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Noble Legend on point in Batavia Downs feature

By Billie Owens

Noble Legend with driver Ray Fisher Jr. 

By Tim Bojarski, for Batavia Downs

Noble Legend looked very sharp on the front end while defeating six top-end trotters as well as an inquiry at the wire to win the $10,500 Open Handicap trot at Batavia Downs on Friday night (Sept. 22).

Noble Legend (Ray Fisher Jr.) left strong off the gate and established a loose two-length advantage on the front end. After passing the quarter in :28.3 the post time favorite Egosnattitudes (Larry Stalbaum) pulled from last and flushed Striker Ace (Kevin Cummings) after they tripped the timer at :58.3 for the half.

Moving up the backside Noble Legend was still strong on the lead as Striker Ace bowed out of the competition. As a result Egosnattitudes tipped three-wide at the three-quarters and advanced to second by the top of the lane. Stalbaum started urging his trotter as he drew closer to the leader, but before he could gain the advantage Egosnattitudes broke wildly halfway down the stretch and galloped across the wire a neck ahead of Noble Legend.

As a result of the obvious lapped-on break, Egosnattitudes was disqualified by the judges and placed last while 
Noble Legend was named the official winner, timed in 1:57.1.

It was the seventh win of the year for Noble Legend ($7) who has now earned $61,370 in 2017 for owners Vogel & Wags Nags Stable and Jack Rice. Maria Rice trains the winner.

In the $8,000 Open II trot, Barn winner (Ray Fisher Jr.) was third at the half, gapped seven-lengths and chasing a runaway Lutetium (John Cummings Jr.) who took the field to a 1:25.3 third quarter, before pulling in the far turn and trotting right by the fading leader to win in 1:56, which was a new lifetime mark for the winner.

Barn Winner ($20.20) now boasts nine wins on the year and $35,310 in the bank. The 3-year-old gelded son of Credit Winner was purchased privately on Aug. 29 by his current owners Tanah Merah Farms LLC and the Swift Racing Stable and is trained by Ryan Swift.

Kevin Cummings had a big night, winning four races on the card. He got across with Pilgrims All In ($5, 1:57.4), Shawnee Magic ($8.90), 1:58.1), Ona Dream ($6.40, 1:59.3) and Kings Treasure ($5, 1:55.3).

Ray Fisher Jr. had a driving triple himself while trainers David Russo, Rose Russo, JD Perrin and Angelo Nappo all had two stable members cross the wire first.

Batavia Blue Devils Dominate in Homecoming Game

By James Burns

The Blue Devils varsity football team took on Franklin Pennsylvania Friday night in their homecoming game. 

The Blue Devils scored on their opening drive and then scored a saftey on because of a bad snap of Franklin's first offensive play.  Franklin answered with a touchdown of their own later in the 1st.  But the game proceeded with Batavia out scoring Franklin about 2 to 1.

In the mid 3rd  quarter Franklin seemed all but defeated until a long pass and reception that was run in for a touchdown.

Franklin rallied and came back bring the score to within 8 points to 28-20. The Franklin rally was killed when a pass bounced out of a receivers hands and was intercepted by Batavia. The rest of the game was all Blue Devils.

Final score, Blue Devils 42, Franklin Pennsylvania 20.

Alex Rood rushed 24 times for a total of 136 yards and 1 TD

Chandler Baker rushed 8 times for a total of 60 yards and 2 TDs

Baker also attempted 24 passes completed 20 for 1 TD and a total of 180 yards.

On Defense Taio Iburi Bethel had 8 tackles

Anthony Ray had 6 tackles for a loss of 3 yards. 

The Games key plays are pictured below.

During Half time we were introduced to the Batavia HS Homecoming court.

Also during halftime there was an emotional remembrance of fellow student, senior Lorne Brudz who passed away recently. The stadium observed a long moment of silence as classmates lit luminaire balloons as a tribute.

GCC Volleyball hosted top teams in tournment

By Howard B. Owens

Press release:

The Genesee Community College volleyball team hosted some of the top teams in the region during pod play at the GCC Gymnasium Sept. 23.

