batavia

After a couple of years' absence, the result of COVID-19 disruptions, the Batavia Concert Band's Cadets Band returned to a concert band's Centennial Park performance on Wednesday.

The cadets are elementary and middle school music students from Genesee and Orleans counties, directed by Lindsey Fix, a music teacher in Albion.

The cadets performed two numbers before intermission and then joined the concert band for a number later in the show.

"They're part of the concert band," said Jason Smith. "They rehearse. They practiced last night. They're a junior concert band, so to speak."

The cadets will join the Batavia Concert Band for a concert in the park again later this summer.

Through the summer months, the Batavia Concert Band performs each Wednesday evening, starting at 7 p.m. in Centennial Park.

Photos by Howard Owens.

A 41-page building conditions study for Holland Land Office Museum was released to The Batavian Wednesday after the county attorney gave it a thorough review, per county Manager Matt Landers' request.

Landers and the Public Service Committee discussed the study during Monday's meeting; however, Landers said he didn't feel comfortable releasing the document without passing it through proper channels to ensure it didn't contain anything of a confidential nature. 

Also titled an “opinion of probable construction cost,” the report pinpoints the various needs — from structural, electrical and mechanical to cosmetic, sanitary and customer service focused —of the historic site at 131 West Main St., Batavia.

"When you tally it up, you’re in the ballpark of $1.2 million. That’s our target,” County Highway Superintendent Tim Hens said after Monday’s Public Service meeting. “The cost was $1.5 million for the stonework at the jail, and this isn’t as extensive, but once you start looking at a project … we will probably put out an RFP and come back with a recommendation by September.”

Just as with any kind of home improvement project, costs can add up really quickly, he said, which is why they’re trying to cap it at $1.2 million. There are items on the list that will never get done, such as a new sprinkler system, he said.

Tasks were categorized by necessity, with top priority going to the very critical: fire alarm system upgrades, a new addressable system, cleanup of existing wiring, updating the grounding system, and Americans with Disabilities Act compliance adjustments to the bathroom. 

The next level is critical, which would include exterior work on the museum’s columns, stone base, and wood canopy, replacing windows, exterior stone facade, patching and regrouting the full exterior of 2,500 square feet, lap siding with patch and paint at three to five locations, and paint the entire 3,000 square feet; repair the roof, including 530 square feet of flashing.

Considered “less critical,” at the bottom of the list are a number of incidentals, including the removal and replacement of concrete sidewalks and the asphalt parking lot, a stormwater treatment system, replacing a shed, clearing and grubbing the fence line, pest removal; and interior work of wood floor refinishing on the first and second floors; carpet replacement; piping work to allow replacement of sanitary and storm systems; insulation; mechanical cleanup; and an energy recovery unit.

While the first two categories fall within life safety, protection and building shell stabilization justifications, the less critical items are considered landscape upgrades, repairs, interior finishes and means for comfort. 

“Now you talk about rehabbing the columns on the front of the building or replacing the electrical system in the building or the fire alarm system, you start getting, you know, as you start working in old buildings, sometimes you crawl in and find things you didn't realize existed. So if we are going to move ahead on fixing this building and maintaining this building, we want to keep in mind the inflationary factor of municipal bidding and prevailing wage and all the things that come with it,” he said to the group of legislators. “So what we would like to do is basically find out what your pain tolerance is in terms of how much money you would like to spend on the building. I would say my recommendation to you is to try to nail the very critical things in an immediate sense. And then try to knock off as many of the critical items as you think you can afford. Again, the timing and placement of some of the critical items in terms of windows and painting and columns. 

“You know, some of that stuff, if you're going to choose to do one, I think you almost end up doing all because if you were going to paint the building, you wouldn't want to come in after the fact and replace the windows. If you were going to do the stone porch, you have to do the columns at the same time. So there's a lot of things that you kind of would have to progress at the same time,” Hens said. “I think you could easily spend — if you were to knock off the red and the orange the critical and the very critical — we could probably spend upwards of $1.2 to $1.3 million to try to knock all those items off. What we'd like to do from an approach is engage with a historically appropriate architect like we did with the stonework building, have them develop basically a concept, and then run that through a third-party cost estimator to get a really accurate number, which is what we did on the stonework project, I think that was very beneficial to us from a planning and budgeting standpoint. 

