All aboard! Thomas the Tank Engine invites little engineers to go full steam ahead for a weekend of engaging activities and fun adventures at Day Out With Thomas: The Steam Team Tour 2019. Children are invited to spend the day with their friend Thomas when the #1 Engine pulls into Medina on May 17. Day Out With Thomas: The Steam Team Tour 2019 is presented by Mattel.

Day Out With Thomas is a fun-filled event that provides children of all ages the opportunity to climb aboard and take a ride with Thomas as well as participate in Thomas & FriendsTM themed activities.

The tour, now in its 24th year, will make 37 stops across the United States and Canada, and is expected to welcome nearly one million passengers this year. For one weekend, little engineers and their families are invited to take a 25-minute ride on their favorite engine, meet Sir Topham Hatt, Controller of the Railway and enjoy a day of Thomas & Friends fun with crafts, photo ops, and more.

Typically held over two weekends in Medina, this year’s event is being held just one weekend and is jam-packed with fun for the kids! Your wristband to the grounds includes:

• 25-minute (approximate) ride with a talking Thomas the Tank Engine;
• Meet & Greet with Sir Topham Hatt, Controller of the Railway;
• Thomas & Friends Imagination Station featuring a variety of activities;
• For the first time, children can meet Thomas’s new friend Nia in the form of a10-foot inflatable – perfect for photo opps! Nia appears in the Thomas & Friends episodes as one of the newest members of the Steam Team, joining Thomas, Percy, and the other engines at Tidmouth Sheds. Nia is always a helpful friend, and especially loves to help animals;
• A "Passport to Adventures" booklet for children to track their journey at the event and receive a special prize upon completion;
• Thomas & Friends-themed activities including toy play, photo ops, and more;
• Bounce houses, balloon artists, character sketch artists, storytelling, video viewing, scheduled professional magic shows, a mini train ride and more.

Train rides with Thomas depart every 45 minutes, rain or shine. Departure times begin at 9:15 a.m. through 5:30 p.m. each day of the event. Tickets for Day Out With Thomas are $23 plus tax for ages 2 and up. Tickets include the train ride with Thomas, all of the Thomas & Friends activities on the grounds as well as admission to the Medina Railroad Museum. Wristbands for entry will be provided to all ticket holders upon arrival. Tickets are on sale now and can be purchased online at www.medinarailroad.com

Thomas the Tank EngineTM is the star of Thomas & Friends the award-winning global brand franchise enjoyed by families in more than 160 territories and in over 55 languages across multiple touch-points and formats, including: 500+ original TV shows; 12 feature-length films; 27 websites in 13 languages; apps; toys (ranked number one property in the preschool toys category in the United Kingdom and Australia and number two in the United States); consumer products; publishing; live attractions and much more.

About the Medina Railroad Museum; located in the old New York Central freight depot in Medina, NY, the Medina RR Museum is one of the largest freight depot museums in New York State. The building itself was built in 1905-06 and is one of the largest (301 feet by 34 feet), last surviving wooden freight depots in the United States.

The Museum’s train has five passenger cars and two first-class cars that ride out on the tracks to Lockport and back several times per year for special events. Train season is March through October, with special Polar Express rides after Thanksgiving through mid-December. The museum is open Tuesday through Sunday year-round. Closed on Mondays and major holidays. To contact the museum, call (585) 798-6106 or visit www.medinarailroad.com

Sgt. Shaina Schmigel was remembered Wednesday with tears and tenderness and lauded for her honor, duty and service to her country.

Hundreds of people in Genesee County turned out to pay tribute to the 21-year-old Army paratrooper who died while serving her country.

Schmigel was from Batavia and attended high school in Medina and her life and news of her death touched people from throughout Western New York.

Her funeral was at Michael S. Tomaszewski Funeral & Cremation Chapel on West Main Street Road. Following the service, her flag-draped casket was loaded into a hearse by a military honor guard. The hearse was escorted to the cemetery in Corfu by the Patriot Guard Riders and Hogs for Heroes Foundation.

Along the route, residents, construction workers, firefighters and schoolchildren lined the roadway, waving flags, carrying signs and snapping salutes as a show of respect to Schmigel and her service to the nation.

A friend said family members were touched by the tribute.

Schmigel died on May 30 in a nighttime training accident at Fort Bragg, N.C.

