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The Batavian has always had a policy of publishing most press releases from elected officials who directly represent us, Assembly, State Senate, U.S. Congress.

During the campaign cycle, we’ve published most verbatim press releases from the candidates for those offices.

It’s also been our practice in the past to interview the candidates in tightly contested races for our congressional seat.

This year, so far, we’ve interviewed Nate McMurray (to be published at a later date) and will interview Larry Piegza.

So far, Rep. Chris Collins has brushed off requests for an interview, never saying no but refusing to commit to a date for an interview.

An interview is a chance to clarify a candidate’s positions on specific policy questions, to probe their errors in logic or counter-factual claims, as well as pin them down on campaign promises. Interviews with the press by politicians and candidates is an important part of our democratic process. It’s how we hold to account and ensure transparency from those who might represent us.

A good example of how this can play out comes from the 2012 contest when the Kathy Hochul campaign used, in our opinion, a Chris Collins quote out of context. We were able to publish the full context of the quote to correct the record.

For The Batavian, in a contested race, interviews, either a sitdown formal interview or along the campaign trail, are also a way to balance out the unfiltered claims politicians make in their press releases.

For that reason, we don’t think it is fair or right to continue publishing press releases from the campaign of Chris Collins without a firm commitment to a sit-down interview.

Chris Collins has told The Batavian many times that he appreciates the fair, factual and challenging questions we have peppered him with in past interviews. He said he considers our coverage of him fair and accurate. He has said he enjoys the challenge of tough questions.

But since his arrest on insider trading charges, he has tended to try and avoid the press, giving only one interview since to a Buffalo TV station, and confining his public appearance to friendly audiences with no prior notice to news outlets.

In my opinion, a person running for Congress should not be able to cloister himself in his office and avoid the accountability of public appearances and interviews.

We will continue to publish as appropriate press releases from the congressional office of Chris Collins but we will not publish campaign press releases until we have a time-certain appointment for an interview with no limitations on questions (and, of course, Collins must keep his appointment with us).

Of course, in the meantime, we will continue to publish campaign press releases from Nate McMurray and Larry Piegza since they're playing by the rules.

Terrez Smith (top photo) carried the ball 20 times for 208 yards adn four touchdowns to help lead Alexander (6-0) to a 26-6 win over Notre Dame.

Dylan Busch was 3-6 passing and Jake Jasen had 23 tackles.

For Notre Dame (3-2), Jed Reece scored on a 40-yard run in the second quarter.

Alexander's Chris McClinic was injured on the Trojans' first possession and did not return to the game.

In other Friday night games:

Batavia beat Wellsville 61-7. Ray Leach carried the ball five times for 147 yards and four touchdowns. Alex Rood had five carries for 103 yards and two TDs. Ethan Biscaro, two rushes for 77 yards and a TD. Biscaro was 6-7 passing for 117 yards and three TDs. Andrew Frances had three receptions for 33 yards and TD. Taiyo Iburi Bethel had a 22-yard TD reception and Leach had a 58-yard TD reception. Rood had six tackles.

Le Roy beat Haverling 27-8. Jake Hill and Reece Tresco connected on four touchdown receptions.

Cal-Mum/Byron-Bergen fell to Livonia, 33-20.

York/Pavilion beat Geneseo 48-8.

Pembroke lost to Canisteo-Greenwood, 48-14.

In eight-man football, Oakfield-Alabama/Elba beat GC Finney/Northstar 68-22. Ty Mott rushed for 150 yards on eight carries. OA-E is now 4-0 on the season.

To purchase keepsake prints of game photos, click here.

K-9 "Destro," who joined the Sheriff's Office in 2013, has died after being diagnosed with cancer recently.

Sheriff William Sheron confirmed Destro's passing this morning. He is planning to release a statement later this morning.

Destro's partner was Deputy Chris Erion.

