batavia

Press Release:

Batavia Downs Gaming & Hotel has announced that one of the famous and iconic Budweiser Clydesdales will be making an appearance at Batavia Downs on Saturday, Aug. 26 from 2 to 4 p.m. 

A night of live harness racing, including the Kane Memorial will begin at 6 p.m.

Admission and Parking are free for anyone who would like to come see one of these majestic horses as it is braided, brushed, and paraded right on the track.

A queue line will be available for those wishing to get a free picture with the Clydesdale. Anyone wishing to “skip” the line may purchase a fast pass ticket for $25 which will be donated to Folds of Honor, an organization dedicated to providing life-changing scholarships to the spouses and children of America’s fallen or disabled military. Additional donations to Folds of Honor by any attendees are appreciated. 

Tickets to skip the line will be available on Saturday, August 26 at the Lucky Treasures gift shop. Up to 10 people can get a picture with the Clydesdale at a time. The purchase of a skip-the-line pass will allow the purchaser to receive one $25 free play at the Player’s Club booth.

Beginning at 6 p.m., a night of New York Sire Stakes races will begin including the Kane Memorial Race, with a purse of $75,000. Free T-shirts will be given out that night. Details will be posted on Batavia Downs’ website and Facebook as the event draws closer.

“We are honored to have one of the Clydesdales on site,” said Henry Wojtaszek, President and CEO for Batavia Downs Gaming & Hotel. “These horses are a sight to behold and we encourage everyone to come down to see them. We look forward to help raise money for Folds of Honor during this great event. We hope everyone stays for the Sire Stakes and Kane Memorial Races to help support live racing in the Western New York Community as well.”

Press Release:

The St. Jerome Guild, Inc., selects the recipients of the annual St. Jerome Guild Health Career Professional Scholarship 2023.

Two UMMC/Rochester Regional Healthcare providers are this year’s recipients. This award is offered annually to outstanding employees who are continuing their education to support healthcare in our local community through UMMC/Rochester Regional Health.

Nicole Hopkins, RN, specializing in patient pain management is striving for a degree in Family Care Nurse Practitioner and currently attending Roberts Wesleyan. Jennifer Kula, is a patient care technician and is currently enrolled in the second year RN program at Genesee Community College.

Additional awards of $100 each were given to Mary Caprio and Vanessa Eason who are both pursuing degrees to enhance their careers at UMMC.

If you have any questions, please call me at the cell below or contact me at maredickinson@gmail.com.

 Submitted Photos

If all goes to plan, there could be a brand new Burger King restaurant with drive-through service, ample landscaping, and a corner lot set-up with an adjacent traffic light in place by the spring of 2024.

That is, of course, if real estate manager John FitzGerald and his site engineers meet the qualifications of the city’s Planning & Development Committee, which so far have included a request to reduce a 17-foot bypass lane, bump up the landscaping, and consider a traffic study.

It’s worth the short move from 230 West Main St., Batavia and special use permit to the corner of South Lyon and West Main Street, FitzGerald said. 

“I’d always love an approval the first time, but, you know, the board brought up some legitimate items to discuss. And we'll review those with (site engineer Patrick Mahoney) Pat, and go through those. But I think that everything I heard pretty much made sense,” FitzGerald said after Tuesday’s planning committee meeting. “As far as I know, narrowing this 17-foot lane, we can take that down a little bit, you know, the right in right out (entrance/exit), I think makes sense. Some of the other ones were kind of spitballing. And they're very, very difficult to enact.

“As far as the traffic study … we’re basically moving across the street to a safer, easier, more accessible property. So I don't know, if the state requires it, we will do it.”

FitzGerald, who manages about 350 Burger Kings for Carrols Corp., has been leasing the current site, which will be up soon. His reasons for moving are more about the new location than the one he has been in for at least a few decades.

“There’s nothing wrong with the old one, this is just a better location,” he said. “Again, it's at the traffic light. So it's safer for getting people in and out. It gives you two access points: one on South Lyons and one on Main Street, versus the one we currently have, like a double lead in and out on one side of the store, and then it's got the drive-through exit on the other side. So there's potentially conflicting movements.”

Those conflicting movements happen when motorists attempt to make either a left or right turn out of the current location each simultaneously, he said. He likes having a traffic light at the corner of the new location and stressed the safety factor of the new design. He’s not aware of his current property playing host to accidents, he said, but wants to move on. 

The biggest reason is having a traffic light to help with the flow of traffic versus being in mid-block, he said. 

“So it’s an easier movement versus the existing store. Not that this was bad, but it’s both 90-degree stalls. So there’s people kind of coming and going in different directions,” FitzGerald said. “This forces everybody to go the same direction in and around the property. And, again, two access points versus one.”

His design team, Mahoney and Peter Sorgi, did all the talking during the meeting, at some points rather pointedly questioning committee member Ed Flynn’s critiques. Flynn latched onto the 17-foot lane as a major sticking point throughout the site plan review.

“Why do you have a 17-foot escape lane?” Flynn said. Sorgi focused on the landscaping, stating that it was “more than was required” by code and the bypass lane was part of a safety measure. 

“Right now, I may be the only one talking about the 17-foot excessive lane over here, but I want more landscaping along Lyon Street. Seems like they start out with a lot to offer there. And then, of course, you make a descending (landscaping design) for some reason. The pavement lane is 17 feet, that seems like it can be reduced dramatically.”

Mahoney said that safety to the community is better served by a wider lane, and Sorgi homed in on the safety factor versus aesthetics. Flynn emphasized that his comments weren’t necessarily a consensus of the group. 

