Photos by Tom Rivers

MEDINA – Steven Long, a firefighter in the Medina Fire Department, collects money this morning during a boot drive to benefit the Make-a-Wish Foundation in Western New York, which grants wishes to children battling critical illnesses.

Firefighters were at three intersections – Route 63 and Maple Ridge Road, Route 104 and South Lyndonville Road, and Main Street and Center Street – and collected $6,500 for Make-A-Wish.

Medina firefighters were at the Main and Center Street intersection, while Shelby and East Shelby firefighters were at Route 63 and Maple Ridge Road. Ridgeway and Lyndonville firefighters collected funds at Route 104 and South Lyndonville Road.

The boot drive was planned for Saturday but was pushed back a day to the rainy morning yesterday.

Traffic was a little slower today than on a Saturday, but firefighters said many people were generous, giving 10- and 20-dollar bills.

Caleb Fisher, 11, is the son of Medina firefighter Adam Fisher. Caleb is on East Center Street leading up to the Main Street intersection.

From left include Medina firefighters Adam Fisher and Dylan Schrader and Fisher’s son Caleb.

The west battalion firefighters have teamed on the boot drive in recent years. Firefighters said at least two children in the community have benefitted from Make-A-Wish recently.

Captain Mike Young of the Medina FD collects money in the boot drive today on Main Street.

Contractors rebuilt roads, tackled other projects

Photos by Tom Rivers

MEDINA – The main campus road at Medina Central School was closed off to traffic on Aug. 2 in front of Clifford H. Wise Intermediate School. The road was rebuilt and repaved this summer.

It’s part of a $34.3 million project that was approved by school district voters on Feb. 14, 2023. State aid is covering $29.9 million.

The project includes $17.3 million at Junior-Senior High School, $9.8 million at Clifford H. Wise Intermediate, $6.2 million at Oak Orchard Primary School, and $1.1 million at the bus garage.

Work will continue on the project, including next summer.

Here is the repaved road in front of the district office on Saturday morning.

The road is freshly paved here in front of the junior/senior high school.

“We’ve had a real busy summer in terms of construction,” said Dr. Mark Kruzynski, the district superintendent.

He listed the main projects at the district this summer:

• The main roads were completely rebuilt, and the parking lots at the Junior-Senior High School were milled and repaved.
• A new dehumidification system is in the process of being installed in the pool, which will be ready for swim season. Next summer, the pool itself will be completely rebuilt.
• Foundation work for our new band, tech and ag rooms has been ongoing all summer, and construction will continue throughout the year.
• New bathrooms are being added to the second floor of the junior/senior high school and near the cafeteria at Oak Orchard. Those will be completed by November.
• Work on the new library at Oak Orchard started this summer and will also be completed by November. (Once the library is completed, the old library at Oak will be converted to district offices. Once those new offices are finished, the current district offices will be converted to classrooms.)

“Next summer, all of the entrances and main offices will be reconstructed with enhanced security for all entrances,” Kruzynski said.

The parking lot by the Junior-Senior High School has construction equipment and materials on Saturday.

Photos by Tom Rivers

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Buchwald entered the scene on a motorcycle.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Photo by Tom Rivers

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

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

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

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

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

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

Photos by Tom Rivers

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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