Provided photos: (Left) Jim Hancock, right, a member of Medina Lions Club, holds the winning poster in the 2022 Peace Poster Contest. At left is Junior-Senior High School art teacher Jen Scott with winning artist Jordan Olsen. (Left) Jim Punch, left, president of Medina Lions Club, presents an award to student artist Eyrn Meacham, runner-up in the Lions’ 2022 Peace Poster Contest. Looking on are art teacher Jen Scott and Lions’ member Jim Hancock.
By Ginny Kropf, correspondent Posted 13 January 2023 at 7:34 pm
MEDINA – Two Medina school students are winners in the Medina Lions Club’s 2022 Peace Poster Contest.
This week, Jim Hancock, a Lions Club member, and Lions’ president Jim Punch presented awards to winner Jordan Olsen and runner-up Eyrn Meacham.
Thirty-two entries were received and judged by the Lions Club Board of Directors. Jordan’s poster was then sent to the district competition, where he finished second.
The contest is open to 11- to 13-year old students at Medina Junior-Senior High School and is coordinated by art teacher Jen Scott.
This is the 10th year for the Peace Poster Contest, and is one of Medina Lions Club’s community service projects.
‘Vaping is the number one issue we are dealing with’ – GCASA prevention educator
Provided photo: Thomas Forrestel (Medina Junior/Senior High School Dean of Students), Diana Fulcomer (Prevention Educator at GCASA) and Julie Webber (Medina CSD Director of Curriculum and Instruction) promote a vaping awareness program on Jan. 18.
Press Release, Medina Central School
MEDINA – “A big concern among our educators at the Junior/Senior High School and parents is vaping,” said Julie Webber, Medina’s director of curriculum and instruction.
The use of e-cigarettes is unsafe for everyone because it contains nicotine and it is highly addictive. They can also contain other harmful substances besides nicotine.
“We saw the problem as being a great opportunity to partner with GCASA and educate parents on the signs their children are vaping,” she said.
Diana Fulcomer, prevention educator with Genesee Council on Alcohol and Substance Abuse, told Webber she had the perfect interactive program that they could offer to anyone in the community who would like to attend.
“Vaping is the number one issue we are dealing with,” said Fulcomer. “E-cigarettes have been in the US since 2007 and marketed as a safer or better alternative to the traditional cigarette. In 2016, the FDA( Food and Drug Administration) began regulating these products. At that time consumers still thought they were safer than tobacco. That is not the case at all. These companies are targeting our youth, which is easy because we are all enticed by anything that is new and innovative. We still don’t have all the research and the information we have shows that they are dangerous. Not only because of the possible nicotine addiction, but because some students are cannabis vaping as well.”
The community is invited to the Mustang Parent Academy’s Hidden Mischief: Unlock the Vape Mystery from 6 to 7 p.m. on Jan. 18 in the Junior/Senior High School Auditorium, located at 2 Mustang Drive in Medina.
This program is designed to create an awareness of current vaping trends and of ways youth conceal these devices or use everyday items for drug use. The interactive youth bedroom will give each participant an opportunity to search and find vaping paraphernalia, devices and drug references.
Each participant will learn how everyday items can be converted to hide or use drugs such as nicotine or marijuana. In addition, it will create an awareness of the possibilities of how easy these items can be purchased over the internet or at local vendors.
Refreshments will be provided free of charge and childcare will be available for ages 4-12 years of age. Transportation can be provided if needed. Call to reserve a spot at 585-798-2700, option 4.
“Prevention is the key,” Fulcomer said. “The more education parents have on the dangers, the better. We will also show how to start an open conversation with your child about this topic.”
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 10 January 2023 at 10:12 am
MEDINA – The village election will be March 21 with voting from noon to 9 p.m. at the Senior Center, 615 West Ave.
The Village Board on Monday set the location, date and time for voting.
There will be two trustee positions up for election. Those spots are currently filled by Owen Toale and Jessica Marciano.
