By Ginny Kropf, correspondent Posted 17 March 2026 at 8:21 pm
Spring Soiree Gala raises nearly $25K for OCH Foundation
Provided photo: Dr. Arthur Mruczek shared his life’s joys at practicing ophthalmology while living in Medina for 41 years. He was honored on Saturday at the Spring Soiree Gala at Bent’s Opera House
MEDINA – Two long-time Medina citizens were honored by Orleans Community Health at their Spring Soiree Gala on Saturday night at Bent’s Opera House.
Barbara Waters and Dr. Arthur Mruczek were presented with Bowen Awards for their dedication and lifelong support of Medina Memorial Hospital. The Bowen Award, the most prestigious honor given by the hospital, is named for the hospital’s founder, George Bowen.
Provided photo: Barbara Waters was honored for her many years as a key supporter and leader of Medina Memorial Hospital. In 1971, she became the first woman to serve as board chair for the hospital.
The evening began with a welcome from Marc Shurtz, CEO of Orleans Community Health, who said it was always an honor to not only relay positive news and updates from Orleans Community Health, but to recognize two incredible individuals.
He called the gala a meaningful show of support for healthcare close to home, and thanked Baxter Healthcare for agreeing to be bar sponsor.
“We are coming off a very exciting, yet challenging year,” Shurtz continued. “While we celebrate our successes, they do not come easily. It is well documented that rural hospitals and healthcare systems are struggling. While more patients continue to choose us for care, the cost of providing that care is on the rise. This is a challenge we are facing head on.
“Last summer primary care services launched the recently-opened Medina Healthcare Center. While renovations and construction are on the horizon, we are going to be able to jump-start those renovations thanks to a $1.9 million grant. But we are going to need more to get over the finish line.”
At the end of last year, the hospital announced acquisition of Great Lakes Surgical Associates with Dr. Schratz and Dr. Hodge in Lockport.
“Not only does this move expand our geographical footprint, it also nearly doubles the monthly surgeries taking place at Medina Memorial Hospital,” Shurtz said. “We have not seen an increase like this in years.”
Shurtz added that many other services are on a strong trajectory, showing the true need for the hospital in the community and reinforcing that more families are choosing Orleans Community Health for their care.
“But growing and progress like this require partnership,” Shurtz said. “Philanthropy plays a critical role in ensuring we can continue to advance services, invest in infrastructure and respond to emerging needs, especially during challenging financial times for rural healthcare.”
He shared that just last year Orleans Community Health Foundation supported more than $100,000 in projects at OCH, including a new fuel tank to protect operations and critical surgical scopes needed for their expanding surgical services.
“These investments directly impact patient care and operational stability,” he said. “Your generosity truly makes a difference.”
Shurtz added his excitement at the opportunity to recognize Waters and Mruczek, whom he called “incredible individuals.”
“They both had remarkable careers and carried on the original desire of George Bowen to bring quality care into our community,” he said. “Barbara Waters and Dr. Arthur Mruczek invested much of their individual lives in the community. We have the privilege of knowing some of those contributions directly influenced the hospital.”
Dr. Mruczek is not only a well-respected ophthalmologist, he was medical director of Medina Memorial Hospital, Shurtz said.
“His leadership within the hospital and medical community has contributed meaningfully to advancing quality care close to home,” Shurtz said. “Generations of families in the region have benefited from his commitment to excellence and his steady, thoughtful guidance.”
Waters was recognized for her visionary leadership and enduring advocacy for seniors and community healthcare. As founder of The Willows Adult Home and Orchard Manor, she expanded essential senior living services in Medina, ensuring that older adults could remain in their community with dignity and support.
“A longstanding member of the Medina Memorial Hospital Board of Directors, Mrs. Waters’ impact on the aging community may simply be unmatched,” Shurtz added.
Photos by Ginny Kropf: (Left) Orleans Community Health CEO Marc Shurtz, left, listens as Jeanne Crane, a retired nurse, reads a tribute to Barbara Waters, one of two hospital supporters honored at the hospital’s Spring Soiree Gala Saturday at Bent’s Opera House. (Right) Kassie Smith accepts the award for her mother, Barbara Waters, who was unable to attend Orleans Community Health’s Spring Soiree Gala Saturday night. Waters and Dr. Arthur Murczek each were recipients of the Bowen Award, named for the hospital’s founder George Bowen.
