The Genesee County Health Department is seeking information about the location of a dog and its owner following a dog bite incident on Saturday, October 26th, around 6 p.m. The incident occurred at Genesee County Park, located at 11095 Bethany Center Road in East Bethany, NY.
The dog involved in the incident was running loose in the park. It was described as a medium-sized, short-haired, black dog with a white spot under its chin and paw. The dog was a possible Labrador mix with a collar and tag.
The health department would like to locate the dog as soon as possible to confirm its health. This would indicate that the rabies virus would not have been transmitted at the time of the bite.
If you have information about the dog's location and its owner, please contact the Genesee County Health Department at 585-344-2580 ext. 5555.
Brigette K. Thornton, 33, of Glenhaven Drive, Amherst, is charged with criminal possession of stolen property 5th, grand larceny 4th, and act in a manner injurious to a child less than 17. Deputies responded at 5:41 p.m. to a report of a larceny in progress at Dick’s Sporting Goods on Veterans Memorial Drive. Deputies were told the suspect fled in a white Nissan Sentra. Deputies located a vehicle matching the vehicle description within moments of the initial report. Thorton was allegedly found in possession of stolen goods with a child in the car. The value of the stolen goods was not disclosed. Thornton was issued an appearance ticket.
Johnathan David Fuhrman, 37, of Covington Road, Leicester, is charged with criminal mischief 4th, harassment 2nd, and menacing 3rd. Fuhrman was arrested on a warrant on Oct. 28 in connection with an incident reported at 10 a.m. on Nov. 27, 2023, at a location on Park Road, Batavia. He was held pending arraignment.
Janell M. Sauer, 48, of West Main Street, Pembroke, is charged with burglary 34d and petit larceny, and Sean M. Conway, 47, of Indian Falls Road, Pembroke, is charged with criminal possession of stolen property 5th. On Oct. 23, deputies responded to a report of a theft in progress at Walmart. Sauer allegedly walked out with $101.71 in stolen merchandise. As an asset protection agent approached her, Sauer reported walking away and dropping the bag. Conway is accused of picking up the bag, knowing it contained stolen merchandise, and leaving with it. Batavia patrol officers later located Conway on Lockport Road. Sauer had previously been barred from Walmart property. Conway was released on an appearance ticket. Sauer was located the following day, arrested, and held pending arraignment.
Marissa Bea Torres, 34, no address provided, Batavia, is charged with criminal possession of a controlled substance 7th. Torres is accused of possessing Fentanyl and drug paraphernalia at 10:45 a.m. on Oct. 17 at a location on West Main Street, Batavia. She was issued an appearance ticket.
Peter Joseph Mancuso, 36, of Deerfield Drive, North Tonawanda, is charged with criminal contempt 1st. Mancuso was arrested based on a complaint received at 9:56 a.m. on Oct. 19 at a location on X Main Street, Batavia (whether it was East or West Main was redacted from the report). No narrative was provided regarding Mancuso's conduct. He was held pending arraignment.
Susan Marie Da Silveira, 43, no permanent address, is charged with resisting arrest, disorderly conduct, and trespass. Da Silveira is accused of harassing employees and customers at a gas station on Park Road, Batavia, at 6:36 p.m. on Oct. 10, and she allegedly tried to prevent deputies from arresting her. She was issued an appearance ticket.
Clarence Arthur Johnson, 66, of Griswold Road, Le Roy, is charged with a sex offender, failure to appear for a photo. Johnson was arrested on Sept. 20 on a warrant and held pending arraignment.
Joseph William Freeman, 40, of Oak Street, Batavia, is charged with trespass. Freeman is accused of reentering Batavia Downs after being barred from the property at 8:52 p.m. on Oct. 19. He was issued an appearance ticket.
Juan Luis Figoura, 21, of Willow Street, Batavia, is charged with criminal contempt 1st. Figoura was the subject of a traffic stop at 2:21 p.m. on Oct. 23. A person he was ordered to stay away from was allegedly in the vehicle. He was held for arraignment.
Candace De Dibartolomeo, 27, of West Main Street, Batavia, is charged with endangering the welfare of a child. Dibartolomeo is accused of failure to properly take care of a child after deputies responded to a complaint at Big Tree Glen at 10:30 a.m. on Oct. 24. Dibartolomeo was released on an appearance ticket.
Christopher James Johnston, 48, of West Main Street, Batavia, is charged with trespass. Johnston allegedly entered Batavia Downs at noon on Oct. 26 after previously being barred from the facility. He was released on an appearance ticket.
Jennifer Lynne Fraser, 36, of State Street, Batavia, is charged with petit larceny. Fraser is accused of stealing $51.20 in merchandise from Walmart at 4:17 p.m. on Oct. 28. She was released on an appearance ticket.
