Medina family went to Disney World in January through Make-A-Wish

Photos courtesy of Meakin family: Koleson Meakin, now age 4, went to Disney World in January for a week with his family. Koleson is diagnosed with TPK1 Thiamine Deficient Leigh syndrome, a rare genetic metabolic disease. His parents, Brady and Dominique Meakin, navigate his complex needs, which require a special ketogenic diet and frequent medical care.

MEDINA – Firefighters from the western battalion in Orleans County will be out this Sunday filling the boot for the Make-A-Wish Foundation.

Firefighters have been doing this for several years. This tike has special significance because a local boy and his family were able to go to Disney World through Make-A-Wish.

Koleson is shown at Disney World in January with his parents, Brady and Dominique, and younger sister, Jovie.

Koleson Meakin turned 4 on Aug. 31. He has a rare condition, TPK1 Thiamine Deficient Leigh syndrome. It is a gene-linked brain malformation characterized by the absence of normal folds in the cerebral cortex and an abnormally small head.

His parents, Brady and Dominique Meakin, navigate his complex needs, which require a special ketogenic diet and frequent medical care. Koleson has been hospitalized four times since May.

His mother said the family is grateful for the community’s support through fundraisers and prayers.

“We’re making him comfortable and trying to make as many memories as possible,” she said by phone this morning.

Koleson has a strong and committed care team.

Make-A-Wish gave him an expedited wish about a year ago. He loves lights and music, and Make-A-Wish suggested Disney World. His parents drove Koleson and his little sister Jovie down last January and they were able to stay for a week in a village on site for Make-A-Wish families..

“Our family was treated like royalty at Disney village,” Mrs. Meakin said. “That was the best week of our lives. It is a core memory we will never forget.”

The boot drive will be from 9 a.m. to noon on Sunday at on Route 63 with Shelby and East Shelby firefighters, Maple Ridge Road and the downtown intersection with Medina firefighters, and South Lyndonville Road and Route 104 with Lyndonville and Ridgeway firefighters. The local drive usually raises about $8,000.

Mary Mattingly did similar project in New York City with 350,000 visitors

Photos by Tom Rivers: Mary Mattingly is shown on a canal barge that she has begun turning into a floating garden that should bear fruit next summer as part of the inaugural Medina Triennial.

MEDINA – The next six weeks a rusty and out-of-serve canal barge will be given new life as a very unlikely base for a floating garden.

Mary Mattingly is turning he 27-by-80-foot barge into a showcase for plants and nature. She led a similar initiative in New York City, and that repurposed barge drew 350,000 visitors and more than 900 guided tours.

Mattingly is in town locally as one of 12 featured artists in the Medina Triennial. She is the first of the artists to be working in residence on her project. Five of the artists are expected to be doing their work in residence as part of the Triennial that will feature about 50 artistic works at 10 to 12 indoor and outdoor sites next year from June 6 to Sept. 7. Triennial organizers expect the major art initiative will draw 50,000 people to Medina over the three months next year.

The Triennial is spearheaded by the NYS Canal Corp. and New York Power Authority with input from the major art galleries in the Rochester and Buffalo region.

Mattingly is renown as an ecological art pioneer and her participation is a big honor for the Triennial, said Kari Conte, co-artistic director for the Triennial.

“This is an incredibly big project by Mary Mattingly,” Conte said Saturday during an discussion at the Triennial’s headquarters in a kick off teaser to next year. “She’s taking a chance on a startup.”

Mary Mattingly shares about the project during a discussion on Saturday at the Medina Triennial “Hub” at 345 Main St., a building that for many years was used by NAPA Auto Parts. It will be the base for the Triennial and arts program through 2026.

Mattingly has been working on the barge the past two weeks, getting it ready for eight different areas that will be growing plants. She has been talking with local residents about what they want to see on the barge when the plants are blooming and producing next year.

She held a workshop Sunday at the Triennial “Hub” to get more input. The group convinced her to have one of the eight spots be for butterflies. Mattingly said the garden will be designed so the eight sections compliment and don’t compete with each other.

People shared personal stories about why they feel connected to certain plants, and Mattingly said she wants to display those anecdotes as part of the floating garden.

Mattingly has a lot of work to do in the next six weeks, bringing in soil and creating a healthy growing medium for the plants. The barge will winter away from Medina and will return at the start of next year’s canal season. By the time the Triennial starts on June 6, the barge should be a vibrant ecosystem.

She thanked local residents for their input and kindness while she has been working on the project in Medina.

“I feel very at home,” she told about 75 people during the opening session on Saturday. “I’m learning a lot.”

Photos and information courtesy of Medina Mustang Band

WEST SENECA – The Medina Mustang Marching Band traveled to West Seneca on Saturday for their first competition of the season. A total of seven schools participated including Iroquois from Pennsylvania and six others from Western NY.

