By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 6 February 2024 at 11:00 am
Photos by Tom Rivers
MEDINA – Tim Elliott, a Medina village trustee, and Jesse Cudzillo, director of the YMCA in Orleans County, are shown with the “Medinaopoly” games in 1995 and 2000.
Elliott and Cudzilo are spearheading the effort for a new Medinaopoly game with proceeds to be donated to the YMCA, PAWS Animal Shelter and the Knights-Kaderli Memorial Fund.
Elliott last week starting reaching out to businesses, first the brick-and-mortar sites in the historic downtown, to sponsor a space on the board. The spots have been selling fast. Elliott said there are still many opportunities for businesses to be included on the board.
“It preserves Medina history and provides a snapshot,” Cudzilo said about the local business landscape. “It’s unique and novel.”
There are 36 board spaces at $165 each, four corner spaces at $200, four cards for $300, and then a list where businesses will be included without a graphic for $50.
The Journal-Register, a former daily newspaper in Medina, claimed one of the corner spots in the 1995 game.
The Medina Rotary Club led the effort in 1995 and 2000 to sell the spaces on the board and to make the games available to the community.
Elliot and Cudzilo said the minimum order of games is 350. They are trying to get a sense of how many will sell, whether they should order above the minimum. Games can be preordered for $35. Canalside Tattoo has them available for preorder on the Canalside website.
Elliott and Cudzilo expect the games will be available in September.
The downtown especially has seen quite a change since the last game came out in 2000, although many in that game remain.
“It needs to be updated,” said Elliott, the former owner of Brushstrokes Studios and also Into the Enigma. “I was also looking to give back to the community and the businesses. It will also make a great Christmas gift.”
For more information, contact Elliott at (585) 735-5953 and Cudzilo at (585) 465-6917. Company graphics and questions also can be emailed to Cudzilo at jcudzilo@glowymca.org.
Eliott anticipates the game will raise about $10,000, with half going to the YMCA and 25 percent each to PAWS and Knights-Kaderli. Eliott said the Y has led several projects in the village, including the development of a new 9-hole disc golf course and a new welcome kiosk at the Canalside Basin.
Cudzilo said the funds will go towards updating the women’s locker room.
The board from 2000 included an image of the iconic Canal Culvert in Ridgeway. The new game may feature a dominant image of Medina’s downtown.
By Ginny Kropf, correspondent Posted 5 February 2024 at 2:36 pm
Photo by Ginny Kropf: Aeddon Cayea, a 2017 graduate of Medina High School, has landed a new job with United Way of Orleans County and is celebrating the launch of his first book.
MEDINA – Life is good for Aeddon Cayea.
Not only has the young man landed a prestigious job as grant writer/deputy director of United Way of Orleans County, but he is about to launch his first book with a celebration at 7:30 p.m. Feb. 28 at Author’s Note Book Store, immediately following the Otherworlds Sci-Fi and Fantasy Book Club.
Cayea’s debut novel is “Struck Down on the Seventh: An Exorcism Performed by an Idiot.”
“We are so excited to celebrate him and to be the host and home for his first of undoubtedly many books to come,” said Author’s Note owner Julie Berry.
Cayea said his writing began as the result of an assignment in high school, when he had to write several chapters out of a novel.
“It kind of got away from me,” he said. “I was always interested in spirituality.”
The first part of his book really wrote itself, Cayea said. “It very quickly took on a life of its own.”
The first draft took him about a month, but then he tinkered with it for the next five years, on and off.
“I’d pick it up and put it down, then maybe two years later go back and work on it again,” he said.
The book was released Jan. 15, and he is already working on a sequel. He has completed about five-eighths of the first draft, he said.
“My first book was suitable for me to write when I was 18, but this book will be suitable for me when I am 25,” he said.
He describes his book as “an adult work of magical realism.”
“’Struck Down on the Seventh’ follows Phaethon, a moody college student, as a mysterious tome draws him into a world where the divine is not so far away as is often imagined,” Cayea explained. “Exploring similar spaces to works like Neil Galman’s ‘The Sandman’ and David Lynch’s ‘Twin Peaks’ television series, the novel navigates the travails of a clever but critically flawed individual as he strives to balance aethereal visions and brute facts. Balancing the indiscretions of youth with revelations of mystical theology, Phaethon forges ahead hoping to fare better than his namesake.”
The book is available at Author’s Note in Medina or from the publisher’s website at blackmoonpublishing.com.
Cayea graduated from Medina High School in 2017 and Emerson College in 2021 with a degree in religious studies and Asian studies. After returning home to Medina he joined the Americorps program for a year, working at Orleans County Cornell Cooperative Extension. During that time he wrote grants and worked at the fair. When the year ended, he went to work at Lowe’s in Brockport while pursuing other work.
