Oakfield

Jason Smith spotted this piebald deer on Route 63 in Oakfield and sent in this photo.

Inside is super homey and waiting for the next owners updates! Extra large room sizes and storage galore. Oversized back sum room with pretty tongue and groove woodwork and lots of sliding doors to welcome the breezes and also includes propane stove to carry it into the colder months.

Inside features country kitchen with laundry nook, spacious dining area and cozy Livingroom with beautiful stone wall propane fireplace. There is a large newer first floor master bedroom and oversized first-floor bath as well as two bedrooms upstairs. Easy to see! Click here for more information or call Lynn Bezon today to see this listing.

3233 Pratt Road - Town of Batavia: 1991 Fairmont 14x76 with a permanent 25x19 side addition that gives this home extra roominess that you don't get with the others! Spacious and homey and well kept is what you will find with this three bedroom, two full bath home.

The floor plan is great and the kitchen is wonderfully big with a ton of cupboards! Pretty landscaped yard with covered open porch and nice shed for all your extras! Click here for more information or call Lynn Bezon today to see this listing.

59 North Pearl Street, Oakfield. More than what meets the eye this solid commercial building with a space for everyone! Attractive large office space that has large private conference room main office space and front office.

There are two huge bay garages with oversized overhead doors-one heated. Separate storage or equipment rooms if needed. Upstairs features large nicely finished three rooms and small kitchenette could be extra office space or living quarters!

This place will surprise you with how nicely done and the endless possibilities that it has to offer! Easy to see! Click here for more information or call Lynn Bezon today to see this listing.

Kim Gibson, library manager at Haxton Memorial Library in Oakfield, shows a chain which children will receive as part of the library’s summer reading program. Children will receive a bead to put on the chain for every 20 minutes of reading they do.

OAKFIELD -- Haxton Memorial Library’s Summer Reading Program got off to a rousing start with a kickoff carnival Thursday in Triangle Park. 

Library Manager Kim Gibson said the summer reading program has been such a success, and the 125 children who attended the kickoff are a testament to that.

“With parents and friends, we had at least 250 people here,” Gibson said.  

There is no mistaking Gibson’s love of her job and her passion for promoting reading in the community. Gibson has been at the library for 18 years – eight as children’s librarian and 10 as library manager.

“This event gets the word out and tells the community what we’re all about,” Gibson said of the kickoff carnival.

Children who attended the carnival received an entry in a drawing for entrance to the New York State Fair. They also received a ticket to each of the stations set up in the park, which included cotton candy, popcorn, games and face painting.

There were also balloons and animals from the Buffalo Zoomobile.

Most importantly, the carnival gave Gibson, library staff and her volunteers the opportunity to promote the summer reading program, which is in its fourth year.

The theme this year is “A Universe of Stories” and it runs from July 1 to Aug. 9.

The program features ongoing contests and prizes, movies at 1 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays, story time at 10:30 a.m. Mondays and a family activity every Thursday at 7 p.m.

A new feature this year which Gibson is excited about is a chain, which every child will receive. Children are encouraged to read at home and for every 20 minutes of reading documented, they receive a bead for their chain. When they reach two hours of reading, they get a “brag tag” for the chain.

“I got the idea for a couple of other libraries, where it’s been very successful,” Gibson said. “They can come in whenever we’re open and give us their times, which we will keep in a folder.”

She said children will be on their honor in recording their reading time. 

“If they want to read the same book over, that’s OK, too,” she said. 

Gibson said the summer reading program is so important because it gets children in the library, and it’s free. 

The summer reading program includes special activities for all the family, from young children to adults, such as making robots and rockets, space-themed craft nights, a Harry Potter-themed scavenger hunt and two nights of Brush Strokes read and paint. Early registration is necessary for Brush Strokes, because it fills up fast, Gibson said. The idea of Brush Strokes for children 2 to 12 is to read about something, such as a llama, and then paint it.

