By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 24 April 2019 at 9:01 pm
A Buddy Bench like this one will be paid for by Girl Scouts in Albion.
ALBION – The Albion Village Board has approved a Buddy Bench to be paid for by Girl Scouts in Troop 82036.
The Scouts are using proceeds from cookie sales over two year to pay the $670 cost for the bench. It will go at Vets Park this year and likely be moved to Bullard Park next year.
Bullard will be under construction this year and the summer park programs will be based out of Vets Park, which is located at the corner of Linwood Avenue and Brown Street.
The bench will be powder-coated in blue and will say Buddy Bench. The Girl Scouts presented the proposal to the Village Board this evening, and the board approved the bench with Jay Pahura, the DPW superintendent, to decide on the placement.
The Girl Scouts are doing the bench as part of the requirement for a Silver Award for six Cadette Scouts.
The Albion school district last year adding five of the benches in the elementary school, inside the building at the playgrounds.
If people are feeling lonely, they can sit on a Buddy Bench and a friend is encouraged to go sit with them.
File photo by Tom Rivers: Elliott Neidert, left, and Preston Flugel, who were seniors at Albion last year, are shown in June 2018 putting a clear-coat finish on a Buddy Bench for the elementary school. Students in the high school woodworking class made five of the benches, and third-graders in Sheryl LeBaron’s and Maggy Orbaker’s classes painted the benches purple and art teachers decorated them.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 24 April 2019 at 8:06 pm
ALBION – The Village Board approved a $6,873,243 budget this evening that increases the amount to be collected in taxes by 3.72 percent or by $97,847, from $2,632,569 to $2,730,417.
The tax rate will increase by 7 cents from $17.73 to $17.80 per thousand dollars of assessed property. That rate increase is 0.4 percent.
The rate would have been higher the village’s tax base grew by 3.3 percent or $4.9 million to $153.4 million.
Mayor Eileen Banker said the Village Board worked diligently with department heads to put together the budget. The village fiscal year starts June 1.
The budget includes $3,822,953 in the General Fund (compared to $3,791,527 in 2018-19), $1,627,104 in the Water Fund (compared to $1,699,282 in 2018-19), and $1,351,007 in the Sewer Fund (compared to $1,277,023 in 2018-19).
Provided photos: Parts on the cannon from World War I looks like new after more than a year of restoration work.
MEDINA – A World War I cannon will be going back to Medina on May 1 following 14 months of restoration work.
Seed Artillery Reproduction and Restoration stripped and disassembled the field gun, and created new parts. The gun was then reassembled and painted with historic accuracy.
The B.L. 60 Pounder British field gun was a fixture at State Street Park since 1935. It was hauled away on March 12, 2018 for its restoration work.
The cannon was falling apart. George Bidleman, owner of Orleans Ford, paid the $40,000 cost to have the cannon restored by Dave Seedenberg of Seed Artillery Reproduction and Restoration in Altoona, Pa.
The field gun was completely stripped and disassembled, new parts were fabricated, and the gun was reassembled and painted with historic accuracy.
The cannon is expected to arrive back in Medina at State Street Park at 10 a.m. on May 1. The cannon will be placed on a new concrete pad with new flagpoles, lighting, and a new granite slate for the original plaque. Those were paid for with donations through the Orleans Renaissance Group with the concrete donated by Orleans Ready Mix.
The cannon, manufactured in 1916, was fired during World War I. There are few of these cannons left in the world.
Every Memorial Day for about 80 years, the Medina community has gathered by the cannon for the solemn ceremony. The cannon wasn’t there for Memorial Day last year. It will be back for the observance this Memorial Day, May 27.
The cannon is a British Heavy Field Gun known as a B.L. 60 Pounder, manufactured in 1916 by Elswick Ordnance Company, Newcastle upon Tyne, England.
It weighs 6 tons, is a 5 inch/127mm caliber, 21 feet in length and 6 feet in width. The gun was originally issued to battery in France, April 1917, and fired 2,871 rounds during its first tour. It was returned to England in 1917 for repairs and reissued to battery in France, September 1918, firing an additional 1,471 rounds.
Photo by Tom Rivers: Veterans watch a World War I cannon be loaded up on a trailer on march 12, 2018. The cannon was taken to Altoona, Pa., the location of Seed Artillery Reproduction and Restoration. George Bidleman, Orleans Ford owner, is second from right.
