Announcements

The Genesee County Chamber of Commerce will host an informational meeting about its upcoming nine-day tour of China beginning at 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday, May 17.

This will be the sixth time the chamber has offered the "familiarization tour" of China. It's set from Nov. 1 through 9.

You can make the trip for $2,099, which the chamber believes is an exceptional value. It includes airfare (from JFK) with a bus ride to and from JFK, hotel stays, three meals a day, bus tours with guides, admission to tourist spots and airport taxes throughout the trip.

For more details, call Melissa at the chamber at 343-7440, ext. 27. Details about the trip can also be found at www.geneseeny.com/china

The Batavia Muckdogs and the New York-Penn League announced Thursday that the league’s philanthropic arm, the New York-Penn League Charitable Foundation, will once again sponsor a scholarship program.

It allows area high school seniors the opportunity to compete for one of three $2,500 grand-prize awards.

The 2011 NYPL Scholarship Program is open to any graduating senior from a public or private high school, who has been accepted at any two or four-year college or university, vocational or technical education institution or program.

Applicants will be judged based on academic performance, volunteer and extracurricular activities, and the impact the Muckdogs and Minor League Baseball have had on their lives.

The Scholarship Program will consist of two stages – a local round and a divisional round.

In the local stage, applicants from throughout the Muckdogs’ home market will compete against each other to determine one winner who will represent Batavia in the final round.

At the divisional stage, the Muckdogs’ representative will compete against the winners from the Auburn Doubledays, Jamestown Jammers, Mahoning Valley Scrappers, State College Spikes and Williamsport Crosscutters for the Pinckney Division’s $2,500 award.

Any finalist who does not win the top scholarship will receive a $250 book award.

In total, the New York-Penn League Scholarship Program will award $10,250 in scholarships this summer to deserving high school graduates from the NYPL’s 14 markets.

Scholarship applications are available by contacting the Batavia Muckdogs at (585) 343-5454 or by visiting the official Web site of the New York-Penn League, http://www.newyork-pennleague.com

The deadline to submit applications is June 30 and finalists will be selected in late July and honored at an August home game.

A two-part series focusing on current events in the Middle East is scheduled in the Gallery Room of Richmond Memorial Library on Wednesday May 25 and on June 1.

It is sponsored by Peaceful Genesee and will be led by Barry L. Gan, Ph.D, professor of Philosophy and director of the Nonviolence Program at St. Bonaventure University.

Both sessions run from 7 to 8:30 p.m. They are free, but donations are gratefully accepted.

The series is titled "Peacemaking in Turbulent Times: Making sense of current events in the Middle East."

On May 25, the topic is "Peacemaking in the Middle East." On June 1, the topic is "Nonviolent Peacemaking -- Why it Works."

The library is located at 19 Ross St. in the City of Batavia.

The United Way of Genesee County will hold its annual Day of Caring from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Wednesday, May 18.

The kick-off will be at Dwyer Stadium. After the send-off, volunteers will go to designated wrok sites to paint, landscape, clean attics, wash window, fill flower boxes and do other essential chores.

Afterward, they will meet at Terry Hills Restaurant to celebrate their accomplishments.

Last year, more than 275 volunteers from area businesses and organizations worked on 48 projects at nonprofit agencies. A total of 1,675 hours of donated labor resulted in the completion of many much needed and long overdue projects.

To find out more about the Day of Caring, please contact the United Way office at 343-2874.

The Holland Land Office Museum is looking for volunteers.

If you are interested in history, we want you! Please bring your talents to the musuem, known as "The Birthplace of Western New York." It's located at 131 W. Main St. in the City of Batavia.

For more information, please the Holland Land Office at 343-4727.

The Genesee-Orleans Regional Arts Council (GO ART!) is issuing a call for artists and crafters, food vendors and nonprofit organizations to participate in the 33rd Annual Picnic in the Park celebration on Monday, July 4, in Centennial Park, Batavia.

Application forms can be downloaded from the GO ART! Web site at www.GOart.org, by e-mailing us at info@GOart.org, or by stopping by GO ART!, Seymour Place, 201 E. Main St., Batavia.

Artists and crafters are invited to exhibit and sell their work – which must be handmade by the artist/crafter – in the Arts and Crafts Show. We will provide a fence for fine art displays, however there is ample room to set up individual tents, tables, and chairs.