Jeanne Crane, a retired nurse, presented the Bowen Award to Kassie Smith on behalf of her mother Barbara Waters.
“Tonight we have the profound privilege of honoring a woman whose leadership helped shape not only this hospital, but the very fabric of healthcare in our community,” Crane said. “The Bowen Award recognizes those who see beyond the moment – who build for the future, and who ensure that quality healthcare remains accessible close to home. Barbara Waters was one of those rare visionaries.
“At a time when few women held leadership roles in business, let alone in healthcare governance, Barbara stepped forward with confidence and conviction,” Crane said.
Her leadership in the community did not end there.
“As comptroller of her father’s company, Frank J. Balcerzak & Son Construction, she helped shape the physical landscape of Western New York – building schools, churches, homes and commercial spaces that still stand today,” Crane said. “Her work helped build communities, quite literally from the ground up.”
In 1971, she became the first woman to serve as president of the hospital board – a historic milestone in itself, Crane said.
“But what defines her legacy is not simply that she held the title,” Crane continued. “It is what she did with it. She led during periods of financial instability and physician shortages. She understood that a hospital is only as strong as its medical staff, and she helped spearhead the recruitment of physicians who not only practiced here, but made Medina their home and raised their families here.”
One of Crane’s favorite memories of Barbara is the time when the hospital administrator was sick and Barbara took over as acting administrator.
“The nurses petitioned her to allow them to wear pant suits, and she agreed,” Crane said.
“While the challenges look different today, the foundation Barbara helped build – one of resilience, local stewardship, recruitment, innovation and unwavering community commitment – continues to sustain us,” she said. “Because of leaders like Barbara Waters, we are still here.”
Kassie Smith stepped to the podium to read her mother’s letter of acceptance and regret for not being able to attend.
“You know I always enjoyed a good party, and at 95 years of age, I still do,” Waters wrote. “Preparing these remarks gave me the opportunity to dig out my scrapbooks and remember the good, the frustrating and the rewarding times in my healthcare career – something I never really envisioned. You see, I had already committed to a career in construction with my dad, where I spent 25 years.
“I was involved with the hospital as a member of Tupelo Twig, and like other Twigs, we raised money for the hospital and volunteered our services,” Waters shared in her letter. “One example I will always remember is making diaper pads out of the Medina Daily Journal for babies in our nursery unit.”
Waters also told about her years on the hospital board, serving as acting administrator and making the decision to let nurses wear pant suits. She left the board after 17 years, having built Orchard Manor Nursing Home, which opened in 1972. She served as administrator until selling it to Medina Memorial Hospital in 1988 to build The Willows. In selling the nursing home she said it was important ownership stay in Medina.
In 1992, she returned to the hospital board and again became president.
“At that time, the hospital was facing financial challenges and our community lacked doctors – especially specialists,” Waters wrote. “Bringing in doctors became a top priority for the board. Our vice president Van Hungerford and I met with the Rochester Regional Council to obtain approval to establish a five-physician group practice. We were successful in recruiting several physicians.”
These included Dr. Rho, an OB-GYN; Dr. Ghaly, an anesthesiologist; Dr. Abbasey, a surgeon; Dr. Bath, an internist; and Dr. Madejski, a geriatric internist.
“All of these physicians made Medina their home and raised their families here,” Waters shared.
Board members even helped in the search for homes in Medina for the new doctors, and personally showed them around when they arrived, Waters said.
“Our board was active and committed – and raised $1.2 million for the hospital’s first addition,” Waters said. “These memories are a reminder of some of the struggles we faced – much like the challenges you face today in keeping Medina Memorial and Orleans Community Health viable, accessible and financially sound. Looking back, I’m glad I was involved – when I was, where I was, and for all that we accomplished in the community. Thank you so much for this honor.”
In introducing Dr. Arthur Mruczek, Kim Gray said that as a surgical nurse she had the privilege of working alongside Dr. Mruczek in the operating room for nearly 10 years before he retired.
“I can tell you, standing beside a surgeon day after day gives you a perspective that few people get to see,” Gray said. “Dr. Mruczek didn’t just practice medicine here – he chose Medina. After his training, he could have gone anywhere – to large cities and major medical centers, but instead, he came to a small rural community and built something extraordinary. He brought world-class ophthalmologic care to a place where people might otherwise had had to travel hours for it.