“That’s why we have more than one board member,” City Code Enforcement Officer Doug Randall said, to which Sorgi quickly replied, “thank you.”

“The design is where your talent comes in, we’re just here to express concerns of the public,” Randall said.  

Mahoney described the ideal “speckled shade” landscaping of crab apple and locust trees, greenery that could survive Western New York’s climate and Main Street’s winter road saltings. 

They discussed the parking lot size — committee member Derek Geib asked if four spaces similar to McDonald’s would suffice — the drive-through configuration, trash removal from the dumpster, and how things have changed in the way customers operate.

Mahoney said that no, four spaces would not work. As for the drive-through, there are two order points. There’s a double wide for ordering, and it filters into a single lane for the pickup at the store. 

“And then, if you look at the building, to the left of that will be the mobile order stalls. And as we were talking about that, that’s the wave of the future, people don’t want to even really park their car,” FitzGerald said after the meeting. “They just want to pull up and have somebody run out. 

"This is the way the industry is going, that's everywhere, surburban, rural, urban. People today, it's either drive-through or over their phone," he said. "We're trying to make it safer for people on the property. It's just the wave of the future." 

FitzGerald is to return with an updated site plan in September or October. His first meeting was in June, which introduced the project and plan to demolish two major current business buildings.

The New York Sire Stakes will be on hand at Batavia Downs for opening night of the 2023 summer/fall season on Wednesday (July 26) when seven 2-year-old trotting colts and geldings line up for a big payday of $106,300. With only a handful of starts among this relatively even group, it could be anyone’s race to win as these fast-developing freshmen can throw a big mile at any time from week to week.

The oddsmaker’s choice is the two-for-one entry of Bargain (Chapter Seven-Batoutahill) and Keep Asking (Chapter Seven-Sensibility).

Bargain has two wins and a second in three starts this year while showing versatility over three different-size tracks. One of those wins was a victory in the $77,300 NYSS at Yonkers in his first career outing in 1:59.1. The following week, he lowered his lifetime mark of 1:56.4 at the Meadowlands, closing in: 27.3 in the $20,000 event. His current earnings of $62,525 have him listed as the sixth richest 2-year-old male trotter in North America, and he is poised to add to that total in this race. Bargain likes the front end and, leaving from post four, should definitely be in charge of this group from the start.

James McDonald will steer Bargain for trainer Nancy Takter.

Keep Asking has yet to win in two starts but recovered nicely after an early break in his first start to finish second in the NYSS at Yonkers and then bounced back with a fourth place, 1:56 clocking at Tioga Downs where he was parked for the better part of the mile. Post-seven may be a tough task.

Jim Morrill Jr. will be in the bike behind Keep Asking for trainer George Ducharme.

A big threat will be looming from Situationship (Chapter Seven-Meegan Hall), who made a big three-wide move at three-quarters last week in the NYSS at Tioga, where he finished second in 1:55.1 off a: 28.4 final quarter. Situationship has displayed extreme closing speed in two 2-year-old non-betting events this year at Meadowlands and will be stalking the leader in the last stages of this race.

Trainer Ake Svanstedt will also be driving Situationship.

There are also three $20,000 Excelsior divisions in races two, four, and six.

Post time for the first race is 6 p.m. The races can be viewed free and live at the Batavia Downs Facebook page and free full past performance programs can always be downloaded for every live race card from the Batavia Downs website (bataviadownsgaming.com) under the live racing tab.

Things did not go the Muckdogs way against Niagara Power on Tuesday, but Batavia managed to retain a slender lead in the Western Division of the PGCBL.

Batavia lost 9-2, giving up 16 hits and committing two errors.

Ty Woods was down 3-0 when he was lifted after three innings, having given up two earned runs on nine hits and two walks. 

Ben Weber was tagged for six runs and seven hits.

Thomas Blaydes stopped the bleeding with three hitless innings to close out the game.

The Muckdogs, with four games left in the season, are 25-14 with a half-game lead over Elmira (25-15).

Batavia has clinched a playoff spot for the post-season.

The Muckdogs travel to Niagara tonight. The team hosts Newark on Thursday at Dwyer Stadium at 5 p.m.

A motor vehicle accident is reported in the area of 5068 Ellicott Street Road, Batavia.

Town of Batavia Fire and Mercy EMS responding.

UPDATE 5:11 p.m.: Not blocking and minor injuries.

By Tim Bojarski for Batavia Downs

For the first time in two decades, Batavia Downs will hold their second opening day card of the year when the Genesee County oval welcomes back the horsemen, horsewomen, their horses and the fans for the 53-day summer/fall meet that starts on Wednesday (July 26) at 6 p.m. and runs through Saturday (Dec. 9). The earlier winter session set several betting records driven by competitive racing and the next 20 weeks promises to produce the same kind of results.

The opening night card Wednesday includes the first visit of the year by the New York Sire Stakes as the 2-year-old trotting colts and geldings will be on hand to compete in one division for a purse of $106,300. There will also be three Excelsior A races that will go for $20,000 each, bringing the total amount of loot up for grabs to $233,300 for that card. 

Henry Wojtaszek, president and CEO of Western Regional Off-Track Betting and Batavia Downs Gaming and Hotel, is excited to welcome racing back to the facility and is appreciative of the many fans that attend the track all season to watch the action in person.

“The excitement of live harness racing begins on Wednesday at the Downs for fans of photo finishes, daily doubles, and exotic wagers and it should  be an electrifying night of fun and entertainment. Our fans will be treated to competitive harness racing and great promotions that tie into our new remodeled Clubhouse, expansive gaming floor and the number one ranked hotel in Batavia. Our staff and those from New York State, will ensure a safe racing meet for drivers and equine athletes and we look forward to everyone joining us for live racing and all the fun that goes with it at the area’s premier entertainment destination,” said Wojtaszek.