Medina was the only SS1 competitor and scored 70.40. In SS3 there were 3 competitors – Iroquois, Pioneer and Falconer-Frewsburg with FF taking 1st place with 64.85.

Thee LS2 class included Lancaster, West Seneca and Orchard Park with Lancaster earning 1st place with 73.05.

It was a beautiful evening in terms of weather and the crowd was enthused to be back in the loop of marching band participation.

Medina hosts their Fall Festival in Veterans Memorial Park this Saturday with gates opening at 4:30 and show starting 5:30. Ten bands will perform in competition.

Photos by Ginny Kropf: Looking much younger than her 100 years, Florence Sanmarco stands by a birthday bouquet in her kitchen. Family friend Grace Kent of Albion made her the birthday crown on the counter.

MEDINA – Florence Sanmarco had one wish for her 100th birthday on Friday.

“I wanted to be home and hear from all my friends, and I got just the birthday I wanted,” she said.

Sanmarco counts her blessings to be celebrating her 100th birthday and enjoy excellent health.

Born in Medina Sept. 12, 1925, Sanmarco grew up in Middleport, daughter of parents who immigrated from Italy. The oldest of six, three siblings still survive.

She graduated from Middleport High School in 1943 and spent the next few years working at various jobs, including several years at Niagara Chemical Company (FMC).

“I left to get married, then went back in 1951,” she said.

Her first husband died after four years of marriage, and a second marriage to Danny Sanmarco lasted until his death in 2004.

(Left) Longtime family friend Karen Mannella, left, and Florence Sanmarco share a toast to Sanmarco’s 100th birthday on Friday. (Right) Florence Sanmarco and friend Sheila Doty hold a “100 and Fabulous” blanket Doty gave Sanmarco for her 100th birthday on Friday.

Sanmarco moved into Lakewood Village in 1985, where she continues to live on her own, doing her own cooking and cleaning, managing her own finances and occasionally driving her car short distances.

Her career included many years as a beautician.

“I’m very thankful for today – I don’t have an ache or a pain,” she said.

Her hearing is wonderful. She takes care of her flower gardens and loves to shop.

She often asks herself, “Why am I still here?”

Her only answer is she thinks she is meant to be an incentive to others, who may look at her and think, “I can do what Florence is doing.”

Sanmarco has seen many changes in 100 years, but she thinks the most amazing thing is probably the internet, although she doesn’t have a computer.

Friday, family friend Karen Mannella spent the day with her. They met when Mannella’s aunt and Sanmarco’s sister roomed together in the nursing home and they’ve been friends ever since. Mannella recently took Sanmarco shopping at Kohl’s and “she wore me out,” Mannella said.

When asked what she thought contributed to her longevity and good health, Sanmarco replied, “My faith. I pray a lot.”

Her Italian heritage and eating garlic might have helped, also, she added.

MEDINA – Dark evenings are about to descend upon us much too soon, according to Catherine Cooper, Orleans County historian and board member of the Medina Historical Society.

“But we can look forward to Medina Historical Society programs at Lee-Whedon Memorial Library,” she stated in a news release.

She has listed the following lineup of programs for fall 2025:

• On Sept. 29, Donna Vanderlaan, Terry Abrams and Bill Chase will present The Native American Presence in Genesee-Orleans.

• October’s program on the 27th will be The Pioneer Log Cabin, presented by Adam Tabelski.

• On Nov. 24, Renee Lama will present “Once Majestic, Now Forgotten” – the Mansions of Medina.

All programs begin at 7 p.m. and run until 8 p.m.

Lee-Whedon Memorial Library is located at 620 West Ave.

Photo courtesy of Orleans County Tourism Department: From left, Jim Hancock, chair of Medina’s Tourism Committee, and committee members Kathy Blackburn and Jan Smith pose with a billboard advertising an innovative Building Bricks/LEGO event in conjunction with the 200th anniversary celebration of the Erie Canal.

MEDINA – Medina Tourism Committee has hit on an innovative and new feature to celebrate the Erie Canal’s 200th anniversary.

“It all started at a Tourism Committee meeting when we were discussing the celebration of the canal,” said Jan Smith, a member of the Tourism Committee who came up with the idea to have a Building Bricks/LEGO competition. “There were going to be a lot of communities doing arts and crafts, vendors, food trucks and concerts, and I thought why couldn’t we do something different.”

She said she knew of other organizations who had done events focusing on Building Bricks and LEGOs, and she suggested it to the committee.

“They thought is was a great idea,” Smith said.  “We were fortunate to get a grant from the Canal Corporation to help promote the event.”

The event is scheduled from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sept. 20 at Sacred Heart Club and will include displays from RocLUG Group from Rochester.

High School arts students have been doing canal-oriented creations, such as boats, docks, the canal and culvert – things that will tie into the canal, Smith said. Entrants are encouraged to be creative in their designs, including things like bridges, sandstone buildings and quarries.

