Chuck and Kathy Walters just happened to be driving down Main Street, Batavia Saturday when they noticed some commotion on Jackson Street.

The entrance was closed, but the rhythmic beat of drums and tents along the street enticed them to stop for a visit.

“We didn’t know this was happening,” Mrs. Walters said during the annual Batavia Ramble Explore Art and Music Fest. “We watched the African drummers and dancing … it’s the first time I’ve seen African music that’s not on TV.”

Womba, a group of authentic African performers, was a new element to the music festival. Organized by GO ART!, a series of culturally rich musicians and dancers, artists, crafters and puppeteers filled the street with activities throughout the day.

The Walters found a spot at a picnic table to nosh on grilled hotdogs from a nearby food stand. Troupe Nisaa members, dressed in sparkly, colorful outfits, performed a traditional bellydance at one end while a singer belted out tunes at the Jackson Street stage on the other end near Ellicott Street.

“They should have more of these,” Mrs. Walters said, adding that they would “definitely” come again next year.

The Bergen couple agreed that it was nice to visit Batavia, especially since “they’ve got so much more than Bergen.”

When asked if they would like to see anything else at the event, Mr. Walters suggested a large sign with a schedule for visitors to know what’s happening, when and where. They had never attended a Ramble and had not been to Jackson Square before.

Mrs. Walters likes country western music, she said, and would like to see that featured.

Overall, though, she was ready for more.

“I would like a two-day event,” she said.

As the Walters finished and walked away, Jay and Christine Elmore and a friend, all of Le Roy, sat down to enjoy some Red Osier fare. Mrs. Elmore’s sandwich was filled with prime rib, coleslaw and barbecue sauce, capped by a roll with salty crystals promising a sweet and savory bite.

“This is so good,” she said.

She and her friend had gone to a concert at Batavia Downs Friday, and decided to return Saturday to use their freeplay money. They then stopped downtown, first at O’Lacy’s and then the Ramble just around the corner.

Foot traffic had thinned out some, and most art vendors had left by that time in the early evening. Mrs. Elmore suggested that a corn hole tournament would be a fun addition to draw people and provide more interaction.

“My husband is a huge cornhole (fan), that would be a big draw,” she said. “It would bring a lot of out-of-towners.”

Her husband Jay agreed that he’s really into the game, but not exactly sure why. His wife suggested that it’s about the competition and camaraderie of people getting together.

It may be something for Ramble organizers, including lighting and sound man Stephen Kowalcyk to consider for next year. During a talk with The Batavian, he had mentioned wanting to expand the offerings at Jackson Square, including themed music nights.

“This is an awesome asset to this music scene. Typically, I would like to see some new stuff in here. I've talked to the owners in here (Eli Fish), we have some ideas of doing some DJ nights out there, or doing an 80s night, one night, maybe a hip hop night or something just to change things up,” he said. “And I think that benefits all the restaurants around here. So it'd be a fun thing to do.”

See also:

• Ramble mixes art, dance, music, food and people for winning recipe Saturday
• Photos: Batavia Ramble Art and Music Festival 2022

Top photo: Chuck and Kathy Walters of Bergen stop for a bite during Batavia Ramble Explore Art and Music Fest Saturday downtown. Photo by Joanne Beck.

Womba entertains spectators at the GO ART! tent, a crowd enjoying the art vendors, food, and cultural performances on Jackson Street Saturday. Photo by Howard Owens.

Raymond Doward had a couple of tables full of his acrylics and watercolors during Saturday’s Batavia Ramble Explore Art and Music Fest.

Paintings focused largely on people — often in silhouette form — plus animals, landscapes, sports and a bit of politics, he said. There was a watercolor eagle with a U.S. flag in red, white and blue, and a portrait of former President Obama. Other works featured dogs, mostly of their faces, looking endearingly at the observer, and some abstracts that he's been including more recently, he said.

A Batavia native, Doward has a studio at Harvester Center and sells online through eBay. The soulful earthiness of his work seems to lend well to his role as a “minister of the Gospel.” Or maybe it’s the other way around.

A soft-spoken Doward feels as though he has a God-given talent that he’s not about to squander.

“I’ve always enjoyed art. I could be looking at the sky and think, oh, that'd be a beautiful painting, and it in and of itself inspires me,” said the 1978 Batavia High School grad. “I like painting families; the importance of family. Also, I love to see the work of other artists. And then I can kind of gain some insight.”

His biggest accomplishments so far have been to have a work published in International Artists contemporary magazine, he said, and to have another piece — in grays and turquoise-hued blues — licensed by NBC Universal Studios as a backdrop for the Megyn Kelly Today show.

“I do I feel like He gave me the gift and the talents and so I don't want to waste it,” Doward said. “I’m also trying to show my grandchildren that they can do the same thing if they are motivated and stay focused.”

His young granddaughter Aniya helped her grandfather at the vendor booth. It’s an understatement to say she appreciates his art.

“There's so many emotions about it. Yeah. Every piece is different and tells its own story,” she said. “When I get older, like when I get my own house, I already know no other painting will be in my house.”

For more information, check out Raymond Doward 

Meanwhile, down the alley between Jackson and Center streets, a main stage was rocking with continuous bands into the evening.

Spectators in lawn chairs were lined up in rows in front of the stage. Many people opted to duck inside adjacent Center Street Smokehouse or Eli Fish Brewing Company for a drink, food or to get some relief from the hot but gorgeous weather outside.

One spectator apparently fainted from the heat and had to be escorted out by stretcher for medical follow-up. That was a brief bump in the day, as all involved continued on with their tasks at hand.

Restaurant manager Sydney Carli said the day had been busy at Eli Fish. The restaurant had obtained a permit so that drinks could be taken outside, she said.

“It’s been great, the bar’s been hopping,” she said. “It seems like it’s been going really well.”

Organizers Stephen Kowalcyk and Paul Draper agreed that it was one of -- if not the -- best Rambles in its 15-year history. Kowalcyk estimated some 2,000 to 2,500 people in attendance throughout the day and early evening. Still, the event had a bittersweet taste to it, Draper said. Prior Rambles had up to three stages on nearby streets with 30 or more bands playing. This year featured 26 bands.

"I say bittersweet because the bands are back in business. And I love that, you know, everyone's working out for the holidays,  the bands are getting back out there getting gigs. It's a truly wonderful thing," Draper said. "So even though it's a little bit smaller on the band side this year, we had more things to offer on the art side. So I'm really, really pleased about that. And yeah, everyone that we had here this year, tremendous talents. I mean, everyone brought their A game, so I couldn't be happier."

See also:

• Time for some music, pedestrian-friendly fare and a visit during Batavia Ramble
• Photos: Batavia Ramble Art and Music Festival 2022

Top photo: Raymond Doward of Batavia shows one of his larger works on display at Batavia Ramble Art and Music Fest Saturday on Jackson Street, Batavia. Musician and longtime Ramble participant Michael Murray plays with Beethoven's Dream in Jackson Square, as spectators relax in their chairs during the all-day event. Photos by Howard Owens.

More sites from Saturday's Ramble Music & Arts Festival in Downtown Batavia.

See also:

• Ramble mixes art, dance, music, food and people for winning recipe Saturday
• Time for some music, pedestrian-friendly fare and a visit during Batavia Ramble

Top photo: Bill Macdonald playing with Beethoven's Dream Group

Photos by Howard Owens.

Kay Macdonald with Beethoven's Dream Group

Crimson Crossroads

Crimson Crossroads

High Pines

High Pines

The Remediators

Josh Groban performed last evening in front of 4,000 plus fans at Darien Lake Amphitheater along with opener Preservation Hall Jazz Band from New Orleans.  The six-piece jazz band played for 45 minutes, with many jazz standards that got the crowd grooving and warming them up for an evening of great music.

Josh Groban, singer-songwriter, has played multiple times in Western New York and his third time at Darien Lake during his more than 20-year career. The nationally known artist played piano and a drum solo during his performance.

The male vocalist who puts love and passion into the words of music he sang had two special guests. 

The first was Lucia Micarelli, an American actress and violinist who performed a solo and sang a duet on the Joni Mitchell classic, “Both Sides Now."

Indie-Folk singer Eleri Ward was his second guest. She sang a duet with Josh on “Not While I’m Around,” by Stephen Sondheim. 

His harmony Tour band featured an orchestra, with a harp, two drummers, string instrument performers, and two choirs who sang background harmonies.  Groban's wit and charm were well responded to by his fans who he chattered with between songs throughout the evening.  

Towards the end of the show, he noticed two fans who he asked to come up to the stage that he called his Grobanites. They wore custom shirts with Groban's face and different looks he has had over the years. He commented that the shirts needed to be added to his merchandise table.  He closed the night with his #1 song, "You Raise Me Up."

For his full tour schedule, click here.

Photos by Steve Ognibene

Photos of Preservation Hall Jazz Band

The Mighty Zep -- in the form of tribute band Get the Led Out -- landed hard and loud -- just the way Jimmy Page, Robert Plant, John Paul Jones, and John Bonham should be represented -- at Batavia Downs on Friday.

A capacity crowd rocked right along with a full set of Led Zeppelin classics. 

Get the Led Out -- a six-piece group -- provides faithful renditions of Zeppelin studio-recorded hits as fans have known them through the eras of vinyl LPs, 8-track and cassette tapes, CDs, and streaming.  GTLO is Paul Sinclair, Paul Hammond, Tommy Zamp, Phil D'Agostino, Adam Ferraioli, and Eddie Kurek.

Photos by Howard Owens.

Submitted by Joanne Meiser

Press release:

With the recent drier than normal weather and forecasted above-average temperatures, Genesee County officials are once again asking residents to conserve water. 

“Work on various water infrastructure projects continues in the effort to increase the water supply, but this process is complex and will take several years to complete,” said Genesee County Highway Superintendent and County Engineer Tim Hens.  “This work is to ensure that Genesee County has an adequate supply of water to meet projected demands for the next 100 years.”

County officials stressed it has plenty of water throughout the year on average days, but without conservation efforts, keeping up with demands during hot dry stretches is difficult. The County is again asking everyone to pitch in on water conservation efforts through the peak of summer heat.

“It’s important that we have the cooperation of residents in avoiding watering lawns, washing cars and filling pools on hot days. Water gardens at night or early morning when evaporation is less,” Hens continued. “We have contingency plans in place for emergency water supply and pumping, but if everyone works together to do their small part at conservation efforts we can avoid water supply issues.” 

Press release:

The Genesee County Sheriff’s Office new K9 obstacle course is located at the Genesee County Fire Training Center and is the result of a partnership with the Rochester Area Crime Stoppers.

All labor and materials from design, layout, construction, and completion were donated through a collaboration with local businesses that included several grants. No costs were incurred by taxpayers. We would like to thank the following partners for their hard work and dedication:

• Rochester Area Crime Stoppers, Joyce Palumbo, Board Member and K9 Initiative Chair
• CountryMax Stores, Brad Payne, Director of Sales
• Home Depot. Tim Mullen, Assistant Manager - Batavia Store
• KeyBank, Phil Muscato, Rochester Market President and Regional Commercial Executive, and Mark Krueger, Executive Assistant
• Genesee Valley BOCES Building Trades Program, Jon Sanfratello, Director of Instructional Programs, and Margaret Poray, Executive Principal - Batavia Campus
• Hoselton Auto Mall, Drew Hoselton, President, and Chris Cammarata, Leasing Manager with a special thank you to the Hoselton Auto Welding Team

The course will be utilized by law enforcement agencies for training purposes to simulate obstacles that K9 teams will most likely encounter in the field during

deployments. These obstacles include crawling under porches, jumping through house/building windows, climbing ladders, and walking on unstable surfaces. This training will provide handlers and their K9 partners the confidence to complete these tasks in the field. The course will primarily be used by the Genesee County Sheriff's Office K9 unit as well as other outside law enforcement K9 units upon request and availability.

“We are very fortunate to have a community that continuously supports our K9 program. Thank you to all the individuals that made this course a reality for our Office and other law enforcement agencies to utilize,” stated Undersheriff Bradley Mazur. 

Photos by Alecia Kaus/Video News Service

Press Release

The City of Batavia Water Department will be repairing a water main break in the Walnut and Law Street area. Adjoining streets should not be impacted during the time of this repair. The length of time the water will be off is unknown.

Traffic will not be closed in the area of Walnut and Law streets while the repairs are being made.

As always, when the water is restored it may be discolored. Please refrain from doing any laundry until the water runs clear.

We apologize for any inconvenience and the public’s patience is greatly appreciated.

After an eight-year break, the boy band Big Time Rush is back with all four original members  -- Kendall Schmidt, James Maslow, Logan Henderson and Carlos PenaVega -- on board, with three new singles added to their three-album catalog and a major tour underway.

In returning to the music scene, Henderson, Maslow, PenaVega and Schmidt plan to be more involved in all aspects of Big Time Rush’s career. Where Nickelodeon (which ran four seasons of the group’s television series, “Big Time Rush”) and Columbia Records gave the group plenty of resources for promotion first time around, Big Time Rush is now an independent operation. Nevertheless, Schmidt reported that ticket sales for the Forever tour have been strong.

“I think we’re one of the few independent artists who’s able to do a nationwide tour that’s doing as well, and we might be one of the only ones,” Schmidt said during a Zoom interview with all four band members. “We’re doing our music independently, we’re doing this tour independently…It’s really exciting because we were always into this vision of wanting to be the creative force behind (the group), but now we actually get the chance to do that. What you’re seeing is 100 percent (us).”

Big Time Rush Forever Tour is set for 8 p.m. July 3 at Darien Lake Amphitheater at Six Flags Darien Lake Theme Park. 

If things go as planned, fans will be seeing and hearing Big Time Rush for years to come.

“This is a reunion tour, but it certainly isn’t just one reunion tour,” Maslow said. “We plan on continuing to do our music and continuing to tour and continuing to grow. The sky’s the limit.”

As for the live show, it will be bigger and better than anything the four singers have done before, featuring a more elaborate stage set with five levels and a more cohesive presentation.

“I feel like this go-around we have the most put-together show we’ve ever had,” PenaVega said. “Things flow better, there’s not a lot of breaks in between songs. There are like a lot of transition pieces, and it really feels like one big solid show. Before they were great shows, but it was a little more free form. I think this is more polished.”

Photo: Submitted photo.

Alan Scully is a freelance music feature writer.

City Council took a final step this week toward getting some new sidewalks on five city streets.

During its business meeting, the group approved a contract with Master’s Edge, Inc. to replace approximately 6,400 linear feet of sidewalks and handicap accessible ramps on portions of Chase and Fisher parks and Seneca, Miller and Columbia avenues.

Work has already begun to repair sections of those streets, and the sidewalks are part of a “complete streets” program to pair adjacent walkway replacement with milling and paving of streets.

The contract is with Master’s Edge, Inc. of Cheektowaga as the lowest responsible bidder of $493,500 for the project. As part of the vote, Council also agreed to budget increases of $94,500 to each the revenue and expense accounts. State-funded Consolidated Highway Improvement Program money is to help with the remaining expense.

Meanwhile, over on Richmond Avenue, between Oak and State streets, motorists can expect delays as street resurfacing is to begin July 6.

From concrete to fluid ...
Another city initiative is to update water meters. Forget going door-to-door for readings, Water and Wastewater Superintendent Michael Ficarella says, installing radio heads will allow the readings to be done remotely and more efficiently from outside the home.

Some one-third of city meters have already been changed out for the higher-tech radio heads, and the remaining meters need to be done eventually, Ficarella said during the meeting.

He estimated that it would take up to six months for completion, as appointments will have to be made with homeowners to get inside access to their water meters. Council President Eugene Jankowski suggested that evening appointments be considered as an option to make it more convenient for those that work during the day.

Having such technology will mean “real-time” readings, City Manager Rachael Tabelski said. Jankowski added that it should also help alleviate undetected and ongoing water leaks. A message could be sent to the homeowner “ a lot quicker and sooner,” he said, improving the whole process.

Think that little drip, drip, drip won't cost much extra? A 1/32 inch drip adds up to 18,500 gallons per quarter, the city's website states. For more information about water leaks, how to prevent them and how much they can increase your total bill, go to the city's Water Leak page.

City Council voted to submit a consolidated funding application for the Green Innovation Grant Program for water meter upgrades.

The total cost is expected to be $1.97 million, and the city needs to commit a 25 percent local match as part of the grant application. That local match of $492,100 would be paid with Water Fund reserves, Tabelski said.

In other action, Council approved the appointments of Nicholas Harris, Marc Staley, and Paul Battaglia as citizen members, and Bob Bialkowski and Tammy Schmidt as council representatives of the city’s Audit Advisory Board.

File photo of a city street being paved. Photo by Howard Owens.

Press release:

Working with GO ART!, the Arts Council for Wyoming County (ACWC) and the Genesee Valley Council on the Arts (GVCA), ten local artists announced today they received an Artist Employment Program (AEP) grant from Creatives Rebuild New York (CRNY). Designed to support employment opportunities for artists, the program is funding 98 collaborations involving a dynamic group of 300 artists employed by community-based organizations, municipalities, and tribal governments across New York State. CRNY has awarded a total of $49.9M in funding to support artists’ salaries and benefits, with an additional $11.7M in funding provided to the organizations holding employment.

“If we are to truly rebuild our amazing state, we must celebrate artists’ contributions not only to the economy but to what makes us human,” says Creatives Rebuild New York's Executive Director Sarah Calderon. “The incredible work being funded through CRNY’s Artist Employment Program underscores the importance of direct support for both individual artists and the organizations that hold their employment.”

The artists will work with the three arts councils to provide arts programming throughout the region. The ten artists, listed below, are skilled in diverse visual and performing arts, including painting, sculpture, music, choreography, and theater. They will collaborate over a two-year period to create various exhibits, performances, classes and experiences. GO ART!, ACWC, and GVCA will collectively receive $1.5 million to support the collaboration, including artists’ salaries and benefits.

The ten artists included in this project are:

• Dan Butler, visual artist and muralist
• Ted Canning, musician and teaching artist
• Ruben Ornelas, choreographer and dancer
• Jill Pettigrew, visual artist and teaching artist
• Susan Ferrari Rowley, sculptor
• Rashaad Santiago, special effects artist and director
• Gaitrie Devi Subryan, choreographer and dancer
• Annette Daniels Taylor, poet, filmmaker and actress
• Paul Thomas, ceramicist
• Keith Walters, photographer and videographer

“The artists and staff of GO ART!, ACWC, and GVCA worked really hard on getting this grant. We are proud and beyond excited for this opportunity,” said Gregory Hallock, Executive Director for GO ART!. “This truly is an amazing, talented, and hard-working group of artists and art administrators. Look out Genesee, Livingston, Orleans, and Wyoming Counties; we are going to be providing some amazing programming and art displays. Make sure to follow us on our social media pages and help us make art happen!"

Artist Employment Program recipients were selected through a two-stage process by a group of twenty external peer reviewers alongside CRNY staff. From an initial pool of over 2,700 written applications, 167 were shortlisted for interviews with reviewers. To view the list of 98 Artist Employment Program participants, visit https://www.creativesrebuildny.org/participants/.

For more information about Creatives Rebuild New York’s Artist Employment Program, please visit creativesrebuildny.org. 

Photo: File photo of Rashaad Santiago from 2017. Photo by Howard Owens

Press Release

Work on the federally funded project identified as Richmond Avenue (Oak Street to State Street) and Harvester Avenue Preventive Maintenance Project is expected to begin on July 6, 2022.

Construction will begin with the replacement of damaged sections of sidewalk on the north side of Richmond Avenue from Oak Street to New York Place then full replacement to State Street, followed by replacement of damaged sections of sidewalks on the south side of Richmond Avenue from Oak Street to Ellicott Avenue.

Sidewalk replacement on Richmond Avenue will be done simultaneously with the milling and paving of Richmond from Oak Street to State Street.

Construction on Harvester Avenue is expected to begin at the end of July.

Traffic delays should be expected; however, no street closures are anticipated at this time. We apologize for any inconvenience, and thank the public for their patience.

Batavia wants to buy back some lights from National Grid.

No small order, the purchase totals more than $226,000. The move will allow city public works crews to perform their own, more immediate, maintenance and repair of all lights throughout the city, City Manager Rachael Tabelski says.

“We do have a great working relationship (with National Grid). I think their ability to service the lights as quickly as they go out, sometimes it's difficult. They do their best to keep the lights up to date and to replace them, but there's definitely advantages to moving to the LED lights; we will have less outages,” Tabelski said during an interview with The Batavian. “And when we do have an outage, we'll be able to take care of them in house right in the city.”

Phase I to replace all regular lights with LEDs has begun, with a goal to have all LED lights in the city within the next six months, she said. This plan is to save on energy consumption, maintenance and expense while improving the overall quality of light that’s emitted.