“In the operating room, we all knew something special was happening when Dr. Mruczek stepped up to the table. His hands were unbelievably steady, his focus unmatched and his memory incredible. But what stood out even more than his surgical skill was how much he cared about every patient who came through the door. As nurses, we saw the gratitude in patients’ eyes when their bandages came off and they realized they could see clearly again. We saw the relief, the smiles and sometimes even the tears.”
Two guests dressed in their finest ’50s outfits at the Spring Soiree Gala are Brandi Pasnik of Medina and Jeanne Crane, a retired nurse and presenter of one of the Bowen Awards.
Gray said anyone who worked with Dr. Mruczek knew that his impact wasn’t just clinical. He brought joy to the hospital.
“He had a laugh that carried down the hallway, a sense of humor that could lighten the busiest day in surgery and a warmth that made staff and patients feel comfortable the moment he walked into the room,” Gray said.
Gray added that Dr. Mruczek’s career has been filled with accomplishments – teaching in Poland, leadership in medical societies, awards, recognitions from colleagues and even presidents and meeting with two Popes.
“But I think the thing that matters most isn’t written on a plaque or certificate,” Gray said. “It’s the thousands of people in this community who see better today because of him. It’s the nurses, staff and colleagues who were lucky enough to learn from him. And it’s the lasting mark he left on this small rural hospital and this town that he chose to call ‘home.’”
In presenting Dr. Mruczek with the Bowen Award, Gray said, “Doctor, your surgical skill restored sight to thousands. Your kindness earned the trust of generations. And your presence helped shape the culture of this hospital. On behalf of our entire hospital family, thank you for choosing Medina, for caring for our community and for leaving a legacy that will continue to inspire all of us.”
In accepting his award, Dr. Mruczek said he was truly overwhelmed and deeply honored for the recognition.
“It means the world to me,” he said. “George Bowen was also known as ‘Doc,’ and I am humbled to follow in his footsteps.”
Dr. Mruczek acknowledged the unwavering support of his wife of 56 years, Donna, and introduced his son Arthur Jr. and wife Michelle and daughter Patty and her husband George Schlegel. He thanked the staff at Lake Plains Eye Care Center, which he founded. Three dedicated staff members were in attendance – Carol Bellack, his surgery nurse; Jackie Jurinich and Kathy McHugh.
He paid tribute to those who paved the way – Dr. Joseph Misiti, Van Hungerford, Dr. Ekran John Boulos and Roland Howell.
After completing medical school, Dr. Mruczek said the pressure was put on him to stay in Buffalo.
“The Buffalo Medical Group assured me I would be inactive in a small town like Medina,” Mrucek said. “They even pressured my wife Donna.”
Dr. Richard Cooper, whose parents were doctors in Albion said, “Don’t let him waste his talent in the boonies.”
Kim Gray, head of surgery at Medina Memorial Hospital, gives Dr. Arthur Mruczek a hug before introducing him at the hospital gala Saturday night.
But “Doc” and Donna toured Orleans County in 1975 and John Kennedy, who was mayor of Medina at the time, spent an entire day showing them the area.
“He highlighted Medina’s potential, the hospital and a bustling Main Street that felt vibrant and welcoming,” Dr. Mruczek said. “Honestly, I think he could have sold anything to anyone. Imagine a farm boy from Corfu, about to embark on a new chapter. We bought an Italianate villa on West Center Street, which reminded me of my home in Corfu. It became our home for 41 years, a place where our family grew and our roots deepened.”
He founded Lake Plains Eye Center adjacent to his home and built an office to serve the community’s vision needs.
“Medina truly became a wonderful place to live and raise a family,” he said. “Founding Lake Plains Eye Center was a milestone, but what truly shaped my experience here was the warmth of the people. This town welcomed us, celebrated our joys and supported us through challenges. That spirit has always made Medina feel like home.”
In concluding, Dr. Mruczek said Medina Memorial Hospital stands as a testament to those who supported its growth.
“Today we have medicines, advanced instruments and new protocols which save lives and improve quality of life,” he said. “In 1975, cataract surgery meant six days in the hospital with sandbags; now most patients achieve 20/20 vision by the next day.”