Toale said he isn’t seeking re-election after 12 years on the board. Marciano, who is finishing her first two-year term, said she will be running again.
Candidates for the board need to submit petitions signed by at least 100 eligible registered voters in the village. The petitions are due by Feb. 14 in the village office. Jan. 3 was the first day the petitions could be picked up at the village office.
The board on Monday also appointed four election inspectors. Judy Szulis will be chairwoman of the inspectors and be paid $15.50 an hour, while the other inspectors – Norma Huth, Linda Deyle and Mary Ann Ander – will be paid $14.50 an hour.
Photo by Tom Rivers: The intersection of West Oak Orchard Street and West Avenue is shown tonight as a car heads down West Avenue. It will soon become a four-way stop.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 9 January 2023 at 9:33 pm
MEDINA – The Village Board voted tonight to change the traffic light at the intersection of West Avenue and West Oak Orchard Street.
It will soon become a flashing red four-way stop. The village will add four stop signs at the intersection.
Residents at the meeting tonight spoke in a public hearing in favor of the four-way stop, saying the light is slow to change from red to green, and many vehicles speed up to get through the light and not have to wait.
Mat Mosher said traffic flows better at a nearby intersection that the village made a four-way stop. The board in October 2020 made Gwinn and West Oak Orchard a 4-way stop.
“There will be less speeding if they know they have to stop and not try to beat the light,” Mosher said.
Nancy Palmer also spoke at the hearing and urged the board to approve the four-way stop, saying many drivers try to avoid that intersection.
A letter from resident Gary Lamar urged the change. He lives near the intersection and said many motorists, including truck drivers, race through the intersection to avoid being stuck at the red light.
Board members said they expect traffic will flow easier in that part of the village. Some of the traffic in that area has been diverted since the school district put in a road linking the campus, drawing some vehicles off village streets.
By Ginny Kropf, correspondent Posted 7 January 2023 at 1:24 pm
Photo by Ginny Kropf: Sherry Tuohey talks with Dave Lindsay on Friday at the Senior Center of Western Orleans’ Christmas party. Lindsley is crazy about Christmas and created quite a stir with his Grinchy green lighted shoes and reindeer and snowflake suit.
MEDINA – Senior citizens packed the Senior Center of Western Orleans on Friday for their annual Christmas party, which was originally scheduled for Dec. 23, but had to be postponed because of the blizzard.
Seniors were treated to pizza provided by the Senior Center and an array of snacks and desserts which were brought in by the seniors.
Friday is a regular euchre day, so after dinner, the seniors stayed to play cards.
One member, David Lindsay of Medina, is crazy about Christmas and showed up wearing Grinchy green shoes, which lit up when he walked, and a red, white and blue suit of snowflakes and reindeer. He said he loves to dress for the occasion at Christmas, and has another holiday suit at home. He welcomes an opportunity to wear them in public.
Seniors are reminded to sign up for cards from 1 to 4 p.m. on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. Euchre is played all three days and pinochle players are welcomed on Wednesday and Thursday afternoons. The Orleans County Office for the Aging also offers exercise classes at 11 a.m. each Wednesday.
On Monday mornings, seniors are invited to play six-handed euchre.
The Senior Center is a wonderful place to meet people and enjoy the camaraderie, according to director Kelly Shaw of Gasport.
The gift shop is full of unique and reasonably priced items, including a whole section of jigsaw puzzles, and there is always a puzzle in progress on a table.
Monthly board meetings, followed by a provided or pot-luck luncheon are at 11:30 a.m. the second Tuesday of each month. Entertainment always follows, either musical or educational.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 7 January 2023 at 11:24 am
Bryan DeGraw is hopeful he will start making mead at Leonard Oakes in early 2023
Photos by Tom Rivers
MEDINA – Bryan DeGraw, co-owner of 810 Meadworks, holds a bottle of Liquid Sunshine, one of five different meads available at Leonard Oakes Estate Winery on Ridge Road.
