Announcements

The following is a press release from Chantal Zambito:

Calling all NXT/RCX Robotic Clubs, Groups, Teams, and Enthusiasts!

Carlson's Studio Photography is once again offering to take a picture of you and your pooch -- or other pet -- to benefit animals.

The business, which recently closed its Batavia office and now operates only at its Wyoming location, will donate the $20 sitting fee to a worthy animal cause of your choice during this special by-appointment-only offer. Pet Portrait Days are Friday and Sunday, March 9 and March 11.

The Genesee County Animal Shelter, for example, is one of the places which would benefit if you mention Volunteers for Animals, the local group which helps dogs and cats at the shelter. The group gets $20, you get a high-quality 5X7 photograph.

"Great pics for a great cause."

(Additional special packages are also available.)

The studio is located at 2110 Sayre Road in Wyoming. To make an appointment, call 786-2871. Visit online at CarlsonsStudio.com/Pets-home

Attention plant lovers, gardeners and landscapers -- the Genesee County Soil and Water Conservation District is offering a wide selection of trees, shrubs, wildflowers and habitat supplies for sale in its 2012 brochure.

Deadline to order is April 1.

The full-color brochure / order form is available for viewing and printing online at:

<http://geneseeny.org/departments/soilandwater/TreeBrochure2012.pdf>

There are plenty of choices and a variety of quantities available for purchase. They include:

• Evergreen seedlings: NEW this year are Tamarack American larch and Dawn redwood
• Shrubs: NEW -- American plum, common lilac
• Deciduous tree seedlings: NEW -- pin cherry, sour cherry, Northern apricot, Eastern redbud
• NEW Category -- Evergreen transplants such as blue spruce and Douglas fir

Wildflowers seeds offered include the white water lily, purple coneflower and pickerel weed.

Plus there are variety packs, ferns, edible berry bushes, groundcovers, planting and garden supplies, signs, bat houses and Eastern bluebird nesting boxes.

To get a printed brochure / order form you can also contact:

Genesee County SWCD, 29 Liberty St., Suite 3, Batavia, NY, 14020

Phone is 343-2362. Fax is 345-1815

Checks should be made out to: Genesee County SWCD

Press release:

The United Memorial Medical Center diabetes self-management education program offered through Healthy Living has been awarded continued Recognition from the American Diabetes Association.

The program was also recognized in March 2009. It offers high quality education services to the patients it serves.

The ADA Education Recognition effort began in the fall of 1986 as a voluntary process to assure that approved education programs met the National Standards for Diabetes Self-management Education Programs.

Programs that achieve Recognition status have a staff of knowledgeable health professionals who can provide the most current information regarding diabetes management for participants.

Self-management education is an essential component of diabetes treatment. One consequence of compliance with the national standards is the greater consistency in the quality and quantity of education offered to people with diabetes.

The participant in an ADA Recognized program will be taught, as needed, self-care skills that will promote better management of his or her diabetes treatment regimen.

All approved education programs cover the following topics as needed: diabetes disease process; nutritional management; physical activity; medications; monitoring; preventing, detecting and treating acute complications; preventing, detecting, and treating chronic complications through risk reduction; goal setting and problem solving; psychological adjustment; and preconception care, management during pregnancy and gestational management.

Unnecessary hospital admissions and some of the acute and chronic complications of diabetes may be prevented through self-management education. For more information, contact United Memorial’s Healthy Living Department, located at 211 E. Main St., Batavia, or by telephone at 344-5331.

Protecting and enhancing your woodlot will be the focus of a workshop on Saturday, March 10, at the Genesee County Park & Forest Interpretive Center.

Cost is $10 and the deadline to register is March 3. The workshop runs from 9 a.m. to noon, with a tour at 1 p.m. (You may want to bring your lunch if staying for the tour.)

This workshop will show you how to protect your woodlot from human and natural threats and offer ways to maintain a healthy and productive woodlot. Topics include: how to avoid timber theft; pool logging practices; recognizing invasive species: developing a management plan; and resources available to help landowners get the most from their woodlots.

To register, send payment (make checks payable to NYFOA -- New York Forest Owners Association) along with your name, address and phone number to:

Ron Reitz, 6086 Canadice Hill Rd., Springwater, NY 14560.

