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If your child has visions of skimming the ice, hockey stick in hand, in a mad dash to slide a puck into the net, that vision can become reality — and for free, Sharon Valyear-Gray says.

As coordinator for the Try Hockey For Free program, Valyear-Gray encourages families of kids ages 4 to 9 to visit the David M. McCarthy Memorial Ice Arena from 11:40 a.m. to 12:50 p.m. this Saturday and give it a whirl. All they need to get started is a hockey or bike helmet and winter gloves. Free rental skates and the introductory lesson are free.

“The Event is a part of USA Hockey Week Across America with the support of the National Hockey League and NHL member clubs, among others, and is designed to provide youth hockey associations with a national platform for introducing children to the sport, free of charge,” Valyear-Gray said Wednesday. “It is hosted by the Genesee Amateur Hockey Association and we have participated  every year except two during Covid.”

She is a bit disappointed with a total registration of about 20 kids so far, as the sport and this opportunity have usually drawn more interest, Valyear-Gray said. Prior years (since its inception in 2010) have usually meant 25 to 35 youngsters slapping hockey pucks around and learning to balance on thin skate blades.

As a core member of Friends of the Rink, Valyear-Gray has been coordinator of this free hockey program for six years, and has more rcently been working with Matt Gray, operator of the McCarthy arena. He hosted an open house in late September so that folks could see the improvements taking place inside the Evans Street facility.

There’s a newly opened snack shop and other upgrades to check out. Gray’s list of current and future work includes replacement of most fixtures for the concession area, upgrading surfaces for a “warmer and inviting space” to serve as a party room, installation of new LED lights throughout the facility, adding new inventory of roller and inline skates for summertime public use, making improvements to the audio/visual system, and expanding the food stand with dedicated seating in a sports bar concept.

Another plus is that this weekend’s participants will be working with Lead Coach Erik Triftshauser and Fred Hamilton – both who have more than 25 years of experience, she said. 

“They will be on the ice with many of the present United high school players,” she said. “Several present and past coaches also show up to participate as they believe in the event and enjoy the time with youngsters and experience their enthusiasm for hockey.”

“I believe strongly in the event and still have four grandchildren playing within the Genesee Amateur Hockey Association organization,” she said. “Up until two years ago, I had six playing hockey. I realize that there are still many sports still active currently, such as football and soccer that many youngsters are still participating in.”

So why would families want to attend this Saturday? Kids will learn how to  skate, to get up after falling, get some basic skills with a hockey stick, shooting pucks into a hockey net, and all with no monetary investment, she said. Although the program is geared for ages 4 to 9, some participants have been up to 12 years old.

“We look forward to welcoming families to David M. McCarthy Memorial Ice Arena to try our great sport of ice hockey,” she said. “Our goal is for these families to enjoy watching their kids learn new skills with big smiles on their faces.” 

Interested? You can pre-register at TryHockeyForFree.com. Use the 14020 zip code when registering. Walk-ins are also welcome to join, she said. If parents have questions, contact Valyear-Gray at svgray@rochester.rr.com or call 585-344-2248. 

File photo from the 2016 Try Hockey For Free program, by Howard Owens.

July is the time for reorganization, and that means newly elected board leaders — and one new position — for some of the eight public school districts in Genesee County. These changes are in effect from July 1 to June 30, 2023.

Alexander Central School: Brian Paris will continue as president, and Molly Grimes, sworn in for her second five-year term, was elected vice president, Superintendent Jared Taft said.

For more information about the Board of Education, go to: Alexander 

Batavia City School District: John Marucci went from vice president to president, and John Reigle was elected as vice president during the board’s meeting on July 7. Newly elected member Korinne Anderson will fill the vacancy left by Michelle Hume.

For more information about the city’s Board of Education, go to Batavia  

Byron-Bergen Central School:  According to the district’s website, Debra List is president and Yvonne Ace-Wagoner, vice president.

