You learn a lot about great dead composers in music class -- Bach, Mozart and Beethoven, etc.

The kids at John Kennedy Elementary School got a lesson that's a little different this year: learning about a living composer who doesn't live too far from Batavia!

Mark Hijleh, Ph.D, a Houghton resident and professor of Music Theory and Composition at Houghton College, has written many musical pieces in the last couple of decades. These include scores for short films made at the Rochester Institute of Technology. Some of his music is available online, including the piece that John Kennedy School's music teacher, Jeffrey Langdon, chose to share with his students.

Family Primetime Story Hour is for all ages and is held from 6:30 to 7 p.m. every Thursday at the Richmond Memorial Library.

This event includes stories, music and finger plays. Children are welcome to wear pajamas if they wish.

Please contact the library at 343-9550 for further details.

St. James Episcopal Church has a fish fry are every Friday during Lent. The cost is $7.50 for dinner and $2.50 for a la carte dessert. All proceeds benefit the Restoration Fund of St. James Church.

Take-outs will be available starting at 4:30 p.m., and the dining room will be open for a sit-down dinner at 5.

Free delivery for the elderly and shut-ins of Batavia is available.

The remaining fish fry dates are March 19, March 26 and April 2.

Please contact St. James Church at 343-6802 for more information.

Last week was the first week of "Change for Change," the Genesee County high schools' fundraising project for the United Way. Batavia High and Pavilion Central were the only two schools to deposit money with the Tonawanda Valley Federal Credit Union on Friday. The project's representative at TVFCU said that the other schools were busy with testing.

Right now, Batavia is in the lead with $224.84. Pavilion's earnings total $97.71.

Stay posted for further updates in the coming weeks.

The New York State Maple Producers Association invites Genesee County residents to "Maple Weekend."

Genesee maple producers will show people the many methods used to make maple syrup, and anyone who attends will get to taste the product for themselves!

The locations for this event are:

Indian Acres Maple Farm, 2005 Broadway Rd., Darien

Randall's Maple Products, 10307 Smithley Rd., Alexander

The event will take place from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on March 20-21 and again on March 27-28.

Contact Indian Acres Maple Farm at 547-3557, or Randall's Maple Products at 547-3596 or 734-1057, for more information.

For more details on Maple Weekend, visit www.mapleweekend.com.

How often does this happen? Batavia got a visit from two acclaimed authors last week -- two days in a row!

The first was Garth Stein, author of the 2010 Tale for Three Counties committee pick, "The Art of Racing in the Rain." At the committee's invitation, Stein came to speak to readers and sign autographs at the Richmond Memorial Library on Thursday night.

This latest work is Stein's third novel and it's about a Seattle family as told by none other than -- Enzo, the family dog.

Stein's book had the honor of a 38-week streak on the New York Times bestseller list, won several awards and honors, and has been translated into 31 languages. Stein recently signed a film deal with Universal Studios and hopes to see the book made into a movie in the near future.

The second author was award-winning children's writer Robert D. San Souci, who came to speak to the children and sign autographs at John Kennedy Elementary School Friday afternoon.

San Souci's works include "The Talking Eggs," "Cendrillon: A Caribbean Cinderella," the "Dare to be Scared" series and "The Legend of Scarface." He also wrote the story for the 1998 Disney film "Mulan." His visit to JK was arranged by Donna Katter, program assistant for Genesee Valley BOCES' School Library System.

Whether you were in the almost-over-crowded reading room at RML or sitting in the school cafeteria as hand after hand after hand shot up from the crowd of fifth-graders during the Q&A session, you would have gotten a good idea of just how much people still appreciate their writers.

Both authors read portions of their books and shared funny anecdotes from their lives and careers, including the setbacks they have faced while trying to get their work published.

Stein, for example, talked about having gone from one agent to another before he finally found someone who wanted to take a chance on a book narrated by a dog.

San Souci -- who realized he was destined to become a writer in second grade -- said that he wrote persistently for many years, facing a long string of what he called "thanks, but no thanks" letters from publishers.

Both men were kind enough to share some of their thoughts, insights and comments with The Batavian after signing autographs -- at RML and the JK Media Center, respectively.

The place was Batavia High School's auditorium; the time, 8:15 a.m.; the date, Wednesday, March 3. The place filled up with the slowly increasing bustle of a high school assembly as students poured in from their home-rooms.

Outside the auditorium was a large banner with the words "I Accept Rachel's Challenge" written on the top. It was blank, except for just a few student signatures.

Fast forward about an hour -- the morning assembly was over; many of the students were moved to tears, and the speaker got a standing ovation...much to the amazement of BHS Principal Christopher Dailey.

