Photo by Tom Rivers: Real estate agents working out of the new Howard Hanna office in Medina include, from left: Nicole DeRosa, Matthew Kennedy and Patty Schutt. They are located in the S.A. Cook building on the second floor at 534 Main St., suite 20.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 14 May 2023 at 8:35 am
MEDINA – A real estate office has opened on Main Street in Medina for Howard Hanna, a company with a big real estate presence in the northeast.
Howard Hanna has nearby offices in Lockport, Batavia and Brockport. Matthew Kennedy thought an office was needed in Medina. Kennedy was working out of Howard Hanna’s Lockport office.
The company agreed to a Medina site, and Kennedy pushed for a spot on Main Street. His late father, Don Kennedy, served as Medina’s mayor and for many years ran the Kennedy Brothers clothing store on Main Street.
“I saw the pride he had in Medina,” Matthew said during an interview at the office on Saturday, which was the grand opening for Howard Hanna at 534 Main St., Suite 20.
Kennedy’s first job was working for his father cleaning windows at Kennedy Brothers.
“He taught me to treat people right and take pride in your community,” Matthew said.
He was working for Brunner on the third shift when he decided to pursue a real estate license nine years ago. He wanted more balance in his life and work. He is thankful for his first six years with Zambito Realtors (now Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Zambito, REALTORS.).
“They were great to work with,” Kennedy said. “They taught me how to be a real realtor. I owe them a lot.”
Kennedy joined Keller Williams, the largest real estate company in the world, for two years but Kennedy said that firm isn’t well known in Medina and the nearby area.
He joined Howard Hanna in December 2021 and focused on Lewiston and Niagara County where the sale prices tend to be higher. Howard Hanna in recent years acquired two well-known WNY real estate companies, Buffalo-based Realty USA and Rochester-based Nothnagle Realtors.
Kennedy, a Middleport resident, said the prices took a dramatic turn, going way up in Orleans and eastern Niagara, improving the chances for a better livelihood for the real estate agents.
He also saw a need for an office in Medina, and pitched it to Howard Hanna. The Medina site is a satellite for the Lockport office, with Jim Watson of Medina serving as manager of the two sites.
Kennedy said the Medina office is a base for him, and two other real estate agents, Nicole DeRosa and of Kent and Patty Schutt of Medina.
They can meet with clients to review listings, prepare listings and go over contracts and other paperwork.
Kennedy also believes being on Main Street offers great exposure for the company.
Nicole DeRosa became a licensed real estate agent in July. She also was working long hours at Brunner and wanted more flexibility with her schedule.
Patty Schutt of Medina is the niece of Raymond Bates, who once ran Lyndonville Realty. Schutt said she enjoys showing houses to prospective buyers, seeing their excitement while hunting for a home.
“I enjoy the people, and helping them to find their dream home,” she said.
Although home prices are up, Schutt said there is a shortage of inventory.
“There are many buyers but not enough homes,” she said.
Photo by Ginny Kropf: Peter Castricone and Vicky Albone of Medina pose by his 1961 Olds Cutlass which he recently purchased. He will be taking it to Friday night cruise-ins in the Canal Basin, which begin June 9.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 13 May 2023 at 5:09 pm
MEDINA – Cruise-ins in the Canal Basin have been a Friday night tradition in Medina for more than 25 years.
Dave Green of Medina has been involved since very early on, and for many years has organized the summer event. The first one of this season will be June 9. Official start is 5:30 to 7:30, but cars start arriving as early as 4 p.m., Green said.
Boy Scout Troop 35 will be in the basin, cooking hot dogs and hamburgers during the month of August. Green is waiting to confirm who will do the cooking in June and July.
Each Friday features 50/50 drawings, half of which goes to United Way of Orleans County, the event sponsor. DJ Hank Nevins provides the music weekly.
Between 80 and 100 cars visit the Canal Basin for the cruise-ins, with as many as 300 at the Super Cruise, which ends the summer event this year on Aug. 23 on Main Street. Terry Buchwald as Elvis will return to entertain at Super Cruise. Rain date is Aug. 24.
