Provided photo: Passengers disembark from Medina Railroad Museum coaches on a wine train to Spring Lake Winery in Lockport. The event will return on Aug. 17 when passengers will ride in three air-conditioned dining cars.

MEDINA – The Medina Railroad Museum is sponsoring a special rail adventure on Aug. 17 on a wine train to Spring Lake Winery in Lockport.

Passengers can step aboard the museum’s vintage rail cars, then sit back and relax in air-conditioned coaches during the 40-minute train ride to the winery. A complimentary bottle of water will be given out onboard.

After disembarking at Spring Lake Winery, passengers will savor the tastes of wine, beer and Sangria, served by the winery.

But it doesn’t stop there, according to Dawn Winkler, events coordinator at Medina Railroad Museum.

An open bar will be available for two hours, while passengers enjoy a buffet lunch, which will feature a Mediterranean Station with hummus, tzatziki and olive tapenade served with grilled flat bread pita and vegetables; in addition to seasonal soup, potato salad, Greek pasta salad, pulled chicken sandwich with herb aioli, Italian club sandwich of prosciutto, salami and capicola with provolone and herb oil and homemade macaroni and cheese.

As a memento of this unique experience, passengers will receive a commemorative Medina Railroad Museum wine or beer glass. Chocolates and a bottle of water are included on the return ride.

If someone is looking for a memorable romantic day out for couples, a fun meet-up with friends or an exciting office outing, this excursion will fit the bill, Winkler said.

She advises dressing for the weather, as the excursion will go on, rain or shine.

Passengers are asked to check in at the museum at 10 a.m., pick up their tickets and then take time to view the historic museum. Boarding will begin at 11:15 a.m. and the train will depart at 11:30 a.m. The train will return to the museum at 3:30 p.m.

MEDINA – The Medina school district announced it will continue providing free breakfast and lunch to all students this school year.

Medina has been offering free breakfast and lunch to all students the past six years through the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) of the National School Breakfast/Lunch Program.

The CEP program provides the opportunity for schools in high poverty areas to provide two nutritious meals every school day, while eliminating the stigma for those students previously identified as “low income.”

The CEP began in 2011 with three states piloting the program and then became a nationwide program in 2014. To be eligible for CEP at least 40 percent of students must be identified as “directly certified” for free meals without a meal application through programs such as SNAP, TANF and Medicaid. Medina school district has met this eligibility guideline.

For additional information about the program, contact the following:

• Medina Jr/Sr High School; Michael Cavanagh, Principal; 585-798-2700 ext. 1
• Clifford Wise Intermediate School; Christopher Hughes, Principal; 585-798-2700 ext. 2
• Oak Orchard Primary School; Jennifer Stearns, Principal; 585-798-2700 ext. 3

Photo courtesy of Medina Rotary Club

MEDINA – Conor Crandall accepts a $2,500 scholarship from the Medina Rotary Club and its president Peter Bartula.

Conor is headed to SUNY Cobleskill in the fall. He will be studying Agricultural Business. The Rotary scholarship is based on academic achievement and community service.

Crandall was on Medina’s wrestling, lacrosse and cross country teams, and was active in the FFA and attended Boys’ State, a week-long leadership program through the American Legion.

Press Release, Friends of Boxwood Cemetery

MEDINA – The Friends of Boxwood Cemetery are proud to announce that we will be partnering with Atlas Preservation as part of their 48 States Tour: Saving America’s Graveyards.

“It is such an honor to be chosen as one of two cemeteries in New York State to be visited by Atlas Preservation this year,” said Robby Klino, president of the Friends of Boxwood. “Our small-town cemetery is finally getting the recognition it deserves, and the help to preserve it for future generations.”

The 48 States Tour will be at Boxwood Cemetery on North Gravel Road on Aug. 6 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. It is free and open to the public.

The event will be led by Jonathan Appell, owner of Atlas Preservation and has decades of experience in cemetery restoration. The morning session will focus on headstone cleaning and the afternoon will focus on headstone resetting and repair.

Appell will be joined by Alicia Williams who is better known as Lady Taphos on TikTok. Williams has over 2.6 million followers on TikTok. Her motto is, “Finding peace in my life one stone at a time.” In addition, Jeremy La Zelle, a world-renown professional cinematographer, will be there as part of a documentary he his making about the 48 States Tour.

We recommend participants bring a chair, cooler, water and snacks. A pizza lunch will be provided.

We also recommend wearing old clothes that you do not mind getting dirty, especially if you will be participating in the cleaning segment. A hat, sunglasses, and sunscreen are also a good idea to have on hand.

While there is no cost for the event, we would appreciate knowing how many people are attending and where they are from. If interested, please send an email to friendsofboxwoodcemetery@gmail.com with the names of those attending and where they are from.

Updates will be posted to our Facebook page: Friends of Boxwood Cemetery.

Follow the 48 States tour on their podcast and check out their website.

“I cannot thank enough the members of the Friends of Boxwood Cemetery and the Medina community for supporting this little gem of a cemetery,” Klino said.

