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Flanked by colleagues from Genesee County's criminal justice system, Jail Superintendent William Zipfel strolled out of the new Genesee County Jail in a ceremonial "walk-out" on Friday to end his 42-year career.

Zipfel spent the past decade as jail superintendent, which included helping the county build a new jail over the past couple of years, moving it out of an aging and dilapidated facility on West Main Street.

But for Zipfel, that is not the capstone of his career. As a corrections officer, he's valued the opportunity to help people.

"The occasions when you've actually been able to help somebody, that's difficult to find in the corrections setting, but occasionally it happens, and that's meaningful when it happens," Zipfel said.

What he values most over his long career are his colleagues.

"The people in the department, the camaraderie and the people who made it worthwhile, especially the sheriff," Zipfel said. "I have nothing but the highest regard for the sheriff."

During his career, Zipfel has been a firearms instructor, defensive tactics instructor, aerosol chemical agents instructor and suicide prevention instructor.

His passion, though, is skydiving, and skydiving figures prominently in his retirement plans.

"My wife will be ticked, but I probably will go renew my skydive ratings and get my instructional ratings back that I've had and do some more skydiving," Zipfel said.

Photos from Friday's swearing-in ceremony at the Old County Courthouse for Genesee County officials.

Douglas Grant Goodwin, 33, of Maple Road, Alabama, is charged with criminal contempt 1st. Goodwin, currently in custody at the Genesee County Jail, made a phone call to a specific person at 11:44 a.m. on Dec. 15 in violation of an order of protection. Goodwin is also charged with promoting prison contraband 2nd. Goodwin is accused of possessing two mobile phones while being incarcerated.

Philip Roy Chin, 37, of Conrad Drive, Greece, is charged with criminal mischief 3rd. Chin is accused of intentionally damaging a door by kicking it multiple times at 4:45 p.m. on Dec. 15 at a location on West Main Street, Batavia. 

Roy Joseph Knauss, 34, of East Main Road, Le Roy, is charged with harassment 2nd. Knauss is accused of spitting on and kicking another person during a fight at 2:55 p.m. on Dec. 15 at a location on East Main Road, Le Roy. He was issued an appearance ticket.

Linda Maria Doucette, 59, of Lake Road South, Brockport, is charged with DWI. Doucette was stopped at 7:33 p.m. on Dec. 17 following a traffic complaint on Peachey Road, Beren. Doucette was released on a ticket.

Daniel Lawrence Kensy, 41, of Schlemmer Road, Lancaster, is charged with DWI, driving with a BAC of .08 or greater, and failure to keep right.  Kensy was stopped at 12:05 a.m. on Dec. 18 on Pearl Street Road, Batavia, by Sgt. Mathew Clor. Kensy issued tickets and released.

Merry Christmas from The Batavian.

Photos by Howard Owens.

For decades -- there is no record we know of for when the games started -- local basketball aficiandos have met every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday in the gym at the YMCA to play hoops.

It is almost certainly the longest-running, ongoing pick-up basketball game in Batavia.

Joe Perzia, the longest-tenured regular player, has been hitting the court at the Y since the early 1990s.

Mike Roth, in his 70s, is the oldest active member, but on any given morning, there can be players in their young 20s trying to block out or drive on guys twice or even three times their age, and the matchups aren't always as uneven as they might sound.

The games are always spirited and intense but always friendly.  

Players start showing up on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays at 6 a.m., with games usually starting by 6:30 a.m.  In that time, they might fit in as many as three games before players start heading off to work.

On Monday, the current group of regulars played their last games at the old Y.  On Jan. 2 (which is actually a Tuesday, in a slight break with tradition), they will play their first games at the new Healthy Living Center.

To commemorate the last games in the old gym, in the manner of a celebration after a big championship win, the players cut down the nets in the old gym.

Submitted photos.

Tia E. Schmieder, 33, of Batavia, is charged with burglary 1st, attempted assault 1st, criminal possession of weapon 3rd, criminal mischief 4th, and menacing 2nd. Schmieder allegedly forced her way into a person's residence on State Street and slashed that person with a knife. She was arraigned and released.

Tyquan D. Bethel, 34, of Batavia, is charged with criminal contempt 1st, unlawful imprisonment 2nd, criminal mischief 4th, and harassment 2nd. Bethel was arrested on Nov. 20 following a report of a disturbance on Pearl Street, Batavia. He allegedly violated an order of protection by holding a person down and refusing to let the person leave. He is also accused of preventing the person to call 9-1-1 by taking away the person's phone. He was arraigned in City Court and jailed.