For more information, contact Mike Seager, seager_michael@yahoo.com or (585) 414-6511. Genesee County Park & Forest Interpretive Nature Center is located at 11095 Bethany Center Road in East Bethany.

Press release:

GO ART! is happy to announce the 2012 Student Poetry Contest in Genesee and Orleans counties. The contest is open to all students from kindergarten through college age. Prizes and
certificates will be awarded in categories by grade range in each county.

GO ART! sponsors this contest in conjunction with Present Tense Books, Bindings Bookstore, and The Book Shoppe.

Guidelines and Entry forms are available on the GO ART! website (www.goart.org). They may also be picked up at:

• GO ART! -- Seymour Place, 201 E. Main St., in Batavia
• Present Tense Books -- 101 Washington Ave. in Batavia
• Bindings Bookstore -- 28 W. Bank St. in Albion
• Book Shoppe - 519 Main St. in Medina.

The entry deadline is April 20.

For more information, contact GO ART! at 343-9313 or  email: info@goart.org; Present Tense Books at 815-7640; Bindings Bookstore at 283-4498, or The Book Shoppe at 798-3642.

The contest is made possible, in part, by the New York State Council for the Arts with the support of Governor Andrew Cuomo and the New York State Legislature.

Press release:

Genesee Community College announces an open call for visual art exhibitors for the Roz Steiner Art Gallery located in the Genesee Center for the Arts in Batavia. The call is open to individual artists and group exhibitions in all media interested for the 2013-14 academic year.

The mission of the Roz Steiner Art Gallery is to foster community involvement in the arts while enhancing the learning experience for all Genesee students, faculty and staff. Proposals are selected by the GCC Gallery Committee, which seeks out exhibitions that are both rich in content and quality craftsmanship.

According to Gallery Director Shirley Verrico, "The Roz Steiner Gallery serves a large audience and we need to provide that audience with meaningful experiences. Although a small percentage of our audience may pursue a career in the arts, 100 percent of our audience is asked to process visual culture every day. Learning to think creatively and critically is a skill everyone needs in the 21st Century."

The new gallery opened last spring and offers 1,700 square feet of exquisite exhibit space featuring 25-foot walls, movable island walls, bamboo flooring, and multimedia capabilities.

Interested artists and groups should complete the submission process available on the gallery website at: http://www.genesee.edu/gallery. The website also features videos and photographs of past exhibitions. The deadline for consideration for the coming academic year is May 1.

The Genesee County Economic Development Center (GCEDC) and the Genesee County Chamber of Commerce will host a free business energy breakfast workshop from 7:30 to 9 a.m. on Friday, March 9, at the MedTech Centre across from the college.

The purpose is to help small businesses and not-for-profits learn about free energy audits, incentives for energy efficiency improvements and low-cost financing opportunities to help them reduce their energy bills.

Saving energy is an excellent way for small businesses and not-for-profit organizations to reduce overhead costs. It’s also an opportunity to set a powerful example of good environmental stewardship.

A qualified energy auditor can help companies and organizations understand their current energy usage and identify energy efficiency improvements for their buildings. Organizations that get energy audits may also take advantage of Green Jobs – Green NY financing, which offers access to low-interest rate loans to finance energy efficiency improvements. And many energy improvement projects are eligible for cash-back incentives from the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA), National Fuel, National Grid and NYSEG.

The workshop will feature opening remarks by GCEDC Vice President of Business Development Chris Suozzi and Genesee County Chamber of Commerce President Lynn Freeman. Expert presentations will be made by: Lee Loomis of the New York Energy $mart Communities Program on behalf of NYSERDA to discuss energy audits, low-cost financing and incentives for energy improvements; Andy Szajta of National Fuel regarding small business rebates/incentives for high-efficiency gas equipment; and Bob Trembath of Lime Energy on behalf of National Grid’s Small Business program.

Organizations that provide program support and business financing, such as the Small Business Development Center and Pathstone Corporation, will also be available to answer questions.

All local and regional small businesses and not-for-profits are encouraged to attend. The first 50 participants to pre-register and attend will receive a free Compact Fluorescent Light (CFL) bulb from NYSERDA and an energy kit from National Fuel.

