batavia

SayDah might have something to say, she is, after all, Siamese, and we know how Siamese kitties like to talk. She might not be the talk of the town, though, because she is a bit shy.

She wandered from her home on Walnut Street near South Main, and her human, Rick, is concerned that she hasn't returned in a few days.  He's offering a $100 reward for her return/recovery.

To reach Rick, call 585-813-6615.

Click here for more information

Press release:

Join us in the holiday spirit at the annual Christmas in the City celebration on Saturday, Dec. 2, from 2 to 6 p.m. with the Downtown Holiday Parade starting at 6 p.m.

Christmas in the City activities include pictures with Santa, holiday crafts, cookie decorating, chili, hot cocoa, face painting, sleigh rides, family portraits and more! Several downtown businesses will be offering activities, crafts, and in-store specials. For a full listing of activities, go to www.bataviabid.com.

The parade begins promptly at 6 p.m. at Wendy's and makes its way down Main Street east toward Liberty/Summit Streets. 

Join us in our scavenger bunt bingo throughout Downtown, exploring and and supporting our small businesses. Bingo begins at Iburi Photography at 35 Jackson St. and ends at GO ART!, 201 East Main St. There are 22 business bingo stops. 

For more information on Christmas in the City, see The Batavian's previous story: Snow is here, December is coming, it must be time for Christmas in the City

Germayne D. Fifer, 19, of Inkster, Mich., Elijah A Davis, 22, of Inkster, Mich., and Tyrese I. Heard, 19, of  Ypsilanti, Mich., are charged with grand larceny 3rd and conspiracy 5th. The trio is accused of engaging in a credit card scam at Speedway in Batavia on Nov. 9 when they allegedly stole $5,000 in gift cards. Batavia patrol officers located the suspects' vehicle on Oak Street. The three suspects were arraigned in City Court and released.

Ameriquay J. Scott-Whitaker, 18, of Rochester, is charged with criminal possession of stolen property 3rd, reckless endangerment 1st, endangering the welfare of a child, possession of burglar's tools, and unlawful fleeing police in a motor vehicle 3rd. On Nov. 3, Batavia patrol officers attempted a traffic stop on Clinton Street of a vehicle that had been reported stolen in Rochester. The vehicle did not stop, which initiated a pursuit. State Police deployed spike strips to stop the vehicle on Route 33 near Route 19 in Bergen. Scott-Whitaker, along with four juveniles, were taken into custody. Scott-Whitaker was arraigned and is due in City Court and released.

Jamie S. Kraft, 38, of Bath, was arrested on Nov. 8 on a warrant. Kraft was initially arrested on Sept. 13 and charged with aggravated harassment 2nd, obstructing governmental administration 2nd and falsely reporting an incident 3rd. Kraft allegedly made numerous 911 calls in which he falsely reported that people had been struck by lightning. He then allegedly threatened to stab police. Kraft was arraigned and released on his own recognizance. 

Jimmy Ramirez, 41, of Rochester, is charged with felony DWI. Batavia patrol officers responded to a report on Nov. 4 of a possibly intoxicated driver on Lewiston Road and stopped a vehicle allegedly driven by Ramirez as a result. He was issued traffic tickets and released.

Edwin L. Bethel, 57, of Rochester, is charged with assault 3rd, two counts of endangering the welfare of a child, criminal mischief 4th, of petit larceny. Bethel is accused of causing injury to another person, damaging property, and stealing car keys during a disturbance on South Main Street in Batavia on Nov. 11 while in the presence of two children. He was arraigned in City Court and released.

Kate J. Long, 39, of Batavia, is charged with harassment 2nd. It is alleged that Long sent numerous "unwanted" emails to Batavia City School District board members for "no legitimate" purpose. Long was issued an appearance ticket.

Stephanie L. Coley, 41, of Lockport, was arrested on Nov. 16 on a warrant. Coley was initially charged on Sept. 24, 2021, with criminal possession of a controlled substance 7th. A warrant was issued after she allegedly failed to appear in court. She was arraigned and released under supervision.

Michael J. Torres, 40, of Batavia, was arrested on Nov. 15 on a warrant. Torres was initially charged on April 12 with criminal possession of a controlled substance 3rd (Intent to Sell) and obstructing governmental administration 2nd after allegedly fleeing a traffic stop on a bicycle. He was arraigned and released.  Torres is also charged with two counts of criminal possession of a controlled 7th. Torres was arrested following a traffic stop at 6:17 p.m. on Nov. 15 by Deputy Nicholas Chamoun. He was allegedly found in possession of cocaine and buprenorphine. He was held at the Genesee County Jail pending arraignment.

George J. Budzinack, 43, of Batavia, was arrested on Nov. 16 on a warrant. Budzinack was initially arrested on Sept. 27 after an investigation into the larceny of a bicycle, on East Main Street in Batavia. The warrant was issued after he allegedly failed to appear in court. Budzinack was arraigned and released.