Press Release, Orleans County Cornell Cooperative Extension
KNOWLESVILLE – Cornell Cooperative Extension of Orleans County launched its new Seed Bank program on Tuesday at the Lee-Whedon Memorial Library in Medina.
The program kicks off with Seed Starting classes offered at Hoag Library in Albion today at noon, the Yates Community Garden in Lyndonville on Thursday at 6:30 p.m. and at the Community Free Library in Holley next Wednesday, May 1, at 6:30 p.m.
Katie Oakes, Horticulture Educator at Orleans County CCE, came up with the idea for the program over dinner one night with her husband.
“Our CCE Association had received this huge donation of seeds last season, more than we could ever possibly plant or sell for our internal programs,” she said. “So my husband and I started brainstorming ways that we could get these seeds into the hands of our community members.”
The Seed Bank that will remain in the library with free seeds for the public.
Traditional Seed Banks usually function on the idea that people who take seeds will grow them, save them, and bring new seeds back to replenish the bank after the growing season. But seed saving can be tricky, and often when there’s an obligation for follow-up it can deter people from even participating at all. So Oakes designed her Seed Banks with the intention that all seeds will be free to anyone as long as supplies last.
“The bottom line is that I wanted these seeds to be grown,” she said. “And more importantly, I’m hoping they might be grown by people who perhaps have never grown anything before. This is a low-cost way to try vegetable gardening for the first time.”
She’s hoping that these free seeds might encourage people in Orleans County to try their hand at growing their own food.
The Seed Starting class on Tuesday night at Lee-Whedon was attended by local families and individuals looking for guidelines for starting seeds at home and gardening in general.
“We have been gardening on our own for a few years, and we came tonight for any tips and to see if we’re doing it right,” said Heather Calder of Shelby.
The Get Growing – Seed Starting classes go over the basics for starting seeds at home, from supplies needed to light and moisture requirements. The classes follow a presentation format and then Oakes opened the program to an informal question and answer sessions. Afterward, participants were able to browse through seeds to take home.
“We feel inspired to try some new plants and maybe even attempt indoor gardening,” Bessie Scofill remarked after the class. She attended the class with her husband Mark and their two children Ruth and Isaac.
Following the Seed Starting classes, the Seed Banks will be left behind in each library through the 2019 growing season for patrons to select seeds that they can take and start at home. Oakes will restock the Seed Banks as needed as long as there are seeds available.
MEDINA – The Medina FFA celebrates Animal Appreciation Day last Thursday by welcoming students to the FFA to see livestock and pets. The top photo shows Sydney Watts with Fiesta, a llama.
Teacher Todd Eick and his students invited everyone districtwide to stop by the Agriculture Room at the High School and check out all the cute and amazing animals. The FFA room was filled with everything from mice to horses. Students brought in animals from their homes and the on-campus animals made an appearance as well.
Oliver Wilson is pictured with one of his call ducks
HOLLEY – The Landmark Society of Western New York will join Village of Holley officials during a noon presentation on Thursday, when a banner is unveiled at the former Odd Fellows Building naming it a “Five to Revive” site.
The Landmark Society and village officials will also discuss future plans for the building. The Landmark Society each year since 2013 has picked five important sites in the Rochester region in need of investment. The Odd Fellows Building in Holley made the list this past October.
The Landmark Society previously listed other sites in Holley, including the old Holley High School in 2013 and the Hillside Cemetery and Chapel in 2014. The designation drew attention to the sites and local officials believe it was helpful in getting investment in the old school and also the cemetery chapel.
Built in 1890, the former Odd Fellows Hall sits at a prominent corner in the village square and is listed in the National Register of Historic Places as part of the Holley Village Historic District, the Landmark Society said.
The building has been vacant for more than two years. It is at risk due to neglect and masonry deterioration, the Landmark Society said.
Several years ago Orleans County auctioned off the building in a tax foreclosure proceeding to an online bidder. The new owner did nothing but accumulate back taxes and fines for code violations. So, the Village of Holley hired a private investigator to track down the absent owner, as a first step in getting the historic building in the hands of someone who is committed to its revitalization, the Landmark Society said.
The private investigator discovered that the owner had a PO box in Florida. Armed with her name and address, a village code officer paid her a visit on his own time while on vacation. She agreed to turn the building over to the Village of Holley Local Development Corporation (LDC) in exchange for them paying the back taxes.
The village also sought the help of the Landmark Society. The Landmark Society is supporting Holley with a grant to fund a study that will outline what needs to be done to save the building.
