Fame Racing – Radio Controlled Car Racing (SAT 3pm, 5pm & 7pm; SUN 3pm, 5pm & 7pm; MON 3pm, 5pm & 7pm; TUES 3pm, 5pm & 7pm; WED 1pm, 3pm, 5pm & 7pm; THURS 3pm, 5pm & 7pm; FRI 1pm, 3pm, 5pm & 7pm; SAT 1pm, 3pm, 5pm & 7pm)
Fair Trivia Hunt – All Day (July 20th-26th) – Exhibition Building – DAILY PRIZES Events & times on the schedule are subject to change. Follow us on Facebook to keep up to date with changes.
The 54th Annual Genesee County 4-H Market Animal Auction will be held on Thursday, July 25 at the Genesee County Fair. This event will feature rabbits, chickens, goats, lambs, beef steers, dairy steers, and hogs raised by dedicated local 4-H members. The sale begins at 6 p.m. in the 4-H Show Arena at the fairgrounds. Interested buyers may also view and place bids for the auction online at www.williamkentinc.com.
Participating processors include Burly Brothers Country Butchery in Attica, Grizzly’s Custom Cutting in Portageville, Kramell’s Meat Market in Wyoming, SK Meat Market in Batavia, and Warsaw Meat Packing in Warsaw.
Animals will be auctioned by William Kent Inc. of Stafford. We extend our heartfelt gratitude to William Kent and family for their long-standing support of the 4-H Market Animal Auction!
New this year will be a 4-H Silent Auction featuring baked goods and agricultural product baskets made by local 4-H members. Bidding for the silent auction will be open 5 p.m. – 7 p.m. at the fairgrounds on July 25.
For more information, please contact the Genesee County 4-H Office at 585-343-3040 ext. 131 or visit http://genesee.cce.cornell.edu/.
Join us for an evening of community spirit and support for our local youth!
The Town of Batavia will hold a public information meeting at 7 p.m. on July 25 to discuss plans to widen Route 98 from the NYS Thruway bridge to West Saile Drive.
The proposed project would widen the pavement from two lanes to three lanes, with left-turn lanes at Federal Drive and Call Parkway and two-way turn lanes at other spots along the roadway. The project also includes new signage, striping, and improvements to the guard rail at West Saile Drive.
The meeting discussion will cover existing conditions, needs, and objectives, as well as the project's design, schedule and anticipated cost.
The meeting will be held at Batavia Town Hall, 3833 West Main Street Road, Batavia.
Special Arrangements: All are welcome to attend this meeting. If you require special arrangements (translators, handicap accessibility etc.), please contact Steve Tanner at 585-813-7246.
The Batavia Society of Artists will host its annual art show at GO-ART, located at 201 E. Main St., from August 12 to October 1. The event is open exclusively to members of the Batavia Society of Artists in good standing.
Artists are invited to submit up to three paintings of any size for a $15 entry fee. Each additional painting will incur a $5 fee. All submitted works must be recent, created within the last three years, and not previously exhibited in any BSA member's show. Paintings must also have a wire hanger; works lacking this requirement may not be displayed.
The entry deadline is August 9. Entry fees and forms should be mailed to Teresa Tamfer at 157 Hutchins Street, Batavia. For additional information, Teresa can be reached at 585-506-2465.
Artists can drop off their paintings at GO-ART on Thursday or Friday, August 8 or 9, between 11 a.m. and 9 p.m., or Saturday, August 10, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Alternate drop-off times can be arranged by calling 585-343-9313.
The art show will have an opening reception on Thursday, August 15, from 5:30 to 8 p.m.
Artists must pick up their paintings on Thursday or Friday, October 3 or 4, from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., or on Saturday, October 5, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Arrangements for alternate pick-up times can be made by calling 585-343-9313.
Paintings sold during the show will incur a 20% commission, payable to GO-ART.
Why is a group with Tobacco-Free in its name so passionate and determined to promote plastic-free living for the month of July? Because tobacco product waste, especially the tiny but troublesome discarded cigarette butts, is a form of plastic waste?
“According to the World Health Organization (WHO), 4.5 trillion cigarette butts are littered every year, making them the most littered item on the planet,” says Brittany Bozzer, Reality Check Youth Coordinator for Tobacco-Free Genesee, Orleans and Wyoming counties (TF-GOW). “That’s a problem because cigarette butt filters are made of a nonbiodegradable plastic called cellulose acetate.”
