Pembroke hosted the all-star championship versus TriTown Thursday and won soundly, 11-3. Their matchups are always a battle through and through, and this game was no exception.
The ace, Mason Weatherbee took the win with 5 strikeouts and pitching 5 innings. Connor Caleb once again dominated behind the plate for the Dragons.
Gavin Liss, Michael Gorski and Harlan Campbell were solid defensively, along with Logan Anderson who snagged two outs in right field. Carter Thaine closed out the mound for Pembroke.
Carter Lang had a 3 RBI shot to center field, and Connor Lang hit a straight shot home run over center field. Hits by Luke Windnagle, Jackson Loggins, Joe Kohorst and Charles Stringham helped secure the win.
Pembroke service area reopens on the thruway eastbound
Press Release:
The New York State Thruway Authority today announced the new Pembroke Service Area (I-90 eastbound mile marker 397) in Corfu is now open to the public.
The location is the tenth new service area to open to Thruway customers as part of the $450 million project to redevelop and modernize all 27 Thruway service areas. The New Baltimore, Clarence, Ardsley, Plattekill, Clifton Springs, Iroquois, Indian Castle, Chittenango and Junius Ponds Service Areas have reopened.
The Pembroke Service Area is located on I-90 eastbound between exit 48A and exit 48. The facility is more than 20,000 square feet making it one of the largest new buildings on the system.
Restaurant options include:
Burger King
Popeyes
Panera Bread (opening later this year)
Dunkin’ (drive-thru)
Applegreen C-Store
Taste NY Food and Drink Products
Other amenities include:
Playground area*
Outdoor seating
Dog walking area
Climate controlled pet enclosure*
Private nursing area
Digital tourism kiosk*
Six level 3 high-speed EV chargers*
*Available Soon
The Pembroke Service Area is one of four locations on the Thruway that has expanded amenities for commercial vehicle drivers.
Commercial trucking amenities include:
Separate entrance
Lounge
Showers
Lockers
Restrooms
Washer and dryer
With the opening of the Pembroke Service Area, the Angola Service Area (I-90 eastbound and westbound, mile marker 447) and the Scottsville Service Area (I-90 eastbound, mile marker 366) are now closed for construction. Fuel services remain available at all service areas during construction.
All 27 service areas are being redeveloped in a $450 million project with Empire State Thruway Partners. The project is funded through a public-private partnership, and no toll or tax dollars are used for construction.
Customers can learn more about the project on the Thruway Authority’s website. Customers can view a project map, photo gallery, renderings, and more information about the planned amenities and services.
In 2022, motorists took more than 376 million trips and drove 7.7 billion miles on the Thruway. The Thruway Authority’s service areas are open 24 hours a day and offer motorists a variety of food and beverage options, restroom facilities, and fueling for passenger and commercial vehicles. Taste NY Farm Markets and Tourism Information Centers are also available at select locations.
Congresswoman Claudia Tenney voted in favor of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2024 (FY24), which passed the House of Representatives by a vote of 219-210. This legislation includes 20 of Congresswoman Tenney’s amendments aimed to strengthen U.S. national security and hold America’s adversaries accountable.
“The National Defense Authorization Act is a critical investment in our national security, our servicemembers, and their families,” said Congresswoman Tenney. “This year's NDAA takes significant strides in modernizing our armed forces, bolstering our military readiness, and enhancing our defense capabilities. Importantly, this bill reins in the Biden administration’s “woke” policies that are actively harming military readiness, such as Green New Deal mandates, unnecessary Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) officers, and wasting taxpayer dollars on sex reassignment surgeries and gender hormone treatments. This bill also bans funding for drag shows or Drag Queen Story Hour and implements important oversight measures over our aid to Ukraine.”
“Additionally, the FY24 NDAA includes the largest salary increase for our servicemen and servicewomen in the last 20 years at 5.2%. This reaffirms our commitment to our service members and their families and ensures they have the resources they need to carry out their missions effectively. I was disappointed to see my Democratic colleague’s decision to betray the longstanding tradition of strong bipartisan support for the NDAA and our military.”
