

“This is an opportunity to cheer on our graduates as they make their last walk through the district,” said Michael Cavanagh, the high school principal. “This should only take a few minutes, but definitely has a lasting impact on our graduates. Classes will resume as soon as the graduates have passed by.”

Parents and other spectators can park at Vet’s Park and line the sidewalk in front of Vet’s Park going towards the Wise Intermediate School.

“Parents can follow the seniors into Vet’s Park and sit in the bleachers to view a special ending,” Cavanagh said.

Kindergarteners will meet the seniors at the 50-yard line to share some “words of wisdom,” he said.

Skyven Technologies planned first-of-its-kind system at Western New York Energy

Photo by Tom Rivers: Western New York Energy has operated an ethanol plant at the corner of Bates Road and Maple Ridge Road in Medina since 2007. This photo was taken on Sunday.

MEDINA – A federal grant for $15 million would have helped build the first-of-its-kind industrial decarbonization system at Western New York Energy.

But that project, and 23 other clean energy and manufacturing innovation projects across the country, were cancelled last week by the Trump Administration.

Skyven Technologies was looking to build the industrial decarbonization system at the ethanol plant. The company said the nationally significant project uses electrified high-temperature steam production, calling it a critical need for decarbonizing U.S. manufacturing.

Skyven said its system would have reduced annual operating costs at the ethanol plant, cut carbon local emissions, and served as a replicable model for food, beverage and chemical manufacturers across the country.

“This groundbreaking project is a major step forward in reducing carbon emissions in the industrial space,” Skyven, a Texas-based company, announced in September. “Arcturus will cut 20,000 metric tons of CO2 emissions per year from WNYE’s facility, which is equivalent to removing 4,300 cars from the road annually. And this is just the beginning of what our cutting-edge technology can achieve.”

The project had already attracted major private investment and was expected to drive an additional $150 million to the Medina site, the company said. Skyven in September announced it had been approved for a federal grant for the project.

Energy Secretary Chris Wright on Friday announced that $3.7 billion in project grants were being cancelled by the Department of Energy.

After a thorough and individualized financial review of each award, the DOW found the projects “failed to advance the energy needs of the American people, were not economically viable and would not generate a positive return on investment of taxpayer dollars,” according to a press release from the DOE.

The grants were primarily targeted for carbon capture and sequestration, and decarbonization initiatives.

“While the previous administration failed to conduct a thorough financial review before signing away billions of taxpayer dollars, the Trump administration is doing our due diligence to ensure we are utilizing taxpayer dollars to strengthen our national security, bolster affordable, reliable energy sources and advance projects that generate the highest possible return on investment,” Wright said in a statement. “Today, we are acting in the best interest of the American people by cancelling these 24 awards.”

Provided photos: (Left) Dubby’s Wood Fired Pizza sets up for business last summer at Medina’s Canal Village Farmers’ Market. The market opens in its summer location at West Avenue and West Center Street on Saturday. (Right) The kids’ tent at Medina’s Canal Village Farmers’ Market had lots of fun activities at last year’s Faery Festival.

MEDINA – The Canal Village Farmers’ Market will kick off the 10th season with opening day at 9 a.m. Saturday (June 7) at their summer location on the corner of West Avenue and West Center Street.

“It’s always exciting to open the summer season, and with 2025 being our 10-year anniversary, we have a few special things planned to celebrate, which we will announce later,” said Gail Miller, manager of the market. “As always, we’ll have regular and rotating vendors, food trucks, kids’ scavenger hunts, crafters, community groups and some new vendors this year, too.”

In addition to the weekly anchor food truck El Gran Burrito, other food trucks will be rotating in and out throughout the season, including crowd favorites, Dubby’s Wood Fired Pizza and NOLA “New Orleans Style” Snocones.

Miller said the market is planning a big year for kids’ activities, too.

“Lots of fun activities are planned for kids,” Miller said. “In addition to the weekly market Scavenger Hunt and Prizes, we’ll have other fun games and crafts each week, along with our free book cart. And we’re excited to bring back the Zucchini races – bigger and better than ever – on July 19, 26 and Aug. 2.”

Another spectacular day is planned as the market participates in Medina’s Enchanted Faery Festival June 21. Participating kids will be able to make a faery wand and other crafts, and there will be a faery backdrop for photo ops, Miller said. In addition, every participant will receive a very cool light-up faery lantern (while supplies last).

“Later this summer, our favorite market pup, Winston the Labradoodle therapy dog, will also be visiting,” Miller said.

Products and activities for each Saturday are listed every week on the market’s Facebook page and, new this year, on Instragram=Canal Village Farmers Market. Customers are encouraged to follow the market on Instagram and like/follow their Facebook page for up-to-date information on vendors, food trucks and general activities.

The market will again have multiple options for making sales transactions, including cash, credit via Square, PayPal and Venmo; and also senior coupons, WIC, SNAP and Fresh Connect Checks. Double Up Food Bucks to SNAP recipients will soon be available.