Since joining the force, Destro has been instrumental in helping police capture bad guys, find lost people, and serving as an ambassador for local law enforcement.

Photo: File photo, Destro and Deputy Chris Erion at the Corfu Winterfest in 2014.

UPDATE -- noon: The following press release is from Genesee County Sheriff William A. Sheron Jr.

Sheriff William A. Sheron Jr. announced the untimely death of K-9 “Destro” following a very short battle with cancer. Destro developed heath concerns earlier this past week and passed away yesterday, Friday Oct. 5, 2018 at the Cornell University Companion Hospital with his handler, Deputy Christopher Erion, by his side.

Destro, an 8-year old German Shepherd, joined the Genesee County Sheriff’s Office in August 2013.

Destro will continue his service in death, as his body will be made available to Cornell University Veterinary Students to learn and study from for a brief period of time. His remains will then be returned to his family home in Byron where he will be laid to final rest alongside two other family dogs.

“Destro was a true asset to all law enforcement agencies across Western New York," Sheriff Sheron said. "He has been instrumental in tracking suspects, missing persons, and locating narcotics, just to name a few skills he brought to the job. He will be truly missed and our sympathies are with his handler, Deputy Christopher Erion and family."

The Genesee County Sheriff’s Office is truly appreciative for the tremendous care and comfort afforded to Destro and Deputy Christopher Erion by the Hilton Veterinary Clinic and the Cornell University Companion Hospital.

It's almost like saying, "build it and they will come," but that is exactly what WNY real estate expert Bob Richardson, of Buffalo, told staff and board members of the Genesee County Economic Development Center during a presentation at the Med-Tech Center on Thursday.

"It's a hard pill for us real estate people to take," Richardson said. "We've always been real estate centric -- location, location,location -- but now we have to be workforce centric. It's primarily about having highways and access points.

"The question businesses ask is 'can I fill the jobs I need to fill?' The balance of this generation, the Millennials, make decisions differently than previous generations. Their decision-making process is about where can they find the lifestyle they want to determine where they want to live. They chose to live where they want to live and then figure out where they're going to work."

For a community like Batavia, Richardson suggest, the city's downtown needs to be come more vibrant, more active, and that comes from density.

He flashed a map of downtown on the screen and said Batavia has too much surface parking. There needs to be more buildings, more busineses, more apartments, and with that Batavia will become a more attractive place to live, work and play.

Today's young adults, he said, are more interested in renting than buying a home, and they're looking to do that in a place with density and a lifestyle conducive to social activities.

For that to work, though, rental prices can't approach double what a purchase price of a single-family home might be because then renters are more likely to become buyers. Without renters, it's harder to build the kind of vibrant urban core that will attract a young workforce.

Building new is more expensive than adaptive reuse and Batavia still has spaces available that could be converted to apartments.

A dense downtown would bring more people into the center of the city, Richardson said, and as e-commerce destroys the big box business model, it's a chance for small retailers, who can provide a great shopping experience, combined with an online experience, to reassert themselves and fill up those downtown storefronts.

As an example of Millennials picking lifestyle over career, he pointed to Northern Colorado, where universities graduate 9,500 people a year in STEM -- Science, Technology, Engineering and Math -- fields. Those graduates could move anywhere in the country but they choose to stay in Northern Colorado because they love the lifestyle.

There are 37,000 people in Northern Colorado with degrees in STEM careers who don't have STEM jobs.

"They're waiters, waitresses, bartenders and dishwashers," Richardson said. "They want the lifestyle and don't care because they want to live there and it's a cool place."

To be a community that attracts STEM companies, you need a higher supply of STEM workers than available jobs, he said.

"In the City of Batavia, you can't really wait for the private sector to lead on this," Richardson said. "You have to have a vision. You have to have an urban plan that starts to address the issue. You've got to pave the way."

The dairy industry needs exports to really thrive, according to an Elba dairy farmer who, like a lot of dairy farmers these days, is happy there is a potential new trade agreement between the United States and its largest agricultural trade partners, Canada and Mexico.