The live schedule changes several times throughout the year. Opening week has racing only on Wednesday and Saturday. In August, the action switches to Tuesday, Wednesday and Saturday from August 1 to August 12 and changes to Wednesday, Friday, Saturday from August 16 through October 28. The lone exception is Friday (Sept. 8) which will be dark in lieu of a Labor Day matinee on Monday (Sept. 4). Then in November and December, racing cuts back to two days a week on Wednesday and Saturday through the close of the meet. Post time for all race days is 6 p.m., except the Labor Day matinee that will start at 1:15 p.m.

Once again there is a hearty slate of stake action courtesy of the New York Sire Stakes. The state-bred series will be in action on Wednesday (July 26), Tuesday (Aug. 1), Wednesday (Aug. 2), Tuesday (Aug. 8), Wednesday (Aug. 16), Saturday (Aug. 26) and Friday (Sept. 1).

There are two notable nights of racing this year. The first is Saturday (Aug. 26) when both 3-year-old colt and filly divisions will be on the same card along with the $75,000 Robert J. Kane Memorial Invitational pace, Batavia Down’s signature event. Then on Wednesday (Sept. 13), Batavia Downs was selected to host the NYSS Excelsior finals that will be contested for a total purse of $400,000.

The clubhouse will be open for all race dates and offer a varied menu. Every Saturday will feature a prime rib buffet while the other race nights will be catered by the Center Street Smokehouse. The Railbar will always  be open for live racing.

All the top drivers will be back including Jim Morrill Jr. and Kevin Cummings, who both had the distinction of becoming the first drivers to ever surpass the $1 million mark in earnings in a single meet at Batavia last year. Leading trainers Shawn McDonough, Jennifer Giuliani, Sam Smith, James Clouser Jr. and Dave Russo will also be back along with a host of others.

Don Hoover, Director of Live Racing and Race Secretary at Batavia Downs, is heading into his second year in those positions at the Downs and looks to build upon the successes of last year.

“Overall, I was pleased with the 2022 Summer/Fall live race meet and was pleasantly surprised by the success of the recently concluded January/February winter meet. I look forward to continuing that momentum into the upcoming 2023 Summer/Fall 53-day live race meet, highlighted by the $75,000 Robert J. Kane Memorial Pace and the $400,000 New York Sire Stakes Excelsior Finals,” said Hoover.

Bettors will have plenty of opportunities with a wagering menu that includes three Doubles, 10 Exactas, 10 Trifectas, nine Superfectas, two Pick-3's, two Pick-4's, one Pick-5 and one Jackpot Super High Five available on every 10-race card.

Patrons will also have plenty of promotions to look forward to.

On opening night there will be free programs in the grandstand and the Lotta Cash Giveaway where customers can deposit non-winning tickets wagered on Batavia Downs races for a chance to win two $250 betting vouchers and a Batavia Downs Gaming Play and Stay package that includes one night’s stay at the Batavia Downs Gaming Hotel, $25 in gaming Free Play and a $50 dinner certificate to Fortune’s.

Every Wednesday is the Play and Stay promotion where customers can deposit non-winning tickets wagered on Batavia Downs races for a chance to win a Batavia Downs Gaming Play and Stay package that includes one night’s stay at the Batavia Downs Gaming Hotel, $25 in gaming Free Play and a $50 dinner certificate to Fortune’s.

Then there’s the Wednesday and Saturday Finale promotion where you get $25 gaming Free Play when you wager $25 on the last race at Batavia Downs.

Every live race day offers Match Play Free Play Frenzy where you receive $25 gaming Free Play when you wager $25 at the same time on the same live Batavia Downs race. And there is also the Early Bird Daily Double, where you receive $10 in gaming Free Play when you wager at least $10 at the same time on the Early Daily Double. Plus every live racing program includes a $5 gaming Free Play coupon.

All promotions require participants be Players Club members and gaming Free Play is subject to required base points being earned before redemption. Full rules are available in the program.

You can watch all the live racing action for free on the Batavia Downs YouTube channel and free, full past performance programs for every live race night will be available on the Batavia Downs website under the live racing tab.

Monday evening’s fair queen festivities wrapped up with several surprises for contestants, as only Pageant Director Verginia Zocco (and The Batavian, per a prior conversation) knew that she had planned on dispersing special awards for particular attributes.

After a two-day competition amongst a dozen girls aged 6 through 17 in various categories from Little Miss and Duchess to Princess up to Queen, the winners were finally announced at the entertainment tent at Genesee County Fair.

The first runner-up for queen was Panorea Florence Tsoukalos, daughter of Ted and Kris of Batavia. Pon, as she’s nicknamed, received a crown, sash, flowers and a $150 check. 

That left the remaining candidate, Katherine Ewert, as the title recipient of the 2023 Fair Queen. During a previous interview with The Batavian on Sunday, a humble Katherine wished her fellow contestant well and, in fact, said she would understand if Pon, 16, won the competition. 

After the crowning on Monday, Katherine, a student at Attica Central, was surprised to be the winner and wasn’t sure how she felt about it.

“I don't even know, I guess I didn't expect to win or anything like that. It's just a little shocking, honestly, because Panorea is such a great contestant as well,” the 17-year-old said while wearing the official queen sash. “But I'm super glad that I can set the example to girls.”