For more information about the board, go to Byron-Bergen 

Elba Central School: Michael Riner was elected as president and Travis Torrey as vice president, said District Clerk Donna Harris.

New board member Mercy Caparco filled a vacancy left by longtime board member Michael Augello, who had served 10 years on the board as a member and president.

For more information about the board, go to Elba   

Le Roy Central School: Superintendent Merritt Holly reported that Jackie Whiting was elected as president and Rich Lawrence for vice president.

For more information about the board, go to Le Roy

Oakfield-Alabama Central School: Justin Staebell remains as president and Jackie Yunker Davis as vice president, Superintendent John Fisgus said.

There is a bit of news for the district’s board, though, he said. A new position was approved as part of the budget vote in May.

“For the first time in Oakfield-Alabama, we do have a student ex-officio board member that sits on our board as a student body representative,” Fisgus said. “His name is Aiden Warner, and he will be going into his senior year here.”

For more information about the board, go to Oakfield-Alabama 

Pavilion Central School: According to the district’s website, Marirose Ethington was elected president and Jeff Finch as vice president.

For more information about the board, go to Pavilion  

Pembroke Central School: John Cima was re-elected as president and Ed Levinstein as vice president, Superintendent Matthew Calderon said.

For more information about the board, go to Pembroke

 

Erica O’Donnell is a newcomer to the race, but not to having particular goals for the city, she says. She has a vision for Batavia and how City Council can improve upon some of the many things she believes are going well right now. She is the lone Democrat seeking a council-at-large seat on the Republican-heavy council and thinks that her presence would add some fresh thinking to the nine-member group.

Erica and her husband Patrick purchased their home on Batavia’s southside in 2012, and soon after welcomed a dog named Gatsby, followed a few years later by a daughter Lila, 7, and a son Connor, 4.  Both children attend City Schools. She has been involved with the local Democratic Committee, helped out with her grandfather’s campaigns for Alabama Town Board and clerk, and Genesee County Legislature, and has since volunteered for and organized campaigns for races at every level of government. She served as secretary of the Genesee County Democratic Committee in 2016 and Second Vice Chair in 2017 and was elected Chair of the City of Batavia Democratic Committee in late 2017. 

Q: What do you feel is your responsibility as a council person-at-large?
A: In my mind, the biggest job, and definitely the main responsibility as a city council member, is to represent the city of Batavia You’re at large, so you represent the entire city, so it’s my responsibility to take the concerns, questions, desires, hopes, and dreams, all of that, of the residents of the city of Batavia to council and to city officials and try and execute that to the best of my ability.

Q: What’s going right in Batavia?
A: We’re definitely seeing great growth downtown, with new restaurants and businesses opening, it’s super exciting, just different activities for families and kids. I’m raising my two kids here, I think it’s a wonderful place to raise a family. We get a bad rap sometimes … that’s not been my experience at all. And we’re not perfect, certainly, there are challenges in the city, but the best way to remedy those is to get involved in and around your community. So I’ve seen great things growing for kids, for families to do something. Usually, when I wanted to do something with my kids you have to go to Buffalo or you have to go to Rochester, and now there are places to go and things to do almost every week in Batavia, and I think that’s awesome.

Q: What could use some improvement?

A: We can definitely do better with those things as well. I grew up in Alabama, and my husband grew up in Oakfield and works in Rochester, and we could have shortened his commute by quite a bit by living in Monroe County, but to be perfectly honest it was way more affordable to live in Batavia. The home that we bought on the south side would be triple what we paid for in Henrietta, Brighton, Penfield … it gives us a lot of freedom to be able to stay home with my kids. During COVID I was able to stay home with them. When you talk to people my age, they maybe don’t think of Batavia as a great place to purchase a home and raise a family, and I think just promoting what a great place this is, and geared toward families to come in. And restaurants and bars are great, but you can only do that so many times. I love going to Eli Fish and O’Lacy’s, but it’s probably not the best place for my 5- and 7-year-old.