“So if that sounds acceptable, I'd like to come back to committee either August or September based on the timing with a proposal from a consultant, establish a capital project for at least for the design portion of it,” he said. “And then, based on what we get back from our construction estimator, figure out how much we want to chew off and potentially use capital funds to progress on a construction project in 2024.”

Legislator Gary Maha has held onto the same stance for these types of renovations, he said.

“My position has always been, this building is owned by the county, who should take care of it, just like you can take care of your home, you know, and unfortunately, the museum over the years hasn't been taken care of, there's money issues or whatever," he said. "But if you do need to move ahead and do something with our building, we're gonna keep it, we need to keep it up to par.” 

There are several funding opportunities identified in the report, such as environmental protection fund grants, State Council on the Arts funding, an Empire State Development Market program, and the Ralph C. Wilson Jr. Legacy Fund for Community Assets. 

Hens is cautious about historic preservation grants, which “are nice, but have so many strings attached,” he said. Sometimes, once contractors are aware that such a grant is involved, their proposals increase to match the prospective funding. And the red tape involved can delay a project, adding even more cost due to inflation.

“I would rather get a good contractor and get it done,” he said. 

Press Release:

Edwin Smart, Owner and president of SmartDESIGN Architecture, and Martha Bailey, SDA Office Manager, present Habitat for Humanity of Genesee County with a check. This money was raised from their 3rd annual SDA Golf Outing in partnership with Habitat. Accepting the donation from Habitat are Jaylene Smith-Kilner, Executive Director of Habitat for Humanity, and Arielle McVay, Board President.

Press Release:

The Board of Directors of the Michael Napoleone Memorial Foundation is excited to announce the opening of its Community Youth Grant for the Summer/Fall 2023 Cycle. This grant will be awarded to charitable organizations whose primary mission is to facilitate youth activities for children up to age 18. 

It supports one of three mission priorities established by the foundation: "to assist youth organizations and youth athletics.” The Michael Napoleone Memorial Foundation Community Youth Grants will be awarded based on the schedule below.

Summer/Fall 2023 Funding Cycle:

Application form available on August 1 (ONLINE ONLY)

Applications are due: August 22

Award notices will be sent to applicants: September 25

On August 1, the online grant application will be available at: https://michaelshope.org/grants. There are no geographic limitations for recipients, but preference may be given to the Western New York region. Requests for event or program advertising will be directed to the appropriate grant cycle. Organizations may receive one grant annually and there are two grant cycles per year (Winter and Summer/Fall). Typical grant awards range from $250 - $1,500, depending on the number of applicants and funds available for each cycle. 

For more information to support the foundation, please visit  www.michaelshope.org.

Press Release:

All through traffic will be closed on Thursday along Richmond Avenue between Union Street and Vernon Avenue in the City of Batavia. This closure is to mill and resurface damaged pavement, and the closure will extend into the late afternoon of Friday.

All motorists that regularly use these streets are asked to seek alternative routes while the closures are in place.  Businesses and residents within the area of the closure should anticipate delays.

This work is weather dependent and subject to rescheduling if it rains.

No matter what you might think of fairs, Genesee County’s 183rd annual one this year has packed so many activities, there's an expanded eight-day schedule to keep kids and adults busy, entertained, well fed, and — if they come by the carload — financially intact by the end.

Of the many new offerings at the fair for 2023, one of the mainstays is Genesee County Ag Society treasurer Norm Pimm. He has been one of the steadfast volunteers for the event who knows the ins and outs of happenings, from musical groups and a welding competition to the talent show, stockyard classic and a power wheels race for kids. 

So where to begin? The stockyard classic show has grown to be enormously popular, with 500 entries, Pimm said. It began with an event in May and will continue July 21 through 23 with a sheep, goat, hog, and beef show. Participants up to 21 will compete for showmanship prizes for the top five categories of peewee, novice, junior, intermediate and senior. The top two will then advance to the next round of competition. 

