batavia

Eli Fish Brewing Company hosted a "wet hop" festival on a slightly-chilled Fall day on Saturday in Jackson Square, and more than 200 beer aficionados from all over the region turned out for the event.

"The weather is kind of cooperating and not cooperating but it's a good turnout," said Eli Fish co-owner Jon Mager.

About a half-dozen other breweries participated in the event as well.

Wet hops are freshly picked hops that typically spoil quickly after harvest so they need to be added to a brew the same day as harvesting, and wet-hop beers have a short shelf life before the wet hop flavor fades.

"Today is a celebration of wet hop beers, which means we're using fresh hops," Mager said. "We only get to do it for a very short period every year so we like to celebrate them while they're here."

It's a special flavor for beer lovers, Mager said. 

"You just get a fresher taste," Mager said. "You get a more, you know, some people will say grassy or vegetal taste, but it's such a specific type that we tend to enjoy it."

Photos by Howard Owens.

In a field of only 26 runners, a couple from Union City, Penn., won their respective races in Saturday's "Run Until Their Voices are Heard 5K" sponsored by YWCA of Genesee County. The event was part of Domestic Violence Awareness Month and was in honor of victims and survivors of domestic violence.

The race started and finished on North Street in front of the agency's building. 

Peter Boyd, 48, won the men's race with a time of 16:47 and Jeanette Boyd, 46, won the women's race with a time of 22:18.

Photos by Howard Owens

Given the origins of scarecrows — a human-like figure stuffed with straw and placed in a field to discourage foraging birds — it seems only fitting that they would be popping up throughout Genesee County.

The makeshift crop guards have been used worldwide by farmers, and their very existence represents agriculture’s ingenuity to survive. As time has gone by, scarecrows have become much more commonplace off the field as well — used as wall, door, window, front yard and standalone seasonal decor.

A recent visit to Cambria, Calif. was a reminder that these creations have definitely ventured off the farm and into the land of one's imagination.

A walk down the main street in Cambria, within California’s stunning Central Coast, held delightful surprises with an ongoing scarecrow contest. Displays were done as individual scarecrows, and group scarecrows, dancing, talking and walking scarecrows, celebrity scarecrows, young and old scarecrows, even a horse scarecrow and bicycling animal scarecrows.

They were along the main drag, but also off the beaten path down side streets, around a quaint town museum, and at businesses and oceanside homes. Each one had a small attachment with a QR code for voting purposes.

Think that scarecrows don’t add much to commerce? Tourists were overheard saying that they had intentionally driven to Cambria to see the displays. First the viewing, then lunch, perhaps? Or shopping the clothing and trinket stores. For certain, scarecrows and related decor add to commerce. They were cute, scary, funny, interactive, and most of all — easy entertainment for those wanting to go out for a stroll.

Many of these events seem to be tied to Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead), a holiday that began in Mexico and is now celebrated throughout the globe with colorful skulls, skeletons and the like.

Despite its foreboding title, Day of the Dead is actually a celebration of life and of death — honoring those who have died. The event traditionally has a festival atmosphere, conducted between Nov. 1 and 2, and represents a dedication to the memories of loved ones with offerings, family gatherings, and visits to their graves. (GO Art! is hosting a Day of the Dead event on Oct. 22.)

Back to the scarecrows, they were certainly noteworthy, and photo-worthy in California. And so are the local ones in downtown Batavia. From cows and witches to chefs and artists, these scarecrows were made by individuals, businesses, civic groups, and Robert Morris, Jackson Primary and John Kennedy Intermediate schools. 

Batavia’s downtown area, represented as the Business Improvement District, has built a fine foundation for its scarecrow contest. There are 34 entries, and each one is on a pole of some type mostly on Main Street and a few side streets. Votes are being accepted online through Oct. 30.

While individual contests are great to have within each community, how awesome might it be to create a Genesee County scarecrow display? What better way to honor and recognize the efforts and struggles of this county’s farmers to keep the foragers at bay? (In this context, foragers may also include bad weather, early frost, and questionable farm labor decisions.)

Perhaps each community would be responsible for its own contest, but it could be promoted as a countywide effort. Imagine the buzz. This would also, of course, afford local artists several opportunities to lend a hand with the display set-ups.