If received by June 1, the application fee for artists and crafters is $35 for non-members and $30 for GO ART! members. After June 1, but no later than June 30, the application fee is $40 for non-members and $35 for GO ART! members.

The application fee for food vendors is $125 by June 1 -- or $150 after June 1 but by June 30. Non-profit organizations in Genesee and Orleans counties may participate free of charge. All vendors must supply their own tables, chairs, signs, canopy/tent, and extensions cords. The deadline to submit applications is Thursday, June 30.

Picnic in the Park is a free day-long event featuring activities for families and children, folk art events, entertainment and refreshment stands. Each year, the event draws approximately 3-5,000 attendees.

For additional information, call the GO ART! office at 343-9313, visit www.GOart.org, or check us out on Facebook at www.facebook.com/geneseeorleansarts.

The seasons in Western New York are not always cooperative, so you really need to be able to accept all four of them – when you can get them.  Because of this, I have a wide variety of hobbies that keep me busy throughout the year.  During the winter, I enjoy watching the Sabres play hockey and getting outdoors to go sledding on a steep hill, snowshoeing through a local park or even start the occasional snowball fight with my soon-to-be 5 year old niece.  In the fall, I enjoy taking long walks on leaf-covered country roads, taking a trip to the local orchard to pick a peck of apples or that perfectly round pumpkin, and watching Buffalo Bills football.  The spring brings out the kite-flyer in me and allows me to start up my two-mile a night walks around the block with my husband, preparing me for the upcoming warmer weather.  I like to do a lot of camping in the summer, aerobie tossing with friends and my casual 20 miles rides along the Erie Canal on my recumbent bicycle.  However, there is only one hobby that I can do year round, and it is one that I am very passionate about.  That hobby is geocaching.

I’m sure most of you have heard of geocaching, but you may not know what it is.  Geocaching is an outdoor, high-tech treasure hunt.  You go out into the world with a hand-held Global Positioning Satellite receiver, or GPSr for short, and find hidden containers called caches.  Once found, you make a trade of a small trinket and then log your find.  So, I would like to share with you some of my geocaching experiences.

I started caching in late July 2010 with my husband and we go by the caching name of “authorized users.”  To this date, we have found over 130 caches!  Included in that number are the caches we found to complete the Seaway Trail GeoTrail, which entailed a month and a half journey along the Great Lakes, from northwestern Pennsylvania to the Thousand Islands region of upstate New York.

If asked whether I prefer to cache in urban or rural areas, I would definitely tell you that I prefer to cache in rural areas.  The caches in rural areas require more hiking and really expand your mind to a much farther capacity for your search. 

One of our most favorite local caches is called “Bruce Wayne’s Lair” which is located near the old mining caves in Akron, NY.  We trudged through about two feet of snow for about an hour to get to this cache, mostly because we took a wrong turn, but it was the most fantastic location to visit.  Not only do the caves have a rich history, they also have, what I call, upside down icicles!

“Did You Say Ohio?” was a very fun multi-cache, putting a play on the town name of Akron.  This cache  took us to various historic buildings and businesses in Akron, NY.  I have lived in this area for over 15 years and had never visited the places I was taken on this cache.  This actually happens quite frequently, so I really appreciate the opportunities it give me to open up my eyes to the historic and natural places that are right in my own backyard.  Unfortunately, this cache has been archived.

After three days and a lot of research, I was able to figure out the riddle to the first part of a puzzle cache in Olcott, NY, called “She’s A Lady… Bug!”  The puzzle was actually a picture of several ladybugs with different patterns of spots on their backs.  To figure out the puzzle, you had to decrypt the pattern into a math problem to determine the coordinates of the final location of the cache.  I figured out the puzzle just as winter hit, and we only make it to Olcott during the warm months.  Once the weather breaks, we will conquer that cache!  I have a very special trinket of a wind-up ladybug that I plan to place in the cache once we find the final, in tribute of the complexity of the puzzle.

Also, we just recently experienced our first earthcache, which was in Akron Falls Park, and it was spectacular!  It took us to an overlook of one of the falls and we had to describe to the cache owner our experience at the location, how much water we thought was coming over the falls at the time of our visit and what the weather was like while there.