Pre-register for the workshop at www.GreenGeneseeCounty.org or call toll free at 1-866-495-2959. Walk-ins are welcome.

The Dr. Bruce A. Holm Upstate MedTech Centre is located at 99 MedTech Drive (across from the main Genesee Community College campus [1 College Drive] in Batavia). The workshop will be on the second floor, inside the School of Nursing Lecture Hall.

Genesee Community College will host a Job Fair dedicated to careers in the health career industry from 2 to 4 p.m. on Thursday, March 8 inside the William Stuart Forum.

The event is designed to introduce potential new employees to employers, and also provides health care businesses an opportunity to present their trade and services to the local community. More than 25 local and regional health care companies and four year schools will be available to answer questions, accept resumes and distribute material relating to their company / school.

Nursing, physical therapy assistants and respiratory care, polysomnographic technology, veterinary technician, and fitness and recreation management businesses will all be represented.

"With the increasing need for qualified health care professionals, this Health Careers Job Fair gives students and employers a great opportunity to connect," said John McGowan, Career Services Center coordinator.

The job fair is FREE and open to the general public. For a current listing of registered employers / schools, please visit the Career Services Web page at www.genesee.edu.career/events. Employers interested in attending the fair should contact the Career Services office at 585-345-6888 to register for this event.

So far, the following employer representatives will be available to distribute career information and other printed materials, answer questions, and receive resumes: (This list is subject to change.)

All Creatures Animal Hospital
Catholic Health System
Erie County Medical Center Corp
Finger Lakes DDSO
HomeCare & Hospice – Warsaw
Jewish Home of Rochester
Lifetime Assistance, Inc.
Monroe Community Hospital
Monroe Veterinary Associates
New York Army National Guard
NYS Veterans Home at Batavia
Orleans Community Health (Medina Memorial Hospital)
PSA Healthcare
Rainbow Preschool
Rehab Resources & Little Lukes
Thompson Health
United Memorial Medical Center
Unity Health System
University of Rochester Medical Center (Strong Memorial Hospital) – Physical Therapy
Wesley Gardens
Daemen College
Keuka College – Accelerated Studies for Adults Program
Roberts Wesleyan College
St. John Fisher College – Wegmans School of Nursing
The College at Brockport – Army ROTC
The College Network
Trocaire College
University of Rochester School of Nursing

Press release:

The Batavia Bulldawgs Youth Football is gearing up for its second season! The league is happy to announce it's been accepted into the Niagara Orleans Football Association (NOFA) for the 2012 Season.

With this exciting change the Bulldawgs will be able to expand to field young players from 6 to 13 years old for tackle football and introduce a Cheerleading Program for cheerleaders 6 to 14 years old.

This year the Bulldawgs will field four teams, which will be age based as of Dec. 1. The four divisions have UNLIMITED weight for all positions.

• Beginner: Age 6-7
• Mini: Age 8-9
• JV: Age 10-11
• Varsity: Age 12-13 (Cheerleading can be 14 years old)

The Bulldawgs will have registration on SATURDAY, MARCH 24 at the Batavia City Centre. Registration is for the first 35 players/cheerleaders per squad.

Registration for RETURNING players: 10 a.m. to 12 p.m.

Registration for NEW players: 1 to 3 p.m.

Registration for CHEERLEADING: 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Parent/Guardian and player/cheerleader must be present at time of registration. A copy of birth certificate, proof of insurance and annual physical is required.

The Bulldawgs are taking applications from anyone that is interested in being a coach for either football or cheerleading. There will be an informational coaches meeting on at 7 p.m. on SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 26 at T.F. Brown's. Please contact league to reserve your spot.

To kick off the year, the Bulldawgs are having a Bowling Fundraiser on Saturday, Feb. 25 at Mancuso Bowling Lanes. There are two time slots, noon to 2 p.m. and 3 to 5 p.m. Cost is $15 and includes unlimited bowling for two hours and two slices of pizza and soda pop. Or reserve a lane for $60 (five people).

Please call Extreme Streetwear at 344-4411 to reserve your bowling lane and support the BULLDAWGS!

For more information, please contact League Commissioner John Reigle at 716-228-5787, Cheer Director Sherri Wahr at 356-0639, or email bataviabulldawgsfootball@gmail.com

Just a reminder...