“Any age contestant can show their animal, spectators are more than welcome to come and watch. We'll be running two different show rings all the time. So you'll have pigs in one, sheep in one or two, so they'll be moving around,” he said. “So there will be probably 150 to 200 exhibitors.”

As for music, fan favorites BB Bang will open things up from 7 to 10 p.m. July 22. A group of musicians 18 to 22, they’ve been playing for the last several years, Pimm said. “They are really good,” he said. “They do 75 to 100 shows a year. One kid is from Byron-Bergen school.”

Knight Patrol, a high-energy rock band from Macedon, will be playing tunes from the 80s from 7 to 10 p.m. July 23. 

The Eaglez, as its name implies, is a tribute band to American soft rock band The Eagles and will give its fair debut from 7 to 10 p.m. July 27. This band’s performance will include a special giveaway of a guitar sponsored by The Batavian. 

A “very big fan favorite” steps up from 7:30 to 11 p.m. on July 28, and that’s Audibull.

Country rock band The Barnstorm will cap off the county fair from 7 to 10 p.m. on July 29. It’s been a dozen years since they’ve been here, Pimm said, and they are coming back with toe-tapping favorites.

For more on the musical lineup, see also: The Eaglez highlights GC Fair's five nights of live music that spans genres and eras

Tucked into that musical line-up are other fair staples and add-ons in the entertainment tent: Faith at the Fair, with a couple of Christian rock bands, from noon to 4 p.m. July 22; the fair queen competition at 3 p.m. July 23, followed by the queen crowning from 6 to 8 p.m. July 24; a crowd-pleasing double night of karaoke from 7 to 10 p.m.  July 25 and 26.

Participants that sign up for the talent show by July 22 are guaranteed a goodie bag, and everyone will take to the stage on July 29. 

What’s the fair without a parade? That will be happening at 6:30 p.m. on July 25 around the grounds.

Gates open at 6 p.m. July 28 for the demolition derby, with a 7 p.m. starting time. That has been the biggest draw of more than 2,000 people, Pimm said, and this year there will be the addition of a power wheels derby. At 6:15 p.m., kids with power wheels will compete, and whosever battery lasts the longest wins. Featuring motorized jeeps, gators and cars, it’s like a real demolition derby but with children’s versions of vehicles, he said. He watched one at an Adirondack fair.

“It was so much fun,” he said. “There have been 51,000 hits on the post that’s been up for a week so far. People are excited about that. The next biggest is 50,000 hits for an Enduro race.”

The entry form for the kids' power wheels demo derby is on the fair website. There are two age categories of 4 to 7 and 8 to 12. For more information, call 585-709-9859.

The Enduro race is a family-friendly race at 7 p.m. on July 29. Older stock cars with the doors chained shut race some 100 laps for a $2,000 pot. 

For anyone looking for some of your more traditional fair amusement, there’s 4-H, which begins July 24 with what’s predicted to be the most entries ever, Pimm said, of rabbits, chicken, sheep, goats, pigs, and the home goods, crafts, and clothing items. 

“The barns are going to be full of animals all week,”  he said, begging the question of how do they stay cool. “We have big fans that were installed two years ago in dairy, beef and swine bars, and we’re installing them in the sheep barns. They can keep air moving through the barns and shade them pretty good.”

Along with new fans, other updates have included a new sound system and LED lighting in the horse and livestock arenas. 

What would a fair be without Future Farmers of America Day? And this year, Miller Welding is sponsoring a welding competition for FFA members on July 26. There are to be 20 to 30 kids showing their welding skills as a way to promote the trades, Pimm said, with plans to build on that with future events for tractor driving and “anything to do with trades.”

An attraction that most fair-goers can’t resist is the Hammerl Amusements midway, expanded for 2023, which runs from 1 to 9 p.m. July 22, 23, 26 and 29, and 4 to 9 p.m. 24, 25, 27 and 28. A Kids All Day (1 to 5 p.m.) special for $15 will be offered on both Saturdays and Wednesdays of the fair and feature Mr. Scribbles and a pedal tractor pull.

Other activities include pig races, balloon demonstrations, a Taste of New York selfie contest, kids Color Wars, an ice eating contest, and an Ag Awareness tent. 