Quincy G. Styles, 26, of Batavia, is charged with robbery 3rd. Styles allegedly stole money from another person at the scene of a motor vehicle accident on Nov. 21 by threatening to punch the driver if he didn't give him money. Styles was arraigned in City Court and released.

Joshua D. Michel, 34, of Batavia, is charged with tampering with physical evidence, tampering with public records 2nd, falsely reporting an incident 3rd, and endangering the welfare of a disabled person. Michel was charged after an investigation into three separate incidents at the Developmental Disabilities Services Office on New York Place in Batavia, where he was employed. 

John P. Wittkopp, 41, of Batavia, is charged with assault 2nd. Wittkopp is accused of fighting with another person on Nov. 7 on Spencer Court and causing serious injury. He was arraigned in City Court and held.

Thomas J. Mitchell, 35, of Batavia, is charged with petit larceny and grand larceny. Mitchell is accused of stealing tools from a vehicle on Oct. 9. He was arrested on Nov. 8, arraigned in City Court and released.

Nicholas C. Kingdollar, 29, of Batavia, is charged with criminal contempt 2nd. Kingdollar is accused of sending a letter to a person he was ordered not to contact while incarcerated at the Genesee County Jail. He was arrested on Nov. 24.

Sean M. Conway, no age or residence provided, is charged with criminal possession of a controlled substance 7th. Conway was arrested on Nov. 22 on a warrant related to an incident reported on April 26 when he was allegedly found in possession of narcotics. He was arraigned and released.

Doreen M. Boop, 61, of Batavia, is charged with criminal possession of a controlled substance 7th. Boop was arrested on Nov. 22 on a warrant related to an incident reported on April 26 when she was allegedly found in possession of narcotics. She was arraigned and released.

Meaghan A. Conti, 37, of Batavia, is charged with criminal possession of a controlled substance 7th. Conti was arrested on Nov. 18. Conti was allegedly found in possession of narcotics during a welfare check on East Main Street, Batavia. She was issued an appearance check.

Warren T. Cotton, 47, of Batavia, is charged with two counts of criminal contempt 2nd. Cotton is accused of violating a stay-away order of protection. Cotton was arrested on Nov. 5 and on Nov. 18. He was arraigned in City Court and jailed.

Brandon M. Seppe, 40, of Batavia, is charged with criminal contempt 2nd and trespass 2nd. Seppe is accused of entering a residence on Ellicott Street in violation of protection. He was issued an appearance ticket.

William T. Hughes, 68, of Batavia, is charged with forcible touching. He was arrested on Nov. 11 in connection to an incident on East Main Street reported on Nov. 9. He was issued an appearance ticket.

Jose A. Rivera, 38, of Bergen, is charged with harassment 2nd. Rivera was charged following a report of a fight on Sept. 26 at The Harvester on Harvester Avenue on Sept. 26. He was released on an appearance ticket.

Alicia M. Lyons, 45, of Batavia, is charged with criminal contempt 2nd. Lyons allegedly contact a person on Nov. 10 in violation of a stay-away order of protection. She was issued an appearance ticket.

Scott J. Hinze, 38, of Batavia, is charged with criminal mischief 3rd, criminal contempt 2nd, criminal tampering 3rd, and petit larceny. Hinze was arrested on a warrant following an incident in July where he allegedly damaged and tampered with property belonging to another person in violation of an order of protection. He was arraigned and released.

Curtis McCall, 37, of Batavia, is charged with petit larceny. McCall is accused of stealing property from Family Dollar in Batavia. He was issued an appearance ticket.

Myrin D. Lumpkin, 46, of Batavia, was arrested on Nov. 27 on a warrant. Lumpkin allegedly failed to appear in court on a disorderly conduct charge stemming from a fight on West Main Street, Batavia, in August. He was arraigned in City Court and released.

Zachary R Eichenberger, 40, of Batavia, is charged with petit larceny. Eichenberger is accused of shoplifting from Aldi. He was issued an appearance ticket.

Lyndsay T. Young, 41, of Alexander, was arrested on a warrant on Nov. 26 charging her with criminal possession of a controlled substance. Her arrest stemmed from an investigation into an incident on July 26, where she was allegedly found in possession of crack cocaine. She was arraigned and released.

Francis A. Coombs, 57, of Batavia, was arrested on Dec. 3 on a warrant. Coombs allegedly failed to appear in court on a criminal mischief 4th charge from August. He was arraigned in City Court and jailed.

