Oakfield

Three guys in Oakfield think they've hit the nail on the head when it comes to their new business.

They've put a new twist on an old German game. They introduced the concept at a tournament yesterday held at the Caryville Inn.

The game is MöbileSchlägen, a portable version of hammerschlägen.

In schlägen, you get a cross-peen hammer and a nail and you get one whack at the nail per turn, hitting it with the wedge (or peen) end. The starting position is with the hammer on the table outside the wood block, making it harder to aim. The nail is tapped in to a depth equal to a line on the hammer, so everybody starts at an equal distance.

The first person with the head of the nail flush with the wood wins.

"Being first is pretty cool, but the last thing you want to do is be last," said Marc Johnson, one of the co-inventors of the mobile version of the game.

Last means ridicule from your buddies, at the least, and if alcohol is involved, it might mean buying a round of drinks.

Teasing and harassing is part of the fun of the game, because if you can goad a competitor into talking while he or she holds the hammer, (the rule is, "no hammer talk") that person loses a turn.

Johnson said for years, every time he hosts a party at his house, he and the guests play hammerschlägen, but hauling around the giant tree stumps needed for the game made it impractical for tailgate parties or picnics.

A few years ago, he brought two logs to a family gathering in Vermont and that's when he started to think there had to be a better way.

"Everybody loved it, but it killed my back," Johnson said. "It was a bad idea. You’re on a mountain and you’re rolling those stumps around."

When he got home, he and his friend James Betters started imagining a mobile version of the game, but lacked the engineering background to make it a reality, so Dan Mangus joined the team.

They formed a company, drew up their plans and filed for a patent, which was issued in March.

The end-grain wood plate, which can be laser etched with any possible logo, fits snuggly in a hard plastic base, which rests on sturdy, but foldable, legs.

"Basically, it fits in a bag that looks like a big banjo and you can throw it over your shoulder and carry it a lot easier than a 300-pound stump," Mangus said.

It took a few prototypes to get the right design and then a long search to find the right end-grain wood with the right density to take in a pounded nail easily, but not too easily. 

And lest would-be competitors might think they can make their own log inserts (the inserts need to be replaced after they fill up with nails), the design requires a properly cut and fitted log into the reverse-cupped holder. This design not only improves safety and durability, but with the patent, it also prevents copycat manufacturers from making replacement parts.

Some 40 or 50 people showed up for the game's public debut at the Caryville Inn yesterday to compete in the first official MöbileSchlägen tournament.  

There seemed to be no shortage of fun nor frustration during the tournament.

The next big step for the entrepreneurs is a Kickstarter campaign to fund the manufacturing of games for consumers. If that does well, they hope to ship the first games to customers by Spring.

An argument between the clerk at the Yellow Goose in Oakfield and some customers is reported. The customers are said to be throwing things inside the store at the clerk. Law enforcement is responding. The store is located at 33 S. Main St.

Ana M. Uribe, 22, of Tracy Avenue, Batavia, is charged with second-degree harassment. At 2:57 p.m. on June 2, Uribe was arrested after she allegedly punched a former coworker after being fired from her place of employment the day before. She is to appear in Batavia City Court on June 14. The case was handled by Batavia Police Officer Cowen Mitchell, assisted by Officer Christopher Lindsay.

Christina A. Cotter, 23, of Ellicott Street, Batavia, is charged with first-degree criminal contempt, second-degree criminal contempt, endangering the welfare of a child, and second-degree harassment. She was arrested on the charges June 2. They stem from a domestic incident at noon on May 28 wherein Cotter is alleged to have been involved in a physical altercation with another person who had an order of protection against her. She was jailed without bail and was due back in City Court on June 3. The case was handled by Batavia Police Officer Christopher Lindsay and Officer Marc Lawrence.

Gary D. Burney, 35, of Spruce Street, Batavia, is charged with first-degree criminal contempt, endangering the welfare of a child, two counts of fourth-degree criminal mischief, and second-degree harassment. He was arrested at 11:30 a.m. on June 4 following a domestic incident wherein he allegedly shoved a person and damaged the person's property all while in the presence of a child. He was jailed on $5,000 bail and is be appear today in City Court. The case was handled by Batavia Police Officer Christopher Lindsay, assisted by Sgt. Christopher Camp.