“While rural hospitals face new challenges, Medina continues to thrive, thanks to the resilience and heart of its people,” Dr. Mruczek said. “I’m happy Medina was our family home. It’s been a privilege to practice medicine in such a welcoming community. To all who are here tonight and everyone who has been part of Medina’s story, thank you for allowing me to be part of your lives. Serving this community has been the greatest honor of my career, and I look forward with hope that together we will continue to build a legacy of care, compassion and progress.”
The evening also included a buffet, 1950s music and silent auction. A special prize from an anonymous donor of a three-night stay at a home in Celebration, Fla. and four one-day passes to Disney Park was valued at $3,500 and auctioned off for $6,000.
“We are incredibly grateful to our donors, sponsors and community members who made this year’s gala such a success,” said Megan Johnson, director of the Orleans Community Health Foundation. “Raising nearly $25,000 in one evening is a powerful reminder of how deeply this community believes in local healthcare. It was especially meaningful to honor our Bowen Award recipients, Dr. Arthur Mruczek and Mrs. Barbara Waters, whose leadership and dedication have helped shape healthcare in our community for generations. Their legacy of service truly reflects the spirit of the evening.”
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 17 March 2026 at 7:25 pm
ALBION – Dubby’s Tailgate in Albion will be hosting a cornhole tournament with $5,000 in prizes to benefit the food pantries at Community Action of Orleans & Genesee, said Ryan Lasal, director of Community Programming/Chief Programming Officer for Community Action.
The event on Saturday begins at 11 a.m. with registration starting at 9:30 a.m. The registration fee is $90 per team with room for 90 teams.
The teams will be divided into three brackets with four qualifying rounds in each bracket followed by a double elimination tournament for the prize money. Payouts will be made for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd in each bracket. A – $1300, $750, $500; B – $750, $500, $250; and C – $500, $300, $150.
All players must have an active account on Scoreholio with at least 50 matches for the top tier brackets. The venue has a full menu and food and drinks will be available. A 50/50 raffle and Airmail contest will be held between rounders and the double elimination tournament.
There will be a pre-tournament warm-up on Friday night so people can practice at the facility. That tournament is posted on Scoreholio as well.
Click here for more information about registering.
Press Release, Tobacco-Free Genesee, Orleans and Wyoming
Tobacco-Free Genesee, Orleans and Wyoming is proud to join communities across the country in observing National Drug & Alcohol Facts Week (NDAFW) from March 16-22 to empower young people in our communities with science-based information about nicotine and addiction.
The organization is marking NDAFW through school-based educational sessions, interactive youth workshops and parent and caregiver outreach with a focus on the tobacco industry’s expanded reach through high-tech “smart” vapes, disposable e-cigarettes and flavored nicotine pouches.
“National Drug Facts Week is a good time to remember the horrific toll of tobacco industry marketing and nicotine addiction in our communities,” says Brittany Bozzer, Reality Check Youth Coordinator for Tobacco-Free Genesee, Orleans and Wyoming. “Nicotine is considered as addictive or more than, heroin and cocaine, and is damaging to the developing brain.”
Despite progress in youth vaping in New York State from 18.7% in 2022 to 13.1% in 2024, overall youth nicotine use continues at a dangerous rate. And youth use of nicotine pouches doubled during the same time period.
An Evolving Nicotine Market
A 2026 Truth Initiative report shows that the nicotine industry has dramatically expanded its reach through high-tech “smart” vapes, disposable e cigarettes, and flavored nicotine pouches. These products are aggressively marketed to youth by using digital features, bright packaging, and fruity flavors. About 32% of youth who use e cigarettes reported using “smart” vapes in the past month, highlighting a growing trend that blends nicotine with interactive technology.
Sales of flavored oral nicotine pouches—such as Zyn, Velo, and On!—nearly tripled from 2023 to 2024, making them the fastest growing nicotine product category in the U.S. Flavored varieties dominate youth use.
These shifts reinforce the importance of Tobacco Free GOW’s mission to create environments where youth feel protected from targeted nicotine marketing and empowered to make tobacco and nicotine free choices.
Youth Nicotine Use: Progress Plus Persistent Risks
According to data from the New York Youth Tobacco Survey (NY-YTS) youth e-cigarette use has declined significantly – from 18.7% in 2022 to 13.1% in 2024 – yet overall tobacco use remains a concern. Cigarette use remained low at 2.4%, showing promising long-term progress toward reducing combustible tobacco use.
CDC data show that 88.2% of high school students who used e cigarettes in the past 30 days chose flavored products, demonstrating the industry’s continued reliance on flavors to hook young users.
