Announcements

Two brand-new writing workshops are being offered at Present Tense Books in Batavia.

Each two-hour session costs $17. They are:

• Lessons in Enhancing Your Creative Abilities
• STYLE: How to Develop Your Own Unique Writing Voice

These one-day workshops will be held Saturdays beginning March 31. The workshops are becoming very popular, and will fill up rapidly. Classes are limited to 12 participants, so sign up as soon as you can!

Students MUST register for the seminars by either entering their names on the registration site here:

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/bataviacreativity

Or by writing the instructor, Bob Comenole, directly at:

snowcap2@hotmail.com

Lessons in Enhancing Your Creative Abilities

You want to think further "out of the box," to blow open every pigeon hole you encounter to generate novel and breathtaking ideas worthy of your craft, whatever that may be. This workshop is fueled by the notion that creativity is a skill that certainly can be learned and developed.

We will journey our way through various techniques of lateral thinking and innovation that will increase both your productivity and your sense of self-satisfaction. The tools acquired here can be applied equally to all, whether you are a poet, a potter, a Teamster, a business owner, a carpenter or just a die-hard doodler -- all in an approach that is relaxed and playful.

Style: How to Develop Your Own Unique Writing Voice

How to distinguish yourself from the hordes of other writers, most of them voiceless and indistinct? That is the question. This seminar is the launching point for the answer. We'll analyze techniques of the masters of our language to discover how they created moving and memorable voices. We'll then develop a set of our own tools, using an array of linguistic and rhetorical choices, to create a style that captures that voice within. This seminar fits the needs of writers in every genre.

The seminars offered by Present Tense Books are appropriate for beginners and seasoned professionals alike; there are no prerequisites for any of the workshops.

About the instructor...

For 20 years, Bob Comenole has taught writing, literature and communications at several colleges, including Miami University, Siena College, the State University of New York, and Rensselear Polytechnic Institute.

He is the author of several books and is about to release his newest work "Perplexed by the Egg & Other Stories."

If you have further questions, call 1-315-685-1480 or email to: snowcap2@hotmail.com.

Present Tense Books is located at 101 Washington Ave. Phone is 815-7640 or visit on the web at www.presenttensebooks.com.

Press release:

Genesee Community College is pleased to announce Gail Francis has been named February Employee of the Month. Francis is a key member of the Records Office, responsible for making sure various office procedures, such as interpreting, maintaining and updating student records, are completed accurately and efficiently, each and every day.

She extends a friendly and welcoming face to everyone who enters the Records Office, providing exceptional customer service to students and colleagues alike. She also tackles campus records management, making sure mandated retention schedules are up-to-date to ensure proper maintenance and disposal of records.

Francis has been a valued member of the Genesee Community College for 21 years, launching her career in 1991, and she treasures her friendly and helpful coworkers. She's also familiar with the college from a student's perspective, having earned her AS degree in Human Services from GCC.

She resides in Batavia and is engaged to be married.

Genesee Community College is pleased to announce Lindsay Chatt has been named February Student of the Month. Chatt enrolled in GCC after graduating from Oakfield-Alabama High School in 2010, and is working toward completion of a Liberal Arts degree in Math and Science, with a concentration in Chemistry, which she plans to parlay into a career in dentistry.

An exceptional student, Chatt is a nominee for the SUNY Chancellor's Award for Student Excellence; has made the President's List for three semesters; and is a member of the Phi Theta Kappa honor society, which recognizes academic achievement among two-year college students. The 19-year-old native of Oakfield also excels in the ballpark, leading the GCC Women's Softball Team as captain.

Press release:

Genesee Community College's four-part lecture series commemorating the sesquicentennial of the Civil War continues from 7 to 9 p.m. on Tuesday, March 6, in room T102 at the Batavia campus.

Kevin Levin, a noted Civil War expert and author, will carefully recount the Battle of Crater, which is the topic of his latest book.

The Battle of the Crater was a botched attempt by the Union Army to punch a hole in the Confederate line outside of Petersburg, Va. After tunneling under the Confederate position, Union soldiers packed the tunnel with TNT and then ignited the fuse. While the explosion was spectacular, the Union attack was poorly orchestrated and resulted in more than 5,000 casualties – many of them African-American soldiers who led the charge.