Christine M. Caplis, 43, of Elba, is charged with criminal tampering 3rd. Caplis is accused of tampering with security cameras in an apartment building on Liberty Street on Nov. 13. She was issued an appearance ticket.

Thomas A. Griffin, 36, of Batavia, is charged with driving while ability impaired by drugs. Griffen is accused of driving while impaired on Oct. 10 and was arrested on Nov. 14. He was issued an appearance ticket.

Timothy M. Pendleton, 38, of Batavia, is charged with criminal possession of a controlled substance 7th, obstructing governmental administration 2nd, and several traffic violations. Pendleton was stopped on Nov. 2 on East Avenue by a Batavia patrol officer. He was allegedly found in possession of narcotics and then fought with police while officers attempted to take him into custody. He was issued an appearance ticket.

Dorian D. Batchelor, 56, of Williamsville, is charged with criminal contempt 2nd. Batchelor is accused of violating an order of protection by entering the protected party's residents on Nov. 15. He was arraigned and released.

Benjamin G. Evans, 35, of Batavia, was arrested on Nov. 9 on warrants issued by City Court. Two of the warrants were related to separate petit larceny charges. The other resulted from charges of trespass and criminal possession of a controlled substance 7th. He was arraigned and released.

Jeanine D. Fuller, 37, no residence provided, was arrested on Nov. 9 on a warrant. The warrant was issued as a result of Fuller allegedly being found inside of the vacant Days Inn Motel on Oak Street on Aug. 23. She was arraigned and released.

Marcus A. King, 22, of Rochester, is charged with harassment 2nd.  King is accused of striking another person in the face at a location on Pearl street on Nov. 6. He was issued an appearance ticket.

Gregory M. Wansha, 23, of Batavia, is charged with criminal mischief 4th. Wansha is accused of slashing the tire of another person's car on Nov. 11 at an undisclosed location. Wansha was issued an appearance ticket.

Adam J. Kaczanowski, 22,  of Eden, was arrested on Nov. 17 on a warrant. Kaczanowski was originally charged with aggravated unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle 3rd after being involved in a motor vehicle accident on Sept. 26. He was issued an appearance ticket but allegedly failed to appear in court. Kaczanowski was arraigned in City Court and released on his own recognizance. 

Terrance L. Falk, 25, of Batavia, was arrested on Nov. 6 on a warrant issued by City Court. The original charges stem from an incident on Washington Avenue where Falk allegedly threatened another person with a knife. He was arraigned and remanded to the Genesee County Jail. 

Krystal L Frye, 33, of Jamestown, was arrested on a warrant on Nov. 20. Frye was initially arrested on April 2, 2019, and charged with grand larceny 4th after an investigation into an incident where she allegedly stole a debit card. A warrant was issued after Frye allegedly failed to appear for a court appearance. She was arraigned and released on her own recognizance. 

Kenneth B. Jordan, 31, of Albion, was arrested on Nov. 13 on a warrant. Jordan was originally charged on Jan. 16 with aggravated unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle 3rd, after a traffic stop on River Street. Jordan was issued an appearance ticket but allegedly failed to appear in court. He was arraigned in City Court and released. 

David Henry Kendall, 39, of North Street, Le Roy, is charged with promoting prison contrand and criminal possession 1st of a controlled substance 7th. Kendal is accused of knowingly obtaining and possessing a narcotic drug on Nov. 18 inside the Genesee County Jail.  Kendall was arraigned and remanded back to the custody of the jail. 

Anthony Leo Vanelli, Sr., 46, of East Main Street, Batavia, is charged with criminal sale of a narcotic drug and promoting prison contraband. Vanelli is accused of knowingly and unlawfully introducing a narcotic into the Genesee County Jail on Nov. 18 and giving the drug to another inmate. Vanelli was arraigned and is being held without bail.

Dustin Albert Huffer, 40, of Silver Springs, is charged with felony DWI, speeding, aggravated unlicensed operation, unlicensed driver, and reckless driving. Huffer was stopped at 2:48 a.m. on Nov. 19 on Route 5 in Pembroke by Deputy Stephen Smith. Huffer was processed at the Genesee County Jail and released.

Maranda Lena Button, 30, no street address provided, of Batavia, is charged with criminal possession of a controlled substance 7th and insufficient signal. Button was allegedly found in possession of drug paraphernalia during a traffic stop at 12:21 a.m. on Oct. 28 by Deputy Jeremiah Gechell. Button was processed at the Genesee County Jail and released.

Anthony Ross Morrow, 40, of Niagara Street, Lockport, is charged with petit larceny. Morrow is accused of stealing a crossbow from Dick's Sporting Goods at 8:02 p.m. on Nov. 24.  Morrow was transported to the Genesee County Jail for processing and released.

Samuel Robert Baudanza, 26, of Buffalo Street, Bergen, is charged with assault 3rd and criminal mischief. Baudanza was arrested following a report of a disturbance at Ralph and Rosies on Lake Avenue in Bergen at 10:04 p.m. on Nov. 25. Baudanza is accused of fighting with two people and damaging merchandise. Baudanza was held for arraignment.