Shawn Ramsey from Canalside Tattoo is planning to do temporary tattoos and set up his LEGO collection for display.

“Individuals in the community can build anything they want out of Building Bricks or LEGOs, as long as they have an emphasis on the canal,” Smith said.

The day will include a sensory area for those who need that kind of activity, Smith said.

“There will be a hodge-podge of activities,” she added

She said she knows of other organizations who have done similar events and they were very popular.

 “People have a very good time doing this,” she said.

Downtown merchants will also participate with a scavenger hunt in the village, in addition to window displays out of Building Bricks and LEGOs, Smith said. They will also be giving out souvenir boats for customers to collect and keep.

To participate in the scavenger hunt, entrants must pick up a registration sheet at Creekside Floral or Sacred Heart Club and drop off completed forms at the front desk of Lee-Whedon Memorial Library.

Entrants will be competing for awards based on age and creativity. The competition is open to all ages and abilities.

A lunch menu will also be available to purchase, offering items such as chicken sandwiches, pizza, beverages and more.

Mary Mattingly transforming a barge on the canal into floating garden

Photos by Ginny Kropf: Federico Rosario of Medina and co-curator Karin Laanso of Rochester wait in front of the former NAPA Auto Parts store on North Main Street for the arrival of artist Mary Mattingly from New York City, who plans to transform a barge on the Erie Canal into a floating garden. The project is part of the Medina Triennial in observance of the 200th anniversary of the Erie Canal.

MEDINA –  Medina Triennial has announced the inaugural edition of a new contemporary art triennial, which will take place June 6 to Sept. 7, 2026.

In preparation for the event, the opening of the Medina Triennial Hub Sept. 13-14 has been announced in the former NAPA building on North Main Street.

This barge docked in Medina’s canal basin is waiting for the arrival of Mary Mattingly, an American visual artist from New York City, who plans to transform the barge into a floating garden.

Also part of the Triennial is a barge docked in the Erie Canal Basin, which American visual artist Mary Mattingly of New York City is planning to transform into a floating garden. Mattingly, an ecological art pioneer, arrived last Saturday afternoon to begin assessing her project.

The inaugural edition next summer will feature more than 50 artworks at approximately 12 indoor and outdoor locations in Medina, highlighting Medina’s dynamic natural residency program and its education and welcome center, according to Federico Rosario of Medina, community engagement and program coordinator for the Medina Triennial.

The former NAPA Auto Parts building on North Main Street is a former sandstone hotel building in the heart of the village. The Medina Triennial is calling the building “The Hub” and it will be open this weekend for sessions about the art initiative.

Saturday Sessions

• 12 to 2 p.m. – Co-Artistic Directors Kari Conte and Karin Laansoo, architects Serweta Peck, and artist-in-residence Mary Mattingly introduce the Hub’s design and fall programming, followed by a tour of the building and Mattingly’s Floating Garden.
• 4–5 p.m. – “What is a Triennial?” Kari Conte and Karin Laansoo trace the history of the triennial format and discuss how the Medina Triennial reimagines it for a new context.

Sunday Sessions

• 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. – Roundtable on Labor and Ecology: Mary Mattingly and agricultural educator Todd Eick discuss care and invisible labor across art, ecology, and community life.
• 4 to 6:30 p.m. – Floating Garden Orientation: Mary Mattingly invites neighbors to plan and plant for her floating food forest on the Erie Canal.

The Medina Triennial was initiated by the New York State Power Authority and the New York State Canal Corporation as part of a broader effort to revitalize the canal and highlight its contemporary significance.

This event will feature new work by local, national and international artists and collectives, to create a free, village-wide exhibition that will be the first of its kind in the region.

Renowned commissioned artists will be invited to respond to Western New York’s communities and ecosystems, often working in collaboration with local residents to create work rooted in context.

Visitors are invited to stop by from noon to 6 p.m. weekends (always on Saturday and some Fridays and Sundays).

Federico Rosario, Community Engagement and Program Coordinator for the Medina Triennial, stands in the newly-renovated space in the former NAPA building, which will house an art triennial June 6 to Sept. 7, 2026.

Photos by Ginny Kropf: (Left) World-renown Jack the Ripper researcher Michael L. Hawley and author Julie Berry hold copies of their books prior to the launch celebration Monday night of Berry’s latest novel, If Looks Could Kill. At right is Valerie Fleshauer, a former student of Hawley’s, who introduced him to Julie and her husband Phil. Hawley opened the evening with a short talk on his research of Jack the Ripper suspect Francis Tumblety. (Right) Berry and Hawley share a hug after their presentations at the launch party Monday night for Berry’s newest novel which was influenced by Hawley’s research.