Key Facts Regarding Nicotine To Remember During Drug & Alcohol Facts Week
NDAFW, led by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), unites schools, health organizations, and prevention leaders to dispel myths about substance use and provide teens with factual, accessible information that supports healthier choices. Tobacco-Free GOW stresses these key facts about nicotine:
• Vaping and Addiction: Many teens do not perceive vaping as addictive, yet nicotine products like JUUL and Zyn are highly addictive, and 55% of high school students in a 2023 survey did not see vaping as a high-risk activity.
• The “Gateway” Effect: Using nicotine as an adolescent can alter the developing brain and may increase susceptibility for addiction to other substances, including alcohol and cannabis.
• Brain Development: The teenage brain is particularly vulnerable to nicotine, which can disrupt brain development, affect memory and impact attention.
• Industry Tactics: Tobacco companies are increasingly using social media influencers to target youth with new nicotine delivery systems.
• It’s Not Just Cigarettes: While cigarette smoking is a major concern, the rise of vaping and oral nicotine pouches require a broader focus on all nicotine products.
Supporting NDAFW Through Local Action
Tobacco Free GOW will honor National Drug Facts Week through:
School based educational sessions highlighting the science of nicotine addiction
Interactive youth workshops designed to counter myths about vaping
Parent and caregiver outreach to support household conversations about nicotine
Community partnerships to promote healthy, tobacco free norms
NYS Quitline is available to help
Anyone who lives in New York State may contact the NYS Quitline by calling 1-866-NY-QUITS (1-866-697-8487). They can also visit nysmokefree.com to reach a specialist through an online chat, request a call-back or order free nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) medications. The NYS Quitline additionally offers a variety of free texting programs for those seeking help at their fingertips.
Learn2QuitNY and Vivir Sin Tobaco Es Vida (culturally tailored for Spanish-speaking communities) provide daily texts and weekly goals; text QUITNOW or DÉJELO YA NY to 333888 to register. The NYS Quitline’s latest texting service, DropTheVape, supports young people and young adults in their efforts to overcome nicotine addiction. Registration and more information is available at DropTheVape.com.
New York State’s pledge to reducing smoking-related death and disease
The New York State Department of Health, Bureau of Tobacco Control funds TF-GOW to increase support for New York State’s tobacco-free norm through youth action and community engagement. Efforts are evidence-based, policy-driven, and cost-effective approaches that decrease youth tobacco use, motivate adult smokers to quit, and eliminate exposure to secondhand smoke. TF-GOW is a program of Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center.
Photo from Hawley’s Office: Assemblyman Steve Hawley said the state prisons face a serious staffing crisis.
ALBANY – Assemblyman Steve Hawley (R,C-Batavia) today attended a press conference in Albany alongside his legislative colleagues to announce a series of proposals aimed at improving safety and the ongoing staffing shortages in New York state’s correctional facilities. Hawley also announced that he has signed on as a co-sponsor of the legislation (A.10430).
The proposals follow recommendations from the Department of Corrections and Community Supervision (DOCCS) and the New York State Correctional Officers and Police Benevolent Association (NYSCOPBA), which have called for reforms to the state’s HALT Act and other policy changes to address rising violence and the ongoing staffing crisis within correctional facilities.
“Correctional officers report to work every day under extremely difficult and dangerous conditions, and they deserve to know the state has their backs,” said Hawley. “Right now, we still have members of the National Guard stationed in correctional facilities across New York at a cost of $50 million per month. That alone shows just how serious the staffing crisis has become. We need real, long-term solutions that support the men and women working on the front lines while also ensuring facilities are safe for incarcerated individuals.”
Some of the provisions in the legislation Hawley and his colleagues are proposing include:
Expanding misconduct and offenses eligible for segregated confinement.
Revising definitions to better align with penal law crimes, particularly violent felony offenses.
Permitting short-term segregated confinement for ongoing misbehavior not currently eligible for disciplinary confinement in the general population.
Reducing subjectivity in determining rioting or escape offenses.
Allowing short-term protective custody in segregated confinement when no safe housing alternative is available.
Providing DOCCS with greater flexibility in administering out-of-cell programming and managing repeat offenders.
Expanding considerations relating to good time allowances.