Photos by Tom Rivers

MEDINA – Maria Aurigema and Sal Iannello perform Thursday evening at State Street Park in medina for the Blue Thursdays concert series.

Aurigema is the headliner for the band that Thursday also included Michael Haggerty on drums.

The series received strong backing and promotion from Ken Daluisio of The Print Shop in Medina. Daluisio had a fatal heart attack at age 59 on July 11, just before he was going to head out of shop to go to the concert.

Micheal Fuller and Dameon Holtfoth are now running The Print Shop. They attended Thursday’s concert and said The Print Shop will continue as a big backer of the events.

Maria Aurigema, Sal Iannello and Michael Haggerty perform before a big crowd on Thursday at State Street Park. Aurigema is a school instrumental teacher in the Ken-Ton School district in her day job, and she rocks in concerts around Western New York and Canada, especially during the summer.

The blues concerts have been drawing 800 to 1,250 people to State Street Park. Thursday was another big crowd.

Gertie Montulli is among the many food vendors at Blue Thursdays. Sweet Treats by Gertie sells popcorn in 10 different flavors. She said caramel is her top seller.

Maria Aurigema has been in the concert lineup all three seasons of the Blue Thursdays in Medina.

Dave Berry sells 50/50 raffle tickets with the proceeds going to the EMS services provided by Medina Fire Department.

Richard Sarrero, who helped start Shirt Factory Café, leads new venture in downtown

Photos by Ginny Kropf: Staff of Factory Espresso at Hart, which opened in the Newell Building at 113 West Center St., include from left: owner/general manager Richard Sarrero and baristas Riley Tompkins, Katie Hilobuk and Tatianna Mason.

MEDINA – The building formerly known as Newell Shirt Factory has a new tenant brewing up business under its roof.

Richard Sarrero, who owns the building with local attorney Andrew Meier, has opened Factory Espresso at Hart, serving espresso, breakfast and lunch.

Factory Espresso opened for business on June 1 and is slowly growing. The business added a breakfast and lunch menu this week and plans to release a full menu next week.

The current menu includes some old favorites from the Shirt Factory Café, such as the Bob Hope and Rich Little sandwiches.

The espresso menu features the basic flavors, along with specialty drinks, such as Ube latte (a sweet and nutty root vegetable, also known as a purple yam), blackberry lavender white mocha and muddled mint and pistachio.

Factory Espresso also offers online ordering as well as curb service.

“If you call in your order, you can pull up in front, put on your four-way flashers and we will run it out to you,” Sarrero said.

A lot has evolved at the Shirt Factory in the last few years, but Sarrreo is quick to mention more is in the works.

Richard Sarrero, owner/general manager of Factory Espresso at Hart, watches barista Katie Hilobuk prepare a drink.

The Newell building has undergone a number of major changes since Meier purchased it in 2005. His first step was to open the Shirt Factory Café in 2007.

He would later remodel the entire building, creating offices on the second floor for the law firm of Webster, Schubel and Meier and two hotel rooms, and hotel rooms on the third floor.

The hotel rooms are known as Hart House Hotel, after the hotel which existed there from 1876. The Hart House Hotel served guests until 1918, when Robert H. Newell established his high-end shirt business there. The business would exist in some form until 2004.

 Sarrero entered the picture in 2013.

 “I needed something fresh in my life, and was looking for a career change,” Sarrero said.

 He purchased the Shirt Factory from Meier and had started a wine bar in back, which they closed and then opened the Boiler Room in space that actually was the boiler room for the shirt factory.

In 2015, 810 Meadworks opened where Factory Espresso is now and leased space for the Beegarten in back as a performance venue. Sarrero at that time added a juice and smoothie bar to the Shirt Factory Cafe.

 In 2018, Medina natives Scott Robinson and his wife Alix Gilman decided to return home from Washington, D.C. and were looking for a place to open a craft cocktail lounge in town.

“It all happened at the right time,” Gilman said. “Rich needed a change and Scott and I were looking for a spot to open a cocktail bar.”

At that time, a barber and a knitting store once occupied two spaces in the building.

Covid raised havoc with the Shirt Factory (Café had been dropped) and business became strictly takeout. 810 Meadworks moved from the downtown site to Leonard Oakes Estate Winery on Ridge Road in Medina. The knitting store moved out in 2020, while the barber had left some time before. Sarrero and Baillie McPherson had a beauty salon in the Shirt Factory, before moving to a larger space on Main Street. They were the last business to occupy the space which is now Factory Espresso.

The Shirt Factory is still in business as a cocktail lounge, operated by Gilman’s brother, Christopher Kozody. It is open from 3 to 10 p.m. Thursday through Sunday, serving craft cocktails and a variety of elevated bar food and small plates. They are also open from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sundays, serving brunch.

Gilman called it a “Boozy Brunch,” featuring mimosas and Bloody Mary’s.

She is happy to see Sarrero has opened Factory Espresso at Hart.

“It’s exciting to see Rich back doing what he loves,” Gilman said. “It completes the building and serves as an amenity to the hotel.”