When tossed into the environment, cigarette butts dump not only plastic, but also nicotine, arsenic, formaldehyde, lead and cadmium that leaches into our soil, waterway systems and surrounding environment, affecting all kinds of living things from plants and flowers to wildlife and marine life.
Beyond cigarette butts
Bozzer notes that cigarette butts are just one form of tobacco product waste that is plastic litter. Electronic cigarettes, also known as e-cigarettes or vapes, are also toxic to the environment. Add plastic cigar tips, tobacco product wrappers and smokeless tobacco product containers and the local, state and global pollution problem continues.
What can you do in your community
Host a cigarette butt cleanup? Cleanups can help build awareness about the extent of the tobacco product pollution and why it’s important to stop. Be sure to wear gloves and pick up discarded vapes, cigar tips and plastic packaging as well.
Help people quit. Eliminating tobacco product waste for good also means helping smokers and vapers quit.
The New York State Smokers' Quitline is a confidential service for all New York State residents who wish to overcome dependence on commercial tobacco products, including e-cigarettes.
Free offerings include individualized coaching and assistance with quit-planning from highly trained tobacco treatment specialists, text and online chat support and free shipping of stop-smoking medications such as nicotine patches, nicotine lozenges or nicotine gum for those 18 and older.
Residents of all ages may contact the Quitline for support and educational materials. In addition, the Quitline encourages teens and young adults (ages 13-24) to text “DROPTHEVAPE” to 88709 to join “This Is Quitting,” a free texting support program for help with quitting vaping.
For more information, text QUITNOW to 333888 or call 1-866-NY-QUITS (1-866-697-8487) seven days a week, beginning at 9 a.m.
Get a group of your "Swifties" and come to the David M. McCarthy Memorial Ice Arena Friday, July 19 from 7:30 - 9 p.m. for a "Swiftastic" night of ALL Taylor Swift tunes.
Skate around the party and laser light lit up arena. You LOVE T-Swift? This is the night for you, grab your "Swifties", put on your merch and skate the night away to your "bestie" Taylor Swift!
Admission is $8 and $3 for skate rental. David M. McCarthy Arena is located at 22 Evans Street, Batavia.
Like Local News? Then why not support it? Join Early Access Pass today so we can keep bringing to you the news that matters most, the news of Batavia and Genesee County. Use the Coupon Code GCFAIR24 for a discount. $10 off the first year of an annual membership or $1 off each month for a year on a monthly membership. Click here to join.
AT&T is experiencing a network service outage affecting the ability to deliver AT&T wireless 9-1-1 calls in our area. AT&T is working to isolate and resolve the issue.
AT&T cell phone users may experience interruptions, degradation, or the inability to connect when calling 9-1-1. In Genesee County, if you have an emergency and cannot get through on 9-1-1, please call (585) 343-5000.
File Photo of Ellicott Station in downtown Batavia by Howard Owens
City Manager Rachael Tabelski clarified how Batavia Police ended up sweeping the Ellicott Station property at 50-56 Ellicott St. on Monday, resulting in the location of a person wanted on a misdemeanor charge.
“The city found evidence of a squatter Friday at the Della Penne building during a (Batavia Development Corp.)-lead hard hat construction tour, so it looks like property was accessed even before the fence came down,” Tabelski said about a perimeter fence that was removed early Monday at the downtown premises.
Tabelski further said that, per a rumor she has heard, “the fence company was not paid by Savarino, so that is why the fence was removed,” clarifying that it was removed for that reason rather than for a third-party subcontractor performing landscaping maintenance on the property.
Property owner Sam Savarino did not respond to The Batavian's requests for comments on Monday regarding the maintenance work, the removal of the fence and potential concerns about safety on the property.
As for the excessive weeds in need of trimming at the stalled apartment complex, Tabelski said that the “codes department will be issuing violations to the owner and mortgage holder.” She has confidence in the police department’s ability to do its job when called for, but she does not want to expend unnecessary resources due to the property owner’s negligence.
"I was on scene when the police swept the entire apartment building this morning and they did a great job,” Tabelski said. “With that said, we don’t want to tie up city resources to sweep the building because of lack of property security! We certainly don’t want anyone on the property who should not be there. Savarino needs to keep the site mowed, secured and safe so citizens can’t access the site.