MEDINA – Julie Berry’s launch of her latest book If Looks Could Kill brought out a crowd of more than 100 people on Monday to Author’s Note, the bookstore she owns at 519 Main St.

“Such a tremendous show of support from Medina and the surrounding communities, and from faithful friends of the bookstore,” Berry said. “The most amazing things at Author’s Note are the people who work here and the people who come here.”

She thanked the book club members who are so vital to the store’s support, and gave special thanks to her team, including Olivia Marchese and Erica Caldwell who worked tirelessly to create beautiful, festive and meaningful decorations to set a celebratory tone.

A New York Times’ Best-Selling author, Berry got the idea for her latest book while remodeling the book store after she had bought it.

“I started thinking about murder and exploring a murder story and violence against women,” Berry said. “It is shocking the percentage of women who will experience violence in their lives.”

Then she started thinking, “What if women had the ability to pay back men who hurt them?” That thought resulted in a Medusa image. Medusa is described as “representing a dangerous threat meant to deter other dangerous threats, an image of evil to repel evil.” Her famous feature is her hair of snakes.

“In the myth, Medusa had no power to control her power,” Berry said. “I wanted a Medusa for the 21st century, who could control her power – could turn it on or off and manipulate the extent of its effects. I went into this book wanting female revenge. But I don’t believe in discriminate or over-reaching justice. I believe everybody deserves the opportunity to heal, learn and change, but if I was going to move this story forward with the vengeance I still wanted, I needed a very bad villain.”

She picked lower Manhattan as the scene for her newest endeavor, and there was Jack the Ripper, she said.

“I was angry and Jack the Ripper was just what I needed for my book about where to find peace, hope and trust, especially in the darkest of times,” Berry said.

Author and Jack the Ripper researcher Michael T. Hawley gives a slide presentation on why he believes Francis Tumblety, who is buried in Rochester, was Jack the Ripper.

Then, through Lindy Hop dancing with her husband Phil, she met Valerie Fleschauer, a scientist at the University of Rochester’s laser lab, who had been a student of Jack the Ripper researcher Michael L. Hawley. Fleschauer connected Berry with Hawley, who is an expert on Jack the Ripper, and in particular, the suspect Francis Tumblety.

Hawley has appeared on the Travel Channel, Ghost Hunter and History Channel, among others. He said every claim that Tumblety could not be Jack the Ripper has been debunked.  We don’t know if he was the Ripper, but Hawley believes the objections raised against him don’t stand up to the facts.

“To my mind, there is no reason to think Tumblety, who is buried in Rochester, could not be Jack the Ripper,” he said.

In concluding, Berry said Medusa is a power women can use and turn on and off.

“That is the power I want people to feel when they read this book,” she said. “Find your inner monster and ‘Medusify.’ Confidence makes a difference. Insisting you are going to be heard makes a difference.”

Scott Robinson and his wife Alix Gilman were among those who attended the launch.

“The launch of Julie Berry’s If Looks Could Kill at Author’s Note was a reminder of what makes Medina and Western New York so special,” Alix said. “Julie is an intoxicating trifecta of intelligence, talent and wit – but most of all, her heart and sense of justice and unparalleled. Events like this celebrate the incredible depth of talent and knowledge we have right here in our community, and the magic of gathering together to honor it.”

“This event was just the boost of faith, confidence and adrenaline I needed to take this tour nationwide,” Berry said. “That was Medina’s gift to me, and I’m grateful.”

Berry is now travelling on a 29-stop nationwide tour of her book. Click here for more on her book and the tour.

50 artists to be featured at a dozen locations next year in Medina

Photo by Dawson Andrews for Medina Triennial – The former NAPA building at 345 North Main St. will serve as the headquarters for the Medina Triennial.

Press Release, Medina Triennial

MEDINA – The Medina Triennial, a new, site-responsive contemporary art triennial taking place in Medina from June 6 to September 7, 2026, announces the opening of the Medina Triennial Hub on Sept. 13–14, alongside the launch of Floating Garden, its first commission from ecological art pioneer Mary Mattingly.

The event marks the start of the Triennial’s community engagement leading up to its inaugural edition in 2026, which will feature over 50 artworks at approximately 12 indoor and outdoor locations in Medina, located on the historic Erie Canal waterfront in Western New York.

Located in a former sandstone hotel building at the heart of the village, the Hub will serve as the home of the Medina Triennial’s residency program and its education and welcome center.

From September 2025 until the Triennial’s closing in September 2026, the Hub will host public programs and events around themes of community, ecology, and place, in collaboration with art institutions across Western New York, and act as a platform for visitors to engage directly with the Triennial’s conceptual framework.

The Hub’s pre-Triennial programming includes 15 weekends of artist talks, workshops, screenings and panels, continuing the Triennial’s mission of fostering and promoting education in the arts, culture, regional history and ecology. The Fall program is available on the Triennial’s website.