Joseph C Jeffords, 33, of Batavia, is charged with criminal possession of a controlled substance 7th and criminal use of drug paraphernalia 2nd. Jeffords was charged following a traffic stop on Nov. 26 on Kingsbury Avenue, Batavia, by a Batavia patrol officer.He was allegedly found in possession of drug paraphernalia and crack cocaine. He was issued an appearance ticket.

Sarah A. Malone, 42, of Batavia, was arrested on a warrant on Nov. 26 on charges of aggravated unlicensed operation 2nd and driving without an interlock device. The warrant stems from an incident on Aug. 30 in Batavia. Malone allegedly drove a vehicle on a suspended license and without an ignition interlock. She was arraigned and released.

Amanda S. Dombrowski, 41, of Batavia, was arrested on Nov. 26 on a warrant. She was charged with bail jumping after allegedly not appearing on prior charges. She was arrested on May 2, 2020, and charged with menacing 3rd and endangering the welfare of a child. She was arraigned in City Court and jailed.

Thomas E. Lowe, 65, of Batavia, is charged with criminal mischief 4th. Lowe is accused of damaging the interior of a store on East Main Street, Batavia, on Nov. 25.  He was issued an appearance ticket.

Nicholas M. Ricigliano, 40, of Batavia, was arrested on Nov. 30 on a warrant. Ricigliano is accused of failure to appear in court on a petit larceny charge from Aug. 21. He was arraigned and released.

Marissa B. Torres, 34, of Batavia, is charged with criminal contempt 2nd. Torres allegedly violated an order of protection on Nov. 12. She was arraigned and released.

Dontre R. Woods, 34, of Batavia, was arrested on Nov. 12 on a warrant. Woods allegedly failed to appear in court in August. Woods was arraigned and released.

Russell S. Neureuther, 26, of Byron, is charged with aggravated DWI. Neureuther was stopped on Nov. 2 by a Batavia patrol officer on Elm Street. He was issued traffic tickets and released.

Hillary D. Russell, 31, of Batavia, is charged with harassment 2nd. Russell is accused of throwing an item at another person on Nov. 7 during a fight on Hutchins Street, Batavia. Russell was arraigned in City Court and released.

Ian J. Stothers, 22, of Batavia, is charged with criminal mischief 2nd, reckless endangerment of property, and necessary noise. Stothers and two other people are accused of damaging a parking lot belonging to the city of Batavia on Nov. 9. Strothers was arraigned and released.

Angel R. Del Valle Castillo, 18, of Batavia, is charged with possession of a forged instrument 2nd and possession of a forged instrument 3rd. Castillo was charged following a traffic stop on Nov. 3. He is accused of driving a vehicle with a fictitious license plate and providing officers with a forged insurance card. He was arraigned and released.

Megan J. Courtney, 28, of Batavia, is charged with criminal possession of stolen property 5th and petit larceny. Courtney is accused of allegedly stealing merchandise from Dollar General on Dec. 1. Police officers were initially unable to determine her identification, but she returned to the store the next day attempting to return the stolen items.  Courtney was issued an appearance ticket.

Kody A Wenzel, 32, of Batavia, was arrested on a warrant on Dec. 8 and charged with criminal possession of controlled substance 7th. Wenzel was allegedly found in possession of methamphetamine on Aug. 4, 2023. Wenzel was arraigned and released.

Robin F. Schmitt, 40, of Oakfield, is charged with petit larceny. Schmitt is accused of stealing merchandise from Dollar General on Dec. 3. He was issued an appearance ticket.

Lisa M. Fox, 53, of Albion, is charged with criminal possession of a controlled substance 7th, tampering with physical evidence, criminal use of drug paraphernalia 2nd, obstructing governmental administration 2nd, and traffic violations. Fox was stopped on Dec. 5 on Richmond avenue and allegedly found in possession of crack cocaine. She was issued an appearance ticket.

Dana L. Manes, 60, of Batavia, is charged with petit larceny and conspiracy 6th. Manes is accused of stealing merchandise from Tops on Dec. 10. Manes was issued an appearance ticket.

A residence at 8087 Parmelee Road in Le Roy was destroyed in an early morning fire, according to the Le Roy Fire Department.

Crews responded to the log cabin structure at 2:35 a.m. The first crews on scene reported heavy fire from the instruction.

The homeowner escaped the fire after being alerted by a smoke alarm inside the residence. 

Le Roy reports that there was limited access to the structure, so the scene commander requested UTVs and 4X4 trucks from mutual aid departments.

The UTVs and 4x4s were used to shuttle manpower and equipment to the scene.

