batavia

Press Release:

Come to the Holland Land Office Museum to see the first in a series of mini-exhibits focusing on materials and objects of our collection that have suffered from neglect and time. The Decomposing Past series will begin with textiles from Tuesday, Oct. 3 until Tuesday, Oct. 31. 

The objective of this multipart exhibit series is to bring awareness to the importance of museum work and the preservation of the physical past. The first installment focuses on textiles and clothing across 180 years (1750-1930)!

Admission to the exhibit is included in regular museum admission. Along with the exhibit, our curator will be hosting a textile workshop on Oct. 21, discussing various preservation methods and various items housed in the HLOM Clothing Collection!

Join us at the Holland Land Office Museum for the first in our new series of "Decomposing Past" Workshops. The first will be on Saturday, Oct. 21 at 1 p.m.

This workshop will focus on antique textiles, and discuss various preservation methods of items within the museum collection. Our Curator Tyler Angora will share these methods in the hope that you can use them and understand the textile conservation practices on your own pieces. 

Admission is $10 or $5 for museum members. This series of workshops is in conjunction with The Decomposing Past mini-exhibits at the museum.

Press Release:

Have you ever wondered how Genesee County came to be? What was the Holland Land Purchase? What is a Gibbet? How did Batavia get its name? If any of these questions peak your curiosity among many others, then volunteering at the Holland Land Office might be perfect for you. 

The museum is reaching out to anyone with an interest in local history who would like to volunteer. Any amount of time that can be given is welcome, even an hour a week can make a great difference. 

Volunteers can work in many different areas, and interests and strengths will be used to the most optimum effect. Areas of need include cleaning, gift shop, docent/tour guide, documenting of artifacts, exhibits and displays, landscaping, etc. 

Volunteer hours would be during the normal hours of operation of the museum are Tuesday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The museum is also looking for volunteers for our various committees including, Marketing Committee, Collections Committee, Membership Committee, Wonderland of Trees Committee, etc.

If you have an interest in volunteering with the Holland Land Office Museum, please contact Director Ryan Duffy at 585-343-4727 or hollandlandoffice@gmail.com. Information can also be found on the museum’s website at www.hollandlandoffice.com.

Twenty years ago, Rob Credi set out to blaze a trail of business ownership with a couple of other like-minded entrepreneurs, and they established a coffee shop in the middle of downtown Batavia on Main Street, hence its name Main Street Coffee. 

That was in December 2003, ending on New Year’s Eve in 2008. Fast forward to August 2020, when Credi opened Pub Coffee Hub on the other side of town, Harvester Avenue, with a bit more experience, business acumen, and hard-won lessons under his belt. 

“It was more of a learning lesson than a success,” he now says of those earlier days, though he wouldn’t exactly label them a failure either. “It does feel good to know it existed in its timeframe and served its purpose. It was obvious we didn’t know what we were doing. 

“Twenty years later, I opened Pub Hub. That was more of an immediate success,” Credi said.

Take his words with a grain of salt. Credi is also starkly honest about his professional journey so far: “I feel like I’m 75,” said the 40-year-old, who’s been married just under two years and celebrated the birth of his child this July. 

Although he felt that he knew what he was getting into — at least somewhat — running his own business was an eye-opener, especially the addition of  The Crapshoot Kitchen & Commissary just down the street from his Pub Coffee Hub Shop. 

The commissary is a large space where half of it houses Windy Brew, and the other side accommodates Linda Borinqueña, a Puerto Rican takeout, and Xavmen Ramen, Credi’s second foray into the culinary world with a takeout ramen restaurant. (See related article)

He couldn’t help himself but give it a go by renovating the place and making it amenable for caterers, bakers, restaurateurs, food truck operators and the like to have a space to prepare their dishes and sell them, he said.

“I’ve done enough, and I'm happy with what I've done; I don't need to keep going. The kitchen kind of fell into our laps where it's too good of an idea not to," he said. "I really want to do something that was focused on the community and not different than what my friends at Eli Fish did with their Fresh Lab, you know, giving someone who doesn't have the means to produce their own facility an option. That's exactly what I want to see here. I said (to Vee Echevarria, owner of Linda Borinqueña) my goal is for you to be so busy that you can't work here anymore, that you have to go find your own place.” 