“The Hub will be just the beginning of the astounding series of art installations, educational programs and cultural discussions that the Triennial will bring to Medina” says Mayor Marguerite Sherman. “We hope that these programs and this Triennial will strengthen the love and appreciation we have for this beautiful village, and unite Western New York over our shared passion of arts and culture.”

The design for the building’s furniture and renovated interiors was developed by the multidisciplinary design practice Serweta Peck, in collaboration with students, faculty, and staff from the University at Buffalo School of Architecture and Planning.

Supported by the Sydney Gross Fund, this project titled Objects of Affection reflects a commitment to sustainability, site specificity, and resilience through the recovery and reuse of materials, including reclaimed wood from the New York State Canal system. Over the course of the spring and summer of 2025, the team developed, tested, and fabricated each piece as an original design object. Serweta Peck reflects: “We hope this work invites and encourages all of us to take material steps to take care of the spaces and objects that we visit, share and love.”

Mary Mattingly (b. 1978 Rockville, Connecticut) is an artist known for exploring urban ecology and interdependence through sculptural installations and participatory public artwork that address issues around water, food systems and climate adaptation.

Floating Garden is Mattingly’s most ambitious project to date. Continuing her research into food supply chains from celebrated past projects such as Swale (2016–ongoing), Mattingly’s new commission for the Medina Triennial will repurpose an industrial barge docked on the Erie Canal in Medina, where she will collaborate with local groups to build a mobile sanctuary featuring medicinal gardens, fruit orchards, and biochar-based water filtration systems intended to improve access to fresh food and local waterways.

Entering production in September 2025 and unveiled in its entirety on June 6, 2026, this project is deeply rooted in the natural landscape of Western New York and the rhythms of civic life, creating a functional artwork designed to enrich the surrounding community while reimagining the Erie Canal’s history as a vital foodway.

Beginning in September 2025, Floating Garden will serve as a living public artwork and educational resource, offering hands-on educational programs around soil health, food production, ecology and climate adaptation. This Fall’s programming will include a workshop on collecting and utilizing rainwater, a guided foraging walk, and a roundtable discussion with the curatorial team. The project’s programming is developed in partnership with Creative Time and Toronto Biennial of Art.

“I’m thrilled to begin building ‘Floating Garden’ with people in Medina, a place deeply connected to the waterways and foodways that have inspired this project,” said Mary Mattingly. “Building the piece here allows for important collaboration with the region’s ecologies and communities. It’s a chance to imagine, together, how floating infrastructure can support forms of public care and resilience, and how it can be a form of shared abundance and sanctuary within the climate crisis.”

Mattingly’s project is one of five Triennial commissions produced under the Medina Triennial Fieldwork Residency, a new initiative that allows artists to work directly on-site in Medina ahead of the Triennial’s opening. Artist James Beckett will join Mattingly as a resident this Fall. Beckett’s practice engages questions around the built environment, particularly how systems of production and distribution shape cultural identities.

Residents will be given time, space and resources within Medina, including a dedicated group of local experts—scientists, architects, artists, biologists, farmers, and small business owners from across Western New York—to support research, foster collaboration, and deepen community connections.

The model is designed to further tailor the Triennial’s commissions to the area through total immersion within the village and its environs. Additional residents will be announced later in 2025.

New chief brings 37 years of experience in fire and emergency medical services

Photos by Tom Rivers: Steve Cooley salutes retired Medina fire chief Tom Lupo after Cooley was sworn in as new fire chief on Monday. Cooley’s wife Becky is at wife and held the Bible for the oath of office.

Provided photo: Steve Cooley is the new fire chief for Medina.

MEDINA – The Medina Fire Department has a new fire chief to lead the only career fire department in Orleans County.

Steve Cooley has served the Medina FD for 15 years and has 37 years of experience in fire and emergency medical services. Cooley has been the officer in charge at the department since Matt Jackson stepped down as chief in June. Jackson now works as a firefighter in Batavia.

Cooley has been a lieutenant with Medina since January 2019. He thanked his family for their sacrifices in a career that has often kept him from family celebrations.

Cooley started his career as a junior firefighter with the Middleport Volunteer Fire Company in 1988. He rose through the ranks at Middleport and served as chief there from 2007 to 2010. He joined Medina as a firefighter/paramedic in 2010.

Cooley was sworn in as the new chief after being appointed by the Village Board on Monday evening.

He thanked his parents and siblings for “believing in me and letting me chase my dreams.” He has wanted to be a firefighter since he was a little kid.

Cooley said he has been very fortunate to have many mentors, instructors and officers who have been influential in his career. Tom Lupo, who served as Medina fire chief from 2016 to 2019, attended Cooley’s swearing in. Cooley said the retired chief is at the “head of the list” of mentors for the new chief.

