After taking pictures at the demolition derby, I spotted this guy doing a little juggling as I left in the food vendor area.
I'll post derby pictures, and Town of Batavia Fire Department raffle/party pictures on Sunday.
At the Genesee County Fair, the local chapter of MOPS -- Mothers of Preschoolers -- has a tented booth at the far end of the bathroom that is a changing station.
Say the MOPS, "We offer a clean place to change the little ones and also a nice clean comfortable place to breastfeed.
"Stop by and get info about joining our MOPS family with your little one or just stop in, say 'Hi!' and use our facility.
The Genesee County Fair opened Tuesday.
All of the typical county fair goodness is available this year -- carnival rides, food, games, big farm equipment, a chance to get up close to farm animals, livestock competitions, crafts and contests, music, dancing and live entertainment.
There will be a meat auction on Thursday.
The fair runs through Saturday.
More photos after the jump.
Here's a news release from Cornell Cooperative Extension of Genesee County about this year's fair and the 4-H Club.
It’s summer. And it’s been awesome! Looking for something to do? Something that will support our community, and our youth, and our roots? Something that will be fun, relaxing, easy to do, and, if you aren’t careful, you might even learn something?
It’s the Genesee County Fair – July 20 through 24. Five bucks per carload to park, and then free admission. Where else are you going to get a deal like this?
The Genesee County Fair has been in existence for 170 years! That’s 170 years of countless volunteers working to entertain each of us, right here in Genesee County.
These numbers speak to the rich history of our community, its foundation, and the drive of countless residents collaborating to make our community stronger, involving youth in positive activities, and trying to give each of us something positive to experience and remember.
The fair is sponsored by the Genesee County Agriculture Society, a non-profit organization, made up of farmers, businesses, and concerned citizens, dedicated to preserving and promoting agriculture in an effort to enhance the quality of life in our community.
Why is this important? Well, if you like to eat, drive, wear clothes, use blankets, live in any kind of structure, agriculture should be important to you – since everything begins with agriculture.
The fair – it brings up all kinds of memories for each of us. The fair has certainly changed over time, but then, what hasn’t? Regardless of what you might think of the fair, I happen to know that there are many 4-H youths and their families and their leaders and their educators that work all year long for the opportunity to show everyone what they have been learning.
4-H is just one component of the fair. Cornell Cooperative Extension of Genesee County, the home for the 4-H program in our county, is celebrating its 90th Anniversary - 90 years of educating youth in our community.
During the fair, 4-H members have the opportunity to showcase their projects. These hands-on experiences help youth improve skills, learn the importance of following rules carefully, gain confidence in interacting with judges and speaking with confidence about their project, all while handling the excitement and nerves that come from public presentations.
Please show your support for this event. The fair is an important staple in the 4-H program. Projects and animals are judged according to county standards with a select few being awarded the opportunity to be displayed at The New York State Fair in Syracuse.
In case you don’t know about 4-H, it is the world's largest, dynamic, informal educational program for young people and is based on democratic principles. Nearly 7 million youths, ages 5-19, participate in 4-H Youth Development experiences.
For more information, please contact Paul Webster at HYPERLINK "mailto:pvw7@cornell.edu" pvw7@cornell.edu, or 343-3040, ext. 117.
See you at the fair!
The annual Genesee County Fair will be held from Tuesday, July 20 until Saturday, July 24 at the Genesee County Fairgrounds, at 5056 E. Main St. Road in Batavia. Admission is free, but there will be a $5 charge for parking.
The fair will last from 8 a.m. until 11 p.m. each day, with rides starting at 4 p.m. Kids and families can ride as much as they want for $10.
Grandstand events, a car show, parade, food, animals, a queen contest and entertainment will also be included.
Additionally, this year's fair will have a new feature: people are invited to sell crafts on Thursday, Friday and Saturday.
Call 344-2424 for further details.