For the adults, there is a basket raffle. For every book they take out they receive an entry to win one of the theme baskets, put together with items donated by the community. At the end of the six weeks, the number of books taken out is tallied up and the top reader receives a gift card. 

“We are trying to encourage reading across the board – from young children to adults,” Gibson said.

Gibson said the summer reading program is accomplished with the help of wonderful volunteers and donations from many businesses in the community. She said the children’s clerk, Hayley Lown did a lot of work preparing for the program.

“This event takes a lot of planning and a lot of hard work, but in the end it’s worth it,” Gibson said. “We are very fortunate to have so many dedicated staff and volunteers. We have some regular library volunteers and others from the Oakfield Betterment Committee. We couldn’t do it without them.”

Gibson said she knows everyone is busy in the summers, and it’s wonderful to see so many children who want to read.

The summer reading program will conclude Aug. 9 with an ice cream party, thanks to a local individual who donates the ice cream.

“I love the library,” Gibson said. “It’s been a huge part of my life and it’s so exciting to see kids come in and take books out. I see so many kids who used to come in to my story hour in the children’s library, and now they are graduating.”

Gibson said there aren’t many places for kids to go in their small community, and this is the library’s way to give back to the community.

Information on the summer reading program can be found on their website at www.haxtonlibrary.org, by calling the library at 948-9900 or visiting them at 3 North Pearl St. 

Photos by Virginia Kropf.

Jill Klotzbach, whose daughter Hayley Lown is the children’s clerk at Haxton Memorial Library, carries balloons to Triangle Park for a carnival Thursday night to kick off the summer reading program.

Kim Gibson, left, library manager at Haxton Memorial Library, and Board President Ann Engel, sign in children Thursday night in Triangle Park for the kickoff carnival for the summer reading program.

Riley D’Alba gives cotton candy to Brooklyn Esten, 5, during the carnival Thursday night in Triangle Park to kick off Haxton Memorial Library’s summer reading program.

Lily Davis, 12, volunteered to pass out balloons to children who attended the carnival Thursday in Triangle Park to kick off the summer reading program.

In photo above, Shanda Spink, left, checks out the free information and games for her children, which were handed out by Norma Coleman, center, and Rita Smith at a community picnic sponsored by the Oakfield Community Bible Church Tuesday evening.

OAKFIELD – With a new pastor and determination to grow their congregation, the Oakfield Community Bible Church is embarking on a program of community involvement.

“Our main objective is to reach out to the community, invite them in and share with them the good news,” said the new pastor, Jack McMullen, at a church picnic Tuesday evening, to which the community was invited.

McMullen didn’t always want to be a pastor, he said. When he was 17 growing up in Gates, he had a scholarship to Colgate Rochester Divinity School, but he asked why he would want to be a pastor when they didn’t make any money.

“My father was an engineer, so I went to Rochester Institute of Technology, Monroe Community College and the University of Rochester,” McMullen said. “At the end of a 38-year career, I was project engineer for Jones Chemical. But when they moved their corporate headquarters to Sarasota, Fla., I was out of a job.”

He became very distressed, he said.

“Then one night at 3 a.m., a voice woke me and said, ‘Are you going to listen to me now,’ ” McMullen said.

He told his father-in-law, who was a pastor, and he helped McMullen get into seminary in Richmond, Va. That was 17 years ago.

He served in several assignments during those years, including 10 years as chaplain at the Thruway truck stop on Route 77.

He is still pulpit supply for the Independent Baptist Church in four Western New York counties. That means when a congregation is without its pastor for a time (vacation, illness, sabatical) or if a church doesn't have a pastor, a "free-agent" preacher is called in as needed.

As a former music minister at the Oakfield church, he knew the former pastor Ken Comer, so when Comer left, it was the perfect opportunity for McMullen to step in.

