Ty Gioia sinks a 3-point bucket with 5.6 seconds left in regulation to give Batavia the victory 54-52 Friday evening at Batavia High School. Photo by Steve Ognibene
With 5.6 seconds left and the Blue Devils down by a point, 52-51, Ty Gioia sank a three-pointer to give the #4 seed Batavia a win in a Section V Class A quarterfinals game on Friday.
Batavia beat the #5 seed, Pittsford-Sutherland 54-52.
"I can take no credit for that last shot," said Coach Buddy Brasky. "I mean, Ty just stepped up, got the ball, and he's a kid who hasn't been getting a lot of playing time a sophomore, and Brady (Mazur) fouled out, and he stepped up and did it. So I can't take any credit for that. But you know what I was telling them, basically, is to follow our principles, follow our defensive principles, get stops, and we can win this game. We got some key stops down the stretch."
Steve Johnson, Justin Calarco-Smith, and Josh Smith at H.E. Turner in Batavia. Photo by Howard Owens
NOTE: This is the seventh of seven stories The Batavian will publish today and tomorrow (Friday and Saturday) about this year's Chamber of Commerce award winners. The awards will be presented on Saturday evening at Batavia Downs. Tickets are still available for the event.
Steve Johnson clearly remembered the time he was working with a family whose loved one had died when his professional role as a funeral director became very personal.
His own father died during that time. He continued to carry out that family’s requests. There were two days of calling hours, and another director walked in carrying a card. Johnson wondered why he didn’t just put it into the box with the others, but instead, the card was handed to Johnson.
“He said, ‘you should read it now.’ It was a sympathy card from the other family,” a teary-eyed Johnson said during an interview at H.E. Turner in Batavia. “Every time I see her, I get a huge hug. We really do start to become friends. It’s kind of nice to have a personal relationship with them. I think fundamentally, losing Dad made me a better funeral director.”
It’s stories like that — likely hundreds of them over the years — stories of how something like a funeral business can forge bonds, deeper understandings, insight, and friendships well past when the casket has closed.
Those relationships and related service are what have earned H.E. Turner, the oldest continuously operator-owned business in Genesee County, the Chamber of Commerce Business of the Year Award, to be presented Saturday evening at Batavia Downs.
Turner was founded 115 years ago and continues today with owners Johnson, Justin Calarco-Smith and Joshua Smith.
While family clients will always see the directors impeccably dressed and ready to serve the varied requests — which have included wearing a particular jeans-and-shirt outfit and putting certain candy atop the casket —these guys might be hustling around in their socks with no shoes on vacuuming and prepping the West Main Street site for the next set of calling hours.
They don’t want anything to be askew or troubling for the family, even when that might mean nervously waiting for an urn to arrive when it wasn’t delivered as promised or having a company switch the top and bottom of a casket with another on-site so that they match perfectly for the order.
“It has to be perfect, 100% of the time,” Johnson said. “We have high expectations; we cannot overstate our expectations.”
Unlike his two colleagues, Johnson is a first-generation funeral director who has known he wanted to get involved in this industry since he was a teen. He watched how a director handled the death of his grandpa — in a way that was “dignified and healing” — and that clinched the deal.
“I knew this is what I was going to do with my life,” said Johnson, who has been at this for 18 years full-time. “It’s strange to say this career path is rewarding given what we’re doing here, but it is rewarding because our most fundamental job is to facilitate grief. It used to be the reverend or the reverend clergy who facilitated the grief, and now, with the emergence of people falling away from church, we are the keepers of the rituals. So, our most fundamental task when a family comes to us is to facilitate grief.
“The family who, believe it or not, only spent three days with you, maybe they don’t remember any of it,” Johnson said. “But the next time they have a need, they don’t just pick up the phone and call Turner’s; they pick up the phone and call Steve, and that is very rewarding.”
Former owner Jim Smith died in August 2023 and transferred ownership to his two sons, Justin and Josh, along with trusted friend and employee Randy McIntire, who has since transferred his interest to Johnson.
Similar to Johnson’s personal experience with the death of a loved one, Justin said that it altered his perspective of the process.
“I have a better understanding now when they’re sitting over there, across the desk, on the other side of the table, in dealing with other families and going forward,” he said.
When Justin graduated from high school and went to Geneseo State College, he had no intentions to return to the area or get involved in his father’s business. Then, a guy named Bob Bailey asked what his dad did for a living, and he told him.
“He said, ‘Didn't you ever consider doing this?’ I said no. He said, ‘I think you'd be good at it.’ I called my dad from college. I said, ‘I’m thinking about wanting to enter the business. What do you think about that?” he said. “And this was in my spring semester, my freshman year. And so I came home over college break during Christmas, and I worked my first funeral; the rest is kind of history. I worked the winter break of 1991, came home after my freshman year and worked here for him part-time. And then I also worked at Darien Lake that summer. And then, from that point forward, this is the only job I've ever had.”