"I don't remember anyone ever getting a standing ovation except the basketball coach right before he headed off to the state finals," Dailey said.

As for the banner...

Despite predictions of a snowstorm, 18 brave souls made it to the Richmond Memorial Library Thursday for "Reel Discussions," a monthly program -- free and open to the public -- for library patrons who like to watch and discuss movies (as well as enjoy refreshments).

RD is run by Rita McCormack, media services librarian at RML, and takes place at 6 p.m. on the fourth Thursday of every month. During each meeting, patrons watch a feature-length film from the library's collection and discuss it afterwards. Refreshments include bottles of water and treats ranging from cookies to cupcakes to cake (and sometimes bags of white cheddar popcorn).

For more information on the program, please see RML's Media Services page or call the library at (585) 343-9550.

Who knew that walking around in circles could actually be a good use of time?

Since Wednesday, Batavia's First Presbyterian Church has had a labyrinth -- a pattern consisting of multiple paths leading to a center -- for people to walk as an exercise in prayer and meditation. The following video includes interviews with pastor Roula Alkhouri and two of the brave souls who chose to give the labyrinth a try.

The remaining dates and times available for walking the labyrinth are as follows:

9:30 to 11:30 a.m., 1 to 3 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 23
9:30 to 11:30 a.m., 1 to 3 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 24

Anyone interested should contact First Presbyterian by phone (585) 343-0505 or e-mail the pastor at roula@rochester.com.

An Ash Wednesday service will be held at Batavia's First Presbyterian Church at 7 p.m. on Wednesday. Ashes will be placed on attendees' foreheads as a symbol of penitence and as a sign of Christians' healing mission in the world.

Ash Wednesday marks the start of the 40 season of Lent, which is a time when many Christians dedicate themselves to fasting and prayer in preparation for Easter.

Rev. Roula Alkhouri, the pastor of First Presbyterian, says that Ash Wednesday and Lent are also about "a journey of turning back toward God."

"Lent is also a season of healing," she adds. "We open up our lives so that we may see into the depths of our souls."

The church is located at 330 E. Main St. Please contact pastor Alkhouri by phone at (585) 343-0505 or e-mail roula@rochester.com with any questions.

Pastor Roula Alkhouri of Batavia's First Presbyterian Church invites Batavia residents to participate in the labyrinth, a spiritual exercise that was practiced by ancient and medieval Christians. Labyrinths come in many shapes and sizes -- this one is a portable labyrinth from the Colgate Rochester Divinity School, and it will be available for one week at First Presbyterian.

Unlike the convoluted maze of legend, this type of labyrinth is made of straight paths leading to the center. People walk to and back from the center, where they take time to clear their minds, breathe, pray, and reflect. The goal of this exercise is to "take time to think about what it means for you to be at home with God," says Pastor Alkhouri.

Dates and times for walking the labyrinth are as follows:

9:30 to 11:30 a.m., 1 to 3 p.m., 8 to 9 p.m.Wednesday, Feb. 17
9:30 to 11:30 a.m., 1 to 3 Thursday, Feb. 18
9:30 to 11:30 a.m. Saturday, Feb. 20
2 to 4 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 21
9:30 to 11:30 a.m., 1 to 3 p.m. Monday, Feb. 22
9:30 to 11:30 a.m., 1 to 3 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 23
9:30 to 11:30 a.m., 1 to 3 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 24

Please contact Pastor Alkhouri by phone at (585) 343-0505 or e-mail <roula@rochester.com> with any questions.

Everybody likes a little friendly competition, right? And if it's for a good cause, all the better!

These guys definitely feel that way:

Half of them are pictured above...

...and here's the other half!

High schoolers from all over Genesee County are getting involved in "Change for Change" (C4C), a fundraising project for United Way of Genesee County. Student government reps from Batavia High School, the NYS State School for the Blind, Oakfield-Alabama High School and Pavillion Central School gathered in the BHS auditorium Yesterday to kick-start the project. 

Batavia area senior citizens and youth got together last week to celebrate their outstanding service to the community. It was a mutual admiration society with a broad age range.

The "Minnie Tea Celebration" was held by the Retired Senior Volunteer Program in conjunction with the Genesee County Youth Bureau. It took place at the Senior Center on Bank Street in honor of RSVP volunteers who helped the Genesee County Health Department at the end of 2009 as well as teens who planted and cared for an indoor garden for the Minnie Garden Project. 

RSVP volunteers served the health department by distributing flu vaccines -- both seasonal and H1N1 -- and by performing other tasks such as nursing, paperwork and triage. Thanks to the diligent work of these hearty seniors, the GCHD managed to issue over 6,000 doses of the vaccine by the end of 2009.