There is still enough room for more behind-the-scenes businesses to operate and prepare their products there, but as for the two restaurants that sell directly to customers, that’s plenty for now, he said. 

Another venture that Credi has taken on is to have an employee who has baking experience begin to make baked goods there — muffins, danishes,  cookies, scones, chocolate-filled croissants, and a cinnamon roll with hot oozy icing, for the coffee shop.

So what would Credi advise someone like his younger self wanting to become a business owner?

"My number one advice would be to talk to someone who's done it. And there's so much like, behind-the-scenes stuff like everyone thinks that this is what I want to do. Okay, that's great. That's about five percent of what your business is actually going to be, you know, selling coffee is five percent of my business. And 95 percent is everything else I have to do to get to the point of selling coffee," he said. "And that's really something, I mean, for a young person, you can't sit down and think that through. You just don't have that experience or knowledge. So you really need to talk to someone. 

“Never underestimate how much work it is. You can do it but don’t underestimate how much work and stress is involved. Talk to someone who has done it," he said. "I’ve talked to a handful of people, it’s really valuable to get that firsthand knowledge."

He worked with a Small Business Development agency to write his business plan, which is invaluable and usually quite necessary, especially when obtaining loans. And then, of course, there's the part when you must just get busy operating your business, he said. 

He likes to regularly check in on local business owners to see what they're doing through their advertisements and promotions and by talking to them, he said. 

He also recommends checking in with customers and listening to them for reasonable feedback to know when to change what or how you’re doing something.  

“Being able to adapt and learn from the feedback,” he said. 

Credi decided to buy the space down the street also at Harvester Center that was formerly One World Goods -- a cavernous space that needed renovating and cleaning up to make it Health Department worthy. 

One section is occupied by Windy Brew, a tavern restaurant and tasting room, and the other side, known as The Crapshoot Kitchen & Commissary, has a kitchen with coolers and cooking and baking equipment for two restaurants and other future enterprises.

Xavmen Ramen was a stop-gap to fully utilize the space and try out an idea that he had while cooking with his wife Karie at home, he said. 

He has learned to carve out his time, with 15 hours a week at the coffee shop and the remaining time at the commissary, preparing and serving the food and checking in on customer feedback. 

Early on, he had a food truck for the Pub Hub and then sold that to The Harvester Center, which uses it on-site for Harvester events.

There isn’t an ending to this story yet, as Credi is planning for new offerings at the coffee shop — he learned that locals like their breakfast and he's gone from two to 11 morning items, including a new egg soufflé sandwich that will debut Wednesday and an egg, bleu cheese and hash brown wrap on Thursday — both of which are making good use of the commissary’s larger oven and space.

And Credi admits he dreams about having a second location with a drive-through even though his more reasonable side knows it’s not practical given his stress overload at the moment. 

Credi, who credits his success and existence to being “comprised of 30 different people” of family and friends who are a huge support system for him, has learned to scale back a smidge.

"I worked 20 hours a day; even in my sleep, I was still thinking about it," he said. "Now, for about five hours a day, I'm not thinking about it."

Ask Vianiliz Vee Echevarria Rivera what surprised her most about opening her own culinary business, and her answer is not about the long hours, tough customers or hard work.

It’s much more humble.

“Not expecting to be sold out four days in a row,” she said Monday after her debut opening week of Linda Borinqueña. “We were giving out little samples, and people were falling in love with our food. I’m looking forward to tomorrow. We’re taking it day by day.”

The Puerto Rican takeout restaurant had some delays due to typical project snags and is now fully up and running, with a five-day weekly schedule. 

She’s hopeful about offering hours that go until 7 p.m., and that she, her mom Elizabeth and brother Adrian are working diligently to prep enough food to last them each of Tuesday through Saturday for local patrons’ obvious appetites.

Her take-out restaurant, under the roof of The Crapshoot Kitchen & Commissary, owned by Rob Credi, will begin with white rice, two types of yellow rice, roasted pork and roasted chicken, empanadas, beans and a dessert of vanilla flan, an egg custard with a caramel glaze. 

“A lot of people were not expecting it to be such a flavorful food,” she said. “Everybody’s liking everything. We want to make sure that what we have is something they enjoy. We’re making the flan every morning, so it’s very fresh.”