He didn’t want to get too cliche but he really does feel as though it was a calling — a profession and passion meant for him now for more than 28 years.
“I think this job was chosen for me,” he said. “I generally love what I do. I enjoy getting up and coming to work most mornings … Every day has been unique and different around here. Because the basic principle of what we do is that we help people at their absolute lowest, darkest, worst times and we’re able to kind of allow them to take steps forward in their grief journey.”
Back to the rewards — it’s about allowing families to move through that process and then be able to just breathe and talk after all of those funeral arrangements are done, Josh said. Yes, it’s about forming a connection with a little something extra.
“Whether you see this family member six months or six years after the service, they remember something. They come give you a hug. They come give you a handshake. I like the conversations with families after calling hours or a funeral ends when you can just talk. They talk about the day, they talk about the week,” he said. “You kind of get them away from the business side of it, where we're sitting across making arrangements, and just get to know them, get to know a little bit more about their family. They ask you about yours. It's the relationships that you develop with these people that's very, very rewarding. I keep on saying that it is the handshake or the hugs you get at the end of the day that make it worth it.”
The H.E. Turner story began in January of 1910, when Harry Ernest Turner, a native of Clarendon, and Harry D. Bartlett of Holley bought the Williamson Furniture and Undertaking Store.
The furniture and funeral combination wasn’t unusual at the time. Historians believe early furniture stores carried coffins and other funeral accessories, which made them a natural link to the funeral business.
Turner, who worked 10 years in a furniture store in Holley before purchasing the Batavia store, published a weekly newspaper, The Holley Standard, as a sideline. Bartlett served as Orleans County Clerk in the early 1900s, and the pair also had a joint interest in stores in Byron and Holley, which they sold a few years after they came to Batavia.
H.E. Turner & Co. was operated at 111 Main St., the former Newberry Building, until 1921, when it was moved to the Cary Mansion at 211 East Main St. Fourteen years later, the firm moved to the Bean Mansion at 403 East Main St., where it remains today.
In August 2023, Turner’s owners completed a deal with T.J. Woodward to take on Gilmartin Funeral Home & Cremation Company, Inc., leaving Woodward in place as funeral director at Gilmartin and others to retain their roles at Eaton-Watson and Marley funeral homes as part of the deal. Turner also owns Robinson and Hackemer Funeral Home in Warsaw.
Owners of H.E. Turner & Co., Inc. Funeral Home was named as a Selected Independent Funeral Homes member in October 2024, an honor that “lets all prospective customers know who they can trust,” Johnson had said at the time.
It would seem as though the Chamber’s selection committee agrees.
NOTE: This is the sixth of seven stories The Batavian will publish today and tomorrow (Friday and Saturday) about this year's Chamber of Commerce award winners. The awards will be presented on Saturday evening at Batavia Downs. Tickets are still available for the event.
For the 4-H Critter Crew learning isn't just something that takes place in a book or through a lecture. It's hands-on. It's fun.
That certainly was the case this past week during the crew's monthly meeting at the Cornell Cooperative Extension in Batavia where they made coffee cakes.
Why coffee cakes? Because this year's learning theme is rainforests and coffee and cinnamon both come from rainforests.
"It's a lot of fun, a lot more ingredients for us to explore," said Stephanee Surabian, founder and leader of the 4-H Critter Crew. "We'll be doing different projects involving, like, flamingos. We have an exotic pet guy coming in with snakes and reptiles geared more toward an educational rainforest theme. So it's a perfect pairing for what we're doing this year."
The Critter Crew is a service and educational club attached to the Cornell Cooperative Extension for younger age 5 to 18. It's being recognized this year by the Chamber of Commerce with a Special Service Recognition Award.
By the fall of 2022, Surabian and the children of the world had been through a lot. As she was preparing to give birth to her fourth child, she was diagnosed with cancer (she's in good health now), and it was also the final months of the pandemic. She figured kids needed activities to help them get out of the house and reconnect with people. She also thought 4-H could use a program that went beyond dealing with livestock.
"I was seeing a need for the kids to have just that normalcy again right after the peak of COVID," Surabian said.
The club is more than making things and learning about nature. The crew also focuses on serving the community.
For example, there is the reverse trick-or-treat in October, which involves visits to the Manor House. The kids dress up in costumes, entertain the residents, and hand out candy and other treats.
"It makes everyone feel young at heart and fills the hearts of those who are not able to be near their grandchildren," said Joseph Burke, one of the people who nominated Critter Crew for the service award.