I could go on and on about my geocaching adventures and journeys, as I have become truly passionate about this hobby.  As a momentum, I like to keep a photo-journal of our finds, so that we can later reflect on the awesome adventures we have had, and even some funny blunders, that we have had while caching.  To keep up with the times, we just created a Twitter account so that our friends and family across the country can experience our journeys and finds with us in real-time.  We hope to have a webpage up for our family and friends to see our photo-journal, but that is still in the creativity stages. 

My niece loves to come with us and calls it “treasure hunting.” She does a really good job of watching out for the pirates who may want to steal the treasure.  I just think that everyone should experience this wonderful hobby – it is a great, fun and healthy pastime for people of all ages and lifestyles.

I would like to invite you to follow us on Twitter!  We can't explain everything about our experiences in only 140 characters, but you will at least know that we are out there and you can look up our detailed logs on www.geocaching.com after our posts.  Find us on Twitter as @authorizedusers (make sure it s all one word and plural!)

Also, feel free to check out our profile on www.geocaching.com.  If you do not have an account, it is absolutely free to sign up!

We hope to see you on the trails soon!  May you steer clear of muggles and be rich with cache! 

Jenna Raphael, a GCASA prevention educator, sent this along:

This is the second year we will be having our “Adopt-the-House” at Dwyer Stadium.

For those of you who sat at our red house last summer, you are familiar with this. It is free advertising/showcasing for your agency or organization. Volunteers tend to arrive an hour before the game starts so they can catch the incoming crowd.

If you volunteer, you can stay free of charge to watch the Muckdogs game afterwards!

Contact Jenna Raphael at (585) 815-1864 or jraphael@gcasa.org for questions and/or a sign-up sheet for the Muckdogs home games. Include your name, agency, and phone number on the sheet, it would be greatly appreciated. You may choose as many games as you’d like!

"Bike to Books" -- an event that encourages eco-friendly practices, reading, exercise, and plain old fun -- is scheduled for May 20 and 21.

For two days, anyone who rides his or her bike to Present Tense Books on Washington Avenue in Batavia will receive a discount on their entire purchase and a discount coupon for bike accessories from Adam Miller Toy & Bicycle.

In addition, they will be entered to win a Cateye® cycle computer courtesy of Adam Miller. A gift certificate to Present Tense will be awarded to the person(s) who bikes the farthest.

According to the League of American Bicyclists, cycling as little as four miles can prevent 15 pounds of greenhouse gases from entering the atmosphere. In addition, the average cyclist burns between 400 and 550 calories during an hour of cycling.

“This is a really fun event that is great for the whole family,” said Erica Caldwell, owner of Present Tense. “With gas prices skyrocketing, this is an inexpensive way to enjoy the outdoors and get in shape while encouraging your kids to read.”

This year marks the fourth such collaboration between the two stores. In previous years, participants biked in from as far away as Akron, NY. The event began in 2007 as a creative spin on May as National Bike Month, which encourages people to ride to work, ride to the grocery store, or, in this case, ride to read.

“Bike to Books is a great way for independent businesses to team up and offer a unique event to the community,” said John Roche, owner of Adam Miller Toy & Bicycle, a cornerstone Batavia business for nearly 100 years.

The two business owners have worked together on several events and promotions in the past, an effort that emphasizes the importance of keeping shopping dollars in the local economy. "Bike to Books" is one such collaborative event that yields rewards for all participants.

“Bicycling means good exercise, environmentally friendly travel, and a way to really appreciate the sights you see along the way,” Caldwell said. “We want to see bikes lined up all along the front of our store during this event!”

The "Bike to Books" event is free and open to the public. Present Tense, a locally owned, independent bookstore, is located at 101 Washington Ave., Batavia, NY. Adam Miller Toy & Bicycle is located at 8 Center St., Batavia NY. For more information call (585) 815-7640, or visit www.presenttensebooks.com <http://www.presenttensebooks.com>.

A two-day Health Fair is scheduled from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Monday, May 9 and Tuesday, May 10 in the Forum of Genesee Community College's Batavia campus.

It was developed and managed by the students and faculty of GCC's three major health care divisions -- Nursing, Physical Therapy, and Respiratory Care.

Local residents are invited to this free event to not only gather important information about cutting-edge healthcare needs, treatments and diagnostic developments, but also enjoy learning some preventive tips for maintaining healthy lifestyles.

The opportunity to learn about lung disease, alcohol toxicity, stroke recognition, hypertension, diabetes, sun safety, skin cancer, testicular cancer, breast cancer, prenatal care, pregnancy, sleep apnea and much more will be offered.