"The name of the game in dairy now is exports," Jeff Post said. "Years ago it was all about national consumption, but if we're going to survive as the dairy industry in this country, we need to export as much product as possible and we have to rely on our government to help us with trade deals."

During the 2016 presidential campaign, Donald Trump knocked the North America Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) as "a really bad deal" and promised a better deal if elected. For the most part, local farmers think they got that with the new deal with a new acronym, USMCA.

The deal must be ratified by the legislative bodies of all three countries before going into effect.

For dairy farmers in New York, the big hang-up with NAFTA was its lack of provisions for Class 6 and Class 7 milk, also known as ultrafiltered milk, which has become a big part of cheese production. Those classes didn't exist when NAFTA was approved in 1994 and nearly two years ago, Canada blocked imports of those classes.

Once elected, Trump took up the cause of dairy farmers and used the increased difficulty in exporting U.S. dairy products to Canada to push for a new deal and threatened to withdraw from NAFTA.

Craig Yunker, CEO of CY Farms, approves of the new deal but thought the heated rhetoric from the president, such as accusing Canada of cheating the United States,was unneccessary.

"Generally, it's a positive for dairy and for wheat, specifically, but I'm not sure that it's going to completely undo the hard feelings north of the border," Yunker said. "That's going to take some time, but it's going in the right direction. I think it'll take some time to repair the hard feelings."

Le Roy dairy farmer Dale Stein sides a little more with the president on his view that the United States hasn't been treated well by its trading partners, and while he welcomes the new provisions related to dairy, he thinks overall the new deal will help out the country as a whole.

"Our trading partners have been abusing us and that's been a fact," Stein said. "All the previous presidents have allowed it. There are other things in this trade agreement that I think will help with everything and have nothing to do with farming."

In 2017, the United States had a $63.6 billion trade deficit with Mexico on a total of $615.9 billion in trade. While the United States imported more goods than it exported, it still exported $276.2 billion in goods to Mexico, up from $52 billion in 1993. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce estimates that some six million jobs in the United States depend on trade with Canada and Mexico.

Besides agriculture, much of what's new deals with auto production. New provisions require at least 45 percent of an automobile to be built by people earning at least $16 an hour, and that at least 75 percent of the auto's content be made in North America.

Whether these provisions will result in more car production jobs in the United States in unclear, according to economists, but it is likely to make cars more expensive.

Yunker thinks the new deal is much like the old deal with many provisions that had been part of the Trans Pacific Partnership agreement, which Trump scraped as soon as he took office.

"I don't see it as a major accomplishment," Yunker said. "We had NAFTA in place and while it needed some tweaking, this is a big improvement over it throwing Canada out of the deal altogether. Well, I don't see that as a major accomplishment of the Trump Administration. The major accomplishment is that it was negotiated after the rhetoric insulting Canada."

One of the big issues besetting the dairy industry is oversupply and Yunker noted that Cornell ag economist Andy Novakovic doesn't anticipate the new agreement doing much to increase milk prices anytime soon.

"He hasn't really changed his price projects for 2019 based on this," Yunker said. "It is good it opens up the market for ultrafilteration milk; that's a positive. But we still have an oversupply of milk, so I'm not sure that this cures the low price for producers but it's certainly the right direction."

Yunker remains dissapointed that TPP didn't go through.

"A lot of work went into (TPP)," Yunker said. "We lost the initiative to be the lead in Asia trade and then replaced by China taking the lead in that. I'm still disappointed over pulling out of the TPP but I'm a free-trade guy."

Post is less enthused about TPP but believes U.S. dairy farmers need Asian markets and hopes now that the NAFTA makeover is done there's a chance to open up Japan and other Asian nations.