Don’t miss preview night that begins at 3 p.m. Friday with a special admission of $5 and the North American Six Horse Hitch Series at 5:30 p.m. at the horse arena, with a follow-up performance at 12:30 p.m. Saturday.

Regular admission is $10 per carload from Saturday through July 29 at the fairgrounds, 5056 E. Main Street Road, Batavia. The fair is hosting special deals for senior citizens, veterans, kids, and emergency responders on select days throughout the week. Fans can keep up with the deals and news HERE, where the fair will be holding four trivia contests to give away tickets to the demolition derby and coupons to the Ag Society’s food stand, the Chuckwagon.  

What’s not new? The need for volunteers. The fair survives on them, Pimm said.

“It’s 100 percent volunteer; none of us gets paid, not one person, and, like, 12 of us work all year round. And then there's others that come in. I mean, just over the week of the fair, we get over 100 volunteers, which is fantastic,” he said. “Yeah, we can allow them on for various parts of the fairgrounds, whether it's the food stand or parking or helping with livestock shows or cleaning barns or, you know, just everything. So, we're always looking for more volunteers and or, obviously, joining the Fair Board, but even without that, we're still looking for volunteers.”

That’s mostly how the operation that’s been going since 1839 has continued, drawing families from across the region to meet and greet with animals — promised to be more than 1,000 this year. Genesee County just keeps thriving and beating the odds each year, Pimm said.

“Really, unfortunately, some fairs aren't even around anymore but we’re around,” he said. "We continue to grow, which is great. I mean, last year, we had almost about 75,000 people.”

 For a complete list of events, visit gcfair.com/fair-schedule/.  For more information, visit gcfair.com

Now in her third year as the lead of Genesee County’s talent show, Laura Kauppi remembers perhaps the epitome of a fair contestant a couple of years ago: a young boy wearing big farm boots and work clothes ran in to register moments before the contest.

“And he got up, and he played this beautiful piano piece that he had composed himself, I think on the spot, actually. And, you know, that was just a fantastic experience. And I think that’s kind of what it’s all about,” Kauppi said. “He was really proud of himself. He got his prize and went back to taking care of his animals.”

And so it goes with a real down-home, rural fair filled with plenty of 4-H activities, animals and kids. If you've got some talent to share, register by Saturday to receive a goodie bag, or at least by 1:30 p.m. July 29 to participate in this year's talent show in the entertainment tent at the fair on East Main Street, Batavia.

This year’s event already has an impressively varied list of entries, about a dozen so far, Kauppi said, with a handful of pianists from the piano teacher's own lessons’ groups, a violin duet, a family band, and Chinese folk dancers. 

She offered to organize the show three years ago to continue a tradition that Kauppi, of Corfu, enjoyed so much as a participant, she said. She broke up the categories so that ages 13 to 19 will be separated from the adults, and all ages will have the opportunity to perform and compete amongst their peers — under seven; seven to 12; 13 to 19; and ages 20 and older.

“There used to be a state level where people could compete at state, and that's just one of the things we lost due to COVID. Now that there's not a state level, I kind of added the tiny tots, I added the adult category, being different. It used to be age 13 and up as one category, so I added the adult category as being separate because I thought it was more fair to not have 13-year-olds competing against adults,” she said. “It’s a nice relaxed way to share your talent with the community.” 

Anyone who registers by July 22 is guaranteed a goodie bag, she said. If you're still debating a decision after Saturday, you may register up to 1:30 p.m. on the competition day of July 29.

Then it’s go-time, when one by one — solo or group performers will be center stage to sing or play or dance, or otherwise demonstrate their hard work of rehearsals in front of the crowd. But not to worry, it’s a nice crowd, she said.

“I really like that it’s very relaxed, and I really like that it’s very family-friendly,” Kauppi said. “I competed in it, and I want them to have the same positive experiences that I had. You get to have a goodie bag and a participant ribbon and pride in knowing you performed for your community and shared your talent with the people around you.”

There have been a couple of outdated links of the entry form published, Kauppi said, and she provided The Batavian with an updated version. Register by July 22 for a guaranteed goodie bag and by 1:30 p.m. July 29 to participate in the show. 