The Genesee Country Retired Teachers’ Association (RENY)held its fall luncheon meeting on October 9 at the Byron Presbyterian Church. The event began with a wonderful turkey dinner prepared by members of the church. The lunch was thoroughly enjoyed by all those present.
After lunch, Tracy Ford, director of Crossroads House, spoke to our members. She discussed how Crossroads House, a comfort care organization, operates. She also discussed many ways our members who are interested might volunteer to help the organization.
Tracy also recognized the members we have who are already Crossroads House volunteers. Debbie Paine, Lead Executive Assistant, also spoke briefly, explaining her role at Crossroads House and more about volunteering Members had brought needed items to donate to Crossroads House and a monetary collection was also taken up, totaling $383.
Members who have not yet returned their membership cards and payment may still send those by mail. The group will be doing another charitable collection for Domestic Violence prevention in November. Members will receive information on that soon.
The Western New York Chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association will offer a free education program on understanding the role of caregiver for people living with dementia at 2 p.m. on Wednesday, November 13, at the Genesee Office for the Aging, 2 Bank St. in Batavia.
“Understanding the key aspects of caregiving can help to ensure the delivery of person-centered care while managing your own emotional and physical well-being,” says Andrea Koch, director of community engagement for the WNY Chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association.
The program, part of the Association’s new “Empowered Caregiver” education series, will cover how dementia changes relationships over time, the benefit of person-centered care approaches, how to create a supportive care team and steps to identify and manage caregiver stress.
To learn more about Alzheimer’s disease or other dementias, or for help 24/7, call the Alzheimer’s Association Helpline at 800.272.3900 or visit alz.org.
Organizer Frank Strock talks about establishing a comfort care home to attendees during a Genesee Valley Regional Community Cares meeting Monday night at Stone Church in Bergen. Photo by Howard Owens
As a nurse in long-term and outpatient family care, Joy Hammond has seen the need for more options when it comes to caring for terminally ill people, she says.
“I would say, in general, the staff in hospitals and staff in long-term care do the best that they can. But the reality is, there's just not enough of them. It is simply the fact of the matter. And you can have the biggest heart for the patient, or the resident in that case, who is dying, but you cannot be at their bedside 24/7, which is not possible. And so to be able to have that option to have a comfort care situation where you can have a volunteer or paid staff be there and be focused on that patient, be focused on their family, that is a wonderful, wonderful thing,” Hammond said during a meeting Monday night at Stone Church in Bergen. “Life care is something I have experienced with my nursing career through the years. And so I'm very, very excited about the possibility of bringing comfort care, bringing a comfort care option here to this part of the county, because there really isn't anything here.”
She was one of about 30 people who attended an initial Genesee Valley Regional Community Cares meeting about establishing a comfort care home on the east end of Genesee County. An effort that began in 2019 and was stalled by Covid. It has now surged forward with the Rev. Robert “Mike” Stuart, Louie Crocker, Keven Kent, Clerk of Session Deb Godllove, of Stone Church Presbyterian, professional organizer Frank Strock, who has volunteered to lead the way, and others, including independent end-of-life doula Ashley Manuel.
For anyone unfamiliar with comfort care homes, such as Crossroads House in Batavia, they are two-bed facilities for people diagnosed with three months or less to live. Unlike the typical hospital or nursing home, however, comfort care homes are actually more like one’s home — with no restrictions on visiting hours or what foods and drinks one may have, and individual customized attention to fit that person’s needs and personality. There are nurses on staff and/or on-call and round-the-clock volunteers to be there for companionship, to fix meals, bake cookies, fetch a beer, tell a joke, share some tears, and anything in between.
As Hammond said, from her personal and professional experience, “It just makes the end of life so much … better.”
You know, an all-around experience, it can be truly a beautiful thing, which is kind of crazy in our Western culture; we don’t look at death as beautiful, but it really can be a beautiful thing in the correct environment that supports the family and the person who’s passing,” she said. “So I really am very supportive. I hope that we can make it work.”
She said she's a resident of Bergen and willing to volunteer for this effort once it gets going.
Stuart, a Marine veteran who later entered the seminary, has been so committed to the effort that he donated his salary while working a stint at Stone Church and shared his humble beginnings during an internship at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York City. He was a chaplain during the beginning of the AIDS epidemic, and the blood supply in the city was infected.
"So I was a chaplain for a lot of those kids that were hemophiliacs that died from the blood supply. They were infected, but they had the best treatment they could ever get. So since then, I felt a calling to end-of-life care and served many years in that capacity,” he said, quoting Dr. Emily Smith about loving your neighbor. “It’s about inner work that requires us to ask hard questions and allow that way of being to become part of us, and it requires courage, and means that our lives might look different from how we thought they would. But trust me, friends, if we center on the wrong things to just be good enough type of people, you may be afraid we may be set up for time because I don’t think we’ll ever be who we were meant to be. We can’t redo the past, but we can reimagine the future. That’s what we’re doing now tonight.”
