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Notre Dame: Ride for Camden

By Philip Anselmo

The Notre Dame Volleyball Teams are fundraising to defray costs for Notre Dame students who will be participating in this year’s missionary experience to Camden, New Jersey.  The girls have been bicycling in the “Ride for Camden” effort for the last couple of weeks.  Each girl is riding fifty miles and asking for sponsorships per mile.  If anyone would like to sponsor one of these athletes please contact Rhonda DiCasolo, Carolyn Babcock, or any of the Notre Dame volleyball players.  Pledges from a penny to a dollar per mile are welcome as are donations in any amount.  We hope to provide an opportunity for more Notre Dame students to attend the life-altering experience of a week at Camden’s Romero Center.  Our trips in the past have always had such a tremendous impact on our students and staff.  Thank you to all who have already sponsored a volleyball player.

Fixing up the Neighborhoods: Part Four: Another Councilman weighs in...

By Philip Anselmo

Another member of the Batavia City Council has answered our questions on the topic of neighborhood improvement. Sam Barone sent us his responses earlier this week. We still have yet to hear back from several other members of Council.

Follow these links to access the previous three posts in this series:


Answers from Sam Barone:

How do you define a problem property?

A problem property is one that is constantly in the news for negative reasons, such as, it's a drug house, it attracts large crowds, litter is present, the yard is unkept, etc.

When is it decided that a property owner has been given enough warnings? Is that threshold defined? What action then follows? What action ought to follow?

Presently, the city has a procedure for addressing chronic problem homes by issuing three warning letters over a period of 15 days and then a possible court action. This procedure works but is too lengthy. We need a policy with a shorter span of time. I think a citation followed by a fine within two weeks would work. If the owner or tenant is responsive and shows cooperaion, the fine could be lifted. If the owner or tenant is unresponsive, fine them a second and third time; then court.

What are the best ways to take preventive action against absentee landlordism?

The best preventive action is twofold. It involves continued inspections and cooperation among various agencies. The city inspectors have to be on the same page with agencies, such as, DSS, HUD, Section 8 and others involved in placing people in homes. For example, everytime a tenant leaves a rental property, the city inspector should visit looking for code violations, such as, lack of smoke or fire alarms. Another example is a house listed under city properties as a three bedroom home. The city inspectors and dss should be aware of that to prevent overcrowding. I am aware of a three bedroom house where dss placed an adult with eight children in that home. The inside was a disaster.  Fortunately the occupants were finally remove after a city inspector was able to enter the home.

What is the difference between a slum lord and a lazy tenant or homeowner? Is there a difference if the outcome is the same? Ought they to be treated differently?

A lazy tenant can be educated and trained by city inspectors and landlords. A slumlord needs to be fined after every infraction.

When should a tenant and not the landlord be held responsible for the condition of a property, if ever?

The tenant should be held responsible for the rental but only after the landlord has explained to the tenant what the codes are both written and verbally.

Video: Boy saves dog

By Philip Anselmo

Heroes come in all sizes—some under four feet tall. And whoever said a damsel in distress couldn't be a beagle in peril? This particular hero is named Alex Smith, and he's 7-years-old, and he saved the life of his dog, Sasha, and it happened like this...

Alex was hanging out on the driveway at his father's home in Batavia when Sasha burst out out of the shrubbery above him and nearly hung herself there on her leash. (You see, that part of the driveway is sunken down below the yard where Sasha was chained up). As soon as the dog started squealing, Alex wasted no time and ran underneath her, pushing the dog up as high as he could hold her—not bad considering the dog is almost as big as he is. He got her high enough for the leash to loosen so Sasha could breathe. Then Alex was the one who set to squealing, shouting for his grandfather to come out and help Sasha before Alex ran out of strength. His sister Ashley was the first to hear and came to the rescue of brother and dog. We'll let her tell the rest of the story...

Fixing up the Neighborhoods: Part Three: What to do when it's right next door...

By Philip Anselmo

A few weeks ago, we started a series called Fixing up the Neighborhoods: a series we hoped would spark some further conversation on the topic of neighborhood improvement. Our first post featured a handful of questions on the issue and responses from Batavia's City Council President Charlie Mallow. We're hoping to have those same questions answered by a few other members of Council, as well. In our second post, we addressed some details from a "public nuisance law" that "failed" in a Council session three years ago.