She took two weeks off from her regular job to make sure the restaurant took off smoothly and plans to work in the early morning and after work once she returns, she said. 

Her mom enjoys the challenge so far, though “you go through so many emotions,” Vee said. 

“She’s trying to make it as fast as she can,” Vee said. “I feel we’re giving good portions too. This is our first week, so we’ll see where it leads.”

Hours are 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesdays through Saturdays. To view the menu and order, go HERE or call (716) 220-2880.

Entrepreneur and cooking enthusiast Rob Credi got involved in the ramen business as a hobby with his wife Karie, as they would each create different varieties of ramen for dinner. 

And then the prospect of The Crapshoot Kitchen & Commissary came to life, and Credi began to envision some space for his very own culinary dream come true, he said. 

And Xavmen Ramen was born.

“It's kind of like a fun concept that's new for Batavia. And it's not traditional ramen, which might scare people. It's more Americanized, like Thai with peanuts is probably going to be the more traditional one. The other ones are mimicked after, like a Big Mac. We have a garbage plate style, one of my favorites of these is the everything bagel. It's incredible,” he said. There’s the Tabouleh, a Middle Eastern salad. And a play off of Buffalo chicken, oh, fun things that people are familiar with around here.”

The Thai ramen has a Thai peanut sauce that “packs a little heat” and is garnished with chopped peanuts and green onion, whereas the tabouleh is a parsley salad of lemon juice, garlic, extra virgin olive oil, diced tomatoes, and green onion served cold. 

There’s a Buffalo ramen with a buttery hot sauce with baked chicken, crumbly blue cheese and diced celery, and several other versions to choose from.

The storage-turned-culinary space has taken quite a turn since, as Credi puts it: “it wasn’t retail friendly. It wasn’t really human-friendly, to say the least.”

“So just to get everything cleaned up and kosher with the health department in the city, you know, codes and all that was an undertaking, so I think we started just over a year ago this March of 2022,” he said. “The process, obviously, took much longer than I thought it would take to do, but we've reached it here and so far so good. They've been doing great. Linda Borinqueña has been doing great, they sold out the past two nights since they opened. Windy Brew is cranking now that they have their full menu and they use our kitchen. Of course, they are all doing good things. Hopefully, people appreciate it. 

"We all think it's a great idea," he said. "It's just a matter of, you know, will the general public agree with our vision.”

Hours are 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesdays through Saturdays. 

To view the menu or place an order, go to https://www.xavmen.com

Windy Brew opened its second location — it's first in Batavia — in August and has now added several varieties of pizza to its menu, such as a supremely loaded with cheese, pepperoni, bacon, onion, peppers and black olives. 

Patrons may order whole pizzas to go or to eat on-site. They also offer quesadillas, nachos, pretzels and other appetizers, plus many craft beers.

Hours are 2 to 9 p.m. Tuesdays and Wednesdays, 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. Thursdays through Saturdays, and 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sundays. 

For more information, go to https://windybrews.com

Press Release:

The Holland Land Office Museum is proud to announce the next edition of its Trivia Night @ the Museum on Thursday, Oct. 12 at 7 p.m. This month's topic the infamous gangster Al Capone. The event will be held at GO ART! at 201 E. Main St. in Batavia. Their Tavern 2.0 will also be open for anyone interested in 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.

The Holland Land Office Museum is proud to announce the next edition of its concert series on Wednesday, Oct. 18 at 7 p.m. The museum welcomes local rock duo Strummerz, you may also know them as No Blarney!, as they play all your favorite classic rock hits. Admission is $5 or $4 for museum members. Please contact the museum at 585-343-4727 or hollandlandoffice@gmail.com if you would like to attend. “This project is made possible with funds from the Statewide Community Regrant Program, a regrant program of the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature and administered by GO ART!”

Join us for the next edition of our Java with Joe E. morning presentation series on Thursday, Oct. 26 at 9 a.m. Our Curator Tyler Angora will be sharing his presentation to go along with the end of our Historic Batavia Cemetery exhibit, "Victorian Era Mourning." From Black dresses to black veils which made women sick, mourning has become a fascination of the past. Admission is free and coffee and donuts will be served. If you would like to attend please contact the museum at 585-343-4727 or hollandlandoffice@gmail.com.