To do that, he said, “We must ask the right questions.” Asking “who” is my neighbor is the wrong one. The right one is “Am I a neighbor?”
Former Crossroads board member and longtime volunteer Jamie Charters explained how these homes work and what goes into running them: at least 60 volunteers in shifts 24/7, 365 days a year; a few paid staff members of an executive director and director of residential services and perhaps someone for marketing; and a nonprofit that operates on donations.
When his father-in-law was at Crossroads House, family was there two days prior making and eating pizzas, drinking some wine, telling stories, reminiscing and spending quality final moments with their loved one, he said.
“I could see the smile on his face,” Charters said. “None of this nursing home (stuff).”
There’s no charge to the resident who spends those final days at the comfort care home, and there are no insurance payments, Medicaid, or Medicare, he said.
“It simply lives on donations, grants, a lot of fundraising,” he said. “But for some reason for this correct business model is incredibly successful. It really takes everybody.”
One attendee asked if organizers have a piece of property for this comfort care home. No, not yet, and organizers are seeking a donation of land, ideally in the Bergen area. They checked out the schoolhouse next to the church but discovered that there was no septic system, and the health department ruled it out as a potential site, Godlove said.
Strock emphasized that “you are the resource” for the effort, as it will take many people to help, from board members to volunteers with ideas and healthcare, design, construction, clerical, technical and bookkeeping experience. He cited a facility in Ogden that has been operating through the efforts of one woman’s inspiration for the last 13 years.
Allen Edwards of Brockport was ready to be a resource. He was familiar with this area, he said, because his late wife was a bereavement counselor and coordinator for lifetime care for the last 20 years of her career and then was also in at-home hospice before she died. And Edwards has his own experience.
“As she used to always say, ‘as a veterinarian, you've been doing hospice longer than I have, because, unfortunately, animals die more frequently than people.’ So it's something that I'm just curious about; I'm certainly interested in being a volunteer. I don't know what else I do, but I have a varied skill set, so we'll see," he said. "I'm not a Genesee County resident, but that doesn't matter. It's been said that if there's a need and you don't help them, what are you doing? You're wasting your time on earth.”
Strock was pleased with this first showing of support and curiosity. Bart Dentino, an advocate of comfort care homes, even performed a musical number after sharing that both of his parents were residents of Crossroads House. Jim Morasco of United Church of Christ in Morganville discussed volunteering at Crossroads House.
“It's an inspiration that people came out because people want to know what's happening with a concept like this, and they want to know where we're at with it. So, that communication, which we're both involved in, is basic; I think we have to find out where we're all at in this project. Many people, including the fellows who are up there now who were invited to see me, are giving testimonials. Bart is giving a testimonial … the same thing with Jim. So it's just that constant inspiration that came through the group,” Strock said. “Sure, we would have liked to have had more people. I'm hoping that I can get the presbytery of Genesee Valley behind this project. Yes, they definitely believe in the concept, but with our new leadership, it's going to take a little bit of development.
“So, yes, I believe it's a good beginning. It's a good start. You can see the questions and ideas that came out of it, and I think in a group like that, I think it's always people who are a little hesitant. But I think now that people are on a personal basis, I think they'll relate a little better … and then I think that's how our communities meet here,” he said. “I think that's how I found it back when I first came here in 1964. That's how it started, and that's how it continues to this day. We'll take all the resources we have from people who came. We'll be in touch with them.”
End-of-life doula Ashley Manuel shares her passion for the importance of ending life just as how birthing doulas welcome babies at the beginning. She talked about how she used guided imagery with one man and took him on a drive down a country road and painted the picture with words so that he could fully imagine it from his bed. When he was at a moment of peace out in the serene countryside, she left him there, and he drew his last breath. Photo by Howard Owens
The Cornell Cooperative Extension (CCE) Genesee and Leadership Genesee offices will close for the day at 12 p.m. on November 14 for a staff in-service. The offices will reopen at 8:30 a.m. on Friday, November 15.
Photo of the Stuart Steiner Theatre, courtesy of Genesee Community College.
Press Release:
Genesee Community College's (GCC) Stuart Steiner Theatre will stage the chilling thriller Misery, adapted by William Goldman from the iconic Stephen King novel, this November. Performances will take place on November 8 and 9 at 7:30 p.m., with a matinee on November 10 at 2 p.m.
Goldman's gripping adaptation, which first premiered on Broadway in 2015, brings King's horror masterpiece to the stage, telling the story of novelist Paul Sheldon and his unsettling encounter with fan-turned-captor, Annie Wilkes.
As Paul recovers from a car accident at Annie's isolated home, he soon realizes that her obsession with his work goes far beyond admiration. Held captive and forced to write under terrifying conditions, Paul's survival hinges on his ability to appease his captor-creating a tense and suspenseful psychological battle.
