Photos by Ginny Kropf: Cars are on display at Medina’s Canal Basin. A volunteer is needed to lead the weekly summer cruise nights.

MEDINA – A tradition of nearly 30 years in Medina may come to an end, with Dave Green’s announcement he is retiring as organizer of Medina’s Friday night cruise-ins in the canal basin.

“It’s time somebody else does it,” Green said. “I hurt my leg and it’s hard to walk anymore.”

Green has been involved in the summer cruise nights since they began nearly 30 years ago, when he, Donna Mruczek and Donna Bushover headed the Friday night events.

Dave Green is shown here with Donna Bushover during a Super Cruise in one of the early years of cruise nights in Medina. Former Medina resident Donna Mruczek also was a dedicated volunteer in the weekly events.

Also retiring is DJ Hank Nevins, who has provided music for most of those years.

United Way has been the sponsor of the cruise-ins for many years, and interim director Nyla Gaylord said she hopes someone will step up to take them over.

The cruise-ins have been a popular event all the years, for car owners and the community. Green said drivers brought their vehicles from all over Western New York, including Amherst, Batavia, Niagara Falls, Clarence, Akron, Rochester and the Southern Tier. Regular Friday nights drew 80 to 100 vehicles, while the final Super Cruise on Main Street often brought 300.

The cruise-ins always featured 50-50 drawings, which netted a donation to United Way, as well as the winner.

This year’s profits were lower, as the event was canceled four times because of rain.

It had become a tradition for the cruise-in to move to the 4-H Fairgrounds on the Friday of fair week, and on Main Street for the final cruise on the third Wednesday of August, featuring Elvis impersonator Terry Buchwald.

Green said he couldn’t have done what he did all those years without the help of several dedicated volunteer helpers. Rick and Rita Soule, Nick and Karen Adams, Gerard and Carrie Wittmyer, Brad Shelp, Vera Wetherbee and Terry and Liz Gallo were on hand every week to help with checking in cars and selling 50/50 tickets.

A big thanks also is due to the Medina Police Department, DPW and downtown businesses for their support.

Green said he feared the event would eventually die a “natural death,” as many of the car owners are getting elderly.

The job as organizer involves soliciting donations from Medina businesses, many of whom have been regular supporters of cruise nights. Donations pay for prizes for vehicle owners and the DJ.

It is hoped an individual (individuals) or an organization will step up to take charge of keeping the cruise night tradition alive. Green has said he will work with anyone who takes it over.

United Way extends its heartfelt thanks to Green for all the years he has given up his Friday nights, and many more hours, to lead the car shows.

Besides a new organizer, the events could also use a local DJ to play music for a couple of hours.

Photo by Tom Rivers: Terry Buchwald, an Elvis Presley impersonator for more than 30 years, arrives in downtown Medina on a motorcycle (with a license plate, “ELVIS”) during the Super Cruise on Aug. 28, 2019. Buchwald performed for two hours on a stage. About 250 to 300 cars are featured in the Super Cruise, with part of Main Street blocked off to traffic for the event.

MEDINA – The Local Planning Committee that is identifying $4.5 million in projects to submit to the state to bolster downtown Medina will have a workshop on Sept. 13 to get input from the public.

The committee will have an interactive workshop at 6 p.m. in the school district board room at 1 Mustang Drive. The committee wants to see how community members would spend the $4.5 million.

Medina was awarded the grant in February through the NY Forward program. Medina has a committee to finalize projects that will go to the state for final approval. The funding should become available next year after the projects get a final OK from the state.

The workshop on Sept. 13 will include a short review of the projects being considered for funding. Attendees will then participate in an interactive exercise where they will spend $4.5 million on the projects they believe would have the most impact in downtown Medina.

For more information on the program in Medina, click here.

Photos by Tom Rivers

MEDINA – The Village of Medina Department of Public Works has cleared paths in the woods by Gulf Street Park as the village works on a 9-hole disc golf course.

Medina is working with the Orleans County YMCA to develop the course in a project funded by a grant from the Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. Foundation. Albion did a similar project at Bullard Park.

The Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. Foundation gave the YMCA $20,000 to $24,000 to develop the projects with tee boxes, signs and baskets that are mounted in small concrete foundations – 8 inches wide by 20 inches deep.

Medina is using a skid steer with a forestry head to carve a path in the woods, mulching brush and small trees. Here the machine is by the roadside where it was clearing some of the trees and brush.

Jason Watts, Medina DPW superintendent, said the new course should eb ready this fall with many of the holes in the woods and some out in the open.

The DPW has been working the project the past two weeks.

“I think it will be a big addition to the community,” watts told the Village Board on Monday about the new course.

Mayor Mike Sidari said he walked through the woods to see the progress.

“I was quite impressed,” he said.

In other action at Monday’s board meeting:

• The board approved allowing Medina’s cross country team to use Boxwood Cemetery to races on Sept. 19 and Oct. 3.

• The board also approved a Hometown Wellness 5-kilometer run and walk event on Oct. 21. The curse will include the canal towpath, canal basin and some village streets. The police department is expected to assist with traffic control during the race that starts at 9 a.m.

• Approved selling the body armor of retired Police Chief Chad Kenward back to the chief for $500. The item was declared surplus. The body armor is specifically sized for the retired chief, is out of warranty and doesn’t have a market, board members said. The armor is about 5 years old.

• Approved John McQuay as a call man for the Medina Fire Department. He is the fourth call man on the department’s roster.

• Fire Chief Matt Jackson said the inter-transfer hospital transfers are up 27 percent from Jan. 1 to Aug. 28, compared to the same time period in 2022. He said the closing of the hospital in Lockport is part of the reason for more trips from Medina Memorial to other larger hospitals.

“It hasn’t impacted operations,” Jackson told the board. “It’s just a lot more round trips.”

Village getting new ladder truck, putting addition on fire hall

MEDINA – The Medina Village Board agreed to hire a grantwriter on Monday evening who will be focused on seeking funds for the Medina Fire Department, which is looking to acquire a new ladder truck, replace another fire truck from 1990, and put an addition on the fire hall.

The board agreed to pay $7,990 to G&G Municipal Consulting and Grant Writing to write up to five grant applications for the fire department. G&G is owned by Jay Grasso. The company has been successful securing grants for the Shelby Volunteer Fire Company, said Jason Watts, a past Shelby fire chief and Medina’s current superintendent of Public Works.

Medina is facing several million dollars in expenses for a fire hall addition and for a new ladder truck.

The board on Aug. 14 authorized seeking a bond for up to $5.6 million to finance the fire hall addition.

The board also voted on June 26 to spend $1.7 million to buy a new ladder truck from Pierce Manufacturing in Appleton, Wisc., with a delivery time expected to take 2 ½ years. The new truck doesn’t fit in the cramped fire hall on Park Avenue.

Another fire truck from 1990 also should be on schedule for a replacement in the near future, said Fire Chief Matt Jackson.

Village Board members approved the grant writer expense, although there is no certainty it will yield any grants.

“You have to spend money to get money,” said Trustee Marguerite Sherman.

Mayor Mike Sidari last week gave a tour of the fire hall to Congresswoman Claudia Tenney. She sits on a committee that reviews applications for federal funding to assist fire departments. Sidari showed her the shortcomings of the building and asked her to consider Medina for assistance.

The village has tried to put together grant applications with its own staff in the past – with mixed results.

Seeking grants from different sources could pay off in a big way for the village, with Medina not needing to borrow as much money for the addition and fire truck.

“We need to show a good faith effort that we’re trying to help ourselves,” Sherman said.

Photos by Tom Rivers

MEDINA – A cemetery tour on Sunday evening at Boxwood Cemetery in medina included a stop by the grave of May Howard, a survivor of the Titanic sinking on April 15, 1912.

Howard was 27 when she was on the maiden voyage of the Titanic. Howard, a native of England, was headed to visit her brother in Toronto and then her sister in Albion. She traveled as a third-class passenger and secured a spot on a life boat. May lived locally until she died at age 68 in 1958. About 1,500 passengers died after the Titanic hit an ice berg. Howard was one of about 700 survivors.