He had become acquainted with Nyla Gaylord, executive director of United Way of Orleans County, who realized Cayea’s talent. At the she needed someone to do outreach for the Connect Orleans Initiative.
“After a month or two of that, she thought I could be of more help,” Cayea said. “They needed a grant writer, and here I am. I have a job I love in my home town. I appreciate the flexibility and novelty of the job. It’s a new challenge every day. I feel a strong connection to my community and I’m happy to come back to Medina to live and work.”
“This job enables me to help my community,” he added. “I got a taste for non-profits, and what I like about United Way is how we are constantly looking for ways to help the community. As an organization nationwide, United Ways are at a crossroads, but in Orleans County we are taking that as an opportunity more than a risk.”
Photo and information from Medina Mustang Boosters
BATAVIA – Batavia Central School held a winterguard competition on Saturday, in a well-attended event with 25 guards performing in seven classifications.
In Scholastic A, Medina came in 4th place with a score of 58.55 while Victor earned 1st place with 68.36 points.
First place winners in the other classifications included Greece Cadets with 51.56; Gates Regional A with 56.21; Greece A1 with 62.36; Batavia Independent A with 70,40; and Luminosa in Senior class with 73.98.
Medina’s next competition is Saturday, Feb 10, in Victor.
Photo by Tom Rivers: Laurie Banker of Albion has wine poured in her glass by Brittany Moden of Victorianbourg Wine Estate in Wilson. They are inside the Coffee Pot Café, one of the many stops for the annual Wine About Winter. Banker attended the event with 14 of her friends. “It’s a fun way to break up the winter and the weather today is beautiful,” she said.
By Ginny Kropf, correspondent Posted 3 February 2024 at 9:29 pm
MEDINA – The Medina Area Partnership’s Wine About Winter has proven itself to be a crowd-pleaser, regardless of the weather. When temperatures last year plummeted to near zero, people still made the trek for the annual wine-tasting event. When 800 tickets went on sale for this year’s event, they didn’t last very long.
Wine About Winter has grown from 350 tickets sold for the first one in 2009 to the 800 now sold. MAP members say they could probably sell more, but feel that 800 is a manageable number. Tickets are sold for $30 each for two start times, 1 p.m. and 3 p.m., to minimize the congestion from the crowds, said Ann Fisher-Bale, former events coordinator with MAP.
Registration takes place at the Medina Senior Center, where participants get a wristband, free bag of goodies and a wine glass. There they also purchase tickets for the many baskets which are raffled off during the event.
Sponsors who provided gift items for the goodie bags and the wine glasses were Albone’s Spray Foam Insulation, Bent’s Opera House and Generations Bank.
Photos by Ginny Kropf: (Left) Medina Area Partnership member Laura Gardner stands in the Medina Senior Center, where hundreds of goodie bags and wine glasses were lined up to give participants of Wine About Winter. (Right) Members of MAP ready wristbands for the 800 participants for today’s Wine About Winter in Medina. Clockwise from left are Sarah Fisher, Ann Fisher-Bale, Wendy Oakes Wilson, Dawn Borchet, Cindy Hewitt and Amy Crandall.
People come from throughout the Western New York region for Ale in Autumn and Wine About Winter, but on Saturday, it seemed like there were a lot of locals who participated, Fisher-Bale said.
Robyn Ottaviano of Medina and Kevin Hinckley of Lyndonville were among the local residents. Hinckley has attended every Wine About Winter, while Ottaviano has been to all but one.
“I love to try different wines and then go back and buy some,” Ottaviano said. “It always a lot of fun to see all the people. It’s exciting to visit the shops and discover things you didn’t know about, and it gets you out on the house in winter.”
Brittany Donovan and Jeffrey Stanton of Middleport are both first-time attendees.
“Our other friends had done it and had fun, so we thought we’d join them to enjoy the wine and have a good time,” Donovan said.
Holleigh Utley of Barker has done the wine event for three or four years.
“Is it fun. Heck, yeah,” she said. “I’m here with my sister and brother-in-law, a girlfriend and bunch of their friends.”
(Left) Brody George, a conductor on excursions at the Medina Railroad Museum, pours wine for Robin Ottaviano of Medina. The Museum’s wine selection was 999 Buffalo’s Chateau Buffalo, a red wine with loganberry. (Right) Holleigh Utley of Barker drops a ticket in the jar for a chance to win a wine basket at the Medina Railroad Museum. Raffle baskets were available at each of the participating merchants at Wine About Winter.
Stephanie Preston of Medina said this is probably her eighth time attending the event. She was with her sister-in-law Rachel Preston, friends Christina Baisley of Rochester and Alicia Barth of Akron, attending for the first time. The girls raved about the cheese and pickles they tasted at The Walsh Hotel.