Bergen Fire reported that "Crews faced steep challenges, including heavy fire and an icy, inaccessible driveway that required the use of four-wheel-drive vehicles and UTVs to reach the scene. With temperatures hovering around 5 degrees, the extreme cold pushed our firefighters and equipment to their limits. Gear froze stiff, and maintaining the functionality of hoses, tools, and vehicles demanded extraordinary effort."

Bergen said all firefighters returned home safely.

"This incident highlights the incredible resilience and dedication of our firefighters in Bergen and the surrounding towns," Bergen said in a statement.

Responding departments included Bergen Fire, Pavilion Fire, Stafford Fire, Cit yof Batavia, Caledonia Fire, Town of Batavia Fire, Scottsville Fire, Mumford Fire, and Brockport Fire. Scene supported included the Le Roy Highway Department, Le Roy PD, Sheriff's Office, Le Roy Ambulance, Le Roy Fire Auxiliary, and emergency dispatchers.

Photos via Bergen Fire Department.

Two city of Batavia PD police officers sustained minor injuries in an assault late Saturday morning at a location on Trumbull Parkway during what the police describe as a "mental health incident." 

The name of the suspect was not released. Police say the suspect is being evaluated at Strong Memorial Hospital. Charges are likely upon the suspect's release from the hospital, police said.

Further details about the incident be released later, police said, saying the investigation is ongoing.

The two officers were treated at UMMC and released.

The police department was assisted at the scene by City Fire, Mercy EMS, the city of Batavia Code Enforcement Office and the city of Batavia Public Works Department. 

"We appreciate the community's cooperation and understanding in this matter," police said.

Anyone with information about the incident is asked to call 585-345-6350.

Ten goats died in a barn fire on Thursday night at 3602 Rose Road, Batavia.

Homeowners Shey and Gina Doane said they also had antiques stored in the barn along with some belongings of Shey's late father.

The fire was reported at 9:13 p.m.

Deputy Fire Coordinator Dan Coffey said the homeowner spotted smoke when he returned home and that the barn was fully involved a few minutes later when the first firefighters arrived on the scene.  The barn was a total loss.

Shey said he had returned from taking his son's girlfriend home when he found the fire.

The cause and origin of the fire is under investigation, Coffey said.

Town of Batavia Fire responded with mutual aid from East Pembroke and Alexander. Oakfield and Stafford provided fill-ins for the responding departments.

There may have been one minor firefighter injury, a slip-and-fall, Coffey said, but he was not treated at the scene.

Crews cleared the scene at 1 a.m.

The Doanes said the goats were rescues rejected by their mothers, so they were raised inside the barn and bottle fed. Gina said the goats were like her kids.

Photos by Kara Richenberg. Kara Richenberg contributed to the story.

A man wanted by Batavia PD on a weapons charge since September 2023 is in custody after being located by U.S. Marshals.

Batavia PD has released little information on the case. 

Royse, age and area of residence not disclosed, was wanted on a charge of criminal possession of a weapon in the third degree. The release about his arrest does not state what charges he is being held on or what incident the charges stem from.

A reward of $2,500 was offered for his capture. Batavia PD does not say whether the reward will be paid, but the release thanks the community for tips and Le Roy PD for assisting in the investigation.

There is no information on where Royse was located.

At the time the search for Royse was announced, he was on parole for a conviction on burglary in the second degree and had an active parole warrant out for his arrest.

A 59-year-old landlord in Elba was admitted to County Court on Thursday to menacing a tenant at a location on Ridge Road in August. The landlord will serve a year on interim probation.

Michael Joseph Schad, of Ridge Road, Elba, entered a guilty plea to a felony count of menacing.

When he was arrested at 9:05 a.m. on Aug. 24, he was charged with five counts of menacing in the second degree as a hate crime and one count of menacing in the second degree.

District Attorney Kevin Finnell said Schad was accused of using a derogatory racial term directed at his tenant. He said Schad was intoxicated and possessed what appeared to be a weapon during the confrontation with the tenant, which Finnell described as a "tenant dispute." 

Schad has no prior criminal history, and Schad had no history of prior disputes between Schad and his tenant.

ADA Earl Voss prosecuted the case.

Schad agreed to the year of interim probation and to address his anger/substance issues.  He will be sentenced in one year and will if successful on interim probation, will be sentenced to less than 364 days in jail. If unsuccessful, he faces up to four years in prison. 

The tenant has apparently moved out of the property. 