They also have the Adopt a Grandparent program for the holidays when they deliver gift bags filled with essential items. They also hand out Christmas cookies and sing Christmas carols.
"It warms the hearts of everyone who is present," said Burke. "They do a great job of bringing smiles to the residents’ faces."
Surabian said they have an outreach program for widows on Valentine's Day. They create and deliver cards, picture frames, and other knick-knacks to nominated widows. They're planning their first Easter Bunny visit to the Manor House this spring.
Another project involves collecting expired food products and converting them to livestock feed. In the past year, they collected more than 200 pounds of food.
Last year, collectively, they performed more than 300 hours of community service.
"Having the kids make those community ties and hands-on relationships really bridges that gap," Surabian said. "When they get older, they'll already be very much integrated and blended into the community. So I think that's a big, big step in navigating life."
Craft projects include making birds wings (again, related to the rainforest theme), which they will wear in the Memorial Day Parade. There are also guest speakers scheduled.
On the fun side (that also includes learning) in the works for the club is a visit to the Wild Center, in Tupper Lake.
"My goal toward the end of the summer is to take an educational field trip to explore the tree tops to get a forest canopy perspective, maybe do some zip lining through the forest," said Surabian. "Then there are some underwater cavern tours with underground waterfalls, which some people don't know are in a rainforest, so I thought it would be perfect to mix with the crafting and baking and then that hands-on learning, too."
Surabian is originally from Arizona. Her husband is from Batavia. They have four children. She has an associates degree and was working toward her bachelor's when she was diagnosed with cancer.
"I kind of took a left turn and put all my focus and energy into volunteering," Surabian said. "I absolutely love being busy. I thrive on it. Prior to my volunteer work, I was a compliance officer, so I stayed very busy working and staffing nurses all over the country."
All four of her children, Gavin, 13, Morgan, 11, Kensley, 6, and Lincoln, 3, participate in Critter Crew.
She's clearly energized by working with the kids in the club and she said she loves it.
"I think my favorite is seeing how they engage with the elderly," Surabian said. "That is the most rewarding experience outside of the fun that they have. Actually, I lied. Okay, so the food, I'm sorry. I just reminded myself -- the food, I think, is probably the most fun because, surprisingly, I try to keep it very basic, but there's so many things that we've done that kids have never even tried before, so that is a whole level of fun for me, to be able to broaden their food horizons."
NOTE: This is the third of seven stories The Batavian will publish today and tomorrow (Friday and Saturday) about this year's Chamber of Commerce award winners. The awards will be presented on Saturday evening at Batavia Downs. Tickets are still available for the event.
The secret to success isn't complicated, the way Jeff Heubusch explains it: Offer people a good product at a fair price with a friendly smile, and they will keep coming back.
That's what he and his crew at Southside Deli have done for more than 35 years.
His assistant manager, Denny Schultz, who has worked at Southside for 24 years, explained it best.
"He's consistent," Schultz said. "He's here all the time. He lives at the store. If anyone comes in from the community, they know how hard he works. He's compassionate for his customers. He's instilled it in me, as well. You want every customer to feel welcome and special. You learn their names. You get a good rapport with returning customers."
It's that commitment and that success that led to Southside Deli being named Genesee County's Small Business of the Year by the Chamber of Commerce.
Heubusch said the award is a big honor that recognizes the reputation Southside has gained in the community.
"This side of town has always had a bad rap kind of reputation in the community, and I don't see that. I see compassion. I see humble people who just need to be accepted," Heubusch said. "It's definitely changed over the years, but for the better."
The store, as any regular knows, represents Batavia's diversity. Every segment of Batavia's community visits the store daily, either for a sub, snacks, drinks, or some essential grocery item.
That wasn't an aspect of the business Heubusch necessarily anticipated when he bought the location more than three decades ago but it's a big part of what he enjoys about the business.
"I think over the years, it has become a passion. It's something you have to grow into," Heubusch said. "When I came into this business, I didn't know much. Everything was trial and error. You listen to your customers and get their needs, get them in here, and give them a fair price. It's and they come back. People don't want just a deli; it's a place you can go to, and everybody's happy. It's just a great atmosphere. And we developed that over the years, and I got great help here. They're compassionate, they care."
As a young man, Heubusch spent 12 years working in a salt mine. He only quit when a mining accident nearly took his life.
His year-long recuperation gave him time to reflect and reassess what he wanted to do with his life.
Heubusch, the son of a miner, purchased Southside Deli two years before the accident. He kept his mining job even as he tried to build the deli business. Digging out the salt of the earth so motorists could drive on de-iced asphalt offered Heubusch a sense of security not available to entrepreneurs. He didn't want to give up that steady paycheck and good benefits while trying to build his own business.