Q: What would be your top priority for 2022 if elected?
A: I have a couple of pet projects and an overarching vision. My overarching vision is to bring a fresh perspective and new thinking to the council. I’ve been told many times ‘this is the way it’s always been done,’ and I think there are ways we can come to compromises, and things can be difficult and still be achievable. You might not get 100 percent of what you want all the time, but you can make progress, and you can try your very best, and get there little by little. A couple of my little pet things, parking in city lots and city streets overnight. Right now, if I were to go to one of our establishments downtown, have a couple of drinks, and decide, you know what? I need to take Uber home, I need to catch a ride with a friend, I need to walk and do the responsible thing and leave my car overnight with a parking ticket. Yeah, and that's one of those things that I think there could be a compromise.

Obviously, we need to remove snow. Well, is it possible that snow removal can happen on a Tuesday or Wednesday and then Thursday through Sunday it's ok to leave your cars overnight in certain lots? I think there's a solution there. I think there's something that can be done. Same thing for parking overnight … if you're having family functions and if you're doing work on your house. I know at one point our neighbors were siding their house and it was right on our driveway. Well, it took a couple of days. I didn't want to get a nail in my tire, so we parked on the street and had to make a special arrangement with the city so we didn't get a ticket. I still think it shouldn’t be that big of a deal, you know, and that can be fixed easily. It's something that doesn't cost much. And you know, we can find a solution.

The other thing is the city website. That's something that we could walk in, and in a week, fairly cheaply have it fixed. I was looking for someone for the city manager and they'd ask for the city manager's email address and they couldn't find it. It's got to be on the website. And I found Jason Molino's address. And this list, you know, was earlier on in the summer. It can be hard to find the information that you need to either get a hold of someone in the city or just to, you know, maybe you just have a quick question and it should be easier to find on the city website. I just think that that's something that would be an easy fix.

Q: How will you contribute to city operations?
A: I think that I have a different perspective than most City Council members right now. I call myself an older millennial … I just think I'll bring a fresh perspective. I think I would come at things from a different angle than other City Council members. I would also, if elected, be the only Democrat on City Council. And that might not make a huge difference in day-to-day operations. I don't think that matters much too, you know, average citizens when it comes to, you know, they want the streets plowed down, the leaves picked up, the whole spectrum. But I do think it makes a difference to have people who are cut from a different cloth to at least have a different side of things.

I'm not a stranger to City Council. I don't have a problem reaching out. I mean, for as long, really, for as long as I've lived in Batavia, if there's something bothering me, I'll call my City Councilperson. And 99.9 percent of the time, I'm treated with the utmost respect and I get a response.  I don't think it would be a hindrance at all being a Democrat in Genesee County, we're in the minority and I wouldn't get real far if I wasn't willing to work with people who are from the other political parties.

Q: Why should you get a resident’s vote for this position?
A:  Well, I mean, everything that we've discussed already. I think I'd bring a fresh perspective to the city. I think that I'm a hard worker and a creative thinker. I also believe in doing things proactively. I think we've got a bad habit of kicking the can down the road and, even just the police station. That's something that's been going on and been discussed and drawn out for ages, and we still haven’t broken ground. So I think we need to deal with things head-on, and before it becomes a bigger issue.

Just to bring new ideas, creative ideas, thinking outside the box. I'm involved in a lot of different community organizations. I volunteer all the time and I think just by talking to people and just listening to what people have to say, I'm putting it into action. Being involved and hearing from different groups, I think, is something that's needed.

Q: Does there need to be more housing in Batavia?
A: I think there needs to be more affordable housing. I think that. We own our home. But the two houses to either side of us, which are almost identical in square footage, happen to be single-family rentals. And I know the rent of both homes is double my mortgage. OK, so not everyone is able to get a mortgage. Not everyone is in a position to buy a home and maybe doesn't want to buy a home. Maybe they know they need to be mobile for their job, or they're only here temporarily. But they shouldn't be punished with such a huge burden for their rent, so I don't know what the answer to that is. But I do think there needs to be more affordable housing and affordable rentals in the city.