Friday was a launch celebration at Leonard Oakes in welcoming 810 Meadworks to the tasting room at 10609 Ridge Rd.
810 Meadworks was part of downtown Medina for eight years. It closed its tasting room and also an ax-throwing range on Sept. 22 at 113 West Center St. DeGraw said the business’s insurance tripled in price, making it unaffordable to operate.
Several wineries in the region didn’t want to see Meadworks go. Leonard Oakes was among several that reached out to DeGraw to sell the mead and also make the product.
DeGraw is thrilled 810 Meadworks will continue and remain in the Medina community, where he and his wife Larissa make their home with two children. The DeGraws own Meadworks along with Tim Elliott.
“This is the community I belong in,” DeGraw said on Friday, just before the tasting room celebration from 5 to 7 p.m. “I didn’t want to uproot. I can keep my business alive and partner with Leonard Oakes.”
DeGraw said Meadworks is working to move its production equipment to Leonard Oakes. That includes five 200-gallon fermentation tanks, eight 60-gallon drums, and other barrels and equipment.
The mead production will be separate from Leonard Oakes, which has its own equipment for producing wine and Steampunk Cider.
DeGraw said Meadworks is waiting on final approval from the State Liquor Authority to allow Meadworks to produce mead at the Leonard Oakes location.
“I’m thankful to keep going,” he said. “Leonard Oakes made that possible.”
DeGraw also said the new arrangement will give him more time to focus on producing mead, which is his passion. He was spending a lot of his energy running the tasting room at Meadworks, with day-to-day pressure to keep the bar stocked.
“This will give me more freedom,” he said.
He already has one new mead coming in 2023: a mead made with mulberry.
Right now, Leonard Oakes is carrying five of Meadworks most popular meads: Liquid Sunshine (lavender lemonade with mead), Scarlet A (apple cranberry mead), Raisin d’Etre (cinnamon raise aged in a bourbon barrel with amber honey), Maple Tap (mead with maple syrup, cinnamon nutmeg and vanilla) and Sweet Devotion (black currants, rose petals, black tea, oil of bergamot and local honey).
Bryan DeGraw speaks with two passionate Meadworks customers, George and Mary Jo Harris of Barker. They have been loyal Meadworks customers for about five years. They said they are thrilled Meadworks and Leonard Oakes will be teaming up.
The Harris couple said Meadworks was a destination that made them discover other sites in the community. They used to go to Buffalo for most of their outings, but now come to Medina and Batavia.
“Meadworks was like a second family,” Mary Jo said. “Bryan makes enough different styles that there will be something for everyone.”
When DeGraw posted on Facebook on Sept. 22 that the business would be closing, there was a big reaction from customers, who didn’t want to lose Meadworks. Many bought bottles of mead and gave the business a lifeline.
They encouraged the owners to try to find a way to keep going.
“The response that day I can’t express how thankful I am,” DeGraw said about the customer reaction on Sept. 22. “The outcry was bigger than I thought it would be.”
Cat Holland, the retail manager at Leonard Oakes, is pleased to welcome 810 Meadworks to the tasting room. Leonard Oakes has other products made in New York, including fruit brandy from North Ridge Distillery in Medina.
She is hopeful to do tastings and event with DeGraw as a host, explaining how he makes the different meads. She knows Meadworks will also bring in a passionate customer base.
“It makes sense to offer more for everyone,” she said. “It was a no-brainer. He’s local and we’ve had a very good working relationship with him.”
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 4 January 2023 at 2:12 pm
File photo by Tom Rivers: Don Newcomb, lead singer and bass guitarist for the Don Newcomb Country Band, performs on Jan. 13, 2017 at Lee-Whedon Memorial Library as part of the “Finally Fridays” concert series. Newcomb and his band will return for a concert on Jan. 27.
MEDINA – The Finally Fridays concert series kicks off this Friday at Lee-Whedon Memorial Library.