Nicole M. Trapp, 21, of Buffalo, is charged with harassment 1st. Trapp was arrested by State Police on Nov. 28 in connection with an incident reported in the Town of Alabama at 10:54 a.m. on July 2. She was released on an appearance ticket. No further information was released.

Virginia A. Marks, 44, of Batavia, is charged with petit larceny. Marks was arrested by State Police in connection with an incident reported at 11:12 a.m. on Nov. 27 in the Town of Batavia. She was released on an appearance ticket. No further information was released.

Charles A. Kohorst, 54, of Corfu, is charged with criminal contempt 2nd. Kohorst was arrested by State Police in connection with an incident reported at 12:56 p.m. on Nov. 27 in the Town of Pembroke. He was held in custody. No further information was released.

Heidi S. Kollarik, 51, of Oakfield, is charged with DWI. Kollarik was stopped by a Batavia patrol officer on Nov. 9 at an undisclosed time on East Main street, Batavia. She was issued traffic tickets and released.

Genesee County Economic Development Center officials have severed their ties with Savarino Companies and asked for more than $1 million of tax benefits back, Senior Director of Marketing and Communications Jim Krencik says. 

“This action includes cancellation of the lease leaseback agreement, the tax agreement (payment in lieu of taxes) and the sales tax exemption agreement, and have returned the three parcels involved back to the taxable side of the tax rolls,” Krencik said Tuesday. 

The EDC officials sent Ellicott Station LLC and Ellicott Station Commercial LLC related legal notices due to their “lack of curing of the default on our local tax agreement,” Krencik said. 

He referred The Batavian to an explanation CEO Steve Hyde gave The Batavian in an Aug. 23 article. 

“To clarify, the majority of the GCEDC financial agreements for the project are termed over 30 years that start following the completion of the project. These are structured as performance-based. Additionally, the project was notified in July that it is in default of its GCEDC financial agreements and is currently in a cure period to meet the goals of a workforce housing project,” Hyde said in the August article. “In light of the news yesterday, the project being in default to our financial agreements enables the GCEDC to have a greater role in ensuring a positive solution as we work with all parties involved. We continue to work with the City of Batavia towards this goal."

On Tuesday, Krencik said, “Additionally, we have issued a demand letter to Savarino Companies demanding repayment of the sales and mortgage tax benefits enjoyed by the project to this point, and we are attempting to claw back $1.1 million of those benefits.”

One of Savarino’s Ellicott Street properties was also fined for neglected property maintenance, along with a number of others, to the tune of an extra $30,000 for city cleanups of grass, weeds and debris, City Manager Rachael Tabelski said this week.

During Monday's City Council meeting, Tabelski asked council for a budget amendment to increase the expense line for “multiple grass, weed, and debris violations” this year. While 85 percent of the time, residents will take care of the issue once they’re cited, she said, other times, “we do have to go in and either cut the grass ourselves or remove debris.”

Tabelski gave The Batavian a list of citations for Savarino Companies earlier this year that included lack of property maintenance, including overgrown weeds, debris on the premises, and rank vegetation, for Ellicott Station and not securing the partially finished apartment complex on Ellicott Street. Savarino halted work on the project this summer after shutting down his company due to financial issues. 

Councilman Bob Bialkowski asked her if the city can recoup the expense of cleaning up these properties, which also included a larger site of the defunct Days Inn at 200 Oak St.

“We bill them at 30 days, we bill them at 60 days, and we bill them at 90 days. And we will bill them again until it's time to put it onto the tax bill. At that time, Heidi's office, the city clerk, will go ahead and levy that amount onto the tax bill,” Tabelski said. “And a lot of times, it'll get paid in conjunction with the late tax bill. So we need to increase the expense line this year by about $30,000. And we are done, with snow on the ground, for grass, weeds and debris. So I don't feel like this will go any higher than where it is this year.”

Christmas in the City — an annual festive tradition that happens the first weekend in December — will be bringing the usual favorites of Santa Claus, hot cocoa, a parade down Main Street and cheery carolers, along with some new additions of a three-set train display and Serendipity Swing at the new Main St. 56 Theater, Pat Burk says.

Of course, the main event at Batavia City Centre runs from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday and will offer gift-giving shoppers plenty of options with 42 vendors and 64 tables so far throughout the concourse, Burk said. (Vendors may register up to Saturday. For more information, go to bataviaplayers.)

“We have more than last year,” he said. “There will be Christmas decorations, wood designs candles, a lot of handmade stuff and Christmas-themed items. I think people are looking for places to exhibit their things, and I think people are realizing December starts this Friday.”

The Great Lakes and Attica Regional Railroad model train club will be joining the action this year. The club will have three train boards set up with various displays, including a Christmas village and town theme. 