The Holland Land Office Museum is proud to announce the next edition of its Guest Speaker Series on Thursday, Oct. 26 at 7 p.m. The museum welcomes Amy Truesdell, writer and consultant from Maine, who has fulfilled a lifelong goal to bring the over 100 letters of her great-great-grandfather to light of his time in the Civil War. Rollin Truesdell enlisted in the Union Army at Binghamton as part of the 27th NY Volunteers and fought in many pivotal battles, writing letters documenting his time in the Civil War. 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.

“This project is made possible with funds from the Statewide Community Regrant Program, a regrant program of the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature and administered by GO ART!”

Akeem R. Gibson is indicted on counts of reckless endangerment in the first degree, a Class D felony, fleeing a police officer in a motor vehicle, a Class A misdemeanor, speeding, a traffic infraction, criminal trespass in the second degree, a Class A misdemeanor, resisting arrest, a Class A misdemeanor, and obstructing governmental administration, a Class A misdemeanor. Gibson is accused of driving a vehicle into oncoming traffic on July 30 on Walkers Corners Road, Town of Byron, showing depraved indifference to human left, creating a grave risk of death to another person. He is accused of fleeing a patrol car at speeds that exceeded 25 mph over the posted speed limit. He is accused of entering an apartment at 335 Bank St., Batavia, and remaining unlawfully in the dwelling. He is accused of trying to prevent a police officer from lawfully placing him under arrest. 

Nahzaire N. Murray and Dezirae J. Martin are indicted on counts of grand larceny in the third degree, a Class D felony and of conspiracy in the fifth degree. Murray and Martin are accused of working together is steal property from Ulta Beauty in Batavia that was valued at more than $3,000.

Cody A. Bush is indicted on counts of criminal possession of a weapon in the third degree, a Class D felony and menacing in the second degree. Bush is accused of using a knife to cause another person to be in reasonable fear of serious physical injury or death on April 22 in the City of Batavia. 

Brianna N. Greene is indicted on a count of grand larceny in the fourth degree, a Class E felony. Greene is accused of stealing property from Dick's Sporting Goods on Jan. 8 that was valued in excess of $1,000. In a separate indictment, Greene is also charged with one count of bail jumping in the second degree for alleged failure to appear in Town of Batavia Court on Dec. 20 on a felony charge.

Jamie L. Broadbent is indicted on five counts of grand larceny in the fourth degree, a Class E felony, and one count of petit larceny,  a Class A misdemeanor. Broadbent is accused of stealing a wallet containing five credit cards that were issued in the name of another person.

Russell R. Lawrence is indicted on counts of criminal possession of stolen property in the fourth degree, a Class E felony, reckless endangerment in the first degree, a Class D felony, and unlawful fleeting from police,  a Class A misdemeanor. Lawrence is accused of possessing a stolen 2005 Chevrolet Silverado with the intent to deprive the rightful owner of the property on June 3, and of demonstrating depraved indifference to human life by recklessly driving a motor vehicle through an intersection in Le Roy, nearly colliding with another vehicle that was lawfully in the intersection, and of fleeing a patrol vehicle at speeds that exceeded by the speed limit by at least 25 mph.

Christopher S. Usselman is indicted on counts of criminal mischief in the third degree, a Class E felony and obstructing governmental administration in the second degree, a Class A misdemeanor.  Usselman is accused of intentionally damaging a table worth more than $250 that belonged to another person on April 18 and while at the Genesee County Jail on April 18 of trying to prevent government officials from performing their duties.

Robert D. Griffen is indicted on counts of DWI, a Class E felony and criminal mischief in the fourth degree, a Class A misdemeanor. Griffen is accused of driving drunk in a 2006 Ford on Ellsworth Avenue, Batavia, on July 19, and of intentionally damaging a wall in an interview room at the Batavia Police Department headquarters.

Caroline R. Salemi, 87, of Ellicott Avenue, and Timothy A. Burch, 61, of Ellicott Avenue, are charged with unlawful eviction and petit larceny. Salemi and Burch are accused of removing a tenant's property from an apartment and moving in another tenant without properly evicting the tenant. They also allegedly disposed of some of the tenant's property. 