The tour highlighted many of the architectural features of the cemetery and the symbols on the grave stones. The George A. Beach Mausoleum includes the symbol of an Egyptian winged globe, which retired Orleans County Historian Bill Lattin said signified “divine protection.”

Mr. Beach was a manufacturer of iron goods.

Village of Medina Historian Todd Bensley led the tour of Boxwood. He is shown here at the chapel at Boxwood, which was built with a $22,000 donation from the late Silas Burroughs, who was influential in the pharmaceutical industry. His father also served in Congress.

A stained-glass window is being repaired in the chapel and is expected to be installed soon.

Bensley has written a 314-page book, “Boxwood Cemetery: Where the Past is Present.”

He also helped the cemetery secure a designation on the National Register of Historic Places in 2015.

The  cemetery opened in 1850. About 5,000 people have been buried at the site north of the village on North Gravel Road (Route 63).

The 20-acre site is a distinctive example of several cemetery movements. It was originally established in the Rural Cemetery manner in 1850. The cemetery initially was focused on a hill. The later sections were added in the Lawn Park and Memorial Park styles.

Todd Bensley, far right, tells a group of about 50 people this spot offers his favorite view of Boxwood Cemetery.

Boxwood reflects the changing and developing tastes in cemetery design from the mid 19th Century to the late 20th Century.

Drawing from contemporary English romantic landscape design ideas, rural cemeteries such as Boxwood utilized varied topography, curving drives for carriages and separate pedestrian pathways.

Bensley said the winding pathways proved a challenge to maintain. Boxwood shifted to a simpler design after about the 1890s to make it easier to mow the grass and take care of the gravesites.

“It all looks very nice, and it is very nice,” Bensley told the group about the cemetery section on the hill. “But it’s a nightmare to maintain.”

The Friends of Boxwood Cemetery will be hosting an evening tour of the cemetery on Sept. 30. Proceeds from last year’s event helped pay for the stained-glass repair.

Bensley said the Friends of Boxwood would like to have a memorial with the names of 107 people buried in a potter’s field. Many do not have gravestones with their names on them. Once the stained-glass window is complete, Bensley said the group expects to work on the memorial for the people in the potter’s field.

Bill Lattin, center, describes some of the symbols for the monument for the L’Hommedieu family.

Lattin gave his first tour of a cemetery in 1994 at Mount Albion. There were about 300 people at the that tour. Lattin said the cemeteries are popular with many local people who walk or jog by the gravesites.

He started giving the tours because he thought it was a way of sharing local history, and helping people to know about the symbols and architecture at the sites.

The Boxwood tour capped the local cemetery tours organized by the Orleans County Historical Association. The group typically has cemetery tours on Sunday evenings in August. Other tours this month included Hillside Cemetery in Holley/Clarendon, Mount Albion and the old St. Joseph’s Catholic Cemetery in Albion.

George Ambrose Bowen (1867-1945) was featured on the cemetery tour. He was instrumental in development of Medina Memorial Hospital. He was a president of the S.A. Cook & Co. and was chairman of the board of the hospital for nearly 35 years. He was largely responsible for the hospital being built in 1924, Bensley said.

The Swett family monument includes the burial site for Albert Swett. He created Glenwood Lake and Lake Alice to generate power. (He built Glenwood Lake next to Boxwood Cemetery from 1903 to 1905.) He ran Swett Iron Works in Medina. Some sewer grates and manhole covers from a century ago continue to be used. Sweet named Lake Alice in Carlton in honor of his daughter Alice, who died of scarlet fever at age 11.

Mr. Swett lived from 1850 to 1924. His daughter died in 1884.

Swett’s sister, Dr. Emily Sweet, practiced for 30 years and was a member of many medical societies. She returned to Medina in 1918 to help the community during a major flu outbreak.

Photo by Ginny Kropf: Jan Heideman, left, combs out Sandy Dujenski’s hair at Orchard Manor Rehabilitation and Nursing Center. She was recently recognized by staff for 50 years of service.

MEDINA – One thing residents of Orchard Manor Rehabilitation and Nursing Center look forward to is the weekly visit from hairdresser Jan Heideman of Lyndonville.

Heideman was recently honored by staff for her 50 years of attending to residents of the nursing home.