Local officials and members of the LDC will join others to hang a “Five to Revive Banner” on the building at noon on Thursday. The banner indicates that the Landmark Society has made revitalizing this building a priority. The public is invited.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 24 April 2019 at 9:21 am
Chris Busch said arbor effort has been ‘a labor of love’
MEDINA – The chairman of Medina’s Municipal Tree Board has announced his resignation after 15 years of leading Medina’s effort to plant more than 1,000 trees.
Chris Busch is stepping down from the volunteer post on June 1. He will be part of Medina’s Arbor Day celebration this Friday at 9 a.m. This year the Arbor Day party will be at State Street Park at the new pavilion.
Busch pushed for an aggressive tree-planting program in Medina after a state road project took down many trees along the state roads. Many other trees also were toppled in wind storms.
Chris Busch is shown trimming a hackberry tree on Gwinn Street on May 6, 2015. Busch removed some of the lower branches so the tree wouldn’t obstruct pedestrians or have low-lying branches out into the road. Trimming the tree also helps funnel energy into the top of the tree, which will make it grow taller, faster, Busch said.
The Tree Board teamed with the Department of Public Works to put new trees on the main arteries in the village, and the effort has expanded into side streets.
“People have noticed the plantings and the impact,” Busch said on Tuesday. “It was a labor of love and a fun thing to do.”
But the task also has become increasingly demanding, Busch said in a resignation letter that was accepted by the Village Board on Monday.
Funding is always an issue, and there is lots of paperwork in ordering the trees, developing an annual plan and pursuing funding through National Grid, which provides some money for shorter trees that won’t affect the overhead electricity wires.
Medina has been recognized as a“Tree City USA” by the National Arbor Day Foundation. The village is sought after by other communities for advice on crafting a tree ordinance and planting program.
“I am extremely proud of what I and the Tree Board have been able to accomplish during my tenure as board chairman,” Busch writes in his resignation letter. “Medina’s urban forestry program is the envy of other communities far and wide. We are the standard to which other programs are held.”
Busch said former Mayor Howard Lake urged Busch to become involved and help create the Tree Board, which wrote a local law for tree maintenance and plantings.
The Tree Board chairman often was often with loppers, trimming trees with a focus on removing lower branches so the trees would grow taller at a faster pace.
Busch said there is a lot more work to do for the Tree Board.
“There are likely over 1,000 additional planting sites throughout the village,” he said.
In addition, “numerous park trees have critical issues,” he said.
The recently planted trees also are in need of comprehensive scheduled maintenance. Busch also suggested additional training for the DPW tree crew, and a risk survey and an overall tree survey “are badly needed.”
Medina also needs to stay current with its “Tree City” certifications and its applications to National Grid for reimbursement on utility plantings. The Tree Board needs to start work this summer on the site plans for 2020 plantings.
“There is much work left to done in the coming months and years,” Busch said. “Though we have accomplished a great deal, there is still a great deal of work to do.”
Medina in 2019 will mark the 12th year in a row that the village has been awarded the Tree City USA designation by the National Arbor Day Foundation.
This year the village will plant 36 trees, mostly along areas of East Center Street with additional plantings throughout the village, and in State Street Park. Species to be planted in the village this year include Elm, and varieties of Maple, London Plane, Honey Locust and Serviceberry.
“This year, we’re planting approximately half of what we’ve been able to do in the past,” Busch said. “Budgets are tight and the cost of plant material has seen double-digit percentage increases in the last five years. Nonetheless, we are truly pleased to be planting 36 trees this year, with ten of those going in along East Center Street.”
BATAVIA – The Genesee County Funding Corporation has approved tax-exempt bond financing for a $5.2 million project to upgrade and renovate residential facilities at College Village in the town of Batavia.
Tax-exempt bond financing will assist projects by the Genesee Community College Foundation Housing Services Inc. at five on-campus residential facilities owned and managed by the GCC Foundation.
The renovations will include updated technology, renovating several suites into modern communal living and learning spaces, updated facilities and amenities, safety improvements and upgrades for disability access.
The work will be performed at Birch Hall, Pine Hall, Beech Hall, Oak Hall and Cedar Hall.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 23 April 2019 at 9:48 pm
Write-in candidate will likely win seat on Board of Education
HOLLEY – The school district is proposing a $25,780,000 budget for 2019-20 that increases spending by 2.2 percent or $570,000.