Misery has been described as a fast-paced, edge-of-your-seat thriller. "There are no lulls in famed screenwriter William Goldman's 90-minute stage adaptation of the Stephen King story, which Goldman himself translated into the 1990 film," said WNBC NY.
Directed by Maryanne Arena, the production will feature Paul Sheldon played by Tony Haitz, and Maryanne Arena taking on the role of Annie Wilkes. Joshua Lang, a fellow graduate of the GCC Theatre Arts program, will portray Buster. Scenic, lighting and sound design will be overseen by Sandor Nagar.
Content Warning: This production contains graphic violence, explicit language, gunshots, frightening moments, adult themes, strobe lights and the use of fake blood. Viewer discretion is advised.
Ticket Information:
General Admission: $10
Non-GCC Students, Seniors (55+), and Children (under 16): $5
GCC Students, Faculty and Staff (with valid ID): Free admission (available only at the box office)
Tickets are available for purchase online at www.genesee.edu/campus-life/center-for-the-arts, at the campus art gallery during operating hours, or at the box office, which opens one hour before each performance.
For more information or to reserve tickets, contact Maryanne Arena at mcarena@genesee.edu or the box office at boxoffice@genesee.edu.
Batavia Downs Gaming & Hotel has announced that Celebrity Chef Anne Burrell will be hosting “An Afternoon with Anne Burrell” at Batavia Downs Gaming & Hotel in the Park Place Events Center on Sunday, November 24 at 3 p.m.
Attendees will see Chef Anne prepare an entrée, side, and dessert and hear about all the fun she has hosting her hit show Worst Cooks In America on Food Network. Come see one of America’s favorite chefs!
Following the show, Anne will be hosting a small reception for those with Meet and Greet tickets. Dinner with the same items Anne demonstrated making will be held at two different seating times (5 p.m. and 7 p.m.) in the Genesee Room upstairs.
Show only tickets are $60, Show and Dinner Tickets are $110 (choose seatings at 5 p.m. or 7 p.m.), Show and Meet and Greet Only are $150, and VIP (show, 7 p.m. dinner & meet and greet) are $200.
Tickets are on sale now at BataviaConcerts.com.
“With the Buffalo Bills on a bye week and Thanksgiving the week after, we thought it would be a perfect time for folks to come see this famous upstate New Yorker, “ said Byron Brown, President & CEO of Batavia Downs. “I know our patrons will be looking forward to her demonstrating her culinary skills and hearing stories about her time as a TV Star.”
Photo of Elected Officers (from left to right): Bob Bialkowski - Commodore, Bob Turk - Vice Commodore, Madeline Bialkowski - Treasurer, Marietta Schuth - Secretary, Kevin Tiffany - Port Captain, and Emrys March - Rear Commodore.
Press Release:
The Point Breeze Yacht Club held its annual Members Meeting and Election of Officers at Godfreys Pond on Saturday, October 26. Boaters interested in membership may find information at PBYCNY.com.
Photo of Chris Suozzi, EVP, Genesee County Economic Development Center, Chris Sharpsten, Major General, U.S. Army (Retired), EVP Defense Programs, J.A. Green & Co.; Jean Lucas, President and CEO, Eco Waste Solutions; Matthew G. Cooke, Deputy Product Manager, Force Sustainment Systems United States Army; Eugene Jankowski Jr., Batavia City Council President; Rochelle Stein, Legislature Chair, Genesee County.
Press Release:
Eco Waste Solutions held a VIP event at the company’s newly renovated manufacturing facility on Cedar Street in Batavia. Among the attendees were members of the United States Military, various City of Batavia and Genesee County officials, and representatives from state and federal offices.
Eco Waste Solutions anticipates hiring up to 30 employees at this location, to manufacture and support its line of thermal treatment technologies. The facility is specifically designed for mass production of the Expeditionary Solid Waste Disposal Systems (ESWDS) for the United States Army. The ESWDS eliminates the need to rely on burn pits which were a long-standing source of toxic exposure on overseas missions, resulting in cancers and other health issues among personnel.
“The health and safety of our personnel is of paramount importance, and the ESWDS manufactured by Eco Waste Solutions, gives us a safe and critically important tool to address waste management in conflict zones,” said United States Army Lieutenant Colonel Reuben Joseph, Product Manager, Force Sustainment Systems Program Executive Office Combat Support & Combat Service Support.
The ESWDS product represents the culmination of over a decade of product development, including thousands of operational hours, and testing to rigorous military standards. The result is a product that is robust, capable, and easy to transport, set-up, and use.
“Today marks an important milestone for our company. The opening of this facility significantly enhances our production, support, and engineering capabilities; an investment that reflects our commitment to building high-quality, innovative, and sustainable products,” said Jean Lucas, President & Chief Executive Officer, Eco Waste Solutions. “We are proud to be doing this work, and excited to be part of this vibrant community.”
