Announcements

If you would like to help improve your community and enjoy gardening, landscaping and related activities, please consider becoming a Master Gardener volunteer. Cornell Cooperative Extension of Genesee County will be offering the popular Master Gardener Training series on Wednesday evenings, September 5 through November 14 from 5:45 to 9:00 p.m. Participants will be required to attend an additional training on Saturday, November 3 from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Sessions will be held at the Extension office at 420 East Main Street, Batavia. Master Gardener Training covers a wide variety of horticulture topics including: botany, growing fruit at home, herbs, insects, perennials, organic gardening, pruning, soils & fertilizers, turf grass, vegetable gardening, weed identification, woody plant materials, and how to diagnose plant diseases/problems. Anyone interested in learning more about gardening may attend the course. Graduates of the program are then eligible to become Certified Master Gardeners by volunteering time on horticultural projects with their local Extension Office. A Master Gardener volunteer should have a willingness to give back to the community and help put into practice what they learned at training. Enthusiasm for sharing their skills and knowledge is a must. Pre-registration by August 22 is required. No walk-ins will be allowed. The fee for the series is $225 per person. Class size is limited. For an application or to register contact Brandie Schultz at 585-343-3040, ext. 101 or stop by the Extension office located at 420 East Main Street in Batavia. More information can be found on the Genesee County Extension website at http://genesee.shutterfly.com/gardening.

The annual "Safe Summer Children's Carnival" will be held Thursday, Aug. 2, from 10:30 a.m. until 2 p.m. Falleti Ice Arena, at 22 Evans St. in Batavia, will be the venue. Genesee County AmeriCorps is running this event in partnership with the Genesee County and Batavia Youth Bureaus.

Nickel City Reptiles will be there for the first hour, followed by games from 11:30 a.m. until 2 p.m.

Kids can play 10 games with a $1 ticket. They will have the chance to win "funny money," which can be used to redeem for prizes. Additionally, they can win an iPod Nano by visiting community agency booths.

Call Angela at 344-3960 for further details.

 

The Batavia Muckdogs and New York’s 529 College Savings Program Direct Plan have announced that they are partnering together with an essay contest for local students and children.

The goal of the essay contest is to have kids submit an original 100-word essay on the topic of "What would you like to be when you grow up?"

The Batavia Muckdogs front office staff will read over all entries, selecting the three most compelling submissions. The three winners and their parents/guardians will then receive complementary tickets to the Sunday, Sept. 2, Muckdogs’ home game at 5:05 p.m.

In addition to receiving a free ticket, the winners will receive a back-to-school backpack with supplies, courtesy of New York’s 529 College Savings Program Direct Plan. The three selected winners will also have the opportunity to throw out the honorary first pitches for the game. 
 
Eligibility: The contest is open to all children who attend a school in the local communities surrounding Batavia. This includes schools in Genesee, Wyoming, Livingston, Monroe, Orleans, Erie, and Niagara counties.
 
Contest Period: Students may enter submissions until Aug. 19. At that point, the Batavia Muckdogs front office staff will begin reading submissions and select the three winners.
 
How to Enter: To enter, participants must submit their essay (100 words) either by mailing it to Dwyer Stadium or dropping it off at the stadium in person.

The mailing address is: Dwyer Stadium, 299 Bank Street, Batavia, NY.

Along with the essay submission, we ask that participants include their: full name; school; date of birth; and telephone number.
 
If there are any questions in regards to this contest feel free to contact the Muckdogs front office staff at (585)-343-5454. Also feel free to check out New York’s 529 College Savings Program Direct Plan at www.ny529plan.com <http://www.ny529plan.com.

Press release:

The necessity for education to procure a job in our society has grown immensely over the recent years and the need for an edge in learning is essential. Preschool is becoming a highly desired pursuit of many parents with the future of their children at the heart of their decision making process.

Genesee Christian Academy, a ministry of Calvary Baptist Church on the Galloway Road, is offering K3 through K5 classes this fall. We will be offering half day, full day and extended day options depending on your desires and needs.

Genesee Christian Academy, with 37 years of educational experience is well qualified to foster your children’s educational experience. They are using a phonetics-based learning system, with the highest national accreditation, which allows your student to gain a solid foundation on which to build an education.

The compassionate staff has the success and well being of your child at heart.

Give a call today for an appointment and interview with a staff that is ready to accommodate you. Openings are limited.

The church office phone is 344-1898.

Press release:

Local residents and the American Red Cross will join together for a “Community That Cares” blood drive from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Thursday, Aug. 2, at the Clarion Hotel at 8250 Park Road in Batavia.