In this third part, we offer up one man's story of how he perceived a situation of neglect at the home next door to him and what he did to try to get that problem solved.

Ryan Neal moved into his home on Ellsworth Avenue in 2000. A few years ago, the home next door to him was sold, and Neal watched as the condition of the property grew worse and worse under the new ownership. Below here is a photograph of the property's back yard taken by Neal over the summer:

In a letter he read to the City Council last month, Neal had this to say:

I have watched this property, which was originally a landlord occupied apartment home, deteriorate since it’s purchase by it’s present landlord.  The back yard needs desperate attention with parts of the yard containing weeds that are waist high, trees and shrubs that grow amuck, trees that grow from the foundation of the property, and a parking area that he had filled with gravel which is now filled with weeds and gravel.  This is my neighbor’s landscaping which I get to enjoy daily.  In addition, the paint is peeling from the garage, siding is blowing off the home and additional pieces of siding periodically disappear.  These pieces are not replaced, leading to further siding deterioration.  The windows on the first floor of the home are the original windows without storms and are rotten.  He has had his maintenance crew re-glaze some windows, but has never once painted them.  During wind storms, his rotten roof blows into my yard and adjoining drive.    Additionally, the home’s electrical service wire’s sheathing had rotted to a point that the wires within were visible, a safety concern which I also reported to the City.  The landlord’s response to this was to wrap the wire in electrical tape, which I can not believe is a code satisfactory solution to this unsafe situation.  This situation not only endangers my property, but the lives of his tenants.

Neal several times called the homeowner in the spring to ask for the property to be maintained, he said. Not receiving a response, he reported the situation to the City Council in June. When a Council member phoned the owner, the property was mowed once. That was fine, said Neal, but nothing had yet been done about the "major safety concern" of the exposed wires. Neal was told by his neighbors and tenants at the time that National Grid had at one time refused to turn the power back on after it had been previously cut off.

"To drive by the house, you wouldn't know the severity of the situation," said Neal. "But if you get close to the house, you'll see it's really shoddy work."

Some examples of what Neal describes as "shoddy work" includes the tape job on the wires, some of the siding that is held up by duct tape and the rotten window pane that was glazed over to keep it from falling out.

In the week following Neal's plea at the Council meeting, the property owner was "here more this week than ever before," said Neal. He only hopes that the maintenance will be ongoing and some of the stopgaps will be eschewed in favor of more lasting solutions, particularly in the case of the rotting roof and taped up service wires.

The Batavian attempted to contact the property owner. Our message was never returned.

What do you think? When does a problem property become more than just an eyesore?

Fixing up the Neighborhoods: Part Two: Drunk and Loud, Shut it Down

By Philip Anselmo

Earlier, in our discussion of what the city should and should not do to help deal with the potential blight of absentee landlordism and other problem properties, city resident John Roach told us to take a look at what he called the "Slum Lord" control law. Roach said that this law was proposed in 2005, then tabled, never to return again. We asked the city for this law, and the office of the clerk responded quickly and courteously, sending us a copy of the proposed law with the note that the law had "failed" at a meeting of the City Council on December 12, 2005.

We have telephone City Councilman Frank Ferrando twice, yesterday and today, left two messages and sent him an e-mail to inquire more about this law, and get his thoughts on how the city ought to handle the problem. Ferrando was president of Council when that law "failed" in 2005.

We thought some further conversation on the issue might benefit if we took a look at some excerpts from that "failed" proposal. Before we do so, let me sum up what I found in the law: This law does not seem aimed at controlling properties in decline due to absentee landlordism, otherwise known as slum lord properties, as has been suggested by John Roach. Rather, it seems to concern properties that are frequently cited for loud noise and drunken reveling.

That being said, let's first look at the reasons outlined in the 2005 proposal for instituting such a public nuisance control law:

The City Council, after public hearings, finds that there is an increasing use of real property within the City of Batavia for the purpose of flagrant violation of the penal and alcohol, beverage control laws as well as the codes of the City of Batavia relating to continued violations of the law.

The City Council finds that this situation seriously interferes with the interest of the public in the areas of quality of neighborhood life and environment; diminution of property values; safety of the public upon the streets and sidewalks; and increasing costs of law enforcement as a result of these illegal activities.

The City Council, therefore, finds it in the public interest to authorize and empower the appropriate city officials to impose sanctions and penalties for such public nuisances as an additional and appropriate method of law enforcement in response to the apparent proliferation of these public nuisances without prejudice to the use of any other procedures and remedies available under any other law.

