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Shutterbugs asked submit entries of beautiful, unique aspects of GC

By Billie Owens

Because of the major success the 2009 photo contest, the New York State Association of Counties has decided to hold the contest again this year.

NYSAC officials said more than 100 photos were submitted by 30 counties last year.

Genesee County Legislature Chair Mary Pat Hancock is opening the contest to local photographers, giving them the opportunity to submit their photos.

“With all the beautiful spots in Genesee County and all the talented photographers, this contest seems made to order for us!," Hancock said. "Please take the time to submit your photographs."

This time, NYSAC is looking for pictures that set Genesee County apart from other counties in day-to-day activities. The association is looking for pictures ranging from farm fields and barns to ice rinks and cityscapes.

Send in a photo that best represents our community. Submitted photos should be high resolution (at least 300dpi) at 4-by-6 inches. Deadline for submission is June 11 and photos should be emailed to legis@co.genesee.ny.us.

Should you desire additional information, please contact Carolyn Pratt, clerk of the Legislature 344-2550, ext, 2202 or <cpratt@co.genesee.ny.us>.

Business Education Alliance offers three summer camps for middle-schoolers

By Billie Owens

The Genesee County Business Education Alliance (BEA) is offering three career-exploration camps this summer Genesee County middle-school students.

Brand-new this year is a camp exploring careers related to math, science and technology. The MST Explorer Camp is July 20 and 21 and it is for students who are currently in 6th, 7th and 8th grades.

The MST camp on July 20 is for boys and the girls camp is July 21.

The camp fee is $25 and will run all day, 7:45 a.m. to 4 p.m. Lunch and snacks are included. It will be held at Batavia Middle School.

Students will learn how math, science and technology can translate to exciting career options. Some of the activities will include: designing and building bridges; testing CO2 cars; exploring aerodynamics through a hot-air balloon, a real race car, and an ultralite aircraft; experiencing energy; and learning about the future of alternative energy sources, and much more.

The MASH (Medical Academy of Science and Health) Camp will be July 27-30 for current sixth- and seventh-graders. The camp fee is $40 and includes lunches and snacks. The camp will be held at a variety of locations. including United Memorial Medical Center and Genesee Community College.

The MASH Camp explores careers related to health and health-care fields, including the new career clusters, life sciences and biotechnology. The camp is hands-on and offers a variety of interactive activities for students to gain a better understanding of what it’s like to be in some of these careers. The activities are led by dedicated professionals who are excited about their jobs and who want to share that with students.

Culinary Camp will be Aug. 2-6, 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., for students currently in sixth- and seventh-grades. The camp fee is $25. Students will receive chef hats and aprons.  This camp will be held at a variety of locations including Tops Food Market in Batavia, Genesee Valley Educational Partnership’s Batavia Campus, and restaurants in downtown Batavia.

Culinary Camp is a career-exploration camp for students interested in experiencing and learning about careers related to culinary arts and the hospitality field. Students will have a unique opportunity to get a behind-the-scenes look at the daily operations of Tops and how the staff works to meet the local community's needs.

Students will spend three days learning cooking techniques and creating meals under the direction of the culinary arts instructor from Genesee Valley Educational Partnership. The camp will conclude with a tour of restaurants in downtown Batavia.

For more information on these camps or to register, please contact Melinda Chamberlin at <mchamberlin@geneseeny.com> or at 343-7440, ext. 25. Information is also available through the school district counseling offices.

Forgotten Children Event

By Tara Pariso

Tomorrow will be an important day for our county.  Nearly 20 agencies have worked together to bring information to the hands of individuals that may have not known where to turn when help was needed.  The Forgotten Children Event will include a display in front of the Courthouse of cut-outs representing children in foster care in Genesee County, a processional walk starting at 12:15pm from City Hall to the Courthouse, a Batavia Area Jaycees $1 Hot Dog Stand, free healthy snacks to the public, and information bags filled with brochures & program information.  This event is to raise awareness of all the children in Genesee County that live in foster care, services that are available to men, women, and children, and a chance to show support of all the wonderful people that our county has working to make this a better place to live.  A sample of agencies include Genesee County Dept. of Social Services, YWCA, Girl Scouts, RAP, Inc., Genesee Justice, GCASA, WIC, Community Action, All Babies Cherished, and Cornell Cooperative Extension.  This event is open to the public and is FREE!