The blood drive is a Red Cross initiative to help engage local citizens and boost regional blood supplies by enlisting community support.

All presenting donors during the month of August will receive a coupon for a free 57.6 oz. container of any variety of Turkey Hill SunBrew Iced Tea. Additionally, all presenting donors will receive a flier for Bob Evans restaurant in Batavia. For all donors who visit this restaurant on Aug. 2 and redeem the flier, Bob Evans will donate 15 percent of their total bill to the American Red Cross Blood Services.

With extreme heat keeping some donors at home and severe storms forcing the cancellation of dozens of blood drives earlier in the month, the Red Cross continues to have an emergency need for donors of all blood types. Red Cross blood donations are at the lowest they have been in 15 years.

Public support from the organization’s late-June appeal helped temporarily stop a decline in the blood supply. However, the mid-week Independence Day and extreme summer weather have contributed to a decrease in donations lately. Every two seconds, someone in the United States needs blood.

As the nation’s single largest supplier of blood and blood products, the Red Cross is dedicated to ensuring that every patient who needs a lifesaving transfusion is able to receive one. In fact, the Red Cross must collect more than 17,000 pints of blood each day to meet the needs of patients at more than 3,000 hospitals and transfusion centers across the country.

It is the blood on the shelves today that helps save lives tomorrow. The American Red Cross is urging all eligible donors to help keep the blood supply strong this summer by making an appointment to donate blood today by calling 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767 ) or by visiting redcrossblood.org.

As part of an interstate tour focused on the history of the anti-slavery movement in the Northeast, 16 educators from California and Kenneth Morris, the great-great-great grandson of abolitionist Frederick Douglass, will come to Batavia's Bicentennial Peace Garden around 3:30 pm on Sunday.

The Friends of the Batavia Peace Garden, the Genesee County Chamber of Commerce and the office of the County Historian are planning an afternoon of educational entertainment that includes refreshments and costumed reenactments. It is free and open to the public, but people should bring their own chairs.

The Peace Garden is located at West Main St. in Batavia. It is right next to the Holland Land Office Museum, which is at 131 West Main St.

In an economy where many people are losing their jobs or their benefits are being cut, many individuals or families find themselves without dental insurance.

On Friday, July 27th, Dr. Russ Marchese Jr and Dr. Marcela Morales-Ross and their staff will be offering a free dental clinic at their office which is located at 401 East Main Street, Batavia.  They will be providing free cleanings, fillings and extractions for anyone who does not have dental insurance. The clinic will run  from 8 Am to 3 PM.

The clinic is part of Care-A-Van Ministries Annual Caring for the City Day. This is a day where local agencies and churches come together to care for the community.

Other agencies and chuches that will be on hand with free services and information will be Community Action, Cornell Co-Op, Catholic Charities, Fidelis Care, Mental Health Agency, Genessee Cancer Services, Salvation Army, Compassionate Friends, P. C. Publications, Smoke Free  NowProgram, Emmanuel Baptist Church, Living Waters Apolostic Church and local beauticians will be providing free hair cuts.

All children under 18 must be accompanied by a parent or guardian in order to receive care. Proof of ID is required. 

 

Genesee County Historian Susan Conklin is giving a presentation "The Brides of Genesee  -- for Better or Worse" at the Holland Land Office Museum at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, July 26.

Refreshments will be served.

The museum will be open to give people the opportunity to view the exhibit "Treasured Wedding Memories" before it is taken down, the first week of August.   

Anne Marie Starowitz and Kathy Jasinski give tours and share tidbits about the gowns and pictures in the exhibit.

HLOM is located at 131 W. Main St. in the City of Batavia.

Ed and Beverly Corcoran would like everyone to know that Stephen's Table, the soup kitchen that Ed runs, will be open on Saturday, July 21 from 10:30 am until 12:30 pm.

Stephen's Table, a ministry of Batavia Assembly of God Church, serves free meals to needy families in Genesee County. Lunch typically includes a sandwich, a bowl of soup, some crackers, a cup of fruit, a drink and a dessert. Coffee and breakfast sweats are also available.

Ed and Beverly officially begin serving lunch at 11 am, but people can come as early as 10:30 to chat and enjoy some coffee.

Due to church events and other engagements, the soup kitchen is sometimes closed on Saturdays. Whenever this is the case, a sign is posted on the front table during the week notifying people that the kitchen will be closed the following Saturday.

The soup kitchen is at 24 N Spruce St. in Batavia. For more information, contact Ed and Beverly at 344-0270.

The newly opened "Learn Through Play Speech & Language Center" is set to hold an open house for kids and families on Saturday, July 14 from noon until 2 pm.