Levin is an instructor and the chair of the History Department at St. Anne's Belfield School in Charlottesville, Va. His book entitled "Remembering The Battle of the Crater: War as Murder" will be available in June.

GCC's Civil War Lecture Series is free and open to the public. To register for any of the Civil War lectures, contact GCC's BEST Center at 345-6868 or email bestcenter@genesee.edu.

Other upcoming lectures include:

Tuesday, April 3

"From Bondage to Freedom" by Kevin Cottrell, founder of Motherland Connextions, will discuss the Underground Railroad as it pertains to Western New York and Southern Ontario. Motherland Connextions is one of the first multicultural humanitarian efforts helping to spotlight the many effects diversity had in sustaining freedom, and instilling courage and hope in our communities nationwide.

Tuesday, May 1

"The Longstreet Family in War and Peace" by Terrianne Schulte, Ph.D., of D'Youville College. This talk explores the impact of the war and its aftermath with the well-known and controversial southern family, the Longstreets. Schulte will focus on Confederate General James Longstreet, his second wife, Helen Dortch Longstreet, and his uncle, Judge Augustus Baldwin Longstreet, the author of "Georgia Scenes."

Also featured this spring is a Civil War Essay Contest open to all students between grades nine and 12 with the topic, "War Takes a Nasty Turn: The Changing Nature of the War of 1862."

The first-place essay winner will receive a color Nook electronic reader. The essay should be a minimum of three pages formatted in 12-point Times New Roman font and double-spaced. All citations must be in written in Chicago Style (www.chicagomanualofstyle.org). All essays must be received electronically by Friday April 13 to ddmaxfield@genesee.edu. Winners will be announced before the final Civil War lecture at 7 p.m. on May 1.

"It is a real honor to be hosting a lecture by Kevin Levin, who is a well-known authority on the Civil War," Derek Maxfield, GCC's resident Civil War historian and history instructor said. "We are also very excited to share the developing details about GCC's Civil War Encampment that is scheduled in late April at our Lima Campus Center."

Genesee Community College has also developed two blogs -- the GCC GLOW Region History Co-Op Blog – which seeks to help promote partnerships with GLOW region historical organizations -- and the Civil War Blog, which is a part of the Civil War initiative. The war blog promotes upcoming events at the college and will feature posts about history instructor Maxfield's work.

The blogs can be found at www.glowhistory.wordpress.com and www.civilwaratgcc.wordpress.com.

Press release:

Genesee Community College's Sunday courses, second session, start mid-March and are ideal for adults juggling work and family obligations. For some, Sunday is the only day of the week free of work schedules, family commitments and other activities -- allowing time to focus on college courses.

GCC continues its successful Sunday hybrid course schedule through the Spring 2012 semester with a second eight-week session starting March 19. There is still time to register.

Hybrid courses are taught partially online and partially in the classroom and include coursework in the arts and humanities, English, history, science, math and business. The hybrid courses meet regularly in a lab or classroom for instruction, assessments or laboratories, and students also work online each week.

There are three Sunday time slots (9 to 11:45 a.m., 12 to 2:45 p.m., and 3 to 5:45 p.m.) providing an opportunity to complete several courses per semester in the Sunday-hybrid format.

Sunday courses being offered at GCC/Batavia beginning on March 19 include:

•    BUS110: Personal Money Management

•    SPA101: Elementary Spanish 1

•    MAT102: Algebra 2

•    ART 103: Western Art History 1

•    ENG102: Composition in the Natural and Social Sciences

•    HIS102: World Civilizations 2

New students can apply for free online by going to: www.genesee.edu/admissions.

For a comprehensive listing of all GCC's class and scheduling options visit: www.genesee.edu/Options.

For further information about Sunday courses or online learning, please contact Judith Littlejohn at 343-0055, ext. 6158, or JMLittlejohn@genesee.edu.

En Garde Batavia, an Olympic Sport Fencing Center, will begin a new program March 7 for homeschoolers. This class is open to students 6-19* years old.

