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On Sunday at the Genesee County Fair, members of the 4-H Club competed in the Stockyard Classic Beef Sow and the 4H Beef Show.
On Monday, at 2 p.m., members will show their lambs in another competition and at 5 p.m. it is the Market Hog Show.
For Monday's complete fair schedule, click here.
Photos by Kristin Smith.
Monday, July 22 - SENIOR CITIZEN DAY Sponsored By The Genesee County Pomona Grange & SCOFIELD TRANSFER & RECYCLING DAY at the Fair
• 10 AM – Exhibition Halls & Buildings Open
• 12 PM – Kelly’s Old Timers Band (Entertainment Tent)
• 12 PM – Ice Cream Social (Pomona Grange Ice Cream Stand – Exhibition Building)
• 2 PM – 4-H Market Lamb Show (Show Arena)
• 5 PM – 4-H Market Hog Show (Show Arena)
• 7 PM—Karaoke (Entertainment Tent)
• 10 PM – Exhibit Halls & Buildings Close
Daily at the Fair:
A decent crowd turned out to watch little tykes churn up some dust for the Power Wheels demo at the grandstands Saturday afternoon at the Genesee County Fair.
Some 15 participants skillfully drove their ways down the dirt track in vehicles of red, green, pink and more, all vying for awards that were handed out at the end.
The fair is continuing throughout the day with exhibits, food, and entertainment, including Knight Patrol at 7 p.m. at the yellow entertainment tent. Check out The Batavian's eagle-drawing contest at our booth in the Exhibit Hall all this week or stop by just to say hi and sign up for the newsletter.
Photos by Nick Serrata
Photos by Howard Owens.
All Early Access Pass members will receive a coupon for free entry into the Genesee County Fair on Thursday. Join by the morning of July 24 to be included. Use the Coupon Code GCFAIR 24 for $10 off on an annual membership or $1 off a month for the first year. Click here to join.
Like Local News? Then why not support it? Join Early Access Pass today so we can keep bringing to you the news that matters most, the news of Batavia and Genesee County. Use the Coupon Code GCFAIR24 for a discount. $10 off the first year of an annual membership or $1 off each month for a year on a monthly membership. Click here to join.
This year’s Genesee County Fair talent show contrasted with 2023 as a flood of Mini contestants took to the stage, and the weather remained warm and dry all day, unlike last year’s downpours.
Music was the order of the day, from guitars and piano to singing and dancing to popular favorites. The event capped off outgoing Byron-Bergen senior Aurora Hiscutt’s high school career as she prepares to major in education and minor in music at Genesee Community College, she says.
“When I give a performance that I’m proud of, especially when it’s an event such as closing night of a musical or a senior concert, it’s the best feeling ever. It makes me feel like I’m doing the right thing in my life,” the 18-year-old said after winning first place in the Maxi category Saturday at the yellow entertainment tent. “I felt very confident. I’m used to performing as I’ve done dance and musicals since I was 4. I wanted to participate because, during my school’s talent show, I was unwell and didn’t give a performance that I was proud of.”
According to the judges’ reviews, she can be proud of her rendition of “The Man” by Taylor Swift. She sang and danced a routine that she choreographed herself.
Hiscutt plans to continue singing, but only in a way that will make a difference in the world, she said. On the local level, that would be in her school’s music program.
“I plan on going back and assisting with the musicals at my alma mater, Byron-Bergen,” she said, adding that she enjoys attending the annual fair. “I always look forward to the different carnival foods; it’s a key staple of my perfect summer.
“I’m a fan of the fair because it’s always irritated me how people think of New York and only think of Manhattan. The fair shows off all the amazing things that make Genesee County, well, Genesee County.”
One of those regular events is the talent show, organized and run by Laura Kauppi of Corfu. She was pleased with the number of participants this year, especially in the mini category, ages 6 to 12. It varies from year to year, she said, as there are four age categories, and all can be filled or just a few of them, as was the case this year.
“The mini was huge this year; sometimes it’s just like that,” she said.
Winners were:
Mini Category (ages 6-12)
First Place was a tie:
Second Place:
Third Place was a tie:
Maxi Category (ages 13 to 19)
First Place:
Second Place:
The Eagles tribute band, Eaglez, kicked off this week's live music entertainment at the Genesee County Fair on Saturday.
The coming week's fair entertainment:
Photos by Howard Owens.