Three of the teams competing  appear in the current National Junior Collegiate Athletic Association D-III Volleyball Poll and have an impressive collective 31-2 record that include: Erie (10-1), Jamestown (9-0) and Monroe (12-1). Also participating with the Cougars today were Finger Lakes and Niagara County.

The Cougars opened play with two of those top-three teams appearing in the national poll and came away with a set win over No. 9 Erie 25-14. The Cougars just continued the momentum they'd built from the previous set that resulted in a close loss at 25-23 that saw Erie improve to 11-1 on the season with a 3-1 win. Genesee recorded 16 in the first and 18 in its last sets against the Kats.

Genesee then went against the undefeated Jayhawks and Jamestown kept their perfect record intact with three set wins the Cougars coming closest in the first set with 21 points. Jamestown moved to 11-0 with the win and 33-0 in set wins for the season. The Cougars recorded 16 and 15 points, respectively in the final two sets.

In the Cougars' final match of the day, the Cougars finally had an opportunity to play a team not mentioned in the national polls and made the best of it by sweeping Niagara County Community College 3-0.

The Thunderwolves came closest to beating the Cougars in the first set and with the score tied at 23, Sha-Ony Obispa broke the stalemate with a key kill and Lyndsey Rowland sealed the win with a block for set point. The Cougars cruised after that with wins of 25-11 and 25-16 in the final two sets against Niagara.

The Cougars next travel to Erie, Pa. to take on Mercyhurst North East Sept. 28 with a 6 p.m. start. It will be another tough matchup as the Saints snapped No. 9 Erie's 10-0 record last Thursday.

Alexander Trojans triumph over rival Attica 20-3

By Steve Ognibene

Alexander High School's football team beat Attica on Friday on a night that junior running back Chris McClinic gained 221 yards and scored three touchdowns 20-3.

After four games, McClinic has gained 814 yards on the season and scored 12 touchdowns.

Attica's only score game on a field goal in the second quarter, after that the Trojan defense locked down the home team and Alexander's offense took over.

McClinic scored on a 29-yard run in the second quarter.

In the third, the Trojans forced a three-and-out to start the half and then the offense engineered a long, clock-consuming drive that ended in a nine-yard run by McClinic.

The Trojans scored again on another long drive dominated by Alexander's offensive line and fullback Mitch Gordon until McClinic closed things out with a 47-yard TD run.

Freshman Terrez Smith gained 54 yards on three carries and Gordon gained 30 to helped the team gain a total of 343 yards on the ground.

On defense, Gordon and Jake Jasen had nine tackles each. Danny Burns had eight.

Alexander is now 4-0 on the season and Attica falls to 2-2.

For more photos to view or purchase click here: http://steveognibenephotography.zenfolio.com/p873488972

Racing Under Saddle featured at Batavia Downs Saturday

By Billie Owens

By Tim Bojarski, for Batavia Downs

The horses and riders of RUS New York will be at Batavia Downs on Saturday (Sept. 23) to compete for a $1,600 purse in a non-betting race that will take place after race seven on the regular live pari-mutuel card.

Racing Under Saddle (RUS), also known as Monte Racing, is a cross between harness racing and thoroughbred racing. The rider is atop the Standardbred (generally a trotter) in a saddle instead of behind it in a sulky. Internationally, Standardbred RUS is conducted daily at many European tracks and it garners large wagering pools on their regular betting programs.

The Fair Series is organized by RUS New York, an organization that helps coordinate and promote under saddle races across the Empire state. The main goal is to promote this unique sport, educate the public about the versatility of the Standardbred breed and to help Standardbreds find great homes after they finish their days on the track.

The 2017 RUS New York summer schedule included 10 fair dates as well as races at Tioga Downs, Vernon Downs and Saratoga Raceway. Batavia Downs is the fourth pari-mutuel track to host the series this year.