The nine-week concert series kicks off with Creek Bend Bluegrass & Americana. All of the concerts start at 7 p.m. with doors opening at 6 p.m.
The Medina library has hosted the series since 2002 with the 2021 concerts cancelled due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
The lineup of bands performing includes:
Jan. 6: Creek Bend – bluegrass & Americana
Jan. 13: Who Dats – rock
Jan. 20: Two Of Us – Beatle
Jan. 27: Don Newcomb – country, rock
Feb. 3: Frankfurters – German Folk
Feb. 10: “A” Blues Band Rock – blues, country
Feb. 17: Corfu Pembroke Community Band – concert band
Feb. 24: DSP Jazz – jazz
March 3: Step In Time – Irish folk
The series receives funding from the New York State Council on the Arts in a program administered by the Genesee-Orleans Regional Arts Council.
Elizabeth Cooper Leone, Mercedes Holloway Wilson, Kate Schirmer Messner and Christopher Parada are recognized by school
Photos courtesy of Medina Central School: Mercedes Holloway Wilson (left), Principal Michael Cavanagh and Elizabeth Cooper Leone celebrate on Dec. 21.
Press Release, Medina Central School
MEDINA – Medina High School recognized four distinguished alumni on Dec. 21 for their outstanding contributions to their community and/or their chosen career.
The award is given annually to honor alumni, promote school spirit, foster pride in the school and community and to serve as an incentive for the current student body.
This year’s recipients are Elizabeth Cooper Leone, Mercedes Holloway Wilson, Kate Schirmer Messner and Christopher Parada.
“Having worked in Medina for many years, I can definitely say that it is a blessing to be part of a community like ours,” said Michael Cavanagh, the school principal. “The people that we honor today are proof that we are all capable of achieving greatness and truly making a difference in society.”
Elizabeth Cooper Leone formed Cooper Dolls in 1993 when she combined a love of sculpting with the desire to own her own business. She graduated from Medina High School in 1975 and earned a Liberal Arts degree from Wells College and a Bachelor’s Degree in Art Education from Buffalo State College.
She started Cooper Dolls with eight pounds of clay and a 1954 sewing machine and began to design, sculpt and market her work as collectible dolls and holiday figurines. She incorporated themes in her work of her memories of growing up in Medina.
She has exhibited her work and has collectors around the world and has had her dolls featured in magazines and books. She has won several Doll of the Year awards and was invited to show her work at Disney. Mrs. Leone thanked her teachers at Medina for inspiring her and encouraged students to follow their dreams.
Mercedes Holloway Wilson is a 2000 Medina High School graduate. While she attended Medina, she was a proud member of the varsity volleyball, girls basketball and track and field teams. She is an accomplished singer and sang the National Anthem at Section VI basketball games at Erie Community College in Buffalo her senior year.
At the age of 28 years old, Mercedes was diagnosed with stage two breast cancer. With her belief that a healthy body goes together with a healthy mind, she set herself on a path to not only heal herself, but to help others. While still undergoing treatment, she founded a non-profit organization called For Our Daughters, with the goal of helping girls live longer, healthier lives by taking greater control of their well-being. She started a broadcasting career at WBBZ-TV with a show called “What’s the Buzz” and focused on a more healthier lifestyle with a focus on nutrition. She authored a book on healthy eating and started hosting a television segment called “Recipes for Life” on WKBW-TV’s “AM Buffalo”. She was then promoted to be the co-host of the “AM Buffalo” morning show.
In her spare time, she shared her grandmother’s relish recipe to a manufacturer and now you can purchase Sadie’s Relish in many local stores. She also hosts workshops to educate young women on living a healthier lifestyle.
She thanked her teachers at Medina High School for encouraging her along the way and extended a very heartfelt thank you to her aunt and uncle with whom she lived with while attending school. She presented her uncle, Dave King, with a special plaque, for helping to raise her into the woman she is today.