"I look forward to hopefully getting some of these Asian markets opened up, too," Post said. "I wasn't a big fan of the TPP agreement -- only for what it did for ag. Hopefully, he government is negotiating with Japan and negotiationing to South Korea and we're going to get more more access to export to markets there."

Stein is also looking forward to getting past the trade conflicts and open up more export markets.

"We were looking at very high prices this fall or the end of the year until all this (trade conflict) started because of the exports and now we will get the exports back," Stein said. "We should be able to compete against against anybody. We haven't really sold a lot to China to begin with. We've exported dairy to Mexico primarily and a fair amount in Canada. By reopening them up again, hopefully, they will get back trading so we can use up some of our milk supply."

At 10 a.m. today (Oct. 5) Batavia's oldest continuously operating company, shoemaker P.W. Minor, ceased operations. Forty-two workers were laid off last week; 40 people lost their jobs today.

Local businessman Pete Zeliff, who, in partnership with Andrew Young, acquired P.W. Minor in 2014, still owns the company's headquarters and factory building at 3 Treadeasy Ave., as well as the production equipment. He was leasing the building to Tidewater + Associates. Zeliff carried the paper on the loan for Tidewater's purchase of the company earlier this year.

This afternoon, Zeliff said he foreclosed on the company last week.

Last week, P.W. Minor CEO Hundley Elliotte announced the company would eliminate 45 jobs, ending production of its welt boot line, but would continue with orthopedic shoe production.

This morning's decision to shut down the company completely came as a surprise to everybody.

Zeliff said he has no plans to reenter the shoe business, but he said there is some hope that investors can be found to resurrect at least the orthopedic line of shoes, and perhaps the boot line, and he believes Tidewater is working on finding new investors. We were referred to Elliotte for any questions about the future of the company.

We have an email out to Elliotte requesting comment.

This afternoon a customer of P.W. Minor's forwarded an email to The Batavian from Brian Benedict, VP of sales for P.W. Minor, that read, "I regret to inform you that as of 10AM this morning, PW Minor has ceased operation. There will be a formal announcement via email, but since you are drop ship customers who rely on us, I wanted you to know as soon as possible so you can modify your sites accordingly."

UPDATE -- Press release:

P.W. Minor LLC, a Batavia, NY footwear manufacturer, has ceased operations as of today and laid off all employees.

All assets of P.W. Minor LLC, have been transferred to our senior creditor Batavia Shoes LLC, per an agreement signed today. 

“Our focus through this entire process has been on our employees' well-being. We want to thank them for their dedication, loyalty and hard work.” said P.W. Minor CEO Hundley Elliotte. “We would also like to thank the NYS Dept. of Labor, the Genesee County Workforce Development Board and the local business community for their responsiveness and offers to help get our affected employees back to work as soon as possible..”

P.W. Minor, founded in 1867 and located in Batavia, New York, is the second oldest footwear manufacturer in the United States and the maker of orthopedic and diabetic athletic, dress and casual shoes.

Press release:

The Genesee County Sheriff’s Office and the City of Batavia Police Department wish to advise residents that they have received several complaints over the past week involving the theft of articles from vehicles parked in private driveways.

The larcenies have occurred during the overnight hours.

Residents are reminded to keep their vehicles locked and to report any suspicious activity that they observe to 9-1-1.

Press release:

The Genesee County Economic Development Center (GCEDC) approved incentives for Amada Tool and Six Flags Darien Lake LLC, and accepted an application for an expanded PILOT (Payment In Lieu Of Taxes) agreement to support the Ellicott Station development at the agency’s Oct. 4 board meeting.

Amada Tool in the City of Batavia was approved for incentives for an $8.8 million capital investment to increase the company’s manufacturing facility by approximately 19,000 square feet. The project will create 17 new jobs and retain 68 current jobs. The approved investment includes $2.3 million in construction costs and $6.5 million in new equipment. Amada Tool was approved for property and sales tax exemptions of approximately $266,000.

