events

The public is invited to hear the powerful and inspirational account of a Genesee Community College graduate's battle with a rare form of cancer.

"Life is Tough But I Am Tougher" is alumna Suzanne Smith's (Class of '09) story of the challenges she met and overcame following her diagnosis, which occurred shortly after she graduated from GCC as a nontraditional student.

There will be a spaghetti dinner and raffles to benefit the Ireland family from 6 to 9 p.m. this Saturday, Oct. 29, at St. Brigid Church Hall in Bergen.

The church is located at 18 Gibson St.

Cost is $12 for adults, $5 for children, and children under 2 pay nothing. Cost per family is $30. Contact Jan Bausch for tickets and reservations, including the number of diners, at 315-2717.

Checks should be made payable to Patty Ireland, P.O. Box 81, Bergen, NY 14416.

Teachers, caregivers and librarians are invited to a workshop conducted by Betsy Zahniser, creator of "The Music Box: Songs, Rhymes and Games for Young Children."

It will be held from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. on Oct. 24 at Richmond Memorial Library, located at 19 Ross St. in the City of Batavia. Phone 343-9550.

Oakfield United Methodist Church will host its annual Pork Dinner from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 29.

Menu: Pork, dressing, potatoes, sauerkraut, carrots, dessert and drink.

Adults - $9. Kids under 5 - $4. Eat in or take out. Call 948-5550 for tickets or info.

Press release:

On Oct. 15, St. Joseph’s School will hosting the 52nd Annual Popcorn Ball. This year’s event will feature dinner from D & R Depot of Le Roy.

Cocktail hour starts at 6 p.m. with dinner being served at 7 p.m. Dinner will include sliced turkey, beef burgundy tips, a mashed potato bar, pasta and other great sides.

Feeding the birds is a rewarding and enjoyable hobby in the midst of chilly winter weather. Join our expert birding Master Gardener on Oct. 12 as she shares backyard feeding tips and shows you the birds that may visit your yard this winter.

The class will take place from 6 to 8 p.m. at Cornell Cooperative Extension of Genesee County, 420 E. Main St., Batavia.

Press release:

Students in grades 7-12 and their parents are invited to discover career opportunities in the skilled trades from 5 to 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 13 at the Genesee Valley Career & Technical Center, 8250 State St. Road, Batavia.

The Genesee County Business/Education Alliance and the Genesee Valley Educational Partnership (a BOCES organization) are co-sponsoring the Skilled Trades Fair/Open House in collaboration with several area employers.

Local author Miranda Fix will be signing copies of her book 'Calling All Angels' from 1 to 3 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 8 at Coffee Culture in Batavia. It is located at the corner of Evans and Ellicott in the City of Batavia.

The book is a collection of inspirational stories and poetry in memory of family and the patients Fix took care of during her nursing career. A portion of all proceeds go to the Lupus Foundation of Genesee Valley.

The second annual Farm to Table picnic hosted by the Genesee County Democratic Committee will be held from noon to 3 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 9 at Emery Park, located on Route 5 in Stafford. (In case of inclement weather event is being relocated to Stafford Fire Hall.)

Each year the Democrats choose a public servant to honor and dedicate the event to. It is part of recognizing homegrown public servants. Doug Call is the honoree for the 2011 Farm to Table picnic. And he's about as homegrown as they come.

On Saturday, Oct. 15, Genesee Community College’s on-campus housing, College Village, will sponsor a benefit for senior resident assistant, friend and colleague, Pubudu Pattiyage. This benefit, “Love for Pubudu,” will raise vital funds for Pubudu who was hospitalized throughout the month of September in the Neuro ICU of Millard Fillmore Gates Hospital in Buffalo with a brain hemorrhage.

The Genesee Country Stompers line-dance group is holding a fundraiser dance from 7 to 11 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 8, at the Salvation Army Gym, located at 529 E. Main St., Batavia.

This will be a family affair and a great time to learn square dancing and line dancing. Line dance instruction will be given by Diane Winters.

Admission for dancers is $7 and for spectators $4. No admission is charged for students under age 16. There will also be a Chinese auction, and refreshments will be available.

Speak Up Toastmasters invites all interested parties to attend its next meeting from 7 to 8:45 p.m., Tuesday, Oct. 11, at 1 Mill St. in Batavia. It's free.

The Genesee County Chapter of Ducks Unlimited will hold its 38th annual fund-raising event at the Sacred Heart Social Center beginning at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 28. The center is located at 17 Sumner Ave. in Basom.

There will be raffles, an auction, a silent auction and lots of good food catered by Bohn's restaurant. This is a family affair -- men, women, children, grandparents, aunts, uncles and all are welcome.

The annual reading from the works of the late author John Gardner is scheduled for 8 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 22 at, of course, the Pok-A-Dot cafe. It's at the corner of Ellicott and Liberty streets in the City of Batavia.

The public is invited for an evening of readings, food and camaraderie in celebration of John Gardner. You can even have your picture taken on the newly installed John Gardner Memorial Bench.

The event is sponsored by The John Gardner Society and Genesee Community College.

The Batavia Music and Arts Advocacy Group (B-MAA) will meet at 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 19 at the GO ART! building in Downtown Batavia.

At the last meeting on Sept. 21, the newly formed group discussed its purpose. The attendees also talked about the possible consolidation of the Batavia Elementary School buildings and how these changes could affect the arts programs within the school district.

There will be a FREE violin concert, featuring violinist Kim Angelis, at the Homestead Event Centre on Friday, Sept. 30. The venue is inside the Batavia Country Mall.

This is an event for families and kids looking for inspiration to start playing the violin (as well as just music lovers).

The concert starts at 7:30 p.m.

For more information, contact Roxy's Music at 343-7222.

A Child Passenger Safety inspection event will take place from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the City of Batavia Fire Department on Saturday, Oct. 1. This will coincide with its annual Open House.

This program is funded by the New York State Governor’s Traffic Safety Committee. An annual grant is awarded to each agency participating in this program, which includes supplies and car seats.Not every inspection results in a new car seat.

Batavia First United Methodist Church is hosting its "Terrific Treasures" Sale on Saturday, Oct. 1. This annual event is at 8221 Lewiston Road from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., with a Bag Sale at 2 p.m.

Some antiques and furniture, many yard sale items, as well as baked goods and produce are available for your shopping pleasure. Hot dogs and popcorn will be sold by Scout Troop 6.

A Distracted Driving Simulator is be on the Batavia campus of Genesee Community College from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Monday, Sept. 19.

Students and community members interested in experiencing a texting-while-driving simulator are invited. It will be in the William W. Stuart Forum.

Experience first-hand the devastating effects of driving and texting. The national "Save a Life Tour" was developed to provide state-of-the-art, interactive driving simulation that truly shows how texting can impair driving skills.

B-MAA meeting to be held at 6:30 p.m. on Wed., Sept.21 GO ART! in the Seymour Building in Downtown Batavia.