ANNUAL FLAG DAY CEREMONY

By Ronald Konieczny

On June 14th at 6PM the American Legion Post 332 will conduct a Flag Day ceremony at the Post Home on RT. 98 just South of the city line.

The colors will be posted by the Honor Guard Team at 6PM and Commander Ronald P. Konieczny will read the order of the day.  Post Chaplain, Paul LaValley will give a prayer before the burning ceremony begins.

All tattered flags to be retired may be dropped of at the J. Leonard McAndrew Funeral Home on 2 Bogue Ave., Batavia from 9AM  to 4PM.  All flags will be respectfully folded prior to being transfered to the ceremony area.

If you have questions or need any type of assistance, please call Commander Konieczny at 585-343-6158 and he will assist you. 

The public is requested to participate in this solemn service.

Leadership Genesee's Golf & Bocce Ball Tournament June 14

By Billie Owens

Leadership Genesee’s 7th Annual Golf & Bocce Ball Tournament is at 11:30 a.m., Monday,  June 14 at Terry Hills Golf Course. Gold Sponsor of the tournament is Clark Patterson Lee.

Teams may sign up for the four-person scramble that includes lunch, green fee, cart and buffet dinner for $100 per person by June 1, but the price is $115 after June 1. Registration for Bocce Ball is $50 per person and it includes lunch and dinner. Dinner only is $30 per person.

For team registration and sponsorship information, contact Leadership Genesee Director Peggy Marone at 343-3040, ext. 118, register on-line at www.leadershipgenesee.shutterfly.com or pick up a registration form at Cornell Cooperative Extension Genesee County, 420 E. Main St.

Leadership Genesee creates an experience promoting active leadership for Genesee County and is a program of Cornell Cooperative Extension that offers equal program and employment opportunities.

ARC Restaurant Promotion Continues

By Genesee ARC News

Steve and Crystal Hawley present Annie Watts, a server at Larry's Steakhouse in Batavia, with a restaurant promotion card to benefit Genesee ARC. On Sundays through Wednesday until June 9, eleven area businesses will give a percentage of proceeds to the Genesee ARC Capital Campaign underway to complete work at the agency’s Woodrow Road site, the former St. Mary’s Elementary School.

Genesee ARC will receive a donation equal to 10% of each purchase when the customer presents a promo card or ad at participating businesses.   Clip and save promo ads were published in The Daily News, area penny savers and are available online at www.wbta1490.com.

Along with Larry’s Steakhouse, the following businesses are participating: Alabama Hotel, Alex’s Place, Batavia Restaurant Supply, Bohn’s, Clor’s, D & R Depot, Delavan’s, Sport of Kings, TF Browns and Terry Hills. 

 Money raised in this promotion will go towards the creation of a Culinary Arts Training Program at the Genesee ARC Community Center for people with disabilities. The goal is to train individuals in all phases of food preparation and serving for placement at jobs in the community.  

Donations to support Genesee ARC’s Capital Campaign may be made on line at www.peoplerealizingpotential.com.  Anyone with questions may contact Genesee ARC Director of Development, Shelley Falitico at 343-1123, ext. 231 or sfalitico@rochester.rr.com.

Librarian and St. Joe's teacher team up to make library more fun

By Daniel Crofts



Mrs. Caprio's sixth-grade class from St. Joseph's Elementary School poses for a picture at the Richmond Memorial Library -- with Teen Services Librarian Paula Haven hiding out in the back (far left).

Richmond and St. Joe's partnership started several years ago with Library Director Diana Wyrwa's visit to the school, where she spoke to the faculty about library services and extended an invitation to all grades.

"The library is such a treasure," Caprio said. "And it's right by our school, so why not take advantage of it? It's especially helpful as a supplement to (St. Joe's) library, which is kind of small."