Q: Do you think there should be more downtown businesses, and if so, what types?
A: Absolutely. I think there should be more downtown businesses. And I hope that in the near future, there will be more of a variety of downtown businesses. I mean, restaurants are great. Barbershops are great. You know, I would love to see more retail on the street.

Q: City Council already voted for a new police station. How do you feel about a new police station and its location?
A: I think it’s absolutely necessary for everyone involved. The location they chose wasn't my favorite location, but we spent a long time researching. They put together the task force and this was what they chose. So I think that, you know, you don't ask people's opinions and ignore them if that's what they think is best. And that's, you know, where it should be done.

Q: Do you think the police department needs more, less, or the same funding for what it needs to do?
A: I think things are going well with our police department. Personally, I haven't heard a lot of complaints. I know all of my interactions with the police, and I know I'm saying that a huge amount of privilege as a white woman, has been positive. That being said, I mean, nobody gets a blank check, right? So you need to be responsible for the funding of all of our departments and the police department. No exception.

Q: Do you feel that city taxes are fair for the amenities that taxpayers receive?
A:  I do. Maybe this is going to be an unpopular answer for some people. No, I mean, nobody likes to pay taxes, let's be honest. Yeah, but that's the price we pay to be a part of society. I know that we have a bad snowstorm. I've got to dig out my driveway, but my street's going to get clear. I've got a big pile of leaves out front that my husband dragged out there, that the city can come to pick up. It's my responsibility to pay my fair share. It's the price we pay to be a part of society.

Q: Have you said everything you wanted to about running for council-at-large?
A: Yes.

A State of Emergency is hereby declared in the City of Batavia, New York for a period of time beginning at 4:30 p.m. on March 17, 2020 and continuing in effect for a period not to exceed five (5) days.

The State of Emergency has been declared due to emergency conditions produced by: the continuing Nationally declared state of emergency, the New York State declared state of emergency, the County of Genesee declared state of emergency, and the anticipated arrival of the COVID-19 novel coronavirus in the City of Batavia.

Such conditions threaten or imperil the public health or safety of the citizens of this municipality.

As Chief Executive of this municipality, I have exercised the authority given to me under New York State Executive Law, Article 2-B, to preserve the public safety and hereby render all required and available assistance vital to the security, well-being and health of the citizens of the City.

I hereby direct all City Departments to take those steps necessary to protect life and property, public health and infrastructure and other such emergency assistance as deemed necessary. In addition, I direct the following specific actions.

1.            The Liberty Center for Youth remains closed until further notice.

2.            All City offices are closed to the public. The City will conduct business with the public remotely through the use of phones, computers, mail, or other means. These offices are otherwise closed to the public, unless a situation requires interaction with a member of the public as determined by the respective City department on a case by case basis. The drop box for the payment of bills is still available at the front of City Hall.

3.            City Council meetings will be closed to the public until further notice. Provision will be made for the public to observe or otherwise remotely participate in City Council meetings.

4.            All other regularly scheduled board, committee, task force, or other official City of Batavia meetings are closed to the public, and shall be either conducted by electronic means (phone, video conferencing, etc.) or cancelled.

5.            City parks remain open for public use provided that the State of New York declared restrictions on congregating are followed. However, all rental or reservation uses of City facilities are suspended until further notice. This includes parks, sports complexes, buildings, roadways, or public walkways that are owned and/or operated by the City of Batavia.

Assistant City Manager

City of Batavia

Rachael Tabelski

Guillermo Torres-Acevedo, 23, of Batavia, pled guilty today in Genesee County Court to one count of second-degree rape. Other charges against him were dropped as part of a plea agreement.