RUS racing debuted at the Downs in 2016 with one of the most exciting finishes the series had all year as Admirable Hanover out-dueled My Friend Charlie down the lane to win by a neck in 2:03.4. The time was a new career best under saddle time for Admirable Hanover and it also produced a new track record at Batavia Downs.

Saturday’s race includes the top point-earners in the series for both human and equine categories.

Michelle Miller is the leading rider with 258 points and she will be on the number one points horse, Railroad Lane. 

Railroad Lane has three wins in seven outings and is six out of seven in the money for the year. He has a mark of 2:09.3 at Monticello Raceway over a sloppy track, but was race-timed in 2:05 at Tioga Downs in a third place finish in July.

Last year’s winning rider at Batavia was Vanessa Karlewicz and she is currently the second leading point-getter in the series with 187 and she will be atop Boy Can She Fly who is sixth among all horses. 

Boy Can She Fly has only one win in five starts and a mark of 2:15 at the Bath Fairgrounds. But she was race-timed in 2:05.3 at Vernon Downs in a third place finish back on August 25.

Hillary Harnett who sits fourth in points will ride probably the hottest horse in the race as One True Friend has been competing outside of New York against some of the best RUS horses in competition. 

One True Friend has three wins in eight starts with a seasonal mark of 2:03.3 at Tioga Downs and has also been race timed at the Meadowlands in 2:01.2. Just last week One True Friend won by almost nine-lengths at Saratoga Raceway in 2:04.3.

Rounding out the field is Sophie Engerran and Funny Photo. Funny Photo qualified in 2:04 handily at Vernon Downs on Friday (Aug. 18) but has only one start this year. That was at the Meadowlands earlier this month where he finished fifth, placed fourth after being interfered with. He is the unknown value in this race as he did win under saddle at Vernon Downs in 1:59.1 in 2016 and 1:59 in 2015.

Post time for the RUS New York race will be approximately 8:10 p.m. Post time for the first race is 6 p.m.

Sign-ups open for girls basketball camp at Notre Dame

By Howard B. Owens

The Lil Irish Fall Ball Camp for grades 2-8 starts Oct. 8 at Notre Dame High School,

The four-week camp for young basketball players will be coached by Tom McCulley, Notre Dame's girls' varsity coach, JV coach Otis Thomas, and St. Joe's sixth-grade coach Kati Sisson.

The cost is $30 per person or $50 for a family. A T-shirt is included in the cost.

The sessions are Sundays, with second through fifth grade from 2 to 3 p.m. and sixth through eighth grade from 3 to 4 p.m.

The camp includes fundamental instruction, individual practice, and teamwork.

Download Sign Up Form.

Batavia Downs to host the C. K. G. Billings amateurs on Friday

By Billie Owens

By Tim Bojarski, for Batavia Downs

The 36th season of C. K. G. Billings amateur racing rolls into Batavia Downs on Friday night (Sept. 22) with two divisions (one trot and one pace) going for $5,000 each. Batavia is the 42nd stop of the combined 2017 season for the Billings, which has only 17 more to go before they convene for the finals at Yonkers Raceway on Sunday (Nov. 26) and vie for the Delvin Miller Gold and Silver Cup championships and $40,000 in purses.

The series that began in the early 1980’s is conducted by the Delvin Miller Harness Drivers Association and is considered the Grand Circuit of Amateur Racing. And as a result of their charitable efforts, tens of thousands of dollars are raised each year through amateur driving for the benefit of each club's charity. The C.K.G. Billings contributes its driver’s percentage to the Harness Racing Museum and Hall of Fame in Goshen, NY.

Participating drivers support these charities by directing their 5 percent driver’s commissions for all Billings Races to either the Harness Racing Museum & Hall of Fame or to the Delvin Miller Harness Drivers Association for further contribution to the Harness Racing Museum or to a local charity.

Drivers who will be appearing at the downs to compete on Friday include Joe Faraldo, Joe Lee and Bob Davis who will all drive in both events, along with Don Hoover, Robert Ciavardini, David Glasser, Anthony Ciuffetelli, Anthony Verruso, David Drew and Matt Zuccarello who will all have one drive apiece.