The annual Genesee County Fair will be held from Tuesday, July 20 until Saturday, July 24 at the Genesee County Fairgrounds, at 5056 E. Main St. Road in Batavia. Admission is free, but there will be a $5 charge for parking.
The fair will last from 8 a.m. until 11 p.m. each day, with rides starting at 4 p.m. Kids and families can ride as much as they want for $10.
Grandstand events, a car show, a parade, food, animals, a queen contest and entertainment will also be included.
(UPDATED 9:40 p.m.)
David W. Connors, the Livonia man injured in an accident at the demolition derby on Saturday, has died.
The Sheriff's Office confirmed his death this afternoon. He was prounced dead at 1:31 p.m. at Strong Memorial Hospital, according to a release issued late this evening.
Connors, 64, was a safety official at the demolition derby and was on the derby's track when one car struck another, spinning the second car around violently about 180 degrees. The back of the second vehicle then struck Connors.
The driver of the mini-van that struck Connors has been identified as Eric Weis, 27, of Batavia.
The accident occurred about 8:21 p.m. Saturday.
As soon as Connors was hit, crews from the Stafford and Elba fire departments as well as Batavia ambulance personnel jumped over a concrete barrier from where they were standing and went to his aid. A yellow vinyl barrier was erected around him while emergency personnel tended to him.
He was quickly transported via ground ambulance to UMMC and later transferred to Strong Memorial Hospital in Rochester where, as of about 10 a.m. this morning, he was still listed in guarded condition.
(UPDATED 6:45 a.m., July 27)
A 64-year-old man from Livonia was injured last night at the demolition derby at the Genesee County Fair, the Sheriff's Office confirmed in a news release this morning.
The victim, who was a safety worker, has been identified as 64-year-old David W. Connors. Nor has the 28-year-old driver, from Batavia, of the car that struck him.
Connors is at Strong Memorial Hospital in Rochester where he is in guarded condition.
The accident occurred at 8:21 p.m.
A City of Batavia ambulance was on scene immediately, as were personnel from the Stafford Fire Department and the Elba Fire Department. The victim was transported to UMMC and then transferred to Strong.
The ongoing investigation is being handled by Deputy Frank Bordonaro, Sgt. Steve Mullen, Sgt. Gregory Walker and Deputy John Duyssen of the Crash Management Team.
No other information is available at this time.
We've heard this from enough sources to report that there was a an accident at the demolition derby in at the Genesee County Fair early this evening. An individual was taken by ground ambulance to UMMC. Mercy Flight could not respond due to the weather.
We have heard that the Sheriff's Office is investigating the accident, so we anticipate a press release or accident report as soon as Sunday, but maybe not until Monday.
I've received requests for more information, but none is available at this time.
Well, this PR director of Care-A-Van can truly say she enjoyed the parade tonight. Reports have it that she did much better passing out candy, than she did videotaping their last parade event here in Batavia. Just a few pics to share of tonight's parade.
The Parking lot was a very busy place
CARE-A-VAN'S REMOTE CONTROL VEHICLE ALL READY FOR THE ROUTE
Kelly Cook, one of our teen volunteers joined us tonite to pass out candy
LARRY HICKS OUR DONATIONS DIRECTOR LEADS THE WAY
HERE THEY GO, OUR RESCUE VAN AND BUS ..
Got to love the Horses
Our Friends from Freedom village doing a few last minute things to their float.
I hope someone here got a picture of the whole complete presentation. I just saw it from a distance and do not have a great zoom lens!
The before picture.. man what this pile transformed into was amazing. Keep your fingers crossed that someone will share!
It's true. Woody the show steer that escaped from the Genesee County Fairgrounds early last week has been apprehended and settled into a stall back home. We swear. Dr. Cricket Johnson says so in her very own words on WBTA. She and her crack team of cow catchers picked him up last night. They say he has lost some weight and will need some fattening up before being sold for... slaughter.
It may not be easy, but all alcoholism and substance abuse facilities in the state will have to go smoke free. Executive Director of GCASA David Markham told Dan Fischer that between 80 and 90 percent of people in treatment are smokers.