Fisher-Bale said the MAP committee walked around town after everyone had been checked in.
“Not only was everyone seeming to have fun, but it is a wonderful way to get people familiar with our merchants, in hopes they will come back and shop,” she said.
Twenty-three businesses on Main Street, East Center and West Center participated, in addition to Medina Railroad Museum, the Walsh Hotel, Hustl House, Medina Historical Society and American Legion, all in close proximity to downtown.
Fisher-Bale said wine selections ranged from dry to sweeter.
Another feature this year was information in the goodie bags on an upcoming Murder Mystery event scheduled downtown on May 4.
Photos by Tom Rivers: Dr. Jim Robinson pours “Barry’s Red” wine from 21 Brix in Portland, NY for Sandy Kress of Royalton. She recognized Robinson as her veterinarian. He and his family also own The Vintage Cigar, which was one of 23 wine-tasting sites. He said Wine About Winter is a great way to get people inside and see what the businesses have to offer.
Sandra Baxter, right of Albion and friend Erica Miller of Albion try the wine from Brickstone Cellars in Hammondsport. It was served at Modern Mercantile by Anita Giles, left, and Lisa Mannella.
Nicole Montpetit and Anita Jones, both of Middleport, have fun at Modern Mercantile. Jones said she has been to several Wine About Winter events, and enjoys seeing a vibrant downtown Medina. “Just walking around Medina, it’s so nice to see it is so alive and thriving.”
Provided photos: Carpentry students at Iroquois Job Corps are, from left in front, Jayvon Bryan Rolfe, Camrie Porter-Dye and Mark Bebe. In the background with hard hats are Tristan Peters and Jordanny Reynoso Castillo. Others in back are Leroy Phillip, carpentry instructor; Peter Bartula, Medina Rotary president; John Thomas, Job Corps operations director; and Dennis Essom, Center director. Absent is carpentry instructor Robert Trautwein.
By Ginny Kropf, correspondent Posted 2 February 2024 at 1:09 pm
MEDINA – The Iroquois Job Corps Center is teaming with the Medina Rotary Club in a project adding Buddy Benches to village parks.
Job Corps students are building four of the benches, with the cost of the materials covered by the Rotary Club. John Thomas, operations director at the Job Corps, is a member of the local service group.
Rotary also is paying for the materials for Adirondack chairs that students will build, with the chairs then sold to community members in a fundraiser for Rotary. Seven of the chairs are complete. The Rotary is finalizing the cost for the chairs.
“The chairs and benches are beautiful and very well constructed,” said Peter Bartula, Medina Rotary president. “It works out great for everybody. They learn a skill and the community benefits with new benches for the parks.”
(Left) Iroquois Job Corps’ carpentry student Jeremiah Caldwell works on one of the buddy benches which will be placed in four local Medina parks as a way to spread goodwill. (Right) Students in the carpentry program at Iroquois Job Corps Center work on Adirondack chairs, which the Medina Rotary Club will sell to raise money for the community.
By Ginny Kropf, correspondent Posted 2 February 2024 at 11:19 am
Jeff Lewis served many years as a VP with PathStone
Photo by Ginny Kropf: Medina native Jeff Lewis talks about his vision for the future of the Medina Railroad Museum. He was named its executive director in January.
MEDINA – The new director of the Medina Railroad Museum is no stranger to Medina.
Jeff Lewis, now a resident of Carlton, was born in Lockport and grew up on Elm Street in Medina. After graduating from Medina High School, he spent 1969 to 1974 in the Navy, where he served on a submarine.
His career led him to PathStone in Rochester in 1976, where he was vice president of direct service operations, retiring in 2022. During his years there, Lewis led a group of more than 200 people in the Northeast, Midwest and Puerto Rico to provide job training, job development and placement and specialized training. He was also the IT director.
He was enjoying retirement buying and selling old bottles, coins and stamps, when he got a call from Nyla Gaylord, director of United Way of Orleans County, who told him the Medina Railroad Museum was looking for a director. In December he met with the museum’s board president, George Bidleman, and started in his new position after the holidays.
“What I hope to bring to this museum is professionalism to the staff, consistent policies and procedures and a level of excellence,” Lewis said. “I am also experienced in grant writing.”
He has already developed a work plan for employees and presented it to the board. Among all the employees and board members, they represent more than 200 years of experience in trains and model railroading, Lewis said.
“With their help, we will move this museum to a place where we are the best museum in New York, and certainly the best train museum.”
His goal is to create interactive displays so visitors get to do more than just look at static displays.
“The role of a museum is not only to protect and preserve the history of a community, but to share it,” Lewis said.