Alicia Catlin, an election technician, stands just outside of the polling site at ARC Community Center in Batavia, where a line formed at 8:30 a.m. in anticipation of a 9 a.m. first day of early voting Saturday. Photo by Joanne Beck
There may not have been hiccups on the first day of early voting, but there were plenty of smiles for at least one voter who was glad she did her patriotic duty Saturday.
Tonya Gray, proudly displaying an “I Voted” sticker on her forehead, was practically giddy as she came out of the ARC Community Center building on Woodrow Road Saturday in Batavia after casting her votes in this year’s election.
“It’s the first time I ever voted early,” said Gray of Batavia. “It just made me feel good to get it off my chest. There’s so much going on in the world, so much madness. I’m able to have a voice, I feel so good. I feel chipper and I voted. And I’m going to spread the word and tell others to vote early — today.”
She planned to corral some friends or family to get off the couch and go vote instead of sitting around and letting time waste, she said. Gray later added that “tomorrow isn’t promised to us,” so go vote while you can.
Apparently she wasn’t alone in her enthusiasm to get it done on the first of nine early voting days. There were 1,143 voters that showed up to ARC Saturday, Democratic Election Commissioner Lorie Longhany said.
“We processed more early voters today than we ever have in one day,” she said.
As far as the process and people, things couldn’t have gone better, Longhany said.
“There were no hiccups,” she said. “Setup went without a hitch. Voters were pleasant, poll workers and techs did an outstanding job. Everything ran perfectly today. Very proud of the staff.”
She checked in at the polling site earlier in the day and was also at the Board of Elections, where people could register to vote. Some registrations came from portals and some from walk-ins, for a total of about 50 for the day, she said.
Alicia Catlin was the election technician for polling, and will be one of three for the nine-day duration. There were 10 inspectors and three coordinators also working with her Saturday, she said.
With about 90 minutes to go, they had clocked “just over 1,000 so far,” she said.
“It has been crazy,” Catlin said. “We had a line at 8:30 this morning. I’m happy, I’ve been keeping my fingers crossed.”
The place seemed like a well-oiled machine just past 3:15 p.m., as people still trickled in, checking in, getting their voting forms, taking a seat at the privacy voting tables and then submitting their own forms through the scanner.
County officials have said that presidential elections draw the most people out to vote, and this year is to be no exception. It has been a hotly contested race between non-incumbents Donald Trump and J.D. Vance on the Republican and Conservative tickets and Kamala Harris and Tim Walz on the Democratic and Working Families lines vying for president of the United States.
Patrick and Karen Herron of Le Roy were satisfied with how well it was operated, and glad they got their voting over with.
“It’s great, especially for people that work. And that was easy,” Karen Herron said. “It seems that it was pretty regulated. This is a very important election.”
Her husband Patrick said it was a first time for them early voting, and he did so because that’s what the Republican Party had asked of its members.
“And anyone that can vote should do so,” he said, listing some concerns of immigration, the high cost of goods, and turmoil in the Middle East. “There’s a lot of chaos that shouldn’t be.”
Early voting continues at the ARC Community Center, 38 Woodrow Road, Batavia with the following schedule:
• Monday, Oct. 28: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
• Tuesday, Oct. 29: 12 p.m. to 8 p.m.
• Wednesday, Oct. 30: 12 p.m. to 8 p.m.
• Thursday, Oct. 31: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
• Friday, Nov. 1: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
• Saturday, Nov. 2: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
• Sunday, Nov. 3: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
For additional information about this year’s election, sample ballots and Election Day, go to the Board of Elections.
Tonya Gray of Batavia is happy to have voted on the first day of early voting Saturday at ARC Community Center in Batavia, and encourages anyone that can do so to go and vote now. Photo by Joanne Beck
I love to take long walks on the streets of Batavia. It is like taking a trip to a different time in our history. So many places trigger so many memories.
Recently, I was walking by Farrall Park. It was a beautiful fall day. I sat on one park bench, and my mind took me back to the 70s when I was a playground supervisor. I closed my eyes, and it was 9 a.m., and I could hear the front doors of the homes on James Street, Otis, Osterhout, Clifton, Jackson, Swan, Sumner, and Williams Street slamming shut as the neighbor kids ran to the park to begin their day. We had already unlocked the storage door and removed the sports equipment and the craft they would make that week.
The children were all friends, and many were cousins. I’m looking at the old swing set and remembering the merry-go-round where we gave endless pushes to the squeals of delight from the children.
When all the parks opened at 9 a.m. all over Batavia, all the supervisors experienced what I was experiencing. You owned that park and were there to encourage all the children to have fun and use suitable sportsmanship, but you also tried to beat the other parks in everything competitive.
We had the smallest park, and it did not have a wading pool, but it had the best kids. I worked with two excellent park supervisors, Gary Starowicz and Tim Beers. We all said we had the best kids.
