Event

A new program is offered at Richmond Memorial Library in Batavia during winter break.

Storytellers, Rebecca and Rachel Oshlag will enchant you with winter tales during our special Winter Wonder-filled Storytelling program on at 2:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 2. After stories we will create snow globes and sip cocoa.

Registration is required. Children ages 6 and up are welcomed. The library is located at 19 Ross St.

For more information call the library 343-9550, ext. 4, or visit our Web site: www.batavialibrary.org

Community residents and music enthusiasts are invited to attend a Valentine's Day performance by Natalia Zukerman, a unique slide guitarist, singer, songwriter and visual artist whose musical influences include folk, jazz, blues, rock, bluegrass, country and classical music.

A resident of Brooklyn, Zukerman brings her "urban restlessness" and "rootsy warmth" to the Stuart Steiner Theater at Genesee Community College at 7 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 14. Ticket prices are adults $12; GCC alumni, seniors, staff $10; and GCC students with valid ID are $6.

Zukerman has been described on public radio as "an example of the finest Americana" as she combines her guitar playing with seductive vocals, unapologetic lyrics and sharp wit. The Valentine's Day concert will appropriately be called, "Dusty Valentine."

All proceeds from the concert will be dedicated to two Genesee Community College student clubs, specifically the Criminal Justice and Veterinary Technology student organizations will benefit from the program.

This is a Fun Family Event!

When: Saturday, September 29, 2012  10:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.

Where: St. Paul Lutheran Church & School, 31 Washington Ave., Batavia

The Berhloz German Band will perform from 12 noon - 3:00 p.m.

German Potato Salad, Bratwurst, Hot Dogs, Hamburgers, Desserts, and much, much, more!

Craft Vendors, Chinese Auction, Dunk Tank, Fun for All!

Come Rain or Shine!

For more information call 585-343-0488

In order to meet the needs of the community, there will be Warm Line Volunteer Listener Training from 1 to 4 p.m. on Tuesday, June 19, at the Mental Health Association, located at 25 Liberty St. in the City of Batavia. The Warm Line is a peer-to-peer award-winning program of the MHA that provides support and encouragement to individuals in our community. The Warm Line is in operation from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m., 365 days a year. If you would like to find out more about this training opportunity or general Warm Line services, please contact Charley DelPlato, Warm Line coordinator at 344-2611.

Join us at 10:30 a.m. on Thursday, June 7, at the Richmond Memorial Library for a Fancy Nancy Tea Party. The library is located at 19 Ross St. in the City of Batavia.

Be ready to transform into a beautiful butterfly, listen to a few Fancy Nancy stories and enjoy a fancy dessert. Come dressed in your fanciest outfit!

Recommended age for participation is 3 years old and up.

Please register by June 4 so that we have the right amount of goodies at the program. For more information please visit our website at www.batavialibrary.org or call us at 343-9550, ext 4.

The premiere Pillage the Village "Yarrrd" Sale will be held at College Village, adjacent to the Batavia campus of Genesee Community College, starting at 11 a.m. on Thursday, May 10, rain or shine! It ends at 5 p.m.

College Village is located at 8170 Batavia-Stafford Townline Road.

The College Village residential community is winding down for the summer as students prepare to leave at the end of the semester. This means a golden opportunity to fill the coffers of with some prized bounty!

Instead of filling Dumpsters and landfills with unwanted, but still very unusable household items and other loot, students will be selling their goods during the first Pillage the Village Yarrrd Sale. Cash only!

On the same day, GCC's Alpha Epsilon Gamma service organization will hold a rummage sale in the College Forum from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

The American Red Cross invites you to participate in the second annual Bill Young Memorial Blood Drive at the First United Methodist Church in Batavia.

It will be held from 2 to 7 p.m. in the social hall, located at 8221 Lewiston Road.

Please call 1-800-RED-CROSS to schedule your appointment. Ask about Double Red Cell donation. Walk-ins are welcome. PLEASE BRING I.D.!

(If you donated blood on or before Feb. 21, you are again eligible to donate.)

This month, in honor of America's Pastime, the American Red Cross asks you to "get in the game and help save lives by donating blood." It only takes about an hour of your time and your one donation could help save up to three lives!

April donors can enter for a chance to win a $50 gift card to use toward team gear or tickets to cheer on your favorite major or minor league baseball team.

The 15th annual showcase featuring antiques, collectibles, artworks for sale and appraisals will be held from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, May 12, at the Elba department rec hall. For the first time ever -- admission is FREE!

The fire hall is located on Route 98 in Elba.

There will be basket raffle and 50/50 drawings. Dave Cutitta, a Batavia dealer in coins and precious metals for 40 years, will be buying, selling and appraising silver and gold coins and scrap.