The Home School Fencing Class will be held at the club on 56 Harvester Ave. in the City of Batavia and classes are available in three sections:

• Mondays, 1-3 p.m. and 3-5 p.m.
• Wednesdays, 1-3 p.m. and 3-5 p.m.
• Fridays, 1-3 p.m. and 3-5 p.m.

The first hour will be just the older students and the second hour will be the younger and older students. Parent or guardian supervision is required for both hours with students under 10 years old.

The class comes at an introductory rate of $20 per month for the first child, $15 per month for the second child, and $10 for additional children in the same household.

If you would like to register please email owner/instructor Colin Dentino at : Colin@EnGardeBatavia.com.

Classes are capped at 10 students for the best experience and are filled on a first-come-first-serve basis. You register for one day and time slot.
 
Participants should wear workout clothes and bring a water bottle. Legs should be covered with either pants or long socks.

(*To ask about age exceptions contact Colin Dentino.)
 
For questions or more information contact Colin Dentino at 409-3993 or  colin@engardebatavia.com  
 
Visit on the web at http://engardebatavia.com

Check for tournaments this weekend!

Press release:

Bill Greene (BS LMT) and Diana Radley (BS LMT) will be presenting a six-week educational workshop designed to strengthen the body, mind and soul through core development.

This employs yoga, Pilates, weight training and other techniques to strengthen the body's internal landscape.

Cost is $300.  

Sessions will meet at 7 p.m. Wednesdays and at 2:30 p.m. Saturdays beginning Saturday, March 3, and continuing through April 11. They will be held at Massage by Diana, located at 154 Pearl St. in Batavia above the offices of chiropractor Michael DeAngelo.

Greene and Radley combined have more than 34 years of experience in massage therapy and rehab medicine.

Limited spots are available. Call Diana at 993-5368 to register or leave a message on Massage by Diana on Facebook.

"Get Core...Get Strong."

Girl Scouts of WNY are hosting its first ever Running of the Greens Walk/Run in Le Roy to raise funds for the Junior Troop's trip tp Washington, D.C. this spring.

The girls are planning on joining around 200,000 other scouts and families at the nation's Capitol in celebration of the 100th Anniversary of Girl Scouts on June 9.

It's not every day you can celebrate this 100th birthday and for these fourth grade Wolcott Street students, this trip is once in a lifetime.

In March of1 912, with one woman's vision and just a handful of girls, the first ever Girl Scout meeting was held in Savannah, Georgia. Today with millions of members worldwide, the organization aims to empower and strengthen young girls.

In LeRoy, race organizers, Melissa Cone and Kate Flint are empowering and improving the lives of their Girl Scout troop by inspiring them to action. The 5K  race integrates perfectly with the "getting fit" theme they are currently teaching the girls.

Instead of doing the usual fundraisers, they had a vision of activating the community in an unusual way.

"We wanted to do something out of the ordinary, create a family event, and get the community active," Flint said.

As these young girls awareness increases of living healthy, so is their excitement for the walk/run.The 9 and 10-year-olds will be there early race day to set-up and will also be seen running and walking the course with the other racers.

"You will be able to identify the girls by the Girl Scout sash they will be wearing that day," Flint said.

Even though this 5K is to raise funds for the upcoming trip to D.C., it is also meant to raise awareness of the benefits of getting up and getting moving. The race parallels the organization's earliest goals in 1912 of getting people outdoors doing something together.

Organizers hope to see the community take a step towards fitness and join these Girl Scouts at the finish line.

Both walkers, runners and people of all ages and fitness abilities are welcome. Music entertainment, post-race refreshments, and prizes for top finishers are included in the event.

The race begins at 9 a.m., Sunday, March 11.

The start and finish lines are at the Summit Street tennis courts.

The pre-registration fee of $20 includes a long-sleeve race shirt. Deadline is March 1. Fee increases to $25 after March 1.

Forms and more details can be found at www.gswny.weebly.com.

Contact Melissa Cone at 507-5437 or Kate Flint at 813-9557 with any questions or to sponser the event.