The Canal Village Farmers’ Market is operated by the Orleans Renaissance Group, a 501©3 arts, culture and preservation organization in Medina. This year’s market sponsors include Takeform (general operations) and Medina Lumber and Hardware (live music).

“We are so incredibly grateful for our sponsorship support from Takeform and Medina Lumber and Hardware,” Miller said. “Their support is huge and makes an enormous difference in our ability to operate a great market for the community. Sponsorships make live music possible, and we have a full slate of great local musicians this year, starting with Steve Novak, who will be playing from 10 a.m. to noon on opening day.”

Other scheduled musicians include local music legend Rob Robinson, Dave Stockton, Barry DiGregorio and Zach Busch, Holley Band director and son of ORG’s president Chris Busch.

Located in downtown Medina, across from the Post Office, the market is open from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. every Saturday. Market manager Gail Miller can be reached at canalvillagemarket@gmail.com or via Facebook Messenger with questions or vendor/food truck inquiries.

Provided photos

MEDINA – Brandi Zavitz, an artist from Medina, has been at the Medina Dog Park working on a mural that will feature about 70 beloved canines in the community.

Zavitz and the Friends of the Medina Dog Park had set a cap of 50 dogs for the mural. People pay $100 to have their dog painted on the mural with those proceeds going to the Friends for improvements at the park on North Gravel Road, just south of Boxwood Cemetery.

Due to the strong interest, the mural was expanded to 70 dogs as well as Orly the Ox, the county’s bicentennial mascot.

The mural initially was planned to be 24 feet long but Zavitz made it 8 feet longer to fit in more dogs.

Her artist fee and the cost of the materials are being covered with a grant administered by the Genesee-Orleans Regional Arts Council.

Cindy Davis, vice president of Friends of Medina Dog Park, is thrilled to see the outlines of all the pets that Zavitz has sketched out on the mural.

“I’m so excited,” Davis said. “It’s going to be awesome. I truly think it’s going to bring more people to the park. We have kind of become a family here. We all take care of each other. So seeing these dogs painted will always keep these fur babies in our hearts.”

The Friends of the Dog Park would like to add another water station, a second gazebo, another fenced-in area for smaller dogs and include more agility equipment, Davis said.

Photos by Ginny Kropf: Volunteers at Medina’s Visitors’ Center celebrate opening day Tuesday of the tourism booth in Rotary Park. From left, Medina Tourism Committee chair Jim Hancock hams it up with volunteers Ruth Cleveland, Peggy Schreck, Orly the Ox, Janet Janneck, Barb Gorham and the Rev. Vince Iorio.

MEDINA – Medina Tourism Committee has announced the opening Tuesday morning of its tourist booth in Rotary Park.

On hand for the opening were volunteers Jim Hancock, also Tourism Committee chairman; Barb Gorham, volunteer scheduler; Ruth Cleveland, Peggy Schreck, Janet Janneck, the Rev. Vince Iorio and Dawn Borchert, director of Orleans County Tourism, with Isabella Zasa as Orly the Ox. Zasa studied travel and tourism in college and was a paid intern at Borchert’s office last year.

“Now she is a full-time employee,” Borchert said.

Volunteers Janet Janneck, left, and Peggy Schreck pose with the sign promoting Medina which indicates the Visitors’ Tourist Booth is open.

Several changes are taking place in operation of the tourist booth this year. First, the tourist booth will be open on Saturdays all through the month of September.

“We anticipate getting a lot of visitors with the special events planned for the canal’s bicentennial,” said Barb Gorham, who has taken over scheduling volunteers. “On Sept. 23 a bus load is coming from the International Canal Conference in Buffalo, and on the 25th the Seneca Chief will be making a stop in Medina. We have many events planned for their visits.”

Also new this year will be T-shirts and name tags for tourist booth volunteers.

“This will set us apart,” Gorham said.

The tourist booth has operated under the leadership of Hancock since it was established in 2009. For the first several years, it was located in the Chamber of Commerce office on Main Street, then moved to City Hall until relocating to Rotary Park in 2018.

The booth attracts more than 400 visitors every year, with 493 being the largest number. Last year, 438 tourists stopped at the booth from 38 states and eight foreign countries.

The Rev. Vince Iorio said he stepped up to volunteer because he enjoys seeing groups come into our town and greeting them.

“We get a lot of bikers and boaters,” he said. “This is my fifth year volunteering. When Jim first asked me to do it, I thought it sounded interesting.”

Hancock also talked Ruth Cleveland into volunteering.

“It’s hard to say ‘no’ to Jim,” she said. “And I thought it would be something different to do. This will be my third year volunteering.”

Hancock said they meet some really neat people from all over the world.

“They come by various means – car, bus, boats and bikers,” Hancock said.

Most are looking for places to eat, hearing local history and viewing the canal.