He admitted to being a person over the age of 18 and having sexual intercourse with a person under age 15 in the Town of Batavia sometime between Nov. 15th and the 26th in 2018.

The maximum possible sentence the Puerto Rico native could receive is six years in prison, with 10 years of parole afterward.

Torres-Acevedo will be sentenced on Feb. 18 in Genesee County Court, after he is first sentenced in Federal Court in Buffalo on Feb. 13.

On Wednesday, Torres-Acevedo pled guilty before Chief U.S. District Judge Frank P. Geraci Jr. to enticing a minor, a 14-year-old Bergen girl, to travel across state lines to engage in criminal sexual activity. 

There is no promise of concurrency in county court with the federal sentence, which ranges from six and a half to up to 20 years in prison. The federal penalty could also include a fine of up to $250,000.

The defendant was arrested on Nov. 26, 2018 in Genesee County and charged locally with: four counts of second-degree rape, a Class D violent felony; four counts of criminal sexual act in the second degree, also a Class D violent felony; second-degree kidnapping, a Class B violent felony; and second-degree criminal contempt.

Press release:

The IRS issued new rules that would undermine a critical tax deduction on which New York homeowners rely. This prompted U.S. Senator Charles Schemer to move forward with an effort to restore New York State’s ability to work-around the part of the federal tax law that takes an unfair aim at the state by eliminating a homeowners’ SALT tax deduction.

(SALT stands for State And Local Taxes.)

Loss of the SALT tax deduction will cost New York homeowners tens-of-thousands of dollars.

For example, in Genesee County in 2016, the average SALT deduction amounted to $9,800 and about 6,700 local homeowners took advantage of it, according to statistics compiled by the National Association of Counties.

Schumer says that just as New York State was tying the bow on its work-around plan by passing a law that circumvented the feds, the IRS swooped in and used regulations to squash everything, adding insult to injury for local homeowners.

Therefore, Schumer today (Oct. 22) announced that he will use the Congressional Review Act (CRA) tool to force a vote on the Senate floor this week, on a resolution to nullify recent IRS rules blocking critical state workarounds to harmful state and local tax (SALT) deduction caps, and that restores New York’s ability to work around the harmful caps, allowing homeowners to again fully retain their SALT deduction.

While the IRS blocked New York’s work-around for families, the Treasury Department in September 2018 issued guidance that allowed businesses to continue to benefit from these same work-arounds. Reversing the IRS’s harmful rule will also preserve the ability of states to maintain their own local charitable deductions for education, childcare and nonprofits serving children, rural hospitals, environmental conservation, and more.

“As if the Trump-Republican tax bill — which has spiked tax payments for countless New York homeowners by eliminating the SALT deduction—wasn’t already bad enough, these new IRS rules add insult to injury. They are rubbing salt in the New York homeowners’ SALT-inflicted wounds,” Schumer said.

“Taking away the SALT deduction was brutally unfair to Upstate homeowners and hit ‘em right between the eyes and that’s why later this week, I plan to take control of the Senate floor and force a vote to nullify the IRS’s horrible rule and put power back in the hands of Upstate New York homeowners to soften the blow of the elimination of SALT deductions.

"New York’s hard-working homeowners shouldn’t be forced to bear the burden of the political games that target and punish specific regions of the nation.”

Schumer explained that he can use the special legislative power, provided for under the Congressional Review Act, in an attempt to nullify the recent IRS decision that blocks New York State from working around the provision in the federal tax law that strips New York homeowners from claiming their full SALT tax deduction.

The disapproval resolution under the CRA gives Congress the power to expeditiously review any new federal regulation, like the recent IRS decision that hurts Upstate New York, so long as the CRA disapproval resolution is filed within 60 legislative days of the regulation being finalized. Schumer said the use of the CRA power is comparable to declaring a policy emergency, and when it comes to the SALT deduction in New York State, the issue is serious.