While convalescing, Heubusch said to himself, "Am I going to lay on this couch the rest of my life and live on comp or Social Security disability?"
"Once I was able to get around and be productive, that's when I said, really, 'it's all or nothing.' "
Born in Wyoming County, Heubusch graduated from Warsaw High School in 1977. He was 17 and couldn't get a job, so he went to work in his mother's upholstery business.
When he turned 18, he got his first job in a salt mine.
He was laid off, rehired, laid off and rehired again a couple of times over the next few years. During that time, he also worked for U.S. Gypsum and Le Roy Machine.
He bought a house in Batavia, and when he started working in the mine again, his daily commute took him down Ellicott Street.
Every day, he would drive past Southside Deli (Heubusch kept the name from the previous owner; In the 19th Century, it was Ebling Meat Market and the location has always been some sort of market).
On the second floor of the building is a balcony. As he drove by each day, Heubusch would see a for sale sign hanging from the balcony rail.
That got his mind working.
"I'd see it and think to myself, 'Man, I'd love to work for myself.' I kept seeing that, fueling my idea of what I would do if I owned that."
There's a reason working in a salt mine is a metaphor in our culture's lexicon for arduous work. It's hard labor.
In flush times, Heubusch worked 10 to 12-hour days, seven days a week.
"There were days I never saw daylight."
One day, finally, he called a realtor and got the ball rolling.
Escrow closed Aug. 10, 1989. Heubusch opened Southside Deli for the first time under his ownership four days later.
Besides figuring out the deli business and making a great meal, Heubusch learned how to hire the right help, people who naturally walk in with good attitudes and friendly smiles.
"I've got my hardcore of people, but people graduate from high school, they go to college, they move out of the area, they get married, but for the most part, I've got a very good core of employees that actually help the newbies," Heubusch said. "All my employees who have ever left said this was like their favorite job. They were young, and they would learn. They would become more social. They would learn the aspects of how business works and be able to talk to people, and it was a very, very great learning experience for them, and they moved on. I've got people who worked here who are now doctors and lawyers."
Schultz said he and the rest of the Southside crew are proud to see the deli get recognition from the Chamber.
"It's huge, especially for him, you know, but for us too, especially a lot of us long-standing people," Schultz said. "It's almost like validation of just how hard he's worked, and we've worked to be a successful business. We're Team Deli."
NOTE: This is the first of seven stories The Batavian will publish today and tomorrow (Friday and Saturday) about this year's Chamber of Commerce award winners. The awards will be presented on Saturday evening at Batavia Downs. There are tickets still available to the event.
In just a handful of years, Kate Willson has established herself as a beauty entrepreneur to be reckoned with.
She has taken one business and added another a half mile down Main Street, creating hair, spa, and shopping experiences for her customers and employment for a dozen talented people in downtown Batavia.
Then again, Willson has been no stranger to the concept of putting in the effort for the rewards.
“Growing up in a blue-collar family, hard work was always modeled to me. From the moment I got my working papers, I was on a mission to work hard and earn my own money. I was always the friend that missed events or arrived late because I valued work,” she said. “To this day, I'm grateful that I was shown what it was like to work hard. From my mom to past employers, I saw women creating income and having fun doing it. I'm grateful to say my entrepreneurial spirit has always been second nature, and my businesses are a labor of love. I love getting to serve this community with amazing beauty services.”
And serve she has, with Meraki Beauty, and her more recent venture that opened in July 2024, The Beauty Lounge by Meraki. Both endeavors have earned her an impressive nod with the Chamber of Commerce’s Entrepreneurial Business of the Year Award. The chamber awards dinner is on Saturday at Batavia Downs.
According to her website, "Meraki" means “to put love, creativity and soul into everything you do.” That has been Willson’s objective with her hair salon and then the spa and boutique, which she wanted to complement the next-door neighbor of Charles Men’s Shop.
In addition to offering luxury spa services, the space has been opened up in front for a reception area and half of it is a boutique for clothing, with another portion dedicated to an assortment of pampering products such as candles, body whips and butters, delicate chains with charms and jewelry with essential oil sprays from local vendors, plus a jewelry station.
Her current philosophy is to “follow your heart and do what feels right,” she said.
“I follow that in life and in business; I believe we are all different, and we have to pivot when we feel called,” she said. “That is how all my businesses and my life have been created — following the little ideas and keeping my mind open.”
She had an open mind when first opening The Beauty Lounge, as she opted to accommodate many disgruntled customers left holding gift cards purchased from the former business that abruptly closed after the holidays. She offered a 50% value for the gift cards that were not purchased from her business. As one nomination form stated, “She is open, honest, she is loyal to her customers and will go out of her way to make you feel special and she has taught the other employees at her salon to be the same way.”