“Despite the Democrats’ attempts to block this important legislation, House Republicans continue to deliver on our commitment to America. I will continue to advocate for all our servicemembers and their families, especially those stationed at Fort Drum, Niagara Falls Air Reserve Station, and throughout New York’s 24th Congressional District. The passage of the FY24 NDAA through the House demonstrates House Republicans’ unwavering commitment to national security, our servicemembers, and the defense of our great nation. I look forward to working with my colleagues in the Senate to ensure its swift passage into law and give our Armed Forces the resources they need to continue to defend and protect our freedom!”
Key Provisions in the FY24 NDAA
Provides $886.3 billion for our national defense, complying with the caps set by the Fiscal Responsibility Act.
Authorizes a 5.2% pay increase for service members and bonuses for junior enlistees due to Bidenflation
Reaffirms the House’s support for Fort Drum soldiers receiving cold weather pay.
Bans Critical Race Theory and woke DEI policies in the military.
Eliminates Green New Deal climate change mandates and regulations.
Continues the prohibition against adverse actions due to refusal to take the COVID-19 vaccine and creates a process for service members’ reinstatement.
Prohibits funding for drag shows or Drag Queen Story Hour
Authorizes $113 million over the budget request for the construction of new childcare centers.
Implements important oversight measures over security aid to Ukraine and requires a strategic plan before any new aid is available.
As one of the most active and effective Members of Congress, Tenney had 20 amendments included in the FY24 NDAA, the second-most of any Member.
Background on Tenney’s Amendments Included in Bill:
Ending Taxpayer Funding for Gender Transition Surgeries: Prohibits TRICARE from covering and the Department of Defense from furnishing sex reassignment surgeries and gender hormone treatments for transgender individuals.
UAVs at Military Bases: Requires a report on the threat of aerial drones and unmanned aircraft to United States national security and an assessment of the unmanned traffic management systems of every military base and installation (within and outside the United States) to determine whether the base or installation is adequately equipped to detect, disable, and disarm hostile or unidentified unmanned aerial systems.
CENTCOM Capability Gap Report: Requires a report on CENTCOM capabilities and any capability gaps in carrying out CENTCOM's responsibilities, as well as recommendations to address any capability gaps.
Report on Dissuading Allies from Purchasing Weapons from our Adversaries: Requires a report by the Secretary of State, in consultation with the Secretary of Defense, on U.S. efforts to dissuade allies from purchasing Russian and Chinese weapons.
Prohibiting Iranian Funding: Prohibits any funds authorized by the NDAA from going to any entity owned or controlled by the Iranian government or on relevant blacklists.
Providing Precision Guided Missiles (PGMs) to Israel: Revised Requires a DOD assessment of the precision-guided munitions Israel needs in the event of a conflict with regional actors. Would extend existing authorities to provide Israel with such munitions in the event of an emergency.
Strategy on Counter-Fentanyl Operations: Requires the Secretary of Defense to develop a strategy to disrupt fentanyl trafficking, and report to Congress on efforts to enhance counter-fentanyl cooperation with Mexico.
Protecting Our Aerial Refueling Tankers: Prohibits the decommissioning of any KC-135 Stratotankers in Fiscal Year 2024.
Combatting Iranian Killer Drone: Requires the Secretary of Defense to report on the status of U.S.-Israel cooperation on efforts to counter threats by Iran in the form of unmanned aerial systems (UAS), including loitering munitions, otherwise known as "suicide" and "kamikaze" drones.
Prohibits COVID Vaccine Status Discrimination: Prohibits any adverse actions against cadets or midshipmen based on their COVID-19 vaccination status. Further, states that an individual may not be denied admission at a service academy based on their COVID-19 vaccination status.
Reporting on the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Threat to Europe: Adds a description of the threat posed by Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) to Europe to the Annual Report on Military Power of Iran.
Protecting U.S. RDT&E Funding from China and Russia: Adds U.S. entities that partner with universities in China and Russia that maintain partnerships with their military or intelligence services to a DoD list of U.S. universities that are engaged in malign activities. Prohibits DoD RDT&E funding from going to any entity on that list.