The two events are carded as race one and four and post time for the first race in at 6 p.m.

Bowling scores are back on The Batavian

By Mike Pettinella

The 2017-18 league bowling season is upon us, and The Batavian once again is your place to find out who is putting up the big series and big games throughout the Genesee Region.

Just click on the Pin Points tab at the top of this page to see some of the high rollers from the season's opening weeks.

The next Pin Points column by Batavia bowling writer Mike Pettinella will appear on Sept. 28.

Girl’s night at Batavia led by All Charged Up

By Billie Owens

(Photo of All Charged Up with driver John Macdonald.)

By Tim Bojarski, for Batavia Downs

The Wednesday night (Sept. 20) spotlight fell on the fillies and mares at Batavia Downs and All Charged Up took center stage after capturing the $10,000 distaff Open on a beautiful late-summer evening.

All Charged Up (John Macdonald) got away last from post six as Squeeze This (Ron Beback Jr.) inherited the front at the start with no one else deciding to go. Beback then took advantage of that situation, leading the girls to the half in a relatively tame :57.3, with the field still in single-file fashion.

As they swung into the third turn, Kruella (Shawn McDonough) pulled and started an outer flow. This allowed All Charged Up to scoot up along the pylons into fourth, right behind the still-leading Squeeze This. By the three-quarters Kruella sidled the leader and gained the advantage by the top of the stretch, which is where All Charged Up found the passing lane. Macdonald shot her through like a rocket under heavy urging to nip Kruella under the wire in 1:54.2. 

It was the third win of the year for the speedy All Charged Up ($6.90), all of which were recorded at Batavia Downs. The J P Stables owns the 6-year-old daughter of Ponder who is trained by her driver, John Macdonald.

In the $8,000 fillies and mares Open II, Exotic Beach (Larry Stalbaum) took full advantage of a drop in class to easily wire the field in 1:53.4, which tied her seasonal mark. The win pushed her 2017 bank to $41,016 for Stalbaum who also owns her, through the conditioning efforts of her trainer Kim Asher.

Stalbaum had a big night in the bike, winning three more races besides the co-feature. This pushed his total for the meet to 46 and moved him ahead of Jim Morrill Jr. (45) into a second place tie with Ray Fisher Jr. (46), 13 wins behind the meet leader, Drew Monti (59).

Racing resumes at Batavia Downs on Friday night (Sept. 22) with post time set at 6 o'clock.

DEC announces start of trapping season on Oak Orchard, Tonawanda, and John White wildlife management areas

By Billie Owens

Press release:

The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) announced today that the 2017-18 Western New York trapping season for fox, raccoon, coyote and other upland furbearing animals opens on Oct. 25 and closes on Feb. 15.

The start of upland trapping will be delayed until Nov. 1 at the John White Wildlife Management Area (WMA), and the trapping season for mink, muskrat and beaver at this WMA will run from Nov. 25 until Feb. 15.

The start of muskrat and mink trapping at the Oak Orchard and Tonawanda WMAs will run from Dec. 2 to Feb. 15.

Beginning Oct. 2, trapping permits will be issued for the Oak Orchard, Tonawanda, and John White WMAs for the 2017-2018 license year.

Permit applications can be obtained weekdays from Oct. 2 to Nov. 30, by appearing in person at the Iroquois National Wildlife Refuge Office on Casey Road between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m., or by writing to the DEC, Bureau of Wildlife, 1101 Casey Road, Box B, Basom, NY 14013.

Trappers who obtain a permit will be required to report their harvest and trapping efforts on each area.

After last year’s extreme drought, water levels on these areas are back to normal conditions this year, but there are new areas of dense vegetation in several marshes. Wetland muskrat and mink trapping maybe limited to dike trapping in a number of marshes to allow the muskrat population to continue to recover from the drought, especially in marshes where increased muskrat numbers will benefit marsh habitat conditions. Full access for trapping will be permitted in the remaining marshes.

Additional information will be available by Oct. 2, and when trapping permits are issued.