The budget would increase taxes by 2.5 percent or $177,704, from $7,108,141 to $7,285,845. That is below the district’s tax cap for 2019-20, which is a 2.639 percent increase, said Sharon Zacher, the district’s assistant superintendent for business.
She went over the budget with the Board of Education during its monthly board meeting today. State aid for the district is up $317,460 to $17,309,898.
Zacher and school officials will present the budget in greater detail during a budget hearing and the district’s annual meeting at 6 p.m. on May 7 at the district office.
The budget will go before voters from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. on May 21 at the high school foyer.
Other propositions on the ballot include:
• Authorization to spend up to $178,000 for a large (72 seat) school bus and a small (30 seat) bus.
• Authorization to collect $170,197 for the Community Free Library.
• Election of Board of Education members. The seats for John Heise and current president Brenda Swanger are up for election. Swanger isn’t seeking re-election. Heise has submitted petitions to run again for a three-year term. He was the only candidate to step forward.
The other position will likely be decided by write-in votes. If there are write-ins, the district will check with the person with the most votes to see if he or she wants to serve in the three-year position.
If a person isn’t elected, the board could make an appointment for a one-year term, with the other two years of the term back on the ballot again next May, said Jeff Martin, the school district’s attorney.
Senator Rob Ortt (R,C,I,Ref-North Tonawanda) has introduced legislation that would prevent the Executive Office from issuing orders of noncompliance between state and federal law enforcement.
In April of 2018, Gov. Cuomo issued a “cease and desist” order to the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agency (ICE) and unveiled a plan that combated last April’s ICE raids.
“Gov. Cuomo has chosen to start a public feud with U.S. Immigration and Customs for no reason other than to rile his base in New York City and to oppose President Trump,” said Sen. Ortt. “However, his words and actions have real-life consequences and he is putting in danger those who protect our communities and enforce our federal laws. I want to ensure that the governor isn’t able to weaponize the state police against federal law enforcement for his own political gain.”
This legislation would provide that the Executive Branch may not direct state police to not cooperate with federal law enforcement. This section also nullifies any regulation, rule, or executive order that violates this provision.
So-called “sanctuary cities” and other non-compliance measures have spread across New York as state and city officials wade into the federal immigration issue. Such moves jeopardize law enforcement funding, endanger officers, and impede agencies from carrying out their missions to protect the public, Ortt said.
This comes on the heels of newly introduced legislation by Senate Democrats that would make New York a Sanctuary State.
ALBION – The Albion Campus Center of Genesee Community College proudly invites the public see about 40 paintings and other artwork done by the students in instructor Karen Flack’s Painting 101 and 102 classes. Artwork on display will encompass a variety of mediums, including watercolor, acrylic and mixed media.
There is an opening reception today from 4 to 5 p.m. at the Albion Campus Center, 456 West Ave. Light refreshments will be served. Artwork will be on display through the end of the semester or until May 7. Visitors are welcome to view the exhibit throughout this time during any of the campus center’s open hours.
The artists include Clifford Braman, Alyson Cameron, Diane Huntington, Joan Garcia, Anna Goodwin, Charity Kremer, Chase McAdoo, Heather Ramsey and Madison Reese.
“Our students create a refreshingly diverse array of lovely paintings,” Mrs. Flack said. “The students impress me year after year with their talent, their receptivity to painting theory and techniques and their appreciation of art as a worthwhile endeavor.”
Subjects are varied and include portraits, landscapes, abstract, still-life and research of great artists. Many of the students started with little or no prior experience in artistic painting, and those who have some background in art have honed their skills.
Alyson Cameron created the painting at left. Other artwork, from left to right, is by Heather Ramsey, Clifford Braman and Madison Reese.
Press Release, American Legion Auxiliaries from Orleans County
Provided photo: Mariah Plain, left, of Albion and Katie Pearson of Kendall will represent Orleans County at Empire Girls State.
Mariah Plain of Albion and Katie Pearson of Kendall, both juniors, were recently selected to represent the Orleans County American Legion Auxiliaries this summer at Empire Girls State to be held at The College at Brockport, June 30-July 6.
Candidates were interviewed by members of the American Legion Auxiliaries from Orleans County which resulted in Mariah and Katie being selected as Citizens.
Empire Girls State is an American Legion Auxiliary-sponsored program. Empire Girls State is a week-long, educational experience with hands-on workshops on the political process designed to create a government from the county to the state level. This mythical 51st state allows the participants to learn the privileges and responsibilities of citizenship in a democratic society.