Report on pro-BDS Goods Sold on Military Bases: Requires DOD to submit to Congress a report on whether any products sold at commissary or exchange stores in fiscal years 2022 or 2023 were produced by companies that have participated in a boycott action against the State of Israel.
Report on Growing Cooperation Between Iran and China: Requires the Secretary of Defense to include in their annual report on Military and Security Developments Involving the People's Republic of China information on the PRC's burgeoning relationship with the Islamic Republic of Iran.
Extends COVID Vaccine Protections to the Coast Guard: Amends service reinstatement and protection provisions in the FY2024 NDAA for service members who refused Covid vaccination to also include members of the Coast Guard.
Ending DOD’s Radical Abortion Policy: Prohibits the Secretary of Defense from paying for or reimbursing expenses relating to abortion services.
Prohibiting “Woke” Flags on Government Buildings: Codifies Trump admin guidance to prohibit the display of unapproved flags.
End Warrantless Surveillance of Americans: The amendment would prevent DOD from purchasing data that would otherwise require a warrant, court order, or subpoena. This applies to data inside the United States.
Prohibiting Contracting with Entities That Support BDS: Prohibits the Department of Defense from entering into contracts with entities that engaged in a boycott of the State of Israel.
Report on Chinese-Russian-Iranian Ties:Expands the annual China Military Power Report to include China's security cooperation with Iran and Russia.
Two high-ranking officials of the Erie County Democratic Committee have been appointed to the Western Regional Off-Track Betting Corp. board of directors.
WROTB President/Chief Executive Officer Henry Wojtaszek informed The Batavian today that Jennifer Hibit and Crystal Rodriguez-Dabney, secretary and vice chair of the ECDC, respectively, will be joining the board and are expected to attend its next meeting on July 27 at Batavia Downs Gaming.
Hibit will represent Erie County, replacing Francis Warthling, while Rodriguez-Dabney will represent the City of Buffalo, replacing Michelle Parmer-Garner.
Wojtaszek also said that Terrance Baxter, a Republican and current Town of Moravia supervisor, will represent Cayuga County on the board. Baxter replaces Paul Lattimore.
The board was disbanded in May by New York State Assembly and Senate leaders and Gov. Kathy Hochul in response to a proposal by Democratic State Sen. Tim Kennedy of Buffalo to reconfigure the voting method from one municipality/one vote to a weighted system based on population.
As a result, the majority of the 100 votes are in the hands of directors from Erie and Monroe counties and Buffalo and Rochester.
Monroe and Schuyler counties have yet to announce their appointees to the 17-director board.
Hibit spent 11 years as the Chief of Staff for Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz before taking a position as the director of Human Resources last year with the Erie County Water Authority. During her time with Poloncarz’ staff, she served as the campaign manager for his election and re-election campaigns.
Rodriguez-Dabney, an attorney, recently accepted the position of Senior Vice President & Chief Diversity Officer with Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center. Before that, she served for 15 months as the First Deputy Mayor and Chief of Staff for the City of Buffalo.
Baxter is a Member at Large on the Cayuga County Soil and Water Conservation District board and is a former Cayuga County legislator.
As previously reported by The Batavian, the other board members are Charles Zambito of Elba (Genesee County), Edward Morgan (Orleans County), Susan May (Wyoming County), Mark Burr (Cattaraugus County), Vincent Horrigan (Chautauqua County), Thomas Wamp (Livingston County), Elliott Winter (Niagara County), Mark Bombardo (Oswego County), Dennis Bassett (Rochester), Richard Ricci (Seneca County), Michael Horton (Steuben County) and Kenneth Lauderdale (Wayne County).
The weighted voting system gives Erie County 24 votes, followed by Monroe County (20), Buffalo (10) and Rochester (eight). Niagara County also has eight votes, while Chautauqua has five; Oswego, four; Steuben, Wayne, Cattaraugus and Cayuga, three each; Livingston and Genesee, two each; Wyoming, Orleans, Seneca and Schuyler, one each. The directors will serve four-year terms.
Mick Jones (on guitar) and Kelly Hansen of Foreigner Photo by Krishta Abruzzini
Foreigner has announced that the band is now embarking on its final tour -- an outing that could extend well into 2024 when the buses and semi-trucks will get parked and the band members will move on to new chapters in their lives.