This is nothing against the events of BID and Oakfield (Halloween decorating contest) — those are fun, festive happenings that absolutely add color, fun and intrigue to their areas. But sometimes, perhaps, we can also think more globally, and in this instance join forces and become a regional display of an agricultural symbol.

To vote for the downtown scarecrows, go to BID's Facebook page, Executive Director Shannon Maute said. 

Top Four Photos of a few of Cambria, California's Scarecrow Contest entries; and partaking in the display fun. Photos by Joanne Beck, last one by Howard Owens. Remaining photos of entries for the downtown Batavia Scarecrow Contest. Photos by Howard Owens.

After a 35-20 win on the road against Honeoye Falls-Lima on Friday night, the Batavia Blue Devils, at 7-0, are a lock on first place in the Class B division of Section V football for 2022.

Late in the first quarter, HFL pulled within a touchdown of Batavia but the Blue Devils tacked on one last score at the close of the game on a 43-yard pass from Ja'vin McFollins to Cole Grazioplene.

The scoring started with McFollins dashing into the end zone on a 3-yard run. Batavia scored again on a McFollins pass of 64 yards to Vincent Arroyo, and then Aiden Anderson scored on a 2-yard run late in the second quarter for 21 unanswered posts at the half for the Blue Devils.

HFL scored twice in the third quarter, then Batavia increased its lead on a short run by Aiden Anderson.

McFollins was 6-8 passing or 95 yards and two TDs. Anderson rushed for 124 yards and two TDs on 29 carries. Grazioplene caught three passes, including the TD, for 61 yards.

Avion Bethel had seven tackles to lead the Batavia defense.

HFL is now 5-2 on the season.

To view or purchase photos, click here.

Photos by Steve Ognibene

Top photo by Joanne Meiser. Photos below by Jason Smith.

Photo by Chris Crocker.

When Alondra Longoria moved from Texas to Elba with her parents and two brothers, she was a shy, quiet 19-year-old who spoke no English.

That was about three years ago. And oh, how things have changed for the soft-spoken young lady. She took English as a Second Language classes, graduated with a general education diploma, and is pursuing her citizenship and, most importantly, a future.

“It feels good. You have to have goals to keep going and know what you are going to do with your life,” the now 23-year-old said during an interview at the CORE Learning Center in Batavia. “We have to keep going, and no matter what happens, you have to keep going and complete your goals to be a better person, to learn and keep going with life.”

Nobody said it was easy. The former Alondra was an uncertain teenager who first moved to Texas with her farm-working mom and dad four years ago. They emigrated from Mexico mostly for financial reasons, she said, to earn more money and improve their lives. She left behind family members -- grandmas -- friends, and the only culture she had known.

And Alondra has encountered racism by being told to "go back to your own country."

"We are good people that work every day, and sometimes we work to get this country better too," she said. "Those things can hurt; they're not a good thing to say."

The family obtained green cards, and eventually opted to move across the country to Elba, a community rich in farming opportunities. Alondra’s aunt already lived there, so they had a connection to working the cash crop fields. Her parents get up each weekday to work in the fields from 7 a.m. to 7 or 8 p.m. five days a week, and a shorter time span on Saturday. Sundays are reserved for cherished family time.

Alondra worked at the Agri-Business daycare in Batavia until she learned about The CORE Learning Center. It offers adult basic education, high school diploma preparation, ESL, college prep and various other certification classes. A spacious classroom was waiting for Alondra at 1 Mill St., and she said she enjoyed working with the staff and students she encountered.

Adult Educator Amy Andrews clearly remembers those first days of seeing Alondra.

“At first we couldn’t get her to talk,” Andrews said with a suggestive laugh. “Now, we can’t get her to stop.”

Her student agreed, adding that “it’s a good thing.”

At first, her life in Genesee County was filled with the inability to read, write or speak any English. She communicated through her one older brother, Alejandro. But as time went by, those English lessons — filled with confusing and contradictory rules — began to make sense, Alondra said.

Although she had graduated from high school in Mexico, that isn't valid in New York State. So she studied for, and passed, a state general education test. She graduated with a diploma in December 2021.

She gave a stern glance to Andrews during the interview, indicating that some lessons were to be kept secret. They both laughed and shared anyway.

