The Buzz Around Town
Kevin McManus
Photo courtesy of BEN SCHMID The logo for Medina Bicentennial apparel was started by the late local artist James Redden and finished by his nephew Ben Schmid, of Icandi Graphics in Medina.
Next year is the city and county bicentennial and, I’ve got to say, I’m pretty excited about it.
If you live here, you should be excited, too. It’s a special milestone to be alive for, whether you’re a local history enthusiast, lifetime resident or a newcomer to the area.
Mostly, I’m just excited to have what seems like an endless amount of story ideas with all of the fantastic events the Medina Bicentennial Committee has planned throughout the entire year. There is quite a bit we will all learn about our 200 years as a community and, from a historical record aspect, I look forward to covering much of it.
My friend Dottie Nemec reached out to me earlier this week with an interesting anecdote about this year’s official bicentennial logo appearing on a variety of apparel.
Ben Schmid, owner of Icandi Graphics here in Medina, has designed a series of bicentennial wearables that will be available next year. Schmid producing the design in itself is not surprising. What is special, however, is the artwork he’s using.
The drawings were originally composed by James Redden, Schmid’s late uncle and mentor, who is also credited for some well-known pieces of art around town. When Redden passed away, his widow handed over the drawings to Schmid, Nemec said.
“(The logo) is a hand drawing by the late James ‘Jimmy’ Redden,” Schmid shared. “Jimmy had a great talent and a lot of his work can be seen around town, especially at Main Street Café. Owner Gary Quesada and Jimmy were longtime friends.”
The “Madam Marquis Boarding House” sign in the seating section of the upper bar, the Native American statue and many of the paintings on the wall inside Public Square staple Main Street Café were created by Redden.
Icandi’s inaugural bicentennial shirt features Redden’s rendition of the old side of the Medina County Courthouse, but I am told other drawings will also be used and offered on shirts and sweatshirts in the future.
“We have several designs in mind to follow up with,” Schmid said. “They are not all necessarily going to be Redden originals, but all of the artwork I create is Redden-inspired.”
Icandi is printing a number of these courthouse shirts and hoodies in various colors, currently testing the waters to what colors are favored.
In addition, they are offering 36-piece orders to companies and organizations who wish to have their one-color logo printed on the back. A portion of the proceeds is being returned to the Bicentennial committee, as well as to the Friends of Memorial Park nonprofit.
“It just felt right to use Jimmy’s art,” Schmid said.
A nice posthumous nod to a fine local artist. Thanks, Ben and Dottie.
Contact me
As always, I look forward to hearing from you and will gladly accept news tips at kmcmanus@thepostnewspapers.com.
Make it a great week, Medina.
If you live here, you should be excited, too. It’s a special milestone to be alive for, whether you’re a local history enthusiast, lifetime resident or a newcomer to the area.
Mostly, I’m just excited to have what seems like an endless amount of story ideas with all of the fantastic events the Medina Bicentennial Committee has planned throughout the entire year. There is quite a bit we will all learn about our 200 years as a community and, from a historical record aspect, I look forward to covering much of it.
My friend Dottie Nemec reached out to me earlier this week with an interesting anecdote about this year’s official bicentennial logo appearing on a variety of apparel.
Ben Schmid, owner of Icandi Graphics here in Medina, has designed a series of bicentennial wearables that will be available next year. Schmid producing the design in itself is not surprising. What is special, however, is the artwork he’s using.
The drawings were originally composed by James Redden, Schmid’s late uncle and mentor, who is also credited for some well-known pieces of art around town. When Redden passed away, his widow handed over the drawings to Schmid, Nemec said.
“(The logo) is a hand drawing by the late James ‘Jimmy’ Redden,” Schmid shared. “Jimmy had a great talent and a lot of his work can be seen around town, especially at Main Street Café. Owner Gary Quesada and Jimmy were longtime friends.”
The “Madam Marquis Boarding House” sign in the seating section of the upper bar, the Native American statue and many of the paintings on the wall inside Public Square staple Main Street Café were created by Redden.
Icandi’s inaugural bicentennial shirt features Redden’s rendition of the old side of the Medina County Courthouse, but I am told other drawings will also be used and offered on shirts and sweatshirts in the future.
“We have several designs in mind to follow up with,” Schmid said. “They are not all necessarily going to be Redden originals, but all of the artwork I create is Redden-inspired.”
Icandi is printing a number of these courthouse shirts and hoodies in various colors, currently testing the waters to what colors are favored.
In addition, they are offering 36-piece orders to companies and organizations who wish to have their one-color logo printed on the back. A portion of the proceeds is being returned to the Bicentennial committee, as well as to the Friends of Memorial Park nonprofit.
“It just felt right to use Jimmy’s art,” Schmid said.
A nice posthumous nod to a fine local artist. Thanks, Ben and Dottie.
Contact me
As always, I look forward to hearing from you and will gladly accept news tips at kmcmanus@thepostnewspapers.com.
Make it a great week, Medina.
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