The tourism booth is open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday and currently, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday, until a volunteer is found for the 1 to 4 p.m. shift.

Anyone interested in volunteering for a three-hour shift, especially for the 1 to 4 p.m. on Saturday, can contact Gorham at (716) 474-2734.

File photo: Medina police officer Jacob Reeves is shown in June 2020 when he and the department’s new K9, Phoenix, began a 14-week training program together before the dog went into service for the department.

MEDINA – The Village Board has agreed to sell the Medina Police Department’s K9 for $1 to Jacob Reeves, a police officer and the K9’s handler.

Reeves teamed with Phoenix, a Belgian Malinois, for nearly five years. Phoenix worked his last shift on Wednesday. The board as part of the 2025-26 budget voted to end the K9 program with the police department, citing costs. The K9 sees service outside the village and board members felt village taxpayers shouldn’t bear the full cost, especially with overtime for the K9 team.

The board also voted to end having two Medina police officers work in the school district as resource officers. Those officers will return full-time to the MPD for road patrol and other work within the department.

The board and Reeves always had the understanding he could buy the dog for $1 at the end of Phoenix’s service, which officially will be on May 31. Board members said that agreement was in his contract and is similar to what most police departments do when a K9 goes out of service.

The board last week also said any unspent donations towards the K9 program will be refunded after May 31. The board will wait until after May 31 in case there are any unexpected vet bills or other expenses.

Photo by Ginny Kropf: Cindy Robinson, board member of Friends of Boxwood Cemetery, holds a poster promoting the annual Tea Time at Boxwood on June 14.

MEDINA – Friends of Boxwood Cemetery will kick off its 2025 year of fundraising with their third annual Tea Time at Boxwood Cemetery on June 14.

The event from 2 to 4 p.m. will feature low tea served with three types of tea, scones, tea sandwiches and sweets, said Cindy Robinson, board member of Friends of Boxwood Cemetery and owner of The English Rose Tea Shoppe, whose idea it was to sponsor the tea.

“In Victorian times, eating and relaxing among the dead was a national pastime,” Robinson said. “People would dress up in their fine clothing and fancy hats and get out of the city for picnic or tea to socialize in the fresh air. A cemetery was the perfect setting for parasols and fancy hats.”

The tea will take place at the back of the cemetery by the lake, where Friends of Boxwood will have tables set up. Attendees should bring their own tea cups and create their own Victorian table setting. The guest whose table is voted “Most Victorian” will receive a $25 gift certificate to The English Rose Tea Shoppe.

There will also be additional drawings for prizes and those attending will receive an entry for the drawings with the purchase of their ticket. Anyone who joins Friends of Boxwood Cemetery before the event will receive five additional entries.

The day will feature an informative program by Todd Bensley on the history of Boxwood Cemetery.

Robinson also reminds attendees June 14 is Flag Day and they are encouraged to wear their red, white and blue.

Rob Klino, president of Friends of Boxwood Cemetery, said the tea kicks off their 2025 year of fundraising, which also will include the annual Boxwood at Night later in the year. He explained the village of Medina isn’t allowed to do fundraising, so Friends of Boxwood Cemetery was formed by village historian Todd Bensley (now Friends’ vice president) and his wife Nicole to raise money to support projects for the cemetery.

Klino said they are raising funds now to purchase a marker or historic stone for Potters’ Field. Donation checks may be made payable to Friends of Boxwood Cemetery and mailed to Orleans Renaissance Group, P.O. 543, Medina.

Tickets for the tea are $20 for members of Friends of Boxwood Cemetery and $25 for non-members. They can be purchased at The English Rose Tea Shoppe at 527 Main St.

MEDINA – Jimmy Dieter, a Scout in Troop 35, is working to become an Eagle Scout, the highest rank.

For his project, he wants to build a batting cage in Butts Park. Dieter is proposing a batting cage that would be 55 feet long and 14 feet wide to be used by Medina youth baseball and softball teams.

The wood structure would be up year-round but the nets for cage would likely just be up in spring until late summer.

There would be four 6 by 6 posts at the corners of the cage. They will be used to hold plastic-coated steel cables to hang a net from. Pressure-treated skirting will be installed around the hitting area and filled with fine packable stone with a turf hitting installed at one end, according to his project description that Dieter presented last week to the Village Board.

There are four baseball diamonds at Butts Park but no designated warm-up area for the players to safely take hitting practice. If players take batting practice on an open field, there are sometimes accidents with players, coaches or spectators getting hit with errant baseballs or even baseball bats, Dieter said.

The Village Board gave its permission to the project, with the stipulation Dieter work with DPW Superintendent Jason Watts on the location for the batting cage. Dieter likes a spot in between field near the Oak Orchard Creek.

“It’s the best area that is out of the way,” he told the board.

Dieter will lead scouts in the project, which is an estimated $850. He will secure the funding or donations for the batting cage.