Making sense of the legalese that follows is an arduous task. But this much we've figured out. This law gives city officials the right to act against "public nuisance" properties. Quaified as "public nuisance" properties are those that violated specific statutes—typically on two, three or four occasions—of either the state penal code, the alcohol beverage control law or city code (dealing with alcoholic beverages and noise).

Importantly, there are no details regarding problem properties that are not "kept up"—where the grass is waist high and the lawn is littered with trash, for example. That is, this law treats only those properties which are drunken and/or noisy.

So what happens to these properties if they are found in violation?

In addition to the enforcement procedures established elsewhere, the City Manager, or his designee, after notice and opportunity for a hearing, shall be authorized to:

A. Order the discontinuance of such activity at the building, structure or place where such public nuisance exists; and/or

B. Order the closing of said building, structure or place to the extent necessary to abate the nuisance, as prescribed below.

For more information, download a copy of the proposed law here, and be sure to check out Part One of this series, which features an interview with City Council President Charlie Mallow.

Rotten trees bite the dust

By Philip Anselmo

You may have noticed this scene driving by the Cornell Cooperative Extension on East Main Street in Batavia:

Several huge oak and silver maple trees have come down out front of the Extension over the past few days—one of them was more than 90 feet tall. We called Kimberly Amey at the Extension to find out what was going on.

It turns out that in a recent windstorm, a branch from one of these gargantuans broke off and like a missile shot down into the ground, getting stuck there. When the folks at the Extension saw the damage and the ease with which that branch came loose and turned projectile, they thought it was time to take a closer look at the trees. As you can see here to the right, some of them were so rotten they were hollow on the inside. There was nothing left to do but chop them down, said Amey.

For the most part the work was routine, but it turned out that inside one of the rotted trunks someone had poured concrete! Amey said that whoever did that thought it might be a safe way to stabilize the tree. She said that was what people used to do with dead trees to keep them from uprooting and impaling downtown structures if the winds got that bad. Well, maybe they weren't going to go sailing around Batavia like that, but you get the point. They could have caused some serious damage to the Extension building, at the very least.

On the bright side, the Extension hopes to soon plant some ornamental flowering trees, like you see in the back of the Extension at the main entrance facing the parking lot. Amey says they're looking for something that would look nice with the building. Here's a photograph of those trees out back that I took this spring.

Fixing up the Neighborhoods: Part One

By Philip Anselmo

We said yesterday that we'd be working on a series of posts related to neighborhood improvement issues. For the first part of our series—not that we've yet flesh out a second part—we would like to focus on problem properties, in particular: what they are and how to deal with them. We've already sent out questions on that topic and left messages with a couple members of the City Council. We expect to hit up a couple more. Council President Charlie Mallow was kind enough to get right back to us, and we have his answers below. He's got some real insights into the issue. Check out his comments.

We're also hoping to hear from you. When does a neighboring home turn from annoyance to nuisance to real problem? How should the city handle its problem properties? When should people be left alone?

Please be sure to check back with the site in the coming days and weeks. We hope to get up many more posts on this issue, which we're sure is an important one for this community.


Answers from Charlie Mallow:

How do you define a problem property?

A problem property is one that isn’t adding to the balance of a neighborhood. It’s the sore thumb of the area. Its owner is not keeping up with maintenance or its residents are causing disturbances. There also has to be some intent to avoid doing routine maintenance or create disturbances routinely. Since anyone could have health problems that keep them from being able to keep up with property maintenance from time to time.

When is it decided that a property owner has been given enough warnings? Is that threshold defined? What action then follows? What action ought to follow?

These thresholds are found in our code and state code. They are pretty ineffective; I would like to see some changes. I would like to see a property given notice and asked to respond, and then I would like to see a follow-up some time later, where a court appearance ticket is issued with a fine. We have been too easy in the past and people know how to work the system at this point.

What are the best ways to take preventive action against absentee landlordism?

Tough question. I believe you need to make it easier for people to own their own home. That’s easier said than done in our current mortgage crisis. Proper property maintenance inspections by city staff will take care of most of the problem. Our cities real issue is that we have not enforced the laws on the books for years. We have been understaffed and this has never been a priority of city government.

What is the difference between a slum lord and a lazy tenant or homeowner? Is there a difference if the outcome is the same? Ought they to be treated differently?