Jennifer N. Wenner, 29, of Hutchins Street, Batavia, is charged with criminal possession of stolen property in the third degree. Steffon G. Philip, 30, of Madison Street, Rochester, is also charged with criminal possession of stolen property in the third degree. At 10:41 p.m. on May 30, Batavia police observed a stolen vehicle in the area of East Main and Swan streets. Officers arrested Wenner, who was allegedly found operating the stolen vehicle. She was jailed on $5,000 bail. They also arrested Philip, who was allegedly found with the stolen vehicle. Both were due in City Court on May 31. The cases were handled by Batavia Police Officer Mitchell Cowen, assisted by Officer Christopher Lindsay.

Luis D. Chavez, 23, of Lewiston Road, Oakfield, is charged with operating a motor vehicle on a pubic highway while using a mobile phone, driving while intoxicated, and driving with a BAC of .08 percent or higher. The charges stem from an accident at 9:57 p.m. on May 25 on State Street in Batavia. It is alleged that Chavez was on his mobile phone, not paying attention to the roadway, and struck a parked car on the east side of State Street, just north of North Street. During the investigation, Cahvez was also allegedly found to have been intoxicated by alcohol. He was released on appearance tickets and is due to appear on those charges in City Court June 8. The case was handled by Batavia Police Officer Chad Richards, assisted by Sgt. Christopher Camp.

Robert J. Donovan II, 38, of Oak Street, Le Roy, is charged with inadequate rear lamp and second-degree aggravated unlicensed operator. At 9:23 p.m. on May 22, Batavia police conducted a traffic stop on a motorcycle in the area of Oak Street and Richmond Avenue in the city and found Donovan to be operating the motorcycle with a suspended license with a total of 10 suspensions. He was arrested and later posted bail. He was to appear in City Court on June 1. The case was handled by Batavia Police Officer Arick Perkins.

Quinton L. Spinks, 31, of Vine Street, Batavia, is charged with first-degree aggravated unlicensed operation and failure to obey a traffic control device. Spinks was arrested at 9:32 p.m. on May 28 following a traffic stop on Washington Avenue. Spinks was stopped after allegedly driving on a closed road and was found to be operating with active suspensions on his NY ID. He was jailed without bail and was due in City Court on May 31. The case was handled by Batavia Police Officer Cowen Mitchell.

Benjamin D. Chudoba, 23, of Swan Street, Batavia, is charged with criminal possession of a controlled substance. He was arrested around 8:50 p.m. on May 27 as the result of an investigation into a traffic offense that occurred a short time earlier. Chudoba was allegedly found to be in poessession of heroin, and subsequently charged with criminal possession of a controlled substance, 7th. He was processed at Batavia PD headquarters and issued an appearance ticket. Chudoba is scheduled to be in Batavia City Court on June 7. The case has handled by Batavia Police Officer Eric Foels, assisted by Officer Mitchell Cowen.

Benjamin G. Evans IV, 27, of Maple Street, Batavia, is charged with petit larceny. He was arrested at 12:57 a.m. on May 20 following an investigation into a larceny complaint wherein it is alleged he stole a toolbox of items. He was released on an appearance ticket and is to be in City Court on May 31. Batavia Police Officer Matthew Wojtaszczyk, assisted by Officer Matthew Lutey.

Makayla E. Stickley, 19, of Gibsonville Road, Leicester, is charged with issuing a bad check. She was arrested on an active warrant out of Batavia City Court for allegedly issuing a bad check on Nov. 23. She did not respond to a summons and a warrant was issued for her arrest. She is to appear in City Court on June 7. The case was handled by Officer Chad Richards, assisted by Officer Arick Perkins.

Winston Ashton Lockhart, 21, of Pringle Avenue, Batavia, was arrested on two active bench warrant out of City of Batavia for failing to pay fines stemming from an incident in November on West Main Street, Batavia. Lockhard was located by Batavia Police Officer James DeFreeze while on an unrelated complaint. He was arrested then released and issued two computer-generated appearance tickets for May 31 in City Court. Officer DeFreeze was assisted by Officer Marc Lawrence.