The maximum number of traps a trapper can set for muskrat and mink in water on the three areas is 25. To accomplish this, DEC issues 25 numbered tags to each trapper that obtains a permit. A tag must be attached to each trap used on the areas. Any trap that does not have one of these tags attached is an illegal trap.

In addition, an individual trapper can only operate traps that contain tags with their assigned numbers. Traps set for upland trapping and beaver will not require numbered tags and will not be considered in the trap limit. The trap limit provides a more equitable distribution of the harvest and prevents trappers from monopolizing the better trapping areas.

Management of the muskrat population promotes prime emergent marsh habitats used by waterfowl and uncommon marsh birds such as the black tern and least bittern. The trap limit and possible additional trapping restrictions allow DEC’s Bureau of Wildlife personnel to better regulate the muskrat harvest according to water availability, habitat needs and population.

DEC reminds hunters and trappers that gas and electric motorboats are prohibited on Oak Orchard or Tonawanda WMAs.

Buddy Brasky announces fall basketball mini-camp

By Howard B. Owens

Press release:

Batavia varsity basketball Coach Buddy Brasky will hold a Basketball Mini-Camp at the Batavia High School gym this fall. This Mini-Camp is for boys in grades 8-12.

The camp will start Thursday, Oct. 5 and run from 7 to 9 p.m. on the following dates: Oct. 5, 12, 16, 19, 23, 26, 30, and Nov. 2.

This program is for the experienced and serious player only!!!  The program will emphasize offensive skill development. Cost for the program is $95.    For more information call Buddy Brasky at 585-356-4050 or email mbrasky@bataviacsd.org   

** PLAYER MUST BRING THEIR OWN BASKETBALL

Team Captain upsets in Batavia Open pace

By Billie Owens

Team Captain pulls ahead with driver John Cummings Jr.

By Tim Bojarski, for Batavia Downs

Even though the betting public completely overlooked Tioga Downs invader Team Captain at Batavia Downs on Saturday night (Sept. 16), the 16-1 pacer made his presence known in the $10,500 featured Open by upsetting local favorite Fireyourguns in one of the most exciting races held at the Downs this season.

Team Captain (John Cummings Jr.) got away last in the field of seven as even-money shot Fireyourguns went three-deep to take the lead and set quick early fractions of :26.1 and :54.2. He was being prompted by Believe This Bob (Shawn McDonough) who was parked out the entire mile. As the field bunched into two rows up the backstretch, Team Captain was still last and third-over in the outer flow at three-quarters in 1:23.1 but that was about to change.

Coming off the last turn, Focus Power (Drew Monti) tipped three-deep around Itsonlyrocknroll A (Larry Stalbaum) and Team Captain tipped four-wide around him. As the cavalry charge roared down the stretch, Fireyourguns weakened inside as Focus Power and Team Captain went toe-to-toe all the way to the wire with Team Captain eventually getting a head advantage under the light in 1:52.4.

Team Captain ($34.20) scored his sixth win of the year for owner Joseph Martinelli Sr. who has benefited from his horse's efforts this year in the amount of $35,610. Paul Bernardo trains the 5-year-old gelded son of Cam’s Card Shark.

In the co-featured $9,000 Open II pacing event, Show Stopping ($28.20) tracked fast fractions set by Mister Livan N (Larry Stalbaum) from sixth before pulling second-over at three-quarters and then tipping three-wide at the top of the stretch to pace away from the field and win by one-half length in 1:53.1.

Show Stopping is owned by Resilient Racing Stable and trained by Rose Russo.

Drew Monti, Kevin Cummings, John Cummings Jr. and Ray Fisher Jr. all had driving doubles Saturday. Trainer Rose Russo also sent out two winners from her stable.

Racing resumes at Batavia Downs on Monday (Sept. 18) with post time at 5 p.m.

Perry beats Pavilion in volleyball, 3-0

By Howard B. Owens
Perry won all three matches against Perry in volleyball on Friday night by scores of 25-21, 25-7, and 25-17.

For Pavilion, Alissa Cianci had 6 kills with Lexi Eighmey contributing 12 digs as the libero. Pavilion is now 0-3.