“These proposals are about restoring common sense to our correctional system and making sure our prisons are safe for everyone inside them,” Hawley added. “Our correctional officers deserve the tools they need to do their jobs safely, and we must also ensure a secure environment for incarcerated individuals.”
Provided photo: From left include Hunter Zambito (Albion), Bradyn Whittier (Albion) and Carina Hartigan (Royalton-Hartland) with their teacher Chef James Atzrott.
Press Release, Orleans/Niagara BOCES
MEDINA – The Orleans Career and Technical Education Center’s (OCTEC) Culinary Arts team of Carina Hartigan (Royalton-Hartland), Bradyn Whittier (Albion) and Hunter Zambito (Albion) took home first place at the New York State Restaurant Association’s (NYSRA) ProStart Invitational.
The competition was held at the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, New York and was sponsored by the United States Coast Guard.
ProStart is a two-year, industry-backed culinary arts and restaurant management program for high school students. The students, under the guidance of their teacher Chef James Atzrott, blew the judges away with their menu of daikon scallops with a fennel cream sauce and smoked paprika oil, sirloin steak with mashed potatoes with caramelized shallots and Brussel sprouts and a red wine reduction and a dessert of pistachio Frasier with a raspberry and chocolate sauce.
By Katie Oakes, Orleans County CCE Master Gardener Coordinator
Provided photo: Master Gardener Sue Starkweather Miller shows a Dahlia tuber clump in a previous class on Summer Bulbs.
KNOWLESVILLE – Master Gardener and Dahlia aficionado Sue Starkweather Miller will lead a second Dahlia Clinic on Saturday, March 28th at 10 a.m. at the Orleans CCE Education Center.
Starkweather Miller offered a fall Dahlia clinic last November. This upcoming workshop will build on the skills she showed at the November class, and offer attendees a chance to see how dahlia tubers are divided and potted up to extend the season
“Dahlias are an investment in time and energy. The beautiful blooms make the time spent growing them worthwhile,” said Starkweather Miller. “I wanted to give gardeners an opportunity to ask all of the questions they have about these amazing plants so they can feel confident in growing them in their home gardens.”
Some of the questions Starkweather Miller says people regularly ask her are when to take tubers out of storage, how to know if the tubers are viable, when can the tubers be planted in the grounds, etc. Starkweather Miller will answer all of these questions and more!
Attendees are encouraged to bring in their own tuber clump to divide (if they have one), garden gloves, scissors or pruners, and any questions they might have.
All participants will learn how to pot up a divided Dahlia tuber to take home with them.
The Dahlia Clinic is offered for an optional donation of $5. The class begins at 10 a.m. on Saturday, March 28th at the Orleans County Cornell Cooperative Extension Education Center, 12690 State Route 31, Albion. To register, call (585) 798-4265 ext. 125 or email klo54@cornell.edu.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 16 March 2026 at 8:48 pm
Photo by Marsha Rivers
This swan was out on Lake Ontario this morning in a photo taken from the Oak Orchard State Marine Park in Carlton. The temperatures plunged from the low 60s to 30 this evening. Tomorrow morning it will be 15 degrees at sunrise just after 7.
The high on Tuesday will be 24 with 16 as the overnight low. On Wednesday, the high is forecast for 34, followed by a high of 42 on Thursday.
The National Weather Service issued a winter weather advisory for Orleans County beginning at 6 p.m. today and continuing until 4 a.m. Tuesday with 2 to 5 inches of snow expected. The advisory includes Niagara, Genesee, Erie and Wyoming counties.
100 artworks by 35 artists and collectives will be featured June 6 to Sept. 7
Press Release, Medina Triennial
MEDINA – The Medina Triennial, a new contemporary art triennial centered in the Western New York village of Medina along the Erie Canal, is pleased to announce key artist commissions, sites, and the theme for its inaugural edition taking place June 6 to Sept. 7.
Co-Artistic Directors Kari Conte and Karin Laansoo have invited artists from across five continents to present site-responsive installations and public programs.
Titled “All That Sustains Us,” this ambitious, free, village-wide exhibition features more than 100 artworks by 35 artists and collectives. It marks the first recurring exhibition of this scale to take place in a U.S. community of this size, positioning small-town geographies as vital sites of cultural and critical imagination.
Grounded in place and shaped through deep community engagement, the Triennial features new commissions alongside recent and historical works across 12 indoor and outdoor sites.