Warren Thomas Cotton, 46, no permanent address, is charged with criminal possession of a controlled substance 7th. Cotton was allegedly found in possession of methamphetamine after deputies and troopers located a disabled vehicle on Route 33 in Stafford at 10:31 on Sept. 24. Cotton was a passenger in the vehicle and was allegedly found to have a warrant for his arrest. He was held in the Genesee County Jail pending arraignment.

Marcelis Arroyo, no age or residence provided, and Eliezer Morales, no age or residence provided, are both charged with petit larceny. Arroyo and Morales are accused of stealing something at Darien Lake Theme Park on Sept. 23.  Both were issued appearance tickets.

Tony Robert Graber, 44, of East Avenue, Marilla, is charged with burglary 2nd and criminal contempt 1st. Graber is accused of violating a stay-away order of protection at 1:45 p.m. on Sept. 6. He was ordered held without bail.

Joel D. Prouty, 37, of Thomas Avenue, Batavia, is charged with criminal contempt 1st. Prouty is accused of contacting a person in violation of a stay-away order of protection via phone calls while in the Genesee County Jail. Prouty was arraigned in City Court and returned to the jail.

Gregory Gatson, Jr., 33, of Magee Avenue, Rochester, is charged with DWI, driving with a BAC of .08 or greater, and speeding.  Gatson was stopped at 12:55 a.m. on Sept. 30 on Route 33 in Stafford by Deputy Ryan Mullen. He was released on an appearance ticket.

Johnny Burton Koonce, 33, of Conlon Road, Le Roy, is charged with criminal contempt 2nd. Koonce is accused of violating a stay-away order of protection at 2:38 a.m. on Oct. 3 at a location on Conlon Road, Le Roy. He was helped pending arraignment.

Joseph Frank Kosnik, 54, of Maple Road, Corfu, is charged with unauthorized use of a motor vehicle 3rd. Kosnik is accused of operating a truck without the owner's permission at 2:30 p.m. on Oct. 3 on Treadeasy Drive in Batavia. He was ordered to appear in court at a later date.

Jason M. Knobloch, 53, of Pembroke, is charged with DWI/alcohol or drugs. Knobloch was stopped by State Police in the Town of Pembroke at 11:14 p.m. on Oct. 3. He was issued an appearance ticket.

Ronald T. Bliss, 45, of Cheektowaga, is charged with unauthorized use of a motor vehicle. Bliss was arrested in connection with an incident reported at 10:51 p.m. on Oct. 2 in the Town of Pavilion. he was issued an appearance ticket. The State Police withheld further information about the case.

A suspect who fled from a Batavia police patrol attempting to make a traffic stop at Ellicott Street and Liberty Street was not located following an early Sunday morning search in the area of Washington Avenue and Summit Street.

At 12:25 a.m., an officer observed a Ford Edge that was facing south in the northbound lane, according to Det. Eric Hill, in his role as public information officer for Batavia PD. When the officer attempted to stop the vehicle, it ran a red light and sped away.

There was a short pursuit when the driver apparently lost control trying to negotiate a turn from East Main Street onto Summit Street, stopping in the driveway of 5 Summit St. 

The suspect exited the vehicle and fled on foot, running north through backyards, and was last seen by an officer heading west on Washington Avenue in the area of 221 Washington Ave.

The suspect was described as black, approximately 30 years old, wearing a plaid jacket.

A perimeter was established with patrols stationed at Washington and Summit, Bank and Washington, Bank and North, and North and Summit.  A K-9 was deployed for the search.

At 2:18 a.m., the search was halted without officers locating the suspect.

Hill said the vehicle is valid and has not been reported stolen.

Anyone with information or in the area of the perimeter is asked to check their cameras and contact Batavia PD at 585-345-6350. 

(Initial Report)

UPDATE: The Sheriff's Office reports that it has identified the person in the photo.  No further information was released.

Press release:

The Genesee County Sheriff's Office is looking to identify a person of interest in a hit-and-run motor vehicle accident that occurred on Oct. 4 at around 6:20 p.m. in the parking lot of Batavia Downs and Gaming. 

The operator of the vehicle was driving a dark-colored pickup truck.

Any information can be forwarded to the Genesee County Sheriff's Office attention Deputy Jenna Ferrando at jenna.ferrando@co.genesee.ny.us or by contacting the non-emergency dispatch line at (585) 343-5000

Press Release:

A sewer force main will be installed starting next Tuesday, Oct. 10 with work lasting for approximately two weeks. 