“The residents really look forward to her visits,” said activities director Jamie Murphy. “They just love her.”

Heideman came to the nursing home when it first opened. She was 19 and just graduated from Continental Beauty School in Rochester. One lady who came in every week for a manicure said she heard Orchard Manor was looking for a hairdresser.

“They had opened in June and this was August,” Heideman said. “I was the only one who applied and they hired me.”

“I’m the oldest employee there now,” she said. “I plan to work as long as I possibly can. I love my job and I love the people.”

Heideman used to visit Clover Hill in Albion and Applegate in Medina, but they are now both closed. She still visits Orchard Manor and the hospital’s North Wing a day and a half each.

“I look forward to her coming every week,” said Sandy Dujenski, a resident of Orchard Manor. “It is a highlight of my week.”

Heideman cuts their hair, colors it and gives perms, she said.

Provided photo: Staff at Orchard Rehabilitation and Nursing Center celebrated recently with hairdresser Jan Heideman on her 50th anniversary of doing the hair of residents. From left are Jenna Cracknell, administrator; Jamie Murphy, activities director; Heideman; Kristina Smith, business office manager; RoseAnn Velesko, social worker; Laurie Seager, activities aide; and Desiree Braham, MDS coordinator.

File photo: These flowers were displayed at State Street Park during the 2018 Walk to End Alzheimer’s. Personal messages were written on the flowers. The different colors of the flowers have different meanings. Blue flowers represent a person battling the disease. Purple is for a person who lost their battle with the disease. Yellow signifies a caregiver. Orange is for a supporter of the cause.

MEDINA – The annual walk in Orleans County to benefit Alzheimer’s disease is scheduled Sept. 9, beginning in State Street Park.

Registration begins at 10 a.m., with refreshments and other activities. The opening ceremony at 11 a.m. will be followed by the start of the walk at 11:15.

The walk is being held earlier this year, because the weather is often colder or blustery in October, said Carolyn Wagner, a member of the planning committee.

Wagner and Mary Lou Tuohey are among volunteers on the committee who have personal reasons to be involved in fundraising for the disease.

Both have family members who died of Alzheimer’s.

Tuohey has been very vocal about her experiences with her parents, Don and Jane Bradley, who both suffered from the disease. Don was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s at the age of 52. He was forced to retired from his job at Harrison’s and close a repair shop he ran. As the disease progressed, his family took his car keys.

Mary Lou would bring him to her house and give him a basket of socks to fold. Then she would bring him another, which he knew was the same basket she had unfolded and then gave back to him.

One day he got so angry he punched her in the stomach. One week later, she gave birth to a son, Casey. When the family feared he would harm his wife, they moved him to a nursing home. He died at the age of 65.

Jane’s story is that of a stay-at-home mom and devoted wife of 42 years. At the age of 75, she started forgetting things, like people’s names, taking her medication or turning off the stove. One day she went driving and got lost. She has no idea how she got back home. That’s when her family took her car keys away.

Jane became very angry and mean to her children and threw things at them. Eventually the family moved her to assisted living, which she hated. As her condition worsened, she went to a nursing home, where she became aggressive toward the staff and her family.  They brought her a doll named Andrew, which Jane loved and cuddled. She sang “gibberish” to him, until she finally closed her eyes and went to be with Don.

Mary Lou’s daughter Nicole remembers her grandma and grandpa, and watching them fade from life. That is why she sells elephant links for $1 at her mom’s store, Case-Nic Cookies, and donates all the money to Alzheimer’s for research.

Carolyn Wagner’s connection to the disease began with her father-in-law. He had been on a steady decline for several years, but no one knew what was wrong. Then it became obvious, she said.

“People with Alzheimer’s become ‘Sundowners,’” Wagner said. “In the late afternoon they become very agitated. Eventually he didn’t know his own son. I stayed nights with him so he didn’t turn on the stove or do something harmful.”

She said being a caregiver was 24/7 and she was constantly exhausted and on edge.

He eventually would move in and live in the North Wing at Medina Memorial Hospital, and they were wonderful to him, Wagner said.