Katherine is the daughter of Doug and Nancy and the youngest of four girls. She has been involved in 4-H Horse Club since age 9 and served as president of the Mystics riders club in 2022.

As part of her new title, Katherine also received flowers, a $200 check and a gift certificate for a complimentary Gown and Crown photo session.

A major theme for the contestants was farming and agriculture, which also appealed to Katherine, she said.

“Agriculture is super important in our community, and people in agriculture are some of the hardest working people I've ever met,” she said. “And it's important to represent agriculture, and without agriculture, we wouldn't really have anything. No food, no materials, or anything like that. So it's really important to focus on agriculture and keep it going.”

Overall, how does she think she’ll remember this win years from now?

“I think I’d be like, wow — it’s really cool that I did something like that,” she said. “I felt like I really wanted to get the message out about agriculture and the importance of it to a lot of people, and I feel like I did that.”

Grand Princess went to Gabriella Zocco, who received a crown, sash, flowers, a $100 check and a gift certificate for a complimentary Gown and Crown photo session.

Princess went to Cassandra Judge, daughter of Chris Judge and Heidi Mendes-Judge. She received a crown, sash, flowers, a $100 check and gift certificate for a complimentary Gown and Crown photo session.

First runner-up for Duchess went to Isabella Rose-Therese Redden, daughter of Andrew and Theresa Tesch and Andrew Potter. She received a crown, sash and flowers. 

Duchess went to Layla Baker of Basom, daughter of Breanne and Nathan. She received a crown, sash, flowers, a $50 check and gift certificate for a complimentary Gown and Crown photo session.

Miss had two-second runner-ups, and they were Carly Hanel, daughter of Jody, and Zoe Castro, each will receive a crown, sash and flowers; and a first runner-up, who was Eleanor Hudson, daughter of Jeremiah and Holly of Alabama, who received a crown, sash and flowers.

The Miss title went to Morgenn Surabian of Batavia, who received a crown, sash, flowers, a $50 check and a gift certificate for a complimentary Gown and Crown photo session.

Little Miss runner-up Lyza Baker of Basom received a crown, sash and flowers, and Little Miss went to Kali Martino, daughter of Stephen and Karen of Batavia, who received a crown, sash, flowers, $50 check and a gift certificate for a complimentary Gown and Crown photo session.

A 2022 Stephanie Lynn Tooley Memorial “From the Heart” Award was presented to Katherine Ewert, the newly crowned 2023 fair queen. 

The Susan Meier “Most Photogenic” Award was given to the contestant who possessed “photogenic appeal and ability to project an image consistent with beauty and elegance.” The judge is looking for personality, beauty, grooming, fashion sense and confidence in selecting someone for this award, organizers said.

This award went to Lyza Baker, who, along with her parents, sister and brothers, raises rabbits, chickens, ducks and goats, is in 4-H and “loves showing her animals” at the fair. 

To view or purchase prints, click here.

Photos by Steve Ognibene

A 53-year-old Rochester resident on parole for a prior robbery conviction has been charged in Monday's Key Bank branch robbery in Batavia.

Stacy R. Moss is charged with robbery in the third degree and grand larceny in the fourth degree. 

Moss is accused of entering the Key Bank branch at 69 Main St. shortly before 9:36 a.m. and handed a teller a note demanding money.

Police said the suspect did not display a weapon or threaten use of a weapon.

The suspect then left on a bicycle with an unspecified amount of money. 

Officers from Batavia PD, along with the Genesee County Sheriff's Office, checked the area and were initially unable to locate the suspect. 

Batavia PD detectives worked quickly to obtain an identification of the individual involved using the Monroe County Crime Analysis Center's facial recognition software. 

Batavia shared the suspect's photos from the robbery scene with local media, and officers checked the last known addresses of the person they believed was identified in the photos.

While gathering further information, investigators received information that the suspect was hiding inside a residence on South Spruce Street.

Moss was taken into custody without incident.

Investigators determined that the suspect acted alone

Moss was released on parole in January after serving seven years on a 2016 convict for three counts of robbery in the third degree, grand larceny.

He also has prior convictions for robbery in the first degree in 2004, robbery in the second degree in 1989, and burglary in the third degree in 1987.

Following his arrest, Moss was arraigned and ordered held pending his next court appearance.

You can support local news coverage and help The Batavian continue to bring you local news by signing up for Early Access Pass.

Ever wanted to check out birds up close and personal? Tammy Sweet came up with an idea for you to do just that, and boy, does she have birds. There are 200 colorful parakeets available in her 30-foot trailer, Wings on Wheels, parked at Genesee County Fair this week.

Employee Sydney Hurlbut explained that it was a new concept that Sweet wanted to try out after operating a petting zoo for about 10 years. The trailer travels the Western New York area from Rochester to Buffalo.

"We travel around, we've seen other things, and we've done the petting zoo for a while, and (Sweet) always saw enclosures that you could visit. But this idea kind of came from, there's nothing like it. So you could go to other enclosures on site, but we bring the birds to you. So we do birthday parties, fairs, different events like that. And it's just, it's exciting. Kids love it. It's just a different experience,” Hurlbut said Monday afternoon. “And we're all about different, we love to bring new things to new places."

Step inside, but be mindful to shuffle as you go. The delicate little birds might be on the floor, as well as on shelves and window sills -- or fluttering in the air -- for your viewing pleasure. There are prices for sticks of millet, $2 for one or $5 for three, and visitors hold them out for the birds to land and munch on the tasty seeds. 