St. Joe's 6th-graders started to visit the library last year under the supervision of Nicole Tamfer. That group was, in Haven's words, "very independent." They only came every other week or so, then mainly just to look for books.

Wanting to see the sixth-grade library experience continue, Caprio contacted Haven about bringing her class over on a weekly basis for an ongoing library orientation program.

Last September, this program was pretty much the same as its predecessor: the kids came to familiarize themselves with where different types of books were and…well, to look for books. Caprio and Haven quickly learned that if this was going to succeed on a weekly basis, certain changes were going to have to be made.

"We found that even at this age, young people need more structure," Caprio said.

This is where Haven had to put on her thinking cap. Capitalizing on her field of expertise, she started them off with library skills -- but with a little twist.

"I would go through the Teen Corner shelves and take books out of place," Haven said, "and then ask the students to spot them and put them back where they belong."

Moving away from the shelves to the Teen Corner tables, the group then started doing Reader's Theatre, which helped establish familiarity between "Miss Paula" (as the kids call her) and her new once-a-week class.

Reader's Theatre was followed up with genre studies, where the kids learned about the different types of fiction and then tried their hands at writing their own stories within each genre. From there, they have since graduated to creating their own graphic novels, which they spent Friday's session illustrating.

That, in a nutshell, is the history of the Haven/Caprio brainchild thus far. With roots in Wyrwa’s efforts to bring students to the library, it has taken on a life of its own and evolved accordingly. Haven and Caprio plan on continuing the program next year and building on what they’ve already done.

So what did everybody get out of this thing?

The planning and instruction involved in the program have taught Haven a lot about what teachers do on a daily basis.

"I've really gotten to experience firsthand the challenge of keeping the students focused," she said. "We’re talking about a situation where you only have a half hour, and you really have to keep things interesting for them."

Having never taught before, Haven found this to be as much of a learning experience for her as for the students. She attributes her overall success to the support she received from Caprio – who gave her complete freedom when it came to program planning but remained on hand to help her when necessary – and to the cooperativeness and enthusiasm of the kids.

“They’ve done very well this year,” Haven said. “They’ve participated with enthusiasm, they’ve been pleasant, and you can see them put effort into their work. They surprised me every week by their openness and enthusiasm.”

One thing that Haven and Caprio both agree on is that it’s nice to see these young people experience the library as an enjoyable place to be.

“I love seeing video-age teens connect to the library. I like that you can start with their interests (many students incorporated popular culture references like Michael Jackson and McDonald’s into their fictional works) and then help them segue into being lifelong readers.”

Caprio’s class members were asked to share their thoughts/feelings about the program via written responses. They submitted the following comments to The Batavian:

Alex R.

"I like when we got to write our own paragraph/story. I didn't know a book goes backwards (referring to anime graphic novels, which are formatted according to the Japanese style of writing back-to-front)."

Anonymous #1

"I like how we got to read short stories about different genres and learn about them. Also I like how we got to write our own paragraphs on the genre we were learning about. I would recommend it for other classes because it is a great chance to learn about how different books are made. I think Miss Paula is a very good teacher and is very open about a lot of things. Also Miss Paula is very nice."

James F.

"I had a really good time doing all the great activities. I look forward to it every week and it really brightens up my day. I would definitely recommend this program to other classes. It was very enjoyable. It has also really helped me on essays. I have learned how to improve my sentence fluency and raised my grades, too! Miss Paula was very nice. She was always in a good mood! She was patient and helped us when we were stuck."

Anonymous #2

"I would definitely recommend the program to other classes because going to the library is fun. It gives you a break from school as well as having some educational values. We've recently been learning about different genres of books. Some include: horror, fairy tale, and science fiction. Everyone is nice to you at the library including Miss Paula. Everyone really enjoys the library!"

C.J. S.

"I like making our own cartoons."

Anthony H.

"The experience was fun because we were able to write our own stories and learned a new story genre each week. I found out also that graphic novels can start from the back of the book so there was a bit of education."

Emily F.