Doc and Mary Sardou bought the Rose Garden Restaurant -- 30 years in business at the time -- in 1954, added a bowling alley three years later and renamed it Viking Valhalla in 1966.

The business is now run by Tom Sardou and his wife, Chris, and this year, Viking Valhalla celebrated its 70th anniversary as a Sardou family business, which helped the restaurant earn a spot on the New York Historic Business Preservation Registry.

Assemblyman Steve Hawley presented Tom and Chris a certificate on Wednesday commemorating the honor.

"We have a great history here of businesses that have been successful," noted Hawley at the start of his remarks, adding, "The fact that you're still here means an awful lot to folks that are here."

Village of Bergen Mayor Joseph Chimino agreed.

"Viking Valhalla is a great asset to our community," he said. "It's a fine place for dining and entertainment, and to say it's been here 70 years is incredible. On behalf of the community, we want to thank you for all your services."

The HBPR was established in 1920. The registry highlights the legacy of local businesses that have significantly impacted their communities, offering them recognition and support to continue growing and serving the public.

Tom Sardou said inclusion in the registry was a great honor. Chris added that it was an exceptional award.

"We just celebrated our 70th anniversary, and now to be inducted into the state's historic registry, it means a lot."

Turning to Tom, she added, "I think your parents are looking down and saying, 'Great.'"

Previously (from 2010): Genesee County Business of the Year: Viking Valhalla Restaurant

Before the presents were handed out to the hundreds of children inside City Church's St. Anthony's Community Center, Pastor Ryan Macdonald reminded the families gathered in the gym why there is a yearly Christmas celebration.

He shared from Matthew 1:20-24. The passage where Joseph learns that Mary will conceive a child through the Holy Spirit is a bit of stunning news that Joseph took some time to consider after an angel told him not to be afraid to take Mary as his wife.  Macdonald said Joseph was considering the truth.

"The truth that Jesus was coming to the earth," Macdonald said. "The truth is that Jesus is the Christ of Christmas, and he came for you and me. If you go through this season and you don't recognize what Joseph did, he recognized the truth, you'll miss the reason for the season."

Macdonald also thanked the more than a dozen sponsors who provided the funds to buy the presents for the children.

"Let me tell you something: without Jesus, this night's not possible," Macdonald said. "Without Jesus Christ, we couldn't come together like this. Without Jesus Christ, I couldn't go to people and say, 'Hey, will you help us make this night possible?'"

The stage was full of hundreds of toys.  One side of the court was lined with 30 bicycles waiting for their new owners, and after Macdonald's message and short prayer, the families lined up in front of the stage to take their turns for the children to pick out their own presents. The church compiled a list of children who were getting bikes.

The night included face painting, games, pictures with Santa, hot chili, and basketball.

Photos by Howard Owens.

The plea deal Michael Elmore made to avoid a 25-year prison term capped his sentence at 20 years, and that is precisely what County Court Judge Donald O'Geen handed down Tuesday morning.

Elmore admitted to his role in causing the death of Sgt. Thomas Sanfratello at Batavia Downs in March when he entered a guilty plea on Nov. 18 to aggravated manslaughter in the first degree.

In court, after O'Geen had heard from members of Sanfratello's family, from District Attorney Kevin Finnell, and from Elmore's own attorney, who said he believed Elmore was truly remorseful, Elmore apologized to the family for his actions.

That apology appeared not to sway O'Geen, who noted that Elmore seemingly left Batavia Downs in the early morning of March 10 to dispose of a pellet gun he was carrying and then returned swinging heavy gold necklaces heading straight toward Sanfratello and a security guard with the intent of fighting them.

Finnell said the pellet gun could have looked like a real gun if Sanfratello had seen it during a confrontation, so Elmore needed to dispose of it before starting a fight to protect himself.

The incident began in 34 Rush, a bar inside Batavia Downs, and Finnell noted that surveillance footage reveals not just the initial incident but the degree to which Sanfratello was known in the community and that he was highly regarded.  People are seen shaking his hand and patting him on his back as he escorts Elmore and Elmore's fiance, Lyndsey Wilcox, from the facility. 

Finnell argued that Elmore should receive the maximum sentence of 20 years in prison under the terms of the plea deal.

The initial incident in the bar, he said, at most would have resulted in an appearance ticket but Elmore chose to escalate the situation.

Elmore chose that route even as Sanfratello was showing great patience with Elmore and Wilcox, doing his duty as a dedicated public servant but not in an over heated way, but remaining calm and cheerful.

Sanfrantello was just doing his job, Finnell told the court.

Three of the sergeant's children addressed the court, delivering victim impact statements.