She chose the beauty industry because of her love for “building up other women.”
“Whether that’s my team or those that come to experience Meraki Beauty and The Beauty Lounge. Through my businesses in the beauty industry, I’m able to bring the community a place where women can go to feel welcome and leave feeling fully recharged and beautiful from the inside out,” she said. “That’s my favorite part of it; the amazing relationships that I have with my team and with our clients.”
Not that running your own business doesn’t have its challenges, she said. That have been many when it came to growing the first and second versions of Meraki. Launching the spa and boutique proved to be very demanding of her time, and Willson has been learning “the art of delegation” more each day, she said.
“It can be hard at first, and there have been so many skills I’ve had to learn that don’t come naturally to me. However, once you take the time as a leader to learn that each person on your team has unique strengths, knowing which tasks to pass on to others eventually becomes second nature,” she said. “Asking for help from people wiser than myself has been incredibly helpful in growing the businesses. My mom and many of my past employers have shaped me into who I am today. I am also incredibly blessed to have amazing women who sit in my chair each day, and I’m honored to draw so much wisdom from them.
“As a leader, my hope is that I'm able to help all of my employees create beautiful lives, a great work-life balance, and build a solid group of women who support each other,” she said. “Very recently, my family had a traumatic loss of a loved one, and it's never been more apparent to me how solid my team is, how much they care for each other and for me so well. This award was truly earned by every team member within our walls. They inspire me each day to keep putting in the work.”
Because it does take that hard work and doesn’t just happen by accident, she said, her advice to aspiring entrepreneurs is to “know what you’re getting into before you jump in.” Do the research, talk to others who achieved the goals you’re after, start small, grow your confidence and skills and pivot as opportunities present themselves.
From the way she talks about her staff and husband, Willson also seems to have a strong support system, and she credits them all for part of her success. As she has been embraced as a positive role model for young women in her salon and for being an astute businesswoman, Willson recognizes the strength of her “amazing” workmates and life partner — her husband, who is “always down for my next idea.”
“My husband and I love bringing these elevated experiences to our local area, so I definitely could see more in time, but right now, my joke to him is that the next business is his idea and his baby because this girl is busy,” she said.
Batavia's Gavin White goes for two points. Photo by Steve Ognibene
The Blue Devils, ranked #4 in Class A in Boys Basketball, picked up a first round sectional win at home on Tuesday, beating #12 ranked School of the Arts 51-45.
Scoring for Batavia:
Gavin White, 25 points
Isaac Varland, 10 points
Brady Mazur, 5 points
Casey Mazur, 5 points
Batavia faces #5 ranked Pittsford-Sutherland at home at 5:30 p.m. on Friday.
The limited edition design by 26 Shirts for Leah Wroten's fundraiser. Online pre-sale will be available for purchase for less than 12 more days. (An online clock is counting down the days, hours and minutes.) Photo from 26 Shirts website
Leah Wroten, a 2020 Batavia High School grad and special education teacher’s aide, has done battle with cancer through life-changing surgery, chemotherapy and related treatments since her diagnosis just a year ago.
She has gotten the good news of being in remission, however, having to take six months off and still more days for scans and check-ups has meant a hefty medical bill for the 21-year-old.
There will now be less than 12 days to snatch up an original design that reads: "Introverted but willing to defend Josh Allen" on a number of clothing items, including T-shirts, sweatshirts, long-sleeved shirts, hoodies, zipped hoodies and tank tops.
Every purchase means $8 to Wroten’s cause, and — in keeping with the company’s focus on sports-themed apparel — her fellow Batavia City School staff, students, friends and family are rooting for a touchdown to get her financially “back on her feet.”
For more information or to support the cause, go to 26 Shirts.
The Holland Land Office Museum is proud to welcome Dr. Michael Boston of SUNY Brockport as our next Guest Speaker on Saturday, March 1st at 11 am. Dr. Boston of SUNY Brockport will be presenting on “Female Conductors of the Underground Railroad in Western and Central New York”; Admission is $5 or $3 for museum members. Please contact the museum at 585-343-4727 or hollandlandoffice@gmail.com.
The Holland Land Office Museum is proud to announce the next presenter in its Guest Speaker Series on Thursday, March 6 at 7 p.m. Dr. Ann Bunch a forensic anthropologist of SUNY Brockport Criminal Justice Department, will be presenting on her new book, "The William Morgan Affair: Masonic Mystery in Upstate New York." The book takes an investigative science approach to the mystery of William Morgan's disappearance to demystify and highlight ways to resolve his fate following his last known sightings in 1826. Admission is $5 or $3 for museum members. Please contact the museum at 585-343-4727 or hollandlandoffice@gmail.com if you would like to attend.