For Perry, Maleena Stickley had a consistent, strong serve with 4 aces as well as great defense with 7 digs. Lydia Boyd led the offense with 4 kills with Ashley Page close behind, contributing 3 kills of her own. Perry is now 3-2.

Photos: Arc hosts annual 5K in Elba

By Howard B. Owens

The Arc of Genesee Orleans hosted the agency's annual 5K run and walk in Elba this morning.

We have not yet received the results of the race.

Blue Devils beat Cardinal-O'Hara 28-13

By Howard B. Owens

The Batavia Blue Devils moved to 2-1 on the season with a 28-13 victory over Cardinal-O'Hara at Cardinal-O'Hara this afternoon.

Ray Leach rushed for 179 yards on 21 carries and scored a TD.

Chandler Baker gained 91 yards on the ground, scoring once, on nine carries. He was 7-10 passing for 33 yards.

On defense, John Kindig had seven tackles and a fumble recovery. Josh Barber had seven tackles and two interceptions, including one on Cardinal-O'Hara's two-yard line that he returned for a touchdown to close out the game.

Anthony Ray had six tackles.

Le Roy scores with 10 seconds left to beat Cal-Mum/BB 19-18

By Howard B. Owens

After replacing the injured starter at QB, Le Roy's Cole Biggins helped his offense put together two scoring drives in the 4th quarter Friday night to lift the Oatkan Knights from 18-7 down to a 19-18 victory over archrival Cal-Mum/Byron-Bergen.

Biggins capped the second drive with a nine-yard TD pass to Reece Tresco with 10 seconds on the clock.  

After coming in during the 2nd quarter, Biggins was 9-14 passing for 73 yards and gained 65 yards on the ground in eight carries.

Kyler LaCarte gained 48 yards on 13 carries and scored on a 14-yard run for Le Roy's first 4th quarter TD.

Reece Tresco caught four passes for 33 yards and a TD. Gavin Luckey gained 25 yards on two receptions.

Bryce Bordonaro had eight tackles and forced and recovered a fumble.

Photos by Ed Henry.

Top photo: Senior Luke Stella and Coach Brian Herdlein celebrate the Knights’ victory.

Reece Tresco hauls in the game-winning TD 

Reece Tresco (16) and Cole Biggins (22)

Kyler LaCarte

Gavin Luckey with a tackle.

Bryce Bordonaro with a tackle.

Cole Biggins races 31 yards through the Raiders’ defense for a TD.

Egosnattitudes rallies for Batavia Downs feature win

By Billie Owens

Photo of Egosnattitudes in the foreground driven by Larry Stalbaum.

By Tim Bojarski, for Batavia Downs

Slow starts and fast finishes are his trademark and Egosnattitudes followed the playbook to a “T” on Friday night as he captured the $9,000 Open trotting feature at Batavia Downs.

Egosnattitudes (Larry Stalbaum) got away last by ten-lengths to begin the race while Lutetium (Denny Bucceri) called the shots on the front end. While the race cruised by the half in :57.3, Egosnattitudes was rolling up on the outside, trying to get in the mix. Striker Ace (Kevin Cummings) pulled underneath him and drew even with Lutetium and those two matched strides until the five-eighths when Lutetium made a break. With Striker Ace (Kevin Cummings) now on the point, Egosnattitudes kept in hot pursuit and incrementally drew alongside the leader at the top of the lane before continuing right by him in the stretch to win in 1:57.1.

It was the sixth win of the year for Egosnattitudes ($3.80) and the third win in four Batavia Downs starts. Egosnattitudes is owned by Graham Grace Stables LLC and is trained by Kim Asher.

In the $8,500 Open II, Skyway Priss (Jim Morrill Jr.) was the only mare in the field and led every step of the way, winning her seventh race of the year in 1:57.3, which was a new seasonal mark. It was the second straight win for Skyway Priss ($4.20) both of which were for her new owners Buona Fortuna Stable and Marissa Russo who purchased the mare privately on September 3. David Russo trains the winner.