This development doesn’t come as much of a surprise. It’s been widely reported that health issues have prevented guitarist and founding member Mick Jones from playing multiple shows and sometimes only performing a few songs with the rest of the band when he has been able to participate in recent tours.
But what also becomes clear in interviewing singer Kelly Hansen is that he had a good deal to do with deciding it is time for Foreigner to step away from being a touring band. The fact is, Hansen said in a recent phone interview, he recognizes that as a high tenor vocalist, the day is coming when he won’t be able to deliver Foreigner’s songs the way he wants. Certain songs have notes that already are difficult for him to hit and he wants the band to call it a day with touring while they can still play and perform at their current high level.
“It gets harder and harder every year to perform this catalog in the way that it deserves, not only for the songs, but for the fans,” Hansen said. “I want to have us go out strong and have the live presence be remembered as still super strong and energetic,” he added. “That’s how I want the legacy of this band to be remembered.”
As for Jones, he’ll be along for the final tour as often as possible. “He wants to be out. He’s scheduled to be with us. It all depends on what is allowable for him health-wise,” Hansen said. “I think the show itself is better with him there, but I think the show is really, really good even when he’s not there because it’s really about the songs. It’s about this catalog. It’s about the legacy of what this band has put out over these past 45 years.”
That 45-year history has seen Foreigner become firmly established as one of rock’s most enduring and successful bands, overcoming ups and downs and a major departure along the way. Jones, who previously had been in the band Spooky Tooth, formed Foreigner in 1976.
Over the course of six albums, from the 1977 self-titled album through 1987’s “Inside Information,” Foreigner notched 15 top 20 singles, the high point coming with the multi-chart-topping epic ballad, “I Want To Know What Love Is” in 1984. Earlier rocking hits like “Feels Like The First Time,” “Hot Blooded,” “Double Vision” and “Urgent” established Foreigner’s credentials as a band with talent for writing catchy mainstream rock.
But then Jones and singer Lou Gramm had a falling out and Gramm left the band in 1990. And while Gramm rejoined Foreigner for the 1994 album, “Mr. Moonlight,” any return to former glories was sidetracked when Gramm needed surgery to remove a brain tumor in 1997.
He was able to resume touring in 1998, but tensions gradually returned and the Jones/Gramm partnership ended in 2003. After a couple of years, Jones decided to bring back Foreigner. Hansen, who had fronted the band Hurricane from the mid-1980s into the early 1990s, got wind in 2004 that Jones might be forming a new edition of Foreigner and pursued the singer’s slot. He got an audition, which he obviously passed.
But Foreigner was not going to return at anywhere near the same level of popularity the band had achieved in the 1980s, and Hansen said the band had to get an entire organization, from management on down, in place, and more to the point, rebuild relationships, not only with fans, but with promoters, booking agents and other industry professionals.
“Of course, the band had the catalog and a great history, but there had been some damage done over the previous years,” Hansen said. “So it took time for us to develop trust with people. But as soon as we started doing shows, I think people recognized that this was something again formidable and were willing to take a chance on us again and do that and gave the band that new breath of life.”
As the years ensued, Foreigner played bigger and bigger venues while earning respect for the way the band delivered the song catalog. Another key step in solidifying the credibility of the “new” Foreigner, Hansen said, was making an album of new songs, “Can’t Slow Down,” which was released in 2009.
The lineup that made “Can’t Slow Down” is largely intact today, with guitarist Bruce Watson, drummer Chris Frazier (who joined in 2011 and 2012 respectively), and guitarist/bassist Luis Maldonado (a 2021 recruit), stepping in alongside Jones, Hansen, bassist/keyboardist Jeff Pilson and keyboardist Michael Bluestein. This stability has helped the band’s credibility as well, and Hansen is proud of what his edition of Foreigner has accomplished.
“I think over the course of these 20 years, what we’ve done, my goal has been to maintain the legacy of this band and the integrity of the catalog and give it the sincerity and the dignity that it deserves,” Hansen said. “I think that we have done that.”