He plans to create relationships with area merchants to benefit them and the museum.
“If we can find partners in the community, we will be good neighbors,” Lewis said. “I lived in this community. I love this community. This is home.”
Staff are already busy archiving and cataloging everything in the museum.
Lewis will work alongside Dawn Winkler, who started at the museum in 2005, working with museum founder Marty Phelps and his fiancée, Linda Klein. Winkler eventually moved into the director position, until leaving in 2018, only to be brought back in late 2022. She has assumed the position of operations director/events coordinator.
“I look at Dawn as a partner in operating the museum,” Lewis said. “Not only do we need to focus on our collection and interactive displays, but to expand rail events.”
Currently the museum hosts an Easter train, Day Out with Thomas, fall foliage trains and Polar Express. With the recent purchase of a third dining car, dinner/murder mystery trains are a possibility.
Winkler said their combined events bring 32,000 people a year to Medina.
The museum is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday.
Photos from Edina Band Boosters: The Medina Winterguard competed Saturday in Orchard Park.
Posted 28 January 2024 at 5:02 pm
Press Release, Medina Band Boosters
ORCHARD PARK – The 2024 winterguard competitive season began in late January, while tryouts and practices began in November.
Winterguard is a hybrid art form that combines elements of music, dance and military-like precision marching in a competitive arena into a total entertainment package. WG started about 30 years ago and involves the manipulation (spins, tosses, flips) of equipment (rifles, flags, sabers) while moving around the performance space.
Medina’s Varsity Guard consists of 10 students in grades 9-11. On Saturday they competed for the first time this season at Orchard Park where a total of 12 guards in different classes performed in competition.
Medina took 2nd place in the Scholastic A class with a score of 55.39 while Orchard Park earned 1st place with 61.99 and Lancaster in 3rd at 55.18.
Winners in the other classes were Corey Cadet in 1st place with 47.30; Orchard Park JV in Regional A with 57.36; Ventures in A1 with 58.76; Orchard Park in Scholastic A with 61.99; Batavia in Independent A with 66.35; and Luminosa in Senior Class with 68.79.
Medina’s next competition is Saturday, Feb. 3rd in Batavia, and our home show is Saturday, March 9th.
Medina’s shows is entitled “Dancing Through the Decades,” a journey through Dick Clark’s American Bandstand.
Barton & Loguidice’s rendering of the fire hall shows an addition and existing building that blend in with a brick design. A final look and scope of the project hasn’t been determined.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 25 January 2024 at 9:47 am
MEDINA – Village officials are wrestling with sticker shock for the cost of a new addition to the fire hall and upgrades to the existing fire station.
The Village Board was expecting the project to be around $4.5 million. That was the estimate about a year ago from Barton & Loguidice, an engineering firm. The company’s latest projections put the tally at just over $6.1 million.
“We’re very concerned about the price tag for this building,” Mayor Mike Sidari told Tim Bivens, vice president with Barton & Loguidice during a board meeting on Wednesday. Village officials met with Bivens in a phone conference.
Bivens said the project could be scaled back, perhaps by eliminating $1.1 million in work on the existing fire hall, and reducing the scope of the project on the new addition. Contingencies also represent about 30 percent of the cost.
Village Trustee Marguerite Sherman said the project needs to be downsized due to the expense.
“Our village can’t afford what is being presented here,” she said.
The addition is needed as the village prepares for a new ladder truck that is too big for the current fire hall. The new truck is expected to be delivered in about two years.
The board on June 26 accepted the bid for $1,698,995 from Pierce Manufacturing in Appleton, Wisc. to build the new fire truck with a 100-foot-long ladder. The truck will replace a 28-year-old ladder truck with a 75-foot ladder.
The truck is taller than the current one and won’t fit in the bay at the fire station. The current ladder truck has a clearance of 10 feet, 4 inches but the space in the garage is 10 feet, 6 inches.
The new ladder trucks will have a clearance of 13 feet. The design for the new hall addition would have two bays that allow up to 14 feet. The taller truck is the typical size for a ladder truck. Doing a smaller size is a special order, said Fire Chief Matt Jackson.
The fire chief said he supports trying to scale back the building project.
“I’m a taxpayer as well,” he said. “I understand it. Whatever we can do to get the cost down.”
Chief Matt Jackson during a March open house showed how the current concrete floors in the 1930s fire hall are uneven and sinking. The new fire hall addition and repair project calls for taking out the old concrete floors and putting down new concrete.
The village has sought grants and state and federal assistance for the project but so far has no outside funding to help offset the costs on village taxpayers. Bivens said there is federal money for infrastructure projects with roads and bridges, and water and sewer projects, but nothing to help with fire and police station upgrades.