Peter Castricone of Medina wouldn’t miss a Friday night, he said. He has owned a 1991 Camaro convertible for nearly six years, but decided it was time to trade, and recently purchased a 1961 Olds Cutlass convertible (which he calls a “ragtop”) in mint condition. He and his friend Vicky Albone are looking forward to spending Friday nights visiting with other “gearheads” in the basin.
“I try to get there every Friday night,” Castricone said. “I love talking to all the guys about all the cars. Ninety percent of our conversations are about cars.”
“Some of the cars are amazing,” Albone said.
She enjoys the evenings as much as the guys.
Green has owned a variety of classic cars. His most recent is a 1973 Cougar Convertible.
By Ginny Kropf, correspondent Posted 12 May 2023 at 10:02 pm
MEDINA – Spring has sprung, and that signals the start of the tourism season.
To prepare, Jim Hancock, chair of the Medina Tourism Committee, has announced the opening of the Visitors’ Center in Rotary Park.
The center will officially open May 22, and will be open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Saturday until Labor Day.
Currently, 16 volunteers have signed up to serve at the center, including Shari Cassidy of Medina and Ruth Cleveland of Medina and San Francisco.
Cassidy likes volunteering to help worthy causes, such as the PAWS Animal Shelter and Medina Area Association of Churches, and decided last year to help the Visitors’ Center.
“I love to walk and have come here a few times to pick up some brochures on the walking tours around the village,” Cassidy said.
Cleveland is a new volunteer and looking forward to the interesting people she will meet.
“Besides, she’s very friendly, and knows a lot,” Hancock said.
“This is a great town to come to,” Cleveland said. “It will be fun sharing it with people who come through and tell them about what is taking place here. I am real interested in the sandstone history here and my eyes open when I’m traveling and see a building and wonder if it is Medina sandstone.”
The Visitors’ Center was opened in 2009 and operated in several places in Medina until finding its permanent home in the Santa house in Rotary Park. This year, for the convenience of volunteers and visitors, a portable john with a sink will be set up in the alley next to the park. It is scheduled to arrive on June 12.
More volunteers are always welcome, and work three-hour shifts – from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. and 1 to 4 p.m., Hancock said.
Last year a record 428 people signed the guest book, representing 38 states and eight foreign countries, including Namibia, Africa, and Lithuania.
Rosalind Lind was on duty the day the African visitor stopped, and they struck up a friendship. They have been corresponding ever since, Hancock said.
MEDINA – Residents of the Medina school district on Tuesday voted in favor of Lee-Whedon Memorial Library’s 2023-24 budget at the annual vote at the library. A total of 104 residents voted, with 94 approving the budget.
The 2023-24 budget reflects an increase of 2.8 percent increase over the current year.
Incumbent Isabella Mark was re-elected to another five-year term at the library’s annual meeting on Monday.
By Ginny Kropf, correspondent Posted 8 May 2023 at 8:07 am
Money has been raised to restore stained glass window in chapel
Photo by Ginny Kropf: Rob Klino and Mary Lewis, members of the Friends of Boxwood Cemetery, stand by one of the trees recently planted by the village at the cemetery. They are inviting the public to an informational event May 20 to learn about the cemetery, trees and plants which are suitable there.
MEDINA – The Friends of Boxwood Cemetery are excited to announce they have raised enough money to pay for restoration of the stained glass window in the chapel, and are embarking on another year of events and improvements.
“Now we will begin working on replacing chapel walls and other improvements in the chapel,” said Rob Klino, president of Friends.
At 10 a.m. on May 20, the Friends of Boxwood are inviting the public to a morning of information at the back of the cemetery by Glenwood Lake. Attendees should bring their own chair.
“We are going to go over cemetery rules, the best plants to use in the cemetery, and the alternative to plants,” said Mary Lewis, also a member of Friends and the village’s Boxwood Commission.
Everyone who attends will get a free plant, she said.