“You are so brave, so courageous,” her brother Matthew Scroger, of Lackawanna, wrote in a letter read by Navy Chaplain Rev. David Glassmire during the service at Tomaszewski's. “Your beautiful spirit, love and energy will forever take care of us.”

“For some people it’s just a paycheck, but it was never a paycheck just to her,” said Staff Sgt. Scott Kuznia who worked in the same unit with Schmigel for two and a half years. Kuznia added, “She was outstanding. She loved being a paratrooper and a soldier.”

Schmigel loved NASCAR and country music. As part of the service, two country songs were played, Toby Keith's “American Soldier” and “Courtesy of the Red, White and Blue.”

“Thank you for being so brave and serving our country,” her 16-year-old sister Sheniqua Samol, of Medina, shared in a letter read by the chaplain. “What will I do without you? I will survive, but I will never be the same.”

Portions of this story provided courtesy Tom Rivers, OrleansHub.

Top Photo, Shaina's mother, Karie Schmigel, with the flag that draped her daughter's coffin, following the service in Corfu.

A casket bearing the body of Sgt. Shaina Schmigel, the Batavia native and Medina High School graduate, was escorted through Orleans and Genesee counties today by State Police and the Patriot Guard motorcycle group.

At about 7:30 p.m., the procession reached Michael S. Tomaszewski Funeral & Cremation Chapel, on West Main Street Road, where it was greeted by a gathering of family friends and supporters.

In a solemn event, Schmiegel's casket was carried into the funeral home, where it will lie in state until Sgt. Schmigel's funeral at 11 a.m., Wednesday. There will then be a funeral procession to Corfu for burial at noon.

Calling hours for family and friends are tomorrow from 2 to 8 p.m.

Sgt. Schmigel's awards and decorations include the Army Commendation Medal, Army Achievement Medal (2), Army Good Conduct Medal (2), National Defense Service Medal, Iraq Campaign Medal with one Campaign Star, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, Army Service Ribbon and the Parachutist Badge.

She will be buried with full military honors.

A paratrooper, Sgt. Schmigel died of an as yet undetermined cause during a training exercise at Fort Bragg, N.C.

UPDATE: Very nice coverage of the procession through Medina by Tom Rivers at OrleansHub.com.

Flags have been placed on both sides of West Main Street Road, Town of Batavia, adjacent the Michael S. Tomaszewski Funeral & Cremation Chapel, to honor Sgt. Shaina Schmigel, a paratrooper who died during training last week.

Schmigel is a decorated Iraq War veteran.

Born in Batavia, Schmigel went to high school in Medina.

The Patriot Guard escorted her casket into Genesee County and then to Medina. The procession is expected in Batavia around 7:15 p.m.

Rita Towner helped organize an effort to use flags from Redfield Parkway to line West Main Street. She's asking that any residents along the route today and Wednesday (when the funeral procession will travel from Batavia to Corfu) to put out any flags they have in the parkway or along the roadway.

Below is a video from Route 77 in Pembroke that was submitted by a reader.

UPDATE: Also participating in the flag placement: Kathy Owens, Dennis Altman, Spencer Towner, Laura Mullen, Quinton and Michelle Taylor, the Browns, Lynn Conroy and her cousins.

The Medina War Veterans sponsored a Gun Raffle and Spaghetti Dinner today to benefit Operation Injured Soldiers. The event was held at the Sacred Heart Social Center. 

Above, Chris Page, Peggy Johnson and Brittany Johnson contemplate which baskets to put their numbers in for the chance auction.

Beginners:

Scoring for the beginners were:

Alexander - Tyler Marino (Extra point by Tyler Marino)

Medina - Kaedon Hangartner (Extra point by Kaedon Hangartner)

Alexander - Clayton Bezon (Extra point by Clayton Bezon)

Alexander - Tyler Marino (No extra point)

Medina - Sawyer Kingsbury (Two-point conversion caught by Kaedon Hangartner)

Mini:

Going into the game Medina was 6-0 and the Tri-town trojans were 4-2. Alexander threw everything they had at Medina and prevailed, breaking the Medina unbeaten streak.

Scoring for the mini division:

Medina - Aiden Pitts (Extra point by Aiden Pitts)

Medina - Joshua Wilson (No extra point)

Alexander - Nick Kramer (No extra point)

Alexander - Connor Scott (Extra point by Matthew Jasen)

Alexander - Connor Scott (No extra point)

JV

It was all Medina on offense and defense today.

