Press release:
Due to a water main break that will not be fixed until tomorrow afternoon, the Wolcott Street School will be closed on Tuesday, Dec. 3.
Teachers and staff do not need to report.
The Le Roy Jr/Sr High School is not impacted and will be open tomorrow.
Batavian Jason Smith keeps the birds in his Southside backyard on snowy days.
Press Release:
Come to the Holland Land Office Museum (HLOM ) on Friday, December 6, at 7 p.m. for a Christmas concert featuring members of the Genesee Symphony Orchestra. A brass ensemble will treat everyone to all the classic holiday tunes. Admission is $5 or $4 for museum members. Please contact the museum at 585-343-4727 or hollandlandoffice@gmail.com if you would like to attend.
Join us at the Holland Land Office Museum for the next edition of our Trivia Night @ the Museum on Thursday, December 12 at 7 p.m. In honor of the end of prohibition in the United States, the topic is the 1930s. Admission is $5 or $3 for museum members. Please contact the museum at 585-343-4727 or hollandlandoffice@gmail.com if you would like to attend.
Come to the Holland Land Office Museum on Friday, December 13 at 7 p.m. for a Christmas concert featuring Mike Whyman as he plays many of the classic holiday songs on acoustic guitar. Admission is $5 or $4 for museum members. Please contact the museum at 585-343-4727 or hollandlandoffice@gmail.com if you would like to attend.
Come to the Holland Land Office Museum on Friday, December 20 at 7 p.m. for a Christmas concert featuring members of the Genesee Symphony Orchestra. That night a flute quartet will treat everyone with all the classic holiday tunes. Admission is $5 or $4 for museum members. Please contact the museum at 585-343-4727 or hollandlandoffice@gmail.com if you would like to attend.
Press release:
The Genesee, Orleans, Wyoming (GOW) Pathway to Hope Suicide Prevention Coalition was recognized at the 2024 Suicide Prevention Conference in Albany last month for excellence in the Lethal Means Safety category.
Sara Andrew, a licensed clinical social worker and community engagement and partnership coordinator at the VA Medical Center in Batavia, accepted an award on behalf of GOW Pathway to Hope.
The coalition was nominated for this award by Lynda Battaglia, director of Community Services in Genesee County in partnership with Kelly Dryja, director of Community Services in Wyoming County and Danielle Figura, director of Community Services in Orleans County.
Andrew works with coalitions in Genesee, Orleans, Wyoming and Niagara counties to implement community-based interventions for suicide coalition, with a focus on service members, veterans and their families.
About 150 professionals in the suicide prevention field attended the conference at the Desmond Hotel Crowne Plaza.
Lethal means are objects (e.g., medications, firearms, sharp instruments) that can be used to inflict self-directed violence. Lethal Means Safety is an intentional, voluntary practice to reduce one’s suicide risk by limiting access to those lethal means.
In submitting the nomination form, Battaglia outlined steps being taken by the local coalition to reduce means of harm.
“For the GOW Pathway to Hope Suicide Prevention Coalition, it might mean having someone taking a few extra minutes of having to unlock a gun safe or unlocking medications that can give someone that time to pause and not make an impulsive decision, such as suicide,” she wrote.
“We know that people have access to lethal means in their environment and we know the goal of lethal means safety is to promote and give opportunities between thinking of suicide and acting on it for individuals. Preventing access to lethal means in that very moment gives that person a couple of life saving minutes to think about what they are doing and to reach out for help instead.”
Battaglia pointed out that the local coalition has worked to overcome “unique challenges” faced by rural areas, such as accessibility to services and lack of transportation. She noted that suicide in agriculture and farming – key industries of Genesee, Orleans and Wyoming counties – is on the rise.
“While the coalition focuses on the needs of each county, collectively the coalition is stronger working together,” she wrote. “This is demonstrated on a routine basis in ways of sharing resources, education, supports, and promoting efforts to reduce stigma associated with mental illness and suicide by close partnership and collaboration of efforts.”
GOW Pathway to Hope has adopted an evidenced based, suicide prevention initiative that was initially developed in Virginia. The Lock & Talk training educates local residents on what Lethal Means Safety is while encouraging communities to engage in mental wellness conversations.
“Locking/safely securing or removing lethal means is one of the few evidence-based strategies to substantially prevent suicide- many suicides occur with little planning during a short-term crisis,” Battaglia wrote. “Talking can often alleviate distress and reduce the intention to act on suicidal thoughts. It’s also about sharing resources and getting the right help to the right individuals who need it, when they need it.”