Kate Schirmer Messner graduated from Medina in 1988. While at school, she was a proud member of the Medina Marching Band where she played flute and piccolo and was also a varsity volleyball player. She pointed to her teachers from Oak Orchard Elementary and on who inspired her love for writing.
Because of the educators she encountered at Medina, she pursued English and journalism and received a BS in Broadcast Journalism from Syracuse University’s Newhouse School. She went on to work as a television news producer and reporter for NBC affiliates in Syracuse, New York and Burlington, Vermont. She also earned a MS in Teaching from SUNY Plattsburgh and spent 15 years teaching middle school English and Writing.
Kate then began to write and publish young reader books such as “The Brilliant Fall of Gianna Z” in 2009. She received the prestigious E.B White Read Aloud Award. In her career she has gone on to write more than 50 books for children. Her titles have included award-winning picture books like “Over and Under the Snow”, “The Brilliant Deep” and “How to Write a Story”. Novels like “All the Answers”, “Breakout, and Chirp” and nonfiction like “The Next President” and “Tracking Tortoises”. She is also known for the popular “Ranger in Time” chapter book adventures, the “Fergus and Zeke” easy readers and the “History Smashers” graphic nonfiction series.
Kate was honored in 2022 with receiving the Empire State Award for Excellence in Children’s Literature. Her books often appear on state book award lists, and her science-themed picture books have been honored with the Green Earth Book Award and the Riverby Award for Natural History Writing. She is also a New York Times bestselling author and devotes time visiting schools and libraries around the world to talk about books, writing and reading.
Christopher Parada was a member of the Medina High School Class of 2002. He has been part of the Palace Theater team in Lockport for over 15 years and the Executive Director for over 10 years.
During his time at the theater he has helped lead the Palace to being a central part of the Lockport community. Directing over 75 shows, he has brought his creative style to thousands of patrons, entertained families and helped to boost the Lockport economy. He has also helped to keep the Palace Theater going through the lean years to prepare the business to partake in a four million dollar renovation that is currently taking place. With the help of the Board of Directors, he is ensuring that the Palace will be there for years to come.
When Chris is not leading the Palace Theater, he has a little side gig as Santa Claus! Ten years ago, Chris built the Santa Cottage on Day Road in Lockport. Every December, he plays Santa to local families with the thousands of children who visit the cottage. He charges nothing for this holiday joy and loves allowing families time to talk and take pictures to create holiday memories to last them a lifetime.
There is no doubt, that Chris has community service in his heart. He is also a longtime member of the Light Up Lockport committee, that brings residents together to celebrate the beginning of the holiday season. He raises funds to help decorate Main Street for the holidays and assists the community in any way that he can. His hard work, dedication and passion have truly benefitted Lockport and the surrounding areas thanks to his vision and drive. Chris says he is very grateful for this award from Medina Central School District and wishes he could have attended in person.
Mr. Cavanagh says it was an honor to be able to recognize this year’s outstanding alumni. To earn this honor, nominees must be a current or former member of the school community, who have graduated at least 10 years ago and who have achieved one or more of the following: excellence in their chosen career, made outstanding contributions to their community or profession or someone who made an outstanding contribution to humanity.
“What I find quite interesting is the diversity among the honorees,” said Mr. Cavanagh. “They have definitely left their mark on society, whether it is right here in our backyard, or in places throughout our country. It was our distinct pleasure to present our alumni with their plaques and recognize their achievements.”
By Ginny Kropf, correspondent Posted 27 December 2022 at 4:18 pm
MEDINA – Medina’s Comfort Inn and Suites proved to be a refuge for nearly 100 people during the Christmas blizzard.
Employees who reported for work on Christmas Day are still there, working 12-hour shifts. Two front desk employees, two housekeepers and hotel manager Steve Nichols have been running the hotel. Other employees could not make it into work because of the rough road conditions in the blizzard.