Every week, we did a different craft. One week, it was boondoggles. Unfortunately, the little kids had no idea how to make them so that they would be clipped to the chain-link fence. A supervisor like myself would begin making them as the young child would watch in anticipation of getting their boondoggle. You can’t forget the little clip that was added at the end.
Another week would be the plaster of Paris. Hopefully, it would be a warm sunny day so the plaster would dry. I think that was one of the children’s favorite weeks. We would line up the molds, mix the plaster, pour the plaster into the rubber molds, shake the mold to eliminate the air bubbles, and insert that tiny hook into the back so your creation could hang on the wall. After we removed them from the rubber mold, the children painted them. They were all masterpieces.
Some of the weekly contests we had were sandbox, coloring, stuffed animal, jello eating, tetherball, pet show, baby picture contest, stuffed animal, scavenger hunt, peanut hunt, and bean bag contest, to name a few. Another favorite was the Park Penny Carnival. Anything you can think of was a contest, and everyone was a winner because everybody at the park was a winner. The Daily News posted contest winners from the various parks in the paper every Friday.
The highlight of the summer was the park parade. Today, my children and grandchildren can’t imagine closing Main Street and having a hay wagon pulled by a tractor showcasing the most beautiful park float. It was covered in chicken wire, twisted, and stapled to 2X4s, depicting the theme of a particular year. Children today can’t imagine building a float, making flowers out of crepe paper, and stuffing the crepe paper flowers into the holes of the chicken wire. The older park members built the float if they were not hopping a train to Pembroke! People would offer their barns or garages to construct the float. We had a garage on Liberty Street for one year and Hawley’s barn on Bank Street for a couple of years. A lot of this took place after park hours.
I miss the sounds of voices as I sit on a park bench at Farrall Park today. I miss seeing the smiles of those kids who had a safe and fun place to go every day. The boys would jump on their bikes and ride to another park if it were a baseball game. The same was true for the girls, who were amazing athletes.
On the day of the park parade, I remember walking with our park kids down Main Street with our float and ending at Austin Park. Every park had a location to display its float. Looking at the park from the street, you would see a wonderland of children and parents standing proudly by their float. Their park scrapbook was displayed with pictures from the summer. There was also a talent show and a place for our king and queen winners, regally dressed, to be judged. Every park waited to hear the winners.
I can’t say we ever came in the first place, but in my heart, they were all first-place winners. I cherish the memories, but my heart is so sad that children today will never have the experience that the children from the city parks had back when the parks were open from 9 to 5 with a lunch break from 12 to 1.
Every child back then had similar memories, and in their hearts, their park was the best it could be. You can delete Farrall Park and insert Kibbe, Williams, Austin, John Kennedy, MacArthur, Woodward, or Pringle Park, and the memories will all be the same.
As I leave Farrall Park to continue my walk, I leave the voices of children’s laughter and the camaraderie of the voices I hear daily as a supervisor. Today, children’s memories are captured on their iPhones. That is their playground. I don’t think kids today can relate to what it was like to belong to a park. The memories from all those beautiful summers go to the park supervisors who made the memories possible. I thank former supervisors Marcia, Bill, and Gary for their help with this article.
If you recognize your park float, please post the name of the float and your park. ENJOY!
The park supervisors in 1972 were: Debbie Lampkin, Ann Gorton, Mary Preston, Doris Holvey, Nancy Manchester, Ann Pietrovito, Marcia Macugowski, Anne Peca, Roberta Thrasher, Laurie Winegar, Dennis Buckley, Larry Barone, Mike Stevens, Marie Howe, Bill Bostwick, Gary Starowicz, Wayne Benedict, Jeff Smith, Peg Marone, Fred Francis
Rae Seweryniak from Oakfield enjoys getting treats from all the trunks this weekend. Photo by Kara Richenberg.
The Pembroke Kiwanis hosted its third annual Trunk or Treat Saturday, and rain didn't dampen the trick-or-treaters' spirits as it cleared quickly for the event.
Patrick Weissend, event chair and member of Kiwanis, said that they were planning for 600 kids and that they had over 35 participants with trunks show up for the annual event.
"Growing up in the country I missed getting trick-or-treaters come to my house," Weissend said. "I never got kids that I didn't know."
This event allows the Pembroke Kiwanis to contribute to the community through a free, family fun event, he said.
Trick-or-Treaters pick out goodies from the Corfu Police Department's table. Photo by Kara Richenberg.
Costumed characters battle the rain during the Trunk or Treat. Photo by Kara Richenberg.
Akin family from Corfu enjoy the Trunk or Treat Saturday. Photo by Kara Richenberg.
Leah Amend, Kamryn Stimpson and Crista Stimpson from Pembroke brought out their goats to share with the families, and trick-or treaters were able to feed and pet the goats. Photo by Kara Richenberg.
Julie and Hannah Beach from Pembroke handed out Bills bracelets. Photo by Kara Richenberg.
Jackie Drew and Jean Waite from Darien. Photo by Kara Richenberg.