Joseph W. Freeman, 32, of Platten Road, Lyndonville, was charged with petit larceny on Feb. 12 on West Main Street, Batavia. He had an active bench warrant for failing to appear in court as directed. He was located by police at a residence in the city and put in jail on $500 bail. He was due in City Court on June 1. The case was handled by Batavia Police Officer Frank Klimjack, assisted by Sgt. Dan Coffey.

Tiffany Lynn George, 29, of Council House Road, Alabama, is charged with the unauthorized use of a motor vehicle in the third degree. She was arrested at 4:18 p.m. on June 5 on Council House Road following an incident in the Town of Alabama. George allegedly took and used a motor vehicle without the owner's concent. She is set to appear in Town of Alabama Court on June 30. The case was handled by Sheriff's Deputy Michael Lute, assisted by Deputy Chris Parker.

Kimberly M. Volk, 27, of Maltby Road, Oakfield, was arrested on May 28 on a bench warrant out of Batavia City Court. It was issued after she failed to appear on a March 31 charge of criminal use of drug paraphernalia in the second degree. She was jailed on $1,000 bail and was due back in court on May 31. The case was handled by Batavia Police Officer Christopher Lindsay.

Frankie Jean McQueen, 25, of Snipery Road, Corfu, is charged with failure to appear. On May 27, the Genesee County Sheriff's Office turned over McQueen to Batavia PD and she was arrested on a bench warrant issued out of Batavia City Court. The warrant was issued due to failure to appear in court in November 2014. McQueen was ordered to be in court on June 7 and then turned over to NYSP on a separate warrant out of Warsaw. The case was handled by Batavia Police Officer Arick Perkins.

Jeanna Marie Hattaway, 29, of West Main Street Road, Batavia, is charged with two counts of petit larceny. On May 31, at 8:30 p.m. Hattaway was arrested after allegedly stealing various items from two separate neighbors' yards in the area. She was issued an appearance ticket for Town of Batavia Court at 1 p.m. on July 7. The case was handled by Sheriff's Deputy Michael Lute.

Joseph Alexander Mazuera-Cortes, 27, of Blackburn Lane, Mount Hope, Ontario, Canada, is charged with driving while intoxicated, and operation of a motor vehicle with a BAC of .08 percent or 1 percent or more. At 12:55 a.m. today, the subject was allegedly driving a motor vehicle in an area that was restricted to pedestrians at the Darien Lake Campgrounds, 9993 Alleghany Road, Darien. When questioned by Darien Lake security, he allegedly attempted to flee the area, driving erratically through the campground. He allegedly drove down a restricted lane into a heavilty wooded area before stopping. He was taken into custody by security officers. He was allegedly found to be intoxicated and arrested for DWI. The case was handled by Sheriff's Sgt. John Baiocco.

Dakota David Swimline, 19, of Trumbull Parkway, Batavia, is charged with unlawful possession of marijuana. Following an investigation of a liquor law violation complaint on Farnsworth Avenue in the Village of Oakfield, Swimline was arrested at 1:13 a.m. today after allegedly being found in possession of a small amount of marijuana hash oil in the front pocket of his pants. He was issued an appearance ticket of Town of Oakfield Court and is to appear there June 27. The case was handled by Sheriff's Deputy Eric Meyer, assisted by Deputy Andrew Hale.

Sterna Gettel Grunwald, 31, of McNamara Road, Spring Valley, is charged with unlawful possession of marijuana. The defendant was stopped following the observation of vehicle and traffic violations on Route 63 in the Town of Batavia at 11:15 p.m. on May 30. An odor of marijuana was allegedly detected emanating from the vehicle and Grunwald was allegedly found in possession of marijuana. Grunwald was issued an appearance ticket for Town of Batavia Court at a later date. The case was handled by Sheriff's Deputy Ryan DeLong, assisted by Deputy Eric Meyer.