Each year high school principals, with the help of teachers and guidance counselors, identify girls who are juniors in high school who are in the upper third of their class academically and who possess outstanding qualities of leadership, character, honesty, scholarship, cooperation and maturity. Those girls identified and who are interested will submit their name and resume to the Auxiliary Unit for consideration.
Final selection is made by the local American Legion Auxiliary Units. Cathy Fox serves as the Orleans County chairperson for the American Legion Auxiliary Empire Girls State.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 23 April 2019 at 1:12 pm
MEDINA – The Village Board approved a $5.9 million budget on Monday that will increase taxes by 5.45 percent.
The budget will increase the tax levy, what the village collects in taxes, by $162,239 – from $2,975,955 to $3,138,194.
The tax rate, however, will increase by 1.65 percent or by 29 cents, from $18.03 to $18.32. The rate would have increased more but the village’s assessed value increased by 3.74 percent or $6.2 million, from $165.1 million to $171.3 million.
The Village Board believed the budget was under the tax cap, which is generally about a 2 percent increase. However, after the meeting Orleans Hub editor Tom Rivers told the board he believed the tax cap is based on the tax levy not the tax rate. The levy increased 5.45 percent.
After village officials researched the issue this morning, the board will have a special meeting to vote to override the cap and will have to vote again on the budget. That meeting will likely be 3:45 Wednesday. The board has until April 30 to have the spending plan in place.
The taxes are on the rise partly because the village is using $75,000 less in surplus funds in 2019-20. The current budget allowed the village to use $300,000 in surplus money. Next year, the budget calls for using $225,000. That $75,000 difference accounts for about half of the tax increase.
This was the ninth village budget that Owen Toale has been a part of as village trustee.
“This was without a doubt the most difficult budget I had to do,” he said during Monday’s board meeting. “It was extremely difficult. We want to keep it as low as we can.”
Overall spending actually went down in the budget by $6,122 – from $5,947,932 to $5,941,810.
The village budgeted $14,000 less in capital projects and $11,169 less in employee benefits.
However, employee salaries are up by $174,839 to $2,850,949 and debt service also will increase by $46,484 to $305,317.
The budget includes $48,000 for 20 new air packs and 40 air bottles for the Fire Department. Medina will be paying $48,000 each of the next three years towards the equipment. The new bottles will hold enough air for firefighters for 45 minutes, rather than the current ones which have a supply for about 20 to 30 minutes, Mayor Mike Sidari said.
The budget also includes $50,000 towards a computer upgrade for the Police Department, and $5,000 for upgrades to an office and the locker rooms for police officers.
The village also will be replacing a dump truck for the Department of Public Works.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 23 April 2019 at 10:22 am
BARKER – If Lake Ontario turns into a flooding menace this year, local officials are ready to fight back.
The highway departments in Kendall, Carlton and Yates all have sandbags ready. Local officials also learned other tactics from the flooding two years ago. The sandbags are more effective, for example, when they are placed inside large grain bags, said Dale Banker, Orleans County’s director of emergency management. He has 300 of the grain bags at his office, and the highway departments all have them, he said during a news conference on Monday in barker at Golden Hill State Park.
Aqua Dams also were effective with the flooding two years ago. Two of those temporary dams were deployed in Kendall by the State Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services. Those dams have flexible inner tubes that are filled with lake water.
“We want to get out ahead of the rising lake waters,” Orleans County Legislature Chairwoman Lynne Johnson told reporters during a news conference by Lake Ontario. “We are prepared. We’re not going to be blindsided this time.”
The lake is about nine inches above it’s normal depth for this time of year. It is projected to rise about another foot in the next month.
The lake is currently at 246.86 feet. That is below the peak of 249.1 feet in 2017, when flooding chewed away yards and destroyed breakwalls along the southshore.
Tony Cammarata, Kendall town supervisor, said many residents have used state assistance to put in new breakwalls since the flooding two years ago. He said the large grain bags and the Aqua Dams “were big assets” in protecting property.
The state approved $45 million for breakwall construction and assistance with property damage, capping the grants at $50,000 per property owner. About 500 property owners in Orleans County were approved for funding, which the program managed by PathStone.
Orleans County Legislature Chairwoman Lynne Johnson speaks to reporters about her concern with the rising Lake Ontario water levels. She said local municipalities are stocked with sandbags in case there is flooding. James Voutour, Niagara County sheriff, is at right.
Jon Schultz, director of the Niagara County Emergency Management Office, said the shoreline is more “hardened” after the breakwall improvements.