The congregation of Oakfield Community Bible Church was formed in 2010 after members of the Presbyterian Church left in protest of new beliefs supported by the Presbytery. The new congregation, under the leadership of Pastor Bill Smith, met at the Oakfield Rod and Gun Club, and then at the Oakfield Fire Hall. 

“When the Presbytery put the church up for sale, we came back and bought it,” said Rita Smith, of Darien, an elder of the current church. 

They were able to purchase the building for $50,000, plus $5,000 for all its contents.

During the period of turmoil, part of the old congregation did a lot of renovations, Smith said, adding that they are fortunate that although their congregation is small, they have a lot of “doers” and “givers.”

McMullen said they are growing, but slowly. Their goal is to increase their outreach in the community to make the church more visible. 

Tuesday’s picnic was an example of that outreach. A Vendor Blender later in summer is another, as well as a harvest dinner in the fall for anyone who wants to come. At Christmas, the church plans to fill gift bags for residents of School House Manor. 

Taking part in Tuesday’s picnic was Paul Ohlson, of Batavia, and his Care-A-Van team, who cooked hamburgers. The Care-a-Van Band played music, while Judy Piscitello sang. Church member Norma Coleman greeted families and handed out games and crafts for children to do, while their parents enjoyed fellowship.

McMullen is also part of the Care-A-Van team, he said. 

Worship at Oakfield Community Bible Church is at 10 a.m. Sundays. There is Bible study at 7 p.m. Wednesdays all year and at 10 a.m. Thursdays, except during July and August. 

The church is located at 82 North Main St.

In photo below, Care-a-Van Ministries brought their van and band to a picnic Tuesday at Oakfield Community Bible Church to welcome its new pastor Jack McMullen.

Super solid and spacious 3 bedroom 2 and one half bath home in a super peaceful pretty location -- you will want to pull up a chair and enjoy the views:) There is nothing to do-everything is updated and meticulously maintained.

Public water quite literally installed as of the day of listing! Roof was a tear off in 2018 -- interior freshly neutrally painted-carpets look like they haven’t been stepped on!

Basement is full and huge -- great workshop space -- 2-car attached garage -- large deck overlooking peaceful wooded backyard and a great 24 x 32 barn for all the extras or the hobbyist. Just a really nice home! Click here for more information on this listing. List with us, call Reliant Real Estate today.

Click here for more information on 59 Pearl Street Road. 
Click here for more information on 7773 Macomber Road.

Noah Toal submitted this photo today of a piebald deer in Oakfield, across from The Oak Grill and Cafe.

Press release:

Oakfield Historical Society's second "Walk Through History" tour is 1 p.m. on Sunday, Aug. 4. It will cover Triangle Park artifacts, businesses starting in the 1930s on South Pearl Street, Garibaldi Avenue, Stevens Street and Webber Avenue.

The walk will take approximately three hours. Rain date is Aug. 11.

On the day of the tour, meet in the parking lot of the Oakfield United Methodist Church at 2 S. Main Street (Route 63).

Learn about mob connections, the dairy at Haxton's, the POW camps and more.

Reserve your spot by June 30 by calling 585-948-5926. The tour costs $10 a person and will include a booklet that is your ticket for the tour.

The society needs to know how many booklets to print in time for the tour, so please RSVP.

Checks may be mailed to Oakfield Historical Society: P.O. Box 74, Oakfield, NY 14125, or drop your money off at the museum on Sunday June 23rd or 30th between the hours of 1-3 p.m., or call Dar Warner at 585-948-5926 or email at darwarner@yahoo.com.

A search of more than four years is about to come to an end for Iroquois Trail Council of the Boy Scouts of America.

The local Boy Scouts organization has been looking for consolidated, easily accessible, visible office space since at least 2015 and now has a pending purchase offer for a commercial building at 102 S. Main St., Oakfield.

The purchase agreement is contingent, among other things, on the council receiving approval on a site plan to convert the retail space into office space.

The location was most recently the site of a secondhand store, All About Yous.