A house fire struck the Mathew Pribek family residence Saturday, at 5581 Burns Road, Medina, and Pribek believes both of their dogs got out safely. One was found and one is still missing.

The residence is just over the county line, so the Pribeks are asking anyone in the North Oakfield area to on the look out for Pepper.

"She is friendly, but scared and lost," Pribek said. "Our family is desperate to have her back and are prepared to reward anyone who finds her."

If you are in the area of Burns Road, East Shelby Road or Albion Road, North Oakfield, watch for Pepper and if you find her, call Mathew Pribek at (585) 861-0211.

David Zuppelli, of Batavia, submitted this photo of his father, Chester Zuppelli, playing Taps on Memorial Day 1944 in New Caledonia, South Pacific.

Here's a schedule for Memorial Day Ceremonies and the Batavia parade:

7 a.m. -- Genesee County Park (11095 Bethany Center Road, East Bethany) -- Vietnam Veterans Memorial (VVA #193)

8 a.m. -- Williams Park, City of Batavia-- WW I Memorial (wreath laying, rifle salute & Taps)

8:30 a.m. -- Batavia VA Medical Center

8:45 a.m. -- NYS Veterans Home

9:30 a.m. -- Upton Monument (routes 5 and 63) (wreath laying, rifle salute & Taps)

9:45 a.m. -- Batavia Cemetery, Harvester Avenue, City of Batavia (wreath laying, rifle salute & Taps)

10 a.m. -- Elmwood Cemetery, off Harvester Avenue and Webster Street in the city (AL #332)

10 a.m. -- CITY PARADE -- Begins at the Eastown Plaza traveling west along Main Street and ending at Jerome Center on Bank Street at 10:45 a.m.

10:45 a.m. -- UMMC -- Jerome Center:

• Memorial Day ceremonies: Invocation; National Anthem with Batavia Concert Band; G.A.R. Order of the Day; Veterans Service Organizations Commemorations; wreath laying with Gold Star Mothers; Honor Roll with drum roll; rifle salute; Taps; Benediction; "God Bless America."

Noon -- Hansen Brothers Grave -- Grandview Cemetery on Clinton Street Road, Batavia (MCL #951)

Participating organizations:

Hansen Borthers Marine Corps League Detachment #951

Glenn S. Loomis American Legion Post #332

Veness-Strollo Veterans of Foreign Wars Post #1602

Disabled American Veterans Chapter #166

Vietnam Veterans of American Chapter #193

Sons of Union Veterans Abraham Lincoln Camp #6

Here are more local Memorial Day ceremonies/parades:

• ALEXANDER: Parade begins at 10:30 a.m. at the Alexander High School and travels to the cemetery on Railroad Avenue with a ceremony to take place at the cemetery following the parade.

• BERGEN: Parade at 9 a.m. beginning at the Fire Hall (Route 19 & Hunter Street), traveling south on Route 19 to Hickory Park with ceremony to take place at the park immediately following the parade.
•  
• BYRON: Parade at 11 a.m. from Terry Street to Swamp Road with a ceremony immediately following at Byron Cemetery.

• CORFU: Parade at noon from Corfu Fire hall on Route 33 to the Intermediate School on Route 77. Ceremony immediately following the parade.

• ELBA: Ceremony at Maple Lawn Cemetery at 10 a.m. No parade. The Elba Historical Society Museum will be open for tours after the ceremony.
•  
• LEROY: Parade at 10:30 a.m. from the American Legion to Trigon Park with a ceremony at Trigon Park at 11 a.m. following the parade.

• OAKFIELD: Parade at 11 a.m. from the Oakfield Fire Dept. to Triangle Park with ceremony to be held at Triangle Park.

• PAVILION: Ceremony at 10 a.m. at the Town Park at intersection of routes 63 and 19. No parade.

No parades/ceremonies for the following:

• Alabama

• Bethany

• Darien

• Pembroke

• Stafford

An Oakfield woman, whose husband was a leader in the Hells Angels motorcycle club, and who was convicted for her part in a meth distribution operation, was sentenced in U.S. District Court to three years probation and 12 months of home detention.