Six Flags Darien Lake LLC was approved for approximately $166,000 in sales tax exemption to build a new $2.15 million ride that is scheduled to open in 2019.  Six Flags Darien Lake LLC is one of the largest sales tax revenue generators in Genesee County.

The PILOT agreement expansion requested by Savarino Companies for the Ellicott Station development was based on increased capital costs, from approximately $17.6 million to $21.75 million, and the development’s footprint, which will expand from 73,100 square feet to 99,111 square feet. The expansion includes the addition of at-grade garages for residents as well as increasing the number of housing units from 51 units to 55 units. 

NOTE: The Batavian will have a follow-up story on Ellicott Station as soon as we have time to write it, which may not be today.

A residential fire is reported at 6612 Warboys, Byron.

Byron fire and South Byron fire dispatched.

UPDATE(S) (By Billie) 8 p.m: This is a working house fire. It has gone to a second alarm. The city's Fast Team is called, along with Mercy medics. Flames are showing.

UPDATE 8:08 p.m.: Bethany's tanker is requested to the scene.

UPDATE 8:09 p.m.: A crew from Town of Batavia is asked to stand by in Town of Batavia's Fire Hall.

UPDATE 8:22 p.m.: A crew from Alexander is asked to stand by in Alexander Fire Hall in case needed as a backup for Bethany, which has its tanker deployed at the Warboys fire.

UPDATE 8:26 p.m.: The property is a total loss. The roof is gone; the house is gutted and the garage is completely destroyed.

UPDATE 8:37 p.m.: Elba Fire Police are requested to the intersection of North Byron Road and Route 237.

UPDATE 8:45 p.m.: No one was home when the fire broke out. It was called in by a passerby. No word yet if any pets lived there, and if so, their fate.

A Batavia man is a suspect in the theft of guns from a firing range in Bergen and may face federal charges.

Morgan R. Coles, 20, of Jackson Street, was arrested Wednesday at his residence following the execution of a search warrant and he was charged with criminal possesion of a weapon in the first degree for allegedly possessing 10 or more firearms.

Last week, 14 guns were stolen from The Firing Pin. Chief Deputy Jerome Brewster said all of the guns reported stolen were recovered at Coles' residence.

While additional state charges may be pending, particularly those related to the break in at The Firing Pin, Brewster said investigators at ATF, who assisted in the investigation, are also considering federal charges against Coles.

Brewster believes Coles intended to sell the guns rather than stockpile them for himself.

Whether Coles has the contacts to move such merchandise is unclear. Brewster said he had a minimal criminal record.

Asked how investigators came to make an arrest so quickly, Brewster said, "Good police work."

"The right people," Brewster said. "The right individuals.

"I'd be the first to tell you," he added, "we were lucky, but you can't solve anything if you're not out there doing your job, asking questions; but there was a little bit of luck involved, and, yeah, it was good, concentrated police work."

Investigator Brad Mazur led the investigation. Members of the Local Drug Task Force, which is involved in most major investigations, also assisted.

Coles was jailed without bail.

It was Walk to School Day in Oakfield with a group of students, supervised by teachers and administrators, starting out at Triangle Park in the Village of Oakfield, making the walk at 7 a.m. to the school, where they were treated to a free breakfast.

The event is meant to promote walking as a healthy activity for people.

More than 200 local high school students, including students from Elba High School at Graham Manufacturing, toured local businesses yesterday for National Manufacturing Day, sponsored locally by the Genesee County Business/Education Alliance.

At Graham, Elba students learned about what the company does and how it does it during a presentation in the company's cafeteria. The students then toured some of the production buildings.

Other companies participating were U.S. Gypsum, Amanda Tool, Oxbo, Orcon, Liberty Pumps, and Chassix.

The sky lit up this morning and readers sent us pictures.

Melanie Case submitted the rainbow over Bank Street in the top photo.

Submitted by Guy Clark.