At one end of the concourse, near Hawley’s Insurance, there will be a jolly fellow awaiting visits from kids to whisper their Christmas wishes in his ear. Yes, Santa will be there from 1 to 5 p.m.

Two groups of Batavia Players will be singing holiday favorites at downtown shops and along the streets from 1 to 5 p.m. as well, Burk said. 

That’s not all that will be happening in Downtown Batavia on Saturday. Beginning at 2 p.m., there are several activities scheduled, including: portraits and ornament crafts at Iburi Photography, cookie decorating at Eden Cafe, a Kids Zone at Tonawanda Valley Federal Credit Union, face painting at The Spa at Artemis, a live nativity, hot cocoa and doughnuts at EverPresent Church, letters to Santa at The Coffee Press, chili tasting at Adam Miller Toys & Bicycles, T-shirt coloring at T-Shirts Etc., sleigh rides at 6 Center St., adult tastings at The Yngodess Shop, cookies and cocoa at Releve Dancewear Boutique, Grinch at GO Art!, brass band and photo booth at Center Street Smoke House, tree lighting at Crossroads House, a scavenger hunt bingo that begins at Iburi Photography and ends at GO Art!, champagne and kisses at My Cut.

Several of the downtown shops will also have holiday specials from 2 to 6 p.m. when the parade is set to begin. 

The Business Improvement District has also borrowed an outdoor ice skating rink from Genesee County for use at the parking lot near Alva Place. Deputy Highway Superintendent Paul Osborn said that a rink can be made with just a couple of inches of water, but the temperature needs to be at least 32 degrees, so here's hoping this wintry weather will stick around for some old-fashioned outside skating.

There will also be plenty to do indoors, which he looks forward to, Burk said. 

"For us, it’s a tremendous event, the theater will be open for tours — they’ll have to enter from Main Street for theater tours. We like to see the support, we like to see people come in. I love to have all the kids here, the kids make my day. It’s a nice community event, and we have a tremendous amount of crafters and vendors that participate and help support the theater,” Burk said. “I mean, that’s the big thing. Right now, every single cent we can make is supporting our new facility and improvements we have to make here. We’re fortunate that every single show that we’ve done since we’ve ben in the new theater has been either sold out or close to it. Extremely well received, but what people don’t realize is shows cost money, so everything we can do to make sure we can solidify our season for next year, including the fundraising events and everything that happens over Christmas, is a big plus for Downtown Batavia with our theater.”

He likes the idea of having the Buffalo-based “little big band” Serendipity Swing at the outermost edges of the evening to cap off and “stretch out” a full day of festivities. The show goes on at 7:30 p.m. in Main St. 56 Theater.

Serendipity Swing is an eight-musician dance ensemble plus a female vocalist that reflects “a musical style from an era of famous dance halls, glamorous ballrooms, classy supper clubs, hot jazz joints and the most elegant of private parties,” the group’s website states.

“Our music is from the Golden Age of the American Songbook through more current favorites. Our music library, with over 400 titles, contains selections that explore and mirror the beauty of the music elements: melody, harmony and rhythm,” the site states. “It is music that is artful, fun, graceful, whimsical, listenable, danceable and enjoyable to hear. The melodies are memorable. The harmonies are soothing and rich in texture. The tempos, and rhythms, are danceable and toe-tapping.

Tickets are $20 at Batavia Players or at the door.

A multiple-vehicle accident is reported at Drake Street and Fisher Road, Oakfield.

One person is out of a vehicle, and another person is trapped, but it is "minor entrapment," according to a first responder.

The person in the vehicle is conscious and alert.

Oakfield Fire, with mutual aid from Elba, dispatched, along with Mercy EMS.

UPDATE 5:23 p.m.: The road is open. Oakfield assignment, back in service.

For those who love murder mysteries and comedies, the Batavia High School Drama Club is staging The Alibis, a collection of eight interconnected 10-minute plays that revolve around the murder of eccentric billionaire J. Leslie Arlington.

There are plenty of suspects in the murder, and all have alibis, which none of them want to admit to because they were all committing other ridiculous crimes at the time. The suspects include disgruntled chefs, teen detectives, and vengeful divas.

Performances are at 7 p.m. on Friday and Saturday and 2 p.m. on Sunday on the stage of the Batavia High School Auditorium, 260 State St., Batavia.

Photos by Howard Owens.

This dog took off chasing a deer on Linwood Avenue in Le Roy around 5 p.m. Monday, and has not been seen since, owner Joshua Wallace says. The Batavian was given updated information, and the dog was last seen at 4:30 p.m. Sunday.

If anyone spots the pooch, please call 585-297-3663.

About two dozen people — construction workers, staff, donors and officials — braved bone-chilling winds and huddled in the parking lot of the future Healthy Living campus Monday morning to observe a final "topping off" ceremonial step for the project before a ribbon-cutting next fall.

It was an auspicious, though perhaps quiet and unassuming, moment for those who have poured so much time and effort into planning, fundraising, and promoting the impending merged site for United Memorial Medical Center’s Healthy Living and YMCA at 213 East Main St., Batavia. 