Kids and farm animals are always a highlight of any day at the Genesee County Fair, and on Saturday, the first full day of the 2024 fair, it was no different. Members of 4-H showed their livestock in a variety of competitions.
There are also all of the games and vendor booths to visit every day.
Here is Sunday's fair schedule:
• 9 AM—Open Class Poultry Show—(Merton Building)
• 10 AM—Open Class Rabbit Show—(Merton Building)
• 10 AM – Exhibition Halls & Buildings Open
• 10 AM – 4-H Beef Show (Show Arena)
• *Stockyard Classic Beef Show Following the 4 H Beef Show( Livestock Arena)
• 12 PM – 4-H Poultry Show (Merton Building)
• 1 PM to 5 PM Free Kids Bounce Houses
• 2 PM PowerWheels Demo (Grandstands)
• 3 PM Patriot Garden Tractor Pulls (Grandstands)
• 4PM—Fair Queen Pageant (Entertainment Tent)
• 7PM – Knight Patrol – Band (Entertainment Tent)
• 10 PM – Exhibit Halls & Buildings Close
Photos by Kristin Smith
Sunday, July 21st - XYLEM DAY at the Fair
• 9 AM—Open Class Poultry Show—(Merton Building)
• 10 AM—Open Class Rabbit Show—(Merton Building)
• 10 AM – Exhibition Halls & Buildings Open
• 10 AM – 4-H Beef Show (Show Arena)
• *Stockyard Classic Beef Show Following the 4 H Beef Show( Livestock Arena)
• 12 PM – 4-H Poultry Show (Merton Building)
• 1 PM to 5 PM Free Kids Bounce Houses
• 2 PM PowerWheels Demo (Grandstands)
• 3 PM Patriot Garden Tractor Pulls (Grandstands)
• 4PM—Fair Queen Pageant (Entertainment Tent)
• 7PM – Knight Patrol – Band (Entertainment Tent)
• 10 PM – Exhibit Halls & Buildings Close
Hot weather poured into Genesee County fairgrounds as visitors were more intermittent throughout Saturday's opening day.
Attractions included animal shows -- rabbits, goats, sheep, halter draft horses -- vendor booths, the kids' bounce houses and talent show. The Eaglez tribute band is set to take the stage at 7 p.m. under the yellow entertainment tent.
Everything begins again at 9 a.m. Sunday with an open class poultry show, and several more 4-H animal shows, the bounce houses, a Power Wheels demo at 2 p.m. at the Grandstands, followed by Patriot Garden tractor pulls at 3 p.m.
The fair queen finale is set for 4 p.m. at the entertainment tent, where Knight Patrol will fill the air with tunes at 7 p.m.
The Batavian posts a daily schedule of fair activities, and for more details, go HERE.
Photos by Nick Serrata
Genesee County Fair has officially rolled into town, and The Batavian staff is waiting to meet you! We're in the Exhibit Hall all day Saturday and this next week with the second annual eagle-drawing contest in full swing.
Come on over to the fairgrounds on East Main Road, Batavia and draw your best version of an eagle for prizes of a beautiful honey flame Harley Benton SC-Custom II guitar (ages 17 and under), a Red Osier gift card (18 and over) and a ukulele for the People's Choice Award!
Check out all of the animal and other 4-H exhibits, food, music and entertainment going on at the fair. The daily schedule is posted right here on The Batavian, along with photos and stories of the ongoing action.
It didn’t take long for the action to begin at Genesee County fairgrounds Friday evening, as the six-horse hitch teams made their way to the horse arena and nine young ladies prepared to take the main stage one by one for the first half of the fair queen pageant.
“Tonight, after the speeches, we are focusing on women’s health,” pageant director Virginia Zocco said before the event began. “There will be a discussion on the importance of eating clean food. We are hosting a demonstration on cheese making, drying fresh herbs, and milling your own flour, presented by Gabriella Zocco and Lyza Baker. Immediately after, the contestants will be performing their lovely talents.”
This is Zocco’s fourth year as pageant director, and she gives the contestants a packet with rules, including that they need to select a topic for their presentations.
There was a focus on clean eating from the earth this year. Lyza Baker, a Little Miss contestant, and Gabriella Zocco, a contestant for Fair Queen, teamed up, given their mutual interests of love for the earth and a concern for women’s health, said Zocco, who happens to be Gabriella’s mom.