"I liked the library program. I didn't know that much about genres, but now I know a lot about them. I thought we would just look at books, but we actually learn a lot. I have learned that graphic novels start from the back. But now we are drawing our own graphic novels, it is cool! Miss Paula is very nice and patient. She lets us do fun stuff. I do recommend this program to other classes. I know they will have a load of fun!"

Peter D.

"We talk a lot about different elements of reading like horror and comedy."

Nichol S.

"One thing I liked about this is making up our own stories. For example, when we learned about science fiction, we had to write our own science fiction story. I would recommend this to other schools because it helps students tell what type of genre a story is. Miss Paula is open and explains things pretty well."

Anonymous #3

"What I like is that we read a story and talk about the elements. (When asked if the class had any educational value): I can express myself from time to time."

Anthony G.

"I like going to the library. Miss Paula is cool. She knows where the books are when I ask. I like (the program) and I want to keep going."

Tyler H.

"At first I thought that we would just be looking at books. Then I found out that we would be learning a lot about literature. I liked that a lot. I would recommend it to other classes because kids can learn more about literature than they do in English class. I learned more about books every week. Also, I got to learn more kinds (a.k.a. genres) of books. Miss Paula let us talk freely. She was a good teacher."

Peter K.

"I liked making our own stories."

Jacob H.

"I liked learning about how the story originated and writing our own stories. I would recommend it to future kids because it will help them learn about stories. Miss Paula is a nice librarian."

Jessica

"I think Ms. Paula is very nice and knows what we need to learn/should know. She has a lot of interesting topics. I would recommend it for other classes because it is fun and you learn at the same time."

Anonymous #4

"I enjoyed going to the library every week and learning about the different genres. Miss Paula was very nice and always had something ready for us to learn about."

Grant B. (a.k.a. "That Kid")

"It's fun when we write our own stories. We get to express ourselves. All kids would probably like it. It had a little educational value because we learned all the different parts of a book/story."

Joseph S.

"I liked the fact that we were able to look for books at the beginning."

Shea N.

"I think that the best part of this is drawing cartoons! Miss Paula was verry nice!!! Would I recommend (the program)? Well, yes! P.S. – I love The Batavian!”

(I promise I did not make that last part up).

All Babies Cherished sponsors 2K walk in Batavia

By Daniel Crofts

All Babies Cherished Pregnancy Assistance Center will host its "Let There be Life" walk beginning at 9 a.m. on Saturday, June 5. Walkers will recruit sponsors and walk two miles to raise money for the pro-life cause.

The walk starts at St. Paul Lutheran Church, at 31 Washington Ave., in Batavia. Anyone who would like to get involved but cannot participate on the day of the walk may walk two miles in their own neighborhood and then mail sponsor forms to: All Babies Cherished, 445 Ellicott St., Batavia, NY 14020.

For more information, contact All Babies Cherished at 344-5660 during its regular hours:

  • 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., Monday and Wednesday
  • 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. and 6 to 8 p.m., Tuesday
  • 6 p.m. to 8 p.m., Thursday

Batavia Players holds auditions for 'Seven Brides for Seven Brothers' at John Kennedy School

By Daniel Crofts

Batavia Players will host auditions for their Summer Youth Theater production of "Seven Brides for Seven Brothers" on Tuesday, May 25 and Wednesday, May 26.

Auditions will last from 6:30 until 9:30 p.m. and will be held at John Kennedy Elementary School, at 166 Vine St. in Batavia.

This is open to kids ages 12 through 21. For more details, contact the director, Patrick D. Burk, at 343-9721.

Jamming on the Streets

By Robin Walters

 

The Care-A-Van Band has been busy already this season. The band goes out to the streets every Thursday evening for the weekly cook-outs with the ministry. The band is made up of community members who have a heart to share their musical talents with others. The band is also receiving invitations to perform at other venues.

Care-A-Van Ministries received a huge blessing this week from Rose at Roxy's Music Store here in Batavia. The band was in need of speakers.When the ministry went to Roxy's to purchase speakers, Rose donated two Peavy 15" speakers with horns!