He suggested the Village Board determine what it can spend on the project, and Barton & Loguidice can make a design that fits the budget.
The board wants a little more time to consider how to proceed. Medina has started the process to take out a bond for up to $5.6 million to pay for the project, but Mayor Sidari and the trustees said they don’t want to incur that much debt for the project. The board will ask its bond counsel to present the annual debt payments for a project at $3 million, $3.5 million and $4 million.
The board was told by the bond counsel that the annual payments for the $1.7 million bond for the ladder truck would be $159,000 over 20 years putting that expense at close to $3.2 million with a 6.5 percent annual financing cost.
The addition to the fire hall that would be approximately 62 feet, 8 inches by 88 feet, 8 inches. The plan is to move the ladder truck and an engine to the addition, and then allow four ambulances to go in the current fire hall. The spots used by the ambulances could be made available to the police department for patrol cars or it could become a meeting space.
The total scope of the project includes:
A new public entry, radio room/office, laundry room, EMS room, restrooms, Decon room, gear room, mechanical room, tool room, and apparatus bay with the existing apparatus bay being repurposed to house the village ambulances.
A mezzanine space to be located along the perimeter of the new apparatus bay with file storage and office space accessed from the existing building second floor hallway.
A new air and vapor barrier membrane and new exterior cladding system to be installed over the existing concrete masonry unit wall construction of the existing fire station, and the existing overhead sectional doors to be relocated and replaced allowing for adequate clearances around the ambulance apparatus bay.
The renewal of the building’s existing façade will result in creating a weather tight envelope while simultaneously allowing the cladding system of the addition to carry over creating a cohesive look to the updated facility.
The existing concrete slab in the existing ambulance apparatus bay to be replaced, including the installation of new trench drainage and epoxy floor finish.
The outdated emergency generator located south of the alley to be replaced and upgraded to accommodate the fire station and addition.
Sherman said the village needs to determine “needs versus wants” with the project. Bivens said the village could bid out the project with some alternates, and could pick some of those depending on the bids submitted by contractors.
John Parada was among several local residents who urged the board at the meeting to try to bring the cost down significantly with the project.
“Our taxes are so high,” he said. “We’ll be stuck paying the bill.”
The current village budget for 2023-24 raised the village taxes by 14.9 percent with the tax rate going from $18.85 to $21.15 per $1,000 of assessed property.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 25 January 2024 at 8:00 am
MEDINA – A new concrete mixer truck owned by Orleans Ready Mix is featured in the 2024 calendar for Rotabelt, a manufacturer of conveyor belt attachments for concrete mixer trucks. The company is based in Milton, Pa.
Orleans Ready Mix is featured in September in the calendar. It highlights one of Orleans Ready Mix’s newest mixer trucks. It had a Rotabelt conveyor system installed valued at over $100,000, not including the cost of the new truck.
The new Orleans Ready Mix truck has not yet been placed into service, but will be when the season begins. Orleans Ready Mix is a subsidiary of Orleans Construction Company located at 12334 Ridge Road, owned by Reginald Cichocki with about 10 full-time employees.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 25 January 2024 at 7:42 am
Photo by Tom Rivers: The Hart Hotel is one of the lodging businesses in Medina. Hart Hotel includes five rooms and two lofts on the third floor of 113 West Center St.
MEDINA – The Medina Village Board is trying again to get state support for a 2 percent occupancy tax for room rentals in the village.
Medina first tried to have the tax imposed in 2018 but it has stalled in the State Legislature.
State Assemblyman Steve Hawley agreed to introduce legislation in the Assembly. The Village Board is asking State Sen. Rob Ortt to sponsor the legislation in the State Senate. Ortt has done that before but one of his staff members told the board he is reluctant to back bills that result in a tax increase.
Medina Mayor Mike Sidari said the occupancy tax is on visitors to the community, not local residents. It would provide much-needed revenue for the village to promote tourism and economic development, leading to more visitors to help local businesses, Sidari said.
He will see Ortt on Friday at the Orleans County Chamber of Commerce’s Legislative Luncheon at the White Birch in Lyndonville. Sidari said he will urge Ortt to introduce the bill in the Senate.
The state legislation is needed to give Medina permission to impose a hotel/motel occupancy tax of 2 percent. Medina village officials say the funds will towards promoting tourism and economic development in the community.
Past legislation for the occupancy tax said it shall apply to any “tourist home, inn, club, hotel, motel or other similar place of public accommodation.” The owners of the properties, including Airbnbs, will be required to impose the tax. The village’s chief fiscal officer will then collect the tax.
The tax does not apply to people who are considered “permanent residents” of a hotel or motel, those staying at least 30 consecutive days.
