Announcements

The American Cancer Society will celebrate the Relay For Life season by painting Batavia purple starting tommorrow. Volunteers will be hanging purple ribbons down Main Street, and have invited Main Street businesses to decorate their storefront windows in an effort to promote Relay For Life of Batavia.

The event is an opportunity for the community to help the American Cancer Society create a world with less cancer and more birthdays by helping people stay well, by helping people get well, by finding cures and by fighting back.

Relay For Life of Batavia will take place noon to midnight on Saturday, July 9 at Vandetta Stadium, 120 Richmond Ave.

Individuals and teams camp out, eat, dance and take turns walking or running around a track “relay” style to raise funds to fight cancer. At nightfall, participants light hundreds of luminaria candles around the track in a touching ceremony honoring cancer survivors as well as paying tribute to those lost to the disease.

To join Relay For Life, call 1-800-227-2345 or visit www.relayforlife.org/bataviany

The American Cancer Society is the largest non-governmental investor in cancer research, contributing more than $3.4 billion, we turn what we know about cancer into what we do. As a result, more than 11 million people in America who have had cancer and countless more who have avoided it will be celebrating birthdays this year.

Novel Destinations is the theme of the 2011 Adult Summer Reading Program. Sign up begins at 10 a.m. Monday, June 27 and continues throughout the summer months.

Read books from our destination categories and receive tickets to win prize baskets. We will also do a weekly mystery photo contest. Call 768-8300 for more information or stop in the library!

Volunteers for Animals will be having a one-day-only Garage Sale to benefit the animals at the Genesee County Animal Shelter. It's this Saturday, June 25, at 54 River St. in Batavia.

They were rained out on the last day of their regular sale and still had some good stuff left. They made more than $1,000 in the two and half days!

Come out and support the animals.

Alumni, friends and community residents should rev up their DeLoreans and prepare to travel back in time for Genesee Community College's second annual Homecoming!

The "Back to the Future" themed celebration will take place Friday, Saturday and Sunday, Sept. 16-18. All graduating classes as well as family members, friends and the community are invited to the college's Batavia campus for a weekend filled with "Back to the Future" alumni activities, sporting events and an all-class "Back to the Rock Fest" mixer.

Friday, Sept. 16 will feature men's and women's alumni soccer games played under the lights of the all-weather turf field. A student and alumni tailgate party will take place during the games near the soccer stadium. Throughout the alumni soccer games and the rest of the Homecoming weekend, WGCC will feature on-air reunion broadcasts with guest alumni DJs.

Saturday, Sept. 17 will begin with various alumni-centered activities and celebrations across the campus including campus tours and a "Prez and Profs" lunch with Genesee's new president, James Sunser, Ed.D, and past and present professors.

A Networking and Social Media Workshop, a Student Government Reunion and a Fashion Merchandising Management Reunion will also be on the agenda for the fun-filled weekend. The Men's and Women's Cougar Soccer teams will play at 12 p.m. and 2 p.m. versus Mohawk Valley Community College.

Saturday also features the Cruise at the College, classic cars, trucks and bikes from across Western New York will gather in the college's parking lot. Coinciding with the cruise, will be the Giant Yard Sale and barbeque benefiting Genesee's Student Activities and will offer artisan displays, food and music. Following the cruise, the second group of honorees will be inducted into the Athletic Hall of Fame with an induction ceremony and celebration.

Saturday's Homecoming activities conclude with a "Back to the Rock Fest" Reunion/Mixer open to all alumni and community members. The mixer will feature the local musical talents of the Ghost Riders and The Trolls with members of Seventh Heaven. The mixer will feature food, fun, prizes and a cash bar in the college's William W. Stuart Forum.

GCC's second annual Homecoming weekend winds down on Sunday, Sept. 18 with Drew Landry, a Louisiana singer, songwriter, environmental activist performing in the Forum starting at noon. The planning committee of 10 Genesee alumni, including chairpersons Patti ('70) and John Michalak ('73), is excited to expand the festivities into Sunday.

"We're eagerly planning the second annual Homecoming," Patti Michalak said. "We had such a great time last year and we are making this year's Homecoming weekend bigger and better than ever. We have a great line up of events with local bands rocking the college on Saturday, and then a nationally recognized performing artist who lives and works closely to land in Louisiana to close our event on Sunday. It's going to be a great weekend at GCC!"