The CRA legislative review is not held to the 60-vote requirement to pass the Senate, Schumer added, making it an attractive plan in this anti-New York era. Schumer reiterated just how serious the SALT issue is across Upstate New York, pointing out county-by-county the average SALT deduction taken by homeowners.

Under the pre-Trump tax code, taxpayers who itemized deductions on their federal income tax returns could deduct state and local real estate and personal property taxes, as well as either income taxes or general sales taxes.

State and local income and real estate taxes had made up approximately sixty percent of local and state tax deductions while sales tax and personal property taxes made up the remainder. According to the Tax Policy Center, approximately one-third of tax filers had itemized deductions on their federal income tax returns.

Schumer has traveled from one corner of the state to the other to push back against the capping of SALT deductions. In 2018, Schumer urged the IRS to grant New Yorkers who paid their 2018 taxes early the ability to apply those taxes to their 2017 SALT deduction, even if their property taxes were not assessed.

As the administration was seeking to pass its tax plan, which capped New Yorkers' SALT deductions, Schumer campaigned against the destructive legislation...calling on the New York Congressional Delegation to reject the misguided plan.

Press release:

The Genesee County Economic Development Center (GCEDC) voted Thursday to approve reassigning the terms of previously approved PILOT (Payment In Lieu Of Taxes) agreements for Upstate Niagara Cooperative.

The company recently announced the purchase of the former Alpina Foods manufacturing facility in the Genesee Valley Agri-Business Park.

Under the PILOT agreements, local taxing jurisdictions will receive $378,010 in revenues over the life of the PILOT. Upstate Niagara Cooperative plans to invest $22 million in the facility to meet the company’s operational needs.

“Genesee County has benefited greatly from the repeated investments by food and beverage companies into dairy production facilities,” said GCEDC Board Chairman Paul Battaglia. “The Genesee Valley Agri-Business Park provides excellent opportunities for the Upstate Niagara Cooperative and businesses in the dairy and food industries to succeed.”

The GCEDC Board also approved a loan from the Growing the Agricultural Industry Now! (GAIN) fund for New York Craft Malt. The $82,000 GAIN loan is part of a $206,968 investment for the purchase of new equipment and building improvements at the company’s facility at 8164 Bank Street Road in the Town of Batavia. The project will create two new jobs.

“NY Craft Malt’s project builds on our successful GAIN Loan Fund program, which supports the growth of agricultural products and businesses in Genesee County,” said GCEDC President and CEO Steve Hyde. “Low-interest GAIN loans have enabled producers to invest over $1 million into dairy, maple and malting operations.”

The NY Craft Malt is the fifth project in Genesee County to receive a GAIN loan. Previous recipients include Cottonwood Farms in Pavilion, Sandvoss Farms in East Bethany, and Junior’s Maple in Batavia.

Press release:

"Music in Our Schools Month" will be celebrated this year by the Batavia High School Music Department’s annual Music In Our Schools Concert. It will be held in the High School (260 State St.) at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, March 26^th and will feature music from every school and grade level in the district.

It is free and open to the public.

Emily Caccamise, a graduating senior, has performed in this concert for many years.

“I think the concerts are fantastic!" Emily said. "I love performing for my school and my district, but I especially think it is important that younger kids get to see what is possible.

"They watch the older kids play and, if they stick with it, they will grow and get better with practice.”

Freya Mellander and Lily Burke are both Middle School students who will be performing that night.

Lily said, “It’s really fun when you’re a younger kid and you get to play for and alongside the older kids! It’s great to see where you’re headed and exciting to see what you’ll do and grow into!”

Freya added, “One favorite memory was when I saw Mary Murphy (a senior) as a singer. I’ve only known her from Winter Guard, so it’s fun to see kids that you know perform on their instruments when you usually don’t hear them in that way!”

Jane Haggett is a strong advocate for the music program at Batavia. As department head, she strives to find many ways for music to enrich the community. She points out that the National Association for Music Education -- AKA NAfME, states “All Music All People,” that everyone is affected by music not just during the month of March.