“We continue to await the investors, the bank and (the state Office of Home and Community Renewal’s) decisions on the property and would appreciate the back due taxes being paid,” she said. “The city has to make the county and school whole for any back taxes, so not only do we have an unsafe eyesore in the middle of the city, we are supplementing their tax bill.”
To date, Savarino owes $20,000 in unpaid taxes for the property that is assessed at $2,892,500. The original deal with Genesee County Economic Development Center had it on a payment in lieu of taxes agreement, but Savarino Companies/Ellicott Station LLC was declared in default on the tax-abatement contract for an alleged failure to meet workforce housing promises. That is a claim Savarino disputes. He now must pay all of the regular full taxes. (See: Documents reveal Ellicott Station built on foundation of misunderstood housing terms)
The Batavian asked when the city might consider a tax-lien foreclosure on the property, and Tabelski said the matter would have to be discussed with the City Council and that Savarino would have the opportunity "to cure and pay the taxes" before it ever reached that point.
We will be celebrating with our community members who have stepped aboard the LG Express to take the journey to servant leadership. Every stop we make is a piece of our education that travels the tracks in all of Genesee County.
The LG Express event is our largest fundraiser in 2024, ensuring our train keeps on rolling. We hope to validate your ticket and see you there.
Two events helped lay the foundation that led to Anthony Fernandez creating “Peace Frog,” a Doors tribute band.
And, both happened when Fernandez was 11 years old.
First came his viewing of “Apocalypse Now,” the Francis Ford Coppola-directed Vietnam-era movie that used the Doors “The End” in key scenes. The song became a lifelong hook for Fernandez, now 56.
Then he read Danny Sugarman and Jerry Hopkins’ best-selling Jim Morrison biography “No One Here Gets Out Alive’ about the life and times of the Doors’ lead singer.
Taken together, they became a seminal moment for Fernandez.
"It was the first book (‘No One Here Gets Out Alive’) that I read cover-to-cover,” Fernandez said.
Since 1998, Fernandez has led Peace Frog, a Doors tribute band, that will be playing July 19 at Batavia Downs as part of its summer concert series. Fernandez, like Morrison, is the lead singer.
“It is just part of my personal relationship I’ve had with Jim Morrison and the Doors since I was 11,” Fernandez said.
Peace Frog is considered one of the top Doors’ tribute bands. Like the Doors, the four-piece band includes Fernandez on vocals, Brad Watson on keyboards, Tyler Thigpen on guitar and Adam Thompson on drums.
The band has a deep following, having played in 30 states plus Mexico, Australia, Canada and Greece.
The set list, which varies from show to show, includes hits and well-known songs as well as lesser played Doors’ tunes.
Yes, “Riders on the Storm” and “Light My Fire” will be played but so will others like the “Alabama Song” or “Tell All the People.”
“On stage, I channel what I call the intellectual Jim Morrison, not the destructive one,” Fernandez said. “I’ve done every song by the Doors that’s out there."
As for Fernandez himself, he has played and sung with former Doors members guitarist Robbie Krieger and the late keyboardist Ray Manzarek
Fernandez began his singing career with attending the University of Hawaii, where he started out singing in cover bands. When he returned to Los Angeles - his hometown - in 1996, Fernandez continued singing in local bands before a friend said he sounded like Morrison and maybe he should front a Doors cover band. Thus, Peace Frog was born.
A key moment came with a weekly booking at the Venice (Beach) Bistro that turned into a 12-year gig every Sunday night. Their run began in 1998.
“That’s what really cemented the band,” Fernandez said.
From there, out-of-town and out-of-country bookings followed.
The bookings are sandwiched between Fernandez’ “day job”, serving as political science and Chicano studies professor at Pierce College in Los Angeles.
“It does keep me busy and current,” Fernandez said.
Tickets are on sale through www.bataviaconcerts.com.
Peace Frog performs Friday, July 19 at Batavia Downs.
Batavia Downs Gaming & Hotel has announced that as part of a Guest Appreciation Celebration, Batavia Downs is now making the Peace Frog – Doors Tribute Concert, taking place this Friday, July 19, a free show.
Those wishing to attend the concert can pick up their free GA ticket upon arrival at Batavia Downs inside of Park Place on Friday.
For those who already purchased tickets, they can visit the upgrade table located outside of the Park Place room on Friday, July 19 and have their tickets upgraded to the next section closer to the stage.