Ian Sanfrantello, a corrections officer and volunteer firefighter who was dispatched with the Town of Batavia Fire Department to Batavia Downs on March 10, so the first in his family to learn of his father's death.

He said he stood in the lobby just about 10 feet away as Mercy EMS medics worked desperately to save his life.

"I was the one who had to make the excruciating call to my sister, waking her from her peaceful sleep to tell her that our dad was gone," Ian said.

It fell on Ian to tell the rest of the Sanfratello family "the heartbreaking news."  He also comforted deputies who were visibly shaken by what had just happened.

"But the hardest thing I had to do that night was wake my grandmother and tell her that her baby boy -- her son -- had been taken from us while doing what he loved."

Ian said he's still trying to make sense of the tragedy.

"I find myself asking why anyone would do something so heartless to someone they didn't even know," Ian said. "But that's the nature of criminals, and the man responsible for this is a career criminal.

"My dad dedicated his life to making Genesee County a safer place for everyone," he added. "Because of the actions of these two individuals, the people of this county lost a true hero -- someone who loved what he did and made a difference every day. And I lost my dad."

Kyla Sanfratello said it was hard to process the news that morning that she had lost her dad, as the text messages of condolences poured in.  She thinks about all that was taken from her -- her dad someday walking her down the aisle, meeting his grandchildren for the first time some day, the kiss goodbye and the hugs. 

"Not having him text me on my birthday or see him for all the holidays has been so hard and will still be hard because the truth is, he should still be standing here today, but he's not because he was taken," Kyla said.

Alexis Sanfratello called Elmore's actions "selfish." 

"I am not sure why people think they do not have to obey the police. If you had only listened," she said, "my dad would still be here."

Elmore's sentence includes five years on probation upon his release. On his conviction for obstruction of governmental administration he received a sentence of 364 is jail, to be merged with his state prison term. He must pay mandatory fees and surcharges of $375. The judge signed multiple orders of protection for members of Sanfratello's family and witnesses to the crime.

Wilcox entered a guilty plea on Nov. 18 to assault in the second degree, a Class D violent felony. She pleaded to “causing physical injury to a police officer who was in the act of performing his official duties.” 

She is scheduled for sentencing at 10 a.m. on Jan. 21.

When Brothers McClurg, a Grammy-nominated Christian Americana band with roots in Buffalo and a base in Batavia, gather around a mic, they aim to do their part to serve God.

Guitarist Jeremy Thompson looks at it like this: "I feel like it's the kid with the five loaves and the bread just walking up and saying, 'This is what I got, and I want to use it for you, Lord,' you know? (John 6:1-13) If it blesses somebody, that's great. That's just to simplify it because God can do more with our little bit. I just want to get to the end and know that I used my gift in the most fulfilling way."

Not that the talents of Thompson and brothers Anthony Hoisington and Chris Hoisington are anything less than exceptional, but they know they're called not to shine in the spotlight but to do their part to serve God.

On Thursday, they will bring their talents for uplifting music to Northgate Free Methodist Church, where Anthony is the worship leader. The concert starts at 7 p.m. Admission is free, but concertgoers are encouraged to bring non-perishable food items as a donation to the Salvation Army.

Brothers McClurg's journey in music and faith starts with Anthony's and Chris's grandfather, Bill McClurg, a minister and musician. He inspired more than just the name of their band.

"We lived right next door to our grandparents," Anthony recalled during a group interview with The Batavian in their Harvester Center recording studio. "We kind of shared a driveway. My grandfather and my parents traveled as a Southern Gospel group (the McClurg Family Singers) from Upstate New York, which is kind of funny, an ironic thing, and then they retired off the road when I was probably like, eight or nine.

Bill McClurg, a guitar player, continued in the ministry and discovered that, at least in the 1980s, many nursing homes didn't have pastors who would come in and host a service, especially with music. 

Young Anthony and Chris were enlisted to assist. Most of the nursing homes were in Erie County -- the family lived in Akron.

"We would sing and play with him," Anthony said. "It was rather pathetic, but it is what we did. From an early age, he modeled for us a work ethic when it comes to music, but also, sort of, you should go find your niche and your audience. His was, you know, older folks, but that really got us our start, just playing and singing behind him.  Half the time, the audience was excited that we were there and that we didn't need to be perfect." 

Youth group musicians
As young teenagers, they were involved with their church's youth group, and Thompson was involved in his. The youth pastors of the two groups were friends, so the groups would sometimes visit each other's churches, and the home church would lead the worship service, including music.