Thank you Rose and to everyone who continues to support the ministry and helps be a blessing to others. Be sure to stop by one of the cookouts and enjoy "jamming" with the band!

A "Wilde" weekend in Batavia

By Gretel Kauffman

This weekend, the Batavia Players will bring to the stage a much-loved play by one of Britain's wittiest writers: "The Importance of Being Earnest," which is among Oscar Wilde's best-known works. The satire is centered around the mistaken identities of best friends Jack Worthing and Algernon Moncrieff after both assume the name "Ernest" for their own romantic advantages, and it backfires in a surprising plot twist.

"I like his literature," says director Justin Soble of Wilde. "He's famous for comedies in which he satirizes society. And I like British comedy. It's kind of my acting niche. So when the chance came up to direct it, I jumped." 

This is Soble's first time directing, although he is no stranger to the stage. This will mark his 20th theater production, many of which have been with the Batavia Players.

His first directing experience hasn't exactly been a perfectly smooth one, as several weeks ago the show experienced a surprising plot twist of its own: a change in venue. "Earnest" had been scheduled as the first show to be performed in the Batavia Players' new black box theater on Harvester Avenue, but the theater wasn't finished on time. The new venue is John Kennedy School.

"It's definitely different because a black box has three sides, and a proscenium setup only has one," explains Soble. "It was going to be the perfect size. But we realized two weeks ago that we weren't going to be able to do it there, and we started coming here last week. It's very different."

Charles Smith (pictured above with Katelyn Rogers), who has the role of Jack, says that although it "took a couple rehearsals to switch over," overall it is "easier to do the proscenium style because people rarely do black box."

Smith, an 18-year-old Batavia homeschooled senior, is sharing the stage with his 16-year-old brother Matthew, who is playing Algernon. The two have appeared in numerous local theater productions, most of them being with Shakespeare in Springtime and Go Art! Summer Youth Theater. Both agree that they enjoy playing opposite each other onstage.

"It makes it a whole lot easier," says Matthew. "All the stuff we do all day, every day at home, we do onstage." 

What makes it even more natural is the similarity of their characters to their real life personalities.

"My character is very serious and reserved," says Charles. "He doesn't like to have fun."

"And I'm the opposite," adds Matthew.

"That's how it is in real life, too," explains Charles.

Performances will be at 7:30 p.m., Thursday through Saturday, at John Kennedy School, 166 Vine St. in Batavia. Tickets are $10 general admission and $8 for students and seniors. Tickets are available to purchase online at www.bataviaplayers.org, at the door, or by calling 1-866-967-8167.

Chicken BBQ Friday to benefit wheelchair athletic competition for veterans

By Billie Owens

Local wheelchair-bound veterans need your help to attend the 30th annual National Veterans Wheelchair Games.

Starting at 2:30 p.m. on Friday, May 21, there will be a take-out chicken BBQ at Clor's Market in Batavia to help them pay for the trip.

The "Games with Heart a Mile High" will be held this summer in Denver, Colo.

Venue change for Batavia Players' production of "The Importance of Being Earnest"

By Billie Owens

Batavia Players present their spring production of Oscar Wilde’s "The Importance of Being Earnest" this week. Show time is 7:30 p.m., Thursday through Saturday, May 20-22.

PLEASE NOTE: The venue has changed to John Kennedy School, 166 Vine St., in Batavia. (It was earlier planned for the Players' New Harvester Theater.)

General admission tickets are $10. Students and seniors pay $8. You can buy tickets online at < www.bataviaplayers.org> or at the door. Or you can also buy tickets by calling 1-866-967-8167.

Wilde's most popular play, which he characterized as "a trivial comedy for serious people," premiered on Valentine's Day in 1895 at London's St. James Theatre.

It is set in England during the late Victorian Era and is filled with witty dialogue and satirizes some of the societal foibles and hypocrisy of the day. Much of the humor is derived from two of the male characters maintaining fictitious identities to escape unwelcome obligations and the confusion that ensues.