The following is a press release from Chantal Zambito:

Calling all NXT/RCX Robotic Clubs, Groups, Teams, and Enthusiasts!

Carlson's Studio Photography is once again offering to take a picture of you and your pooch -- or other pet -- to benefit animals.

The business, which recently closed its Batavia office and now operates only at its Wyoming location, will donate the $20 sitting fee to a worthy animal cause of your choice during this special by-appointment-only offer. Pet Portrait Days are Friday and Sunday, March 9 and March 11.

The Genesee County Animal Shelter, for example, is one of the places which would benefit if you mention Volunteers for Animals, the local group which helps dogs and cats at the shelter. The group gets $20, you get a high-quality 5X7 photograph.

"Great pics for a great cause."

(Additional special packages are also available.)

The studio is located at 2110 Sayre Road in Wyoming. To make an appointment, call 786-2871. Visit online at CarlsonsStudio.com/Pets-home

Attention plant lovers, gardeners and landscapers -- the Genesee County Soil and Water Conservation District is offering a wide selection of trees, shrubs, wildflowers and habitat supplies for sale in its 2012 brochure.

Deadline to order is April 1.

The full-color brochure / order form is available for viewing and printing online at:

<http://geneseeny.org/departments/soilandwater/TreeBrochure2012.pdf>

There are plenty of choices and a variety of quantities available for purchase. They include:

• Evergreen seedlings: NEW this year are Tamarack American larch and Dawn redwood
• Shrubs: NEW -- American plum, common lilac
• Deciduous tree seedlings: NEW -- pin cherry, sour cherry, Northern apricot, Eastern redbud
• NEW Category -- Evergreen transplants such as blue spruce and Douglas fir

Wildflowers seeds offered include the white water lily, purple coneflower and pickerel weed.

Plus there are variety packs, ferns, edible berry bushes, groundcovers, planting and garden supplies, signs, bat houses and Eastern bluebird nesting boxes.

To get a printed brochure / order form you can also contact:

Genesee County SWCD, 29 Liberty St., Suite 3, Batavia, NY, 14020

Phone is 343-2362. Fax is 345-1815

Checks should be made out to: Genesee County SWCD

Press release:

The United Memorial Medical Center diabetes self-management education program offered through Healthy Living has been awarded continued Recognition from the American Diabetes Association.

The program was also recognized in March 2009. It offers high quality education services to the patients it serves.

The ADA Education Recognition effort began in the fall of 1986 as a voluntary process to assure that approved education programs met the National Standards for Diabetes Self-management Education Programs.

Programs that achieve Recognition status have a staff of knowledgeable health professionals who can provide the most current information regarding diabetes management for participants.

Self-management education is an essential component of diabetes treatment. One consequence of compliance with the national standards is the greater consistency in the quality and quantity of education offered to people with diabetes.

The participant in an ADA Recognized program will be taught, as needed, self-care skills that will promote better management of his or her diabetes treatment regimen.

All approved education programs cover the following topics as needed: diabetes disease process; nutritional management; physical activity; medications; monitoring; preventing, detecting and treating acute complications; preventing, detecting, and treating chronic complications through risk reduction; goal setting and problem solving; psychological adjustment; and preconception care, management during pregnancy and gestational management.

Unnecessary hospital admissions and some of the acute and chronic complications of diabetes may be prevented through self-management education. For more information, contact United Memorial’s Healthy Living Department, located at 211 E. Main St., Batavia, or by telephone at 344-5331.

Protecting and enhancing your woodlot will be the focus of a workshop on Saturday, March 10, at the Genesee County Park & Forest Interpretive Center.

Cost is $10 and the deadline to register is March 3. The workshop runs from 9 a.m. to noon, with a tour at 1 p.m. (You may want to bring your lunch if staying for the tour.)

This workshop will show you how to protect your woodlot from human and natural threats and offer ways to maintain a healthy and productive woodlot. Topics include: how to avoid timber theft; pool logging practices; recognizing invasive species: developing a management plan; and resources available to help landowners get the most from their woodlots.