The curatorial framework of the Triennial sits at the intersection of art, ecology, architecture, and rural contexts and considers maintenance not only as a physical act of upkeep, but also as a social, political, and environmental process shaped by fragility and resilience. The Triennial brings together artistic practices that examine how civic and ecological systems are structured by labor, regulation, extraction, and repair. At its core, the Triennial asks: What essential efforts and commitments are required to sustain life in our fractured world?
Commissioned artworks include:
Ash Arder’s INT. HOME(S) (2023/2026), an expanded sculptural installation made from parts of a 1987 Cadillac Sedan de Ville—her family’s childhood car—salvaged from a local junkyard and wrapped in gold. Reconstructed as an interactive vessel and a domestic space, the work features a new multi-channel video that traces the artist’s Detroit childhood and her relationship with the automobile, which served many roles as home, guardian, and safe space in a factory town.
Tania Candiani’s Two Waters (2026), a large-scale filmed performance created with 1/4 composer Rogelio Sosa and hundreds of local volunteers, inspired by Medina’s aqueduct, where the Erie Canal crosses above Oak Orchard Creek—two waters that never touch.
Futurefarmers (Amy Franceschini, Michael Swaine, and FS Bàssïbét) present 48 Collections from the Erie Canal (2026), a three-part installation that begins with a local legend and expands outward through collective memory. Working with residents, the artists gathered oral histories and archival fragments, translating them into sound and video works, as well as a series of glass sculptures that encase canal sediment.
Matt Kenyon’s The TELL (2026) reimagines a champagne tower using glass, Medina sandstone, and roses of Jericho—plants that revive with just a drop of water. A custom atmospheric water generator suspended above the tower draws moisture from the air and releases it unpredictably, creating a fragile, living system in which renewal is never guaranteed.
Asad Raza imagines a site-specific new work, Reflection (2026), redirecting the Erie Canal’s water into the Medina Triennial Hub. By physically rerouting water that once powered extraction and trade, the work confronts the canal’s histories of labor and environmental transformation. The installation foregrounds the canal as a living system shaped by human intervention, repurposing its infrastructure for the play of bodies and light.
Kärt Ojavee collaborates with local farmers on Between Blossom and Core (2026), an installation exploring scent extraction from Honeycrisp apple blossoms and scent-mapping of Medina’s orchards, soils, and industrial sites.
Triennial sites range from post-industrial buildings to public spaces and locations on the Erie Canal. The Medina Triennial Hub, located in a former sandstone hotel overlooking the canal, will serve as a welcome center as well as the home of the Triennial’s residency and education programs.
The main exhibition site is 25,000 square feet of the historic former Medina High School building, which has been closed to students and the public for more than three decades and recently celebrated its 100th anniversary. Artist’s works will be presented at the Medina Railroad Museum grounds, Medina Memorial Hospital, Rotary Park, State Street Park, and Sacred Heart Church, as well as installations directly on the Erie Canal.
“Thinking with artists through a small town like Medina gives us a sharp lens for considering how our shared futures are built and carried forward, and shows why places often seen as peripheral are, in fact, central to responding to the crises shaping our world today,” said Co-Artistic Directors Kari Conte and Karin Laansoo. “By bringing artists from across the globe into dialogue with the Erie Canal and Medina’s post-industrial histories, the Triennial fosters new artistic gestures and shared work with local partners. The Triennial invites neighbors and visitors to come together and reflect through art on a time shaped by ecological breakdown and social division—while holding space for hope.”
The Medina Triennial, initiated with major support provided by the New York Power Authority and the New York State Canal Corporation, was conceived as part of a broader strategy to showcase the Erie Canal as active civic infrastructure.
For more information on the Triennial and to sign up for the official newsletter, please visit medinatriennial.org.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 16 March 2026 at 1:24 pm
Albion Middle School performed the musical March 13-14
Photos by Tom Rivers
ALBION – Bailey Elliott is the soloist for “Sufferin’ Until Suffrage” during the Albion Middle School musical, School House Rock!
The Middle School Drama Department performed the show on Friday and Saturday. There were 25 songs that offered lessons in mathematics, grammar and citizenship.
The musical is based on the Saturday morning TV show from 1973 to 1985, where lessons were offered in 3-minute songs in jazz and animation.
“It was catchy, clever and somehow made grammar, math and the Preamble stick in our heads rent-free for life,” Albion musical director Carrie Kozody wrote in the show’s program.