“We didn’t want to put him in a nursing home, but it wasn’t safe for him or my mother-in-law for him to be at home,” she said.

She and Tuohey are sharing their story to get the word to people that help is available from the Alzheimer’s Association.

“They offer so much,” Wagner said. “We didn’t realize any of that.”

The local committee works with Lynn Westcott, director of development at the Western New York Chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association in Amherst.

“She works with the committees in each county,” Wagner said. “They offer a lot of help. Alzheimer’s is a terrible disease and we want to do what we can to raise awareness. Statistics show that the number of people who will be diagnosed with Alzheimer’s is staggering. Most people think it is an old person’s disease, but it’s not. People in their 40s are being diagnosed. Their body is still strong, but their mind is gone. It doesn’t matter if you’re rich or poor, educated or not, Black or White. It’s a tough disease for anyone involved.”

The local planning committee starts meeting in the spring at Case-Nic Cookies. They welcome invitations to come and speak to groups, such as local service clubs.

Committee members, in addition to Tuohey and Wager, are Cathy Hooker, Amanda Pollard, Michelle Lewis, Pam Canham, Jennifer Nowicki, Beth Schmidt and Mollie Radzinski.

Information on registering for the walk or making a donation is available by clicking here.

Photos by Ginny Kropf: Cameron Boysen, who recently moved to Medina, stopped to talk to firefighter Nick Lee and see the fire truck on display at the Canal Village Farmer’s Market on Saturday.

MEDINA – The Canal Village Farmers’ Market had a special attraction on Saturday, with a visit from Medina fighter Nick Lee with a fire truck.

Market coordinator Gail Miller said they welcome the presence of non-profits in the area who want to come and set up a display.

Now that the market has moved back to the corner of West Center Street and West Avenue, there was room for the fire truck to park, where it caught the attention of visitors to the market.

One visitor was Cameron Boysen, who recently moved to Medina from Idaho. He was looking for a change in his life and had a good friend in Medina, so decided to come here.

He is very happy he did.

“I never knew Medina had so much history,” he said.

The fire truck caught his eye, as he spent five years as an apprentice to learn about sprinkler systems, and he stopped to talk to Lee.

Lee said they visit the market several times a year to promote awareness in the community. The Medina ambulance had also been there for a while, but got called out several times.

Pam Canham, who volunteers at the market every weekend, said they encourage non-profit groups to come to the market. This past weekend, both PAWS and Head Start had a table set up.

Any non-profit wishing to set up a display at the market can call (716) 628-3078.

The summer market is open from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturdays through Oct. 8. Then the winter market will open at 345 Main St., the former NAPA parts store.

Medina firefighter Nick Lee brought a fire truck to the Canal Village Farmer’s Market on Saturday.

Photos and information courtesy of Medina Band Boosters

MEDINA – The Medina Marching Band on Thursday evening offered a preview performance of this year’s show on the parking lot by the band barn.

This year’s Fall Field Band’s competition show is entitled, “Confined.”

The band opens its competitive season at Hilton on Sept. 16, followed by the Medina Home Show, the Fall Festival of Bands on Sept. 23.

Then the schedule includes Sept. 30 at Oswego, Oct. 7 at Webster, Oct. 14 at Victor, Oct. 21 at Central Square, and then the State Championships in Syracuse on Oct. 29.

The Medina band is led on the field by senior Drum Major Alex Balaban. At 76 members, the band is the smallest it’s been for decades, largely due to Covid restrictions which impacted the band for about two years. There are six seniors compared to 27 last year. And there are 18 “rookies” marching for the first time ever.

Band Director, Matt Jaeger explains the show to the audience. It depicts a character (played by senior Caiden Class) who is “confined” by different sections of the band and struggles to be “free,” only to be captured by another band section.

A crowd of parents and community members were on hand Thursday night at the high school parking lot and band practice blacktop to see and hear a preview of the show, “Confined.”

Photos by Ginny Kropf: The grand opening of Carquest in Medina was celebrated with a ribbon cutting Friday morning. From left are Dave Gagne, president of Orleans County Chamber of Commerce; Jay Bridges, independent sales director for Carquest in Michigan; Arnold Huth, counter man; store owner Joe Kauffman of Middleport with daughter Emma, 8;  Larry Schlossin, account executive for Carquest in Buffalo; Assemblyman Steve Hawley; John Belson, driver; and Darlene Hartway, director of Orleans County Chamber of Commerce.