To register, send payment (make checks payable to NYFOA -- New York Forest Owners Association) along with your name, address and phone number to:

Ron Reitz, 6086 Canadice Hill Rd., Springwater, NY 14560.

For more information, contact Mike Seager, seager_michael@yahoo.com or (585) 414-6511. Genesee County Park & Forest Interpretive Nature Center is located at 11095 Bethany Center Road in East Bethany.

Press release:

GO ART! is happy to announce the 2012 Student Poetry Contest in Genesee and Orleans counties. The contest is open to all students from kindergarten through college age. Prizes and
certificates will be awarded in categories by grade range in each county.

GO ART! sponsors this contest in conjunction with Present Tense Books, Bindings Bookstore, and The Book Shoppe.

Guidelines and Entry forms are available on the GO ART! website (www.goart.org). They may also be picked up at:

• GO ART! -- Seymour Place, 201 E. Main St., in Batavia
• Present Tense Books -- 101 Washington Ave. in Batavia
• Bindings Bookstore -- 28 W. Bank St. in Albion
• Book Shoppe - 519 Main St. in Medina.

The entry deadline is April 20.

For more information, contact GO ART! at 343-9313 or  email: info@goart.org; Present Tense Books at 815-7640; Bindings Bookstore at 283-4498, or The Book Shoppe at 798-3642.

The contest is made possible, in part, by the New York State Council for the Arts with the support of Governor Andrew Cuomo and the New York State Legislature.

Press release:

Genesee Community College announces an open call for visual art exhibitors for the Roz Steiner Art Gallery located in the Genesee Center for the Arts in Batavia. The call is open to individual artists and group exhibitions in all media interested for the 2013-14 academic year.

The mission of the Roz Steiner Art Gallery is to foster community involvement in the arts while enhancing the learning experience for all Genesee students, faculty and staff. Proposals are selected by the GCC Gallery Committee, which seeks out exhibitions that are both rich in content and quality craftsmanship.

According to Gallery Director Shirley Verrico, "The Roz Steiner Gallery serves a large audience and we need to provide that audience with meaningful experiences. Although a small percentage of our audience may pursue a career in the arts, 100 percent of our audience is asked to process visual culture every day. Learning to think creatively and critically is a skill everyone needs in the 21st Century."

The new gallery opened last spring and offers 1,700 square feet of exquisite exhibit space featuring 25-foot walls, movable island walls, bamboo flooring, and multimedia capabilities.

Interested artists and groups should complete the submission process available on the gallery website at: http://www.genesee.edu/gallery. The website also features videos and photographs of past exhibitions. The deadline for consideration for the coming academic year is May 1.

The Genesee County Economic Development Center (GCEDC) and the Genesee County Chamber of Commerce will host a free business energy breakfast workshop from 7:30 to 9 a.m. on Friday, March 9, at the MedTech Centre across from the college.

The purpose is to help small businesses and not-for-profits learn about free energy audits, incentives for energy efficiency improvements and low-cost financing opportunities to help them reduce their energy bills.

Saving energy is an excellent way for small businesses and not-for-profit organizations to reduce overhead costs. It’s also an opportunity to set a powerful example of good environmental stewardship.

A qualified energy auditor can help companies and organizations understand their current energy usage and identify energy efficiency improvements for their buildings. Organizations that get energy audits may also take advantage of Green Jobs – Green NY financing, which offers access to low-interest rate loans to finance energy efficiency improvements. And many energy improvement projects are eligible for cash-back incentives from the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA), National Fuel, National Grid and NYSEG.

The workshop will feature opening remarks by GCEDC Vice President of Business Development Chris Suozzi and Genesee County Chamber of Commerce President Lynn Freeman. Expert presentations will be made by: Lee Loomis of the New York Energy $mart Communities Program on behalf of NYSERDA to discuss energy audits, low-cost financing and incentives for energy improvements; Andy Szajta of National Fuel regarding small business rebates/incentives for high-efficiency gas equipment; and Bob Trembath of Lime Energy on behalf of National Grid’s Small Business program.

Organizations that provide program support and business financing, such as the Small Business Development Center and Pathstone Corporation, will also be available to answer questions.