Donna Boon McAuley, 50, was among seven defendants in the case, which was also tied into a racketeering investigation stemming from a baseball attack on a patron of a bar in Rochester. 

The investigation revealed Boon, in conjunction with her husband, James Henry McAuley Jr., helped distribute methamphetamine obtained from a Hells Angel member in California from 2002 through July 9, 2010. Boon admitted to obtaining and distributing at least 30 grams of meth. Some of it was sold to a dealer in Genesee County who sold it to Genesee County residents.

James McAuley was convicted for his part in the ring and is scheduled to be sentenced July 12.

This case is part of a larger investigation that resulted in the indictment and arrest of members and associates of the Rochester and Monterey, Ca., Hell's Angels for drug trafficking and racketeering-related offenses in February 2012. Seven defendants were charged with conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute, and to distribute, 500 grams or more of methamphetamine. In addition to Boon and McAuley, Richard W. Mar, Jeffrey A. Tyler, Richard E. Riedman, Gordon Montgomery and Paul Griffin, have been convicted for their roles in the methamphetamine conspiracy.

Taking part in the investigation and prosecution of the case were the FBI, Sheriff's Office, DEA, State Police, Batavia PD and Le Roy PD.

In the Class C2 softball final played at GCC, Oakfield-Alabama lost 9-1 yesterday to Caledonia-Mumford.

The No.1 seed Red Raiders were led by tournament MVP Emily MacDonald, who pitched a four-hitter and K'd 10 Hornets.

Oakfield-Alabama will advance to the Section V, Class C2 championship game after beating Geneseo on Monday at GCC, 4-2. 

Hannah LaGrou tripled home her sister Madi for the go-ahead run. Hannah later scored on a wild pitch.

O-A faces Cal-Mum at 5 p.m., Wednesday, at GCC in the final.

Submitted photo of little lost Akira. 

This is a photo of "Akira," a small Japanese breed of hunting dog called shibu inu. She disappearred from her home on Albion Road in Oakfield on Saturday. The family and especially the grandchildren are heartbroken.

Due to skin allergies, she was not wearing a collar at the time she disappeared.

Her loved ones say she resembles a fox in size and appearance. Sometimes the shibu inu is translated as "little brushwood dog." Adult females typically weigh about 18 pounds. It is an agile, independent breed. The Japanese breed standard says it exhibits: "A spirited boldness, a good nature, and an unaffected forthrightness, which together yield dignity and natural beauty."

In the photo above, Akira is waiting patiently for her master to get in the car and take her on an adventure -- traveling anyplace in the car is an adventure. Here she's thinking "C'mon, what's the hold up? I can't believe you can't find your sunglasses. You just had them on your head two minutes ago. ARGH! People!"

Anyone with information is asked to call Matt at (585) 704-9400.

Press release:

Oakfield resident and Childhood Cancer Hero, Brady Williams and his family, have been selected as Lemonade Days Hero Reps!

Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation selected 36 families across the country as ambassadors for their national fundraiser in June. Each family symbolically represents the 36 children diagnosed with cancer daily in the United States. 

Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation (ALSF), a nonprofit dedicated to finding cures for all kids with cancer, has selected 36 families across the country to take a “stand” against childhood cancer as Lemonade Day Hero Reps during Alex’s Lemonade Days, June 10-12.

The 36 Lemonade Days Hero Reps symbolically represent the 36 children diagnosed with cancer every day in the United States. Each family has been personally impacted by childhood cancer and will spread awareness about the ongoing childhood cancer fight by sharing their personal journeys.

These 36 families show that childhood cancer occurs regularly, randomly and spares no ethnic group; socioeconomic class; or geographic region. As a part of their Lemonade Days Hero Family duties, the families will each hold a lemonade stand during Alex’s Lemonade Days, spread awareness of their initiatives to their communities and enlist community members to host their own stands.

Meet the Williams Family

“Brady is the best brother in the world,” says his brother, Eli.