Found Kitten

By Jeremiah Pedro

Found black female kitten with white spot on chest.

found on Manhattan ave on saturday 15 may 2010

call 585-297-0853

Mothertime Marketplace at St. Joe's Memorial Day weekend

By Billie Owens

Expecting a baby? Do you have a baby? Do you have kids? Then Mothertime Marketplace is where you need to be this Memorial Day weekend!

You can shop for your children's needs and save hundreds of dollars. The seasonal children's consignment sale is jam packed with gently used children's items at unbelievable prices.

The sale event will be held Memorial Day weekend at St. Joe’s School, at 2 Summit St., Batavia. Doors will be open to the public from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday, May 29. On Sunday, the hours are 8 a.m. to noon.

Both days will also feature a 50-percent off sale on select merchandise from 8 to 11 a.m. There will be "Fill a Bag for $7" on both days from 11 a.m. to noon.

Consignors at the sale can earn up to 75 percent of their sales. The average consignor earns about $350 (the highest seller at the fall sale earned $1,200). There is nothing too big or too small to sell at the sale, which will feature outdoor play equipment, hundreds of name-brand children’s clothing from sizes newborn to 12 youth, high chairs, maternity clothing, bouncy seats, tricycles, bath supplies, shoes, books, etc.

The organizers are expecting about 50 to 60 sellers. There is still time to register as a consignor. Go to www.mothertimemarketplace.com and click on "Batavia Sale" to register to sell your gently used children's items and make some money!

Shoppers can expect to find clean, gently used children’s items priced 50 to 75 percent below retail prices. The best part is that everything is organized by age and gender.

Parking is free, admission is $1 per adult. Children can attend for free.

For more information, please go to www.mothertimemarketplace.com or contact Jessi Boardman at (716) 560-0557.

Batavia Rotary Club Annual Fly-In Breakfast

By Pamela LaGrou

Sunday, June 20th mark's the Batavia Rotary Club's Annual Fly-In Breakfast.  The highly anticipated breakfast fundraiser is set to take place at the Genesee County Airport from 7 am - Noon.  Tickets cost $6.00 for adults, $4 for children ages 4-12 and free for children under 4 years old.  Tickets can be purchased from any Batavia Rotary Club member.  The menu includes eggs, sausage, pancakes, juice, coffee, tea and milk.  The Batavia Rotary Club raises money for community, national and international projects as well as annual scholarships for area youth.

Event Date and Time
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'Showtime Horse Show' at Batavia Downs

By Daniel Crofts

The 4th annual Batavia Showtime horse show has courses for families and people of all ages featuring horse (and pony) jumpers and hunters. It will take place at the infield of the Batavia Downs Casino, at 8315 Park Road., Batavia, and will run from 7:30 a.m. until 5 or 6 p.m.

There are three sets of four-day shows on these dates:

  • Thursday, May 20 through Sunday, May 23
  • Thursday, June 17 through Sunday, June 20
  • Thursday, June 24 through Sunday, June 27

Refreshments and bleacher seating will be available. Admission is free and open to the public. For more information, contact Lizabeth Keller at 820-7889 or visit www.tsgequineevents.com.

Chicken BBQ to benefit Ryan Wolcott this Tuesday

By Gretel Kauffman

From 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday, May 18, the Elba school and community will be holding a chicken BBQ to benefit Elba High School student Ryan Wolcott.

Elba and Byron-Bergen faculties, students, and friends of Ryan and the Wolcott family will be serving food in the Elba Central School cafeteria. Eat in or take out. Tickets will be $9 at the door, and $8 pre-sale (available at the school). All proceeds will go to the Wolcott family.

There will also be a spaghetti dinner to benefit Ryan on June 6 at the Elba Rec Hall, which will feature several local bands.

Here is a brief bio of Ryan, written by his mother, Jody Wolcott.

Ryan is a 10th grader at Elba Central School; he was born with Wiscott-Aldrich Syndrome. It is a rare immune deficiency similar to "The Boy in the Bubble."