The sewer will cross River Street just north of South Main and will run south on River Street along the eastern sidewalk and grass area where it will connect to an existing sewer on South Main Street at the River Street intersection. 

The road will be open-cut and plated until the work is complete, then the asphalt will be patched, and the sidewalks restored. Work will take place between the hours of 7 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. during weekdays.

All efforts will be made to maintain access to and from the properties. Properties and drivers will experience delays during the road crossing and the road restoration work. The sidewalk along the east side of River Street will be closed.

Motorists will experience changing traffic patterns to include temporary one-way movements, temporary stoppages, and flagging operations as the work progresses. 

All efforts will be made to get motorists to and from their destination with minimum delay. The work is weather dependent and poor weather could extend the timeframe.

Press Release:

Every year the City of Batavia Fire Department spreads the word in town, and throughout our schools and community about fire prevention. 

Fire Prevention Week is observed each year during the week of Oct. 9 in commemoration of the Great Chicago Fire, which began on Oct. 8, 1871. This horrific fire killed more than 250 people and destroyed more than 17,400 structures leaving more than 100,000 people homeless.

This year the City of Batavia Fire Department is teaming up with the National Fire Protection Association® (NFPA®) — The official sponsor of Fire Prevention Week for more than 100 years — to promote this year’s Fire Prevention Week campaign, “Cooking Safety Starts with YOU! Pay attention to fire prevention” as the theme for Fire Prevention Week™, Oct. 8-14. 

This year’s focus on cooking safety works to educate the public about simple but important steps they can take to help reduce the risk of fire when cooking at home, keeping themselves and those around them safe.
Did you know that cooking fires are the leading cause of home fire and home fire injuries?

According to NFPA, cooking is the leading cause of a home fire, with nearly half (49 percent) of all home fires involving cooking equipment, cooking is also the leading cause of home fire injuries. Unattended cooking is the leading cause of home cooking fires and related deaths.

These numbers tell us that more public awareness is needed around when and where cooking hazards exist, along with ways to prevent them. This year’s Fire Prevention Week campaign “Cooking Safety Starts with You! Pay attention to fire prevention”, the City of Batavia Fire Department will work to promote tips, guidelines, and recommendations that can help significantly reduce the risk of having a cooking fire.

The City of Batavia Fire Department encourages all residents to embrace the 2023 Fire Prevention Week theme.

“Cooking Safety starts with YOU! Pay attention to fire prevention”.

The City of Batavia Fire Department wants to share the following cooking safety messages that support this year’s theme.

• Always keep a close eye on what you are cooking. For foods with longer cooking times, such as those simmering or baking, set a timer to help monitor them carefully.
• Clear the cooking area of combustible items and keep anything that can burn, such as dish towels, oven mitts, food packaging, and paper towels away from the cooking area.
• Turn pot handles toward the back of the stove. Keep a lid nearby when cooking. If a small grease fire starts, slide the lid over the pan and turn off the burner.
• Create a “kid and pet-free zone” of at least three feet around the cooking area and anywhere else hot food or drink is prepared or carried.

As the biggest annual campaign at NFPA, Fire Prevention Week works to educate people about the leading risks to home fires and ways they can better protect themselves and their loved ones. Local fire departments play a key role in bringing Fire Prevention Week to life in their communities each year and spreading basic but critical fire safety messages.

To learn more about Fire Prevention Week, its 100th anniversary, and this year’s theme, “Cooking Safety starts with YOU! Pay attention to fire prevention.” visit www.nfpa.org/fpw.

The City of Batavia Fire Department is hosting a series of events in support of this year’s Fire Prevention Week; including stops at Batavia schools, housing units, and the library.

Now in their 12th year, the Batavia Bulldawgs’ “family ties” are as strong as ever.

The youth football and cheerleading program has grown substantially since its start in 2011 thanks to a one-for-all and all-for-one philosophy that values each and every member of the organization, said Commissioner John Reigle on Saturday afternoon as he watched his players take on Tri-Town and Akron at the new Genesee Community College field.

“What makes the Bulldawgs truly special is the athletes, volunteer board members, coaches and families that take part in it,” said Reigle, who is one of the founding fathers of the program (along with Matt Della Penna, Paul Grazioplene, Tyrone Woods and Ken Proefrock). “I play a small part in this wonderful organization, and it’s been an honor.”