Join us at the Holland Land Office Museum for the next Trivia Night @ the Museum on Thursday, March 13 at 7 p.m. This month's topic is the First Ladies of the United States. Admission is $5 or $3 for museum members. Please contact the museum at 585-343-4727 or hollandlandoffice@gmail.com if you would like to attend.
The Holland Land Office Museum is proud to welcome back No Blarney for our St. Patrick's Day tradition, as they play all your favorite Irish music tunes from throughout the years. The concert will be Friday, March 14 from 7-9 pm. Admission is $5 or $4 for museum members. Please contact the museum at 585-343-4727 or hollandlandoffice@gmail.com. Seating is limited so reserve your spot early.
The Holland Land Office Museum is proud to welcome back Civil War historian and author Chris Mackowski on Wednesday, March 26 at 7 p.m. This presentation has been rescheduled from its original date of January 21. Chris will be presenting on his book, "The Last Days of Stonewall Jackson" of the Emerging Civil War series. The presentation will cover Jackson's military career and the last fateful days during the Battle of Chancellorsville that led to his mortal wounding. 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.
Join us at the Holland Land Office Museum on March 27, at 9 a.m., come hear HLOM Curator Tyler Angora for our FREE morning coffee program Java with Joe. Tyler will be explaining the newest exhibit at HLOM in greater detail and why this was the exhibit he chose to begin in 2025! Learn about his research and the clothing in the exhibit Admission is FREE, and Tim Horton’s of Batavia will provide coffee and donuts. Please contact the museum at 585-343-4727 or hollandlandoffice@gmail.com if you would like to attend.
The Genesee Community College History Club is proud to launch its commemoration of the 250th anniversary of the Battles of Lexington and Concord with a special Historical Horizons Lecture on Wednesday, March 5, at 7 p.m. in room T102. The event, titled A Single Blow: The Battles of Lexington and Concord, will be presented by renowned historian and author Phil Greenwalt and is free and open to the public.
In his lecture, Greenwalt will explore the pivotal events of April 19, 1775, which marked the beginning of open conflict between Great Britain and its thirteen North American colonies. Attendees will gain insight into the years of unrest that led to this historic moment and how it set the course for American independence.
Phil Greenwalt is the co-founder of Emerging Revolutionary War and is also a full-time contributor to Emerging Civil War. He is the author or co-author of five books on the American Revolution and the American Civil War. Phil graduated from George Mason University with a M.A. in American History and also has a B.A. in history from Wheeling Jesuit University. He is currently the Chief of Interpretation and Education at Catoctin Mountain Park. He has over 15 years of service in the National Park Service and has worked at De Soto National Memorial, Everglades National Park and Morristown National Historical Park before Catoctin. His first permanent ranger position was as a historian with the National Park Service at George Washington Birthplace National Monument and Thomas Stone National Historic Site. However, he started with the National Park Service as a historical interpreter intern in college at Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania National Military Park.
Copies of Greenwalt's book will be available for purchase through the GCC Bookstore, and attendees will have the opportunity to meet the author and have their books signed after the talk.
For more information, contact Vice President of Development, Admissions and External Affairs, Justin Johnston, at 585-345-6809 or via email at jmjohnston@genesee.edu.
Due to warm temperatures causing a quick thaw of the track, the judges made the decision to cancel the live card of racing scheduled for Monday, Feb. 24 out of an abundance of caution for the safety of all the participants.
Monday was the final day of racing for the 2025 winter meet and the Jackpot Hi-5 carryover pool of $4,251 that was scheduled to be paid out will now be moved to opening day of the summer meet on Saturday, July 26, and will also be a mandatory payout.
The Table Top Art Show is excited to announce our event on March 4, at Eli Fish Brewing in downtown Batavia. We warmly invite local media representatives to join us for an evening celebrating the incredible talents of our local artists and the vibrant art community we cherish.
This year, we received an impressive 184 entries from 92 artists, showcasing the creativity and passion of our local talent. The event will feature 15 pieces in our traditional gallery display, six honorable mentions, and a special judges' corner. The 15 selected pieces will also be featured on our tabletop version of the show, adorning the tables of 30+ restaurants and three libraries this year. To top it off, our online gallery will feature all 184 entries.
Join us for the Opening Reception on March 4 at 7 p.m. at Eli Fish Brewing in the heart of Downtown Batavia! After the Reveal the show runs for the month of March.
The Table Top Art Show highlights the collaborative spirit of our arts community, paired with the support of local businesses and restaurants. The media's presence at this event will help us celebrate our talented artists and promote the importance of supporting local arts in our community.