The hotel’s 56 hotel rooms were full during the blizzard, with eight other people staying on cots in in the conference room. About 80 others stayed inside at times to get warm until they could be moved to the shelter at the Oak Orchard Primary School.
“After learning how many hotels were closed in the area, including in Pembroke, I’m just glad we were able to help as many people as we could,” Nichols said.
About 15 people from the Iroquois Job Corps were dropped off at the hotel, after the Job Corps’ pipes froze and broke, and the facility was evacuated Saturday with no heat. The Job Corps students and staff have been helping wherever they could, said a hotel employee.
On Saturday morning, the Salvation Army brought an emergency supply of food and Medina Central School gave food from their kitchens to feed those stranded at the hotel.
The hotel usually provides breakfast for its guests, and upped that to three meals a day during the blizzard with the extra food brought from the school.
Nichols said Mayor Mike Sidari and his family lost power at their home and stayed at the hotel. Sidari was instrumental in getting cots and extra food at the hotel, as well as asking the fire department to help transport some of the people to the school, Nichols said.
“The mayor is now an honorary team member,” Nichols said. “He acted as an ambassador for Medina and the hotel. He was awesome.”
By Ginny Kropf, correspondent Posted 27 December 2022 at 4:09 pm
MEDINA – Western New York’s Christmas blizzard is one that won’t be forgotten by many people, especially Medina Fire Department personnel, staff at Medina Memorial Hospital and one Medina family.
Medina Fire Chief Matt Jackson shared one of his department’s most heroic rescues on the department’s Facebook page.
He describes how the storm started on Dec. 23 and increased in vengeance overnight. The crew kept the department clear of snow, and continued to respond to emergencies. In his words, here is what transpired in the early morning hours of Christmas Eve:
“One of these emergencies was for a woman in labor, with contractions only minutes apart. With zero visibility and up to seven-foot snowdrifts in the middle of the roads, this crew determined it was unsafe and next to impossible to transport to a hospital with an OB unit,” Jackson wrote. “After consulting with the professionals at Medina Memorial Hospital, it was determined the best thing was to transport the woman there, where the knowledge and experience of their staff would take over. A short time later, a baby was born and both baby and mama were happy and healthy.”
This is the first baby born at Medina Memorial Hospital in more than 10 years.
In a phone call to the fire hall today, Captain Jonathan Higgins explained the father, with their three children in the back seat, was taking his wife to United Memorial Hospital, when they got stuck in a snow bank on Route 63 in Shelby. After getting the mother to Medina hospital, Higgins and a crew returned to the van and rescued the rest of the family, taking them all to the hospital.
Shortly after that, before dawn, another crew responded to a call and needed a plow to escort them to the scene. There was no way the ambulance would have made it without that plow escort, due to the size of the drifts building up in the streets and roads.
“After conferring with the director of Emergency Management before sunrise, we knew that a storm of this magnitude had the potential for serious and even deadly consequences,” Jackson said about Justin Niederhofer, EMO director. “His coordination and communication with all county entities played an important role in getting out of this thing unscathed. After navigating the streets in the village, I began to wonder if we would even be able to respond anymore without getting stuck and needing to abandon our vehicles. Fortunately, due to the dedication of the members of our team, we were able to continue responding throughout the day as needed.”
Around noon on Dec. 24, a county-wide driving ban was put into place. The only people who should have been on the roads were essential workers, Jackson said. Even in this case, he said many public safety and nursing staff were unable to get to and from work because travel was unsafe. Many people were stranded in the village and some at the Comfort Inn in Medina.
The fire department transported some of the workers to the hospital and nursing homes to ensure they had adequate staffing, Jackson said.
He commended a local woman and her daughter who offered to stay in a warming center at Oak Orchard Elementary School and was there for hours. Another village resident volunteered for multiple hours to oversee the warming center, so the mother and daughter could go home to check things there.
Jackson praised the concern of the mayor, Mike Sidari, and the firefighters and police officers who slept overnight at the firehouse to make sure the next shifts were covered.