Six new trees of assorted varieties have been planted in the cemetery, including ginkgo and dogwood.
Other events for this year include the first ever tea party at Boxwood on June 17, chaired by Cindy Robinson and Georgia Thomas.
A headstone cleaning class is scheduled for July 15.
But the big fundraiser, according to Klino, is a bigger and better “Boxwood at Night,” scheduled Sept. 30, or a rain date of Oct. 7.
“We got a grant from GO ART!, and we are going to outdo ourselves over last year,” he said.
There will be more musicians, more lighting and character actors. Among those portrayed will be Robert Newell and May Howard who survived the sinking of the Titanic at age 27. More information and how to RSVP will be available on the Friends’ Facebook page. Email FriendsofBoxwoodCemetery@gmail.com for more information.
In addition, Friends of Boxwood is looking for new board members and volunteers to help with projects in the cemetery, as well as donations. A tax-deductible donation may be made by sending a check to Friends of Boxwood Cemetery, P.O. Box 543, Medina, 14103.
Photo from Friends of Boxwood Cemetery: The Pike Stained Glass Studio Group from Rochester last month removed the bottom portion of the stained glass window from the chapel at Boxwood Cemetery. The window will be restored over six months. The Medina DPW assisted Pike with the removal.
By Ginny Kropf, correspondent Posted 7 May 2023 at 9:05 pm
MEDINA – Friends of Brody Hoffmeister and his fiancée Jenna Pangrazio are just realizing the scope of the benefit they organized for the couple, whose 4-year-old son Brayden is awaiting his third brain surgery.
Angie Coon, who organized the event April 29 at East Shelby Fire Hall, said the generosity of the community was overwhelming.
“Almost every business in Orleans County and many in Genesee County, along with individuals, donated fantastic prizes,” Coon said.
There was a countertop donated by M&M Granite worth $5,000; a casino package from Batavia Downs; a huge donation of Buffalo Bills and Sabres inset pictures; a Buffalo Bills fire pit made by Orleans County Boxes and donated by the Albone family; and a patio container worth more than $1,000 and filled with beverages donated by a group from Alabama.
There were 349 baskets and gift cards were donated for the basket raffle.
Brody and Jenna were back to work at Rudy’s Restaurant on Tuesday, where she said they were “beyond grateful.”
By Ginny Kropf, correspondent Posted 6 May 2023 at 8:03 pm
Photo by Ginny Kropf: Angela Waldriff, left, owner of Ashlee’s Place in Medina, and salesperson Brielle Lederhouse, hold one of the chocolate-covered pretzels customers can choose to receive a discount when they make a purchase to benefit breast cancer research.
MEDINA – Holding a benefit at her shop, Ashlee’s Place, has been a tradition for more than two decades for owner Angela Waldriff.
Waldriff’s mother Amelia VandenBosch is a cancer survivor at 95 and Waldriff holds the fundraiser in her honor every year.
“This will be the 24th year for the event, which is a salute to women fighting breast cancer,” Waldriff said.
It starts Sunday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. and continues from 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Monday through Friday and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday.
Waldriff sponsors the benefit every year in celebration of Breast Cancer Month, with discounts on all regular priced items.
Everyone who attends can choose a chocolate-covered pretzel with a sticker on the back and receive 20% to 25% off their purchase.
Merchandise includes women’s dresses, jackets, jewelry, capris, sweaters, sparkly jeans, summer sandals and purses.
Photos by Tom Rivers: Jim Friday, shown speaking last week during a Medina Historical Society meeting, talks about the sandstone industry in Orleans County. The cover of his book is at left. The cover includes an image of the Pullman Memorial Universalist Church in Albion, which is made of Medina Sandstone.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 5 May 2023 at 9:14 am
MEDINA – Jim Friday marvels at the immensity of the Medina Sandstone industry. At its peak from 1890 to 1910, there were 50 quarries in the county employing 2,000 people.
The county’s population in 1900 was 30,164, according to the census. (In 2020, the population was 40,343).