Cooley leads a career department with 16 other full-time staff. That is down by four from the spring when the Village Board reduced four positions in the department. The board said it needs to reduce the operating costs for the department, which responds to about 2,500 calls a year, the vast majority of which are EMS.

Cooley said he will strive to give the department the tools and training it needs to serve the community.

And for people in the Medina community, “rest assured we will meet your needs in times of emergency,” Cooley said in remarks after his swearing in.

Steve Cooley’s son Steven pins the collar brass on Medina’s new fire chief during a ceremony on Monday at the Ridgeway Town Hall after the Medina Village Board appointed Cooley as the fire chief. Cooley’s daughter Andrea is at right and his wife Becky is at left.

Cooley will be paid $77,000 as the fire chief. In addition to serving at Middleport and Medina, he worked for Lasalle/Rural Metro Ambulance from 1992-2005, becoming a paramedic in 1997. He later worked for Mercy Flight as a flight paramedic from 2005-2010.

In Medina as lieutenant, he oversaw the EMS operations. He also was the Medina Fire Department representative to Orleans County EMS Council (currently vice chairman), the Big Lakes Council, representative for Orleans County Crisis intervention team steering committee, and current vice chairman of the Orleans County Local Emergency Planning Committee.

He has been a fire investigator since 2018 for Orleans County and the senior investigator for the Medina Fire Investigation Unit. Cooley also has been municipal fire instructor, youth fire setter interventionalist, past president of Medina Professional Firefighters IAFF Local 2161 and past president of the Medina Firefighters Benevolent Association.

Steve Cooley is congratulated by Village Trustee Scott Bieliski after Cooley was appointed Medina’s fire chief on Monday.

Photos and information courtesy of John Dieter, Scoutmaster of Troop 35: Colton Smith put in a new scoring shed at the Lyndonville varsity baseball field for his Eagle Scout project.

MEDINA – Three scouts in Troop 35 in Medina are doing service projects as part of their quest to earn scouting’s highest rank of Eagle.

Colton Smith, a Lyndonville senior, is shown with his project as part of being an Eagle Scout. The project included removing a rotted out shed and building new scoring shed for Lyndonville varsity baseball field.

Lyndonville Central School is the community sponsor for the project.

Jimmy Dieter, a senior at Medina, construct a batting cage area for local youth baseball at Butts Park in Medina. The Village Of Medina and Medina LOYAL Baseball served as community sponsor for the project.

Maddox Smith, a Lyndonville freshman, is shown with picnic tables that are available for community use at Lyndonville Central School. The school district served as the community sponsor for the project.

Each one of these scouts had to complete a leadership-based Eagle Scout service project.  The process involved selecting a project that would benefit their local community, said John Dieter, scoutmaster for Troop 35.

They need backing from their Troop leadership, community organization, and their local scout council.

While they still have some remaining items to do towards their Eagle rank, they are close to the finish line, Dieter said.

Colton Smith has his Eagle Board of Review on Sept. 11 at Great Falls Council.  Jimmy Dieter will most likely have his Eagle Board of Review by November 2025, and Maddox Smith will have his sometime in 2026.

Press Release and photos, Friends of Boxwood Cemetery

MEDINA – In conjunction with the 200th anniversary of the Erie Canal, the Friends of Boxwood Cemetery will be hosting a tour of the cemetery led by Village Historian Todd Bensley.

The tour will be Saturday, Sept. 13, at 6 p.m. It will start at the S. Mainville Burroughs Memorial Chapel, at the south entrance to the cemetery. The tour is expected to take 60-90 minutes.

The title of the tour is, “The Erie Canal – Beginnings and Endings.” According to Bensley, “It will focus on the triumphs and tragedies of people buried in Boxwood who have a connection to the Erie Canal.”

The tour is free and open to the public. Donations are always gratefully accepted.

Those in attendance can also purchase entry and raffle tickets for Boxwood at Night, which will be on Saturday, Oct. 4.

Photo courtesy of Mary Lou Tuohey: Nicole Tuohey holds a string of links which she makes every year and sells to support the Alzheimer’s Association.

MEDINA – No one knows better the heartbreak a diagnosis of Alzheimer’s Disease brings than the family of Mary Lou and David Tuohey and their children Nicole and Casey.

Since both Mary Lou’s parents were lost to Alzheimer’s, the family has heavily supported events and sponsored fundraisers to benefit Alzheimer’s research. This includes participating in the Walk to End Alzheimer’s for more than 24 years, when it was still held in Lewiston. When the walk moved to Albion, and then Medina, they continued to come up with more ways to raise money for the cause.

Photos by Ginny Kropf: Mary Lou Tuohey hangs a sign in the window of Hans’s Bakery, former home of her Case-Nic Cookies, where she held a basket raffle every year to support Alzheimer’s research.

For at least the last 15 years, and before she retired from Case-Nic Cookies last December on Main Street, Mary Lou made cutout cookies of an elephant, a symbol alluding to the saying elephants never forget.