There aren't enough cases flowing through City Court, especially now that the Centralized Arraignment Part Court is up and running, said Tom Burns, so he stepped down as of July 14 as the part-time City Court judge.

Ironically, perhaps, Burns was a leader in establishing the CAP court.

"I'm proud of the fact that I was involved in the development of the Centralized Arraignment Part Court," Burns told The Batavian. "That was a huge accomplishment.  It relieves the City Court judges of 24/7 arraignment responsibility."

But with the lower case volume in City Court, Burns is turning his attention back to his full-time job as a defense attorney.

"After CAP court was implemented, the low volume in City Court, from my perspective, does not justify my continued involvement there. I just don’t feel the need to continue in the position because the demand isn’t there for it."

Burns has been on the City Court bench for 2 1/2 years, and in 2022, the part-time position, which at times amounted to eight hours a week, paid $50,000.

The part-time City Court judge is paid by the state, though the position is appointed by City Council.

Durin Rogers is the current full-time City Court judge, also paid by the state and an elected position, and earned $192,920 in 2022.

"I loved my service to the community and the chance to serve the community," Burns said.

The City of Batavia also released the following press release seeking to fill the part-time City Court judge position:

The City Council is seeking to fill a part-time City Court Judge position.  This position is appointed by City Council to serve the remainder of a term ending 12/31/26.

Minimum qualifications require candidates to be an attorney admitted to practice law in the State of New York for at least five (5) years as of the date he or she commences the duties of the office and must be a resident of the City of Batavia. 

All interested candidates, please submit a letter of interest and resume to: 

City Court Judge
Attn: City Council President Eugene Jankowski, Jr.
One Batavia City Centre
Batavia, New York 14020

Resumes and letters of interest are due by 4:30 PM on Friday, Aug. 4. 2023.  Please provide hard copies of your materials directly to the City Manager’s office.

Prior to attempting to kill a man on Jackson Street in Batavia on Oct. 18, Tyshon L. Taylor, 25, had been in and out of the state's mental health system -- encounters brought about by his expressed desire to kill someone or himself -- and depending on your point of view, either Taylor failed to take advantage of what the system offered or the system failed him.

An agitated and impassioned defense attorney, Frederick Rarick, argued the system had failed Taylor. He said healthcare practitioners who handled his cases knew about his threats of violence and that he was dangerous when he wasn't taking his medication but failed to hold him or make sure he got the help he needed.

"I don't mean to, well, actually, I do blame the mental health system," Rarick said.

District Attorney Kevin Finnell argued the fault for his crime lay squarely on Taylor's own decisions.

While acknowledging that Taylor has significant mental health issues, Finnell said Taylor had previously been to the comprehensive psychiatric emergency program at U of R on multiple occasions. Each time they medicated him, stabilized him, and got him back to "baseline." They then gave him referrals for follow-up care. While he came into the emergency program because of the violent thoughts running through his mind, by the time he was discharged, he was back in a calm state.

Taylor didn't take advantage of the follow-up care, Finnell said.

Prior to the attempted murder on Oct. 18, Taylor had been to the University of Rochester emergency program and left stable with enough medication to get him through the next week.

Four days later, Taylor decided, Finnell said, to walk through Batavia looking for a victim.

"There was a safety plan referral for what he could do if he was feeling violent," Finnell said. "He didn't take advantage of (the referral), and instead, on the night of the offense, he transversed the city, leaving the hotels on the north end until he got to the south side and found somebody walking back from the store minding his own business. And he just stabbed him for no other reason. The victim was unknown to him. He stabbed him. He stabbed him, intending to kill him."

Finnell said that the Batavia PD detectives who handled the case and Chief Shawn Heubusch said they considered Taylor a risk to the community and should be incarcerated. 

The victim in the case, Finnell said, has suffered substantially because of the attack.  He no longer walks to the store just a block from his residence, driving instead, and his physical injuries have prevented him from returning to work full time.

Taylor was in court on Tuesday to be sentenced on his conviction on a charge of attempted murder, a Class B violent felony. He entered a guilty plea on March 28. 

He is also a second-time violent felony offender.

Before he was sentenced, Taylor read from a statement in which he apologized for his actions, both to the victim and his family. He said he was feeling helpless and angry every day. 