Right now there is no punishment for being a lazy or bad tenant. The landlord gets left holding the bag. There is another side to the problem. Most landlords are good people who care about and for their properties. There are some rotten apples but, we can’t keep beating on landlords and cast them all in a bad light. We need to find a way of punishing the right person. How? That is something we in the NIC (Neighborhood Improvement Committee) have talked about over and over again and can’t seem to find an answer for.

When should a tenant and not the landlord be held responsible for the condition of a property, if ever?

See above..


In the photo above is a neat home on Walnut Street. Batavia has many such colorful and interesting residences. We can only hope that the residents do their best to take care of them.

News roundup: Traffic woes

By Philip Anselmo

Residents of Batavia's southside neighborhood assembled outside the home of Anne Marie Starowitz on Chestnut Street yesterday to talk traffic, according to the Daily News. Several city officials came out. Also on hand were engineers from FRA Engineering, the firm that is handling the construction of the Oak Street roundabout.

Reporter Joanne Beck writes:

[Residents] fear what may happen once a roundabout project gets going next spring ... at the intersection of Walnut, South Main, Pearl, Oak and Franklin streets. The plan includes a detour along Route 98, at Law Street, to alleviate some traffic congestion near the construction zone. All of that detoured traffic will then spill into the southside neighborhood, the Starowitz's said.

Councilwoman Rose Mary Christian passed out a letter that said other parts of the city have also been affected by construction projects. That sounds like a good point to make. When we're talking about downtown construction projects and traffic detours, isn't there always a neighborhood that has to bear the brunt of it?

Anne Marie Starowitz:

"My major concern is this is just politics as usual. It's done, and your voice means nothing. These (City Councilmen) are elected to represent us. I'm really concerned about the children."

Residents were told that their concerns will be taken to the city for consideration.


Speaking of construction, the Genesee County Economic Development Center is about finished with all of its projects for the season, save for the Genesee Valley Agri-Business Park. Work will get underway on that project this fall, weather permitting.


Speaking of traffic, a pickup truck was engulfed in flames at the intersection of Lewiston Road and Veterans Memorial Drive in the town of Batavia yesterday afternoon. Traffic through the area was redirected while fire crews put out the blaze.

We encourage you to pick up a copy of the Daily News at your local newsstand. Or, better yet, subscribe at BataviaNews.com.

News roundup: Neighborhood blues

By Philip Anselmo

Articles today in the Daily News on the Batavia City Council meeting, the fire Monday morning in South Byron and the sentencing of Robert Kirkup yesterday in county court were all featured on The Batavian yesterday. That being said, Joanne Beck put together a fine piece on the Council meeting from last night that includes a little more information than was in our post.

Beck takes as the theme of her article: neighborhood problems, taking her cue from several residents who spoke at the meeting. One resident spoke of the problems caused on some city streets as the result of truck traffic being diverted through residential neighborhoods during road construction. Another spoke of zoning concerns. While a third discussed the problem of absentee landlords and detrimental property conditions. Rather than make this article about these three separate issues, Beck finds the common thread: all three are asking for the same thing: a decent neighborhood.

Our question to that: What does it take to make a decent neighborhood, and when does city government know to step in and help out and when to stand back and let be? We're hoping to take a closer look at that question over the next couple weeks, so look for more on that.


In other news, the town of Batavia hired a third-year engineering student from the Rochester Institute of Technology for $10 an hour to help the town "catch up with project work that includes two water districts and the town's farmland protection plan." Joseph Neth, who lives on Wilkinson Road, will work up to 40 hours per week for 13 weeks for the town as part of "a cooperative effort with area colleges that was started by the town last year."

Steak supper for under a sawbuck!

By Philip Anselmo

Emmanuel Baptist Church will be holding their annual "Swiss Steak Supper" Saturday, September 20, from 5:00 to 7:00pm at the church, 190 Oak St. In addition to the juicy steaks, diners can expect real mashed potatoes and a homemade dessert. It's only $8.50 per adult and $4.50 per child 6-12—kids 5 and under eat for free. Call (585) 219-4855 or 343-4905 to make your reservations today.

News roundup: Volunteer vacancies in the town and city

By Philip Anselmo

Two posts on the town of Batavia Assessment Board of Review and a post on the Batavia Concert Band Board of Directors are open, and willing participants are encouraged to apply, according to the Daily News. Folks interested in the assessment positions should get their application to the Batavia Town Hall. Call (585) 343-1729 for more information. For those looking to join up with the Batavia Concert Band, call Jason Smith at (585) 590-0743.