“She loves the pageant; she has done it since 2015. So for her, it was kind of bittersweet tonight because she knows this will be, once you’re queen, you’re kind of aged out,” Zocco said. “But now it's nice to see the other girls come up. The one thing I love about doing the pageant every year is I get to see the girls grow, and I watch them mature and get more confidence, and I watch their love of farming and nature.”
Lyza Jean Baker, 7, is a Little Miss contestant from Basom, where her family raises many animals. She is homeschooled and going into second grade, with this being her third pageant. Lyza is an active 4-H member and will be showing her bunny Ophelia at the fair. Other hobbies are gardening, camping and dance, and this year she is trying out for the Rochester City Ballet performance of The Nutcracker.
Gabriella Zocco, 17, of Le Roy, attends Our Lady of Mercy School for Young Women, where she will be entering her senior year this fall. She maintains a 4.5 grade point average while also being the historian in National Honor Society and a member of the Leadership Distinction Program. Her other activities include founding and acting president of Book Club, co-founder and vice president of Lorax Club, Red Cross Club, Sunshine Club, Merceds Articles, and Mercy Service. She has received awards for her balance of leadership, work, service, academics and clubs, and they include Issues of Morality, U.S. History and Environmental Health, the Rachel Carson Healthy Planet Award from Chatham University and the Youth Leadership Recognition Award. Gabriella is captain of the Mercy Dance Competition Team; she volunteers to care for the earth, animals and people while also enjoying gardening, traveling, and playing the piano and clarinet.
Zocco has volunteered at the fair and was put into the director's position after the last one moved on, she said.
“She got a different position, and it left a pageant director open, and she knows I'm a teacher, and I have experience working with kids and doing different activities,” she said. “So I took on this role because I love what the Genesee County Fair does for the community, and bringing everybody together and having that shared experience. So I really do love continuing the pageant legacy.”
Friday’s pageant included introductions, speeches, and a talent portion. The topics for the speeches can vary according to what the contestants find interesting and important.
“We’re pretty open to what the girls want. And this year, one of our contestants wanted to give a speech on women’s health and the earth, connecting those two together and the importance of clean eating and tying that into our farmers,” Zocco said. “When I give the girls topics to do on agriculture, it’s really open to interpretation. So the girls can take it a different way if they’d like to.”
The talent portion featured “a good range of talents,” she said. “It’s a great variety for the community to see. We had dancing, singing, storytelling, acrobatics,” she said. “Sunday we usually get more people, the tent usually overflows when we crown the contestants.”
The second half of the pageant is scheduled for 4 p.m. Sunday at the Main Stage, under the big yellow tent. It is there and then when the final crowning will occur.
Remaining contestants include:
Also vying for Little Miss is Kali Martino, who is also 7 and moving into second grade at Pembroke Primary School. She lives in Batavia with her family with her family and two puppies and has taken dance classes since she was just 2, including acro, ballet, tap, cheer, and hip-hop. Her favorite sports are soccer, swimming, softball and cheerleading, and she’s very active in her church. Kali’s hobbies are trampoline jumping, dance parties with her siblings, swimming, riding her bike, traveling and gardening. Kali wants to be a teacher and a doctor once she grows up because she wants to help children learn and feel better, she says.
Two contestants for the Miss category: 10-year-olds Eleanor Hudson and Carly Hanel. Eleanor lives with her parents and brother in Alabama and is a 4-H Goat Club member, raising Nigerian award dairy goats. She can’t wait until this fall to be in Future Farmers of America at Oakfield-Alabama Central School, she says. She loves to dance and has been dancing for seven years, currently taking jazz, tap, and pre-pointe ballet classes. Ellie, as she’s called, plays soccer, and participates in Run Club, Page Turners, chorus and plays the tenor saxophone in her school’s band. She attends church, loves musicals, and wants to be an agriculture teacher.
Carly lives with her mom and older sister, loves to sing and draw. This is her second year in th pageant, and she enjoys singing karaoke and being part of her school musicals. She also participated in the Kids Club at her school. Her favorite princess is Cinderella, and she hopes to go to Disney Land one day. Elephants are her favorite animal and aqua green her favorite color.