"I have a lot of regrets," Taylor said. "I could have ruined my life. Well, I ruined my life, but I could have ruined it more, and I ruined somebody else's life. I want to take steps to be better."

Judge Melissa Lightcap Cianfrini said that perhaps Taylor's case could be a case study for the state's mental health system, but that didn't relieve Taylor of his responsibility for his actions. 

"Our mental health system may be imperfect. It needs to be improved," Cianfrini said. "But you didn't take advantage of the opportunities offered to you."

She sentenced him to 20 years maximum in state prison and 20 years on parole.

It was Wrestling Mayhem at the David M. McCarthy Memorial Ice Arena on Sunday, with 375 people attending. 

The event drew wrestling fans from as far away as Denver as well as Erie, PA.

Empire State Wrestling participants competed in single, tag-team and title belt matches.

Kati Murray, rink manager said it was well received by many in the community, with positive comments on social media, and the promoter said it was a great venue for the event.

To view or purchase photos, click here.

Photos by Steve Ognibene

For the first time in more than a month, the Batavia Muckdogs have lost two games in a row, falling to Niagara Power on Monday in Niagara, 6-3.

On Sunday, the Muckdogs lost at home to Newark 4-2.

Batavia, at 21-12, still leads the Western Division of the PGCBL, but the lead has narrowed to just a half-game over Emira (20-12) and 1.5 games over Jamestown (18-12).

Jamestown hosts Batavia tonight (Tuesday) for the first of two games between the teams. 

On Wednesday, the Tarp Skunks play the Muckdogs at Dwyer Stadium.  Game time is 6:35 p.m.

There are 10 regular season games left on Batavia's schedule.

The losing pitcher for Batavia on Monday was Rijnaldo Euson, who went four innings, giving up four runs, three earned, and six hits.  He had seven strikeouts and is now 2-1 with a 3.72 ERA.

Starter Ben Weber went four innings, giving up two runs on six hits.

The Muckdogs' offense collected seven hits.

While trying to obtain a schedule of events for the second annual Italian Festival, scheduled for July 29 and promoted this year along with a classic car cruise, The Batavian has learned that the event has been canceled.

“The BID has decided not to move forward with Italian Fest this year,” the group’s executive director, Shannon Maute, said Monday. “Although we loved the event, we have decided to focus on our other events.”

During BID’s — which stands for Business Improvement District — annual awards get-together in April, Maute shared that upcoming events, including the Italian Fest, would be “bigger and better than ever.” It was quietly canceled, per the online note and line drawn through the event name on its own page. 

On Monday, Maute emphasized that BID is still forging ahead with its boxcar derby, set for 8:30 a.m. Aug. 26 just outside of downtown on Ellicott Avenue, and the annual Wine Walk has been penciled in already for 4 to 8 p.m. Oct. 7 in downtown Batavia, with this year’s theme being “Under the Big Top.”

There are times when a title won’t save you from your own worst fears.

And county Legislator John Deleo learned that when he climbed into a polyethylene kayak and slid out onto the water at DeWitt Lake.

“I’m terrified of the water,” he said on what was now his second or third time Saturday at the Cedar Street recreation site. “That's why I bought this special vest because I can be up on the water in case I fall in because I'm terrified of the water. I can't swim.”

Deleo and about six others, plus three county staff tour guides, gathered for the last guided experience of the season. Five people attended the morning session, Conservation Education Program Coordinator Shannon Lyaski said, as she and the others waited to see if anyone else of the 10 registrants would show before they shoved off for the two-hour excursion.

“Weather makes all the difference in the world,” she said as a few raindrops pelted the skin. “If it sprinkles, we’ll still go out. But if it thunders, we’ll get out of the water.”

Lyaski runs the guided tours a couple of times a year, and the first one was in May. For $25, participants get a life vest, kayak, general lesson on how to use it and two hours on the water learning about the lake and surrounding area and wildlife. 