Foreigner will be playing at Darien Lake Performing Arts Center on Friday
A group of kayakers gives a "paddles up" before embarking on a two-hour tour of DeWitt Lake Saturday in Batavia. Photo by Joanne Beck.
There are times when a title won’t save you from your own worst fears.
And county Legislator John Deleo learned that when he climbed into a polyethylene kayak and slid out onto the water at DeWitt Lake.
“I’m terrified of the water,” he said on what was now his second or third time Saturday at the Cedar Street recreation site. “That's why I bought this special vest because I can be up on the water in case I fall in because I'm terrified of the water. I can't swim.”
Deleo and about six others, plus three county staff tour guides, gathered for the last guided experience of the season. Five people attended the morning session, Conservation Education Program Coordinator Shannon Lyaski said, as she and the others waited to see if anyone else of the 10 registrants would show before they shoved off for the two-hour excursion.
“Weather makes all the difference in the world,” she said as a few raindrops pelted the skin. “If it sprinkles, we’ll still go out. But if it thunders, we’ll get out of the water.”
Lyaski runs the guided tours a couple of times a year, and the first one was in May. For $25, participants get a life vest, kayak, general lesson on how to use it and two hours on the water learning about the lake and surrounding area and wildlife.
Tour leader Shannon Lyaski, left, smiles before taking her group around the lake Saturday at DeWitt Recreation Area on Cedar Street in Batavia. Photo by Joanne Beck.
“So this is a great place to try it for the first time because it's just a nice little small lake. You know, we had to be careful, we take every precaution that you need to, but generally, there's not a lot of surprises out there. We have these flat water kayaks, they're designed for casual use. And so we started out with the basics of sitting in the boat, getting in the boat, being comfortable in the boat, the basics of paddling, getting in and out of the boat and the basics of doing things,” she said. “It's not a race, we just take our time. We have two whole hours to explore the lake. We talk about the wildlife, we talk about the history of the site, we explore the little coves, and we look at different places where the water can go, like depending on how high and how low it can get. There's some neat stuff about the area and interesting things about the ecology of this park. So we go over that too.”
Deleo said that he is gradually “getting drawn in” to kayaking moments before his craft glided out on the glassy water. Barb Matarazzo was in the same boat as Deleo, no pun intended, when she first began. She was afraid of the sport and the water, which quickly changed once she gave it a try.
Barb Matarazzo and John Deleo enjoy their time on the water in their kayaks despite having been "terrified" previously. Photo by Joanne Beck.
“Now I love it. I’m a pure participant and loving every minute of it, “ she said. “I don’t care how often you do this, you find something new every time.”
Although DeWitt Recreation Area is on the outskirts of Batavia, it isn’t forgotten, made evident by the group having a picnic at the pavilion, a person standing near the water casting a fishing line, some bicyclists, perhaps making a pit stop from the nearby Elliott Trail, and some kids dunking their feet into the water.
A slab of cement near the boat launch is still waiting for a kayak rental kiosk, which was expected to be in place by June. That has been delayed, Lyaski said, and she wasn’t certain when it would be at the park.
County Highway Superintendent Tim Hens had said the county is looking at the kayak rentals as “an opportunity to provide a recreational service to the community that also generates residual income and requires no county maintenance.”
The county Legislature approved an agreement for a period of five years, at a total cost of $16,000, for the installation and activation of smart lockers, fully equipped with kayaks/lifejackets and locker signage. Kayak users would then pay a rental fee through the use of the kiosk that would go back to the county. The concrete has been poured for the kiosk and is waiting for delivery.
In the meantime, if you’ve got your own kayak or plan to rent one, DeWitt Lake promises some “really cool features that have been added,” Lyaski said.
“I like to point out all those big nice park benches at the end of the lake, where Ellicott Trail comes in off from Route 5,” she said. “That's not an accident. It's facing west, it's a beautiful view of the sunset on the lake.”
A power outage is affecting 829 customers in the Oakfield area, centered on Lockport Road and Lewiston Road. The outage area covers north in Shelby, south to Batavia Oakfield Townline Road, and from Basom to the northwest half of the Village of Oakfield.
National Grid estimates power will be restored by 9:15 p.m.