“Now that she talks more, she likes to argue with me,” Andrews said.

They encountered words that just didn’t translate from English to Spanish very well, she explained. So when discussing the word “toes,” Alondra argued that they are “foot fingers” according to her native language translation.

Adapting to America was a practical thing to do, Alondra said. “When you don’t have nobody that speaks Spanish, you have to learn it (English),” she said. “I was nervous and it was scary. I grew up speaking Spanish. I have to learn another language and communicate with people who speak with a different language.”

She was in an intimate setting of three classmates, two who spoke Spanish and one Thai-speaking person. They were provided with workbooks, in-person lessons, and a program they could study at home on a computer. Alondra, in turn, brought in homemade cakes to share with the class and staff. One of those yummy creations was a rosca de reyes, a ringed cake with a baby figurine baked into the batter, topped with fruit in the colors of the Mexican flag. Whoever gets the piece of cake with the baby inside has to make tamales for everyone. But Alondra didn't enforce that part of the tradition, she said.

Adding to her accomplishments of a diploma and ability to understand English, Alondra was awarded Student of the Year by the New York Association for Continuing and Community Education, a statewide agency that provides information and support for professionals serving the needs of lifelong learners.

Alondra is one of three recipients from this CORE branch, which covers Allegany, Genesee, Orleans, Livingston, Cattaraugus and Wyoming counties. There will be a presentation at a banquet on Oct. 25 in Albany. Yes, that means putting her new skills to work with an acceptance speech.

As one of the motivational phrases on the wall says, “you got this.” And she does.

“It means a lot to me that people have recognized some of the struggles I have overcome,” she says in her speech. “Four years ago I left my country, and with it, family and friends, behind. I had to start over in a new country without knowing the language. I moved to Texas, and then came to New York, and it was the best decision that I made.”

She found “very good teachers” at Literacy West, a subdivision within CORE Learning Center, and they helped her to complete many goals, including improving her speech and writing. That all led her to one end result, and a new beginning.

“I’m looking forward to learning sign language and starting a career in cosmetology,” she said.

She and fellow award recipients Jerry Finch from the Olean site and Jessie McCray from Warsaw will be accompanied by Literacy West NY staff to receive their awards and take a tour of the capital.

“These students have all experienced adversity and hardships that lead them to our program, and have persevered to reach their educational and occupational goals,” Executive Community Relations Coordinator Adrianna Seewaldt said. “We are proud of their accomplishments and truly believe that they will continue to achieve their future goals.”

For more information, go to CORE2learn.org.

Top Photo: Alondra Longoria, originally from Tamaulipas, Mexico, has become comfortable at the CORE Learning Center in Batavia after taking ESL lessons and graduating with her high school equivalency diploma; Alondra and Adult Educator Amy Andrews chat in the classroom at 1 Mill St., Batavia; Amy Andrews displays one of the lesson boards to incorporate English words into students' vocabulary. Photos by Joanne Beck. Submitted photo of Alondra with her diploma.

October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month, and the related Run Until Their Voices are Heard 5K begins at 9 a.m. Saturday at YWCA, 301 North St., Batavia.

Registration is at 8:30 a.m., and the event will take place rain or shine. Fee is $35.

Register at YWCA tomorrow or online

Rolling into autumn has meant more than the debut of colorfully decorated trees; it has also signaled the finale to several city street projects.

Public Works Superintendent Brett Frank reviewed the list of work at or near completion during this week’s City Council meeting.

As you may have noticed, Bank Street, Chandler Avenue, Ross Street and Richmond Avenue are looking pretty smooth these days with resurfacing done at those sites; and sidewalks have been — or will be by next week — installed along Seneca and Columbia avenues and Fisher and Chase parks, Frank said.

Richmond is still getting some finishing touches with new sidewalks and Americans with Disabilities Act-mandated ramps at each intersection, he said.

Councilman Bob Bialkowski asked why the pile of concrete and road debris was still in the middle of the parking area in front of the state School for the Blind. That material will be removed and the area cleaned up, Frank said, however, the city will not be repaving it.

The state Department of Public Transportation is responsible for any paving, as it is state property, Frank said.