Photo of Penny Arnold and Officer Dolac. Photo by Kara Richenberg.
Peggy Weissend, Peter Dyrbala Jr., Bella Franz, and Leanne Dyrbala dressed up as characters from Mario. Photo by Kara Richenberg.
Trick-or-treaters waiting in line to get candy and treats. Photo by Kara Richenberg.
Jo Coburn, who serves on Batavia Players executive board, and Jennifer Robinson, a co-chairperson for the fundraising committee, were definitely more about the treats than tricks with Joseph Robinson, 6, -- aka Batman! -- at Main St. Theater during the BID Trick-or-Treat event along downtown streets Saturday afternoon in Batavia. Photo by Joanne Beck
While 6-year-old Joseph Robinson continued to fill his Batman bag with sweet loot Saturday afternoon, his folks had the opportunity to learn about new places they hadn't seen before during the annual Business Improvement District Trick-or-Treat event in downtown Batavia.
Derek and Mary Beth Robinson, of Batavia, brought their son for some fun trick-or-treating, and also took a tour of the newly built Main St. Theater inside Batavia City Centre.
"It's really good, it's awesome," Mary Beth said. "We got the brochure, so we plan on coming back."
That was a cabaret to Coburn's ears, you could say. They had an estimated 200 visitors throughout the two-hour event, and some "didn't know we existed," she said.
"That's our reason for participating," she said. "That's our mission, to make theater accessible for people, and they can't attend if they don't know we exist."
She wanted to remind the public that a "Spooky Cabaret" is coming up in time for the season. It's at 7:30 p.m. on Nov. 1, and tickets are $10.
Just outside the theater, Matteo Spink was with his dad, Michael, from Oakfield. They believed this was their fourth year attending, and it was mainly about the fun more than learning about the merchants since his family's experience had already been "dipped" in many of the local businesses, he said.
"I have friends that work at some of these businesses, and my daughter has been in a youth program here," Michael said, motioning to the theater.
Nearly 40 BID merchants sponsored the event, which drew families from throughout Genesee County and beyond, including Batavia, Oakfield, Le Roy and Varysburg.
This family from Batavia had to include Theo the poodle, a therapy-dog-in-training, for Saturday's trick-or-treat fun. Photo by Joanne Beck
Not wanting to go the Disney route, this is just a pretty princess with some ghoulish characters. Photo by Joanne Beck
Maddox G., 5, was visiting with siblings Nash Holman, 2, and Knox Holman, 5, for what they think is one of the best holidays ever. Not pictured is their mom Erin Holman, all of Batavia. Photo by Joanne Beck
No, they're not the Beatles walking down the crosswalk, but a couple of Ariel mermaids, during Saturday's BID trick-or-treat fest in downtown Batavia. Photo by Joanne Beck
Matteo Spink and his dad Michael Spink, of Oakfield. Photo by Joanne Beck
From left, Aariyah Ammar, 8, GO ART! staff Jodi Fisher and board member Andrea Hofmaster, Enzo Ammar, 6, and Asha Ammar, 10, visit at the East Main Street site during the BID trick-or-treat event Saturday in Batavia. Photo by Joanne Beck
Some family members, including the Paw Patrols, came from Varysburg to visit Batavians who brought them downtown for some trick-or-treat fun. Photo by Joanne Beck
This little trick-or-treater has the best seat in the house, a little red wagon with comfy blankets and a pillow. Photo by Joanne Beck
Macy Paradise and Tiffanie Platt greet visitors at Flex Space in Batavia City Centre as salsa and chips during Saturday's trick-or-treat event. Photo by Kara Richenberg
Owners Justin Calarco-Smith, Joshua Smith and Steven Johnson of H.E. Turner Funeral Home in Batavia. Photo by Howard Owens
Owners of H.E. Turner & Co., Inc. Funeral Home already knew they were committed to the business and taking care of customers, and being named as a Selected Independent Funeral Homes member has solidified their belief that “we don’t just talk the talk; we walk the walk,” co-owner Steven Johnson says.
While the honor may seem to place a narrow focus on the world of morticians and their industry, this is something that lets all prospective customers know who they can trust, Johnson said.
“I think why it's important to them is that our invitation to join Selected and Independent, and it truly is by invitation only sort of association, our membership can give the community that we serve, the families that we serve, the confidence that we are truly a cut above your average everyday run-of-the-mill funeral home,” Johnson said during an interview with The Batavian Friday. “We had to submit ourselves to background checks to be considered for applicant or for membership. So they did a background check on us, plus on our business, and only firms that are known and proven to be reputable are invited to join. And I think that that is something that the community certainly should appreciate, given what has happened in this community in the past.”
Selected Independent Funeral Homes was founded in 1917 as the world’s oldest and largest association of independently owned funeral homes. It has 399 members across the country and 474 members internationally. All members are expected to operate according to specific standards and best practices to provide the public with reliable, high-quality funeral services and funeral-related information.