All local and regional small businesses and not-for-profits are encouraged to attend. The first 50 participants to pre-register and attend will receive a free Compact Fluorescent Light (CFL) bulb from NYSERDA and an energy kit from National Fuel.

Pre-register for the workshop at www.GreenGeneseeCounty.org or call toll free at 1-866-495-2959. Walk-ins are welcome.

The Dr. Bruce A. Holm Upstate MedTech Centre is located at 99 MedTech Drive (across from the main Genesee Community College campus [1 College Drive] in Batavia). The workshop will be on the second floor, inside the School of Nursing Lecture Hall.

Genesee Community College will host a Job Fair dedicated to careers in the health career industry from 2 to 4 p.m. on Thursday, March 8 inside the William Stuart Forum.

The event is designed to introduce potential new employees to employers, and also provides health care businesses an opportunity to present their trade and services to the local community. More than 25 local and regional health care companies and four year schools will be available to answer questions, accept resumes and distribute material relating to their company / school.

Nursing, physical therapy assistants and respiratory care, polysomnographic technology, veterinary technician, and fitness and recreation management businesses will all be represented.

"With the increasing need for qualified health care professionals, this Health Careers Job Fair gives students and employers a great opportunity to connect," said John McGowan, Career Services Center coordinator.

The job fair is FREE and open to the general public. For a current listing of registered employers / schools, please visit the Career Services Web page at www.genesee.edu.career/events. Employers interested in attending the fair should contact the Career Services office at 585-345-6888 to register for this event.

So far, the following employer representatives will be available to distribute career information and other printed materials, answer questions, and receive resumes: (This list is subject to change.)

All Creatures Animal Hospital
Catholic Health System
Erie County Medical Center Corp
Finger Lakes DDSO
HomeCare & Hospice – Warsaw
Jewish Home of Rochester
Lifetime Assistance, Inc.
Monroe Community Hospital
Monroe Veterinary Associates
New York Army National Guard
NYS Veterans Home at Batavia
Orleans Community Health (Medina Memorial Hospital)
PSA Healthcare
Rainbow Preschool
Rehab Resources & Little Lukes
Thompson Health
United Memorial Medical Center
Unity Health System
University of Rochester Medical Center (Strong Memorial Hospital) – Physical Therapy
Wesley Gardens
Daemen College
Keuka College – Accelerated Studies for Adults Program
Roberts Wesleyan College
St. John Fisher College – Wegmans School of Nursing
The College at Brockport – Army ROTC
The College Network
Trocaire College
University of Rochester School of Nursing

Press release:

The Batavia Bulldawgs Youth Football is gearing up for its second season! The league is happy to announce it's been accepted into the Niagara Orleans Football Association (NOFA) for the 2012 Season.

With this exciting change the Bulldawgs will be able to expand to field young players from 6 to 13 years old for tackle football and introduce a Cheerleading Program for cheerleaders 6 to 14 years old.

This year the Bulldawgs will field four teams, which will be age based as of Dec. 1. The four divisions have UNLIMITED weight for all positions.

• Beginner: Age 6-7
• Mini: Age 8-9
• JV: Age 10-11
• Varsity: Age 12-13 (Cheerleading can be 14 years old)

The Bulldawgs will have registration on SATURDAY, MARCH 24 at the Batavia City Centre. Registration is for the first 35 players/cheerleaders per squad.

Registration for RETURNING players: 10 a.m. to 12 p.m.

Registration for NEW players: 1 to 3 p.m.

Registration for CHEERLEADING: 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Parent/Guardian and player/cheerleader must be present at time of registration. A copy of birth certificate, proof of insurance and annual physical is required.

The Bulldawgs are taking applications from anyone that is interested in being a coach for either football or cheerleading. There will be an informational coaches meeting on at 7 p.m. on SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 26 at T.F. Brown's. Please contact league to reserve your spot.

To kick off the year, the Bulldawgs are having a Bowling Fundraiser on Saturday, Feb. 25 at Mancuso Bowling Lanes. There are two time slots, noon to 2 p.m. and 3 to 5 p.m. Cost is $15 and includes unlimited bowling for two hours and two slices of pizza and soda pop. Or reserve a lane for $60 (five people).