Further details on locations, times and additional alumni activities will be forthcoming. For more information or to volunteer for the Homecoming weekend, please contact Alumni Affairs coordinator Jackie Christenson at 585-343-0055, ext. 6265 or jkchristenson@genesee.edu.

"On Broadway Too" opens tonight at the Harvester 56 Theater, home of the Batavia Players, Inc.

Matthew Mayne, director, and 40 talented vocalists from Niagara, Genesee, Orleans, Wyoming and Monroe counties have been preparing since early May for this jam-packed song-and-dance revue.

Musical selections from these shows will be featured: "9 to 5 -- the Muscial"; "Spring Awakening"; "Next to Normal"; and "The Lion King."

Shows are at 7:30 tonight, Friday and Saturday. Plus, there's a 2 o'clock matinee on Saturday. Seating is limited.

Visit www.bataviaplayers.org and reserve your seat with showtix4u.com or call 1-866-967-8167.

The theater is located at 56 Harvester Ave. in the City of Batavia. Tickets cost $10, students and seniors pay $8.

The Genesee County Chamber of Commerce will host an informational meeting at 5:30 p.m. on June 29 about the nine-day tour of China. It will take place at the chamber office on Main Street in Downtown Batavia.

This is the sixth time the chamber has offered this tour.

The trip is from Nov. 1 to 9 and costs $2,099 per person. The chamber believes this trip to be an exceptional value. Price includes air fare (from JFK), bus to/from JFK, hotel stays, three meals a day, bus tours (with guides), admission to tourist spots, and airport taxes throughout the trip.

The trip is filling up quickly! Final payments are due by July 20. For more details or to sign up for the meeting, call Lynn or Melissa at the chamber at 343-7440.

Here's a press release from Genesee Community College.

On Monday, the Genesee Community College Board of Trustees conducted the following business:

-- Approved a Resolution of Sympathy to the family of Rev. Kenneth A. Dodd, who died May 27. Rev. Dodd had served as a member of the College's Board of Trustees since 1992.

-- Authorized President Stuart Steiner to execute documents for the sale of the Verizon cell tower lease with the college to Unison Site Management. In addition to receiving about $176,000 in the sale, the college will receive 50 percent of any new revenues Unison generates from cell tower clients. The sale is subject to an environmental review and approval by the Genesee County Legislature, sponsor of the college.

-- Awarded two contracts for various projects on the Batavia campus, including: replacement of concrete in front of the main entrances; addition of a courtyard adjacent to the Conable Technology Building; and electrical and lighting work on the college's tennis courts. V.J. Gautieri Constructors, LLC, of Batavia, was the successful bidder for general construction services with a bid of $419,750. Kaplan Schmidt Electric, of Pittsford, was the successful bidder for electrical services with a bid of $212,000.

-- Heard Nominating Committee Chair Glenn R. Morton report that the committee plans to nominate Charles R. Ruffino as board chair for the 2011-2012 year; Maureen T. Marshall as vice-chair; and Diane D. Torcello as secretary. Officers will be elected at the board's July meeting.

-- Heard that Karlyn M. Finucane has joined the college staff as technical specialist for the Accelerated College Enrollment (ACE) program, which coordinates college courses and services to area high school students. She is a resident of Lancaster.

-- Heard President Stuart Steiner report that 1,479 students had enrolled in the college's summer sessions. Registrations are still being accepted for the second summer session, which runs from July 5 to Aug. 6. Every area high school graduate will receive a scholarship for two summer courses, and high school students can still register for the second session. Steiner said he believes that the summer 2011 session will have the second-highest summer enrollment in the college's history. And although fall enrollment was not on the board's agenda, Steiner said that the fall semester will likely produce a new record enrollment.

-- Heard Assistant Vice President for Human Resources Gina M. Weaver report that a broad-based Strategic Planning Committee had completed the draft of a new strategic plan for the college. It encompasses goals in six areas: student success and preparedness; faculty and staff success; economic impact; relevant and impactful programs; culture of trust and innovation; and financial sustainability. Board Chair Charles R. Ruffino thanked Weaver and the committee for the year-long effort. Ruffino referred the draft plan to an ad-hoc Board of Trustees Strategic Planning Committee, comprised of Trustees Melvin J. Wentland, Maureen T. Marshall, Donna M. Ferry and Laura J. Bohm.