Press release:

The Genesee County AmeriCorps Program, in collaboration with the Genesee County and Batavia youth bureaus, is planning the annual Safe Summer Children’s Carnival open to the public to take place from 10:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Thursday, July 27, at Falleti Ice Arena, 22 Evans St. in Batavia.

One dollar buys a ticket to play 10 games, and children can win “funny money” to redeem for prizes.

Entertainment by “The Checkers” is scheduled from 10:30-11:00 a.m. and the games will run from 11 a.m. - 2 p.m. with a 30-minute lunch break. Folks from the community should to bring a bagged lunch or plan to leave for lunch.

There will also be several community agency booths that youth can visit to earn a chance to win one of many grand prizes at this year’s event. For more information on the carnival please contact Chelsea at the Genesee County Youth Bureau at 344-3960.

Press release:

Join us at Shimmy Mob and be a part of dance history for a great cause on Saturday, May 13th! This will be the first year Batavia is participating in this "flash mob" type bellydancing event.

Shimmy Mob is actively seeking dancers and instructors of all backgrounds to participate.

This event is a community event run on a global level and has several purposes in promoting local and worldwide awareness of domestic violence and its victims and in raising money for them. The designated local charity for the proceeds is the YWCA.

Details and registrations at www.shimmymob.com.

The Shimmy Mob registration includes links to online videos of the choreography breakdown, and the official 2017 “Shimmy Mob” T-shirt to wear on the day of the event.

Registration deadline is March 31.

For additional information on the Batavia Shimmy Mob, please contact Connie Boyd (343-3220) or Jessica Whiting (281-9408).

Since age 12 Brad White, pictured above with his mom Marcia White, has had a passion for producing maple syrup, which started out to be something to try out and process in a small A-frame sugar house.

Sweet Time Farm grew from being their family hobby of just having a couple buckets to purchasing "Out on a Limb Maple Farm" from Shawn Dunning last year. Sweet Time is located at 5680 Webster Road, Wyoming, in Wyoming County.

Since taking ownership in 2015, Nicole and Brad White has to date 14,000 taps that cross lines between Genesee, Wyoming and Livingston counties.

This year has been a bit of a challenge with the warmer temperatures. Brad started tapping trees the first week January that took a couple weeks to produce maple syrup. It has not been a stellar year by any means, he said.

They have been running operations daily here at the farm where the sap runs to a 16,000-gallon holding tank then passes through filters, with reverse osmosis, and UV light to a another holding tank. Daily the family fires up the evaporator and boils 18,000 gallons or more per day depending on weather.

Currently he was getting 1-percent residual sugar coming from the taps. That's about half a crop in the present year, which takes 86 gallons to make a gallon of syrup.  Ideally 2 percent is the 40-1 ratio needed to be most efficient. 

The farm ships 90 percent out bulk wholesale in 55-gallon drums and the rest is sold at the store. They have a handful of farmers markets in the summer time that they supply nearby, which include Pully’s and Crnkovich's Farm Market in Le Roy, Hurd Orchards in Holley, The Farmer’s Wife in Pavillion, and Rob’s Farm market Spencerport.

When maple syrup season is done, the family moves on to pollenating fruit orchards when the apple blossoms come out. They lease out over 800 hives and use 150 hives themselves. The hives are typically stored down south in Georgia to keep them from the cold weather but they were stored up here this year. 

Two Maple Weekends are scheduled with tours hosted at maple sugar houses across New York State: March 19 and 20; and April 2 and 3. Hosting farms will be open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. those dates.

At Sweet Time Maple Farm this Saturday, planned activities will include an Easter Egg hunt for kids, coloring contest, maple candy in shapes of Easter bunnies, plus more products offered in their store.

For more information go to: http://www.sweettimefarms.com/ 

Facebook Sweet-Time-Maple and their Maple Weekend event.