"And so you can come in, and you get a stick. And that is your entrance fee into Wings on Wheels. So you go in one side, and the birds will flock to your stick, and they eat the millet off of the stick. And so they'll actually land on you; we get a lot of birds landing on heads and arms and things. And so you can just kind of admire them and their beauty," Hurlbut said.

Once the stick is empty of millet, the tour is over, and visitors exit on the opposite end of the trailer. 

"It's kind of a different experience, that there's nothing really quite like it. So we usually have an employee on both sides, so if you have questions, you can always ask us. We always give a spiel about how you have to shuffle your feet through so you don't step on the birds,” she said. “They're all parakeets. They're just kind of a house bird anybody can have them. It's just, you know, people that can't afford to have a bird or things like that, it’s very interesting for them to see, and we get a lot of bird lovers, and we also get a lot of people that are scared of birds, so we have an option to feed them from outside of the bird trailer, so you can put your stick in from the outside so that the birds can come to the window and you can see them like that too.” 

The fair runs through Saturday.

Editor's Note: The Batavian has a booth at the fair in partnership with WBTA as part of the official Genesee County Fair Media Center. Stop by to say hello and enter our eagle-drawing contest in the Exhibition Building. We are an exhibitor and are providing coverage of the fair all week long as a proud supporter of the county fair, 4-H and the dedicated volunteers of the Ag Society. 

With a doubleheader sweep of Geneva on Sunday, the Batavia Muckdogs are 25-13 on the season and a game up in the Western Division standings of the PGCBL.

In the first game, Batavia won 12-1.

Preston Prince, from Hilton, tossed all five innings of the first game, giving up only one hit while walking three and striking out nine.

Lucas Lopez went 3-4 and drove in seven runs. Josh Leadem was 1-2 with two walks and two RBIs.

In the second game, Batavia won 9-2. 

Ryan Kinney went the distance in the seven-inning game, improving to 4-0 on the season with a 0.84 ERA. He scattered three hits and gave up two unearned runs while striking out eight.

Giuseppe Arcuri went 1-4 and drove in two runs.

The next home game for the Muckdogs is Tuesday at 6:35 p.m. against Niagara Power.

The Key Bank branch in Batavia was robbed at 9:35 a.m. on Monday and Batavia is seeking the public's assistance in identifying the suspect.

The suspect is descirbed as a balding black male wearing a black T-Shirt, gray shorts, black socks, and no shoes.  

According to police, the suspect passed a note to the teller demanding cash.  

He arrived and left on a black colored bicycle last seen heading West on Main Street.  

Police did not say how much or if any cash was stolen.

If anyone recognizes the suspect in the photos please contact Batavia Police Department Det. Jason Ivison at (585)345-6312.

UPDATE: The suspect has been apprehended.

Police-submittted photos.

Day One of the fair at Genesee County Fairgrounds was in its last hour Saturday evening as volunteer Rose Topolski made her rounds scooting around on a golf cart and checking on various people and things as BB Dang played on into a gradually dimming sky. 

Although the multi-pronged event can get tense at times, Topolski joked around with balloon lady Janice Spagnola, who had been blowing up pastel blue balloons for Sunday's class. She will be teaching balloon sculpture twice a day at noon and 4:45 p.m. in the Exhibition Building all week. 

“I taught her. Janice was my student in Alexander Central School, in seventh grade,” Topolski said. 

As Topolski spoke, Spagnola made up years that were earlier than when her teacher was actually at Alexander. That seems to be a trend amongst Topolski’s friends and peers — her fellow Ag Society members recently said that she’s been around for each of the fair’s 183 years.

It’s a camaraderie that seems to work, and Topolski gives as good as she gets. However, The Batavian isn’t at liberty to repeat her favorite responses. There was her one-liner about “before the first supper, we had a picnic,” she said. 

No matter her years, it has meant oodles of experience, and Topolski shared that Saturday was a darned good one for the history books.

“It’s the best opening day we’ve had, probably since I’ve been here,” she said. “I know that we had over $8,000 at the gate, and that doesn’t include anybody who has a pass, which there’s a number of people that have passes, and everybody who has animals back there has a pass, all of my vendors have passes. It’s just when you add that to it, it just is an insurmountable number of people that are in here today.”

“And I actually snuck out to go to a graduation party … (and someone told her) there are very few people at Blondies because they're here at the fair; they are pretty excited because, you know, the free events at the fair is a pretty good draw, and the fact that you can load your car up 16 deep, and for $10. Actually, they have to be belted in order to come in that vehicle. But to come in and just enjoy all the free opportunities, and they are very inexpensive.”

All of the 4-H and related animal activities are free, including:

• The open class poultry show at 9 a.m., the open class rabbit show at 10 a.m., the stockyard classic beef show at noon and the empire classic sheep show at 2 p.m. Sunday;
• The 4-H alumni master showman contest at 7 p.m. Wednesday;
• The market animal auction sale at 6:30 p.m. Thursday;
• A 4-H Family and Consumer Science Club activity at 11 a.m. Friday; and
• NIOGA Dairy showmanship show at 8:30, 10 and 10:30 a.m. Saturday.

Dan Embt of Pavilion and his family “just came to see the fair” in general. They stopped at an exhibitor booth, Hirsch’s Dairy Farm of Alexander, and posed for some selfies at the painted scene of 4-H kids with cut-out heads for visitors to insert their own faces for a candid shot. 

“We used to be in 4-H,” Embt said, recalling what it was like during fair week. “We used to live here practically.”

There may have been a steady flow of vehicles into the fairgrounds Friday, and while that didn’t mark the beginning of Genesee County’s annual event just yet, it was a sign of the traditional prep and move-in by vendors, exhibitors, volunteers and lead organizers from the Genesee County Ag Society.