“I am grateful and proud of our fire department and I am thankful for every agency and every person who stepped up during these 48 hours that we will all remember,” Jackson said.
During that 48-hour period, during which Medina recorded 15.4 inches of snow, 54-mile per hour winds, zero visibility and sub-zero wind chills, the Medina Fire Department crews handled 58 recorded calls for service, which does not include well over 200 check welfare and civilian assist calls.
Captain Higgins added his gratitude to fellow first responders and hospital staff, who worked throughout the whole storm.
“This was some of the worse weather I’ve ever seen,” Higgins said.
By Ginny Kropf, correspondent Posted 27 December 2022 at 8:21 am
MEDINA – The senior living community at Lakewood Village in Medina is very relieved to have the electricity back on. It went out around noon on Friday from powerful winds, with the temperature then plunging below freezing.
At the park a majority of residents use Spectrum for television, internet and phone. When the power went out, Spectrum also went down, leaving most of the residents without a way to communicate.
It wasn’t until Saturday afternoon when an ambulance call came in from Lakewood Village that officials learned the elderly residents of the park were getting desperate, without power or communication for more than 24 hours.
When the ambulance driver realized the seriousness of the situation, it was reported to Medina Fire Department, and firefighters started going door-to-door and evacuating the residents to Oak Orchard Elementary School, where a warming center had been set up.
Firefighter Steve Miller coordinated efforts and Tim Miller, Nick Lee, Lt. Steve Cooley, Dustin Pahura and Lt. Jacob Crooks knocked on nearly every door of the more than 100 residential units in the park. They were at the last house on Saturday when the power finally came on.
Miller has worked at the fire department since 2005, and this is the first time he has seen a situation like this, he said.
Shelby Fire Department also assisted in transporting people, after rescuing students and staff of the Job Corps.
One couple who lives in Lakewood Village chose to weather the storm at home. Hal and Carol Goodwin have a gas stove, which gives a minimal amount of heat with the oven door left open. Their water heater is gas, so they had hot water.
“We layered on the clothes, heated soup and other simple foods, and kept adding on the layers,” Hal said. “We had a small battery charger we use to charge the car and a small light we could charge, so we played games. Our house phone was out, but our cell phone was fully charged. We have a Dynamo radio, which we can crank up and it will run for a few minutes. We were not comfortable, but we were safe and content.”
On Saturday morning, their house was down to 42 degrees, and they began to consider going to the recreation hall in the park, which had heat and lights, Hal said. But first, he wanted to shovel out one of their cars they had left in the driveway, in case they had to leave.
When a firefighter stopped at his house Saturday afternoon, Hal told him they were considering going to the recreation hall, but he wanted to free his car first. The firefighter said if Hal called, they would come back and get them.
Hal shoveled his drive, then went next door to clear the drive of his neighbor, who lives alone.
“We decided to have a warm bowl of soup before we went to the hall,” Hal said. “As is customary before every meal, I always pray. Because I worked 30 years for the Postal Service, I always include a prayer for first responders and every worker who has to be out in the weather. I ended my prayer on Saturday with, ‘If at all possible, Lord, could we please get our power back.’ In less than a minute, there was a flicker and the lights came on. That was the quickest answer to a prayer I ever witnessed.”
The Goodwins have lived in Lakewood Village for 10 years and this is the first time they have endured a situation like this, Hal said.
“Another 12 hours and it might have been a different story,” he said.
By Ginny Kropf, correspondent Posted 24 December 2022 at 8:08 pm
Provided photo: Janelle Cordle, an X-ray technician at Medina Memorial Hospital, watches as Santa Claus gets a CT scan to make sure he’s fit for his upcoming venture on Christmas Eve.
MEDINA – Medina Memorial Hospital has announced that Santa Claus has passed his yearly physical at the hospital, in preparation for his grueling Christmas Eve travels.