“So this is a great place to try it for the first time because it's just a nice little small lake. You know, we had to be careful, we take every precaution that you need to, but generally, there's not a lot of surprises out there. We have these flat water kayaks, they're designed for casual use. And so we started out with the basics of sitting in the boat, getting in the boat, being comfortable in the boat, the basics of paddling, getting in and out of the boat and the basics of doing things,” she said. “It's not a race, we just take our time. We have two whole hours to explore the lake. We talk about the wildlife, we talk about the history of the site, we explore the little coves, and we look at different places where the water can go, like depending on how high and how low it can get. There's some neat stuff about the area and interesting things about the ecology of this park. So we go over that too.” 

Deleo said that he is gradually “getting drawn in” to kayaking moments before his craft glided out on the glassy water. Barb Matarazzo was in the same boat as Deleo, no pun intended, when she first began. She was afraid of the sport and the water, which quickly changed once she gave it a try.

“Now I love it. I’m a pure participant and loving every minute of it, “ she said. “I don’t care how often you do this, you find something new every time.”

Although DeWitt Recreation Area is on the outskirts of Batavia, it isn’t forgotten, made evident by the group having a picnic at the pavilion, a person standing near the water casting a fishing line, some bicyclists, perhaps making a pit stop from the nearby Elliott Trail, and some kids dunking their feet into the water. 

A slab of cement near the boat launch is still waiting for a kayak rental kiosk, which was expected to be in place by June. That has been delayed, Lyaski said, and she wasn’t certain when it would be at the park. 

County Highway Superintendent Tim Hens had said the county is looking at the kayak rentals as “an opportunity to provide a recreational service to the community that also generates residual income and requires no county maintenance.”

The county Legislature approved an agreement for a period of five years, at a total cost of $16,000, for the installation and activation of smart lockers, fully equipped with kayaks/lifejackets and locker signage. Kayak users would then pay a rental fee through the use of the kiosk that would go back to the county. The concrete has been poured for the kiosk and is waiting for delivery.

In the meantime, if you’ve got your own kayak or plan to rent one, DeWitt Lake promises some “really cool features that have been added,” Lyaski said. 

“I like to point out all those big nice park benches at the end of the lake, where Ellicott Trail comes in off from Route 5,” she said. “That's not an accident. It's facing west, it's a beautiful view of the sunset on the lake.”

A motor vehicle accident with unknown injuries is reported in the area of 5549 Clinton Street Road, Stafford.

The location is near the Prole Road Extension.

Stafford Fire dispatched.

UPDATE 12:36 a.m.: Two vehicles blocking the westbound lane.

UPDATE 12:41 a.m.: There is only one Mercy EMS ambulance available to respond.  There are five patients, "most of them will be signoffs," said chief on scene. Bethany's ambulance to be requested to the scene.

The Batavia Muckdogs hosted clients of Arc GLOW at Dwyer Stadium on Saturday for the agency's annual Challenger Baseball Day.

Photos by Nick Serrata.

Press Release:

Batavia Downs Gaming & Hotel has announced that tickets are on sale dates for two upcoming events taking place this August at Batavia Downs Gaming & Hotel’s Park Place Room.

A “Sock Hop” to benefit Mothers of Veteran Suicide will take place on Monday, August 7 from 2 - 6 p.m. Special musical guests Ruby Shooz will play from 3 - 5 p.m. and there will be 50/50 and Penny Raffles as well as Silent Auction Items.  Attendees are encouraged to wear their best “Grease” outfit for the costume contest. Tickets are $15 and you get back $15 in Free Play. Those with Military ID will receive a complimentary ticket. See all details on BataviaConcerts.com. 

Seltzers and Sulkies presented by White Claw Hard Seltzer and Bud Light Seltzer will be on Saturday, August 19. The cost is $40 and includes Seltzer Sampling, Grazing Stations, $20 in Free Play, and a $5 wager on Live Racing at Batavia Downs which is happening that night. The event will run from 4 to 6:30 p.m.

Tickets for these events will be available at www.BataviaConcerts.com beginning on Friday, July 14 at 5 p.m. Hotel Deals for these events will go live on Monday, July 17.

“As we say in our commercials, we love you right back,” said Henry Wojtaszek, President and CEO of Batavia Downs Gaming & Hotel. “We are honored to host Michelle and her Mother’s Veterans Group here for their fundraiser. As with all charities and groups that have events onsite, we’ll be doing our best to help them raise awareness and much-needed funds for their cause.”