“That was a huge percentage of the workforce,” said Friday, an Albion native who lives in North Chili. “It was just a huge industry.”
Friday, 75, is a Kodak retiree and loves local history. He wrote a book about the local sandstone industry, “The History of Sandstone in Orleans County NY.” The 108-page book includes many photos of the county’s dominant industry.
He spoke about the big business last week during the Medina Historical Society’s monthly meeting.
The quarries produced stone in some of the finest buildings in communities along the canal. They were used in churches, mansions and other public buildings. The stone also was utilized for sidewalks, curbs and street pavers.
The quarries were independently owned and competed against each other. The owners brought in immigrants from Poland, Italy, Britain and Ireland.
Friday is a descendant of Polish immigrants. His paternal grandparents (John Piatek/Friday and Stefania Siebak) lived on Moore Street in Albion. His maternal grandparents (Tony Rice and Rose Lucas) owned the farm at the end of Orchard Street along the canal in Albion. When he was a child, Friday spent a lot of time in Albion and often swam in the quarries.
He explores the geology of how and when the stone was formed, the rise and fall of the regional quarry industry and what remains today.
Jim Friday of North Chili was the featured speaker at the Medina Historical Society meeting last week at Lee-Whedon Memorial Library.
Friday presents this timeline of the Medina Sandstone industry. During construction of Erie Canal from 1817 to 1825 large deposits of sandstone were discovered. In 1837, John Ryan opened the first commercial sandstone quarry in Medina to supply stone for the second expansion of the canal.
In 1906, there were 50 quarries in the county, employing 2,000 workers. From 1919 to 1930, there were only a few independently leased quarries.
He includes vintage quarry photos from the early 1900s that give insight into the products, work conditions, methods and equipment used to quarry the stone. The experiences of some of the many immigrants who toiled in the quarries are presented along with photos of stone structures that remain as prominent reminders of a bygone era, Friday said.
The quarries were consolidated by New York City bankers, which led to the demise of most of the local operations. It was also cheaper to use cement rather than sandstone in buildings and public works projects.
“It was a lot of fun to learn about the history of Albion and Orleans County,” Friday said. “The sandstone industry was huge in Orleans County, and it is interwoven with the history of the Erie Canal.”
Friday also serves as the coordinator of the orleans.nygenweb.net website that includes a wealth of local genealogy data about Orleans County. The late Sharron Kerridge and her friends were the driving force behind establishing this website.
MEDINA – The Band Boosters held their monthly meeting on Monday, May 1, to discuss upcoming events and elect officers for the coming year.
Those officers are Crystal Elliott, president; Heather Jackson, vice president; Holly Roush, treasurer; Michelle Wright, secretary; Paul Greean, delegate for 2-year term; Becky Rinker, student accounts; Jason Clare, transportation; Jenifer Lenhart, uniforms; Mindy Kenward, chaperones; and Kathy Dreyfus and Janine Farley, publicity co-chairs.
The band will perform in the Memorial Day parade and compete in the Sherburn Pageant on June 2-3. The entire season concludes with the band banquet on June 5.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 3 May 2023 at 2:37 pm
Photos by Tom Rivers
MEDINA – Contractors are milling Main Street in Medina today, taking off the top layer of asphalt as part of a repaving project.
Keeler Construction in Barre is the main contractor for the project.
Medina will see about $750,000 of state-funded pavement in the village. Medina is using its CHIPS funds and more than $600,000 from the state as an official touring route. The CHIPS and touring route funds are both managed by the state Department of Transportation.
The areas to be paved include:
Main Street from railroad tracks to Commercial Street
Prospect Avenue from lift bridge to West Center Street
Park Avenue from Main Street to the village clerk’s office
West Center Street from Main to Prospect
North and South Academy from Ohio Street to Catherine Street
Genesee Street from Park Avenue to West Oak Orchard
By Ginny Kropf, correspondent Posted 30 April 2023 at 8:15 pm
MEDINA – Medina Area Partnership has a mystery on their hands.