We would be delighted to provide interviews with participating artists, event organizers, and sponsors. Your coverage will help us spotlight the creativity and dedication that makes our local art scene thrive.
Please let me know if you have any questions about the show. We look forward to seeing you there and sharing this wonderful celebration of art! For more information visit https://tabletopartshow.secure-decoration.com.
GLOW With Your Hands organizers are seeking additional volunteers to support the coordination of the third annual GLOW With Your Hands: Healthcare on March 17. More than 650 students from Genesee, Livingston, Orleans, and Wyoming counties will learn first-hand about exciting career opportunities in the healthcare sector by meeting representatives and professionals from a variety of healthcare organizations, careers, and training programs.
Organizations such as M&T Bank and students from the Genesee Valley BOCES Health Career Academy have signed up for this year’s healthcare event, assisting as tour guides, lunch helpers, and an extra set of hands for GLOW With Your Hands committee members. Event organizers emphasized that these career exploration events are made possible thanks to the generosity of local organizations and individuals who dedicate their time to support local youth.
“It’s a tremendous testament to the success of this annual career exploration day that we have over 650 students attending, but at the same time, it takes a lot of volunteers to manage so many exuberant youths in one place,” said GLOW With Your Hands Co-Chair Karyn Winters said. “We are fortunate to have volunteers already registered, but we need more to cover all our bases.”
Representatives from hospitals and health systems and professionals in nursing, mental health, social services, and emergency responders will be on hand to interact with students to discuss potential careers and pathways into their respective fields. While some careers might begin immediately after high school, the students will also be able to explore educational pathways in the healthcare sector through BOCES and degrees available at local colleges and universities.
“The day after the event ends, we start to plan the next day for the event the following year which includes making sure our volunteers had the type of experience to help us again,” said Angela Grouse, GLOW With Your Hands Co-Chair. “We are so fortunate that most of our volunteers come back year after year, but you can never have enough!”
Thanks to a $750 grant from President Mike Hodgins and the Batavia Rotary Club and a $875 donation from the Batavia First Presbyterian Church, the Little Free Pantry recently took delivery of a new commercial size refrigerator which will help them support the growing needs of Batavia neighborhoods.
The Little Free Pantry provides immediate and local aid to those with food insecurity. Their aim is to help neighbors feed neighbors and nourish the community as a whole. The mini pantry movement’s unofficial motto is “Give what you can. Take what you need.”
The Little Free Pantry is grateful to the Batavia Rotary for this most generous donation in helping the Little Free Pantry support its mission.
Together, we raised $5,000 for Pawsitive for Heros in 2024! Submitted photo.
Press Release:
Get ready for a tail-wagging good time! Ashley Bringenberg Photography is thrilled to announce the return of Pooch Playoffs, an exciting bracket-style dog portrait competition and fundraiser benefiting WNY Heroes’ Pawsitive for Heroes program.
Now in its third year, this fun-filled event gives local dog owners a chance to show off their beloved pups while making a meaningful impact. Portrait sessions are happening from now until the end of February and the competition kicks off in late March, featuring 32 dogs vying for the title of WNY’s Ulti-Mutt Cutie!
Each round, participating pups will be paired up for head-to-head online voting, with winners advancing until one dog is crowned champion. The Final Four earn special prizes, and the top dog will claim the grand prize, along with ultimate bragging rights!
“A professional portrait of your pet is something most people don’t think to do, but pets are such cherished members of our families,” says Ashley Bringenberg, owner of Ashley Bringenberg Photography. “Pooch Playoffs gives families an opportunity to capture their pup’s personality while supporting an incredible cause.”
For a $125 donation to WNY Heroes’ Pawsitive for Heroes, participants receive:
A custom dog portrait session
A personalized photo keychain
A swag bag full of goodies
Spots are limited and filled on a first-come, first-served basis. Interested pet parents should visit ashleybringenberg.com/pooch to enter their pup ASAP.
Local businesses are also invited to sponsor the event and be part of this heartwarming community initiative.
For more information, sponsorship opportunities, or to register your pup, visit ashleybringenberg.com/pooch or contact Ashley Bringenberg at hello@ashleybringenberg.com.
Both the Boys Indoor Track Team and the Girls Indoor Track Team on Thursday put in dominating performances to win sectional titles.
It was the 19th sectional title for the girls' team and the 12th for the boys.
The girls scored 209 points. In second place, Wayne Central scored 72 points. The boys scored 184 points. Livonia-Avon-Geneseo came in second with 82 points.