The Batavian asked Johnson and fellow owners Justin Calarco-Smith and Joshua Smith why the general public would care about this achievement, and all three pointed to the importance of being acknowledged for not only being successful in the industry but also for the role that Turner plays in its own backyard.
“In a world where a lot of family-run independent businesses, not even funeral homes, are being swallowed up by conglomerates and by people that don't really have any stake in the communities that they serve, I think it makes a difference for the public to know that it's still Steve, Joshua and Justin, no matter what number of rooftops that we own, it's still the three of us that own and operate this business on a daily basis, and we are the ones who decide how much money and where to divide all the money, you know, putting money back into the communities and into different organizations,” Calarco-Smith said. “You know, it doesn't go into somebody's pocket in Texas or Florida or California. Everything that we make stays sort of locally. And we do, we give a substantial amount of money back to our communities.”
As a local business, Turner constantly gets asked for contributions to nonprofits, and the typical response has been yes, whether it’s Genesee Cancer Assistance or Crossroads House or Gateway Home or others, Johnson said. That may not be the direct reason for this privilege of being named to Selected Independent; however, he said there is a strong connection between this newly named member and the community.
“Just like Justin said, we're not just taking people's money and then sending all of it to Houston, wherever, and so that's important because we're independent, and Justin, Josh and I are the owners, we do have a vested interest in our community, and so we want the community to trust us, which is also another reason why this is important,” Johnson said.
So what does this achievement actually mean? Turner was thoroughly reviewed for a background check of its business records, social media and online presence, and family satisfaction ratings, Johnson said. Every one of those 474 members gave a vote of yes to make the company a member of Selected Independent, and one vote would have hampered it from doing so. Membership is by invitation only and extended only after that review of character, service, performance and the facilities pass professional muster.
In turn, part of this membership means that Turner has taken a vow to abide by a Code of Good Practice, which is a set of principles for funeral homes to be transparent about pricing, functions, services, and responsibilities; to provide charges in writing and make no additions without prior approval of the customer; be fair and accurate, respect all faiths, creeds and customs; maintain qualified and competent staff, complete facilities and suitable equipment required for a comprehensive funeral service; be responsive to the needs of the financially strained; comply with federal trade regulations; and, perhaps most importantly, pledge to conduct themselves “in such a manner as to deserve the public trust.”
Selected Independent Executive Director and CEO Robert Paterkiewicz welcomed Turner to the association, emphasizing that affiliation with this membership is an honor “because of the high standards of funeral service required to receive an invitation to become a member.”
“As independently owned and operated firms, our members are truly in their communities,” he said. “H.E. Turner & Co., Inc. Funeral Home, like all our members, takes seriously their responsibility and dedication to providing the best possible funeral service to their friends and neighbors.”
Since he learned about this membership last month, Calarco-Smith has felt validated as a professional in a time-honored, long-running family business that his father, the late Jim Smith, proudly worked in and earned a similar membership for, he said.
“For me personally, is the solidification of knowing that we are still doing the right things and taking the right steps. Our dad was a member of the same organization. It had a different moniker back in the early 90s, and it was important to him because it garnered a lot of the ideas we still implement today, almost. You know, 30 years after his initial call into membership, I'd like to think that whatever we can gain from the group, we can in ways, give back to our public,” he said. “As far as helping our public out more, helping our families out more, offering more. You know, if there's different ways that we can continue to help our community and our families, that's why this is very important to me.
“At the end of the day, this is what it’s all about; it’s all about family and community,” he said. “And this community, if you will, of the group that we just were elected into, that’s a sense of community there, and if we can take what we garner and learn therefrom that community and give it back to the people that we see on a daily basis, only good or positive can come from that.”
Johnson added that meetings are not just about paying dues and showing up for attendance, but about involvement in active discussions and brainstorming for future use.
“I walked away from here with 30 different ideas of ways that we could better serve our community. Now, are we going to do all of them? No, but it’s an open, free-sharing, honest conversation amongst peers who specifically are not competitors. And so, back when it was National Selected Morticians, Jim (Smith’s) study group is what gave us the idea for our annual service of prayer and remembrance. And so now I hope that the study group that I was fortunate to be asked to join while I was in Florida a couple of weeks ago will feed something else that really will continue to put us apart so that we can better serve the community.”
Johnson believes that offshoots from that study group will eventually be implemented here to further benefit and strengthen the grieving process and serve the needs of families and individuals.
All three owners are humbled and honored for the designation, they said. Joshua Smith added that “it shows that the time and effort that we put in, we know it here and we see it here from everybody.”
“It's nice to see that it's recognized by others who have the same approach and the same ideas as far as what, why you're doing, what you do, why you spend time to get to develop relationships with the people that you meet,” Smith said. “We always try and we do the best, but having others recognize that from miles and miles away is a real honor.”