Thus far, GOW Pathway to Hope has distributed around 400 Lock & Talk bags that each include a cable gun lock, locking medication pouch or medication lockbox, a pre-paid medication disposal envelope among other local and national resources.
Additionally, about two dozen LMS trainings have been provided to human service professionals as gatekeepers, who in turn received the Lock & Talk bags to provide to community members in need, and several firearm safety for suicide prevention workshops have been conducted.
For more information about the Lock and Talk program, email spcgenesee@gmail.com.
Around 1915, my father's family moved from Mendon, New York, to Batavia. My grandparents, James D. and Catherine Nussbaumer Reilly, raised five children at 27 Cedar Street in the east end of town. My grandfather was a railroad man ( Workin' On The Railroad,The Batavian, 11/20/2020), so the house they purchased was directly next to the four lines of the New York Central.
The family was Catholic, so they attended St. Joseph's Church on East Main Street, and the children attended St. Joseph's School. The Reverend T. Bernard Kelly was the administrator of the church and school and, for some reason, passed my father ahead two grades, so he ended up graduating from Batavia High School at the age of 15. He always regretted this as he later realized he was too young and immature to be a high school grad. Well-known Batavia newspaper columnist Dan Winegar even wrote a story about it.
My dad and his family continued to be parishioners at St. Joseph's, and in 1944, when he was an officer in the Army Air Corps, he and my mom were married there with Father Kelly as the officiant. My mother had grown up as a non-practicing Protestant but converted to Catholicism when she married my dad.
Switching Churches
I was born in 1947 and after a year of renting an old mill house at Seven Springs my parents bought a house on Thomas Avenue more toward the west end of the city. This area was in St. Mary's Church Parish and when it started an elementary school in 1952 that sealed the deal for us to change churches and we stayed as congregants of that Church at least until I graduated from the school following 8th grade in 1960.
St. Mary's Church is on Ellicott Street near the corner of Evans. It was built there and opened in 1907. Msgr. Edward Ferger became the pastor of St. Mary's in 1939, and around 1950, he decided to proceed with his idea to start a Catholic High School in Batavia and build an elementary school for the Church on the same property.
Land was purchased on Union Street, which parcel went through to Woodrow Road, and in 1952, Notre Dame High School opened there. St. Mary's Elementary School was being constructed next door to the high school, so for the first two years of its existence, the grammar school held classes in the basement of Notre Dame.
In 1954, St. Mary's School officially opened in its own building with 8 classrooms and a combination Gym/lunchroom. One difference between St. Mary's and the other 3 Batavia Catholic schools was that the church and school were approximately a mile apart, while St. Joseph's, St. Anthony's and Sacred Heart were adjacent to the churches. This led to some interesting situations, which will come up later in my story.
I went to St. Mary's for first and second grade in the basement of Notre Dame ( I had attended Kindergarten at the public Washington School) and then moved to the new building for Grade 3 and continued there until I graduated from eighth grade on moved on to the Catholic high school.
In 1957, we moved to North Spruce Street on the east end of town, but my parents agreed to let me finish grades 6, 7, and 8 at St. Mary's, even though it caused some transportation problems. However, my three-year-younger brother Dan, who was just starting third grade, transferred to the closer St. Joseph's on Summit Street.
Serving At St. Mary's
Those readers who are Roman Catholic know that in the past, young boys, usually in their early teens, were chosen as altar servers, and their duties were to assist the priests with the Mass ( Catholic service) and also to aid in other church ceremonies, especially weddings and funerals. As time passed and some traditions changed girls were allowed to assist the priest. Today, with the shortage of priests and Catholic schools it is often an adult who assists the celebrant.
I don't recall why I was chosen to be an altar boy at St. Mary's in the seventh and eighth grade, but I'm positive it wasn't for my stellar academics or outstanding behavior ( I wasn't a bad kid, but if you've read some of my previous stories you know I could be mischievous). It could have had something to do with some pushing ( both of me and the priests) by my mom, who was very active in the church and school. At one point, she was president of the school “ Mother's Club,” which was St. Mary's equivalent of the PTA ( weren't dads involved in the school back then?) She also worked in the lunchroom.
In those late 1950's years the priests at St. Mary's were the older Monsignor David Cahill who had been born in Ireland and still had a bit of a brogue and a younger Father George Brennan. Most , if not all , of my my altar boy duties were with one or the other of them. Both priests were regular visitors to the school also.
As has been the case with many of my stories, for some reason, I tend to remember the humorous and odd incidents rather than the regular and mundane events that others do. The same is true with my altar boy days.