"This was an incredible performance by the Blue Devils as we were able to win 18 out of 33 events contested," said Coach Nicholas Burk. "We had solid contributions across the board in our throwing, distance, sprinting, hurdles, and jumping events. Our Blue Devil athletes were very committed to continuing the tradition of Batavia Track and Field and representing our school and community with the tough reputation we've earned through many years of success."
Batavia's Business Improvement District hosted its annual celebration of beer and cider as it returned on Saturday, with the sun out and lots of people in a party mood.
The Jackpot Super Hi-5 at Batavia Downs has not been hit in several days and as a result, the carryover has now grown to $4,251.
With the meet coming to an end on Monday (Feb. 24), this must be paid out and track management has guaranteed that pool at $10,000 in conjunction with the United States Trotting Association’s Strategic Wagering Program.
As part of that program, Trackmaster is offering free full past performance program pages that are currently available on the USTA website under the Handicapping link at the top of the page.
The Jackpot Super Hi-5 at Batavia Downs is a 20-cent minimum wager in the 14th race on Monday with an estimated post time of 7:20 p.m. Post time for the first race is at 3 p.m.
And as always, free full card past performance programs for every live card of racing at Batavia can always be downloaded at the Downs’ website (bataviadownsgaming.com) under the “Live Racing” tab and all the racing action can be viewed as it happens for free at the Batavia Downs Live Facebook page.
File Photo of 4 Mix Place, Batavia. Photo by Howard Owens
Ed Smart has been on a long haul to renovate his property at 4 Mix Place into a combination living and work space for himself and smartDesign in Batavia.
A series of code variances for his rezoning request, landscaping issues and neighbor concerns have turned his journey into a string of meetings with the city’s Planning & Development Committee, City Council Zoning Board of Appeals and soon the Historic Preservation Commission.
He said in June 2023 that his goal was to “see this thing restored to its glory and then some.”
“It’s just a beautiful piece of property,” he had said of his rambling site at 4 Mix Place. “I’ve invested in it even without being able to use it until I know I can use it for the use I want.”
And what he wants is to convert it into a combination residence, a small apartment and his smartDESIGN Architecture firm, requiring it to be zoned residential 3 to allow for professional offices in that section of the city between Ellicott Avenue and Oak Street.
Smart has worked to repair significant damage from prior theft and water leakage, made it past City Council for rezoning and a few trips to the city’s Planning Committee, and returned again this week to address landscaping, parking and a neighbor’s concerns.
His plans had included 12 parking spots; however, neighbor Jessica Lankford had sent a letter of “serious concerns” about parking along their shared fence — the potential for less privacy of her backyard pool — which prompted discussion about alternatives.
“I could probably supply 10 spaces and not provide the other two. I'm just trying to plan to accommodate people when I have a full house, which, again, doesn't happen that often,” Smart said. “I’ve had a very cooperative relationship with the Lankfords. We collaborated on the vinyl fence that was installed there. So again, there's been a good communication, good cooperation. I was not aware that she had sent this letter, happy to talk to her about it. Usually, the fears from neighbors when you're talking about automobile traffic in a parking area like this has to come with light shining into their yard. Again, that vinyl fence is six feet high, and it's solid. There's no spaces in between it.”
Code Enforcement Officer Doug Randall reminded him of the requirement for parking areas within 20 feet of neighbors: there needs to be solid screen fencing or plantings that obstruct the view. Smart said there is to be a wood stockade fence along the upper east side, placed on his property, “or we would cooperate with them.”
Randall wanted to confirm that Smart has coordinated the plan with his neighbors. “If you’re going to put a fence on their property for maintenance,” Randall said.
Other considerations are the height of the fence — no more than 6 feet tall, and solid enough to shield nearby homes from headlight spray — and parking parallel versus perpendicular to the road, or using a row of bushes as space for parking, neither of those last two options which would work, Smart said.
“That would be a substantial change to the landscape of the yard of this historic residence. One of the special features of this is that it's an extremely large lot in the middle of the city and highly landscaped. There's sandstone pavers that come along the back,” he said. “And also, that would impact the way you would approach the parking so, so they actually come across the entire back of the house. To have parking on the west side, in my opinion, would be a real detriment to the to the presidential character of that piece of property.”
While seemingly monotonous and detailed, these are the crux of site plans, especially in the city when accommodating neighbors’ requests and concerns. The shared fence is about 24 feet from the edge of the parking space, which seems to fit what’s required in the special use permit, committee members agreed.
The committee approved a motion for the plan, minus two parking spots for a total of 10, with the agreement that Smart has to go to the Historic Preservation Commission for approval of all exterior changes.
That was another positive step forward. Smart said he wouldn’t be able to do any construction until the approval process is complete.
“I really want to be in it by the end of the year and make that work,” he said.
