events

John Kennedy Intermediate School will be hosting its annual Community Night on from 5 to 7:30 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 14 in the gymnasium.

Last year 23 businesses/associations participated. This free event is sponsored by the John Kennedy Parent Group and it's their first event of the year – where students and their parents are welcomed back to JK, along with new students and their families.

The Western New York Gas & Steam Engine Association's 46th Annual Fall Rally is 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., Thursday through Sunday, Sept. 6-9. The steam show grounds are at 10400 Gillate Road in Alexander.

The event features more than 1,000 pieces of equipment, and demonstrations of threshing, log sawing, bailing and plowing. Plus, lots of fresh steamed sweet corn and other goodies. People from throughout the region flock to it every year.

KELLY'S OLDTIMER'S WILL PROVIDE MUSIC FOR ROUND AND SQUARE DANCING, 6 p.m. at Torrey's Barn on Route 98, four miles north of Batavia. Hay bales for seating or bring your own chair, dress according to the weather (barn is heated/ inside bathroom). Door prizes, 50/50s, lottery basket, good food, FREE coffee, lots of country fun! Surprise extra, local band at 6:30. Adults $6 each, 18 and under $3. Non-alcoholic event. Plenty of parking. Fundraiser for the Historical Society of Elba. For information, call June at 757-2791.

A "Bluegrass Mass" to aid hungry people will be celebrated and Creek Bend will perform at "The Barn" from 5 to 9 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 15.

That's located at 2248 Attica Road in Darien Center.

There will be food, fellowship and fun for all -- a harvest celebration in the Episcopal tradition.

Bluegrass jammers and choir singers of all denominations are encouraged to join in. Please call 547-2372 or email muspark@aol.com

One of Batavia's favorite homegrown musical duos -- Ken and Jeannie Veltz -- will be downtown to perform at Coffee Culture on Sunday evening. Sept. 2 is Ken's birthday!

There will be time to socialize with them beginning at 6:30 and they will perform from 7 to 8:30. (It's free, but donations are gladly accepted.) The eatery is located at 6 Court St. in Batavia.

The folkie, acoustic couple is traveling and performing wherever the wind takes them and they are planning to travel in six states within the next month.

The annual Petco Wiener Dog Races, the final activity of Family Fun Day at the Races, takes place Sunday afternoon (Aug. 26) at Batavia Downs Casino. Post time for the first of 12 exciting harness races is 1:15 p.m. Family Fun Day activities begin at 2 p.m. and the hilarious Petco wiener dog races begin shortly after the last harness race, approximately 4:20 p.m.

This year, 80 dogs are registered to compete.

Camelot -- one of Lerner and Loewe’s most popular musicals -- is the Batavia Players offering for their 16th Annual Summer Youth Theater.

Performances begin at 7:30 p.m. Aug. 16 through 18 at Elba Central School, 57 S. Main St. in Elba.

It's the timeless story of Arthur, the boy who became king when he removed an enchanted sword from the stone.

The story begins as Arthur learns that he is to be married to Guinevere in order to maintain peace for the idyllic kingdom of Camelot.

On Saturday, Aug. 11, the Batavia Motor Speedway -- at 3500 Harloff Road in Batavia -- will host its first national championship ever. The ATV (all-terrain vehicle) Extreme Dirt Track National Championship will take place from noon until 7 p.m., with the races themselves starting at 5 p.m.

Registration begins at 2 p.m., followed by practice from 3 until 4 p.m. and a rider's meeting from 4 until 5 p.m.

Reel Discussions at Richmond Memorial Library will feature the film "You've Got Mail," beginning at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, Aug. 28.

The Tom Hanks / Meg Ryan romantic comedy is the story of two rival bookstore owners who battle in real life and unknowingly begin an Internet romance.

Come view the movie and join us for a group discussion afterward. The library is located at 19 Ross St. in the City of Batavia.

For more information, call the library at 343-9550 or log onto www.batavialibrary.org.

Reel Discussion at Richmond Memorial Library in August will feature the movie "Midnight in Paris." It begins at 6 o'clock on Thursday evening, Aug. 23.

Paris is a city that lends itself to daydreaming, to walking the streets and imagining all sorts of magic. "Midnight in Paris" is about a screenwriter hero named Gil who strolls the lanes of Paris with his head in the clouds and walks right into his own best fantasy.

Come view the movie and join us for a group discussion afterward.