Scoring for JV:

Medina - Brian Fry (Extra point Brian Fry)

Medina - Brian Fry (Two-point conversion throw from Zachary Blount to Carson Dusett)

Medina - Interception by Brian Fry returned for a touchdown (Two-point conversion from Zachary Blount to Aron Seefeldt Jr.)

Medina - Brian Fry (No extra point)

Medina - Fumble recovered by Emmanual Taylor, who ran for a touchdown (Extra point by Brian Fry)

Varsity:

Medina Varsity squad held Alexander scoreless for the entirety.

Scoring for the varsity squad:

Medina - Damon Bloom (Two-point conversion throw from Izaiah Rhim to Johnethan Salone)

Medina - Damon Bloom (Extra point by Damon Bloom)

Medina - Ronnie Koonce III (Two-point conversion throw from Izaiah Rhim to Trenton Jones)

Medina - Trenton Jones reception from Izaiah Rhim (No extra point)

Medina - Trenton Jones fumble recovery, ran in for a touchdown (No extra point)

Medina - Trenton Jones reception from Izaiah Rhim (Extra point by Vincent Montague)

More pictures from this weekend's games can be found here: NOFA Alexander - Medina

8:26 p.m. - Medina jumped out to a big lead in a hurry, gaining a 9-2 advantage in the first four minutes of the opening frame. Big man Levi Pace stepped out and drained a 3-pointer and four consecutive foul shots by Brad Balcerzak helped the Mustangs take the big lead. But Laureano and the Eagles battled back. Laureano distributed the ball and Matt Driesel scored with an and-1 and Philip Kludt drained a 3-pointer. Colt Tooley hit a basket at the buzzer to cut the Medina lead to 15-11 after a period of play.

8:42 p.m. - Medina has a lot of tall, skinny players and should have a big lead in this game. But the Mustangs are missing easy shots in the paint and the Eagles are taking full advantage and lead 25-24 at halftime. After Tooley hit a trey for Kendall, Medina scored seven straight points, including four straight by Nick Peterson. With a 24-19 lead for Medina, Laureano hit his first basket of the game when he swished a 3-pointer to start a run. Chad Bentley had a put-back basket and Kludt made a steal and scored. Bentley had the last basket of the half to cap a nine point run by Kendall.

9:08 p.m. - Laureano was looking to score in the third quarter and did, getting seven points. But Medina regained the lead, 34-32, as the 6-foot-6 pace scored a basket and hit two free throws, with Nick Peterson also scoring. Medina's height advantage is starting to take a toll on the Eagles, who are no longer winning the battle on the boards like in the first half.

 9:30 p.m. - This game was a classic.

Pace and Laureano went head-to-head for the fourth quarter, with Pace scoring 12 of his 25 points and Laureano scoring 13 of of his game-high 27 points. 

Medina was holding a four point lead for most of the period but expanded it to 48-40 with two minutes left in the game. There was no doubt that Laureano was going to get the ball. He hit a 3-pointer, then a two to cut the deficit to just three points. Laureano then drove with 59 seconds left and drew the defenders. The then kicked the ball out to a wide open Bentley, who hit a 3-pointer to tie the game. Pace then scored at the other end with 35 seconds left. Kendall was blocked at the other end, but caused a turnover with the press and had the ball with 11 seconds left. Laureano worked the clock, but was blocked when he attempted a 3-pointer with two seconds left.

Final score - Medina 50, Kendall 48

As for the story about the hazmat scare, there's still some questions unanswered. A woman, who remains unidentified, complained of coming in contact with a white powdery substance that gave her a rash when she opened an envelope that contained her telephone bill. Investigators say that "there was no hazardous substance." Not sure if we're to assume the woman was imagining the threat or if there was a powder, but it was benign. No matter. All is well.

Other than that, it's mostly feature news today. Reporter Joanne Beck writes about career day at the Batavia Middle School. It turns out that most pre-teen children are not interested in national politics. Huh. Who knew? Tom Rivers put together a piece on Mike Borkholder who was recently named the Cornell Cooperative Extension of Genesee County's "Friend of Extension." Matt Surtel has a couple articles in there about what's up in Warsaw.

That's about it.

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