While coming up with a project to keep daughter Nicole busy in the store, Mary Lou hit on links which Nicole could make out of construction paper, glue together and sell in the store with a cookie for $1. All the money goes directly to the Alzheimer’s Association. Hopefully, one day, a link to the cure of Alzheimer’s will be found.

Since Tuohey retired and sold the building for Hans’s Bakery, Hans Rosentreter has agreed to bake the cookies and sell the links in the bakery. Before the official announcement of the fundraiser this year, the family has already sold more than $400 worth – a lot at the recent Super Cruise and more from private donations. Mary Lou said that fundraiser annually raised $2,000 to $3,000.

In addition, Mary Lou had come up with an ingenious way to have a basket raffle to support the Alzheimer’s Association, in which people could participate even when the store was closed. Previously, the basket raffle was only set up on the day of walk in State Street Park.

But Case-Nic Cookies at 439 Main St. had two very big display windows, and during the Covid pandemic, Mary Lou devised a system, where a non-profit could use the window space on one side of the door for a basket raffle. She created order sheets with all the baskets listed, put them in an envelope with instructions, a pen and the stub from a sheet of raffle tickets.

The envelopes are placed in a covered bucket in the entryway and all one has to do is take an envelope, include cash or a check for $10 for one sheet of 26 tickets, mark the items they want to win and the number of tickets they want placed in the drawing for that item. Mary Lou and her committee will then distribute their tickets accordingly.

With their selections made, the envelope is sealed and dropped through the mail slot in the store’s door, unless the store is open.

This year’s raffle has a new wrinkle. Two very generous items have been donated – a $100 gift certificate to Miller’s Bulk Foods on Ridge Road and a lottery board with $100 worth of tickets on it, donated by Kathy Vicknair. Two separate raffle tickets are included in the envelope for those items. The purchaser tears the tickets in half, keeps the receipt end and drops the other in the envelope with his selection of baskets.

“I am glad the community has been so supportive of our efforts,” Mary Lou said.

While putting final touches on a basket raffle in the window of Hans’s Bakery to support the Alzheimer’s Association, Mary Lou and Nicole Tuohey, from left, were visited by several friends, Carolyn Wagner and Michele Szulis, both committee members of the Walk to End Alzheimer’s.

While she was arranging a sign in the window this week, Michele Szulis and Carolyn Wagner, members of the Walk to End Alzheimer’s Committee, stopped by to chat. Michele had done a practice walk of the designated route, checking for rough spots.

The Walk is schedule Sept. 27 with check-in to begin at 9 a.m. in State Street Park. Refreshments will be available and the Promise Flower Ceremony will begin at 10 a.m., followed by the start of the walk at 10:15 a.m.

Anyone can donate by logging on to the 2025 Walk to End Alzheimer’s – Orleans County site.

“Nicole watched her grandpa and grandma fade from life,” Mary Lou said. “That is why she sells her elephant links for $1. All the money she raises is donated directly to Alzheimer’s for research and, hopefully, a cure. Nicole does not want to see her mom fade away from life and forget who she is.”

The public is encouraged to step into Hans’s Bakery and buy a link or participate in the basket raffle.

“Until you have walked the walk of Alzheimer’s Disease, you really have no idea how hard it is on the person or their family,” Mary Lou said.

Photos by Ginny Kropf: Ron Human of Human Farms waits on frequent visitor to the market, Peg Pearce of Medina. Pearce tries to come every week for fresh produce.

MEDINA – With a focus on family farms, the Canal Village Farmers’ Market each week welcomes third-generation farmer Ron Human of Human Farms in Newfane to the market on the corner of West Center Street and West Avenue.

The market will continue to spotlight family farms for the next few weeks. Market manager Gail Miller urges everyone to come and check out the homegrown fruits and vegetables grown there, along with specialty items.

 The market welcomes community organizations and individuals to rent a space on Saturday morning.

(Left) A feature of the Canal Village Farmers’ Market last weekend was blacksmith Jacob Rowland, who devised this portable forge. A builder by trade, blacksmithing is his hobby. (Right) Jacob Rowland shapes a piece of hot iron into a hook at the Canal Village Farmers’ Market, where he occasionally demonstrates the art of blacksmithing.

Last week’s special vendor was Jacob Rowland of Ridgeway with his sister Hannah Rowland and Seraphim Brown of Middleport. Hannah was selling medicated creams for dogs, while Brown had small homemade pillows.

Jacob learned blacksmithing a year ago and said he has always liked building and making things, especially working with metal.

Entertainment and children’s activities are also weekly features.

“My hope is people coming to the market will see that many farms and farmers have been working their farms for a few generations,” Miller said. “Also, that they will note all of the farms are very local in Orleans and Niagara counties. Hopefully families will find the displays interested and educational – showing how labor intensive farming was and continues to be. And, that there is a rich history of farming in our two counties.”