The 200-year history of the Historic Batavia Cemetery is on display at the Holland Land Office Museum in a show curated by HLOM Director Ryan Duffy and Cemetery Association President Sharon Burkel.

The display opened on Wednesday.

"All the people who founded this community are buried in there," Burkel said. "These people came from Connecticut, Massachusetts, in the late 1700s, early 1800s. They came in wagons, probably drawn by oxen and horses. I always ask people, would you do that? Would you leave your home in those areas and come this far, make your way through Indian Territory and everything else to establish a city? A lot of them were very influential nationally, like Dean Richmond. These people held a great deal of power. (The cemetery is) Also important when you look at all the streets in the city. All the names on the streets are all the people that are buried in that cemetery. And the reason that it's on the state national register -- because most of their homes and businesses are gone. And that was one of the main reasons we got designated."

Burkel said the city's first cemetery was on South Lyon Street, by the Tonawanda Creek, but when there were floods, bodies washed away, so they moved it over to what is now known as Harvester Avenue but was originally Cemetery Street. It was owned by the Presbyterian Church and the Episcopal Church.

In 1823, the Batavia Cemetery Association was formed and that not-for-profit organization took over ownership and still owns it today. 

Duffy said HLOM had some artifacts related to the cemetery, but the association loaned to the museum much of what is on display. 

"It was about creating a new space, but also shining light on another local hidden gem that people tend to forget about sometimes," Duffy said.

Preparing the display was an interesting task at times. He had to research what organizations some metal grave markers represented, and some of the artifacts the museum already had in its inventory hadn't necessarily been connected to the cemetery before. 

"There was a little bit of detective work going into some of this, which always makes it a little more exciting," Duffy said. "Going through things that are here in the museum, we didn't necessarily know they were connected to people in the cemetery because we hadn't really taken a deep look into them. So it uncovered a lot of things that we didn't even know we had."

Vette opened the Thursday Night concert series in Jackson Square yesterday.

The band consists of Kole Moore, lead vocals and rhythm guitar, Alex Fitzak, lead guitar, and on Thursday, the substitute rhythm section was Mike "Thunder" Warren on bass and Alex DeSmit on drums.

The next show is the band Free Beer on Thursday, followed by Qwister on Aug. 10 and Radio Relapse on Aug. 17.

The concerts are hosted by the Business Improvement District.

Akari Lewis-Iburi and Shin Iburi are mixing a keen eye for light and shadow and composition to capture the special moments and occasions of area families and couples.

Their success so far has made it possible for the brother and sister team to open a photography studio in Downtown Batavia.

They've been working together as photographers for more than a decade.

Akari Lewis-Iburi was always interested in photography, she said. She took her first photojournalism class in high school and continued photography as a hobby into college. 

It wasn’t until deep into her college career that her brother asked her to go photograph a wedding for the first time. 

“It was the summer of my senior year in college,” Akari recalled. “I was an English major, but I actually wanted to be a journalist. I was really interested in photojournalism. My brother got asked to shoot a wedding, and that was our first wedding together. From there, it kind of snowballed.” 

The pair now owns and operates a photography studio that specializes in weddings, engagements, senior photos, family photos and maternity shoots. Pulling from her journalistic roots, both Akari Lewis-Iburi and Shin Iburi mix the art of being a wallflower and staging engaging photos. Customers can expect to receive images that feel both beautiful and natural. 

Since moving into the new, larger studio space, the siblings hope to install a projector screen within the studio. The pair believes that it will help the couples reminisce about their wedding day in a new way. 

“I want them to feel what they felt on their wedding day,” Akari said. “I want them to look back on that moment and feel those feelings again. It’ll be a nice closure to our working relationship.” 

Akari also plans to make her new studio space a place for communal gatherings. Since experiencing live music has also been one of her passions, she foresees the studio place to host live music nights showcasing local bands and open mic nights. 

“When I was a kid growing up here, there was this cool coffee shop on main street,” she said. “I just want to give a space for original music.”

Iburi Photography is located at 35 Jackson St. in Batavia.