Election coverage in the Daily News was featured on The Batavian last night. Scroll down to view the posts.

In other news...

  • Helicopter flyovers have been spotting marijuana patches in Orleans County. "More than 300 marijuana plants have been yanked from plots in several towns." Genesee County's Drug Task Force went up a couple weeks ago and has so far spotted and pulled up 327 plants from Elba, Byron and Bergen.
  • Virginia Kropf's "Around the Towns" column is on page A-5 today. In it, she relates the story of Bathshua Brown, great-great-great-great grandmother to Bob Brown of Brown's Berry Patch. Interesting read.
  • Genesee County Highway Department will add a pair of "box culverts" at the east end of DeWitt Pond in the city. These culverts will act as pedestrian bridges over especially swampy patches of the pond to allow hikers more access to the trails there.

We encourage you to get out and pick up a copy of the Daily News at your local newsstand. Or, better yet, subscribe at BataviaNews.com.

News roundup: Names in the news

By Philip Anselmo

Whether the news is good, sad or bad, today's Daily News is mostly about people.

First, there's Annie Jones, a longtime nurse at United Memorial Medical Center who retired recently after 42 years at the hospital. Jones told the reporter that "even though I'm getting tired, I really love what I do."

Also in the news is Amy Johnson, who "has been named director of advancement at Notre Dame High School." Johnson formerly worked at Canisius College as the director of the annual fund and as director of marketing for the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra.

Paul Cregg, co-owner of the Center Street Smokehouse, was in the news again today. County Judge Robert C. Noonan will rule on whether Cregg is guilty of three felony charges by September 8 in a non-jury trial decision. Cregg is charged with failure to file corporate tax returns, offering a false instrument for filing and filing false returns on corporate taxes.


I hope that the Daily News considers itself fortunate to have Virginia Kropf on its staff. Every time she has a story in the paper, it's interesting. She may not be a great stylist. She may not turn the swankiest phrase. But Virginia Kropf has an eye and an ear for what makes small towns tick, and she brings to life with a cool-handed delivery the idiosyncracies that you can find around every corner.

Today, Kropf visits Eugene Beach of Oakfield who barters flowers for fruit. The story is a fun one and worth checking out.

So get out and pick up a copy of the Daily News. Or, subscribe at BataviaNews.com.

22nd Annual Labor Day Run & Walk

By Melissa George

Don't forget, on Monday, September 1, 2008 is the Batavia Area Jaycees 22nd Annual Labor Day 5K Run & Walk.  Proceeds will go to a local community organization: Genesee County AIDS Task Force.

Registration begins at 8am at MacArthur Park with the Race begining at 10am.

Day of the race registration is $15 for runners, $10 for runners.

For more details click on the 5k section at www.geneseeny.com/bataviajaycees or call 585-343-5775.

 

Muckdog Player Appearances

By Mollie Radzinski

In a recent post about low attendance at Muckdog games, some suggested getting players out into the community in order to get more people to fill the seats at Dwyer Stadium.  We do have player appearances scheduled.  Last Friday, pitchers Arquimedes Nieto and Hector Cardenas and catcher Christian Rosa were at Denny's from 11:30-12:20 signing autographs and meeting fans.

 Muckdogs Arqumedes Nieto, Hector Cardenas and Christian Rosa.

Players sign autographs for young Muckdog fans.

 

We have three other player appearances set-up in the near future:

-Friday, August 22: Denny's from 11:30-12:30 and Oliver's Candies from 12-1.

-Friday, September 5: Denny's from 11:30-12:30

These are some great opportunities to get to know the Muckdogs and ask them questions and get some autographs.  So, on your lunch breaks, get out to grab a bite to eat and meet some of the team, and then come cheer them on as they fight for a playoff spot this season!

Stuff the Bus!

By Philip Anselmo

From Community Action of Orleans and Genesee:

Community Action Angels of Genesee County will be collecting school supplies as well as shoes and sneakers every Thursday in August at K-Mart from 10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. for area needy school-age children. 

The requests for school supplies in past years have been overwhelming.  As gas and food costs continue to rise, children’s need for school supplies and sneakers or shoes can not be a priority for struggling families.  Families in need are more concerned (and rightly so) with enough food and money to pay household expenses as well as obtaining gasoline for their vehicle.  Rod Bellengee of The Salvation Army Incorporated (Empire State Division) generously donated backpacks.