Nursing students will be performing blood-pressure screenings while physical therapy students will provide information on workplace ergonomics, lifting techniques, heart-rate monitoring for exercise, and sports injury prevention. Information about respiratory care and sleep disorder issues will also be provided.

"The Health Fair gives the larger community an opportunity to better understand their own health and wellness needs, and also provides potential new students and healthcare workers a chance to explore some fantastic career opportunities," said Assistant Nursing Instructor Marilyn Brennan, RN, MSN, CNS. "We hope to make this annual event."

The topics being presented are most applicable for young adults and adults -- teenagers to seniors. Some of the information may not be suitable for children.

Genesee County Master Gardeners will host their annual Spring Garden Gala from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday, May 21 at Cornell Cooperative Extension of Genesee County, 420 E. Main St. in Batavia.

The plant sale starts promptly at 10. It will feature indoor and outdoor plants.

The features also includes a Chance Auction, free soil pH testing, gardening advice by certified Master Gardeners, children’s activities and refreshments for a nominal fee.

New this year – handmade bird feeders by Cindy Smith.

The Chance Auction drawing begins at 12:30. Don’t miss your chance to pick up some great plants for your own garden!

For more information contact Amy Berry at Cornell Cooperative Extension of Genesee County, 343-3040, ext. 101, stop by the extension office on East Main Street, or visit our Web site at www.genesee.shutterfly.com.

The Genesee County Chamber of Commerce is pleased to announce a three-year extension of our alliance with electric energy supplier, Integrys of New York” said Lynn Freeman, chamber president.

“This is a win-win situation!” Freeman said. “The businesses in Genesee County win by reducing their electricity costs and the chamber benefits by helping the businesses in our backyard to see continued success.”

Integrys Energy Services of New York, Inc., (Integrys of NY), was one of the first Energy Service Companies (ESCOs) to market electricity to customers in Western New York and has been serving Genesee County since 1997.

Customers that will benefit from Integrys are in the industrial, commercial, educational, municipal and agricultural sectors.

“It cost nothing to sign on to the program and we will even complete the application for the business,” Freeman said.

Call the chamber at 343-7440 for more information and an application.

Peaceful Genesee, a coalition dedicated to making Genesee County a nonviolent community, is inviting people to an AVP (Alternatives To Violence Program) workshop to be held on May 13-14 at First Presbyterian Church, at 300 E. Main St. in Batavia.

AVP is a program that gives participants the chance to bond through creative and fun exercises, learn peaceful methods of resolving conflicts and transform conflicts into opportunities for personal and societal change. It is based on the belief that there is good in every person and that all people have the potential to find positive and peaceful resolutions to conflicts.

Attendees are expected to participate, but may opt out of certain exercises if they are uncomfortable participating in them.

According to the notice submitted by Peaceful Genesee, the upcoming workshop will consist of  "a basic introduction to the philosophy and skills of nonviolent conflict resolution." It will last from 5:30 until 9:30 p.m. on Friday and from 9 a.m. until 6 p.m. on Saturday.

The cost of the workshop is $30 per person and includes 2 meals -- dinner on Friday and lunch on Saturday. Scholarships are available -- contact Audrey Mang at 716-633-1140 for more information.

A $10 registration fee is due to Lisa Wittmeyer, c/o Community Action of Orleans & Genesee, 5073 Clinton Street Road, Batavia, NY 14020 by Friday. A $20 balance is due at the workshop.

Make checks payable to Peaceful Genesee.

Contact Lisa at 343-7798 or Vivian Waltz at vivian@sisterkarencenter.org for further details.









Millions of Americans wil unite in prayer at thousands of events from coast to coast to observe the National Day of Prayer on Thursday, May 5th. The theme for this year is "A Mighty Fortress is Our God" and is based on the verse from Psalm 91:2 which states " I will say to the Lord my refuge and my fortress, my God in whom I trust.

In 1 Timothy 2:1-6 the Apostle Paul says, "I urge then,first of all, that petitions prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for all people--for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. This is good and pleases God our savior, who wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth. For there is one God and one mediator between God and mankind, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all people.