Altar Boy Escapades
One thing that will always be a mystery is why I almost passed out a number of times while serving Mass. It always happened while kneeling (almost the entire service) and usually before Communion time. I would start getting dizzy and lightheaded, break out in a sweat and would have to exit the altar. I would go through the sacristy ( the room where the priests and servers would get ready for the service), down the stairs, and then I would sit outside in the fresh air with my head between my legs. After about five minutes, I would start feeling better and could return to the altar.
My suspicion is that it was a combination of not eating ( back then, you had to fast before Communion) and the position my body was in while kneeling. Almost always, there were two altar boys, so my leaving briefly didn't really have any effect on the service. I know the priests asked me several times if I was okay and the odd thing is that it never has happened to me at any other time in my life. Of course, unless you install carpets or something, most people don't spend much time kneeling. ( That time you felt faint while proposing to your wife was probably for other reasons).
I am not a gambler, but I would bet that anyone who was an altar boy sampled some of the Sacramental wine at some point. There have been movies which depicted boys making off with a bunch of the wine and getting sloppy drunk , but I'm pretty sure that's exaggerated. I personally thought it tasted like watered down cough medicine when my friends and I snuck a sip or two.
Even though weddings usually took place on a Saturday morning we altar boys were glad to assist at them even though it was our weekend off from school. The reason was that it was a tradition for us to receive an envelope with some cash in it from the bride and groom for our service. I think it was usually $5, but in 1959 or 1960, that was a lot of money for a 12 or 13-year-old. I could buy a bunch of candy and some packs of baseball or football cards with that. I wish I had an exciting wedding story like the ending of the movie The Graduate, but the best I can do is the Best Man dropping the ring when he goes to hand it to the Groom.
Unless you were an altar boy you might be surprised that we liked funerals. No we weren't macabre, ghoulish or unfeeling. And we only liked them on school days. That was because we got out of school to go assist at the funeral mass. If the weather was nice enough we got to ride our bikes too because as I mentioned earlier the church was about a mile from the school.
Being 12 and 13-year-old boys, we took full advantage of this perk. At least until we got caught. When the funeral was over we took our sweet time getting back to school. Of course, our bike tires were low on air, so we had to stop at the gas station nearby to fill them up. Then we had to take a detour off West Main by crossing the Walnut Street bridge over the Tonawanda Creek and riding down South Main to recross the South Lyon Street bridge. Naturally we were scientifically curious so on both bridges we had to stop and study the flowing creek for signs of wildlife and observe the water flow.
Once we got back to West Main we were pretty tired and thirsty from our excursion so we might stop at Peters Delicatessen for a bottle of pop ( when I got to college at St. John Fisher I was made fun of by downstaters who insisted it was called soda). My favorite was Vernor 's “Va-Va Voom” Ginger ale. Finally we would arrive back at school just in time for lunch.
This was all great fun until Msgr. Cahill had some business at the school after a funeral and beat us back there by about an hour. We got a pretty good tongue-lashing, including some words in his Irish brogue that might have been a bit “off-color.” From then on, we were transported to and from the church in one of the priest's cars.
Speaking of getting lectured, there was another occasion that shows how immature 12—and 13-year-old boys can be. It was at a funeral, I think, for an elderly person, so fortunately, there weren't many attendees. A few of us got the giggles over something. You know, the kind where you should not in any way be laughing, but once you start, you can't control it? The Monsignor let us have it after the funeral was over, and we deserved it.
The final instance I can recall of getting berated by a priest as an altar boy I don't think was warranted at all. The Reverend ( I don't recall which one) was dispensing Holy Communion. My job was to walk next to him and place the paten (a gold plate) under the communicant's chin so the Eucharist ( a thin wafer also called the Host) wouldn't fall as it was placed on the person's tongue.
As Father reached into the Ciborium, a container that held the Hosts ( I never knew it was called that until I looked it up for this story), he dropped one on the floor. Out of reflex, I bent to pick it up. “Don't you dare touch that," he roared. “That's the Body of Christ”! Whoa! I thought a lightning bolt would come down and zap me into a million pieces. The person about to receive communion's mouth dropped open.
As the priest picked it up, my face must have turned 10 shades of red. I was so embarrassed in front of all the people.
Wouldn't something like, “ Dave, I got that, only priests are allowed to touch the Eucharist” have been kinder? He never said anything about it after Mass, either. And by the way, at today's Communion the people receiving it are allowed to indicate that the priest should place it in their hands so they can put it on their own tongue if they'd rather. You can file that with fasting, eating meat on Friday , girls being altar servers and some others under the category “ Once Forbidden Things That Aren't Any More”.
Herding Cats
One of my previous stories ( Bad Habits at St. Mary's School: the nuns who wore them, Kids Who Learned Them Aug. 8, 2019) detailed my elementary school career from grades 1-8. However I wanted to add a couple experiences which involved traveling to the church which, again, was a mile away.