You too can be an Angel and assist us in out efforts!  Community Action Angels will be at K-Mart (on Lewiston Rd) every Thursday in August from 10:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m. collecting school supplies, sneakers, shoes and socks for our needy school-age children.  (Gently used sneakers and shoes are graciously accepted).  Our own Head Start School Bus will be on hand to collect the donations.  A receipt for tax purposes is available for all donors.  Everything collected will be distributed to needy families to help their child(ren) start their year off on the right foot.

Can’t make it K-Mart on Thursdays?  You can drop off your donation at our office located at 5073 Clinton Street Road, Batavia.  For more information on Community Action Angels, donations or other programs please call 585-343-7798.

America needs real All-Stars

By Russ Stresing

     Last Tuesday evening found me in rare circumstance when I was in the same room for more than a few moments with both of my still-at-home kids.  Most times, one or the other is working,  or at a summer league game, or at a weight-lifting session, or at a basketball clinic, or at a friend's house, or at the computer, or in another room watching another show, or I'm out doing something of  little consequence.  It was just a roll of the dice that found us all together and still awake, even if just barely, in the heavy, close air of a July evening in Western New York.

     Channel-surfing, we came across the introductions for this year's MLB All-Star game.  None of us is a big baseball fan, but the combination of the approaching demise of Yankee Stadium and the presence of a number of Hall of Famers made for an irresistible mid-summer moment and was enough to pull the thumb off the remote. As the old-timers were announced, it occurred to me to quiz my 20-year-old daughter. At the time, I had no idea what prompted me to ask.

"Tell me what sport the person I name played.", I said.  It went like this: Joe DiMaggio. Baseball. Lou Gehrig. Baseball. Mickey Mantle. Baseball. Ty Cobb. Baseball. Gordie Howe. No idea. Bart Starr. Who? Oscar Robertson. Um...basketball? Kenny Norton. Not a clue.

It struck me that the game of baseball, regardless of its current state of popularity, is so woven into the fabric of our history that a kid who never played the game, a kid who played basketball since she was barely bigger than the ball, a kid who traveled across the country to play in a national college tournament knew more legends from baseball than she did from basketbal or any other sportl. Her recall of more recent retirees was pretty much limited to Reggie Jackson because of the movie, "Benchwarmers" and whomever had disgraced themselves sufficiently to be in the news. The people she knew aren't only baseball legends. They'ere historical figures.

My quiz session ended, we watched the introductions and then demonstrated our lack of appreciation for the game itself by scrolling past it to Family Guy. But, the episode has been rolling around in my mind, and I think I finally have a handle on it.

Baseball was once such an intrinsic part of American society that the impact of the notable figures from that time is deeply embedded enough into the national psyche that kids today who have no interest in the game still know the names of its heroes. That begs the question; what was it about the game back then that caused such a far reaching effect? My answer is that it wasn't the game. It was America's sense of community that was different. The echoes of the shared sacrifices that melded unlike parts into a communal whole resonated in the nation's love of and fascination for baseball. Sure, professional football was still growing, hockey was a regional league of just six teams, and basketball was finding its legs as a professional sports entity. Yes, to be sure, baseball stood alone atop the national consciousness in sports, but that doesn't explain why those names still connect with kids who's parents' parents were still learning to feed themselves. I think it was because America was still a nation of communities. The old-country still had enough of a grip on the sons and daughters of immigrants to put real zest into ethnic festivals, enough to create yearly anticipation from all over the town or city. Unions were as much about workers socializing around common experience as they were about organizing. Sure, people sent their kids to school to get educated, but they sent them into the neighborhood to get civilized. People wanted to be a part of the greater whole, consciously or not, and baseball was the top layer of this goulash.

This isn't to romanticize away the problems of past eras. The chain Emails that extol how wonderful it was 'back in the day' find their way into the Trash file on my Yahoo account as fast as on anyone else's. The point I'm making is that people were far more inclined to look outside themselves and their own interests to find validation, to feel like a part of something. And baseball was something that brought so many people together. You could root for your own team and hate the rivals, but you could share an appreciation for the game with almost all of America that they shared for no other sport. And that made you a part of a huge community of people with a shared love and appreciation of something bigger than yourself.. That's a hugely powerful component in developing a sense of communal experience. One that America lacks now.