According to these verses, we are urged to pray for all those in authority. We are to pray so that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. This pleases God, and when you obey his word, it brings peace into your heart and life. The world in which we live may be in turmoil, but for those in Christ, there is peace, hope, and joy for the future. His word says that we should pray so that all people would come to a saving knowledge of the truth. The truth is that Jesus Christ gave his life as a ransom for all who call on him. He died on the cross for all so that we may be made holy and righteous in his sight.

In 2 Chronicles 7:14 God says, "If my people who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray , and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from  Heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land.

Because of these verses in scripture and many more like them, I urge you to join us as we seek God in prayer.

The Batavia Assembly God Church will open its doors from 6:30 AM to 6:00 PM.  There will be a variety of prayer stations set up where you can join us in focusing on specific areas of prayer. You may also stop by the altar or take up a seat in a pew and pray for your own individual needs. If you need prayer, there will be people available to pray with you.

There will be a bible study with a prayer emphasis on Wednesday night,  May 4th starting at 7:00 PM. We invite you to come and help us pray earnestly for our families , our communities , and our churches. Let us pray for our president and all our leaders who govern, that they will humble themselves and seek God's guidance. Everyone is welcome, and we look forward to seeing you there.

God is our mighty fortress in whom we can trust. May we trust him that through our prayers he will move upon our nation to bring healing, peace and his blessing. Let us pray that through our prayers people will come to know him and turn to him.







Thousands of women across the country join together for National Women Build Week April 30 – May 8.

In the days leading up to Mother’s Day, construction crews of female volunteers will raise their hammers at Habitat for Humanity construction sites across the country. Lowe’s and Habitat for Humanity of Genesee County, Inc., are looking for local women to volunteer for a day at one of
our Batavia Habitat construction sites during this nine-day event.

Construction or home improvement experience is not necessary.

The event will take place from 8 a.m. to p.m. on Saturday May 9 at 11 Raymond Ave. in the City of Batavia. If you are interested in volunteering in the Women’s Build event please e-mail us at info@geneseehabitat.com before May 5th.

From 9 a.m. to noon this Saturday, April 30, the City of Batavia will celebrate both Earth Day and Arbor Day. Rain or shine.

The morning will begin at Austin Park on Jefferson Avenue with an Energy Smart Program presentation. There will also be giveaways and several displays including: a seed starting display by the Cornell Cooperative Extension’s Master Gardeners; a composting display by GLOW; city recycling Information; a Youth Bureau Craft Booth, National Grid lighting display and handouts, Garbage Art by GoArt!, and a Smoke Free Now Booth by GCASA.

Volunteers will then be assigned a City Park or downtown in the area of Main and Ellicott streets to pick up debris. The volunteers will be asked to regroup at Austin Park at 11:45 a.m. for tree planting ceremonies and a complimentary lunch sponsored by Reality Check.

A challenge has been given to the local fifth-grade classes and the class with the most participants in our Earth Day event will be announced at noon. The winning class will receive a pizza party for their fifth-grade class at their school.

The City of Batavia Youth Bureau has organized this event for the community.

The trees for the planting ceremonies have been donated by Lowes and Tonawanda Valley Federal Credit Union. ARC is also donating their services and supplies for the event and Tim Horton’s is donating coffee and TimBits for the volunteers.

The city is seeking volunteers to give a few hours of their time to get out and recognize Earth Day & Arbor Day and to help Clean up & Green up Batavia!

If there are any questions, please contact: City of Batavia Youth Bureau, located at One Batavia City Centre. Phone is 345-6420. FAX is 344-0260. E-mail:   funke@batavianewyork.com

The Genesee County Chamber of Commerce will be hosting a nine-day familiarization tour of China from Nov. 1 through 9.

Very similar to their successful trips in 2009 and 2010, the chamber is offering the community the unique opportunity to travel to China for the low price of $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.

Of professional interest, this trip will present opportunities to learn a great deal about how the Chinese business system operates. The group will tour many memorable sites, both ancient and modern, and enjoy a multitude of unforgettable experiences in Beijing, Shanghai, Suzhou, and Hangzhou.

In addition, there is the option to visit Xian (Terra Cotta Warriors) or to Guilin (Elephant Trunk Hill) for an additional fee.

The chamber believes this trip to be an exceptional value. For more details call Melissa at the chamber at 343-7440, ext. 27, and sign up to attend an informational meeting at 5:30 p.m. on May 17 at the Genesee County Chamber of Commerce.

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