The Genesee County Sheriff's Office is investigating a suspected larceny of items from the Flying J, 8484 Alleghany Road, Pembroke.
A subject (photo) is wanted for questioning in connection with the suspected theft. The Sheriff's Office is seeking the public's assistance in identifying the individual.
If you recognize the person, you're asked to call 585-345-3000 x3251 or email Deputy Stephen Smith at stephen.smith@geneseeny.gov.
File Photo by Howard Owens of Ellicott Station in downtown Batavia.
Within one day of the fencing down around Ellicott Station property in downtown Batavia, someone was found on the premises during a search Tuesday by Batavia Police.
“BPD officers observed an individual who had an outstanding misdemeanor charge in the area of Ellicott Station this morning. Officers searched the remaining portion of the original Della Penna building and located the male subject,” Assistant Chief Chris Camp said to The Batavian later Tuesday. “While we were on location, we decided to conduct a property check. BPD did locate an area where a lock was cut in the new construction. We continued to search the area and did not locate anyone else on the property who did not belong. The owner of the property was contacted and advised of the cut lock. We cleared and will have our officers monitoring the area for criminal/suspicious activity throughout their tours of duty.”
Property owner Sam Savarino has officially ceased work on the property since announcing the closing of Savarino Companies in the summer of 2023. He had previously subcontracted work crews to shore up the apartment complex’s exterior and perform routine maintenance; however, time has slipped by as weeds have grown up and around the premises.
It’s a situation the city of Batavia is not tolerating, City Manager Rachael Tabelski said.
“Savarino has been cited for grass, weeds and debris, and the city has sent a third-party vendor out to cut the tall grass,” she said, which explains Monday’s landscaping activity and the dismantled fencing. “Yes, I’m very concerned that the construction site is unsafe and that the buildings are not properly secured. The city will continue to try to work with the owner to have the buildings re-secured and the site fenced off for safety reasons.”
The Batavian also asked Chief Shawn Heubusch about his concerns about the safety of the property and the potential for transients to enter and stay inside the vacant building.
“First, it is not the Police Department’s responsibility to secure the site. We will patrol the area of the building as we do with all other areas of the city, looking for anything suspicious and addressing it as needed,” Heubusch said. “We obviously will be paying some special attention to it due to its state of construction. Of course, we are concerned with any vacant properties in the city as they can become targets for trespassing and vandalism, among safety issues that come from having an unfinished property being left vacant. We hope the owner will take the necessary steps to secure the property as soon as possible.”
Savarino has yet to respond to requests for comment sent to him on Monday.
Batavia native Joey Pero works on a "mash-up" of two BHS alma mater songs for a new piece to celebrate Batavia Concert Band's centennial this year. It will debut at this week's concert at 7 p.m. Wednesday at Centennial Park, Batavia. Submitted Photo
It was about four months ago when Joey Pero played an alumni concert at Batavia High School and ended up in talks about doing a little something for Batavia Concert Band’s centennial season this year.
A collaborative discussion with band manager Jason Smith and band conductor John Bailey resulted in more than a little something, as Pero, a 1999 BHS graduate who went on to make a name for himself as a talented trumpet player and most recently went on tour with Jesus Christ Superstar, reached beyond merely playing a piece for the concert.
“And they said, ‘Well, what would you like to play?’ And I was just, I kind of mulled it over, and I said, 'Well, geez, you know, we have an alma mater song called Ever Batavia I remember playing in graduation. And why don't I do something really specific to Batavia for the 100th anniversary?' And you know, the more I thought about it, the more it kind of unwound in my head. And the more research I did, there are actually two alma maters. One was written in 1901 by Leslie Coryell, and it's called the blue and white. And then Hoyt Irwin wrote Ever Batavia in 1938. And that's been pretty much the song that is played at graduations, our alma mater events,” Pero said to The Batavian. “So after doing this research about the two, I said, well, I'm gonna write a piece for the concert band and weave these two pieces together kind of like a mash-up.
"And, you know, I wanted to also make the solo part easy for an intermediate level person so that at the conclusion of this concert Wednesday, I'll actually gift the piece to not only the Batavia Concert Band but the Batavia High School archives, so maybe in the future for the bicentennial they can play this piece," he said. "I wrote it with that in mind as well, that it would maybe have some forward life in the future.”