Please call Extreme Streetwear at 344-4411 to reserve your bowling lane and support the BULLDAWGS!

For more information, please contact League Commissioner John Reigle at 716-228-5787, Cheer Director Sherri Wahr at 356-0639, or email bataviabulldawgsfootball@gmail.com

Just a reminder...

Press release:

Some local musicians will be giving back while they’re letting the good times roll at HomeCare & Hospice’s Mardi Gras on Feb. 25 at Batavia Downs.

Johnny Starowitz and Savage Cabbage are serving as the host band for the event, which will also feature Mac & Company, The Nichols Brothers Band, The Trolls, and Above the Fog.

Starowitz said he and other members of the band have had family members who received hospice services. When was asked if he would perform at Mardi Gras, as a benefit for the HomeCare & Hospice Foundation, Starowitz told organizers, “You take care of everything else and I’ll take care of the music.”

Savage Cabbage has been around since 1979, playing clubs, parties and benefits, giving them an edge in putting together a lineup of bands for the evening.

“It’s a pay back," Starowitz said. "Hospice is a benefit for the patient and the family. A lot of people in the public don’t know it’s out there. It does a lot a good, so we wanted to help raise money."

The bands are working together to make sure the music fills the entire evening. Mac & Company will start out the night with a mellow sound and the remaining bands will provide a mix of rock 'n' roll and Southern rock.

“There will be enough to please everybody -- continuous music right from the beginning to the end. Everybody is using same equipment, so there won’t be more than five minutes between bands. Each band has six songs to play. At end of the night, if there’s time, we’ll have one big jam with everybody."

Doors will open at 6 p.m. Around-the-World grazing stations, featuring international cuisine, will be open from 6:30 until 8 p.m. and a cash bar will be available all evening. Drawings for prize baskets will be held throughout the night, including a giveaway for an overnight stay at the Del Monte Inn. Winners must be present at the time of the drawing.

Tickets are $35, which includes $10 in free play in the Batavia Downs Casino and one entry in the prize basket drawings. To order, call Linda Cummings, HomeCare & Hospice development manager at 1-877-277-2615 or online at www.homecare-hospice.org.

HomeCare & Hospice, a nonprofit United Way agency, provides specialized medical care and social/emotional support for patients and families coping with life-limiting illness in Genesee, Wyoming, Allegany and Cattaraugus counties. This institution is an equal opportunity provider and employer.

Pink Flamingos. A total of 34 beautiful flamingos. Left in front of my rock garden, w/1 perched in a spruce tree? at the entrance of my Rose rd. residence, on Saturday the 4th of Feb. The people making the delivery were caught on tape & driving what appears to be the same GMC Yukon.Owned by a man named Steve, who goes to Discovery Chapel, in Batavia. I believe, they were left as a B-day prank. Intended for a previous resident. Who, for my own personal safety, could no longer live here. Not once but 3 times I was threatened, w/a loaded gun. Then tells me, Im demon posessed & trys to perform an exorcism via text, on my cell phone! Umm, It was time to wake up! BUT! Sorry it didnt work out for you though. It was quite a shocker, when I arrived home. Very clever too. I've never seen a pink flamingo, in a spruce tree, before! Lol! But just so you know. Your birds are safe & waiting to go home, or off on there next mission. Just let me know, the address of the house, were they were left & Ill know that they are yours. You can call 585-762-4020 Leave a message. My name is Lucy & we can come up with a time, so you can pick them up.

Learn fascinating facts about the stars, planets and constellations in the night sky during a one-day-only program Saturday, March 3, at Genesee County Park & Forest Interpretive Nature Center.

Join Paul Krupinski from Ancient Eyes Productions as he shares his knowledge about
astronomy inside his "traveling planetarium." Preregistration is required by calling 344-1122. Cost is $5 per person or $10 per family.

There are two sessions to choose from that day: 10 to 11 a.m., or noon to 1 p.m.

The location is 11095 Bethany Center Road in East Bethany. Space is limited, so sign up early!