Nadalee Ryan sings “I’m Just A Bill” about how legislation turns from an idea into a law.
Kinzie Rickner sings “Rufus Xavier Sasparilla” which is a song about pronouns.
Wyatt Ernst sings “Conjunction Junction,” a song about how some words connect other words, phrases and clauses.
Annabella Dusharm is the soloist in “Figure Eight,” which highlights the multiplication tables.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 16 March 2026 at 1:06 pm
School officials will present public information session today at 5:30 p.m. in middle/high school cafeteria.
This rendering shows a redesign of the canopy at the front entrance of the middle-high school for Holley.
HOLLEY – The district will present a $22.9 million capital project to voters on March 24. Polls will be open from 12 to 9 p.m. in the middle/high school foyer.
Holley school officials will have a public information session about the project today at 5:30 p.m. in the middle/high school cafeteria.
Holley already has $4 million set aside towards the project and won’t need to raise additional local taxes for the project. The state’s building aid ratio for Holley is 91 percent, the district said.
The proposed project focuses on four areas: program spaces – athletics & performing arts; safety, security and technology; infrastructure improvements for comfort, reliability and function; and site & transportation improvements.
In a letter to the community, district superintendent Karri Schiavone and Board of Education president Trina Lorentz said the Holley community offered continued support of the district and its campus improvements. Holley recently completed a capital project that was approve din 2022.
“Building on those improvements, and in keeping with the district’s responsibility to be good stewards of taxpayer resources, Holley is now proposing a new Capital Improvement Project to address additional facility needs,” Schiavone and Lorentz said. “By planning projects thoughtfully and proactively, the district can extend the life of its buildings, avoid more costly emergency repairs, and make efficient use of available funding. The proposed project would be fully funded by utilizing New York State building aid and existing district funds. Therefore, there will be no tax impact on our residents.”
The auditorium stage also would be significantly updated for first time since the school opened about 50 years ago.
The district provided this breakdown of the project:
Program Spaces: Athletics & Performing Arts
Providing A/C to Elementary School gymnasium
Refinishing gym floors at both ES and MS/HS
Rock wall improvements at the Elementary School
Replacing the auditorium stage rigging and curtains, and providing acoustic upgrades at the High School
Library upgrades at the Elementary School including a new circulation desk
Safety, Security and Technology
Camera system upgrades and replacements district-wide
Replacing fiber lines for data systems between the campus buildings
Audio/Visual upgrades at ES gymnasiums to improve educational experiences
Replacement of the canopy at the MS/HS for improved sightlines, lighting and security for visitors
Infrastructure Improvements for Comfort, Reliability and Function
Replacement of windows and masonry restoration at both the ES and MS/HS
Renovations to restrooms at both academic buildings to improve plumbing and infrastructure and also improve ADA access for all building occupants and visitors
Replacement of water softening system at the MS/HS
Providing A/C at data closets at both academic buildings
Site & Transportation Improvements
Repaving the parking lots around the bus garage
Utility and sitework improvements at the athletic fields to allow for a toilet facility to be installed
Providing a new scoreboard for the softball field
For more information on the proposed project, click here.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 16 March 2026 at 8:29 am
Gas prices went up 33.5 cents per gallon for regular unleaded in Orleans County in the past week, according to AAA. The price was at $3.306 a week ago and today it’s at $3.641.
The national average price for a gallon of gasoline is $3.72, up 24 cents from last Monday and by 72 cents in the past two weeks. The New York State average is $3.62, up 22 cents from last Monday and 61 cents in the past two weeks.
Diesel prices have also escalated, AAA reported. The national average is $4.99, up 33 cents while the New York average is $5.14, up 39 cents in the past week.
AAA issued this statement today:
“Spring Break season is here as the national average for a gallon of regular gasoline jumped 24 cents in the past week. Gasoline demand increases this time of year as the weather warms up and more drivers hit the road.
“Crude oil prices play a major role in what drivers pay at the pump, and prices have surpassed the $100/barrel mark again this morning (and multiple times last week). To help offset rising prices, the U.S. announced it will release 172 million barrels of oil from its strategic reserves. The move is part of a broader effort by the International Energy Agency to release a total of 400 million barrels of oil in response to the Iran turmoil, the largest emergency release in its history.”
Here are today’s average prices at counties in WNY:
