The Sheriff's Office has received a report of a stolen gray 2004 Honda CRV from a residence on West Bergen Road in Bergen.
The vehicle was last seen heading west.
The caller states there isn't much gas in the car, "so he shouldn't make it very far."
Patrols in the area have been alerted.
Submitted by Michael Rapone:
Results from week #3 at the Buff Rice Remix League:
Warriors 29 vs Heat 28
|The Warriors have kept their momentum going and won their third straight to remain undefeated. The Heat came back late in the second half but couldn’t get any closer. Patrick Casey hit a layup with 2 seconds left to make it a one-point game, but the Warriors let the time run out, and it was over. Drew Schultz led the Warriors with 10 points. Ethan Thom chipped in 7 with 8 rebounds, and Teigan Porter had 6 points and 5 dimes. Vin DiLaura scored a bucket and Saywer George had 4 points. Patrick Casey finished with 15 in the loss, Harlan Campbell had 8, and Lincoln Metz had 5 for the Heat.Celtics 16 vs Lakers 32
The Lakers got their first win of the season as they spread the scoring around with 5 players in the scoring column. Liam McAlister led the Lakers with 10 points and 10 rebounds. Lilian Thompson had a great game as well with 9 points, and 7 rebounds. Also getting in the scoring column for the Lakeshow was Noah DeLong with 6, Vin LaBarbara with 4 and Brody Arroyo with 3. The Celtics playing shorthanded for the second week without the likes of Jack Hilchey, were led by Noah Radam and Brody Wilson with 5 points each.Standings:
- Warriors 3-0
- Celtics 1-2
- Lakers 1-2
- Heat 1-2
Carolina 21 vs Duke 20
The undefeated Tar Heels were able to fend off the charging Duke Blue Devils and grab the one-point win. Luke Hungerford once again led Carolina with 10 points. Benny DiLaura back off the injured reserve, popped in 6 points and mainlined the defensive mentality into the veins of the Tar Heels. Denny Crowley and Amaeus Barclay also showed up in the scorebook for the Heels. Duke was led by Barrett Jones, who paced them with 12 points. Also chipping in were Junior Thompson and Alex Tomidy with 3 each, and Mateo Spink with 2.Duke 25 vs Syracuse 22
Duke was able to shake off the one-point loss in the early game and come back to get a three-point win in the second game. Jones was again the leader for them as he pumped in 11. Mateo Spink had a great second game with 7, and Junior Thompson had 5. Gino Fava rounded out the scoring with a bucket! For Syracuse, Jackson Therrien led the way with 13. Charlie Rapone had a career-high 5, and Parker Davis chipped in with 4.Standings:
- Carolina 4 - 0
- Duke 2 -2
- Syracuse 0 - 4
Submitted photos.
8976 Wilkinson Road Batavia-Town. Solid country home that packs in a lot of value! This 3 bedroom home has been updated and modernized throughout the years and offers a lot! Perfect for the starters and the down-sizers! There is a first floor bedroom and full bath on the first floor for those that need, and an additional larger two bedrooms up as well as a convenient upstairs laundry-washer and dryer to stay! First floor has open floor plan with eat in kitchen and large pantry closet as well as a large open back room for tons of storage needs or even office/playroom possibilities! Starting with the inviting full open porch and the awesome HUGE COVERED back porch leading to pool, the yard is just perfect for all kinds of outdoor activities! The back is fully fenced and has two large utility sheds AND an awesome fully insulated hobby or "play" shed ideal for so much, everyone will argue over who gets it!! The lot is just over an acre located in Pembroke School District and perfectly situated to town for shopping and thruway entrances and all major routes! Call Reliant Real Estate today! 585-344-HOME (4663).
Press Release:
On Saturday, October 28, St. James Episcopal Church will be hosting “Ah, Sweet Music!”, a concert and dessert tasting in Memory of David Lange to benefit the church’s organ chamber preservation. David served as the organist at St. James from 1995 until 2022.
The evening will feature a variety of music by many who knew and loved David. Appearing will be Emily Helenbrook, soprano; John Novak, piano and organ; David Hirsch, alto saxophone; The Genesee Chorale Select Ensemble with Ric Jones, conductor and Doug Hanson, piano; Brass Quintet and Percussion with John Novak, organ, Brandon Luce, trumpet, Dakota Hirsch, trumpet, Jessica Gottschall, horn, Peter Celentano, trombone, Jason Decker, tuba, and Dustin Woodard, percussion; and the St. James Choir.
In homage to David Lange’s infamous sweet tooth, a selection of St. James’ dessert specialties will be available for tasting. The event is sponsored in part by the Buffalo Chapter, American Guild of Organists; H.E. Turner & Co. Funeral Homes; and an anonymous donor. Tickets are $25 for Dessert and Concert, $20 for Concert only.
Dessert Buffet 6:30-7:15 p.m., Concert at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are available at St. James, 405 East Main Street, Batavia, or the Genesee Chorale Box office: www.GeneseeChorale.com/box-office. For more information, call 585-343-6802.
The Notre Dame Fighting Irish modified football team played its final game of the season on Saturday, winning 48-0 over Pavilion/York/Wyoming to complete a 6-0 run for the year.
The Irish squad typically won by 50 points or close to it in each game.
On Saturday, Chase Antinore and Bradley Gabehart each scored two touchdowns. T.J. Cepheus, Jr., Matthew McCulley, and Timmy Bartz each scored one TD each.
The head coach is Brett Hall.
Photos by Pete Welker
Press Release:
Notre Dame High School boys basketball Coach Mike Rapone (NDHS 1971) has not coached a game in well over a year, but that has not stopped the accolades from rolling in on his record-breaking career.
The school was informed that the Basketball Coaches Association of New York Executive Board has selected Rapone for induction into the New York State Basketball Hall of Fame. Rapone was previously inducted into the Notre Dame High School Hall of Fame in 1996 and the Section V Basketball Hall of Fame in 2006.
During his 42-year career at Notre Dame, he amassed a record of 728-212 with an eye-popping winning percentage of over 78%. To put that in perspective an average season over the entire span of his ND career ended with 17 wins and only 5 losses.
He began his varsity career in the 1980-1981 season and promptly won his first Genesee Region Title and the school’s first-ever Section V Championship in Boys Basketball. The rest would be New York State basketball history as his teams would go on to win 17 consecutive Genesee Region titles to begin his career and 32 out of his first 34 seasons in total.
During an 11-year span from 1992-2002, his teams would accumulate a record of 225-44 (84%), win 10 GR titles, appear in 9 Section V Championship Games, win 5 Section V titles, and 2 New York State Championships.
In addition to the 728 victories, Rapone’s career totals include 34 Genesee Region Titles, 10 Section V Championships, 5 NYS Far West Regional victories, and 2 New York State Championships (1992 and 2001). He is the current holder of Section V records in wins (728), championship game appearances (19), Section V Championships (10), Section V Tournament #1 Seeds (19), and championships in 4 different classifications (B, C, D, and DD).
The New York State Basketball Hall of Fame induction ceremony will take place in March 2024, and more details will be provided as they are made available.
Press Release:
On Dec. 16, the Wreaths Across America Day Ceremony will be held at the Western New York National Cemetery in Pembroke, on Route 77 and Indian Falls Road. The event begins at 12 p.m. with a short ceremony that includes the Presentation of Colors, National Anthem, and Ceremonial Laying of Wreaths by each military branch. Following the ceremony, family members who have loved ones buried there will be able to lay wreaths on the headstones first.
This year, there are over 1,600 headstones, with a goal to have a wreath placed on each one. If we sell more than 1,600, we are credited with wreaths for next year. The WNY National Cemetery is growing at an extraordinary rate, last year there were just 750 headstones.
The Wreaths Across Ceremony is run by the WNY National Cemetery Memorial Council. The Council is a non-profit that runs many of the events at the National Cemetery such as Memorial Day and Veterans Day ceremonies. The council also supports the honor guard and installs and maintains the Avenue of Flags. $5 from the sale of each wreath is given to the Memorial Council if purchased through the Memorial Council’s link on Wreaths Across America.
The Pembroke Veterans Outreach Club, which is a student organization at the Pembroke Jr./Sr High School is selling the wreaths on behalf of the Memorial Council. This is the third year the club has done so. Last year the club was responsible for selling or collecting donations for almost 500 wreaths!
Veterans Outreach Club members are selling them throughout the community and you can also send a check made out to the Pembroke Veterans Outreach Club for the number of wreaths you would like to purchase and the club will do the rest of the ordering for you.
The Veterans Outreach Club and Pembroke Schools also play a major role in helping the council facilitate the Wreaths Across America Day event. Beyond selling the wreaths the kids set up, stage the wreaths, pass them out, direct participants to the proper rows, clean up, and help break down the event.
They later collect the wreaths at the end of the season. It is truly a community-wide event. Last year there were well over a hundred and fifty attendees helping to lay wreaths on our veterans' headstones. Local fire departments help with parking, sheriff's work traffic control, and the Pembroke bus garage shuttles attendees to different sections of the cemetery.
The Veterans Outreach Club is led by Junior Club President Lilly Senko. Lilly has been an active member since 7th grade. She had led many of our club activities including, dinners with the Eagle Star House, collection drives, patriotic activities with the elementary school, an opening ceremony for Pembroke Veterans Wall of Honor, helping run the Purple Heart ceremony, and helping to coordinate our club's recent trip to Alaska. Lilly is also a talented artist who designed our Alaska trip t-shirts. Lilly will play a major role in organizing this year's Wreaths Across America Day events.
We would truly appreciate your support for both honoring our local veterans during the holiday season and helping support the good work of the WNY Memorial Council. Your purchase of a wreath through the Memorial Council will do both! Wreaths are $17 and can be purchased through:
- The Council link at www.wreathsacrossamerica.org/ny0368p
- Checks, made out to the Pembroke Veterans Outreach Club, mailed to - Pembroke Jr./Sr. High, P.O. BOX 308, Corfu, NY 14036.
We hope to see you at Wreath Across America at 12 p.m. on Dec. 16.
With only one loss, Batavia went into the postseason with one of its best -- perhaps its best -- seasons ever in Girls Soccer, as the #3 seed in Class A and hoping to advance.
The Blue Devils were 14-1-1 in the regular season, but Coach Roger Hume said he knew Palmyra-Macedon would be tough to beat, even though the Raiders finished up the regular season 10-5-1 and the #6 season in Class A.
The Blue Devils 2-0 on Saturday, then, was clearly disappointing to the Batavia squad.
Hume said he was proud of his team's effort and success over the course of the season.
"We had the best record in my 15 years (as head coach)," Hume said. "This group surprised me by how they weren't worried about anyone. One game at a time. They came back and won two games in OT to keep their undefeated record. We had five seniors who were all leaders with no drama. It was fun to come to practice. They have set the bar high, but last year the bar was set for this group, and they crushed it. Next year's group will be as strong, too."
Pal-Mac's forward, Lillian Boesel, scored both goals for the visiting team.
Batavia played hard through both halves of the match, firing 15 shots, but Pal-Mac keeper Marianna Hodgins came up with 10 saves against shots-on-goal.
The Blue Devils have had five chances to score on corner kicks.
The Raiders took 13 shots, with five on goal saved by Ava Higgins.
"We had enough to beat them," Hume said, "but they took advantage of their opportunities.
The Batavia soccer program -- boys and girls -- has been on the upswing since the move into Van Detta Stadium. The boys finished the season 8-7-1 with a first-round sectional loss to Pittsford Mendon, 9-1.
Girls Sectional Summary:
Boys Sectional Summary:
To view more photos from Batavia's game and to purchase prints, click here.
Oakfield-Alabama beat Letchworth on Saturday in the Class C sectional quarterfinal, 3-0.
No scoring summary is available for the game.
The Hornets (#3) will play a semifinal game Tuesday at 5 p.m. against Williamson (#2) at Cal-Mum.
Photos by Debra Reilly.
More and more students in the Genesee Region are finding their athletic niche by participating in Unified Bowling, a component of the Special Olympics Unified Sports program.
About two dozen schools – including Batavia, Pavilion, Le Roy and Perry -- are participating in the Section V Unified Bowling League this season.
Matches get underway this coming week, with the Batavia team opening against Churchville-Chili at Spencerport Bowl and the Perry team taking on the combined Pavilion/Le Roy squad at Perry Bowling Center. Both of those matches are set for 4 p.m. Tuesday.
What makes Unified Bowling (and Unified Sports, in general) unique is that it combines students with intellectual disabilities and students without intellectual disabilities to produce interscholastic sports teams for practice sessions and competition.
“It’s all about creating a team atmosphere,” said Jamie Masters, the first-year head coach of the Batavia squad. “Whether they have disabilities or not, they're all working together as a team.”
She said that the matches consist of three games, with two games of doubles competition and the last game as a team competition. Local bowling centers scheduled to host matches over the next several weeks are Mancuso Bowling Center in Batavia, Le Roy Legion Lanes and Perry Bowling Center.
Masters, a physical therapist for the Batavia City School District, said the program also aims to increase friendship both on the playing field – or lanes, in this case – and in school.
“A goal is to build camaraderie in the school, such as sitting with each other during lunch or having conversations during the school day. It’s goes beyond bowling,” she said.
The Unified Sports initiative fosters inclusive activity as a way to tear down stereotypes and build relationships, while providing students with and without intellectual disabilities the chance to take on leadership roles in their schools and the community. Specific campaigns tied to the program include Fans in the Stands, Pledge and Plunge and the R-word Campaign.
According to the Special Olympics, more than 8,300 schools across the United States take part in Unified Sports.
For the Section V Unified Bowling schedule, click on this link: Unified Bowling Schedule - Section V Athletics.
Rosters of the local teams are as follows:
Batavia – Lena Boris, Andy Burton, Jennifer Ewert, Aleigha Frith, Kaelee Kelso, Max Kongmany, Esayas Reinhardt, Aiden Bellavia, Landon Hamilton, Jayla Odom, Price Parris, Rahmeto Reinhardt, Lylianalynn Santos-Baez, Benjamin Sputore and Marisha Tucholski. Coach: Jamie Masters. Assistant Coach: John Kirkwood. Volunteer assistant: Ryan Hamilton.
Pavilion/Le Roy – Carter Blaisdell, Alex Boldt, Case Cummins, Chris Doody, Corina Dunn, Jackson Fix, Merritt Holly, Hudson Klein, James Kingsbury, Jordin Kreutz, Adam Leitten, Dannielle Morehead, Alaina Powers, Morgan Powers, Arianna Pray, Reilly Powers, Landon Stoddard, Andrew Strollo, Mia Strollo, Joey Vernaccini, Makayla Washburn and Zoe Washburn. Coach: Michelle Milligan. Assistant Coach: PJ Puccio.
Perry – Hunter Clark, Todd Claud, Ashlee Davenport, Alexandra Faryna, Dominik Forrester, Nicolas Gutierrez, Hunter Henchen, Mason Herman, Olivia Herman, Kiara Hughes, Peyton Lyke-Scott, Koleden Osborne, James Shearman, Bryce Tallman, Landon Warner, Sawyer West, Victoria Wilson. Coach: Kris Goodell.
Oakfield-Alabama finished the regular season Friday night on a disappointing note, losing to Avon 40-0.
Aggies stats:
This weekend in Genesee County football:
In sectional standings:
The sectional playoff schedule has not yet been posted.
Photos by Debra Bezon.
The Pembroke Dragons finished the regular season on Friday with a 43-14 win over Holley/Lyndonville moving their record to 8-0 and making them the only team in Section V 8-Man Football with a spotless record.
They'll head into the postseason as the #1 seed. The postseason schedule has not been posted yet.
The Dragons racked up 400 yards on offense on just 20 plays. Coach Brandon Ricci credited the line of Ben Steinberg, Jayden Mast, Jayden Bridge, Madden Perry, JJ Gabbey, Octavius Martin and Hayden Williams for the dominant offensive game.
Tyson Totten ran for 137 yards and two touchdowns on three carries to eclipse 2,000 yards rushing on the season.
Fullback Caleb Felski had 160 yards rushing and two TDs on just a pair of carries. He also added a 55-yard receiving touchdown from Quarterback Vijay Dhanda.
Sean Pustulka finished the scoring for the Dragons with a 42-yard rushing touchdown and a 24-yard field goal.
Defensively the Dragons were led by Jayden Bridge with seven tackles. Dom Boldt, Aidan Balduf and Hayden Williams each chipped in five tackles, while Vijay Dhanda had the game's lone fumble recovery.
The Dragons will host a home playoff game against an opponent yet to be determined next week.
Submitted photos and information.
Batavia Community Garden committee members welcomed nine Batavia High School seniors Friday to help with various landscaping tasks as part of this year's 24th annual Make a Difference Day.
Tracy Grover of the high school College Career Center led the group of students for their community service project, garden helper and photographer Irene Hickey said.
Students were on hand to help garden members with end of the season work. A laundry list of tasks was led and coordinated by RaeAnn Engler, Garden Committee chairperson, at the garden on MacArthur Drive alongside the high school.
Those chores included turning over the soil in the beds, putting the art panels into storage for the winter, relocating the compost within the garden, caging apple trees cutting back milkweed and thorny black raspberries (ouch!), and general weeding.
This enthusiastic crew worked from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m., breaking at noon for a quick lunch under the tent.
"The morning was cool and damp with on and off drizzle. Luckily the rain held off until the bulk of the work was done," Hickey said. "Many, Many thanks to our work crew from the High School. The garden community
appreciates your willingness to lend a hand and your spirit of service. We couldn’t have done it without you!"
Photos by Irene Hickey
Press Release:
The Holland Land Office Museum is proud to announce the next edition of its Guest Speaker Series on Wednesday, Nov. 1 at 7 p.m. The museum welcomes back Civil War historian and author Chris Mackowski, as he presents “Grant’s Last Battle.” The presentation details the difficulties that Ulysses S. Grant had as he wrote his memoirs near the end of his life, as he battled throat cancer. Admission is $5 or $3 for museum members. Please contact the museum at 585-343-4727 or hollandlandoffice@gmail.com if you would like to attend.
The Holland Land Office Museum is proud to announce the next presenter for our Guest Speaker Series on Tuesday, Nov. 7 at 7 p.m. Steven Huff will be presenting his newest work "Resting Among Us: Authors' Gravesites in Upstate New York." Steven Huff will make a PowerPoint presentation, and lead a discussion on the region’s literary gravesites, who the authors were, what they wrote, and why they are important. Copies of the book will be available for sale. Admission is $5/$3 for museum members. Please contact the museum at 585-343-4727 or hollandlandoffice@gmail.com if you plan to attend.
Join the Holland Land Office Museum for the next edition of our Trivia Night @ the Museum on Thursday, Nov. 9 at 7 p.m. This month's topic is the Cuban Missile Crisis. Trivia will take place again at GO ART! located at 201 E. Main St. in Batavia. Their Tavern 2.0 will also be open if you would like a beverage. Admission is $5 or $3 for museum members. Please contact the museum at 585-343-4727 or hollandlandoffice@gmail.com if you would like to attend.
A three-vehicle accident with minor injuries but blocking traffic is reported in the area of 413 West Main St., Batavia.
The location is in front of Taco Bell.
City Fire and Mercy EMS dispatched.
As president of the Byron-Bergen Public Library, Sally Capurso has a tough job, not only in making ends meet but more recently in pitching an idea to raise revenue through the creation of a 414 municipal library. Other options have been researched, and this seemed to be the most viable choice for ensuring a sustainable public library, she said.
The upside is that it would establish a regular operating budget through an ongoing, no-surprises tax to property owners — one that Capurso and trustees believe is well worth the cost to have solid library programs, staff, hours, and materials without the concern that the library might one day be in danger of existing or losing services due to lack of funding.
“And this way, taxpayers will earmark a specific amount of their tax dollars for the library. So this funding will make it sustainable for us, and dependable so that we will always know the amount of money that we will be having in our budget,” Capurso said during an interview with The Batavian.
“Prior to that, we’d have to ask the town boards in both Byron and Bergen for money. And we will simply ask for a certain amount of money, and then the towns will decide how much they want to contribute, and that’s for each town. So it's a little bit of a problem, sometimes, because we figure out our budget, taking what we need, and then we don't barely get what we need.”
The 2023 budget they had to meet was $133,738. And the towns of Byron and Bergen kicked in $6,500 and $74,499, respectively. That left a gap of more than $52,700 that the library had to come up with in other ways, and it’s a struggle each year, Capurso said.
It receives a yearly average of $3,500 from Genesee County and $1,500 from New York State. The remaining funding is done through fundraisers and grants that are never guaranteed or known upfront, Capurso said.
And some of those funds cannot be used for library operations and salaries, but instead must go for miscellaneous programs, Barclay said.
Of course, there’s the challenge of pitching a new way of doing things, and it comes with a 55-cent per $1,000 assessed value price tag. However, how much is your library worth to you, your children, and your family, Capurso and trustee Anna Marie Barclay want to know.
According to 38 studies on other libraries’ returns on investment, “the return value for public libraries is four to five times the amount invested,” their presentation material states.
And simply using the library card to check out books versus buying them can save a patron $624 a year, the material states.
Both towns have the library cost rolled into their budgets, as that’s the way it has worked up to now. So, residents have been paying for the library, it just hasn’t been a separate line item as it would be now, Capurso said.
“Most people aren’t aware where each dollar goes,” she said. “The Library annually asks each Town Board for funding. Each Town Board then decides how much money to contribute. The Town of Bergen also provides the Library with its physical space, utilities, and general upkeep/maintenance according to the existing rental agreement.
“Our current level of services and programs, reflecting the needs of the community, requires more funding than the Town Boards have provided,” she said. “We are recommending that voters earmark their tax dollars for the Library so that the basic operating costs are covered, and we can reliably maintain, or increase, the current level of service to the community. A vote in favor of the proposition (Municipal 414) will allow the Town Boards to collect the taxes on behalf of the Library and turn these funds over to the Library directly.”
The women have been making the rounds, presenting this information to both towns to raise awareness of the proposed change and the related upcoming vote on the Nov. 7 ballot. They received enough initial support through signatures to get the issue on the ballot — requiring 96 and obtaining approximately 145 in Byron, and needing 137 and obtaining more than 200 in Bergen. Now they are trying to see it through to approval.
How has the feedback been so far?
“It’s mixed; people are very concerned about the cost at this point in time,” Barclay said. “We’re very hopeful.”
The tax of 55 cents per $1,000 would mean a yearly bill of $55 on a home assessed at $100,000. How is that money spent?
“Most of our budget goes towards basic operating expenses: personnel costs, rent, and other expenditures necessary to meet our patrons’ growing requests for current circulation materials,” Capurso said.
Other expenses are for mandatory wage increases, employee benefits, including retirement, bookkeeping and payroll/accounting and auditing costs, and lawyer fees.
A portion of the money raised will also go toward computer software and upgrades, other community services and outreach, hosting more programs and special events, plus the new position of a children’s library clerk will be added with a focus on children’s book clubs, summer reading programs, and preschool story hours.
The library provides a popular summer reading program, a book club, craft workshops, yoga, scavenger hunts, tax preparation help, babysitting classes, computer usage, Wi-Fi hot spots on loan, home repair classes, low-cost copier and fax use, and books, movies and other materials for use and check-outs.
If the measure is defeated, there is the potential for library hours to be reduced, and staff and/or programs to get cut. That isn’t meant to be a threat, but there may come that point when tough decisions have to be made, Capurso and Barclay said. They remembered when the Gillam Grant Library closed several years ago as a disappointing but necessary reality for the community.
“The Library will work hard to meet the needs of the community, but we may have to make adjustments. The Library may need to reduce programming, hours, and purchases,” Capurso said. “If the Byron-Bergen Public Library would no longer exist, current patrons would need to seek alternative libraries.”
Research was done about converting Byron-Bergen’s library to a school library, however, it was discovered that due to county crossovers into Monroe, that wasn’t possible, Capurso said.
The Batavian reached out to both town supervisors for a response to how this initiative will affect their town budgets. Theoretically, if residents approve the library tax, that amount of money would come out of the portion that the town would have paid. No reply had been received by the time of this article’s publication.
The proposition states:
“Shall the Town of Bergen (Byron) establish an annual tax in the amount of $0.55/1,000 (fifty-five cents per one thousand dollars) of assessed real property value in order to support the operation of the Byron-Bergen Public Library, commencing in the fiscal year beginning January 1, 2024.”
Early voting begins Oct. 28 and runs through Nov. 5 at ARC Community Center, 38 Woodrow Road, Batavia before the general election vote on Nov. 7 at each each town hall’s polling site.
Capurso will be making another presentation about the proposition to create a municipal 414 library at 10:30 a.m. Wednesday at Hidden Meadows Clubhouse, Route 19, Bergen.
For more information, email byrbgn@nioga.org or call (585) 494-1120.
Open house tomorrow 11am - 12:30pm! View 5444 School Road.
Check out this FANTASTIC ranch - 5484 Horseshoe Lake Road.
Painting ceiling tiles wouldn’t typically seem like a fun thing to do, but for a group of Batavia High School seniors, they didn’t mind it doing it all morning Friday, they said.
Full disclosure: these weren’t just any ceiling tiles; they were going to replace some that had gotten damaged in the GO Art! kitchen, and since they didn’t match the other ones already in there, it was decided that they could look different.
And that’s when the fun began.
“We’re painting ceiling tiles for the kitchen in a monster theme,” student Prudence Favaloro said, showing the piece that she and fellow senior Joshua Budzinack had created. “I really like doing art; it’s one of my biggest passions. I want to minor in art in college.”
The 17-year-old and 13 of her peers chose GO ART! as the place they wanted to go to for Make A Difference Day. In its 24th year, this is a day when the Batavia seniors spend time earning community service hours while also helping out a local nonprofit organization with tasks, such as gardening, cleaning, office work, and various other types of odd jobs.
Kids visited All Babies Cherished, ARC, Batavia Cemeteries, Batavia Community Garden, Batavia Peace Garden, Crossroads House, First United Methodist Church, Genesee Cancer Assistance, Genesee County Park, Genesee County Youth Bureau, Habitat for Humanity, Holland Land Office Museum, Mercy Flight, The Manor House and YMCA.
Given the nature of GO Art!, jobs have been a bit more creative, but helpful all the same, Executive Director Gregory Hallock said.
“They have been coming every year since I've been here. And for us, it’s a godsend. Because we get, what is it? This is Make a Difference Day, and then we have the United Way's Day of Caring. And so those are two times a year where we really try to do some major projects, because all the workers, all my staff have 24/7 jobs … and this gives us a chance to catch up on a lot of stuff, and the kids like painting,” Hallock said while standing in the kitchen at the Bank and East Main Street site.
“They had been doing this room now since 2021, I think, so they've been painting this room and adding, they were doing the ceiling tiles for today. Some kids come here because they like to do art, and we're an art center. But that's not usually the projects we have, we do more of the arts administration. So that's where we decided one year to let them have at this kitchen. So they've been doing monsters for years.”
There were other chores, including more utilitarian painting of walls to be able to mount paintings on later and building tabletops, volunteer Ed Griffin said. He led a group of four kids with those tasks up in the attic.
Everyone arrived at 9 a.m. ready for the day, and time seemed to go very quickly, Favaloro said.
“It seems we were just getting started, and the next thing you knew, it was 11, and then it was 12:30, where did that time go?” she said. “I enjoyed it.”
There were ceiling tiles drying on the gallery room stage, filled with cartoon monster images and bright colors, while the students and art teachers Nikki Greenbaum and Mandi Antonucci took a lunch break.
Meanwhile, Hallock pointed around the kitchen to prior handiwork kids had done, demonstrating how each year’s contribution has incrementally carved out a culinary art gallery.
“It's incredible,” he said. “We depend on this. We look forward to this every year to get stuff done.”
Each site had one or more chaperones to supervise, and work with the students, said Lisa Robinson, who accompanied another group of 14 to the state School for the Blind.
Student Madison Hughes chose the school to visit because she “just wanted to see some different people” and admittedly, wasn’t in the mood for any yard work. Students there were placed in classrooms and offices to either be directly with the school’s students or staff in need of office assistance.
It’s the second year for Robinson to go to the Richmond Avenue site, she said.
“I think from the kids’ perspective, it's great for them to see other opportunities and things that are going on within Batavia that they might not have had the opportunity to do before,” she said. “And then as far as coming here, I think it's great for the students that are here as well as our students. They have some interaction and they get to see how the school operates and just a different aspect of what that looks like.”
The haunted house experience David Raines has designed at his Bank Street residence can be so scary, he said, that he's developed a red light, yellow light, and green light system so that actors in the attraction know when to tone down the level of fright.
This is the sixth year Raines has opened the haunted house to the public and it's his most elaborate yet, he told The Batavian.
"I've actually lived here for 17 years and I love Halloween," Raines said. "There's nothing like this in Batavia. I've had people say this is the best thing in town. So it just keeps me going."
The haunted house, dubbed "Nightmare on Bank Street," is free, but Raines is asking for donations in order to help cover his cost, and also to help expand the attraction, perhaps in a larger venue in Batavia.
It will be open from 7 to 9 p.m. on Saturday and from 5 to 11 p.m. on Halloween. The address is 209 Bank St., Batavia.
This year, the attraction has spilled out into his front yard. It also takes up all the space in his back yard.
"This is just something fun that I love to do," Raines said. "I like to see kids have a good time, and adults have a good time and enjoy it. And I like to scare people, too."
Gaines hasn't done all this work by himself. His daughter and her friends as well as his girlfriend, he said, helped with the setup. Work started on the project on Sept. 1.
He explained the red light, yellow light, and green light system, which aren't actually colored lights but him yelling out to actors what light category they're in.
"Then Greenlight is, you know, you're entering at your own risk," Gaines said. "If you don't come back out, I don't know what to tell you."
And if full scare is too much for you, there are emergency exits.
"I want to say I think I had a couple of people last year ask me where the bathroom was because they were so scared," Gaines said. "I had people running down the driveway screaming because they were scared. So to be honest with you, the more fun that I see the public have the more fun I have."
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