Norm Pimm and Amanda Gallo, the Society’s treasurer and president, respectively, were busy driving around in one of the golf carts, assigned to the task of answering questions, helping to set things up, directing fair participants, and checking folks in, while Rose Topolski manned the fair office as the head go-to, per the note on the office door. 

When asked how late of a night he and others will have in setting up Friday, Pimm sort of shook his head and shared how he answered that question from someone else.

“A lot of us, actually, probably a dozen of us, have a camper here. So I just took a phone call from another vendor wanting to know when I'm going to be here,” Pimm said. “I said, I'll be here until next week Sunday, so a week. I'll be here for the next nine days. And he's like, okay. Yes, we don't really leave. We'll be up very late tonight/early in the morning, still preparing.”

While he and Gallo were parked inside the Exhibition Building, others busily unloaded their tables and goods at their designated areas to get set up for the next morning. Genesee County’s 183rd Fair officially opens at 9 a.m. Saturday on East Main Street Road, Batavia. 

“Tomorrow is Kids Day,” Gallo said, reminding folks that a third day has been added this year so that for a $15 wristband, kids can enjoy the Midway from 1 to 5 p.m. this Saturday, July 26 and again on July 29. “And then the small fry tractor pull will be tomorrow.  I think a lot of people don't realize that Genesee County does have a fair,” she said.

Friday was more than just a prep day, as the grounds hosted 11 six-horse hitch teams in the evening for a spectacular show of strength and muster from draft horses in the North American six-horse hitch classic series competition. Classified as workhorses, these equines are typically up to about 17 hands high and weigh 1,400 pounds or more. In case you missed them, the teams will return for a show at 12:30 p.m. Saturday in the horse arena. 

Pimm believes it’s the second largest six-horse hitch show in New York State, largely due to the fair’s growing reputation — it drew a record 75,000 people last year. 

Speaking of reputation, the fair queen contest is making a comeback after numbers dipped during the pandemic, Gallo said. There are a dozen worthy contestants this year, and the first round of competition is from 3 to 5 p.m. Sunday, followed by the pageant and crowning from  6 to 9 p.m. Monday, both in the entertainment tent. 

If you’re a bit dazed by the entertainment and activity choices, check out the schedule and update online at fair-schedule

And then check it out in person, Pimm said.

“Come on out and support it and see it. I mean, for $10 for a carload, you can get as many people you can pack into the car you bring, and you're not going to beat it for the price. And there's a lot of, some new vendors, some new entertainment, here every single day. Plus a lot of entertainment that has been here in the past,” Pimm said. “We just have a lot for kids to do, whether it's the midway, whether it’s, you know, the livestock exhibits, those little kids sections. And then it's family-friendly.”

Along with food, midway and animal vendors — the kangaroos were already set up in their section — were the exhibitors of businesses and nonprofits inside the Exhibition Building. Mona Doyon, program coordinator for All Babies Cherished, was decorating her table tucked into a corner for the agency’s second year at the fair.

“It’s a great outreach. You get to meet the community, and it brings in people, and one of the ladies that we got to meet last year, she worked with Fidelis Insurance. Now she comes into our center, and she helps our clients. She comes in once a week. So it was just a great outreach. And so we wanted to come back,” Doyon said. “And we are promoting, we're going to be opening a temporary housing for women and children. And we're doing a beef raffle. So we want to promote that and just get more awareness of what we do in the community to help women and children.”

“We have the house, and we're working on it. So it's planned by the end of the year or the first of the year 2024. Please do stop on by, come see us. It's a great program.”

She will have information to share with people about the agency’s services, which is why so many organizations set up booths at the fair. So far this year she saw sheep and signs for maple syrup products that she may buy later this week, and last year did some shopping.

“So I know last year I got soap and candles,” she said. “So it's a great thing, and it's great to see, you know, Batavia and Genesee County is thriving. We’ve got to bring more into this area.”

Press Release:

The YWCA of Genesee County Board of Directors is announcing that Executive Director, Millie Tomidy-Pepper will be retiring from her position on Sept. 30. Board of Directors President Christi Waldron says the board has formed a search committee and is actively working towards finding Millie’s successor to facilitate a smooth leadership transition.

Waldron says, “For over five years, Millie has truly embodied the mission of the YWCA of Genesee County. She works diligently alongside staff and board members to ensure our programs reach as many community members as possible. It will be extremely difficult to say goodbye, but the board and I are dedicated to finding the right person to fill her shoes.”

“Millie’s integrity is unquestioned and apparent. It is because of her integrity that the YWCA is respected by both our community/funding partners and by our contributors. She sets the example for board members and staff alike,” says former board treasurer, Linda Rost.

“I have always been passionate about the mission of the YWCA and the work we do, so the decision to move on has been an extremely difficult one. However, I leave knowing that the agency is fiscally strong with excellent programming, dedicated staff, and a board of directors that will continue to move the agency forward. We have worked diligently alongside a very supportive community, and I know that will continue. It has truly been an honor and privilege to lead this historical agency and I am very proud of all that we have accomplished together,” said Millie Tomidy-Pepper.

Millie was hired as Executive Director of the YWCA of Genesee County in 2018. She quickly realized that organizational restructuring was needed to ensure the future of the YWCA and the programs and services it offers to the community.

She brought on all new board members, and together they embarked on a strategic assessment of the organization, which included evaluating programmatic impact and fiscal sustainability.

Building ownership was also evaluated and eventually, a decision was made to sell the YWCA building to Three Little Birds Pediatric Office, a woman-owned business, operated by Dr. Emily Fraser-Branche. The YWCA was able to remain in the building it called home for over 50 years by renting office space from Fraser-Branche. It has been a win-win for all involved!