Who Murdered Benny the Bouncer?
MAP and downtown businesses will attempt to answer that question on Saturday with a Murder Mystery and Dapper Day.
Twenty businesses are participating in the 1920s-themed murder mystery which will take place between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m.
Characters with clues will be stationed within the businesses. The same character will be in two stores with a different take on their clues. Ten men and ten women are playing parts in the event.
MAP members began discussing a third major event last year. After sponsoring very successful Ale in Autumn and Wine About Winter for several years, they wanted something that wasn’t alcohol-related to bring people together, said Ann Fisher-Bale, chair of MAP’s Events Committee.
To make sure that all attendees visit each of the participating stores, a 20-piece puzzle will be built with key words from each business. If ticket holders want the last clue, they have to visit everyone.
Each participating business has provided a gift certificate or item for a large gift basket, valued at more than $200, which will be raffled off at the end of the day from entries of all the correct guessers.
Some businesses will be running specials for the day, Fisher-Bale said. Restaurants and bars are urged to offer a 1920s drink, or a mint julep, as it is the same day as the Kentucky Derby.
Attendees and business people are encouraged to dress in 1920s apparel.
Wendy Wilson from Leonard Oakes Estate Winery is developing the clues for each attendee, said Scott Robinson, president of MAP. Tickets are $10 and can be purchased online (click here for more information).
Check-in will be from 10 a.m. to noon at the Medina Senior Center, 615 West Ave. A list of participating stores and clues will be handed out with tickets.
“It looks like Saturday’s weather is going to cooperate,” Bale said. “It’s going to be a lot of fun.”
Photos by Tom Rivers: Staff of Author’s Note welcomed many customers on Saturday to the store that was decorated in a garden theme as part of Independent Bookstore Day. From left include Olivia Marchese, Erica Caldwell, owner Julie Berry and Kamie Feder, who created the decorations.
Posted 30 April 2023 at 2:04 pm
Author’s Note decorated with butterflies, garden critters for ‘Grow Yourself’ theme
By Ginny Kropf and Tom Rivers
MEDINA – A steady stream of customers filled Author’s Note Bookstore for a celebration of Independent Bookstore Day on Saturday.
Owner and New York Times Bestselling Author Julie Berry chose the theme “A Bookstore is a Garden. Grow Yourself,” and keeping with the theme, the store was lavishly decorated with a botanical theme. Kamie Feder, an art teacher at Albion school, made the decorations, which lined the entire bookstore. She used a big roll of craft paper, paper mache, card stock and paint.
Feder, and store employees Olivia Caldwell and Lincoln Pace spent all day Friday putting up the decorations, Berry said.
The store will continue to be decorated with a garden theme. Kamie Feder said she wanted to create an immersive experience for people inside the store.
The store opened early and the store immediately filled with people, said employee Erica Caldwell. Six authors greeted customers and signed books throughout the day, starting with Edward Ashton of Webster at 9:30 a.m.
Webster writes science fiction, and his book “Mickey 7” is currently being made into a movie by Bong Joon-ho, who won Best Picture for his movie “Parasite.” “Mickey 7” is expected to be released next year and will star Robert Pattinson and Mark Ruffalo. Ruffalo is known for his role as the “Hulk.”
Howard Balaban of Medina was one of the first in line to get a signed copy of Ashton’s book. He brought daughter Rayna, 8, who also loves to read, and had author Kalynn Bayron of Ithaca sign her book “The Vanquishers.”
This was Bayron’s first visit to Medina, and she spent Friday night at Bent’s Opera House, where she stayed in the “Well Read Room,” with a book theme. She spoke to Medina seventh-graders on Friday.
The first to meet Bayron was Caitlyn Bower of Grand Island, who said Bayron was her favorite author.
“The instant I saw she was going to be in Medina, I told my husband Kevin we had to go there,” Caitlyn said. “I had a choice to go clothes shopping or come here. I’ve read all her books.”
Bower said she likes to seek out independent book stores, and this was the first time she has been to Medina.