Check out WBTA for these and other stories:
Thanks to Steve Ognibene for sending us these photos from the final day at the Genesee County Fair Saturday. (The little lady on the "Scrambler" ride is his five-year-old daughter, Alyssa.) If you have any pictures or video or poetry or whatever about your time at the fair this past week, send it along, and we will put it right up on the site. Mail your submissions to: philip (at) thebatavian (dot) com.
There's little in the way of hard, breaking news in today's Daily News. The front page includes a profile of County Legislator Annie Lawrence, the next installment of Tom Rivers' farm labor series — Tom shows a heifer at the fair — and an article about scrap metal dealers picking at the carcasses of beat-up demolition derby cars.
By no way do we fault the paper for this dearth of big news. If you've already read the police blotter for the weekend, you'll see that it was mostly accidents, and the only way the sheriff's deputies were able to record numerous arrests was to go out and set up road blocks.
It seems a slow, newsless weekend was upon us. Maybe the heat — that putrid bog of stifling ozone and gnats — played a part. For sure it kept me locked in the bedroom with the air on full blast. How about you? Or maybe you disagree with me altogether, and you experienced a weekend overflowing with newsworthy happenings. If so, write about them. Or send them along and we'll write about them.
As always, we encourage you to get out and pick up a copy of the Daily News at local newststands. Or, better yet, subscribe at BataviaNews.com.
Here's a schedule of events for tonight at the Genesee County Fair:
Friday:
Visit the Fair's Web site for a full schedule of weekend events and other information.
LeRoy police have identified the body discovered in Oatka Creek Wednesday afternoon as that of 41-year-old Glenn Kanaley, according to the Daily News. No cause of death has been determined, and the body has been taken to the Monroe County Medical Examiner's Office where an autopsy will be performed.
LeRoy Police Chief Christopher Hayward dispelled rumors on television that the death was a suicide. "Nothing indicated he was suicidal," writes reporter Scott DeSmit.
In other news, the New York State School for the Blind opened its "Sensory Park" playground Wednesday. The park is designed to"stimulate senses (and) help students with motor skills" and includes an herb garden, slides and a swingset, pedal cars, go-carts and a "spongy carpet, which gets thicker under any areas where students are apt to fall."
The Genesee Valley Agri-Business Park was approved for a $225,000 grant from the Batavia Town Board at its meeting last night.
Consolidation is under way as city police officers begin training on the new computer system they will share with the Genesee County Sheriff's Office. Once the consolidation is complete — should be in September — there will no longer be a dispatcher in police headquarters. Instead, "the city will have a clerk on duty during day-time hours."
Investigation into the fire that scorched Cristina's Restaurant Saturday continues, though "the probe has shifted ... to interviewing people," writes Paul Mrozek. Cristina's owner Charles Brumsted has declined to comment to the Daily News and has not returned messages left by The Batavian.
Pick up your copy of the Daily News at local newsstands — such as Main Street Coffee. Or, better yet, subscribe online at BataviaNews.com.
Check out WBTA for these and other stories:
Visit the Genesee County Fair Web site for a full list of all entertainment for the week, plus info about the Fair Queen Pageant, tonight's Parade and other special events.
Today's highlights include:
Jason McElwain will be the Grand Marshall for the Fair Parade this evening at 6:30pm, followed by an autograph signing with Jason in the Entertainment Tent from 7:30 to 8:00pm.
If you've got a video camera and fancy yourself a cinéaste, The Batavian would be glad to take any footage you've got of the parade or any other fair festivities and put up highlight reels on our site. Send Philip an e-mail at philip (at) thebatavian (dot) com or give him a call at (585) 802-3032, if you're interested.
Supermen, stuffed pink monkeys and plenty of other plush carnival prizes were strung up for the games yesterday afternoon when I stopped by the Genesee County Fair to get a preview of the festivities to come.