He was treated with a bone-marrow transplant when he was 2 years old and has ongoing complex care. The most debilitating complication is that he has chronic obstructive lung disease or C.O.P.D. He struggles to breathe and is dependent on oxygen from a tank or concentrator. He has other medical and physical challenges that affect his stamina and mobility and depends on a scooter to get around.

Ryan was the Elba-BB football team water boy when he was able and was the honorary Elba Basketball team water boy this year. He likes to listen to music, play the Wii, watch movies, and has learned to depend on his friends for support.

NY-Penn League seeks online votes to pick 'All-Time Team'

By Billie Owens

The New York-Penn League, in its 72nd year, is the oldest continually operated Class A league in Minor League Baseball and this year fans will have the chance to help select the league’s All-Time Team.

The New York-Penn League All-Time Team will be chosen by fan voting online at www.VoteNYPL.com through Aug. 1. In addition to choosing players at each position, fans will also have a voice in picking a manager of the team.

More information can be found at www.newyork-pennleague.com.

The NYPL All-Time Team will be unveiled at the league’s All-Star game in Staten Island on Aug. 17.

“This league has such a great history and it’s something we wanted to celebrate”, said league president Ben J. Hayes in a news release.

“Over 2,400 players who have played in the NYPL have gone on to appear in Major League Baseball, from Hall-of-Famers like Jim Rice and Tony Perez to present day stars such as Ryan Howard, Johan Santana and C.C. Sabathia.

"Back in 1960 the Geneva (NY) Redlegs had both Tony Perez and Pete Rose on the same team”, Hayes said. “You wonder if fans, at the time, knew how successful they would be? Probably not, since the team actually finished in last place.”

The New York-Penn League All-Time Team is presented by the 300,000 members of CSEA-New York’s leading union.

“CSEA is proud to be associated with the New York-Penn League and its rich history in our region,” said CSEA President Danny Donohue. “CSEA is marking our Centennial Anniversary in 2010, which makes it natural to be involved in a project that provides historical perspective.

"CSEA’s centennial provides a chance to reflect on where we’ve come from and how we can become better in the future – it’s a lot like what the New York Penn-League is all about.”

GCC's 2009 picture book wins Platinum Award in international competition

By Billie Owens

A Genesee Community College publication has earned top honors in an international competition recognizing excellence in traditional and emerging media.

The College's 2009 picture book won a Platinum Award at the 2010 Hermes Creative Awards. The Association of Marketing and Communications Professionals, an organization consisting of several thousand marketing, communication, advertising, public relations, media production and free-lance professionals, oversees this annual competition, which drew about 3,600 entries last year.

College Recruitment Communications Specialist Hal Legg developed the picture book, which earned recognition in the publications/brochure category, in conjunction with Buffalo-based Forest Productions & Photography. As the college's flagship recruitment publication, the picture book is designed specifically for use during face-to-face visits with prospects at high schools.

"It was a fairly ambitious project from the start," says Legg. "Our goal was to produce a piece that instantly resonates with 16- to 18-year-olds. I think you really have to wow them because there's so much competition among colleges for this group's attention."

So when Forest Productions & Photography's president approached him to ask about entering the publication in the competition last fall, Legg was flattered.

"The idea that our picture book was good enough to compete in the Hermes Awards was proof enough for me that we'd done a good job," he says.

Winning its highest accolade exceeded his expectation.

"An award of this magnitude is certainly surprising," says Legg. "Of course, I always set out to do solid work, but contributing to a piece that's one of the best of the best-well that's quite special. I hope it's rewarding to everyone at the college who played a role in creating the picture book, especially our students."

Genesee's picture book is one of just 27 projects worldwide to earn a Platinum Hermes this year in the publications/brochure category. Other winners include airplane manufacturer Cessna, energy producer Con Edison, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Louisiana and the Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport in Arizona.

"I guess we're in some pretty good company, here," says Virginia Taylor, Ph.D, Genesee's vice president for student and enrollment services. "When you look at some of the firms involved in other winners' projects -- big ad agencies from major cities -- it's gratifying to be on par with what industry leaders are doing creatively."

For further information or for a copy of the 2009 picture book please contact Hal Legg at 343-0055, ext. 6380.

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