"The advantage is mainly to our customer base, which is access," said Director Jim McMullen. "And it gives us an opportunity to house each of our staff in a workable space. We're pretty crowded right now."

Currently, the council has a small space in Downtown Batavia and an office in Lockport.

The new location will combine those, giving staff more room, and giving the scouts space for leaders and parents to pick up materials. It will also provide the council with a place to hold meetings.

A couple of years ago the council thought it had found a new office on West Main Street Road in Batavia but that deal didn't come together.

"It's been tough to find, space that is appropriate to our needs and is also on an easily accessible route," McMullen said following a meeting of the Genesee County Planning Board, which recommended approval of the site plan.

Don Ames said the scouts have owned their own office space for decades.

The purchase is also contingent on the building passing an engineering inspection and the property getting confirmation for tax-exempt status for nonprofit ownership.

The property is a little more than a half acre. The building on the property was built in 1998 and is 2,400 square feet. It's assessed value is $117,000.

Also on Thursday, the planning board recommended approval of a special use permit for a five-megawatt solar farm at 5103 Ellicott Street Road, which is currently farmland owned by Donald Partridge. The location is 20 acres and the facility will be built and run by Trousdale Solar LLC and will provide sufficient solar power for 750 to 1,000 homes.

Under the Community Distributed Generation Program, the solar energy would be distributed to customers through National Grid and the customers would receive solar credits against National Grid bills and pay Cypress Creek (the company administering the program) separately for the solar power. The overall cost to customers who sign up for the program will be lower than what they're currently paying, according to documentation from Trousdale Solar.

Rebecca N. Mann, 30, of Pringle Avenue, Batavia, is charged with disorderly conduct. She was arrested at 5:30 p.m. on June 2 after being observed allegedly fighting with another person on Pringle Avenue. She was issued an appearance ticket and is due in Batavia City Court on June 11. The case was handled by Batavia Police Officer Stephen Quider, assisted by Officer Christopher Lindsay.

Edward Robert Freida, 47, of Pringle Avenue, Batavia, is charged with disorderly conduct and public lewdness. Freida was arrested at 5:30 p.m. on June 2 after he was observed allegedly fighting with another person on Pringle Avenue. During the altercation, Freida allegedly exposed himself to several people. He was arraigned in Batavia City Court and jailed in lieu of $1,000 cash bail or bond. He is due to reappear in city court at a later date. The case was handled by Batavia Police Officer Stephen Quider, assisted by Officer Christopher Lindsay.

Nikayla C. Jackson, 21, of Pringle Avenue, Batavia, is charged with endangering the welfare of a child and second-degree harassment. At 5:30 p.m. on June 2 on Pringle Avenue, Jackson allegedly had unwanted physical contact with a child less than 17 years of age. She was arrested and released on an appearance ticket and was due in Batavia City Court on June 4. The case was handled by Batavia Police Officer Matthew Lutey, assisted by Officer Christopher Lindsay.

Kevin Michael Waleski, 31, of Orchard Street, Oakfield, is charged with second-degree attempted criminal trespass and second-degree harassment. At 12:17 a.m. on June 2, police responded to a West Main Street residence for a reported physical altercation in which a subject attempted to enter a residence unlawfully. A subsequent investigation resulted in Waleski's arrest. He was arraigned in Batavia City Court at 8:10 a.m. bail was set at $2,500 cash bail or bond. The case was handled by Batavia Police Officer Arick Perkins, assisted by Officer Peter Flanagan. Before being taken to jail, Waleski was being transported to UMMC for medical treatment when he allegedly began to physically resist patrols. He was subsequently also charged with obstruction of governmental administration in the second degree, and that case was handled by Batavia Police Officer Arick Perkins, assisted by Officer Mitchell Cowen.