Orleans County also imposes a 4 percent occupancy tax that generates about $100,000 a year and is used solely by the county for its tourism promotion efforts.
In its resolution on Wednesday seeking the occupancy tax, the Village Board said it seeks to use the funds to promote the Erie Canal, the historic downtown, agri-tourism and other attractions.
Photos courtesy of Chris Busch: Gail Miller, manager of the Canal Village Farmers’ Market, talks with vendors during a recent Saturday morning. The vendor in front is from Human Farms and Greenhouse in Appleton.
By Ginny Kropf, correspondent Posted 24 January 2024 at 8:10 am
MEDINA – Sponsors of the Canal Village Farmers’ Market are praising the generosity of Medina businessman Craig Lacy for loaning his building for the market to set up during winter months.
The market has re-located to the former NAPA Auto Parts store on North Main Street for the winter, according to Chris Busch, president of Orleans Renaissance Group, which sponsors the market.
“Since 2015, the market has operated during the summer at their site on the corner of West Center Street and West Avenue,” Busch said. “It’s a great spot for a festive, open-air summer market, but not so much for winter.”
Site of a former drive-in bank building, the location provides extremely limited sheltered space and little heat, Busch said.
Gail Miller, who has been market manager since 2015, said for a summer market, the downtown corner site is fantastic.
“It provides a festive market atmosphere in a central downtown location,” she said. “The building is essentially used for sto4rage. It was originally built as a gas station and has very little interior space that can be heated.”
Buyers stop at Bower Family Farms table at Medina’s winter Canal Village Farmers’ Market to check out the microgreens. In the background, a customer makes a purchase from Baker Farms of Medina. The market has relocated to the former NAPA store on North Main Street for the winter months.
Knowing the site’s limitations for winter operations, Lacy stepped in over a year ago and offered his empty storefront on North Main Street.
Lacy’s family has owned the historic sandstone structure since 1925, when his father M. Cady Lacy and Charles Haak salvaged the building after a tragic fire. They added the rear section and began an auto parts business and machine shop. For many years, locals knew the business as NAPA Auto Parts Store. Unfortunately, corporate NAPA decided to relocate their store to Maple Ridge Road in April 2021, leaving Lacy’s building without a tenant.
“Craig literally saved the winter market,” Miller said. “His incredibly generous gesture has been a game changer. We can’t you how grateful both we and our customers are to have this big, heated space. He’s done the community a tremendous service and we’re thankful for it.”
“All of us at the market and ORG are so grateful to Craig for his generosity,” Busch added. “Because of him, the community is able to gather at a great farmers’ market throughout the winter. Medina is lucky to have Craig and to have such a great community resource as the market.”
The indoor site retains all of the summer market vendors throughout the winter, Busch said.
Among the regular weekly vendors are Heartland Organics of Johnson’s Creek (mushrooms and mushroom products), Stone Hollow Farms of Middleport (fresh bread), Catherine Street Bakery of Medina (pies, cookies, scones and jams), Baker Farms of Medina (beef and pork), Human Farms and Greenhouse of Appleton (produce, spice blends and BBQ sauces), LockRidge Apiary of Lockport (local honey and honey products), and Bower Family Farms and Greenhouse of Lockport (microgreens).
Other vendors rotate in and out, including 3BeesWax, Leonard Oakes Estate Winery, 810 Meadworks, Mountain Mule Ciderhouse and Dot’s Pantry (savory relishes, jams, mustards, dressings, chutney, cheeses and pierogi.
Miller said they are also able to feature crafters and any non-profits as well. Community groups frequent the “Community Table,” a space for non-profits and groups to set up and connect with the public.
Erica Wanecski of Medina is an avid volunteer who helps many organizations throughout the area. She loves to spend a Saturday talking to shoppers about the Medina Historical Society, Cornell Cooperative Extension’s Master Gardeners or the Iroquois Wildlife Refuge.
“People are anxious to hear about these places, and I love talking to them,” Wanecski said.
Miller said they have many other groups who avail themselves of the Community Table. Among them are PAWS, Canalside Radio, Mustang Marching Band, Office for the Aging, Orleans Mental Health, Medina Head Start, Girl Scouts of WNY, Orleans County Veterans Services, NYS Department of Health, Medina Fire Department and many others.
“It’s a great way for community groups to connect with people,” Miller said.
She added they are always looking for community-minded people to volunteer at the market.
“Medina is very lucky to have such a great community resource as this farmers’ market,” Miller said. “But it doesn’t just happen. There’s a lot of behind-the-scenes logistics that make it happen every week, because of volunteers who give generously of their time and talent.”
Busch agreed, saying a community farmers’ market makes a community vibrant. They’re a great public gathering space. Every week, people meet up and enjoy connecting with each other and with local farmers and providers.