Duchess contestant Isabella Redden, 12, is from East Pembroke, where she lives with her mom, stepdad and family dog, Dozer. She has a love for swimming, crafts, dance — senior across and jazz — French bulldogs, the piano, reading, and public speaking. Since the age of 5, she has had a desire to contribute to her local fire company and other organizations by helping with activities and events by collecting donations of food, household needs and blankets for the local food pantry. Known as Bella, her future plans are to go into the field of education and musical theater, and she’s waiting to be accepted into the Genesee Community College homeschool accelerated college enrollment program this fall.
Cassandra Judge, 14, a high honor roll student who just completed eighth grade at Akron Middle School, is a candidate for the Princess category. Her academic diligence earned her the Presidential Gold Award, and she received the Mission Mover Award from the school’s Board of Education for initiating and raising all the funds for inclusion projects in her school. She is a member of student government, concert, jazz and marching bands, chorus, cheerleading, Girl Scouts, and a competitive dancer on the Diamond Dance Team for Batavia Muckdogs.
Grand Princess contestant Sara Keller is 15 and lives with her mom in Darien, attending 10th grade this fall at Alexander Central School. Sara has been a dancer since 2016. She also loves toeing and has been part of her school chorus and the school’s swim team. She participates in church activities, attends youth group, and enjoys traveling — having visited seven countries and 19 states. For several years, she has helped her grandpa raise goats, chickens and pigs on his small farm.
Corrine Rhoads, the second Grand Princess contestant, is 14 and lives in Le Roy with her family, participating in the 4-H programs of Family Consumer Science, Fur and Feather, Dog and Raptor clubs. She likes to play ultimate frisbee and has competed in the state and national championships, spends a lot of tie hanging out with her teammates, and hiking, going to church and writing poetry. She has spent the last four years performing in the circus and enjoys working with her partner in ground acrobatics, the Lyra and recently began the Chinese pole. Corinne plans to continue her education at GCC this fall and would like to pursue a career in criminal justice and psychology.
Saturday, July 20th, LOR ROB FARMS DAY (in Memory of Richard Barie)
The Genesee County Fair is underway.
Friday's first day featured only a few events, including the North American 6 Horse Hitch Classic.
Check The Batavian daily for the fair schedule and coverage, and also stop by the fair's Media Center to meet the staff of The Batavian and WBTA and enter our contests.
Photos by Kristin Smith.
Friday, July 19 — North American 6 Horse Hitch Classic Series
($5 carload entry to the fair Friday, 7/19th only)
Gates Open at 2PM
Like Local News? Then why not support it? Join Early Access Pass today so we can keep bringing to you the news that matters most, the news of Batavia and Genesee County. Use the Coupon Code GCFAIR24 for a discount. $10 off the first year of an annual membership or $1 off each month for a year on a monthly membership. Click here to join.
With less than a week to go before Genesee County's largest event comes to roost for eight days, volunteers are mowing grass, whacking weeds, assembling animal pens, cleaning out buildings, preparing the barns, setting up tables and chairs and putting in the time from sunup to sundown until showtime.
It's hardly glamorous, but that's what keeps the annual county fair, driven by Genesee County’s 4-H participants and Agricultural Society volunteers, alive and well—with record numbers the last two years.
“For us volunteers that are putting it on, it never ends. So this is almost like our Super Bowl, right? We get to this very week, and we work a ton of hours. You know, it's a little bit different planning it because you do a lot of planning, like, during the day or at night, or when I'm in my car, I make a lot of phone calls, so you're always doing something every day to plan it," Ag Society Treasurer Norm Pimm said to The Batavian. "But within the week of the fair … we don't leave the fairgrounds. We’re there all week; we're there 24 hours a day for fair days. And it's tiring, because it's so long.
"But we do it, obviously, for the community, to keep growing and keep going so the kids in the community have something to enjoy. Because, I mean, a lot of the county fairs are either cutting back or are no longer in existence, and a lot of carnivals have sort of either died out or gone away," he said. "So we're trying to make sure that we stay there for the long term. Our focus is to keep this thing moving.”
The fair has continued to grow with the number of participants, variety of entertainment, and size of animal entries, Pimm said, and as a result, there’s been a constant increase of attendees that ramble through the entryway at $10 per carload.
It's all set to begin July 19 at 5056 East Main Road, Batavia with a stockyard classic hog show, the North American Six-Horse Hitch Classic Series, and the fair queen pageant, and the schedule doesn't stop until the final fireworks show is over on July 27.