UPDATE 9:57 p.m.: National Grid reports that power has not yet been restored and that crews are "re-assessing condition."
UPDATE 10:30 p.m.: Since the last update, power has been restored.
Gov’t Mule’s latest album “Peace… Like A River” shreds laurels and hews fresh sounds from a batch of deeply personal and dynamic songs that deliver fuel for new and longtime admirers alike without giving into convention or complacency. A dozen studio albums in, the gang that originally hammered out its vanguard album at the Allman Brothers' old house in Macon, Georgia three decades ago is possibly even more compelling today than it was then.
Recorded in the same stretch of quarantined sessions that also begat the Mule’s 2021 juke- fest, “Heavy Load Blues,” “Peace… Like A River” is the story told clear-eyed in the sunshine, wary of encroaching shadows, and informed by lead guitarist/songwriter/frontman Warren Hayne’s pandemic experience.
“We decided to go with the blues record first because we'd been talking about doing a blues record for a long time and we thought, ‘Well if there was ever a time when everybody's got the blues, this is it!’” laughed Haynes, the Asheville, North Carolina native who started Gov’t Mule with drummer Matt Abts, and the late bassist Allen Woody in 1994. “‘Peace... Like A River,’ in some ways, deals with coming out of COVID and the whole lockdown, which we're all thankful to be out of -- assuming we are -- but it deals with it in more of a celebratory ‘other side of hell’ way.”
Recording the album’s more introspective material during daylight hours in the main room at the Power Station studio in Waterford, Connecticut, today’s lineup of Gov’t Mule, Haynes, Abts, bassist Jorgen Carlsson and keyboardist/guitarist Danny Louis would end the evening in one of the studio’s adjacent spaces, cranking out oily, fire-belching blues.
“We would switch our brains off, take a dinner break, and after dinner, hole up in the little small room next door and play blues the rest of the night! It was kind of a way of cleansing our brains and it turned out to be the right recipe,” said Haynes, who called in for this interview in late April.
Songs like “Made My Peace” offer up epic swells of stadium rock and psychedelia while plumbing emotions of loss and resignation, spiritually evoking the prodigal and notions of forgiveness. “It's also a metaphor for just coming back,” Haynes said. “It's written through the eyes of the prodigal son, which I don't think of myself that way, but metaphorically speaking, there's a lot of references to being gone for a long time and finding your way back. I also lost my dad during this process, which was really tough for me. And still is.”
On “Gone Too Long,” Haynes pays tribute to a fallen hero. “‘Gone Too Long’ is more of a one-on-one relationship with your soulmate, but the same thing of acknowledging how much of your life you've spent being away and what damage it did, and what major losses were suffered along the way,” Haynes revealed. “[It's] is a song that I wound up dedicating to David Crosby, who I only knew slightly. We played together once, but he was definitely an influence. I felt like that song had some of his influence from the very beginning, and then when he passed, it just made perfect sense for me.”
A wealth of special guests are seasoned throughout “Peace… Like A River,” including stellar shots from Ivan Neville and Ruthie Foster on the buoyant but lamenting “Dreaming Out Loud,” soul/blues belter Celisse Henderson, who appears on the hope-and-keys-laden “Just Across The River,” and icon Billy F. Gibbons of ZZ Top, who drops in on the “Heavy Load Blues”-ish “Shake Our Way Out”.
“That song, when we started working it up in the studio, it took on a ZZ-influenced vibe from the beginning and that's what urged me to call Billy and ask him if he would get involved,” said Haynes. “It was great. You know, he had played on a song called "Broke Down On The Brazos" that we did on (the 2009 album) “By A Thread” but he didn't sing. And on this one, he just sang and didn't play, so next time I guess we gotta get him to do both!”
With the revelation that he’s writing new material, Haynes is careful not to commit to the next chapter while Gov’t Mule prepares to embark on a tour that will crisscross North America through year’s end. “You know, I’ve been writing a lot of stuff that is more similar to “Man In Motion,” Haynes said, referencing his 2011 solo effort.