Submitted by Frank Capuano.

A motor-vehicle accident with injuries is reported on East Main Street Road at Red Oak Lane, Batavia.

Town of Batavia fire and Mercy EMS dispatched.

UPDATE 9:28 p.m.: A driver has a complaint of being dazed. The vehicles have minor damage and are off the road. One of the Town of Batavia units can go back in service.

As part its workforce development mission, the Genesee Economic Development Center has been participating in Tuesday evening activities at St. Anthony's, run by City Church, by bringing in recruiters to help connect members of the community with job opportunities.

Last night, Remedy Staffing was on hand to let community members know they can help get job seekers interviews with local companies.

Chris Suozzi, VP of business development for GCEDC (top photo and playing basketball below), told the people gathered in the gym during a break in the basketball games that there are more than 1,000 jobs available in Genesee County, including jobs that pay $15 an hour or more and jobs that provide a career path for advancement.

"Whether you're looking for full-time or part-time work there are jobs you can get started on tomorrow," Suozzi said.

Ryan Macdonald, who supervises Tuesday night activities at St. Anthony's, reminded the crowd they asked for help with finding jobs which is why GCEDC and Remedy staffing were on hand.

Kathryn Kempisty, client partnership supervisor for Remedy, said it would only take 30 seconds of a person's time on Tuesday night and a 30-minute meeting sometime in the next week in order for Remedy to line up job interviews with local employers.

"If you don’t know what you’re looking for, we can let you know about the options," Kempisty said. "There is so much out there that we can’t wait to have you come into our office."

Kathryn Kempisty and Brittany Nadrowski, Remedy Staffing.

Press release:

Le Roy Central School is proud to announce that Jr.-Sr. High School Math teacher Taryn Nole was one of the 275 educators from across the state selected to join the New York State Master Teacher Program.

Mrs. Nole is in her 17th year teaching at Le Roy and has taught eighth-grade Math, Geometry, Pre-Calculus, and AP Calculus over her years with the Oatkan Knights. For the last five years, she has served as the 7-12 grade Math Department chair. 

Taryn Nole
"When I learned of the work the NYS Master Teacher program was doing I made it a professional goal of mine to become a part of the program. Through collaborations with other teachers, I will be able to strengthen my pedagogical skills and deepen my math content knowledge. This opportunity will allow me to share best practices with other educators as I continue to look for ways to improve my students' experiences in the classroom."

Merritt Holly, Superintendent -- Le Roy Central School
"Congratulations to Taryn Nole on being selected to join an elite group of educators in the New York State Master Teacher Program! Taryn's dedication to teaching, especially in the area of mathematics, has been a great resource for our District as she continues to encourage more students to pursue STEM studies and careers. To join a list of 275 new members and 980 total Master Teachers across New York State is a great individual honor for Taryn and for our Le Roy Central School District students."   

Tim McArdle, Principal -- Le Roy Jr.-Sr. High School
"We are beyond excited to have Taryn be selected for the NYS Master Teacher Program. Taryn's willingness to grow as an educator and as a lifelong learner has allowed her to continue to expand her instructional skill set and serve our students at a high level every day. She is also a teacher leader willing to work with colleagues to enhance educational practices both in our district and regionally. Taryn positively impacts students in a myriad of ways in and out of the classroom year in and year out. Congratulations to Taryn and her family!"

Press release:

At the Sept. 28 meeting of the GLOW Region Solid Waste Management Committee, Ed Arnold Recycling was recognized for its support of the GLOW Committee and its efforts, along with its overall recycling work.

Unbeknownst to the Arnold family, at its June 22 meeting, the Committee passed a resolution that noted, among other things, Ed Arnold’s valuable input to GLOW in GLOW’s formative years, the support they have given to GLOW’s efforts to promote recycling; and contributions to GLOW’s household hazardous waste collection from the time it began in 1996.