Press release:

Some local musicians will be giving back while they’re letting the good times roll at HomeCare & Hospice’s Mardi Gras on Feb. 25 at Batavia Downs.

Johnny Starowitz and Savage Cabbage are serving as the host band for the event, which will also feature Mac & Company, The Nichols Brothers Band, The Trolls, and Above the Fog.

Starowitz said he and other members of the band have had family members who received hospice services. When was asked if he would perform at Mardi Gras, as a benefit for the HomeCare & Hospice Foundation, Starowitz told organizers, “You take care of everything else and I’ll take care of the music.”

Savage Cabbage has been around since 1979, playing clubs, parties and benefits, giving them an edge in putting together a lineup of bands for the evening.

“It’s a pay back," Starowitz said. "Hospice is a benefit for the patient and the family. A lot of people in the public don’t know it’s out there. It does a lot a good, so we wanted to help raise money."

The bands are working together to make sure the music fills the entire evening. Mac & Company will start out the night with a mellow sound and the remaining bands will provide a mix of rock 'n' roll and Southern rock.

“There will be enough to please everybody -- continuous music right from the beginning to the end. Everybody is using same equipment, so there won’t be more than five minutes between bands. Each band has six songs to play. At end of the night, if there’s time, we’ll have one big jam with everybody."

Doors will open at 6 p.m. Around-the-World grazing stations, featuring international cuisine, will be open from 6:30 until 8 p.m. and a cash bar will be available all evening. Drawings for prize baskets will be held throughout the night, including a giveaway for an overnight stay at the Del Monte Inn. Winners must be present at the time of the drawing.

Tickets are $35, which includes $10 in free play in the Batavia Downs Casino and one entry in the prize basket drawings. To order, call Linda Cummings, HomeCare & Hospice development manager at 1-877-277-2615 or online at www.homecare-hospice.org.

HomeCare & Hospice, a nonprofit United Way agency, provides specialized medical care and social/emotional support for patients and families coping with life-limiting illness in Genesee, Wyoming, Allegany and Cattaraugus counties. This institution is an equal opportunity provider and employer.

Pink Flamingos. A total of 34 beautiful flamingos. Left in front of my rock garden, w/1 perched in a spruce tree? at the entrance of my Rose rd. residence, on Saturday the 4th of Feb. The people making the delivery were caught on tape & driving what appears to be the same GMC Yukon.Owned by a man named Steve, who goes to Discovery Chapel, in Batavia. I believe, they were left as a B-day prank. Intended for a previous resident. Who, for my own personal safety, could no longer live here. Not once but 3 times I was threatened, w/a loaded gun. Then tells me, Im demon posessed & trys to perform an exorcism via text, on my cell phone! Umm, It was time to wake up! BUT! Sorry it didnt work out for you though. It was quite a shocker, when I arrived home. Very clever too. I've never seen a pink flamingo, in a spruce tree, before! Lol! But just so you know. Your birds are safe & waiting to go home, or off on there next mission. Just let me know, the address of the house, were they were left & Ill know that they are yours. You can call 585-762-4020 Leave a message. My name is Lucy & we can come up with a time, so you can pick them up.

Learn fascinating facts about the stars, planets and constellations in the night sky during a one-day-only program Saturday, March 3, at Genesee County Park & Forest Interpretive Nature Center.

Join Paul Krupinski from Ancient Eyes Productions as he shares his knowledge about
astronomy inside his "traveling planetarium." Preregistration is required by calling 344-1122. Cost is $5 per person or $10 per family.

There are two sessions to choose from that day: 10 to 11 a.m., or noon to 1 p.m.

The location is 11095 Bethany Center Road in East Bethany. Space is limited, so sign up early!

The Genesee County Baseball Club will hold its annual Batavia Muckdogs Hot Stove Dinner and auction from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. on Friday, March 2 at the Terry Hills. Tickets are $25 for adults and $15 for children 12 and under.

The evening will begin with a cocktail hour followed immediately by dinner. The Hot Stove Dinner is a time for good food, friendship, baseball talk, and silent and live auctions of baseball-related memorabilia (including signed bats and balls), work by local artists, and gift certificates from a variety of local businesses.