Simultaneously, Millie focused on the internal infrastructure. A Grant Manager was hired and when additional grant funding was secured, new office computers and replacing the 25-year-old server was top on the list. The main office, domestic violence (DV) offices, and common areas were renovated to be welcoming to clients and customers. 

The extremely popular, “My Sister’s Closet” boutique that provides affordable women’s clothing to DV survivors and the community was relocated within the building and renovated to make a more enjoyable shopping experience for all.

Human Resource Services, Technical Support and Accounting Consulting Services were added to support agency operations. A Bilingual DV Outreach Coordinator position and a Safe House Case Manager position were added to complement the Domestic Violence Program and services we offer. 

The Safe House, which houses survivors of Domestic Violence was renovated initially through a partnership with the Rotary Club of Batavia and thereafter through grant funding and community support. The house provides safety and comfort to families fleeing domestic abuse.

Critical to the mission of the YWCA, under Millie’s tenure, multiple social justice initiatives and programs took place. The YWCA was the host agency for the first Juneteenth Celebration in Batavia, organized by Just Kings, the YWCA hosted yearly Stand Against Racism events, participated in the March for Our Lives event, and hosted “White Fragility”, a workshop to address systemic racism.

Millie also assisted in organizing the first Women’s March in Genesee County, revived a yearly award for local women, renaming the event, “Women of Inspiration”, and honored our founding mothers on the 110-year Anniversary of the YWCA with a Gala Celebration.

Through all this, there was a pandemic and the YWCA’s Domestic Violence Program was critical for the safety of victims during this unprecedented time. Under Millie’s leadership, services continued to be delivered uninterrupted and staff (essential workers) found innovative ways to reach out to individuals in need throughout the pandemic. 

“The staff and community have been critical to the mission of the YWCA and the services we provide. We could not do what we do without them,” says Waldron.

The Board of Directors is currently seeking candidates for the Executive Director Position. Candidates should possess strong fundraising and financial management skills, have the ability to build strong partnerships both internally and externally, and most importantly; live the YWCA mission of eliminating racism, empowering women, and promote peace, justice, and dignity for all. 

Qualified candidates can submit their cover letter, resume, and three professional references to Board President, Christi Waldron, at YWBoardPresident@gmail.com for priority consideration by Monday, August 7. To view the job description, please visit ywcagenesee.org.

Every celebrity, even local ones, deserves a bobblehead, and now Phil Pies, Batavia's "Furniture Man," has one.

The collectible was the idea of long-time Max Pies Furniture employee Peggy Cancelmi, who was looking for a way the 118-year-old retail store at 400 South Jackson St., Batavia, could support Crossroads House.

"I was also trying to think of a way I could torture Phil, so I worked with Tom Brown at AdStuff productions, and we came up with the bobblehead," Cancelmi said. "We went through three designs and settled on Phil in his famous khakis and his famous blue sweater, and I think it looks just like him."

The bobblehead wasn't a surprise to Phil. He knew what Peggy was working on but didn't really expect to ever see one.

"When they came, he couldn't believe it.  For the first time, he was speechless."

Now that the bobbleheads are in, Phil is clearly proud of them.

"I think it's wonderful. I think it's great," he said. "Why not? The money goes to Crossroads. That's the main thing. I never thought I'd see it (his face on a bobblehead), never in my whole life, but it's for a good cause."

Cancelmi ordered 200 Phil Pies bobbleheads, and they are for sale exclusively in Max Pies for $20 each, with proceeds benefitting Crossroads House.

Le Roy resident Justin Williams performs his solo acoustic set at Batavia's Original Pizza on Wednesday evening.

Batavia's Original hosts live music on its patio every Wednesday from 7 to 9 p.m. during the summer.

Photos by Howard Owens.

A four-run ninth inning brought the Batavia Muckdogs back from a 6-2 deficit against division rival the Jamestown Tarp Skunks before the home team won in dramatic fashion, 7-6 in the bottom of the 10th inning.

In the ninth, Trey Bacon opened with a walk, followed by a Sean Ladd single. 

After Justin Espinal lined into a double play, Josh Leadem walked. Lucas singled to load the bases. 

With the bases juiced, one of Batavia's hitting stars of 2023, Giuseppe Arcuri, doubled, driving in Bacon and Leadem.

Lopez and Arcuri scored on a single by the team's leading hitter, Adam Agresti, to tie the score.

In the 10th, the Muckdogs started with Christian Bernadini on second base. The Tarp Skunks gave Brice Mortillaro an intentional walk. Matt DeStefano drew a walk, and then Bernardini scored the winning run on a wild pitch.

Bacon pitched the 10th inning and was credited with the win, walking one and striking out two. Bacon's season ERA remains 0.00.

Julian Pichardo pitched the first third of an inning, giving up one walk and one run. Ty Woods came on in the third and tossed seven innings, giving up five hits and two runs while striking out six. Woods, from Alexander and a GCC student, has a 2.41 ERA on the season.

Lopez was 2-5 with a run scored. Agresti, now hitting .341, was 2-3 with two walks and two RBIs. Arcuri, now hitting .316, was 1-4 with a walk and two runs scored. DeStefano, hitting .283 on the season, was 204 with a walk.

The Muckdogs are now 22-12 with about a week left in the season, a half-game out of first place in the PGCBL Western Division. Elmira leads the division at 22-12. Jamestown is in third at 19-13, two games out of first, and a 3.5 games out of first is Niagara Power at 18-15.