The Town of Byron and community volunteers are working together and excited to promote the Byron Heritage Festival for the fifth year on July 30th. This year's events will be bigger and better than ever while continuing with some of the traditional activities.

Schedule of events:

7 a.m. -- Registration begins for 5K race, which starts at 8

8 a.m. -- Fishing Derby (12 and under)
               5K Run / Race
9 a.m. -- Craft and Food Vendors
              Townwide Garage Sales
11 a.m. -- Parade
11 a.m. to 3 p.m. -- Cruise In
1:30 to 4:30 p.m. -- Ghostriders perform

4 p.m. -- Horseshoe Tournament
              Byron Garden Contest
4 p.m. until sold out -- Chicken BBQ 
5 to 7:30 p.m. -- Brick Band
8 to 11 p.m. -- TBA
9:30 p.m. -- Fireworks

Contact Debra Buck Leaton 548-7123 or Donna Bobzin 750-3327

As conflicts and unrest continue to be commonplace in the Middle East and throughout the world, the spouses and families of our troops continue to struggle both personally and financially at home while their family members are participating in active duty.

The Captain Morgan brand, which has a facility in East Pembroke, has announced a $150,000 donation to Loyola Recovery Foundation, headquartered in Pittsford, through its First Mate Fund (established last year).

The donation will benefit Operation Economic Freedom, a brand-new program of the foundation that focuses on providing job opportunities for veterans, their families and others affiliated with the military.

The donation will be used to recruit and train military spouses to serve as health support specialists and establish a home-based call center to offer assistance to veterans actively recovering from alcohol abuse and other health conditions.

In addition to providing follow-up and transportation services to veterans, the home-based call center will provide more than 30 part-time jobs and enable spouses to work from home on a flexible schedule, affording significant cost-savings in areas like daycare for families with young children.

To date, Captain Morgan has contributed nearly $500,000 to national and local nonprofit organizations through the fund, including Designated Drivers Foundation, Feeding America Tampa Bay, the Louisiana Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) and various food banks.

To support the First Mate Fund, upload a picture of your Captain’s Pose and share your legendary story at www.Facebook.com/CaptainMorganUSA <http://www.Facebook.com/CaptainMorganUSA>, and the Captain will donate $1 per pose in his quest for One Million Poses and one million dollars to charity.

For more information about Loyola Recovery Foundation, visit http://www.loyolarecovery.com/ <http://www.loyolarecovery.com

There will be a HUGE Community Yard Sale at the Le Roy Federal Credit Union from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, June 11. (Rain date is June 18.)

The credit union is located at 7093 W. Main Road in Le Roy. Space is still available. Please stop in or call at 768-7207.

For more than 100 years, Western New Yorkers have enjoyed the region’s exciting amusement parks. Author Rose Ann Hirsch captures the sun, fun and thrill of these great parks in her new book, "Western New York Amusement Parks," part of Arcadia Publishing’s Images of America series.

She will be signing copies of her book at Present Tense beginning at 1 p.m. on Saturday, June 25. The book consists of more than 200 historical images of past times at the amusement parks and contains chronological information on the growth and/or decline of each park.

During the days of trolleys and steamships, area businessmen created Celoron Park, Crystal Beach Park, and other fine local summer resorts. Decades later, lifelong memories were formed for neighborhood Baby Boomers who visited Glen Park and Fantasy Island, as well as one of New York State's finest theme parks, Darien Lake.

Western New York has always been a proving ground for some of the nation's most famous rollercoasters. The terrifying Cyclone, the fast and furious Silver Comet, and the extreme Ride of Steel have attracted the very bravest of visitors.

In the new millennium, the summer tradition of visiting local amusement parks continues with a blend of family orientated parks and theme parks that appeal to all ages. As a Western New Yorker, Rose Ann Hirsch grew up visiting several of the area's parks and spent 31 summers riding the Comet at Crystal Beach. She has written various articles and books on amusement park topics, including "Kiddie Parks of the Adirondacks."

The book signing is free and open to the public. Present Tense, a locally owned, independent bookstore, is located at 101 Washington Ave. in the City of Batavia. For more information call 815-7640 or visit www.presenttensebooks.com.

The Alexander PTA will host its first "Junk-in-the-Trunk" garage sale from 9 a.m. to noon on Saturday, June 11 in the Alexander Middle School parking lot.

Vendor spots are still available for $5 to benefit the PTA. Advance reservations not required. Everyone welcome.