The Bulldawgs are comprised of four teams – Beginners (ages 6-7), Mini (ages 8-9), Jayvee (ages 10-11) and Varsity (ages 12-13) – with 25-35 players on each squad. They are supported by the cheerleading squads, which currently list 72 girls.

“We’ve come a long way,” Reigle said. “The first year, we had 52 players, and we didn’t start the cheerleading until the second year.”

Reigle mentioned that he coached his oldest son, Bryce, during that initial season. Bryce continued through every level and now is one of the Bulldawgs’ assistant coaches.

“Right now, we have two junior coaches who came through the program – Bronx Buchholz and Karvel Martino – and are standout players for the Batavia High varsity team,” Reigle said.

The Bulldawgs aren’t officially affiliated with the Batavia City School District (of which Reigle is a Board of Education member), but they have forged a tight relationship over the years.

“We definitely see ourselves as a feeder system for Batavia High football,” he said. “(Former) Coach (Brennan) Briggs promoted it that way, and Coach (Alex) Veltz has continued that. He sees us as one big family – the Bulldawgs and the Blue Devils. Our goal is to have the kids with us for eight years and then see them move into the school football program.”

Reigle said Veltz conducted coaching seminars for the Bulldawgs, and the Mini division team enjoyed a Blue Devil Experience Night where they took on the pad-less BHS varsity squad in a fun-filled exhibition game.

The head coaches are Scott Perry (Beginners). Gary Good (Mini), Reigle (Jayvee) and Matt Beach (Varsity). Kate Smith is the cheerleader director.

The Bulldawgs compete in the Niagara Orleans Football Association, which also includes Tri-Town, an Alexander-based organization with a rich history in its own right; Akron, Attica, Albion, Newfane, Roy-Hart, Pembroke, Le Roy and Holley.

The players and cheerleaders’ membership dues enable them to participate over nine weeks, with each member receiving uniforms and equipment.

Reigle said playoffs are scheduled for Oct. 21 at Van Detta Stadium for the Mini, Jayvee and Varsity divisions, and the championship round is set for Oct. 28, also at Van Detta Stadium, for all divisions. The cheerleading “playoffs” will take place on Nov. 4 in Lyndonville.

Later in November, each Bulldawg team is treated to a season-ending party at the Polish Falcons on Swan Street in Batavia, Reigle noted.

“Every participant receives a plaque at their banquet,” Reigle said. “It’s our way of letting them know that ‘once a Bulldawg, always a Bulldawg.’”

For the record, all four Bulldawg squads were victorious on Saturday. The Beginners beat Tri-Town, 26-7; the Minis defeated Tri-Town, 20-13; the Jayvees blanked Tri-Town, 32-0, and the Varsity downed Akron, 26-0.

The Batavia Blue Devils and Le Roy Oatkan Knights capped Soccer Saturday with a Girls Soccer game that ended with a 3-2 OT win for Batavia.

The boys lost their OT game to Wilson/Early College 3-2.

"It was a wonderful night for our boys and girls senior soccer players," said Roger Hume, head coach for Batavia. "Le Roy didn’t make it an easy win."

In the nightcap, Batavia started the scoring early in the first half with a breakaway run and finish by Ella Shamp, with an assist from Jaimin MacDonals.  

Le Roy scored the next two goals, leaving it senior Ella Radley to tie up the game with two minutes left.  

Batavia came out strong in OT, and senior Anna Varland finished the game with a goal five minutes into the first OT.  

"Batavia did a fantastic job coming back from two goals to one to make this its 12th win of the season," Hume said.  

The Blue Devils remain undefeated.

The Batavian did not receive scoring stats from Le Roy.  Le Roy is  9-4-1 on the year.

The girls' next game is Monday away at Livonia.

In the boys' game, goals were scored by Quintin Cummings, assisted by Troy Hawley, and Troy Hawley, assisted by Rylan Bohn.

 Batavia’s record is now 8 wins and 5 losses on the season.

To view more photos or purchase prints, click here.

It was much more than a clown show in a circus-theme Downtown Batavia Wine Walk on Saturday evening.  It was a party with a varied cast of characters.

Photos by Jim Burns for The Batavian.