“Today is a really important milestone in this project for the healthy living campus and what we're going to be able to do for the community by raising the last beam and taking the next step and getting this project to completion,” said Dan Ireland, president and chief operating officer of the Fingerlakes Rural Hospital for Rochester Regional Health. “Next fall we look forward to cutting the ribbon and really starting to combine services with YMCA.”

Ireland and Rob Walker, CEO of YMCA, spoke briefly about the importance of this event as another marker for a project that will serve the community for years to come. It has taken a lot of fundraising and effort for the facility, and they shared the same excitement for being "poised" to "make a huge difference in the community," they agreed.

“The key thing about today was just lifting up the partnerships, that we’re doing this together. It’s been a long journey through a lot of challenges and COVID, and the cost escalations, but we’ve carried forward,” Walker said. 

The pandemic, supply chain issues and delays have pushed the project cost up to nearly $34 million, up from $33.5 million, he said.

But once completed, it’s going to be a beauty to behold, he said, filled with a children’s Adventure Room, indoor playground, intergenerational room filled with interactive games, a large upstairs track, and swimming pool equipped with underwater benches for swim lessons, a splash pad, and wheelchair and walk-in access.

There will also be universal pre-kindergarten, morning daycare and after school classrooms that will serve the needs of day camp in summer, plus supervised childcare with options for parents to drop off their child for a Friday evening dinner or shopping trip, expanded hours and universal standards to bring everything to beyond Americans with Disabilities Act code, he said. 

There’s an expectation that the current membership of 3,000 is going to double with all of the increased amenities, which include more convenient parking right behind the new facility. 

A larger group of about 100 people stood in a similar spot during a groundbreaking in July 2022. By August of that year, the demolition of Cary Hall, which once housed Healthy Living programs, was a visible cue that another stage of the plan had come to fruition after so much of it had been on paper with grant applications and blueprints and such.

Parking lot grading, building of foundations and then installing the structure all came piece by piece for the 78,000 square-foot facility for the last 15 months, capped off by Monday's traditional beam-signing. That was followed by a crane hoisting the beam up to the second floor and workers putting it into place. 

Defined as an integrated medical and wellness facility, the campus is to include state-of-the-art exercise equipment, a teaching kitchen, 22 exam rooms and two medical procedure rooms for primary care, telemedicine appointments, behavioral health and crisis intervention support, cancer prevention, chronic illness, and community education services. 

The site will serve as a one-stop-shop for many health concerns and fitness goals, officials have said.

Ireland was reluctant to “put a pin” in the month they would designate for a ribbon-cutting, as construction projects can certainly fall out of line with perfect schedules, he said. But fall of 2024 seems like a safe bet. 

In the meantime, work will continue throughout the winter on the facility’s interior after it is fully enclosed, David Ciurzynski of Ciurzynski Consulting, LLC said.

Ireland has been pleased with how the project has been moving along lately, he said.

“They’re really working to get anything closed that they need to, and the weather’s been on our side,” he said. “We’ve actually had some pretty decent fall weather, not withstanding the snowflakes today.”

Photos by Howard Owens

If you’re a Genesee County resident in need of a winter coat, Community Action of Orleans and Genesee may be able to help.

The nonprofit has winter coats for people of all ages and sizes, Case Manager David Dodge says. They are free for low income families, and only require some simple paperwork to be completed, he said.

People may select their coats through 4 p.m. Monday or from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Friday this week, he said. 

As for donations, “we are always in need of gently used or new clothing and coats,” he said. 

Community Action is at 5073 Clinton Street Road, Batavia. 

Work is progressing Monday on the Jackson Street waterline replacement project between Ellicott and Chestnut streets in the City of Batavia. Crews from Blue Heron Construction of Jordan are replacing approximately 2,250 linear feet of 4- and 6-inch water mains with 8-inch mains during the pre-winter project.

Blue Heron was the successful candidate for the job out of several bids. City Council awarded the company its bid of $1,353,000 during the city's Aug. 14 business meeting.

Photos by Howard Owens.

Since 2018 I have been writing nostalgic stories for The Batavian about growing up in Batavia, New York, in the 1950s and 1960s. In some of those stories, I made mention of some of the businesses that were located in what we always called “Downtown.” 

Due to “urban renewal” in the 1970s, most of these establishments and their buildings no longer exist. 

Recently a reprint in The Batavian of the last chapter of Anne Marie Starowitz's book “Back In the Day” made mention of a lot of these places, and it got me thinking about my experiences in some of them. As a young boy and a teen, I had no reason to go into a hat shop, a paint store or a furrier. But I certainly patronized the two movie theaters that we had. As a teenager, I did a lot of hanging out at Kustas Kandies and, to a lesser extent, Critic's Restaurant, and I got a lot of my clothes at McAlpine-Barton Clothiers (the owners were next-door neighbors of my grandparents on North Lyon Street).