Ed Arnold takes numerous lead acid vehicle batteries and propane tanks each year at the collections at no charge to GLOW. Ed Arnold Jr. attended the meeting, not knowing why he was asked to attend.

Dan Pangrazio, GLOW chairman and Peggy Grayson, Recycling Administration, presented the award. Pangrazio noted that Grayson felt the award was essential that the company be recognized and Committee members agreed. Grayson added that at least in her 20-plus years with GLOW, and most likely since GLOW began in 1987, it was the only time such an award was given.

After Grayson read the resolution, Ed Arnold Jr. was presented with a recycled glass award with an inscription that read “In appreciation for contributions toward regional recycling efforts and assistance given to GLOW Solid Waste through the years” by Pangrazio and Grayson on behalf of the Committee. Arnold thanked the Committee and gave members an overview of how the materials collected are recycled.

City fire is dispatched to Center Street, just north of Ellicott Street, for a report of wires sparking.

The 1460 Legion Riders, from Machias, stopped by the PTSD clinic at the VA Hospital in Batavia today with a $2,600 check for the clinic.

The members raised the money this year with a dice run and a 9/11 memorial service.

"We have members in the club who have PTSD and we know what they go through and we know what the other veterans go through so when we first became a club we wanted to make PTSD what our money would go to," said Director Tom Ploetz.

Danielle Bergman, assistant director at the VA in Batavia, said the money will be used for recreation therapy, such as the purchase of bikes and kayaks.

Photo: Danielle Bergman, assistant director at the VA in Batavia, Tom Ploetz, director 1460 Legion Riders, Amy Ploetz, secretary, Bob Ponton, member, David Ramsey, nurse manager for the PTSD program, Jim Perkins, treasurer, Joan Perkins, member.

The recent success of the Genesee County Fair is encouraging organizers to push for even more growth, including adding two days to the fair schedule in 2019.

One more day at the start of the week and one more day at the end would give parents two more weekend days to bring their families to the fairgrounds.

It's worked for Wyoming County, Sue Duyssen (the one speaking in the photo), a member of the Ag Society's Board of Directors, told the Human Services Committee during an annual review of the agencies efforts at Monday's meeting.

"We think that's why Wyoming County has such good attendance, when patrons can come out, spend those extra days together," Duyssen said. "We'll try it and see if it works and if it doesn't we can go back to the old schedule."

The fair is one of the few in the state that has managed to increase revenue over the past couple of years, Duyssen said. This year leaders of Downstate county fairs visited Genesee County to see how the Genesee County Fair was doing it.

The final attendence count for 2018 was 35,000.

So impressed are fair officials from throughout the state with the success of Genesee County that the annual conference of the state's fair managers will be at Batavia Downs this weekend. From 60 to 75 people will attend, staying in local hotels.

It's possible, Duyssen conceded in answering a question from Legislator Shelly Stein, that some of the local fair's success is tied to the end of other annual carnivals in the area, such as Stafford and St. Joe's.

At the same time, the combination of the fair's growth and number of fewer festivals through out the state, has prompted a vendor that is considered among the top ones in the industry to contact the local fair to see about participating in 2019.

Duyssen didn't name the vendor or say what kind of service it provides, but she said it is one that board members have wanted to attract for years.

Off-season activities continue to be an important source of revenue for the fairgrounds, including dog shows, horse shoes and competitions.

A perhaps little known source of revenue is the use of buildings on the fairgrounds as winter storage for RVs, boats, and golf carts. The Ag Society charges $10 per foot plus a set-up fee of $100 if you bring our vehicle or craft to the storage within a specific four-day window. The fee is $200 if you want an appointment outside of those four days.

That's a bargain, Duyssen said, over what storage facilities in Buffalo charge.

Stein also asked if there was a chance of making the fair parade a "real parade" again by running it on Route 5. Duyssen said Assemblyman Steve Hawley has said he will work with the fair board to make that happen.