The school is located at 3314 Buffalo St. in Alexander. Phone is 591-1551.

PTA contact is Michele Czekala at 547-9393.

On Father's Day June 19, Mercy Flight will host an open house at its Batavia base located at the Genesee County Airport from 9 a.m. until 2 p.m. Many local emergency service agencies, such as the Sheriff's Department (child IDs), NY State Police (rollover simulator), Lake Plains Community Health Care and Genesee County Emergency Management will be joining us.

It will be a great day to bring dad out for pancakes at the Rotary Club Fly-in Breakfast and then stop over and visit with Mercy Flight and local emergency responders.

In addition to the open house, Mercy Flight, in partnership with The Batavia Downs, will be hosting the first "Cars and Guitars for Mercy Flight" event on July 9. This all-day event will feature a car and motorcycle show in the infield along with four great bands: The Buffalo
Roadshow; the Trolls; The Coupe de Villes, and Savage Cabbage.

Great food will be available and all attendees (over 18) will receive $5 casino free play. Car show pre-registration is available online at www.mercyflight.org

To wrap up the summer, Mercy Flight and Batavia Downs will again be hosting the Hackers for Helicopters golf outing. This will be the third year for the event, which will include golfing at the Batavia Country Club and dinner at Batavia Downs.

Mercy Flight greatly appreciates all the support we receive from the community, without which we could not provide the service that we do. Mercy Flight is always grateful of donations such as raffle baskets, door prizes, gift cards, etc. to use at our fundraising events.

Anyone wishing to donate can contact Bill Schutt, the Batavia base outreach coordinator at 356-2926 or email at wschutt@mercyflight.org

This information was submitted by S. Ognibene.

BHS Class 1981

The Batavia High School Class of 1981 is planning their 30^th Class Reunion August 5-7^th.

The activities will begin with a group mixer on Friday evening at  the Batavia Downs Casino Grandstand Bar & Grill at 8:30 p.m.

Classmates will gather on Saturday from 2-8 p.m. at the Genesee County Park Pavilion D, for a family chicken BBQ .

The weekend of events will conclude on Sunday with a brunch at Terry Hills at 11 a.m.

Alumni are asked to join the Facebook page http://on.fb.me/e2FiaC at Batavia High School Class of 1981 30^th Reunion or call David Penepent for more details at 585-356-4929.

The Genesee County Chamber of Commerce will host an informational meeting at 5:30 p.m. on June 29 at the chamber office where you can learn about this year's nine day tour of China.

This is the sixth time the chamber has offered a tour of China. The trip is Nov. 1-9  and costs $2,099. Price includes air fare (from JFK), bus to/from JFK, hotel stays, three meals a day, bus tours (with guides), admission to tourist spots, and airport taxes throughout the trip.

The trip is filling up quickly! Final payments are due by July 20. The chamber believes this trip to be an exceptional value. For more details call Lynn or Melissa at the chamber at 343-7440.

Details on the trip can also be found at www.geneseeny.com/china

This information is from the marketing department at Batavia Downs.

Elba and Pembroke high schools were chosen via a random drawing to participate in this year’s $7,500 college scholarship race to be held at Batavia Downs on Sept. 10.

They will be joining Batavia, Notre Dame and Oakfield-Alabama high schools in the competition.

Each school will be represented by one student who is a senior in the 2012-13 academic year. The schools are allowed to use any criteria they wish to pick their student.

During the summer, the students will attend at least five training sessions at the track with their driver to learn the safety and skills needed to drive a horse.

Then between the fourth and fifth live harness races on Sept. 10, they will line up behind the starting gate to compete in a one-mile dash for cash. Earning scholarships of $3,000, $2,000, $1,200, $800 and $500, depending on where they finish.

Last year, Kaley Falkowski of Batavia High School, with professional Jim Mulcahy sitting alongside, was victorious.

The 65th season of live harness racing at the Genesee County oval begins on July 25.

The Zoomobile from the Seneca Park Zoo will visit the Genesee County Park & Interpretive Nature Center on Saturday, June 4.

It will showcase critters with dry scales and slimy skin, also known as snakes, lizards and salamanders.

It will take place from 10 to 11 a.m.

Cost: $5/person, $10/family. Pre-registration is required by calling 344-1122.

The nature center is located at 11095 Bethany Center Road in East Bethany.