On the city’s east side, Harvester Avenue is coming along, but there is still rehabilitation work to do before final paving is completed, he said.

“So it's a work in progress on Harvester. There's just a lot of moving pieces to that. And once you've milled down eight inches, you find a lot of areas that really need to be addressed,” he said. “Within the next week or so we'll probably start paving driveway approaches to make everything easier for people getting in and out of their driveways. We're hoping end of next week to get a (base) coat which is truly powerful to get some sort of base pavement on that surface, which will cut down on a lot of the dust and debris and all that.”

Some work has to be done with the installation of drainage structures “before we can pave anything,” he said.

The contractor has a Dec. 14 deadline for full completion, he said.

Existing sidewalks are remaining in front of Harvester Center “as much as possible,” City Manager Rachael Tabelski said.

Earlier this summer, a few business owners voiced complaints about the seemingly slow progress being made in front of their sites at Harvester Center. Harvester had been dug up, pot-holed, bumpy and anything but customer-friendly, they said. Rob Credi, owner of The Pub Coffee Hub, estimated a revenue loss of 75 percent since the inception of the road work. 

He had reached out to city management, Frank, and council members multiple times, Credi said, however, he more recently "kinda gave up on trying to get any kind of improvements to the temporary conditions."

"The road quality is still a disgrace," he said on Friday to The Batavian.

Although Frank said this week that he received two compliments from people associated with Harvester Avenue, Credi was obviously not one of them. 

A parking lot across from his shop had been inaccessible due to a trench carved out directly in front of it. That issue has been resolved and customers once again gained access to it, Credi said. But that's when customers could even drive down the street, he said. 

"We've had a couple incredibly bad days where they've more or less had trucks completely blocking the roadway for periods of time," he said. "Just total disregard."

Top Photo: A pile of road debris remains in the parking area in front of the state School for the Blind on Richmond Avenue, but will be removed and cleaned up eventually, city officials say; road construction on Harvester Avenue is also gradually moving toward completion for a December deadline. Meanwhile, businesses are open at Harvester Center. Photos by Howard Owens. Above, one of the days when the road was blocked by construction vehicles and hampered business access. Photo by Rob Credi.

Press release:

Shawn Elkins of Batavia has claimed his $1,000 A Week for Life top prize from the Lottery’s Win $1,000 A Week For Life scratch-off game.

Elkins elected to receive his prize as an annuity. He received his first payment of $33,852 after required withholdings and will continue to receive payments annually, for life.

The winning ticket was purchased at Western OTB/Batavia Downs Gaming located at 8315 Park Rd. in Batavia.

As of this writing, six top prizes remained on this printing of the Win $1,000 A Week for Life ticket (#1453). Players may check the status of any New York Lottery scratch-off by downloading the Game Report at nylottery.ny.gov.

New York scratch-off games generated $4,517,682,111 in total sales during fiscal year 2021-2022. School districts in Genesee County received $13,246,544 in Lottery Aid to Education funds during the same period.

Photo by Howard Owens

The lawn at 32 Kibbe Ave., in Batavia.

Photos submitted by Steve Dispenza.

Fall colors off Batavia Oakfield Townline Road and Maple Avenue in Batavia.

Photo by Lisa Ace.

While 99 percent of all beers produced depends on freeze-dried and preserved hops, there’s also a type of craft beer made from freshly harvested hops flowers, Adam Burnett says.

That 1 percent happens for about one week a year with a farm-to-brewery operation. And Eli Fish Brewing Company is taking advantage of those special brews this weekend.

“It’s the New York Wet Hop Beer Festival,” said Burnett, a lead organizer and brewmaster from Eli Fish. “Hops are just flowers. And when you pick a flower, it doesn't last very long. So there's only about a one-week window a year when you have the opportunity to pick hops off the vine and use them fresh. And when they’re fresh to pick, and are put right in the brew, you should use them the same day they’re picked; it can be anywhere from the last week of  August up to mid-September.”

The first-time wet-hops fest is set for noon to 4 p.m. Saturday at Jackson Square in downtown Batavia.

“We found that 14 breweries around New York State did that this year,” Burnett said. “We do it every year, and this year I made two different beers to kind of showcase different farms. There were different varietals this year, and it kind of peaked at different times so the window is actually different depending on what type of hops you want to use.”