Julie Berry, center, joins award-winning Buffalo author Dee Romito, left, and New York Times best-selling author Kalynn Bayron from Ithaca. They greeted people at Author’s Note, and signed books and answered questions.
Thomas and Monica Finnigen came from Attica to check out the books and meet the authors. Monica works at the Attica Library and said she and her husband come to Author’s Note once a year. She is in charge of the children’s storytelling at Attica Library, so likes to check out the children’s books.
Lindsey Buck is a reading specialist at Orchard Park Middle School and regularly visits Author’s Note.
“I love this store,” Buck said. “It’s my favorite and Kalynn and Julie are two of my favorite authors. I was so excited to hear Kalynn was going to be here today.”
The authors featured on Saturday said they want to support independent book sellers who are critical to helping spread the word about their books and make them available to the public.
“Independent book stores are the life blood of our communities,” Bayron said. “These bookstores are passionate about getting the books into the hands of the community.”
Peggy Thomas of Middleport has written several books, and tries to highlight agricultural heroes. She holds a copy of “Lincoln Clears a Path” which tells Lincoln’s agricultural legacy. The book “Hero for the Hungry” details the life of Norman Borlaug, a crop innovator who has boosted yields and made some plants more disease resistant.
She said big box stores and online sellers such as Amazon are threat to the smaller independent stores.
“But here it is a much more personal experience,” she said about the independent stores. “You can meet with people at a more personal level.”
Another writer, Dee Romito of Buffalo, was happy to meet with readers and sign books at Author’s Note. She has been a published author for seven years and is grateful for the independent stores that have featured her books.
“They’re a very knowledgeable group,” she said about the independent stores and their staffs. “They know what’s selling and they know their customers. We need to support them.”
Peggy Thomas of Middleport signed her books, including the newest, Hero for the Hungry: The Life and Work of Norman Borlaug. She writes about the 20th-century American agriculture scientist whose innovations in crop varieties founded the Green Revolution and fed hundreds of millions of people throughout the world.
Thomas tries to highlights agricultural innovators, and she there “are so many amazing stories” in farming.
As a book customer, she prefers the independent stores and is grateful for Author’s Note, one of the few independent books tores between Buffalo and Rochester.
“This has been my local book store,” she said. “I’ve been coming here for 20 years.”
Darlene Baker of Lockport also signed copies of her books on Saturday. The Middleport native was a professional truck driver for three years, taking products to all 48 continental states and throughout much of Canada. She sets her novels with the main character a female truck driver. She wants readers to know what that career is like from a woman’s perspective.
She kept 13 journals when she was a truck driver, and fills her novels with some of those details.
“It was good money,” she said. “I often made $2,000 a week with other perks. But if you want to be home with your family for Christmas, you can’t count on it. You might be sleeping in a recliner in Denver.”
Julie Berry said she and her staff were overwhelmed by the many customers who came into the store on Saturday, and their words of encouragement.
“All of us at Author’s Note are overcome with gratitude for the incredible outpouring of support we felt on Saturday,” Berry said. “Book lovers traveled from far to join us, as did our authors, and the community turned out in force to welcome them.”
She said they were especially grateful to authors Kalynn Bayron, Edward Ashton, Dee Romito, Peggy Thomas, Darlene Baker and Randall Reese for sharing their time and enthusiasm so generously.
“Many of them commented on what a remarkable turnout and energy they felt from our customers,” Berry said. “It isn’t typical, but that’s Medina for you. Customers raved about what a delightful welcoming place Author’s Note is, and that warms my heart, because that’s what we want Author’s Note to be. It truly is a team effort to pull off a celebration like this one, and I can’t say enough about what a gift it is to have Erica Caldwell, Olivia Marchese and Kamie Feder as part of our Author’s Note family. I must give a special shout-out to Kamie for all the time and love she poured into our gorgeous garden-themed decorations. She’s a gem.”