Tickets may be purchased in Batavia at Dwyer Stadium, Gerace’s Hair Care, the Williams Law Firm, and the offices of Dr. Ross Fanara and Dr. Alan Barcomb.

Terry Hills is located at 5122 Clinton St. Road in Batavia.

Lost: In Coffee Culture parking lot area an artisan-crafted cuff bracelet. Approximately 2-inches wide, sterling silver with an oxidized wavy pattern. Large center stone of malachite. Designer stamped: Dominique Dinouart and .925.

Has sentimental value. Please call Patti Lynn at 305-3151 if found. A reward is offered.

Tri-Town Youth Athletics is planning to start a youth football program and has scheduled a meeting for Thursday, Feb. 16 to provide more information to interested parents. It begins at 7 p.m. in the Alexander Elementary School Gym, located at 3314 Buffalo St. between routes 20 and 98.

Tri-Town Youth Athletics primarily serves the Alexander Central School District -- covering Alexander, Darien and Bethany -- but kids from all over the area are welcome to take part. It also offers baseball, softball, basketball and soccer programs.

The new football and cheerleading programs, which the organization last sponsored more than 20 years ago, are open to boys and girls ages 6 to 13.

Tri-Town Youth Football will be led by several experienced football coaches and youth sports administrators. Additional football and cheerleading coaches, as well as a cheerleading commissioner, are wanted.

Anyone interested should call 356-7571 or email Tritownyouth@hotmail.com. Other opportunities for parents to take part in planning, fundraising and game-day operations are also available.

You are cordially invited to the 46th Annual Reunion of Western New York to be held on March 7 in Palmetto, Fla.

It will take place at the Tropic Isles Park Auditorium, located at 3100 10th St. and 28th Ave. There is a $3 per person donation at registration.

Coffee and donuts will be served at 10:30 a.m., lunch at noon. Please bring a dish to pass that will serve eight and bring your own table ware.

A short business meeting and door prize giveaways will follow lunch.

For further information, call Chuck at (941) 721-9748 or Joan at (941) 727-1665.

 

Press release:

Batavia Downs Casino is pleased to announce the opening of its newly expanded gaming floor.  With construction complete, it now boasts 640 machines in the entire facility, up from just over 600.

The expanded gaming space, located at the rear of the facility, has 60 new machines including the popular “Wheel of Fortune Secret Spins” and additional “Sex and the City” gaming machines.

A ribbon-cutting ceremony will be held at 11 a.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 7 with members of the Batavia Downs Casino staff.

The casino is part of the complex at Batavia Downs, home of America's oldest lighted harness-racing track. It is in owned and operated by Western Regional Off-Track Betting, a public benefit corporation.

Municipalities that own Batavia Downs Casino include: the cities of Buffalo and Rochester, and the counties of Cattaraugus, Cayuga, Chautauqua, Erie, Genesee, Livingston, Monroe, Niagara, Orleans, Oswego, Schuyler, Seneca, Steuben, Wayne and Wyoming.

Batavia Downs Casino is located less than one mile from Thruway Exit 48 and is open daily from 8 a.m. to 4 a.m.

Richmond Memorial Library in Batavia is offering an eBook Class from 2 to 4 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 22. Registration is required for this free class and group size is limited. Call the library at 343-9550, ext. 2, to register.

Participants will learn how to borrow and download eBooks from the library’s website. At 2 p.m., instruction will be given for the Nook, Sony, and Kobo readers. At 3 p.m., instruction will be given for the Kindle.

More information is available in the library, located at 19 Ross St., and online at www.batavialibrary.org.

There is a special Civil War exhibit inside the Alfred O'Connell Library at the Batavia campus of Genesee Community College. It's part of a series of activities commemorating the 150th anniversary of America's most divisive conflict.

It features more than a dozen miniature models depicting wartime scenes and situations of the Civil War. There are authentic weapons and war accoutrements, uniforms, a tent, and a selection of framed newspapers dating back to the 1850s.

The exhibit continues through February 17 and is open during normal library hours. Spring hours are:

• Monday through Thursday -- 7:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m.
• Friday -- 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
• Saturday -- 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
• Sunday -- 12 to 6 p.m.

The college is located at 1 College Drive. For more information, call the library at 343-0055, ext. 6419, or visit online at <www.genesee.edu/library>.