Lunch available.

There will be 50-plus tables of advertising, buttons, jewelry, glassware, pottery, primitives, Victorian, postcards, handmade silk scarves, felted purses, paintings, quilting, Mother's Day gifts, candy, and folk art. Something for everyone. Don't miss it!

Submitted by a reader:

Twelve months ago I almost lost my dad. He had a massive stroke on February 22nd, 2011 as a result of high-blood pressure. It was the day after my mom’s 50th birthday party and I was 22 weeks pregnant with his first grandson.

My dad, Doug Hagen, is my Superman. He is the most kind-hearted, hardest working, funniest and by far one of the smartest people I’ve ever known. He has owned and operated his own business for over 20 years which has always kept him close to home and always available to his family.

He lived to work and worked to live. If I ever needed anything I would call him, he seemed to know everybody one way or another and had the answer to any question.

My dad, who is use to spending most of his day outside either working, snowmobiling or at his camp, has since spent the past year of his life in a hospital and in rehab. He’s made more progress than ever expected and is more determined than ever to get his life back.

His family and friends are hosting a Spaghetti Dinner Fundraising Benefit from noon to 4 p.m. on Sunday, April 1st at the South Alabama Fire Hall to help assist with this recovery costs. Please take a moment out of your day to help support a prominent member of your community and help me get my Superman back.

Tickets are $10 for adults and $5 for children 12 and under. Presale tickets are also available. Call 297-4144 for tickets.

The fire hall is located at 2230 Judge Road in the Town of Alabama.

The Genesee-Orleans Regional Arts Council (GO ART!) announces a Call for Artists to submit work for its first Digital Art Show, to be exhibited at the Batavia and Medina satellite galleries this March and April.

The registration deadline is Friday, Feb. 17.

Digital art is defined as artwork or prints created or manipulated by digital (computer) means. Artists and art students of all ages in Genesee and Orleans counties are invited to participate. There is no cost.

The exhibit will run from March 7 to April 27 at GO ART! satellite galleries in the Genesee County Senior Center in Batavia and in the Shirt Factory Cafe in Medina.

Information, guidelines and the registration form are available from GO ART! at Seymour Place, 201 E. Main St., Batavia. They are also available on the “For Artists” page on the GO ART! web site at www.goart.org.

An opening reception for both exhibit sites is scheduled for Friday, March 16.

If you have any questions, please contact GO ART! at 343-9313 or email info@goart.org. GO ART! exhibits are made possible, in part, with public funds from the New York State Council on the Arts, a state agency.

For more information, contact GO ART! at 343-9313, or info@GOart.org or visit www.GOart.org.

JOIN US FOR A WINTER GEOCACHING LEAP DAY EVENT !!

Event:  GC39DCC - LEAP....MEET....and RIDE! (http://coord.info/GC39DCC)

What:  A geocaching event celebrating the third Leap Day in geocaching history and promoting the Herschell Carrousel Museum

When:  Wednesday, February 29, 2012

Time:  5:30pm - 7:30pm

Where:  Herschell Carrousel Museum, North Tonawanda

Who:  Any and all geocachers, and anyone interested in learning about geocaching!

Have you heard of Geocaching?  If not, it is a high-tech treasure hunting game that takes place around the world.  You use your GPSr unit, or other navigational device, to hide and seek containers worldwide. Basically, you upload coordinates from a geocaching website, you plug them in to your GPSr, follow the coordinates and start looking for a container.  The container could be as small as your fingertip or as big as a .50 cal ammo can (rarely larger).  Once found, you will normally find a logbook to sign and some trinkets to trade.  It is a great year-round outdoor activity!!  You get a lot of exercise (sometimes without even realizing it) and you get to visit some neat historic and scenic places.

Registration is encouraged at Geocaching.com (direct link to listing: http://coord.info/GC39DCC).  An account is required to register and is absolutely free!  Donations of $3.00 per adult and $2.00 per child aged 12 and under are requested to help cover costs.

The event is specifically trying to promote:

• that geocaching is year-round.  This event is the perfect excuse to geocache during the winter months!
• that this is a once-every-four-years opportunity and a great way to meet some of those geocaching challenges, such as caching 366 days a year!
• a great place to meet and greet cachers you've read about in the logbooks of the caches you've found.  You can put faces to the names!
• the Herschell Carrousel Museum, with the event being held there
• the cache GC26TX5 Once Around is Never Enough! (http://coord.info/GC26TX5) which promotes our local history of the carrousel

Hopefully, we will see you there!!