Kamie Feder passed up cupcakes to people outside Author’s Note who were walking Main Street on Saturday. Feder, an art teacher at Albion school and part-time employee at Author’s Note, made a paper mache butterfly and other garden creatures for the celebration.
Photos by Ginny Kropf: This is Debbie Stella’s house at 108 State St., with a new coat of paint, thanks to the generosity of neighbors and friends.
By Ginny Kropf, correspondent Posted 30 April 2023 at 8:11 am
Debbie Stella of Medina, top center, is surrounded by neighbors and friends who painted her house for free. Next to her, clockwise, are Ben Boryzewski, Terry Feitshans, Quentin McLedon and his wise Alicia McLedon.
MEDINA – Debbie Stella is very grateful for her neighbors and volunteers who have given her home a new look.
They have come to her aid after she was feeling distraught last September. That’s when she received a letter from the code enforcement officer informing her she had 30 days to paint her house and trim her bushes or be fined $250 a day.
Stella is 74 and lives alone on a fixed income.
“If I didn’t have the money to keep my house up, how did they think I was going to pay a fine like that,” Stella asked.
Deeply worried, she told her neighbors Quentin and Alicia McLedon about her predicament. They started spreading the word.
“We couldn’t just do nothing,” Quentin said. “She’s somebody’s grandma. We couldn’t see her fined.”
Alicia’s dad Chris Adams knew Ben Boryzewski and knew he had painted houses, so they contacted him.
“The day after Easter, Alicia asked me what color I’d like my house,” Stella said. “I told her blue. Two days later I heard a commotion in my yard, and there was Ben and Terry unloading paint and ladders.”
First, the house had to be scraped. The men and the McLedons pitched in and in a day had the house all scraped.
In the meantime, Boryzewski cleaned out Stella’s basement, hauling out waste, debris, benches and old appliances. The money he received from selling the junk he used to buy the first gallon of paint. The rest, he paid for himself. They finished the job on Friday.
Ben Boryzewski, right, stands with his friend Terry Feitshans next to their business sign in the yard of Debbie Stella’s house.
While the volunteers who showed up painted the house, Alicia fed them.
Stella said people have stopped to tell her how nice her house looks.
More importantly, she’s made some wonderful new friends, she said.
“The kindness and caring of these wonderful people have brightened my world, not just my house,” Stella said. “I’ve lived here for 48 years and have watched two generations of my neighbors grow up to be the loving adults they’ve become now.”
Stella didn’t have any money to pay the painters, but she wanted to show her appreciation. She started encouraging Boryzewski to start his own business. He hadn’t been worked steady, only doing odd jobs. He and Feitshans are “Jacks of all trades,” he said.
He got his business number and made a sign, “B & T Handyman.” Stella wanted to be the first one to advertise for him, so she told him to put the sign in her front yard.
The two aren’t done helping Stella yet. A section of her porch is rotting and they are going to fix that. And they are going to repair her back porch.
“I’ve no way to say thank you for what they’ve done,” Stella said.
By Ginny Kropf, correspondent Posted 29 April 2023 at 8:44 am
Photos by Ginny Kropf: Sandy and Marcia Stornelli watch as 3-year-old granddaughter Alara throws shovels full of dirt on a tree being planted in front of their house. In the stroller is 8-month old Garrett.
MEDINA – The village of Medina celebrated its annual Arbor Day tree planting on Friday with a ceremony on Frank Street.
This is the 17th year for the Arbor Day celebration with students from Oak Orchard Elementary School and the 16th year since Medina was named a Tree City USA, said Mike Sidari, mayor of the village.
Students in second grade joined the third grade in taking part in the tree planting. The Glee Club also entertained the crowd with several songs, accompanied by their director Andrea Busch.
The second grade Glee Club from Oak Orchard Elementary School waits while Kathy Blackburn, far right, welcomes the crowd who gathered to watch the children help plant trees on Frank Street. Behind Blackburn is Eileen Banker, representing Assemblyman Steve Hawley, and Medina mayor Mike Sidari.