MEDINA – Opening his own store has become a reality for Joseph Kauffman of Middleport, who celebrated the grand opening of Carquest on Friday morning.

Kauffman had been working as parts man for Orleans Ford, but always wanted to be in business for himself. When the old Carquest moved out of Medina, he saw an opportunity.

Joe Kauffman (right), owner of a new Carquest store in Medina, is congratulated by Assemblyman Steve Hawley on the new store in Medina.

He contacted Larry Schlossin, account executive for Carquest in Buffalo, and soon plans were in the works for a new store in Medina. He opened the doors March 13, but waited for the official ribbon cutting until all his signs and inventory were in place. The new store is located at 11270 Maple Ridge Rd., between Rent-A-Center and Valu.

Friday morning, Kauffman was joined by staff and Carquest personnel to cut the ribbon at his new business. Among the guests was Assemblyman Steve Hawley, who presented Kauffman with a proclamation congratulating him on his new venture.

“We are here to support him,” Schlossin said.

Kauffman is joined by counter man, Arnold Huth and two drivers, John Belson and Kenneth Flickner.

Kauffman’s dad, Kurt Kauffman said he expects to lend a hand part time after he retires from Mullane Motors, where he has been a mechanic for more than 40 years.

Carquest is a full-fledged parts store, serving the automotive industry – from heavy duty truck parts and cleaning supplies to hydraulic hoses, tools and shop equipment.

Hours are 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., Monday through Friday and 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday.

For information, their phone number is (585) 318-4528.

Reassessments in Shelby, Ridgeway dramatically increased tax base

MEDINA – The tax rates for the school district are going down – dramatically – after townwide reassessments in Shelby and Ridgeway increased the school district’s tax base by about 50 percent.

The Board of Education on Aug. 7 approved the tax warrant, which also sets the tax rates for the school district (and also the Lee-Whedon Memorial Library). The Medina district primarily includes property owners in Ridgeway and Shelby, but also includes small portions of Barre, Hartland, Albion and Alabama.

The rates for Ridgeway, Shelby and Alabama, which are at full valuation, are $14.03 per $1,000 of assessed property – down from just over $20.

The $14.03 rate is lowest for the district in at least 25 years. That’s as far back as Dr. Mark Kruzynski, the district superintendent, could go in the district database.

Overall the school district’s tax base is up by 49.3 percent or $206,391,967. It went from $418,392,371 in 2022-23 to the current $624,784,338.

Not all towns did re-valuations in Orleans County this past year with some wanting to wait to see if a hot real estate market settles down. The towns typically do re-valuations every three years. Ridgeway and Shelby were scheduled to do them in 2022 but held off until this year, when they completed the town-wide reassessments and the values are up by a lot.

The portion of Ridgeway in the Medina school district increased in assessed value by 54.6 percent or by $110,201,809 – from $201,811,373 to $312,013,182. Ridgeway’s school tax rate is dropping by $7.64 from $21.67 per $1,000 of assessed property to $14.03.

Shelby’s assessed value in the district jumped by 46.8 percent or by $96,019,297 – from $205,098,646 to $301,117,943. Shelby’s school tax rate is down by $6.56 from $21.67 to $14.03.

(The Alabama portion changed from $116,220 to $149,916; Albion from $900,084 to $1,007,436; Barre from $6,309,876 to $6,360,923; and Hartland from $4,156,172 to $4,134,938.)

Albion hasn’t done a reassessment in four years and its tax rate, adjusted through equalization by the state, is at $18.96 for those in the Medina school district. Barre did a reassessment in 2022 and is only a year from its last re-val. It’s rate is at $15.59.

The district’s tax levy, what it collects in property taxes, is $8,814,697, the same as the previous year. Medina hasn’t increased the tax levy in 14 of the past 16 years.

The district’s budget for 2023-24 totals $40,095,815, which represents a 0.53 percent spending increase from the $39,884,316 in 2022-23.