Ernest D. Lane, 61, of Ellicott Street, Batavia, is charged with second-degree criminal contempt and aggravated family offense -- more than one offense within five years. Lane was arrested at 2:59 p.m. on June 4 following a complaint that he allegedly violated a complete stay away order of protection. He is accused of going to the home on Ellicott Street of protected parties. He was jailed without bail and was due in Batavia City Court this morning (June 5). The case was handled by Batavia Police Officer Marc Lawrence, assisted by Officer Christopher Camp. While he was being held on this case, he was issued a computerized ticket for aggravated family offense and second-degree criminal contempt. These charges stem from an incident on Ellicott Street at 8:55 p.m. on April 8. He was due in city court this morning to also answer those charges. The case was handled by Batavia Police Officer Arick Perkins.

A man involved in an ATV accident at 8:30 a.m., Sunday, is in guarded condition at Strong Memorial Hospital.

A patient listed as "guarded" at Strong is in the Intensive Care Unit.

The Sheriff's Office identified the rider as Angel L. Claudio Lopez, 43, no address listed.

According to the accident report, Lopez was riding an ATV up a sand hill on property at 2750 Maple Avenue Road, Oakfield, when the vehicle overturned, ejecting Lopez, and then landed on him.

Lopez suffered a head injury but was described as conscious at the time he was taken by Mercy Flight to Strong.

The accident was investigated by Deputy Travis DeMuth.

An ATV accident in Oakfield with the driver suffering traumatic injuries to the face is reported on U.S. Gypsum Co. property, a half mile off Hutton Road. Oakfield Fire Department and Mercy medics are responding.

Today, the Le Roy Oatkan Knights took on the Notre Dame Fighting Irish to kick off the 21st Annual Batavia Rotary Club High School Baseball Tournament at Dwyer Stadium.

Tim McMullen and Tommy Saunders held the mound for Le Roy, while David Russo and Spencer Misti pitched for Notre Dame.

Giavanni Caccamise, Reece Tresco, Tim McMullen, Kenny Saunders all recorded a hit and RBI, while Ryan Friend had two hits and RBIs to make it 6-1 Le Roy after two. Zachary Cocking had the lone RBI for ND in the first.

Later on in the fifth inning, Tommy Saunders and Austin Saeya came home safely and scored. It was 8-1 Le Roy after five.

Spencer Misti, David Russo, Andrew Moore, all collected hits while Alex Totton had a RBI and hit of his own in the final inning of the game.

Le Roy led ND in hits 9 to 8 and was defensively strong overall only allowing two errors. With Le Roy’s 8-2 win they will move on to the championship game at 7 o'clock tonight to face the winner of Oakfield-Alabama and Batavia.      

Story and photos by Thomas Ognibene.

To view or purchase photos click here.

A Middleport couple welcomed a new child into their family at 11:15 p.m. Monday in an ambulance somewhere between Lewiston Road in Oakfield and North Street in Batavia. 

Betty Lee Bruning is doing well after the unusual arrival in the world of a baby weighing 8 pounds and 13 ounces, according to Stacey Pastuszynski for UMMC.

Emergency dispatchers received a call of a woman in labor in a car at the side of the road at 7616 Lewiston Road, Oakfield shortly after 11 p.m. A deputy and a trooper along with a Mercy EMS ambulance and Oakfield fire arrived within minutes. 

Jenna Roberts Bruning was placed in the ambulance while still in labor and gave birth a short time later.

Betty is the fourth child for Gabe and Jenna Roberts Bruning. 

Their newborn daughter will grow up on the family farm in Middleport.

(Initial Report)

A woman is reportedly about to give birth in a car roadside in the area of 7616 Lewiston Road, Oakfield.

Oakfield Fire Department and Mercy EMS dispatched.

UPDATE: We're informed by the Sheriff's Office, the woman was in labor when a deputy and trooper arrived on the scene. She was in labor when she left in the ambulance. It's unknown at this time if she gave birth in the ambulance or at the hospital.

UPDATE: The baby was born in the ambulance on the way to the hospital, according to a source. The baby and mother are doing fine.