He still worries as the lake levels are on the rise. The big wildcard, he said, is the wind.
The lake turned destructive in 2017 when the wind unleashed waves, 4 to 6 feet high, that crashed into the shoreline, Schultz said.
“No one can control the wind,” he said during the news conference.
The outflows in the lake have been cut back recently to reduce the flooding impact to Ottawa. Schultz and Banker said they will be monitoring the lake levels closely the next month, hoping there aren’t big rains.
If the lake goes up another 6 to 8 inches, Schultz said Niagara municipalities would likely start to put sandbags in vulnerable areas by the shoreline.
In 2017, there was record-setting rain in the spring. Local officials also say Plan 2014 for regulating lake levels also was a factor in the flooding.
Banker said the local highway departments, Army Corps of Engineers, and state agencies all are ready to deploy assets if needed to fight flooding. Monday’s news conference at the State Park in Barker was in the bright sunshine, with temperatures in the mid-60s.
“Hopefully there will be many more calm, sunny days and in a month it will be history,” he said about the flooding concerns.
By Ginny Kropf, correspondent Posted 23 April 2019 at 8:50 am
Photos by Ginny Kropf: Nancy Bracey, left, known as “Booska” in Polish, poses with her grandchildren Aubrey Christiansen, 2; Mason Christiansen, 7; and Lucas Christiansen, 4; and her mother Irene Dunn at Sacred Heart Club on Monday, where Polish residents of the North Wing at Medina Memorial Hospital were invited to a Dyngus Day celebration.
Polish residents at Medina Memorial Hospital’s North Wing attend the party
MEDINA – Celebrating Dyngus Day has been a longstanding tradition at Sacred Heart Club.
As far back as 1988, Sacred Heart Club has hosted a Dyngus Day party with a Polish polka band, pussy willows and the traditional Polish food.
Eileen Pettit showed up for Dyngus Day at Sacred Heart Club in Medina dressed in her traditional Polish attire.
About five years ago, as Dyngus Day celebrations increased throughout Western New York, especially in Buffalo, it became more and more difficult to hire a Polish polka band, said Dee Lucas, who organized the event for many years.
Sacred Heart made the decision then to discontinue the celebration as a public event, and instead to do a scaled-down version for their members only. As the custom for the past several years, John “J.T.” Thomas and Irene Dunn have taken the lead in organizing the Dyngus Day observance.
That proved successful, but this year the Club thought it would be nice to extend an invitation to the Polish residents of Medina Memorial Hospital’s North Wing. A call to hospital resulted in news that this would, indeed, be possible, as the hospital had recently acquired a new handicap-accessible van, which allows the hospital to transport North Wing residents on occasional outings.
“The residents are so excited to be able to get back out into the community and have fun,” said Karrie Mikits, director of Nursing Services for Long Term Care. “Some of them started getting ready for their much-needed day out as soon as they woke this morning.”
Rindy Punch was one of the residents who came to Sacred Heart.
“It’s wonderful to get out on such a beautiful day and be able to listen to real Polish music,” she said.
Mary Stack, a resident of the North Wing, was accompanied by her husband Stan.
“We used to come here in our younger days,” Mary said.
Joyce Johnson couldn’t wait to have a beer. She was one of several who had permission from their doctors to have a beer or glass of wine.
“It’s been at least two years since I’ve had a beer and I’m looking forward to it,” she said. “It’s great to get out and ride in a brand new bus.”
Brandi Pasnik, who works as a physical therapy assistant, said many of the residents are allowed a glass of wine or mixed drink.
“Our nurse doubles as a mixololgist,” Pasnik said.
The residents were served the traditional Polish meal of pierogis, Polish sausage and sauerkraut, fresh Polish sausage, golumpki, sweet and sour cabbage and Polish sweet bread.
Sacred Heart has also kept the tradition of crowning a king and queen at the end of the evening. This year’s royalty were Chloe Nashwenter and Scott Newton, each of whom have given countless hours of volunteer service to the Club, Dunn said.
Nashwenter has worked tirelessly on the Club’s fish fries for several years and helped with the children’s Christmas party.
Newton is a past board member who also worked on Dyngus Day and does all the electronic work at the Club.
Activities aide Stephanie Uptegraph, left, and Adrienne Belson from the North Wing at Medina Memorial Hospital, wheel resident Joyce Johnson back on the hospital’s new van, which transported them to a Dyngus Day celebration at Sacred Heart Club Monday.
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