Several horsemen had multiple win nights at the Downs on Friday. Leading driver Drew Monti and Jim Morrill Jr. both had a triple on the card while Larry Stalbaum brought two to the circle. And trainers Darrin Monti, Mark Temperato and Kim Asher conditioned two winners apiece during the proceedings.

Racing resumes at Batavia Downs on Saturday night (Sept. 16) with the first post slated for 6 o'clock.

Friday Night Football: Pembroke beats Notre Dame 48-6

By Howard B. Owens

Zach von Kramer rushed for 250 yards on 15 carries and three touchdowns to lead the Pembroke Dragons to a 48-6 win over Notre Dame.

Von Kramer also had nine tackles on defense.

For the Irish, Timothy Klotzbach was 6-11 passing for 122 yards and one touchdown.

In other games:

  • Attica 53, Oakfield-Alabama/Elba 7: Mason Compton had 148 yards, three touchdowns on five carries. 
  • Alexander 44, Holley 6: The Trojans are now 3-0. For Alexander, Chris McClinic carried the ball 12 times for 162 yards and three touchdowns. Terrez Smith rushed seven times for 71 yards and two touchdowns.Erik Scharlau, four catches, 70 yards, one TD.

We'll have more on the Le Roy vs. Cal-Mum game later in a separate post.

Top and bottom photo by Thomas Ognibene. The rest of the photos by Jim Burns.

Blue skies and sunshine forcast for ARC Friends and Family 5 K in Elba

By Howard B. Owens

Press release:

The Friends & Family 5K returns to Elba Saturday (September 16). The 13th annual event raises money for Arc of Genesee Orleans disability services and helps fund the Mary Anne Graney Memorial Scholarship for students in Genesee and Orleans Counties. Mrs. Graney was a dedicated parent, a long-time supporter and an advocate for persons with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

New this year, the former Terri Krieger Memorial 5K has been merged into the Elba event.  Terri was a beloved Arc Staff Member, who passed away in 1997.

The Friends & Family 5K is made up of a 5K certified course and a fun walk, with the route beginning near and ending at the Arc Day Habilitation Center, 4603 Barrville Road, Elba.  Walk in registration is $20 for the 5K and $15 for the fun walk.  Registration opens at 8:45 Saturday morning. The 5K begins at 10 a.m.

The “out and back” 5K course begins on Barrville Road, then east on Bridge, north on Luddington to the end, then back to the Arc Day Habilitation Center.  Neighbors have been notified that the affected roads will be closed while runners and walkers are on the course, approximately one hour.  Town of Elba Highway officials, the Elba Fire Police and the Genesee County Sheriff’s Department will be assisting to ensure a safe, fun time for everyone.

Prizes will be presented to the overall male and female runners, with medals and cookie awards from Casenic Cookies awarded to the male and female first and second place runners in the following age categories:  12 and  under, 13–18, 19–29, 30–39, 40–49, 50–59, 60–69 and 70+.

Based on the beautiful weather forecast, organizers are anticipating a lot of walk-in registrants. 

Get oriented -- learn to find your way using just a map and compass -- at Genesee County Park & Forest, must preregister

By Billie Owens

Come explore the active and adventurous sport of Orienteering! Learn how to find your way without batteries or a cell phone signal, by using a map and compass.

All materials provided, no experience needed.

Orienteering is a family friendly sport for people of all ages and ability levels. Join us at the Genesee County Park & Forest for the Orienteering Event with the Rochester Orienteering Club from 1:30 to 3 p.m. on Saturday Sept. 30th.

This program is FREE!

Beginner class and basic training will be given from 9 to 10 a.m. Orienteering start is open 10 a.m. to noon. All courses close at 3 p.m.

Please preregister by calling 585-344-1122.

Perfect for individuals and families who love the outdoors. Come have some fun and find your way in New York State’s first County Forest.

More information on the sport of orienteering and the Rochester Orienteering Club can be found at http://roc.us.orienteering.org or https://orienteeringusa.org. 

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