“It’s somewhere between [that] and “Ashes & Dust,” and I wonder if maybe the next thing I do might wind up being a solo record. I’m sure after two records and two back-to-back tours, Gov’t Mule might want a break. I’m not there yet, but I have started to write a lot. “I’m looking forward to getting back in the studio, but for now, we’ve got a lot of stage playing to do,” he said.
Gov't Mule plays at Darien Lake Amphitheater on Sunday.
A motor vehicle accident with unknown injuries is reported in the area of 5549 Clinton Street Road, Stafford.
The location is near the Prole Road Extension.
Stafford Fire dispatched.
UPDATE 12:36 a.m.: Two vehicles blocking the westbound lane.
UPDATE 12:41 a.m.: There is only one Mercy EMS ambulance available to respond. There are five patients, "most of them will be signoffs," said chief on scene. Bethany's ambulance to be requested to the scene.
Batavia Downs Gaming & Hotel has announced that tickets are on sale dates for two upcoming events taking place this August at Batavia Downs Gaming & Hotel’s Park Place Room.
A “Sock Hop” to benefit Mothers of Veteran Suicide will take place on Monday, August 7 from 2 - 6 p.m. Special musical guests Ruby Shooz will play from 3 - 5 p.m. and there will be 50/50 and Penny Raffles as well as Silent Auction Items. Attendees are encouraged to wear their best “Grease” outfit for the costume contest. Tickets are $15 and you get back $15 in Free Play. Those with Military ID will receive a complimentary ticket. See all details on BataviaConcerts.com.
Seltzers and Sulkies presented by White Claw Hard Seltzer and Bud Light Seltzer will be on Saturday, August 19. The cost is $40 and includes Seltzer Sampling, Grazing Stations, $20 in Free Play, and a $5 wager on Live Racing at Batavia Downs which is happening that night. The event will run from 4 to 6:30 p.m.
Tickets for these events will be available at www.BataviaConcerts.com beginning on Friday, July 14 at 5 p.m. Hotel Deals for these events will go live on Monday, July 17.
“As we say in our commercials, we love you right back,” said Henry Wojtaszek, President and CEO of Batavia Downs Gaming & Hotel. “We are honored to host Michelle and her Mother’s Veterans Group here for their fundraiser. As with all charities and groups that have events onsite, we’ll be doing our best to help them raise awareness and much-needed funds for their cause.”
The Marshall Tucker Band had its hits in the ‘70s. But when singer Doug Gray looks out at the audiences at the band’s shows, he doesn’t see a room full of those who grew up on the songs.
He sees a lot of people who weren’t born when “Can’t You See,” “Fire on the Mountain,” and “Heard It in a Love Song.” were all over the radio.
“We didn’t start out knowing these songs would be a hit, that these songs would be played 8 million times on the radio or somewhere,” Gray said in a phone interview from his Carolina home. “‘Heard It in a Love Song’ is catching up to ‘Can’t You See,’ and ‘Fire on the Mountain’ is in there, and they keep going up.
“It’s because of the young people and all the stuff that’s out there, in movies, on Netflix,” he said. “They hear a song, look up Marshall Tucker Band, they hit click, and they download that song. It’s made life simple for them, and it’s not hurting our pocketbook at all.”
It’s also because the MTB classics have become staples on the TV singing contest shows.
“I’m guilty of watching ‘The Voice.’ I’m guilty of watching ‘American Idol’,” Gray said. “I’m 75, but my girlfriend is 20 years younger. She’ll see me after watching and say, ‘You’ve got tears coming out of your eyes.’ It’s because I just heard about a 16-year-old girl who’s going to be a star. I can feel it right now, just like Elvis did. And she did one of our songs.
“When they do ‘Can’t You See’ in front of 8, 9 million people, I always reach out to them. I wish them good luck and all of that,” he said. “Not all of them win.”
Gray was one of six young guys who got together in Spartanburg, S.C., in 1972 and borrowed the name of a blind piano tuner for a band moniker.
Unintentionally, the band came up with a distinctive brand of music that got played on rock and progressive country stations.
“We did it without knowing there was any difference between country, rock ‘n’ roll, rhythm and blues or jazz,” said Gray. “We put all of those together without knowing what the heck we were doing. We even got invited to jazz festivals.