When they saw Thompson play, they were, like, "Who's that guy?" Anthony said.

"It was about how loud we could get it," Anthony said. 'And back then, it was about how much aggression we could put into music. And he was ripping up there. And I was like, 'Man, I gotta talk to that guy.' The youth group we grew up in was very music-focused. I mean, it was like a bunch of hippies."

Thompson said his youth group was into sweater vests and soccer.

Teenage musicians, of course, are going to want to explore more than just Christian music, even if that doesn't entirely meet parental approval.

"We had parents that were like, if it isn't Christian, you can't listen to it," Anthony said. "We snuck around that, but then, as we got older --I think I would give credit to our parents -- when we started playing in rock bands when we were teenagers, the three of us, we were playing in bars at 16, 17, 18, and we had parents who almost looked at it like a proselytization avenue."

Their parents didn't expect them to play just in church basements and regularly turned up at their gigs. 

After all, where would Jesus go?

"Yeah, we don't mind singing about Jesus. We certainly believe in Him, and that's a huge part of our thing. But we also wanted to be able to sing about life and about girls and whatnot, not in a way that was crass or whatever, but just honest. And we were surrounded by a culture of Christian musicians that wanted to do that," Anthony said.

Growing as songwriters
When it came time to start writing songs together, Anthony and Chris gravitated toward Christian themes. They began performing together at Christian music festivals and at churches. They started to build a base of fans.  They played at Kingdom Bound at Darien Lake Performing Arts Center, which led to a Nashville-based record label, Integrity, offering them a contract. 

They then decided they needed a name better representing their musical heritage and family legacy. In homage to Pappy McClurg, they settled on Brothers McClurg.

Given their background in Southern Gospel, it might not be surprising that they drifted toward a sound based around acoustic guitars and tight harmonies. Still, with the rock and folk influences and a bit of bluegrass, they don't fit neatly into a Southern Gospel framework, though they've played those festivals.

Thompson joined the duo early on to make it a three-piece, and they traveled and recorded with a bigger backing band. As Thompson pointed out, traveling with a band is expensive, so one day, they asked him to grab an acoustic guitar and join them.

"Then you naturally land on a spot of like folk, southern grass, or whatever you want to call it, and that was just super natural to us because it wasn't like, 'Hey, let's do this because it would be cool," Thompson said. "It just happened."

Brothers McClurg recorded three albums for Integrity before being dropped by the label, though the album Join the Sound, did crack the Top 40 on the Billboard charts. They were soon signed to an independent label based in Watertown, but the band, this time, decided they wanted to produce the album themselves. 

Escaping Nashville
Anthony said they weren't always satisfied with the final product on their first albums. Their Southern Gospel-inspired sound, ironically, didn't fit with Nashville's penchant for pop song production. 

He decided to take the advance from the new label and lease space for a studio in the Harvester Center, and record the album -- which became their Christmas album, Going Back to Bethlehem -- in Batavia. They could record at their own pace. The lease was for a year.  The album was finished in six months.

Anthony's connection with Batavia began when he was still involved with his church near the University at Buffalo. A young lady from Batavia started attending UB and got involved with that church. Eventually, they married, and Anthony moved to Batavia, at first as worship director for an Assembly of God church and later at Northgate, where he's led worship for 19 years.

Once musician friends found out the studio in the Harvester Center was available for the six months on the lease, they started calling -- from California, Tennesee, and Ohio -- looking to use the studio for their projects.  The temporary studio became the permanent home base for Brothers McClurg. They launched a record label, Old Bear Records, now with 19 artists signed. 

With the studio space, Chris Hoisington emerged as a producer. And he clearly has the mind of a producer. Throughout the conversation at the studio on Friday, his comments often focused on the sound, structure and content of things.

When the topic of Old Bear artist Eric Lee Brumley comes up, he immediately explains what makes Brumley different from many Christian artists.

On Brumley's newest album, Electric Chair, the brothers share some writing credits, and Chris is the producer.

It was fun writing with Brumley, he said, because Brumley is more interested in Bible stories, even ones that do not necessarily end well, like David and Bathsheba.

"When you do Christian music, everything has to be victorious, but it's like, 'Let's talk about some of the sad stories, what you can learn from those outcomes, and how it reflects now," Chris said. 

Chris lives in the Boston Hills area, south of Buffalo, a ski area called Kissing Bridge.  He helps with worship services twice a month with the Free Methodist Church in Fredonia and every couple of months with another church in Olean. 

The music he's been listening to most recently is the music that introduces him to new sounds.