Meanwhile, area high-schoolers got to try their hands at gardening with the help of Cornell Cooperative Extension Master Gardener David Russell. He was beaming with pride at the tea party and couldn't say enough about the students' dedication to the Minnie Garden Project.

"I'm so proud of the job these kids did," Russell said. "These are kids with different backgrounds who came together and did an excellent job. I'm really proud of them."

In addition to being awarded certificates, the youths were given the honor of having their produce served as hors d'oeuvres at the tea party.

The party was funded by a grant written by 22-year-old former Youth Bureau member Vicki Ripper. Since she finished working at the bureau in November, AmeriCorps Vista volunteer Lauren Paluta and Youth Bureau employee Angela Barbeau have taken control of the program.

Paluta put together last week's event with RSVP Coordinator Dorian Ely. Paluta was the hostess in Ely's absence and, together with Barbeau, she presented certificates of appreciation to the senior and youth volunteers.

In the last two photos, Hannah and Leah Rosenbeck hand out decorated terra cotta flowerpots to the seniors as they return to their seats after receiving certificates. See the article on RSVP's intergenerational project for more information on this.

Delighted seniors and creative kids teamed up Friday at the senior center in Batavia to decorate small, terra cotta flowerpots. The little works of art were taken to Washington Towers to dry and will be delivered to seniors there at a later date.

The homeschooled children had fun painting all kinds of designs -- polka dots, colorful stripes, clouds, squiggles, checkerboard squares and more. They used fabric strings to adorn some of the pots with flowers.

The program bringing young and old together was coordinated by RSVP (Retired Senior Volunteer Program) in partnership with the Genesee County Youth Bureau.

More pictures after the jump:

For 45 years, the Batavia Players have had to do without a place to call their own. Now, at last, they will have their own theater in the historic Batavia Industrial Center on Harvester Avenue.

According to board member Michelle Stamp, BP president Patrick Burk "put a lot of legwork into finding a physical space for us."

"It always helps the actors when they have a space to call their own," she adds.

"This is a really exciting thing for us to be doing," said Matt Mayne, BP board member and actor. "Hopefully, it will help to draw more attention to the building, which is definitely historic."

The location of the new theater is BIC's new Artisan Center, which the Mancuso Business Development Group wanted to establish in order to increase their own business activity.

The Artisan Center not only helps foster a relationship between business and the arts locally, but also affords artists of various stripes the chance to support each other.

"We will be doing things to encourage other artists," Burk said. "There will be areas in the Artisan Center in which they can work. And we'll also have people who come in regularly for BP events and shows, and we'll allow people to display their artwork for people to see."

Burk, Stamp and Mayne all believe that the coming change will prove beneficial to actors and their performances as well. One of the greatest challenges they have dealt with in the past was that of finding, in Mayne's words, "readily available space."

"Before, we would be in situations where we weren't sure what venue we'd be performing in," Stamp said. "Now we'll have our own space we can become accustomed to, we'll know what we have to work with, and we'll have all the materials at hand."

"Our types of performances will change," Burk said, "because we'll experience greater flexibility in terms of what we can do and when. We've had shows that we've wanted to do for quite some time that we'll now be able to fit into this venue."

The new theater's black-box format, which will have audience members seated to the right and left of the stage as well as in front, also offers fresh creative challenges and opportunities.

"This type of set up requires actors to do a little bit more, because people will be watching them from three sides instead of just one," Mayne said.

All BP performances -- beginning with the Spring 2010 show -- will be held in the Artisan Center except for the Summer Youth Theatre performances, which tend to require greater stage space. Please contact the Batavia Players for more information.

Did you know that people come to Batavia to make landscapes out of glass?

Well, sort of...

A student of Amanda Taylor's four-day "Painting Images and Landscapes in Glass" course gets her creative groove on at the Oatka School of Glass on Harvester Avenue...

...while (left to right) Tessa, Sheba and Shiloh look on.

This is only one of many classes offered by Le Roy native Lance Taylor and his Canadian-born wife, Amanda. They both run the OATKA School of Glass and Glass Studio out of their work-and-home space in the Harvester Center. In these classes -- open to all ages -- they teach people how to paint using glass powder and "frits" (ground-up glass) as well as various other ways of turning glass materials into works of art (including bowls, cups and glass mosaics).

Fr. Gus Calvo has been all over the place. He was born in Cuba, lived in Spain and Puerto Rico after his parents fled Cuba's Communist dictatorship, and finally settled with his family in Long Island as a child. He has done missionary work in countries like Argentina, Bolivia, Honduras, Nigeria, Peru and Sudan. And now his journey has led him to the Anglican Community Church in Batavia!