“People really appreciate access to fresh, local foods, products and information,” Busch said. “And they enjoy just having fun.”
Dehydrated organic mushrooms such as these can be found weekly at Medina’s Canal Village Farmers’ Market, which is set up at the former NAPA building for the winter.
In addition to a dedicated core of volunteers, the market also benefits from generous community sponsorship, lending financial support to the operation.
“We are so incredibly lucky to have financial benefactors who believe in what we’re doing,” Busch said. “Their philanthropism makes possible live music at the summer market, activities for kids and critical supplemental operating funds. Without them, there would be no market.”
Summer market operations, including live music and kids’ activities are sponsored by Takeform, Berkshire Hathaway Home Services-Zambito Realtors and Mrs. Maureen Hungerford.
The Canal Village Farmers’ Market has become not only a valued community space, but a tourism destination, Miller said.
“I am constantly amazed by where the patrons travel from all year round,” she said. “We have visitors from Buffalo, Clarence, Youngstown, Lewiston, East Aurora, Williamsville and other Western New York communities. “Our market really does matter. People enjoy and appreciate having a direct relationship between local farmers, producers and the consumer, and we appreciate that the market promotes local agriculture – our primary industry.”
Additional information about Canal Village Farmers’ Market or becoming a vendor, volunteer or corporate sponsor can be found on the market’s Facebook page or by e-mailing Miller at canalvillagemarket@gmail.com.
The winter market at 345 Main St. operates from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturdays through May. The summer market begins in June and runs through October from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at 127 West Center St., corner of West Avenue.
The market operates under the auspices of the Orleans Renaissance Group, a 501(c)3 arts, culture and preservation organization based in Medina.
By Ginny Kropf, correspondent Posted 23 January 2024 at 6:29 pm
Photo by Ginny Kropf: Erica Wanecski of Medina, a history buff and avid volunteer, holds a child’s shoe a local resident found in his barn. She plans to show it at the January meeting of the Medina Historical Society, which annually is “Show and Tell” night. The meeting is scheduled at 7 p.m. Monday at Lee-Whedon Memorial Library.
MEDINA – The January meeting of the Medina Historical Society is one which always creates a lot of interest.
The first meeting of each new year is “Show and Tell.”
“People always bring the most interesting things,” said Georgia Thomas, a board member of the Historical Society. “You never know what you’re going to see.”
The meeting starts at 7 p.m. on Monday at Lee-Whedon Memorial Library, and the public is invited to attend.
Erica Wanecski is also a member and is going to show an old child’s shoe which a Medina man found in his father’s barn. When a friend heard about the find, she was alarmed and said if he found it in the wall, it should be returned there immediately. She said it was a well-known superstition that people hid things in the walls for good luck, and if they were removed, it would bring bad luck.
Orleans County Historian Catherine Cooper said she had never heard of the superstition, but wasn’t surprised there was one.
She said people believed in all kinds of superstitions, such as it was bad luck to remove something from an Indian site or a burial site.
Hub contributor Ginny Kropf decided to do some research online and found, indeed, hiding shoes in a wall was a superstition dating back to the 1500s in the United Kingdom. She will share the story at Monday’s meeting.
Thomas said she is looking forward to the meeting to see what people bring. In the past, she recalls when Dave Schwert brought in a medical kit belonging to his father, who was a doctor. Another man who hunts with a muzzle loader has talked about his experiences on several occasions. Others have brought in memorabilia from when Fisher-Price was in town, and before that, H.J. Heinz Co.
“We’ve seen old kitchen utensils, button hooks, blacksmithing tools, postcards and old clothing,” Thomas said. “Craig Lacy once brought in an old map. It was all very interesting to think people used these things in yesteryear, and today nobody knows what they are.”
The Historical Society is closed during the winter months. They meet the last Monday of every month, except June, July and August. Special arrangements can be made to visit the museum by calling Thomas at (585) 798-3429.
Thomas suggested people log on to the Historical Society’s website to read their quarterly newsletter, The Bugle. Dave Miller is editor and anyone can contribute interesting facts about Medina. Thomas said there is a lot of interesting information about the canal, as it gets ready to celebrate its 200th anniversary next year.
Historical Society president Reinhard Rogowski invites anyone who is not a member to consider joining the museum. Dues are $15 for an individual or $20 for a family.
“It’s very reasonable and it helps us to keep the building open,” he said.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 22 January 2024 at 4:42 pm
MEDINA – The Medina School District is warning of scam where people are asked to give their credit cards for gift cards for staff members.
“We want to make you aware of a scam that is currently happening in many neighboring districts,” the Medina district said in a message to the community this afternoon. “Parents and community members are receiving text messages from a 212 area code claiming to be someone from the schools.