Owner Valerie Edwards, of Alexander, opened the center to serve children who struggle with language and speech difficulties but do not qualify for existing services. She is a licensed speech pathologist who has experience working with preschoolers and children with various disabilities.

"Learn Through Play Speech & Language Center" is at 56 Ellicott St. in Batavia. For more information, call 815-0327.

The staff of Rep. Kathy Hochul will hold office hours on Tuesday, July 17, from 10 am until 1 pm. They will answer constituents' questions and listen to their concerns.

In Genesee County, office hours will be held in the Conference Room at 1 Batavia City Centre.

Office hours will also be held from 2 until 4:30 pm in Wyoming County. Anyone who cannot make the office hours in Batavia can go to the Wyoming County Building, at 143 N Main St. in Warsaw.

"DC in the Square" is scheduled for Sunday, July 29 in Batavia's Jackson Square from noon until 4 pm. It is a benefit for Don Carroll, who has spent most of his life raising money for kids in need in Genesee County and is now battling esophageal cancer.

The event will include live performances by "Old Hippies," "Soul Craft" and "Savage Cabbage" as well as a Chinese auction and 50/50 raffle. Everyone is asked to contribute a minimum $2 donation at the gate.

Presale BBQ tickets can be purchased at the following Batavia locations:

• T-Shirts Etc., 111 Main St.
• Clor's Meat Market, 4169 W. Main St. Road
• Coffee Culture, 6 Court St.

Assemblyman Stephen Hawley, R-Batavia, invites concerned local citizens to his monthly outreach meeting at the Stafford Town Hall, at 8903 Route 237, on Tuesday, July 10.

The meeting will last from 4:30 until 6 pm. All who wish to share their two cents about what the government can do for Genesee County are encouraged to attend.

For more information, e-mail Hawley at hawleys@assembly.state.ny.us.

 

Grab a lawn chair and come to Batavia's Jackson Square for the 2012 "Ramble Music & Arts Fest." Sponsored by the Business Improvement District, this annual event is free and open to the public. It will be held on Saturday, July 7, from noon until 8 pm (a moment of silence for past musicians will be held around 4 pm).

Local and regional groups will perform a variety of tunes while artists showcase their work for display and sale.

Like last year, there will be two stages -- one for electric in Jackson Square and another for acoustic on Center St.

For more information or to reserve a spot, contact Bill McDonald at billmcdonald50@gmail.com or call 343-1929.

 

Press release:

The Salvation Army would like to invite the community to its free annual Summer Block Party to be held at 7 p.m. on Thursday, July 5. The location is 529 E. Main St. (across from Tulley's Restaurant).

There will be games, hot dogs, snow cones, dodge ball, basketball and prizes. Parents will also be able to sign up their children for the Summer Super Sparks program.

For more information contact: Major Patty at 343-6284 or email at patricia.kurtz@use.salvationarmy.org

Every Thursday evening this summer at Austin Park, from 5:00 PM until 7:00 PM during the Care-A-Van Ministries Community cookout, Ride to Recovery  a local ministry is providing free bicycle repairs and tune ups for kids. Richard Ohlson, founder of the ministry shared with us that on the first week at the park he and his volunteers fixed 6 bikes that had no brakes.

Ride to Recovery is a non profit organization that aims to share the love of Jesus Christ with todays  youth using mountain bikes as a tool. They have many events throughout the year including a yearly camp in August for the kids. The majority of kids attend camp on scholarships provided by private donations to the ministry.

If you are handy with bikes and would like to volunteer for this outreach with Rich and his team  give Rich a call at 585-993-2180.

Is this your cat? 

Friendly male cat turned up at our home a week or so ago.  He's a white with tiger striped patches in various locations, most notably on his shoulder blades, which give him the appearance of having wings.

He is short-haired and is not neutered.  He's a little skittish but warms up after a few minutes and is very affectionate.  We've been feeding him and giving him water.  He seems to be in good condition.

If you are missing him please contact us at fromtheboonies at gmail dot com.  If you dumped him - well, who am I to judge really - but it really sucks and I hope you'll go on to lead a better life from this day forward.

We already have 5 furry adoptees from the local shelter and just can't take on any more feline insanity love.  3 of the 5 get really pissed off when this guy comes around, despite the fact that they're spoiled and overfed and have nothing really to complain about in their respective life situations. 

If we haven't heard from anybody about this guy in 5 days we'll be dropping him off at the Batavia Animal Shelter and offering to pay to get him checked out by a vet and neutered.  He's very sweet and deserves better than to be all horned up all the time, sleeping on our porch at night and being yelled at by a pack of bored housecats.