Busch’s father-in-law, Chris Busch, is a member of the Tree Board and the village forestry coordinator. It was Busch who researched what trees would be best to plant and in what kind of soil.
At one time, the village estimated there were 2,000 trees which needed to be replaced in the village and Boxwood Cemetery. That number is now down to about 1,000, Busch said.
Forty-five trees were taken down in the past year and 46 will be planted this year.
Kathy Blackburn, chair of the Tree Board, welcomed the crowd which filled the street and sidewalks in the vicinity of 127 Frank St.
“Trees are awesome,” Blackburn said. “They look great, they keep us cool and they help clean the air we breathe. When you are grown up, you can visit this spot and tell your children you helped plant these trees.”
Students from the second and third grade, along with parents, friends and neighbors filled the sidewalk and Frank Street for the annual tree planting in celebration of Arbor Day on Friday.
Many came to the ceremony to watch the tree planting, but others, like Diane Kujawa came to see the Glee Club. Kujawa’s grandson Eric Fox is a member of the Glee Club and she couldn’t miss that, she said.
Sidari explained Arbor Day was founded on April 10, 1872 by J. Serling Morton in Nebraska. An estimated one million trees were planted that day in Nebraska. Sidari urged residents to plant trees to beautify their village.
Eileen Banker, representing Assemblyman Steve Hawley, read a citation to the students and said Hawley wanted to thank the students for participating in the event.
Blackburn extended thanks to Medina’s DPW head, Jason Watts, for his department’s cooperation with the Tree Board.
After the ceremony, students took turns throwing dirt in the holes which the DPW had dug in advance and placed trees. Tiny shovels were provided for their use.
Among the students who got to help cover the trees were Paris Gordon, Emma Lilleby, K’Lyn Worrall and Oliver Pask.
This was the first time Oliver ever helped plant a tree and it was fun, he said.
Oliver Pask, a third-grader at Oak Orchard Elementary School, throws in the first shovel of dirt during the tree-planting ceremony on Frank Street Friday.
Second-grade teacher Mrs. Van DeGenachte said this was the first time the second grade had participated in the tree planning in many years, and they just loved it. Oak Orchard School principal Jennifer Stearns even bought ponchos for all the students, in case of rain, so they wouldn’t miss it, Van DeGenachte said.
The day was extra special for Sandy and Marcia Stornelli, who live at 131 Frank St. They were babysitting their grandchildren, Alara, 3, and Garrett Wolter, 8 months. Alara loved the little shovels and delighted in throwing dirt on the tree being planted in front of her grandparents’ house.
In addition to a Tree Board, a group of residents formed Releaf Medina Society, which acts as the fundraiser for the Tree Board, which is prevented by law in raising money.
Blackburn is chair of the Tree Board and members are Jake Hebdon, Lisa Tombari, Mary Lewis and Ginny Kropf.
Releaf Medina Society is chaired by Robert Sanderson. Blackburn, Hebdon and Tombari are also members of that group.
The second grade Glee Club performed for the crowd at the tree planting on Frank Street Friday, accompanied by their director Andrea Busch, left rear.
Provided photo: Pictured from left in front include Kevin Bogan, Jim Mirand, both of the Knights of Columbus. In back include Archie Washak, Steven Winans, Bob Fox from Knights of Columbus, Jennifer Thom of Operation Honor, and Howie Gardner.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 28 April 2023 at 6:57 pm
MEDINA – Bill Meland, owner/operator of Arby’s in Batavia, has made a generous donation of $15,000 to Operation Honor, a non-profit organization in Orleans County that supports local veterans. Operation Honor was founded in 2017 to help veterans with everyday needs and bills.
This is the second time Meland has donated to a local organization that helps out veterans. Meland said he makes the donations to support organizations that assist veterans. He does so because he did not have the opportunity to enlist in the military so this is his way of serving.
The check for $15,000 was presented to Operation Honor by the Knights of Columbus on Meland’s behalf.
MEDINA – Spring has sprung, and that signals the start of the tourism season.