I was a 5th and 6th-grade teacher for 32 years, and in that time, I took some classes on walking trips to nearby destinations in the City of Rochester, such as a movie theater, the Memorial Art Gallery, and The Rochester Museum and Science Center. So, I know that walking a bunch of kids somewhere takes patience and organization, such as enlisting parents to act as chaperones. But I never had to walk a mile wearing a habit and a pair of “nun shoes,” as we used to call them. Also, my classes usually had about 25 students, not the 45 or 50 that the nuns had to deal with at St. Mary's.
On occasion, the nuns would walk us to the church if practice was required for something which couldn't be duplicated at the school, such as May Crowning or the Confirmation ceremony. This required walking on Woodrow Road to West Main Street and the a pretty long trek down Main to the intersection at Dellinger Avenue/Walnut Street where we would cross at the traffic light and continue on the South side of Main past the E. N. Rowell Box Factory to Ellicott St. and then to the church.
I'm not sure how the girls behaved during these excursions on foot, but most of the boys would amuse themselves by slapping each other in the back of the head, trying to give each other “wedgies,” and other assorted childishness. If the nun happened to spot this misbehavior, you might end up walking with her, grasping you by the hand. This, of course, would subject you to ridiculing and snickers from the other guys.
On one occasion, when whatever we were practicing for was done and it was time to head back to school, I hatched a plan to avoid the walk. Of course, it was foolish, but that fact evaded my thinking until later. As we exited the church, I quickly ducked into an alcove beneath the long front steps ( on a recent stop at the church, I found that it must have been filled in years ago). I stayed there until everyone was long gone and then walked home stupidly, chuckling to myself how clever I had been.
Of course, when the class got back to school, Sister noticed I was missing and called my mother. In addition to the lecture and punishment I got from Mom, I had to deal with the teacher in school the next day. What was I thinking? To paraphrase Scottish poet Robert Burns, “ The best laid plans of mice and (young boys) oft go awry.”
One non-church trip we hiked on was to the Dipson Theater on Main Street to see the movie The Song Of Bernadette. It was made in 1946 so the Catholic Schools must have arranged with the theater to show it for the students. The film is about a young French girl who claims that The Blessed Mother appears to her in a cave at a place called Lourdes. Then Bernadette digs with her hands in the ground, and water bubbles up, which people claim heals them from afflictions. I don't remember much of the film specifically, but I do recall my friends, and I were upset that the concession stand was not open for us to get popcorn and Junior Mints. The nuns probably wished for a miracle of their own to get us to be serious about something.
Recently I learned that Saint Mary's Church closed for good this past August ( the school has been gone since the early 2000s). Even though a lot of my memories are of silly and humorous situations that happened to or because of me there, I realize that many people have very fond recollections of the beauty of the church and baptisms, first communions, confirmations, weddings and funerals. Also, it was , like other churches, a gathering spot for dances, bingo and other social events, which brought parishioners together as a community. St. Mary's legacy will live on in those peoples' hearts and minds for as long as they live.
Photos courtesy Dave Reilly
Santa returns to State Street in Batavia on Friday, and again on Dec. 20, for photos with families and children from 6 to 8 p.m.
Mrs. Claus will be joining Santa on this special trip from the North Pole to spread Christmas joy.
Local helpers will be on hand to snap photos for parents who wish to be in the photo, too.
To find Santa, look for the brightly lit holiday house at 150 State St.
Weather updates for Saturday and Sunday. Please send your updates to news@thebatavian.com
Press Release:
The Oakfield Betterment Committee is thrilled to announce our annual Christmas Decorating Contest, inviting residents and businesses from the Oakfield and Alabama areas to help us make the season merry and bright!
This is your chance to spread holiday cheer, showcase your creativity, and compete for fantastic prizes. Here’s what you need to know:
- Who Can Enter? Oakfield and Alabama residents and businesses.
- How to Sign Up: Register by November 30 using this link: Sign Up Here.
- Judging Period: December 7 through December 14.
Prizes:
For residents, the top three winners will receive gift cards to an Oakfield-Alabama business of their choice:
- First Place: $200
- Second Place: $100
- Third Place: $50
For businesses, the first-place winner will receive a commemorative plaque to celebrate their holiday spirit!
Let’s come together to light up our community and make this holiday season unforgettable. For questions or more details, contact Jamie at 585-704-6663 or Jamie@oakfieldbetterment.com.
Don’t delay, sign up today and let your decorations dazzle!
Press Release:
Congresswoman Claudia Tenney (NY-24) today announced she is introducing a bill to require states to report preliminary election results within 12 hours after polls close, with certain exceptions and contingencies to account for practical challenges as well as for our service members and their families stationed overseas.
A recent poll found that 63% of respondents support a federal law requiring final election results to be reported within 12 hours of polls closing on Election Day. Tenney’s bill seeks to enhance transparency in our elections by addressing the lengthy delays, sometimes over a month, that some states experience in announcing results.
"Voters across the country are frustrated with vote tallying that drags on for weeks, especially in instances where ballots seem to be discovered long after Election Day,” said Congresswoman Tenney. “This undermines trust in our elections and creates opportunities for fraud or errors in ballot counting. As Chair of the Election Integrity Caucus, I am committed to increasing transparency in our electoral process and ensuring it is truly Election Day — not Election Month."
We live where there are four seasons, and the weather, holidays, and outdoor activities dictate our memories.
I remember how much snow we had in winter during the 50s and 60s, when the ground was covered with snow from November to March. It always seemed there were two feet of snow and never a snow day. You always wore a winter jacket, snow pants, rubber boots, and possibly a Wonder Bread bag over your shoes to make sure your feet stayed dry. A scarf, mittens, and a hat completed your winter attire. We looked like inflated children walking to school.
We spent many hours on the weekends playing in the snow. That was where the snow forts were built, and the snowball fights began. It was also the time to take your Flexible Flyer steel runner wood sled to State Street hill and wait in line for your turn to sail down the hill, only to get to the end of the hill to walk up again and wait your turn in line. If you lived on the south side, you would sled on the South Jackson Street hill, and hopefully, no cars were coming as your sled would end up in the street. We had the snow to play in and the anticipation of the Christmas school break.
Depending on where you lived, there was ice skating. Austin and Kibbe Parks’ wading pools would be transformed into an ice rink, and the Tonawanda Creek also became an ice skating rink. In the early history of Vine Street, there was also ice skating, and today, you can see what remains in a stone-created little building you used to go in to keep warm. That was before John Kennedy School was built. Later, the tennis courts became skating rinks with music to skate to.
The day we would get our Christmas tree, we went to either the Boy Scout Christmas Tree lot or the St. Joseph's Drum Corps tree lot to purchase our tree. We had to wait a day before dragging out the metal stand and trying to set up the tree so it appeared straight. I remember two kinds of lights: the multi-colored large bulbs and the bubble lights. The ornaments were glass, and inevitably, a few would break. Mom or Dad put up the lights because we were too young to do that, and we probably would fight. The best part was the icicles. We would carefully put one strand at a time on the tree, and by the time we were done, we were throwing handfuls. Years later, Gina and Terry were added to the family, and now we had an aluminum Christmas tree.
The youngest brother, John, just sat and watched the chaos. The little sisters weren't born yet. In the winter, board games were played, mostly Monopoly, and some arguing was bound to happen. We always had to ask if getting up on Christmas morning was okay!
Mass was always a big part of our Sunday morning. I remember how beautiful the church looked, all decorated, and voices from the choir filled the air with traditional holiday songs. Our family was so big we filled an entire pew.
Our Mom gave each of my five siblings a photograph album one year. It must have taken her a year to make them; we treasured them. In those pages, we were growing up through pictures. The six of us just sat in the living room, sharing photographs and recalling so many memories, and today, we would give anything to have one more day like that. It was the best Christmas gift we ever received.
Another highlight of Christmas Day was the five-course meal that was prepared. If you are Italian, you know exactly what I mean. Dinner took place in our dining room, at the adult table, and in the kitchen, at the kid's table. Before dinner, our Dad always said grace and added something beautiful about being thankful for his family and all being able to share Christmas. After dinner, we would get into the station wagon and ride around Batavia looking at the Christmas lights. Our first stop was the NYS School for the Blind, where we saw the miniature Christmas Village. It was a time when you could see the Nativity Scene on city property. When I think of Christmas today and as a child, I wouldn't change a thing. I loved growing up in a big family because we all share the same memories, and the stories of our younger years get embellished every year as we tell them over and over again.
It will always be the Blind School, State Park Hill, St. Anthony's, St. Mary's, Sacred Heart Church, and St. Joseph Church. Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, Happy Hanukkah, and Happy Kwanzaa to my readers. I hope your winter season is a time to create new memories and cherish the old ones.
A lake effect snow warning has been issued for Genesee County starting at 7 a.m. on Saturday and lasting until 7 p.m. on Sunday.
The National Weather Service forecasts 6 to 12 inches of lake-effect snow for the region, with the most persistent bands passing over the southwest portion of the county.
Travelers should anticipate winds and snow-covered roads. The snow will pass over in relatively narrow bands so travelers should be prepared for rapidly changing road conditions.
Commercial traffic has been restricted on the Thruway.
With all his friends from Le Roy asking John Spyropoulous when he would open a restaurant in Le Roy so they wouldn't need to drive so often to Settlers in Batavia, along with the increasing number of people coming to him looking for work, Spyropoulous decided to take the hint and open a new eatery in the former L.B. Grand location on Main Street.
"You know, I've got that place (Settlers Restaurant) running so good now, and my employees are so great, they don't even need me there. They kick me out," Spyropoulous said in an exclusive interview with The Batavian. "So, I said I'd give it a shot. I need a new challenge."
Settlers Select officially opens on Monday.
Starting a new restaurant in Le Roy is a sort of homecoming for Spyropoulous.
When Spyropoulous family first moved to Genesee County more than five decades ago, they rented an apartment in Le Roy. John's father, Steve Spyropoulous, immigrated to the U.S. from Greece as a young man with just a suitcase. He started his restaurant career washing dishes in a restaurant in Rochester that members of his family owned. He saved his money and opened a restaurant in Fairport.
That was going pretty well until he learned the drawbridge over the canal was going to be closed for restoration work. So he sold the restaurant where he could and brought the family to Le Roy, looking for his next opportunity.
Steve looked at a location in Le Roy -- the space that was most recently Moony's on Lake Street -- and another location in Attica, but neither deal worked out, so he turned his attention to the former Red Barn location in Batavia.
Settler's opened in 1985, and Steve ran the restaurant until his death in 2018 at age 66.
"My father took it over and made it a gem," John said. "You know, it's a staple now. He did good for himself. He worked hard."
The new restaurant, Settlers Select, at 37-39 Main Street, Le Roy, is more of a bistro than a classic American diner.
The breakfast menu remains the same.
"Breakfast is breakfast," John said.
On the lunch and dinner menu are items such as roasted cauliflower with a spicy aioli, pitas, and hot pepper dip, a French onion burger, and breaded pork cutlets served with mashed potatoes and braised cabbage.
John's wife Miranda leads the kitchen, preparing sauces and entrees.
Settlers Select also has a full bar -- completely refurbished from the L.B. Grand days. Settlers in Batavia doesn't serve alcohol.
Spyropoulous expects customers to find the same friendly atmosphere at Settlers Select as they do at Settlers Restaurant.
"All my staff in Batavia, all the waitresses I have, are very talkative with customers," Spyropoulous said. "Everybody enjoys themselves when they come in. I get so many good reviews about how good my staff is, how good everybody treats customers there. I just want the same thing here, you know, and a bunch of the new people that I've hired, I think we're gonna be all right."
The Batavia Kiwanis Club hosted its annual Thanksgiving Free Skate on Thursday morning at the David M. McCarthy Memorial Ice Arena in Batavia.
Photos by Howard Owens.
More than 950 local residents received free Thanksgiving meals on Thursday, prepared and delivered by dozens of City Church volunteers working out of the kitchen at the St. Anthony's campus.
Most of the meals were delivered but tables were set for any people who wished to dine at St. Anthony's.
Photos by Howard Owens.
Mike Miller, with a time of 21:58, won the Fourth Annual Turkey Trot on Thursday at Silver Fox Fitness on Cedar Street.
Photos by Howard Owens.
The 5th Annual Caryville Inn Turkey Trot took place on Thursday under chilly, rainy conditions. Despite the continuous mist that persisted throughout the race, 192 runners and walkers braved the elements as the event kicked off promptly at 9 a.m.
The overall male winner was Brandon Rebert, clocking in at 18:17. Kimberly Mills claimed the title of overall female winner with a time of 21:07.
Photos by Kara Richenberg.
When you walk near a red Salvation Army kettle outside a local store and hear the ting-a-ling of a volunteer's silver bell, Capt. Bradley Moore thinks, perhaps, the notes you hear is a reminder of hope.
Hope for the families who will be fed or clothed by your donation, hope for those who don't know where else to turn during the Christmas season, and a hope that helps you remember there are people in your community who depend on the Salvation Army and your support of its ministry.
The Salvation Army has been in Genesee County for 138 years, helping spread hope to those in need 365 days a year. The volunteer -- or seasonal worker -- ringing the bell is often most visible reminder of the Salvation Army but Army serves the community's poor and those in crisis everyday.
The Red Kettle Campaign is a big reason the Salvation Army can meet the needs of your friends, family members, and neighbors in Genesee County.
This year, the fundraising goal is a big one -- $100,000.
"We served over 11,000 people food in the last year," said Moore, who, along with his wife Rachel, manages the Salvation Army in Batavia. "So, as you hear that bell, know that it's helping all year round. It is just a reminder that the Salvation Army is a source of hope for a lot of people. As you see the shield and hear the bells, know that raising that money is essential for us to be able to continue the good work."
The services available at the Salvation Army at 529 E. Main St., Batavia, include a food pantry and clothing, as well as community meals, Friday family nights, and Sunday church services, but the staff at the Salvation Army are committed to finding assistance for anybody who comes in with an unmet need.
"If somebody comes to us with a need, we'll do whatever we can to either meet that need here or partner with somebody to help meet that need," Moore said. "Obviously, food is huge right now. Our food pantry serves roughly 35 to 45 families every day that we're open, which is Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. We partner a lot with neighborhood legal services if somebody's having issues with landlords. For domestic violence, we help through the YWCA. We do whatever we can for whoever walks in the door."
Moore said the Salvation Army's operations manager, Tood Rapp, is particularly adept at discovering the needs of people who drop in and assuring them the Salvation Army can, in fact, help.
"I often say, I gotta get him a mug or something that says, 'Hi, I'm Todd. How can I help?' That's what he says all the time. He is just willing to hear people's stories and figure out how we can help on an individual basis," Moore said. "There's a lot of needs."
Rapp said it's amazing to hear somebody tell their story and see them realize that there is somebody listening who cares about their needs.
"If you can actually help make a difference, that's even better," Rapp said. "People just want to be heard. They want to know that they matter. And I can't tell you how many times I sit here and I look at somebody and they say, 'Why are you doing this?' And I'm able to look them in the eye and say, 'Because you matter. You're worth it.' And, you know, there's a lot of people out there that have never been told that."
This level of caring fits with the historical mission of the Salvation Army.
In 1852, William Booth stepped away from the pulpit at a church in London. He took seriously his belief in Jesus' call to serve the poor, the oppressed, and those caught in sin and bring them the Gospel. Between 1881 and 1885, more than 250,000 were converted to followers of Christ in the British Isles.
In 1886, the Salvation Army started to form in Batavia.
Early in the Army's local history, it established a church on Jackson Street, moved to another location, and then built a citadel on Jackson Street, which fell to the wrecking ball of urban renewal, according to Ruth McEvoy's history of Batavia.
In 1967, the Army purchased its current location, the former East School, from the Batavia City School District for $15,500. Louis Viele built the new citadel at that location, and the Army sold its Jackson Street location to the city for $90,000.
The mission and ministry have never changed, and just like in the late 1960s, based on McEvoy's account, the Army in Batavia still holds regular religious services, serves as a recreation place for older citizens, has entertainment for the children of the neighborhood, and operates a food bank.
Moore said the Salvation Army is still inspired by the words of William Booth:
While women weep, as they do now, I will fight. While men go to prison, in and out, in and out, as they do now, I will fight. While there is a drunkard left, where there is a poor lost girl upon the streets, where there remains one dark and without the light of God, I’ll fight. I’ll fight to the very end.
It's a call to service that Moore thinks is still relevant to today's Christians.
"Jesus calls us to love the unlovable, care for the widows and orphans, and feed those who are hungry," Moore said. "Yes, the poor will always be among us, but it doesn't give us a right to just cast them down. We're called to put others before ourselves. The Salvation Army's mission is that we're out -- to summarize -- we want to serve without discrimination and do all things. We do what we do because of our beliefs and who we are. I think that's a reminder that we need to keep our eyes outwardly focused, focus on Jesus and focus on others before we look at ourselves."
Moore was called to ministry as a youth. His parents were Salvation Army officers, and Moore was interested in becoming a youth pastor. However, while serving in that role in Canton, Ohio, he saw the need was greater than just serving the community's youth.
"I quickly realized that God put that desire in my heart to be more than that," Moore said.
He said serving the community's young people is still a passion for both him and Rachel (they have three children), but it's important to meet the needs of everybody.
Rapp started volunteering with the Salvation Army in Batavia 12 years ago. As he saw how holistic the assistance was for the community's people, he was drawn to a deeper commitment to the mission.
"When somebody comes in for food they don't just get food, but we have a conversation, and in that conversation, we find out other things, how else can we help other than just giving them a box of groceries and sending them out the door," Rapp said.
You can ring a bell outside of Tops in Le Roy or Batavia or the Walmart in Batavia, helping to collect donations. To sign up for a time slot, click here.
You can also donate. Moore notes that most of us never carry much cash these days. We don't necessarily have the spare change -- or spare folding money -- to slip into the kettle. You can be intentional, ensuring you have cash in hand when you head to Tops or Walmart, or you can donate online. If you provide a Genesee County zip code, 100 percent of your donation will go to the Salvation Army in Batavia.
You can also drop off food donations at the East Main location. The pantry always needs food, especially pasta, pasta sauce, cereal, soup, tuna, canned fruit, and canned pasta meals like Spaghetti-Os and noodles.
Several local churches collect donations for the Salvation Army.
Regardless of how you donate, all donations stay local, Moore confirmed.
"I love that we can look at our community here and say the Salvation Army is still doing those things," Moore said. "We're still helping. We're giving clothing vouchers to those who are in and out of prison. We're still helping to give food to those who are hungry. We're still helping those who are in domestic violence. We haven't changed. Our mission has remained the same."
Genesee County’s Legislature adopted the proposed $189 million budget this week, calling for a tax levy increase of 2.78%. The legislature also agreed to several other resolutions, including moving leftover federal money into countywide broadband expansion, approving the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) union contract, raising salaries for county officers and increasing salaries for nonunion employees and management.
A tax levy of $33,630,739 is to be raised for the 2025 budget, which equates to a tax rate decrease of 51 cents per $1,000 assessed value due to increased property assessments, County Manager Matt Landers said, lowering the current rate of $8.08 to $7.57 per $1,000 assessed value. However, as many property owners may discover, their annual tax bill will increase due to those larger assessments. For a prior budget story, go HERE.
During prior talks about the budget, Legislative Chair Shelley Stein remarked about what she believed was the reality of the situation: “It's still an increase in the levy. We are aware that the rate goes down with this, but we also are running a service organization, and there are costs in New York State that we cannot avoid. We want to make a very safe community that is balanced with quality of life. These are the costs.”
Legislator Marianne Clattenburg added that many of “these dollars” are spent, when it comes to security, “not just on public service” but also with a focus on things such as cyber security and the welfare of citizens.
Legislators also approved the negotiated deal to give AFSCME wage increases of 4% for 2025, 3% for 2026 and 4% for 2027.
There is the creation of a Step 7, with a 4% increase. Members with approximately 7+ years of service will be moved to Step 7.
Beginning Jan. 1, longevity will increase from $.10/hour to $.20/hour for every five years of continuous service, to a maximum of 30 years. Beginning Jan. 1, 2026, longevity will increase to $.25/hour for every five years of continuous service, to a maximum of 30 years.
Health Care:
2025 – employees hired prior to 1/1/15 will have a 13% cost share with a cap of 9% of earnings.
2026 – employees hired prior to 1/1/15 will have a 14% cost share with a cap of 9% of earnings.
2027 – employees hired prior to 1/1/15 will have a 15% cost share with a cap of 10% of earnings.
The Civil Service Employee Association (CSEA) is getting a 4% increase, and management is getting a 3.5% increase. CSEA grade adjustments will be negotiated with the union in the coming months. Management and union members also receive annual step increases until they reach the top of their grade.
In addition, specific management positions were recommended for an additional one grade adjustment based on the Evergreen study. One grade adjustment equals an approximately 5% increase.
The salary of county officers were approved for Jan. 1 as follows:
The county had previously entered into a contract this year with Spectrum Northeast for high-speed internet broadband access for residential, business and government users for a price not to exceed $6,603,107, and at that time the county dedicated $2 million of its American Rescue Plan funds for the project.
There is a leftover amount of $17,603.74 of ARPA money, so legislators agreed to also put that toward the broadband expense instead of using reserve funds.
The patrons of the Recovery Station at 5256 Clinton Street Road in Batavia have formed tight bonds as they work on sobriety together, said Melissa Vineyard, station coordinator, during a "Friendsgiving" meal on Wednesday.
On Thursday, Thanksgiving, she said, the people in recovery will be with their blood family but Friendsgiving is about sharing a meal with people who have a different, special bond with each other.
"When we come into recovery, we make a whole new family," Vineyard said. "These are the people who are in the trenches. These are the people we celebrate. We're proud. They keep going. They don't give up. These are the faces we see every day. So I wanted to have a special time with all these people. Bring them together and just say thank you, perfect."
UConnectCare operates the Recovery Station, a substance and alcohol-free environment where people in recovery can socialize and hang out.
Also on Wednesday, UConnect hosted another "Friendsgiving" event at the agency's child care center on Havester Avenue. There was music by Bart Dentino as well as kids coloring Thanksgiving placemats to take home for Thanksgiving.
The child care center provides a safe place for parents who are going through recovery to drop off their kids to be cared for while they take care of recovery obligations or just get their shopping done.
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