"I think influences for all us varies depending on what we're everybody's listening to," Chris said. "I've been listening to a lot of mid-Midwestern EMO lately, so bands like American Football, this band, C Clamp, just like odd music, but they're all cool guitar parts that interchange between the band members. I've been getting back into bands again because I went through a phase of not really listening to bands because nowadays, everybody's a solo artist."

He said as a producer, the most fascinating music today is perhaps soundtracks.

"They're just creating music based on a visual, so that's a way cool way to make records," Chris said. "They're making music off of whatever they want to make based on a narrative that's happening in the movie. Then, when you pull away, you've created this bizarre music."

From that, he's learned, he said, that you can think more about feel than "we need a guitar part on every song, or we need to have a drum part on every song. We can try a lot of different things." 

He's especially proud of the Christmas album. He said it's a good example of mixing different sounds, from acoustic arrangements to full band performances, including some instrumentals and a bit of narration from "Pappy" McClurg.

"For me, that's probably my favorite thing we've done," Chris said. "It's got that nostalgic thing to it." 

Chris produced or co-produced many of the tracks on Bellsburg (The Songs of Rich Mullins), a multi-artist compilation. Mullins was a Christian singer-songwriter who died in a car accident in 1997.  The album was nominated for multiple Grammy awards. 

Chris and Anthony are working on a similar multi-artist compilation, one of original material based on parables in the Bible and will include such major Christian artists as Terry Taylor, Randy Stonehill, and Phil Keaggy.

He said of a conversation with Stonehill, "I'm like, 'Dude, just write the song.' We want to help shape the production. That's what's nice about what we've always done with Old Bear. Break the rules because we don't have to adhere to anybody's idea of what (it should be). To us, it's like, let's just make Christian music, but the kind that we actually like to hear it, not because we're trying to market it to some Bible app or whatever the case may be."

They've also kicked around a tribute album to the Louvin Brothers classic, Satan Is Real.

When the subject of the Louvin Brothers comes up, both Anthony and Chris acknowledge them as an influence.  There's a general idea in music that siblings make the best harmonies, called "blood harmonies," and Brothers McClurg, including Thompson, who has been playing with Anthony and Chris since they were young teens, think they capture that sound, which was the inspiration for their two albums Around the Mic and Around the Mic Two.

Brothers McClurg are also working on their next album, which the brothers said will be a little different, which Anthony, Chris, and Jeremy are bringing in their own songs and not all of them are explicitly Christian-themed.

For Anthony, music, he said, is for him the most natural way to communicate his faith.  It's doing what he can do to spread what faith in Jesus Christ means.

"If you were to put me in front of a bunch of people, you're not sure what they believe, it is really hard for me to communicate verbally, without music, to communicate what faith looks like to me. If you just said, 'Hey, preach about it or talk, talk, take the music out of it, it would be really hard. Naturally, it's way easier to just sing about it. It's more concise, more to the point, and I think it's a better representation of how I feel. I've always looked at it like there is a purpose for me to do that, and there's no more natural way for me to say what I believe in."

Thursday's show will draw from the Brothers McClurg Christmas album, Christmas song covers, and some of their back catalog.

Old Bear artist The Local Hang-Ups, from Rochester, will play a 20-minute opening set. The duo, Katy Martin and Abbey Sitterley, is inspired by the likes of the Everly Brothers and Simon & Garfunkel.

Northgate Free Methodist Church is located at 8160 Bank Street Road, Batavia. Doors open at 6:30 p.m.

Officers with Batavia PD, as well as sheriff's deputies later in the morning, participated in the 10th annual Shop with a Cop event at Walmart on Saturday. 

Shop with a Cop allows local children who are selected with the help of school resource officers and school officials from each school in Genesee County to buy Christmas presents for themselves or for friends and family members. Children are provided funds and their own personal police officer or deputy to accompany them on a Christmas shopping trip in the store.  

Walmart hosts and staffs the event.  Walmart also provides funding and goody bags for each child. 

Grant money from Walmart, donations from the City of Batavia Police Benevolent Association, City of Batavia Civil Employee’s Association (CSEA), the City’s “Jeans for Friday” program, the Genesee County Sheriff’s Employee Association and donations made in the memory of Sgt. Thomas Sanfratello makes the event possible. 

Photos by Howard Owens.

Batavia's Just King's Social Club held a toy drive and a visit with Santa in City Centre on Friday night.

WBTA, Ken Barrett Chevrolet, and the Salvation Army teamed up on Friday for their annual toy drive for the families of Genesee County.