Time-Honored Theaters
Our two movie theaters were The Dipson Batavia on the northwest side of Main Street between the Post Office and State Street and The Mancuso Theater on the southeast side of Main between Center and Liberty Streets. I would say that despite the two theaters being in competition, both were well attended, depending on what movies were being shown. Prices were certainly reasonable with a lot of movies (we called it “going to the show”) being $1 and even less for kids.

It's odd how memory works, but I really can't recall exact details about either theater. Mancuso's seemed to be a little fancier and, later on in the 70s split into twin theaters so they could show two movies instead of one. 

My younger brother (by 11 years) Jim's first job was as an usher at Mancuso's and he certainly has some stories to tell. I do remember a young usher at Dipson's named Lester who took his job very seriously. Unfortunately, we kids weren't very nice to him and often gave him a hard time.

I know that I must have seen the big blockbusters of that time like “Ben Hur” and “The Longest Day,” but I cannot remember specifics (of course, I have watched them on TV since), like who I was with or what theater I saw them at. I do recall that most movies, especially the kid ones were preceded by cartoons. I assume we got popcorn, but I think oftentimes we brought our own candy in our pockets. We'd stop at Corrigan's or some other mom-and-pop grocery first and stock up. 

I don't remember if we bought drinks, but I'm sure they didn't cost $5 or $6 like they do now. 

My brother still works in the theater business and he will certify that way more money is made on concessions than tickets. I don't know if that was the case 50 or 60 years ago, but we didn't contribute much to the concession intake at all.

I'm pretty sure that it was not the norm for 10-year-olds to go to the movies alone, but I distinctly recall being dropped off at Mancuso's in 1957 for a movie called “Heaven Knows Mr. Allison.” War movies were my favorites then (I never did serve in the military, though) and that's probably what attracted me to it. It starred Robert Mitchum and Deborah Kerr as a “salty” Marine and a nun who were randomly stranded on a Pacific island during World War II. When the Japanese came and set up an outpost, the two of them had to hide out in a cave. Mr. Allison, as the Sister called him, fell in love with the nun, but of course, she told him that her life was committed to God and a relationship with the Marine could never be. Corporal Allison eventually disabled some Japanese artillery to enable an American landing on the island, and the two were rescued and went their separate ways. Deborah Kerr was nominated for an Oscar for her performance. 

Why do I so vividly recall going to this movie and not other bigger, splashier ones? That's the conundrum of memory, I guess.

One thing for sure about going to the movies back then was that if you really wanted to watch the movie, you should not sit toward the rear, Those rows were populated by teenagers who were there only to take advantage of the warm, dry theater to “make out” or “neck” (those are some funny descriptive terms aren't they? ). I was certainly no ladies' man, but I can remember coming out of some movies and having no idea what film I had even attended. I specifically recall one time when I told my parents I was at a friend's house when I was at Mancuso's with a girl instead. When I didn't come home on time, my mom called the friend's mom, and of course, I was in trouble for lying. It was surely embarrassing (and still is if I think about it) to try to explain to my mom why my lips were swollen. 

Teenagers.

Both theaters were occasionally used for music, but Batavia was certainly no usual stop on entertainers' tour agendas. Much to my delight, though, in June 1964 just before I graduated from Notre Dame, Mancuso's hosted a pretty big-time show -- my first rock and roll concert. 

Like most teens at that time, I was all in on the “British Invasion.” The Beatles, Rolling Stones, Dave Clark Five, Gerry and The Pacemakers (did Gerry have a heart condition? ) and more were all over Top 40 radio. WKBW from Buffalo was the local station of choice with DJs Joey Reynolds, Tommy Shannon, and Danny Neaverth. So when I heard that The Searchers, with their big hits “Needles and Pins and “Love Potion Number #9,” were going to headline a show in our little town, I was ecstatic.

It was almost 60 years ago, so I don't remember too many details of the show. Danny Nevearth was the emcee. There were five bands on the bill and two shows at 6:30 and 9:15 ( I don't recall which one I went to) so the opening acts must have only been able to play a few songs. I can't recall anything about the first two acts: Ronnie Cochran and Ronnie Dio and the Prophets. Ronnie Dio was 21 at the time of the Mancuso show and grew up in Cortland. He later went on to be the lead singer of Black Sabbath, taking Ozzie Osborn's place. Many consider him to be the best “Heavy Metal” singer of all time.

The third band was The Dovells, a dance band from Philadelphia. Their lead singer was Len Barry who went on to later have a big hit with”1-2-3”. They performed their choreographed song “Bristol Stomp,” and another dance tune called “Do The Continental,” which many years later showed up in the John Waters movie “Hairspray." They were followed by Dick and Dee Dee, whose popular hit was “Mountain High”. The only thing I recall about them was that I was shocked to find out that Dick was the one with the high falsetto voice and Dee Dee sang the lower range.