The sense of shared sacrifice I referred to earlier is lost on us now. A lot of us are content to let other people's families fight our wars. A lot of us don't want to lose our scenic views to windmills that provide clean energy and jobs. A lot of us never want to change our social habits or lifestyle until we're forced into it. And then, a lot of us piss and moan, ad nauseum. That's the difference between then and now. Sacrifice has lost its luster. Sacrifice isn't admired. Sacrifice is a sucker's move. Sacrifice is surrender. That's the only common sentiment a lot of us share.

Except, a lot of us are wrong. Horribly, shamefully, damnably wrong. If sacrifice is shared, if its a rational decision, if it is in the common good, it brings us together as a community. A community beyond our narrow self-interests and prejudices. And its not the type of sacrifice that garners publicity or notoriety that bring us together. The saying goes, "Character is doing the right thing when nobody's watching". The true character of sacrifice is doing the right thing when its not just for your own benefit. Doing the little things right is shared sacrifice. Adding your name to a petition. Putting your recycling out. Walking when you can. Turning away from whatever BS news blurb competes for your attention to pay attention to what our fighting men and women are going through.

The names of legendary baseball players resonate in our minds more because of the people who watched them than because of the players'  fleeting accomplishments on the field. They resonate because the people who listened to their exploits, who followed their achievements were a community of Americans who shared in their love of  baseball the way they shared in their sense of  sacrifice. Maybe we don't share baseball in the singular way they did, but we need to start sharing sacrifice in the ways they did.

Muckdogs Double Header 7/14

By Amanda Cragg

The Batavia Muckdogs' home game tonight, 7/14, against the Aberdeen Ironbirds is a double header since the game was rained out on Sun., 7/13.  Game start time is 5:05pm.  Booster Club 50/50 sales will begin normal time, 6pm.  If I'm not mistaken, both games will be a total of 7 innings each, unless there's OT.

Muckdogs

By Amanda Cragg

Don't forget everyone...  Every Friday home game of the Batavia Muckdogs, from now until the end of the season, is scheduled to have fireworks every night after the game.

"Stagecoach Days" in Le Roy & musings on community

By Lorie Longhany

 

Genesee County is a unique patchwork of small towns and villages surrounded by farms and rural countryside. Le Roy is one of the thirteen towns that make up this patchwork and it’s where I have lived most of my life.   While our towns and villages across Genesee have been in transition the past couple of decades due to globalization and the advent of retail strip malls and Wal-Mart’s our Main Streets have suffered immeasurably.  However, this past Sunday with the help of some pretty smart planning by some innovative people, Main Street in Le Roy came alive with a sea of activity.
From 1:00 – 5:00 P.M. Main Street closed to the bustle of Rte 5 traffic and a good old fashion street party commenced. The event was called Stagecoach Days – named for the horse drawn Stagecoach rides that were provided by the Eagle Hotel, a historic landmark and local watering hole.   This in itself was unique and appeared to be great fun. The planners of this event -- The Leader Group  (a group made up of merchants and civic leaders) along with the great people from the Eagle, thought of some other wonderful attractions to delight the senses. A classic car show and a DJ provided just the right entertainment and attraction value to keep people on the street enjoying the festivities for hours. Local restaurants and gift shops got in on the action and set up on the sidewalk offering their wares and tasty treats.
With the soaring gas prices and lifestyle change that will follow, one silver lining may turn out to be a new sense of community similar to what I remember growing up with in the 60’s and early 70’s. Our Main Street in Le Roy was a flurry of activity back then. Any need or want could and was found on Main Street. What I remember most was the camaraderie and sense that we were all connected in the fabric called community.   The shop owners knew and greeted all of us by name as we frequented their establishments. This was the true sense of a village and while we may never go back, maybe a new Main Street will emerge in the shadows of the end of cheap oil. This is what the first annual Stagecoach Days reminded me of. People will look for entertainment options closer to home and these community events give all of us an option to save gas money, get reacquainted with our friends and neighbors,  and have a great time in our own backyards. It also spurs more success for our shop keepers on Main Street.
A friend of mine and I participated as vendors, displaying our artwork in the alley, and we both thoroughly enjoyed ourselves.  I commend the Le Roy Leader Group and the Eagle Hotel for organizing such a great event and look forward to the 2nd annual Stagecoach Days. 

 

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