He took the 1901 piece, “The Blue and White,” written by W. Leslie Coryell, and “Ever Batavia,” written by Hoyt Irwin in 1938 and created a brand new piece for the band to celebrate two different decades, time periods and songs that were composed in contrasting tempos. Wednesday’s concert at 7 p.m. in Centennial Park will debut “Ever Blue and White,” a three-minute and 20-second composition by Joey Pero.
“No one's really done anything like that, for these pieces of music are two pretty standard types of pieces you would hear at any school, but I kind of gave it some cool elements and some cool counter lines and some sonorities that I think the band can really handle well and play the heck out of. So, for those who don't know, the concert band practices on Tuesday, the repertoire on Tuesday and performs it on Wednesday, so it's not like they're rehearsing this for months on end or weeks on end. It's really like a sight reading thing and then a performance the next day, and certainly, I'm looking forward to hearing this come to life,” he said. “You sit behind a computer and put these notes on a page. And you know, it plays back on a computer … so it's computerized sound. But the magic is really when they play the first note and that gives lift to the piece of music. So I'm looking forward to that the most.”
The rain location is at Stuart Steiner Theatre on the Genesee Community College campus, 1 College Road, Batavia. Inclement weather has pushed the musicians out to GCC the last two weeks, but Pero and band members, including band manager Jason Smith, are keeping fingers crossed for a clear-skied park performance this week.
“We are excited to have Joey join the Batavia Concert Band as we continue to celebrate our centennial anniversary! Joey was a proud member of the Band, and I was personally and musically thrilled when he returned to our hometown this past year,” Smith said. “Conductor John Bailey and I have enjoyed collaborating with him for this concert on Wednesday, and his presence and the special piece he composed for the Concert Band will be a special honor and is not to be missed — let's hope for no rain! Many of us, including me, have followed and appreciated Joey's musical career over the years, and for him to write a song incorporating the Batavia High School alma mater is indeed special.”
Pero is on a hiatus from the musical world, he said, since his contract with Jesus Christ Superstar ended in summer 2022 and he moved back to Batavia and launched his first AirBnB. Business has been booming, and the two-unit property has been booked ever since he began to advertise it, he said.
Visitors have come to stay from California, Indiana, Florida, Canada, New Jersey, Russia, and as nearby as Rochester, either for a relaxing staycation or to go see Darien Lake, Batavia Downs, Letchworth State Park or to get a glimpse of the eclipse in Genesee County, he said.
Of course, visitors could also attend a free concert every Wednesday, and Pero, who played in the group from 1997 to 1999, can attest to the quality of the Batavia Concert Band.
“It’s a damn good band; they sounded great,” he said of the last concert at GCC.
He described the process of taking this song through “various dynamics and tempos and time signatures.”
“I’ve morphed it into different time signatures and different tempos and I also interwove the two together. So if you listen carefully, you can hear one, and you can hear the other one kind of hinting in the background,” he said. So it's kind of cool how I mashed it up and was able to fit both in with both of them being so different at the same time. There's a beautiful intro to the tune with trilling flutes, clarinets, and piccolos, and the French horns come in with this Blue and White melody, and then the trombones come under it with Ever Batavia. So you can tell right off the bat here that both of the tunes are kind of infused in the introduction.
“I really hope the band enjoys playing it. There are some challenging parts, and I highlighted at least one section each of the band,” he said. “So there’s some moments for the percussion, there’s some moments for the French horns, the trombones, the clarinets certainly and the flutes certainly.”
He credits Josh Pacino for being a tremendous help with the archive search for the songs, which allowed Pero “to gain perspective on these two pieces of music,” he said.
City of Batavia, NY Position: Full-time Building Maintenance Worker. Salary: $20.60 - $24.45/hour. The City of Batavia is accepting applications for one full-time Building Maintenance Worker. The work involves a variety of mechanical and other building maintenance tasks. Applicant must have a minimum of two years of full-time paid experience in general building construction or maintenance work, or an equivalent combination of training and experience indicating ability to perform the duties of the job. Civil Service applications may be obtained at City Hall in the Human Resource Department. Please send completed applications to Teri Dean, Employee Payroll/Insurance Clerk, One Batavia City Centre, Batavia, NY, or via email to tdean@batavianewyork.com by September 20, 2024. Background check, psychological assessment, and physical/drug testing required. Candidate must become a resident of the County of Genesee or any adjacent town to the County of Genesee within 6 months of the date of conclusion of the probationary period for the City of Batavia. EEO