The Searchers did not disappoint, playing their two hits I mentioned earlier along with a set of other tunes that were hard to hear over the screaming teenage Batavia girls. My first big rock and roll show started me on the road to many, many more as I went on to college and through life. Going to see live music is still my favorite thing to do. 

Thanks Mancuso's.

Teen Hangouts
A big venue in the lives of most teens in the '50s and '60s was the local “soda shoppe.” For my friends and me (and many others of our age) it was Kustas Kandies on the north side of Main Street. Mrs. Kustas, who held down the counter and table area, was well-liked by all the kids and hired a number of them to work there, too, including a couple of my classmates, Mike Palloni and Madonna Mooney. She was pretty tolerant of teens hanging out there as long as you bought something and didn't get too rowdy. Most of my meager funds were spent on Cherry Cokes and French Fries, but if I happened to have a little extra cash, Kustas had delicious cheeseburgers in the style of McDonald's Big Mac or Carroll's Club burger. Like many restaurants of the time, there was a jukebox at every table, and we fed them coins to play all our favorite tunes. I'd bet The Rolling Stones' “Satisfaction” was #1 in the rotation. Hey, hey, hey, that's what I say.

Across Main Street and slightly to the west was Critics, formerly The Sugar Bowl. Critics was more of a pre- or post-date restaurant, though. Mr. Critic (real name Ernest Criticos who, after urban renewal, relocated his restaurant to Greece Town Mall outside Rochester) did not brook any nonsense from teens. He wanted to appeal to a more adult crowd, and if teens hung around longer than 30 or 40 minutes, especially without buying a meal, out you went. It was just a little fancier than Kustas, though, so if you wanted to impress a girl before or after a date ( a movie, let's say), you would take her there. It wasn't a soda shop, but into the 60s, another date spot was Your Host Restaurant in the East End Plaza, but not downtown. You probably needed a car to get your girl to Your Host.

Classy Clothiers
It's hard to believe, but in a small city of about 18,000 people, there were three men's clothing stores (not counting JCPenney) in downtown Batavia. There was Beardsley's, Charles Men's Shop, and McAlpine Barton's. 

I really don't recall ever buying anything at Beardsley's, and I have no idea why not. I'm pretty sure that when I was a student at St. Mary's Elementary School from first to eighth grade, we bought our school uniforms from Charles Men's Shop. For the boys, they consisted of light blue shirts, dark blue pants, and a dark blue clip-on bow tie. Probably Charles had a deal with the school. 

My mom would buy two pairs of pants for the year, and they would take a beating, so multiple sewing repairs were required. I wouldn't even want to guess how many bow ties I probably lost in 8 years. At Notre Dame High, those of us who earned them got our letter sweaters at Charles, too, again probably a deal between the school and the store. Other than those things, I don't recall frequenting that haberdashery very often.

When my grandparents, Anna and Henry (Henrik) Newhouse, moved to Batavia from Brooklyn (after emigrating from Denmark) in the 1920s, they bought a house at 25 North Lyon Street. There they raised my mother and three other children. Grampa was a tool and die maker at Doehler-Jarvis, which is why they moved here. My two uncles, Walter and Robert (who is the last family member of his generation at age 93) followed their dad's career path and became tool and die makers also. Their neighbors at 23 North Lyon were the Bartons of McAlpine – Barton Clothing store. It was originally McAlpine-Brumsted, but the Bartons bought out Brumsted and the business carried on. So, the reason why we patronized that store is because the Bartons were neighbors and friends of my mother's family.

The store was located on the south side of Main Street on the corner of Center Street (ironically, Charles Men's Shop, McAlpine's competitor for many years, is still in business and now occupies that building). LaRay Barton and his son Charlie ran the business, and LaRay's wife Eva took care of the office. My mom, Anna Newhouse Reilly, worked in the office for a number of years, too before going on to become the office manager for William Dipson of the aforementioned Dipson Theaters. Another long-time salesperson that I recall was Fred Darch.

McAlpine-Barton's had two floors for clothes shopping, the main floor and the basement. The offices were on the second floor. The main floor had two parts: the main room, which was for suits, sport coats, and slacks, as they referred to dress pants. Then there was a side room for what they called “leisure wear”. This would be sweaters, dressier polo shirts, and so on. The basement, where I got most of my clothes, was more for teenage or younger people's clothes like t-shirts and jeans, which they called “dungarees”. It wasn't like most of the places you go to get clothes now, though, where you pretty much wait on yourself unless you ask for help. There was always a salesman with you and assisting you.

I do have fond memories of McAlpine–Barton's, mostly because all the salesmen were friendly and willing to help you find what you were looking for and ensure a good fit. (note: I honestly do not recall any female salespeople at Barton's. It was probably a combination of it being a men's store and the chauvinism of that era. Also, later on, the family opened The Pendleton Store for women's clothes, managed by Charlie, and they had all female salespeople). Of course, my brothers and I got extra good treatment at McAlpine-Barton since LaRay and Charlie knew our family.