The Muckdogs fell out of first place with a loss to Jamestown on Tuesday, 7-3.

Next up, Newark (9-22) at home on Friday at 6:35 p.m.

After a couple of years' absence, the result of COVID-19 disruptions, the Batavia Concert Band's Cadets Band returned to a concert band's Centennial Park performance on Wednesday.

The cadets are elementary and middle school music students from Genesee and Orleans counties, directed by Lindsey Fix, a music teacher in Albion.

The cadets performed two numbers before intermission and then joined the concert band for a number later in the show.

"They're part of the concert band," said Jason Smith. "They rehearse. They practiced last night. They're a junior concert band, so to speak."

The cadets will join the Batavia Concert Band for a concert in the park again later this summer.

Through the summer months, the Batavia Concert Band performs each Wednesday evening, starting at 7 p.m. in Centennial Park.

Photos by Howard Owens.

A 41-page building conditions study for Holland Land Office Museum was released to The Batavian Wednesday after the county attorney gave it a thorough review, per county Manager Matt Landers' request.

Landers and the Public Service Committee discussed the study during Monday's meeting; however, Landers said he didn't feel comfortable releasing the document without passing it through proper channels to ensure it didn't contain anything of a confidential nature. 

Also titled an “opinion of probable construction cost,” the report pinpoints the various needs — from structural, electrical and mechanical to cosmetic, sanitary and customer service focused —of the historic site at 131 West Main St., Batavia.

"When you tally it up, you’re in the ballpark of $1.2 million. That’s our target,” County Highway Superintendent Tim Hens said after Monday’s Public Service meeting. “The cost was $1.5 million for the stonework at the jail, and this isn’t as extensive, but once you start looking at a project … we will probably put out an RFP and come back with a recommendation by September.”

Just as with any kind of home improvement project, costs can add up really quickly, he said, which is why they’re trying to cap it at $1.2 million. There are items on the list that will never get done, such as a new sprinkler system, he said.

Tasks were categorized by necessity, with top priority going to the very critical: fire alarm system upgrades, a new addressable system, cleanup of existing wiring, updating the grounding system, and Americans with Disabilities Act compliance adjustments to the bathroom. 

The next level is critical, which would include exterior work on the museum’s columns, stone base, and wood canopy, replacing windows, exterior stone facade, patching and regrouting the full exterior of 2,500 square feet, lap siding with patch and paint at three to five locations, and paint the entire 3,000 square feet; repair the roof, including 530 square feet of flashing.

Considered “less critical,” at the bottom of the list are a number of incidentals, including the removal and replacement of concrete sidewalks and the asphalt parking lot, a stormwater treatment system, replacing a shed, clearing and grubbing the fence line, pest removal; and interior work of wood floor refinishing on the first and second floors; carpet replacement; piping work to allow replacement of sanitary and storm systems; insulation; mechanical cleanup; and an energy recovery unit.

While the first two categories fall within life safety, protection and building shell stabilization justifications, the less critical items are considered landscape upgrades, repairs, interior finishes and means for comfort. 

“Now you talk about rehabbing the columns on the front of the building or replacing the electrical system in the building or the fire alarm system, you start getting, you know, as you start working in old buildings, sometimes you crawl in and find things you didn't realize existed. So if we are going to move ahead on fixing this building and maintaining this building, we want to keep in mind the inflationary factor of municipal bidding and prevailing wage and all the things that come with it,” he said to the group of legislators. “So what we would like to do is basically find out what your pain tolerance is in terms of how much money you would like to spend on the building. I would say my recommendation to you is to try to nail the very critical things in an immediate sense. And then try to knock off as many of the critical items as you think you can afford. Again, the timing and placement of some of the critical items in terms of windows and painting and columns. 

“You know, some of that stuff, if you're going to choose to do one, I think you almost end up doing all because if you were going to paint the building, you wouldn't want to come in after the fact and replace the windows. If you were going to do the stone porch, you have to do the columns at the same time. So there's a lot of things that you kind of would have to progress at the same time,” Hens said. “I think you could easily spend — if you were to knock off the red and the orange the critical and the very critical — we could probably spend upwards of $1.2 to $1.3 million to try to knock all those items off. What we'd like to do from an approach is engage with a historically appropriate architect like we did with the stonework building, have them develop basically a concept, and then run that through a third-party cost estimator to get a really accurate number, which is what we did on the stonework project, I think that was very beneficial to us from a planning and budgeting standpoint. 

“So if that sounds acceptable, I'd like to come back to committee either August or September based on the timing with a proposal from a consultant, establish a capital project for at least for the design portion of it,” he said. “And then, based on what we get back from our construction estimator, figure out how much we want to chew off and potentially use capital funds to progress on a construction project in 2024.”

Legislator Gary Maha has held onto the same stance for these types of renovations, he said.

“My position has always been, this building is owned by the county, who should take care of it, just like you can take care of your home, you know, and unfortunately, the museum over the years hasn't been taken care of, there's money issues or whatever," he said. "But if you do need to move ahead and do something with our building, we're gonna keep it, we need to keep it up to par.” 

There are several funding opportunities identified in the report, such as environmental protection fund grants, State Council on the Arts funding, an Empire State Development Market program, and the Ralph C. Wilson Jr. Legacy Fund for Community Assets. 

Hens is cautious about historic preservation grants, which “are nice, but have so many strings attached,” he said. Sometimes, once contractors are aware that such a grant is involved, their proposals increase to match the prospective funding. And the red tape involved can delay a project, adding even more cost due to inflation.

“I would rather get a good contractor and get it done,” he said.