Fair highlights
Back by popular demand, the North American Six-Horse Hitch Class Series is set for 5:30 p.m. July 19 in the horse arena, with a draft horse farm team show at 6:30 p.m. Tucked into that is the first half of the traditional fair queen pageant at 6 p.m. under the yellow entertainment tent.
A fair favorite — the talent show — will hit the stage at noon on July 20 under the big yellow tent. Show organizer Laura Kauppi is looking for entrants of any age and type of talent (with the stipulation that acts must be family-friendly), so if you’ve got a song to sing, an instrument to play or a routine to perform, she wants to hear from you.
Participation is free, and there will be small cash prizes for first, second and third-place winners. Register before Sunday to receive a goody bag. Registration forms are available here
Later that evening at 7 p.m., The Eaglez tribute band will return for another year of “Life in the Fast Lane” and more country and soft rock tunes.
Knight Patrol, a Rochester 80s cover band, has been added to the lineup for 7 p.m. July 21, capping off the fair queen pageant and crowning earlier that afternoon at 4 p.m.
Meanwhile a Power Wheels demo and garden tractor pulls are scheduled at the track over at the grandstands at 2 and 3 p.m., respectively.
July 22 is Senior Citizen Day, which means half-price entry at $5 per carload from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. for seniors and special entertainment by Kelly’s Old Timers Band at noon.
In lieu of the midway’s arrival not happening until Tuesday, there will be several free inflatable bounce houses and obstacle courses set up for kids from 1 to 5 p.m. July 20-22, Pimm said.
July 23 is Veteran’s Day, with $5 per carload from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. for veteran visitors. The midway is set to open from 4 to 9 p.m., with a kids’ day special from noon to 4 p.m. on July 24 and July 27 for $20.
The fair parade is set for 6:30 p.m. July 23, and 7 p.m. karaoke nights will provide opportunities for folks to perform July 22 for a competition and July 23 for an open mic.
Faith at the Fair, a popular collection of denominational musical performers, is set to begin at 4 p.m. July 24.
Unrelenting rain forced the cancellation of last year’s first-time 100-lap Enduro, so organizers have brought it back for a second try as a new element for the fair at 6:30 p.m. July 24 at the Grandstand.
First Responder’s Day on July 25 means $5 per carload for anyone with a first responder/EMS badge from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. This is the day when much of the 4-H participants’ hard work culminates in the market animal auction, which begins at 6 p.m. at the main show ring.
"We're working on getting another band for that Thursday," Pimm said.
The demolition derby is set for 7 p.m. July 26 at the Grandstands while BB Dang turns up a little high-energy pop, rock and country from 7 to 11 p.m. at the yellow entertainment tent. Fireworks wrap up the demo derby.
A new event -- the screaming diesel shootout semi pulls, modified pick-up, street and mini mod tractor pulls, are lined up for 7 p.m. July 27 at the track Grandstand while Nerds Gone Wild get their 80s on — figuratively and literally —with some fun apparel and melodies from the decade. Fair-goers are asked to join the fun by dressing the part.
Fireworks are scheduled to close out the evening and the fair.
In between these highlights there are, of course, the many 4-H animal exhibits and shows, tempting sweet and savory midway and Chuck Wagon foods, carnival games, pig races, kangaroos, trailer of birds, color wars, vendor exhibit halls, a balloon display and demonstration, small fry tractor pulls, a Future Farmers of America competition, radio-controlled car racing, a fair trivia hunt with prizes, and other activities.
Volunteers are always welcome throughout the event to help out with things such as parking and at the food stand, Pimm said. If you’re interested in helping out, call the fair office at 585-344-2424.
For hours, schedule and other details, go to Genesee County Fair.
Press Release:
As the Genesee County Fair approaches, anticipation rises for the annual Princess/Queen Pageant, scheduled to take place on July 19 and 21 at the fairgrounds in Batavia.
The pageant, a highlight of the fair, offers participants a unique opportunity for personal growth and development while also opening doors to significant educational and career prospects. Moreover, it serves as a vital platform for agricultural representation, fostering a positive impact on both individuals and their communities.
Participants in the pageant receive complimentary entry to the fair, granting them access to a plethora of engaging activities and exhibits. The event itself comprises several components, including delivering a speech, showcasing a talent, and fielding questions from a panel of judges. Additionally, contestants have the honor of joining the fair's parade, further enriching their experience.
For those interested in participating, applications are available by emailing geneseecountyfair.pageat.ny@gmail.com.
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