Brady Williams, diagnosed with neuroblastoma in 2009, is one in a set of triplets: Cara and Eli, ages 9. They also have a younger sister, Allison, age 7. The Williams family wants others to know that the impact of childhood cancer does not end when treatment ends. But Brady is optimistic saying, “Someday I will help make the world a better place!”

Alex’s Lemonade Days commemorates 8-year-old Alexandra “Alex” Scott’s challenge to help her raise $1 million for childhood cancer cures, one cup of lemonade at a time. With help from volunteers across the country, Alex reached her million dollar goal before losing her life to cancer in August 2004.

“Just like the Williams Family, our family knows firsthand just how personal the fight against childhood cancer is,” said Liz Scott, co-executive director of ALSF and Alex’s mom. “Our daughter would be honored to know that these 36 families will continue her legacy by literally taking a stand against childhood cancer and inspiring those in their community to come together toward finding cures.”

Now every year, volunteers are invited to host lemonade stands over the course of these three days in June to continue Alex’s mission and bring renewed attention to the fight against childhood cancer. Since 2004, more than 22,000 Lemonade Days stands have been held nationally, raising over $12 million. This year, the Foundation hopes to reach the 25,000th Lemonade Days stand.

Participants are encouraged to show support through social media utilizing #LemonadeDays on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and more.

For more information on Alex’s Lemonade Days and to sign up to host a lemonade stand visit AlexsLemonadeDays.org.

***UPDATE JUNE 2: The Williams’ lemonade stand is from 9:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Friday, June 10, at Valle Jewelers, 21 Jackson St., Batavia.

A working house fire is reported at 8157 State Street Road. Town of Batavia, Stafford, Elba, Oakfield and Alexander volunteer fire departments are responding to the scene.

UPDATE 10:49 p.m.: Personnel from the NYSP, Batavia PD and GC Sheriff's Office are on scene, too.

UPDATE: Confirmed fatal fire.

UPDATE 12 a.m.: Town Code enforcement and a Water Department rep called to the scene.

UPDATE 1:30 a.m (by Howard): I've just returned from the scene. Two children, approximate ages 2 and 3, died in the fire. The mother was reportedly out of the house at the time of the fire. The cause of the fire has yet to be determined. We'll have a full report in a separate post later.

The Genesee County Sheriff's Office is seeking the public's help to find a teenage girl missing from Oakfield. Aleesha Johnson is a 15-year-old African-American with brown eyes, brown hair, weighing 183 pounds. She is 5' 5" and may be accompanied by an adult male. They may travel to Rochester.

Anyone with information is asked to call the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children at 1-800-843-5678 or the Genesee County Sheriff's Office at (585) 343-5000. You can also contact Deputy John K. Dehm at (585) 345-3000, ext. 3575, or e-mail him at John.Dehm@co.genesee.ny.us

Here are Tuesday's available election results:

Batavia City Schools:
The Budget - $44,366,439 (increase of $1,258,066 or 2.92%: $0.00 increase in tax levy)

• Yes - 407  (85.86%)
• No - 67  (14.14%)

Student Ex-Officio Board Member (non-voting) 

• Yes -  436  (92.57%
• No - 35  (7.43%)

Board of Education positions: three positions, with top two votes terms are full term from July 1, 2016 to June 30, 2019 ,and the lowest vote is a partial term from May 17, 2016 to June 30, 2018 

• Patrick Burk 385  (May 17, 2016 - June 30, 2018)
• Peter Cecere - 427  (July 1, 2016  -June 30, 2019)
• Karen Tomidy - 424   (July 1, 2016 - June 30, 2019)

Elba Central Schools:

Proposition #1 - 2016/2017 Budget - $9,260,316  --   Passed  (129 Yes/38 No)

Proposition #2 - Purchase of one (1) 65 Passenger Bus   --  Passed  (130 Yes/39 No)

One Board of Education Seat, One Candidate: Michael Hare (142 Votes)

Oakfield-Alabama Central School District:

Proposition #1: Budget:  Yes:   293 / No:  44

Proposition #2: Buses:   Yes:  280 /  No:  52

Board Members:  

• Jeff Hyde (Incumbent) 248
• Matt Lamb, 170