I moved to the Rochester area after graduating from St. John Fisher College there in 1969, so I wasn't living in Batavia for the Urban Renewal, which took place in the 1970s resulting in the demolishing of most of the downtown buildings. Dipson Theater, Kustas Kandies and Critics are long gone. Mancuso Theater still stands but is now a church. Finally, as I mentioned previously, the building that housed McAlpine-Barton is now home to the still-in-business Charles Men's Shop.

From following a couple of Facebook pages devoted to remembering the Batavia of old I realize that there are a substantial number of people who lived through the tearing down of a majority of downtown buildings who are still grieving and angry about it. Their feelings are that Batavia as they knew it was ruined forever. Nonetheless, even though the population of the seat of Genesee County has declined by about 5,000 since the '50s and '60s, it is still a city, and a number of its citizens are still trying to make it a viable and valued place to live.

For those of us who grew up in Batavia, New York, back then and are still living, we have our photographs, paintings and especially our memories that can remind us of the way things used to be.

Dipson Theater Painting by Pat Burr.
All other images courtesy of Genesee County History Department.

Santa, Mrs. Claus, and Spiderman stopped in at Foxprowl Collectables on Ellicott Street in Batavia as part of "Shop Small Saturday," a day to support locally-owned businesses.

Submitted photos.

When faced with the decision whether to sleep in on the Thanksgiving holiday or get up early and spend some time at the McCarthy ice arena Thursday morning, Patrick Suozzi didn’t have to think twice, he says.

The Batavia High School senior threw on some warm clothes and headed to the Evans Street rink, along with several high school students, for a first-time gathering of the Batavia Key Club.

“It’s awesome,” the 17-year-old said. “It’s a good way to give back to the community and help the kids. I’ve been helping kids color and will help them skate.”

A yearly tradition since 2007, Batavia’s Kiwanis Club has hosted a Community Skate at the ice rink every Thanksgiving. It draws many kids and families to kick off the day with some skating, mingling and hot cocoa, with this year being no exception, said Pete Guppenberger, one of the longtime Kiwanis hosts of the event. 

Suozzi knows Guppenberger, he said and has become more familiar with the club and how it does activities in the community. That has made him want to become more involved, especially now that teacher Allison Chua has taken on the role of adviser for the Key Club.

“The reason I started it was because, years ago, we had talked about it, and we were gonna have a Kiwanis Key Club, and then it kind of fizzled out. And I do a whole bunch of other things for the school, and I do the newsletter … and I'm the freshman class adviser, and I'm involved in a bunch of other activities and clubs, but Mr. Smith, when he joined the Kiwanis Club, came to ask me about running a Key Club, and I thought, yeah, I think we need that at the school because in this time of COVID, and all these things that had happened, I think we all realized how important it was to help in the community and help each other,” Chua said. “And this club is all about reaching out to the community and helping, so I'm all about that.”

Key Club International is the high school branch of the Kiwanis International family, classified as a Service Leadership Program and, more specifically, as a Kiwanis Youth Program. Many Key Clubs are sponsored by a local Kiwanis club. Chua will help to organize the students, and then they will lead their own school club, which is to provide opportunities to provide service, build character and develop leadership, according to Kiwanis Key Club International.

There were 67 students that showed up to the initial meeting at BHS — Chua jokes that they were drawn to the pizza being served — and that has settled down to about 45 that will remain in the club. 

On Thursday, 17 students came to the ice rink for this first service-based activity. Students sat and colored pictures with kids near the concession stand while others helped anyone who needed assistance with skating around the rink.

Drew Stevens has grown up in a “hockey family,” she said, and likes to skate. The 10th-grader came with a few of her friends.

“It’s a good way to be helpful with kids and families while doing something I like to do,” she said.

Lila Callan, a junior, agreed.

“It’s a good way to get involved with the community, and on Thanksgiving,” she said.

A third friend also thought that it was “a good way to get volunteer hours,” while doing things such as arts and crafts, she said.

There will be plenty of opportunities for them to rack up hours while getting out into Batavia, Chua said, since local nonprofits have expressed a need for more volunteers and the ideas keep building — doing garden work, cleaning cars of snow in winter, shoveling, to name a few. 

They want to help in the community. And they're glad that there's something they can do. And, of course, it does help them because service organizations are always good for the building of their resume, and for being part of a community of helpers and learning, and I think colleges are looking for that now,” she said. “They're looking more for a well-rounded student. It's not just about how high your grades are. It's more about who you are as a person, what you do for people, and how you work collaboratively with others. And I'd be glad to give recommendations to these kids that are working hard, and that'll be a pleasure for me to be part of that.”

SHOP SMALL - SHOP LOCAL - Adam Miller Toys and Bicycles. Valle Jewelers. Charles Men's Shop.

Good music was part of the Thanksgiving celebration at Ri-Dans in Batavia on Wednesday night with the Rusty Fisher Band and the Growlers Blues Band both taking the stage.

Photos by Howard Owens.