Santa realizes how many children throughout the world are counting on him to come down their chimneys and he wanted to make sure he was fully ready for the trip, especially with the forecast for blizzard conditions locally and rough weather in much of the country.
“You never know what your day will be like working in a hospital,” said X-ray technician Janelle Cordle. “When you look up and Santa Claus is your next patient, you can’t help but smile. He’s long been a dear friend of the radiology department.”
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 23 December 2022 at 6:00 pm
Shelby, Ridgeway and Barre fire halls also open
MEDINA – The Oak Orchard Primary School at 335 W Oak Orchard St. is available as a warming site, village officials announced.
Parts of Medina community are without electricity. The school will be open all night as a warming center if needed, Mayor Mike Sidari said.
He encouraged people to bring food and water. There are 10 cots available at the school, about 70 blankets, charging capabilities and a microwave.
There are 4,926 National Grid customers without electricity in Orleans County as of 6:06 p.m.
Other warming centers include the Shelby Vol. Fire Company Rec Hall, Ridgeway Vol. Fire Company and Barre Fire Company.
“Road conditions are terrible in the county especially in the southern portion of the county,” said Justin Niederhofer, the county’s emergency management director. “Due to the hazardous conditions and for the safety of the plow operators some of the town have pulled their drivers off the road until conditions improve. Conditions will get worse as the night goes on, and finally start to improve tomorrow morning. If you can, try to stay home and utilize blankets to stay warm.”
By Ginny Kropf, correspondent Posted 21 December 2022 at 3:30 pm
Provided photo: This gingerbread house made by the Radiology Department at Medina Memorial Hospital is on display in the hospital lobby as part of a contest between departments which began Monday.
MEDINA – After a very successful pumpkin contest which created a lot of interest at Halloween, Medina Memorial Hospital has decided to hold a gingerbread contest, beginning on Monday.
“This is a combination of team building internally, while also providing something in the lobby for visitors to look over while they’re in the building,” said Scott Robinson, director of Marketing for Community Partners.
The only rules in the contest are that gingerbread needed to be incorporated somehow into the design, and it needed to be an edible structure.
Among the submissions is a Medina Memorial Hospital, several houses, a Medina Fire Department ambulance and a North Pole scene.
One creation from the Radiology Department features gingerbread in different areas, and then a cabin with pretzel rods as walls. Reindeer with pretzel legs and a chocolate Santa complete the scene.
The public is encouraged to stop and look at the works of art when visiting the hospital.
By Ginny Kropf, correspondent Posted 20 December 2022 at 8:55 pm
MEDINA – Medina High School will honor Distinguished Alumni in a ceremony at 2 p.m. Wednesday, according to principal Michael Cavanagh.
This year’s inductees into the Medina High School Alumni Hall of Fame are Elizabeth Cooper Leone, a local sculptor and designer of dolls. Her creations have been purchased by people all over the world, Cavanagh said.
Mercedes Holloway Wilson started a program, For Our Daughters, to encourage young girls’ interest in a healthy lifestyle. She did this while fighting breast cancer. She currently is a host on AM Buffalo and shares recipes for life weekly.
Kate Schirmer Messner is a well-known children’s author, with more than 50 books to her credit.
Christopher Parada is head of the Palace Theater and known for playing Santa Claus and building the Santa Cottage on Day Road, Lockport.
Inductees to the Alumni Hall of Fame are chosen based on excellence in their profession and contribution to humanity, Cavanagh said.
Because of the educators she encountered at Medina, she pursued English and journalism and received a BS in Broadcast Journalism from Syracuse University’s Newhouse School. She went on to work as a television news producer and reporter for NBC affiliates in Syracuse, New York and Burlington, Vermont. She also earned a MS in Teaching from SUNY Plattsburgh and spent 15 years teaching middle school English and Writing.
Christopher Parada was a member of the Medina High School Class of 2002. He has been part of the Palace Theater team in Lockport for over 15 years and the Executive Director for over 10 years.