There is also a kids’ game to identify some historical items on display at the market, brought from Miller’s family farm.

The market is open from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Gail Miller, manager of the Canal Village Farmers’ Market, holds an antique pitchfork which belonged to her family. The market is focusing on local farmers who support the market.

Julie Berry will celebrate her new novel with event at Author’s Note on Sept. 8

Provided photo: New York Times bestselling-author Julie Berry stands by a display in her bookstore Author’s Note, ready for the launch of her latest book, If Looks Could Kill. The launch is scheduled Sept. 8.

MEDINA – Local native Julie Berry, owner of Author’s Note and a New York Times’ best-selling author, will begin a nationwide tour for her new novel If Looks Could Kill with a launch celebration Sept. 8 at Author’s Note.

The launch will feature Jack the Ripper scholar and author Michael Hawley, an expert on Rochester-based Ripper suspect Francis J. Tumblety. Both authors will discuss their research and how it informed their works in three ticketed sessions, beginning at 6 p.m. and then at 7 and 8 p.m.

This local launch celebration commences a 29-stop nationwide tour at 11 states to launch If Looks Could Kill, a mashup of true crime and Greek mythology that pits Jack the Ripper against Medusa.

Berry’s next stop will be Act 4 Books in Perry on Sept. 9, followed by events in Los Angeles, Salt Lake City, Pittsburgh, Nashville, New England, Philadelphia, Washington, D.C., Virginia, Ohio, San Francisco and St. Louis.

Although this book does not officially release until Sept. 16, attendees can purchase and leave with signed hardcovers prior to the release date by special arrangement with the publisher.

If Looks Could Kill, a young adult and adult crossover historical fantasy novel published by Simon & Schuster as its “Top Shelf” title for its fall list, and described as dark, gritty and suspenseful, follows 18-year-old Tabitha Woodward. She is a recent recruit to the Bowery chapter of the Salvation Army, and her prim, pious roommate, Pearl Davenport, as they seek to rescue a teenage girl trafficked into a brothel.

Meanwhile, Jack the Ripper having fled London, lurks in New York City, dodging Scotland Yard detectives. His fate and those of Tabitha, Pearl and their friends Mike and Freyda, will be swept up into a manhunt by a sisterhood of modern Medusas who yearn for vengeance against this most notorious of woman killers.

With its rich historical setting, strong female friendships, mythic resonance and a spellbinding romance, If Looks Could Kill takes aim at violence against women and girls in all its forms with stone-cold fury.

The Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books calls If Looks Could Kill “a gut punch, a page-turning, well-balanced story in a richly drawn setting and its Medusa “the embodiment of female vengeance. Kirkus Reviews declares it to be “a powerful exploration of human connection during nightmarish times.”

In a starred review, the Horn Book says “Berry’s call to awareness of misogyny in its many guises is strong and clear. And, as is her way (e.g. The Passion of Dolssa), she treats historical detail with a light but sure hand and religious conviction with sympathetic clarity.”

Berry is the New York Times bestselling author of the 2020 NCTE Walden Award and SCBWI Golden Kite Award winner Lovely War, the 2017 Printz Honor and LA Times Book Prize shortlisted The Passion of Dolssa, the Carnegie and Edgar shortlisted All the Truth That’s in Me, the Odyssey Honor, the Scandalous Sisterhood of Prickwillow Place and the Wishes and Wellingtons trilogy.

Her picture books include The Night Frolic, Happy Right Now and Cranky Right Now. Berry has a bachelor’s degree from Rensselaer in communication and a master of fine arts from Vermon College. She also owns Author’s Note, an independent bookstore in Medina.

Michael Hawley actively researches the 1888 unsolved Jack the Ripper murders mystery with particular emphasis upon prim suspect Dr. Francis Tumblety, who is buried in Rochester. Hawley is the author of Dr. Francis Tumblety the Railway Ripper (2023), Jack the Ripper Suspect Dr. Francis Tumblety (2018) and The Ripper Haunts (2016).

He has authored well over 20 research articles in crime journals and appeared as an expert on the History Channel in the Jack the Ripper episode of their History’s Greatest Mysteries series. He also appeared on the History Channel in the Jack the Ripper episode of their History’s Greatest Mysteries and as an expert on a prime video documentary titled The Trial of Jack the Ripper. He is currently a cohost on NBC radio’s House of Mystery with Allen R. Warren.

The Sept. 8 event at Author’s Note is free and open to the public. Tickets, however, are required to ensure adequate seating and can be reserved a www.authorsnote.com/events. For those unable to attend, signed copies of Berry’s book can be ordered at authorsnote.com or by phone at (585) 798-3642 and will be available at the store beginning on Sept. 8. Full details of the national IF Looks Could Kill tour are available by clicking here.