Fr. Gus was assigned to the 101 Richmond Ave. church after having served at St. John's Episcopal Church in Stockport. He is no stranger to the area, having lived in Buffalo for two years in the early 1990s and having spent time in Brockport, where he met his wife, Noel.

At the opening of his first sermon this morning, Fr. Gus told the congregation how happy he was to be a part of their community and how much he looked forward to the "good things that God has in store for us."

Fr. Gus said that his overall mission and hope for his pastorate and for the ACC reflects today's gospel reading, Luke 4:14-21.

"Our mission as Christians," Fr. Gus said, "is to proclaim the Good News of Jesus Christ, to bring hope to people, to really live out our call as people of faith and to discern our identity as children of God."

His lively, enthusiastic and highly personal first sermon made a clear impression on the parishioners, one of whom called him "a welcome addition to our community."

Fr. Gus attributes his worship and life styles - including how he relates to others - to what he calls a "sacramental" view of the world.

"My faith helps me to see God's presence in the world and in other people," he said. "To me people are not just beings who exist for no reason -- they matter. And my goal is to reflect the inward grace of God to them in my life."

Anyone interested in the mission and activities of the ACC may visit their website by clicking on the ad featured on the left-hand margin of The Batavian's home page.

The Batavia City Church's "City Gals" - featuring women and girls of all ages - display the cards they made for area veterans on Monday as part of an ongoing project.

Valentine's Day is still weeks away, but the City Gals made 80 cards on Monday for the men and women at the New York State Veteran's Home and the VA Hospital. Each attendee decorated cards with hearts, flowers and other designs while writing messages of love and encouragement. The cards will be sent to both facilities on Valentine's Day.

The idea for this project came from City Church member and volunteer Sue Gagne, who is also a member of the Genesee Veteran's Support Network. After talking to GVSN chairman Jim Neider, who wanted to see a community project of this kind undertaken for the residents of area Veterans' Homes, Gagne felt that the City Church's Women's Ministry (which is coordinating the City Gals project) would be "the perfect venue."

"Our church likes to get involved in the community," Gagne said. "This is the first time we've done [a Valentine's Day project for Veterans], so I look forward to seeing where it goes."

Gagne also said that the ladies are looking to schedule another "work party" (in her own words) in the coming weeks in order to meet the quota they set for themselves.

"We sure could use some help," she adds.

Women and girls of all ages are welcome to come in and help, regardless of whether or not they are members of the City Church.

In honor of the service-based philosophy of the late Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Genesee County AmeriCorps and the Retired Senior Volunteer Program (RSVP) held the "Be a Star - GO Volunteer Fair" on Monday at the Batavia Senior Center.

"AmeriCorps headquarters encourages us to do something on Martin Luther King Day in the spirit of Dr. King," said Kathy Frank, AmeriCorps program director for Genesee County.

Many businesses and organizations from Genesee and Orleans counties participated.

Notable examples included:

Genesee County AmeriCorps Frank provided information about the opportunities Genesee County AmeriCorps has for anyone age 17 and older. This organization is well known for matching applicants with local organizations based on the individual interests and organizational needs. Participants earn a stipend and are eligible for an education award that will help pay for college tuition or, in the case of college graduates, student loans. Frank said that legislation was passed in October allowing participants age 55 and older to use that education award to help pay for their children's or grandchildren's college. Anyone interested in learning more should contact Frank through the Genesee County Youth Bureau.

The Ministry of Concern's "Just Friends" Program Bill Hawthorne, who works for the Just Friends program through AmeriCorps Vista, offers information for people ages 18 and older who are interested in volunteering their time to building friendships with children and teens.

"We took over the Big Buddy program in August when the director retired," Hawthorne said. "We have people from all walks of life who devote time to making a difference in kids' lives."

Only eight hours a month are required for each volunteer, and activities can include simple things like playing catch, going for walks, cooking or even just talking. Anyone interested in volunteering should contact Bill at vista@ministryofconcern.org.

CASA for Children Volunteer Linda Buzzell (left) and board member Ed Liesing represent CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates) for Children, part of a national volunteer association that seeks to help children who are victims of abuse and/or neglect. For more information, contact Tara Pariso at tpariso@co.genesee.ny.us.

Genesee-Orleans Regional Arts Council (GO ART!) Joe Langen, who works at Go Art! through AmeriCorps, provides information about volunteer opportunities for people of all ages in a variety of capacities (assitance at events, office work, ambassadorship, etc). Visit www.goart.org for more information.

The following video was taken at Batavia High School on Friday, Jan. 8, before and after the Encore Theatre Arts performance of Disney's "High School Musical." There is another performance tonight at 7:30 and at 2 p.m. on Sunday at the BHS auditorium.

Video: www.youtube.com/watch?v=cvrrisCIuSs