“These text messages ask people to purchase gift cards for other staff members, and they try to obtain credit card information. Please know that nobody from the Medina CSD will ever solicit money from families to purchase gifts for staff members.
“If you see a message like this come to your phone, please treat the message as spam and do not click on any links in those emails.”
Photo courtesy of Medina Central School: Daniel Doctor, director of Community Partnership, and Julie Webber, director of Curriculum and Instruction, promote Saturday’s Tri-County College and Career Day Conference in Medina.
MEDINA – Medina Central School District is hosting a Tri-County College and Career Day Conference on Jan. 20.
This annual celebration of educational opportunity is a major event for talented, first-generation college-bound students, parents and community members in Orleans, Niagara and Genesee counties. Students, parents, community members from neighboring counties, and other educational opportunity programs are expected to be in attendance.
The purpose of College and Career Day conference is to expose anyone planning their future to a variety of careers in order to jumpstart their thinking about career paths. By preparing early, students will more likely be college and career ready after high school graduation. Students in middle, high school and adulthood may participate in the conference.
On hand there will be representatives from multiple organizations to discuss potential job opportunities and college representatives to discuss their programs. There will be opportunities to discuss over 1,300 career opportunities.
“As educators, our goal is to let students know that there is a magnificent world of possibilities out there,” says Daniel Doctor, director of Community Partnership for the school district. “Having a job, most kids can understand; but building a career is a far more elusive idea. No teenager can fully comprehend yet what it means to have a career, or professional life-path. College is just one of those possibilities that often our students don’t quite really know enough about. In a nutshell, this event is to get students jumpstarted into thinking about the future.”
The event will be held at the Medina Junior-Senior High School at 1 Mustang Drive and runs from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 12 January 2024 at 6:38 pm
Orleans Community Health says it values employees but can’t jeopardize long-term financial viability
MEDINA – The leaders of Orleans Community Health say the organization cares deeply about its employees and finalizing a contract is a top priority with 189 employees in the 1199SEIU United Healthcare Workers East..
The organization, which has about 300 employees altogether, is currently proposing approximate average increases of 12 to 15 percent over the next three years, which far surpasses the across the board 2 percent increases in 2021, 2022 and 2023, said Scott Robinson, director of Marketing, Communications, and Outreach for OCH.
Union members at Orleans Community Health’s Medina Memorial Hospital, Lake Plains Batavia Dialysis Clinic, and Albion Healthcare Center have voted to authorize an informational picket if no labor agreement can be reached soon.
“Services at Orleans Community Health’s Medina Memorial Hospital have expanded and the increase in patients leaves workers without enough staff to provide the quality care patients in the rural community rely upon,” the union stated in a news release. “Downsizing and service line closures in nearby counties have contributed to staffing issues at the hospital and clinics.”
OCH currently holds a 2.6% vacancy rate (down 8 positions out of 304) and is actively recruiting for those positions, Robinson said.
Orleans Community Health is utilizing temporary workers until permanent placements are found. Robinson said OCH’s nursing home staffing levels are among the best according to the latest CMS report.
OCH leaders have met with union reps for 13 sessions since commencing negotiations on December 8, 2023, Robinson said.
“During the entire process the OCH Negotiating Team has negotiated transparently and in good faith with 1199SEIU,” he said. “This includes sharing a significant amount of financial details and information with the Union throughout the course of negotiations. This was done to establish transparency from the start so the bargaining committee could see the full picture and challenges facing OCH as an organization.”
Extensive market research on current wages and benefits was conducted and that information was shared with the entire bargaining committee at the table. Some of the wage proposals are at the top-end of the competition, Robinson said, including:
A proposed CNA base wage of $18.38 to $21.49 per hour with the average wage for like positions ranging from $15.00/hr. up to $21.00/hr.
A proposed housekeeping base wage of $16.70 to $19.48/hr. with the average wage for like positions ranging from $15 to $16.95/hr.
A proposed registered nurse base wage of $35.55 to $43.57/hr. with the average wage for like positions ranging from $33.00 to $49.35/hr.
“These past few years presented challenges for all of us, and we survived,” Robinson said. “We are optimistic about our future! Now more than ever, we must balance making sound financial decisions so that we do not jeopardize the long term financial stability of the hospital while also compensating our employees fairly and competitively.
“OCH employs over 300 individuals and serves tens of thousands of community members, and we take this negotiation process very seriously. Making these important financial decisions can either set us up for future success or failure. It is our obligation to be good stewards of the hospital’s resources and it would be extremely irresponsible for us to commit to all the Union’s proposals knowing that we would not be able to meet our financial obligations.”