According to the city’s presentation materials, LED (light-emitting diode) type lights are directional, which reduces light “trespass” onto adjacent properties and dark spots between street lights. They are also said to have a “higher color rendering index,” which allows the human eye to detect colors better, improving drivers’ ability to see pedestrians or other potential hazards.

City Council President Eugene Jankowski liked the idea when presented earlier this week at a council meeting.

“So they’ll be brighter, less costly, and we’ll have more control over them,” he said.

Council is expected to vote on the purchase of 948 lights for $226,038 at its July 11 meeting. A letter will also be sent to National Grid requesting the buyback, followed by a purchase and sales agreement to be approved by the Public Service Commission, Tabelski said.

Once the PSC approves, National Grid and the city of Batavia will close on the streetlight sale. At that point, the city will own and maintain its own lights, and will continue to pay National Grid for electric and delivery, but not for operations and maintenance costs.

The entire LED conversion program is to cost an estimated $1.7 million, to be paid for through long-term financing and the yearly cost savings of more energy efficient LEDs, Tabelski said.

Photo: Traditional streetlights, on the left, cast an orange glow, versus the whiter LED lights on the right. Photo part of the City of Batavia LED Street Light Conversion program.

Press release:

Notre Dame is pleased to announce the following teaching and staff positions for the 2022-2023 school year.

We are pleased to announce that Kristen Gomez will have an enhanced role on our Administrative Team. In addition to her role as the Director of Academic Advisement and Learning Center teacher, Mrs. Gomez will become our Registrar and take on responsibilities specific to administrative leadership.

Amanda Coggiola has accepted the position of Administrative Assistant to the Office of Academic Advisement. Mrs. Coggiola comes to us with enthusiasm and we are pleased to welcome her to this position at ND. We thank Karen Rapone for her many years of service and wish her well upon her retirement.

Karina Treleaven has accepted the position of part-time Spanish teacher for our Junior High. In addition to her teaching duties, she is a proud parent of an upcoming senior and freshman at Notre Dame. We look forward to having her share her skills with our students and staff.

Press release:

Today, Mario Fratto’s campaign announced the endorsements of three county-level endorsements by the Conservative Party: Genesee, Ontario, and Seneca.

Genesee County Conservative Chair Julie Ann Bolas-Carasone said:

Let’s show everyone that the establishment politicians, that ignore us, and don’t work for us, will not be voted for. We need real leaders and that is Mario!

Mario made the following statement:

I am so grateful and honored to receive these Conservative endorsements. I am the only candidate who is from this district, and actually has skin in the game. I am raising my family here, and almost everybody I love and care about calls this district home. Claudia Tenney isn’t from here, and supports amnesty, Red Flag laws, overseas wars, and the woke transgender agenda. We won’t allow the corporate elites to buy this election, just to install another career politician. The people are waking up, and we refuse to be ruled by DC insiders. The establishment has failed us for far too long, and now their time is up!

Mario Fratto’s family has been in the district for five generations. He is an attorney and runs his family’s granite construction business. He is the only true America First conservative in the race and more information can be found at marioforcongress.com. 

Press release:

Genesee County Office for the Aging does not yet have the Farmers Market Coupons, due to a delay with the shipment.

At this time we will not be able to distribute coupons until after July 5.  We will post updates as we get them.

We apologize for any inconvenience.

The Genesee County Sheriff's Department is investigating a one-vehicle accident that occurred about 9:20 a.m. in the area of 3919 Lockport road in Elba. 

According to Deputy Robert Henning, the truck, from Buffalo Auto Auction, was heading west on Lockport road with a camping trailer in tow, when the driver says he swerved to avoid an animal in the roadway. The truck then went off the south shoulder of the road and struck a tree. The accident caused the camper to break apart and debris covered a wide area behind the truck. 

The male driver of the vehicle had to be extricated from the vehicle as there was entrapment and heavy damage to the front end of the truck after the collision with a tree. The driver was conscious and alert and suffered a serious injury to his lower body and legs. He was transported by Mercy Flight to ECMC with non-life-threatening injuries.

The roadway will remain closed for some time as the wreckage from the camper is cleared away and the truck is towed from the scene. 

Photos by Alecia Kaus/Video News Service