But the day belonged to the animals — bleating, sleeping, flirting, grooming, chewing, spitting, spatting, stinking, yet so lovable, animals. Plus the kids with water bottles who darted in and out of the stalls squirting at each other and squealing (not much unlike the goats, in fact) with glee.
As soon as I passed through the admissions gate, I heard the roosters. There must have been a hundred or so. Cackling, hooting and cock-a-doodle-doing and packed together in steel cages stacked one on top of another. Despite their close quarters they kept a proud chest high as they strutted, kicked up dust and barked at the rows upon rows of bunnies and fat rabbits that were as silent and immobile as the roosters were raucous and loud.
All of the game carts were shuttered, the rides were grounded, and the taffy girl wasn't pulling much of anything yet. A few families meandered through the midway. A couple dozen folks occupied the bleachers to spectate during some sort of sheep contest. But the animals seemed to outnumber the humans.
I couldn't quite gauge the emotion in this lady to my right here. At first she seemed sad, then flirty, then resigned, a little bit lethargic, all without doing any more than what you see her doing right here. Maybe she wanted someone to switch up the music — the speaker was set in front of her, sounding something jovial and bouncy, and she seemed anything but. A little while later, when I passed by again, she had the same expression on her face, though the tongue kept slipping out and tasting the air as a fellow bearing a set of clippers shaved the backs of her ears.
It didn't take long for this city boy to get over some of the more pungent, sour stinks emanating from the pens — was it the pheasants, I can't say — and soon enough I felt like a Saint Francis waiting for pigeons to land on my hands so we could converse and know the meaning of creaturely love.
Ah, the hogs. They had to be my favorite of the fair animals. They were most certainly the only ones there who, once alerted to the presence of myself and my camera, willingly sought out the lens. Like this starlet up above here who wanted to touch snouts with me, I'm sure. Or this one below who I'm sure hid a heart of love beneath that gruff, sleepy front he put up for the camera. If you look closely, you can see he wants to smile.
Then, of course, there were the goats.
Some had ears, some didn't. Some had horns, some didn't. Some couldn't keep their mouths shut for a second, bleating at kin and human baby alike. This one here was sounding the alarm for a few minutes straight. Maybe she was impatient to get out and strut her stuff, who knows.
Others were shuffled out of the pens, lifted up by strangers and cautiously pet by the trembling hands of little kids who went wide-eyed with joy at the touch of fur to skin.
Many of the sheep seemed content just to get some down time. Dressed to impress, they reclined in sackcloth coats, elastic sweaters and even tee-shirts. It must have been hard work getting paraded out in front of the gawking, bleacher-seated spectators while strangers grabbed at your sensitive places in front of all your friends and relations. But they bore it in style, those woolen ladies of the grange. Their randy goat brethren, however, typically got a laugh out of the whole show.
I have to admit. It wasn't easy to leave. I've never been much of an animal person. But there was something in the way the cows hid behind the fence slats only after I aimed the camera at them, something in those snouty grunts of the hogs and the knowing sneers of the goats, as if all of us — the animals, the frightened-yet-elated babies and the awkward photo-journalist — all of us shared something that never had to be spoken because it was already known. A sort of complicity, though none of us were guilty. A shared involvement in the silly, imbalanced joke of life that was had at all of our expense.
So I tell you. If you can get that much out of one brief visit to the fair, in the middle of the day, when the fried dough hadn't even been fried yet — then it's worth the $5 per carload.
My wife and I went to the County Fair tonight. We walked through all the animal exhibits, watched some of the horse competitions, admired the work that the 3-H Clubs are doing, enjoyed the performance of a talented your magician, and ate food from two granges. The weather was perfect for a liesurely stroll through the grounds. I was impressed by the number of young people who were participating in the Fair and those that were there to support their friends. We reccomend that you take the time tomorrow to enjoy a major part of our cultural base here in western NY.
Copyright © 2008-2022 The Batavian. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms of Service