It's time to stuff the bus to help local school children in need. This event will take place from 11 a.m. until 3 p.m. on Aug. 9 and 16 at the Batavia Walmart.

All kinds of school supplies are wanted. Look for the Head Start school bus in the parking lot to drop off your donations.

"Stuff the Bus" is sponsored by Community Action of Orleans & Genesee, The Salvation Army, and Genesee/Orleans Ministry of Concern.

The 26th annual "Antique Truck, Farm & Construction Show" will be held at the Stafford Fire Hall, at 6153 Main Rd. in Stafford, on Friday, Aug. 4 and Saturday, Aug. 5.

Hosted by the Empire State Antique Truck Association, the show includes a tractor pull, a parade, a flea market, a Saturday dinner, a BBQ, prizes and more.

For more information and for specific event times, call 768-6503 or e-mail dmk-kingsm@hughes.net.

The 26th annual "Antique Truck, Farm & Construction Show" will be held at the Stafford Fire Hall, at 6153 Main Rd. in Stafford, on Friday, Aug. 4 and Saturday, Aug. 5.

Hosted by the Empire State Antique Truck Association, the show includes a tractor pull, a parade, a flea market, a Saturday dinner, a BBQ, prizes and more.

For more information and for specific event times, call 768-6503 or e-mail dmk-kingsm@hughes.net.

From noon to 2 p.m. on Sunday, July 29, Deanna Spiotta, country singer/songwriter, will be performing live at The Market at North Street.

The county's newest farmer's market is located at the YWCA of Genesee County, Inc., 301 North Street in the City of Batavia.

The market is open from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. every Sunday.

Come shop the variety of local vendors and enjoy the beautiful vocal and instrumental talent of our guest musician!

BrOaDwAy SuNg BaCkWaRdS!, directed by Anthony Giambrone, is must see vocal recital where things aren’t quite what they seem, featuring musical selections from 21 popular Broadway shows.

Ten actors come together to rehearse a Broadway review and start discussing the gender differences in musical theater. With the help of their accompanist and set designer they all decide to sing the entire review (and some other songs) in the reverse gender!

It's tonight at 7:30, July 28, at Harvester 56 Theater (Home of Batavia Players, Inc.) 56 Harvester Avenue, Batavia.

As part of an interstate tour focused on the history of the anti-slavery movement in the Northeast, 16 educators from California and Kenneth Morris, the great-great-great grandson of abolitionist Frederick Douglass, will come to Batavia's Bicentennial Peace Garden around 3:30 pm on Sunday.

Genesee County Historian Susan Conklin is giving a presentation "The Brides of Genesee  -- for Better or Worse" at the Holland Land Office Museum at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, July 26.

Refreshments will be served.

The museum will be open to give people the opportunity to view the exhibit "Treasured Wedding Memories" before it is taken down, the first week of August.   

Anne Marie Starowitz and Kathy Jasinski give tours and share tidbits about the gowns and pictures in the exhibit.

On Saturday, July 28, the Town of Batavia Fire Department will hold its 13th Annual Harley Davidson Fat Boy Raffle. (The model is a 2012 FLSTFB.)

The event runs from 8 p.m. until midnight at the fire department's rec hall at 8380 Lewiston Road. It will feature a beer tent and live entertainment by the band 7th Heaven. Food and refreshments will be available for purchase from Alex’s Place. The event is free admission and open to the public, a raffle ticket purchase is not necessary to attend.

The 8th Annual Taste of Stafford, sponsored by the Stafford Historical Society, will take place at Ilette Park from 5 to 8 p.m. on Thursday, July 12. The park is located at the corner of routes 5 and 237. There will be entertainment, foods to purchase and fun to be had by all. To commorate the 1812 Bicentennial, Ford Best will appear in the 1812-era military garments and the mode of the Militia of America will also be represented. Come and bring your most comfortable lawn chairs and visit with friends, relatives and neighbors.

"DC in the Square" is scheduled for Sunday, July 29 in Batavia's Jackson Square from noon until 4 pm. It is a benefit for Don Carroll, who has spent most of his life raising money for kids in need in Genesee County and is now battling esophageal cancer.

The event will include live performances by "Old Hippies," "Soul Craft" and "Savage Cabbage" as well as a Chinese auction and 50/50 raffle. Everyone is asked to contribute a minimum $2 donation at the gate.