AMERICAN CANCER SOCIETY GENESEE COUNTY’S RELAY FOR LIFE FUNDRAISER CLOR’S CHICKEN BBQ - 4169 W. Main St JANUARY 28TH - 11:00 TIL"gone"  $8.50 = ½ CHICKEN, 2 SIDES, ROLL & BUTTER Don’t be shy, stop and come on inside!  With the weather being colder we are serving inside, see you there!

There will be a benefit dinner for Diana Winspear Beechler given by her family at 6 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 21, at the Oakfield Fire Department.

Clor's chicken bbq tickets are available from now until Jan. 13 for $8.50. Please contact Beth at 585-813-5531 or myself, Diana, at 585-297-5995 to purchase tickets.

We will have a live DJ, 50/50 raffle and raffle baskets.

The fire department is located at 20 Albert St. in the Village of Oakfield.

I would like to thank everyone for their support, prayers and well wishes during this time for myself and my family it has meant so much to us.

Thank you everyone!

From 3 to 8 p.m. on Saturday, June 11, there will be dinner, a Chinese auction and raffles to offset the medical expenses for a Bethany firefighter battling cancer.

It's at the Bethany Fire Department Recreation Hall, located at 5253 Old Telephone Road in East Bethany.

Tickets are $15 per person. Call 356-5440 or 703-9410 for information or tickets. There will also be tickets available at the door.

The website is at http://www.bethanyvfd.com

The Town of Batavia Republican Committee Picnic is set for Friday June 24 and will run from 5 p.m. until dark in the Kiwanis Batavia Town Park. It is located at 3808 W. Main St. Road.

Tickets $10 for Adults, $5 for children and free for children under 5.

Tickets are available from committee members or calling or emailing Sharon at 356-5306 or sharon.09@vzw.blackberry.net

Menu includes hotdogs, macaroni salad, baked beans, chips, lemonade, coffee and assorted desserts. Entertainment will be provided by the Fraterrigo Family.

The 2011 Community Citizen Award will be made at the picnic. Many door prizes will be given out, too.

This is open to the public – everyone is encouraged to attend but please reserve your tickets.For more information, please call Kathy Jasinski at 762-8239.

(About the Fraterrigo Family: Ranging in age from 6 to 13, the Fraterrigo Family children thrive ontheir love of music. Under the guidance and leadership of their mother, Stacey, they have put together a wholesome musical experience with mother/daughter harmony and instruments such as the banjo, mandolin, fiddle, guitar and upright bass. Although most of the children are being classically trained, their show consists of bluegrass, folk and traditional American music. The Fraterrigo Family has been performing publically for four years in Western New York.)

The 30th annual Donald R. Carroll Run/Fun Walk will be held at 5 p.m. sharp on Saturday, Aug. 20, 2011 as part of the activities scheduled for the 2011 Summer in the City.

Registration will take place from 2 p.m.. until 4:50 p.m. in Jackson Square the day of the run/walk. Registration forms will be available online at doncarrollrace.com. The entry fee is $20 prior to the run/walk and $25 the day of the event.

The race/walk will start and end at Wendy's on Main Street in Batavia.

The first 200 individuals with paid registrations will receive race/walk T-shirts. A post run/walk party will be in Jackson Square following the event where participants will be treated to a chicken bbq, hot dogs, fruit, munchies, water and soda.

Friends and guests may also attend the run/walk post party by making a $5 donation. Music and dancing will also be available.

Proceeds from the run/walk will go toward Don Carroll's Toys for Kids campaign. Anyone interested in volunteering the day of the race may contact Don Carroll at donaldrcarroll@yahoo.com.

Saturday, for National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day, members of the Batavia Police Department will be in the parking lot of department HQ, 10 W. Main St., Batavia, to collect unwanted prescription drugs and hypodermic needles.

No questions asked.

The event runs from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

The drop off is open to all people regardless of where they reside. Additionally, nursing homes, doctors offices and other organizations wishing to dispose of unwanted prescription drugs and or hypodermic needles may use the service.

As an added bonus, people disposing of unwanted prescription drugs will receive a certificate for a free seat at a Buffalo Bisons home game between May 5 and 12 when one ticket is purchased for the same game.

BHS Class 1981

The Batavia High School Class of 1981 is planning their 30^th Class Reunion August 5-7^th.

The activities will begin with a group mixer on Friday evening at  the Batavia Downs Casino Grandstand Bar & Grill at 8:30 p.m.

Classmates will gather on Saturday from 2-8 p.m. at the Genesee County Park Pavilion D, for a family chicken BBQ .

The weekend of events will conclude on Sunday with a brunch at Terry Hills at 11 a.m.

Alumni are asked to join the Facebook page http://on.fb.me/e2FiaC at Batavia High School Class of 1981 30^th Reunion or call David Penepent for more details at 585-356-4929.