Burnett made his two brews — pale ales that allow the juicy hops to shine — out of New York-grown chinook and cascade, two popular types of hops, and his Harvest Ale, featuring cascade hops and Michigan copper hops, which is described by beermaverick.com as a “vigorous super-aroma hop with very fragrant floral and tropical fruit aromas and flavors.”

He will have plenty of company from eight wet hops brewers from Western New York and six from New York City. Each booth will have a home-style brew plus a guest brew from another location, he said.

Breweries include 1927 Brewhouse at Santora's, Nine Maidens, Beer Tree, TIL Brewing, Wagner Valley, Swiftwater, Three Heads, Noble Shepherd, Strong Rope Brewery, DaleView, Greenpoint, Endless Life, Threes, KCBC, Port Jeff and Good Nature.

Eli Fish owners and staff are hoping that this inaugural event draws interest and attendance in an effort to make it a yearly and growing festival, Burnett said. Not only is Strong Rope Brewing Company of Brooklyn participating, but it is also hosting the same event on Saturday at its hometown location, he said. So each event will “mirror” one another with similar craft beers and producers for brews from each a local and more distant locale.

Pre-sale tickets are still available for $35, which includes a glass and eight tastings, or people may purchase the glass for $5 and tastings for $5 each on the day of the event. Pre-sale gives you two free tastings, Burnett said.

There will also be specialty foods available for purchase, and the musical stylings of The Eaglez, “a very good” Eagles tribute band from Buffalo, he said.

“We want it to be even just the smallest amount of success. I mean, everyone wants New York to be the (craft beer) place again. But until we respect that we have the ingredients to make beer, it's not going to happen,” he said. “So it takes this kind of stuff to get there.”

Go here for tickets.

Top File Photo of Oktoberfest hosted by Eli Fish at Jackson Square; above, image of The Eaglez logo from its website.

Press release:

Join us at the Holland Land Office Museum on Wednesday, Oct. 19 at 7 p.m. as we welcome the next presenter in our Guest Speaker Series. Ken Slaughenhopt of the Lewiston Historical Society and a surveyor himself will be presenting on "The Holland Land Survey". He will be discussing the trials and tribulations of the surveying process that went into laying out the Holland Purchase and its 3.25 million acres, as well as its importance to Western New York even today. Admission is $5 or $3 for museum members. If you plan on attending, please contact the museum at 585-343-4727 or hollandlandoffice@gmail.com.

The Guest Speaker Series 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 New York State Legislature and administered by Go ART!

Press release:

The Genesee Society of Model Engineers will host the 101st “Great Batavia Train Show” on Sunday, October 16th, 9:30 a.m. – 3:30 p.m., at the Richard C. Call Arena, Genesee Community College, 1 College Road, Batavia.

Admission: $6 (Adults), $3 (under 18 yrs.), Free (under 13 yrs.)

The train show typically attracts 1,200 to 1,500 model railroad enthusiasts and railfans from across Western and Central NY, Northwestern Pennsylvania, and Southern Ontario. There are over 100 vendors occupying 250 tables offering merchandise ranging from antique railroad artifacts to the most modern digitally controlled model trains.

The GSME began hosting Train Shows in the early 70s at the Holland Land Office Museum. From those humble beginnings the “Great Batavia Train Show” has progressively moved from the HLOM to the Alexander Fire Hall, Holiday/Sheraton Inn, Batavia Downs, and to its present home at GCC. Each move has allowed the show to continually grow in both size and popularity making it one of the premiere events of its kind in Western New York.

 The train club hosts two shows each year, a spring show in April and a Fall show in October. A free Open House is held, typically, on the first Saturday of December at the Club’s facilities in Oakfield where club members maintain operating layouts in O Gauge (Lionel), HO & N scale.

 The Genesee Society of Model Engineers is located at 50 Main Street (Rte. 63), Oakfield, N.Y. (above the M&T Bank) and is open Tuesdays from 7 to  9 p.m. Business meetings are held the last Tuesday of each month. Visit www.gsme.org. Like us on Facebook. Visitors welcomed. (Stair access only.)

Photos: File photos by Howard Owens from the 100th GSME show.