“Toy and Tommy (Caldwell) were the country influences in the group, Doug, that would be myself, and George (McCorkle) were the R&B players,” Gray said. “Jerry (Eubanks) was the flautist. He played sax in the high school band, too. You bring all that together, and it’s like the soup your mama made on Sundays when she cleaned out the refrigerator. You drop everything into the pot, and out comes the Marshall Tucker Band.”
Toy Caldwell was the band’s primary songwriter and lead guitarist. His brother played bass, McCorkle played rhythm guitar, Paul Riddle was the drummer, and Eubanks played everything else -- keyboards, saxophone and flute.
Signed to Capricorn Records in 1973, the band released its self-titled debut album, toured with labelmates The Allman Brothers Band, and put out the first of their three signature songs, “Can’t You See.” Two years later came “Fire on the Mountain,” and in 1977, “Heard It in a Love Song.”
The Marshall Tucker Band has, for four decades, continued to tour, with the new audience helping to keep them on the road for about 100 nights in a normal year. And the group isn’t too far off of reaching that level of activity this year, the 50th anniversary of the band’s debut album. Gray is happy to have shows to play.
“Here’s a band that hasn’t really done anything but play,” Gray said. “That’s what the Marshall Tucker Band is about. If you want to know what the band’s about in actuality, that’s it. Even from the beginning, we just wanted to go out and play. First, to buy beer, to be honest.”
Gray is the only remaining original member of The Marshall Tucker Band. Tommy Caldwell died in an auto accident in 1980. Four years later, Toy Caldwell, McCorkle and Riddle retired, leaving Eubanks and Gray running the band. Eubanks retired in 1996
“Tommy died in 1980 in a car wreck, but before that, in 1971, we had an attorney draw up an agreement; we all had first right of refusal about everything with the band. Everything was split equally by six,” Gray said. “Two or three shares I bought up when guys got tired of it and wanted to get off the road. That’s how I ended up with The Marshall Tucker Band.
“Luckily, I can still sing, and I have some other great players in the band. People will ask me how the new band is working out. They’ve been in the band for 25 years. The same band has been together for 25 years. The old band was together for eight years.”
The Marshall Tucker Band, of late, has regularly played the Grand Ole Opry, CMA Fan Fest and the Stagecoach Festival, the country version of the Coachella festival -- it only took 40 years for the country music industry to figure out that the band had country songs, all the way back to the first album.
The group these days typically plays clubs, theaters, and casinos -- venues that Gray said are perfect for his band, small enough that he’ll know just what the MTB is in for before he walks in the door.
“When the bus pulls up, I see how many pickups are in the parking lot. That way, I know we’re going to have a good time,” Gray said. “I don’t want to see too many vans. Those are the moms bringing the kids to see us for the first time. Our biggest, largest drawing audience is 18-37 now. We love playing for them. There’s nothing better for me than putting that microphone out in the audience and having them sing “Can’t You See” and “Fire on the Mountain’ or some of the more obscure songs.”
The Marshall Tucker Band plays at Batavia Downs on Friday.
Ryan Duffy, Holland Land Office Museum director, and Sharon Burkel, president of the Batavia Cemetery Association at the HLOM display marking the association's 200th anniversary. Photo by Howard Owens
The 200-year history of the Historic Batavia Cemetery is on display at the Holland Land Office Museum in a show curated by HLOM Director Ryan Duffy and Cemetery Association President Sharon Burkel.
The display opened on Wednesday.
"All the people who founded this community are buried in there," Burkel said. "These people came from Connecticut, Massachusetts, in the late 1700s, early 1800s. They came in wagons, probably drawn by oxen and horses. I always ask people, would you do that? Would you leave your home in those areas and come this far, make your way through Indian Territory and everything else to establish a city? A lot of them were very influential nationally, like Dean Richmond. These people held a great deal of power. (The cemetery is) Also important when you look at all the streets in the city. All the names on the streets are all the people that are buried in that cemetery. And the reason that it's on the state national register -- because most of their homes and businesses are gone. And that was one of the main reasons we got designated."
Burkel said the city's first cemetery was on South Lyon Street, by the Tonawanda Creek, but when there were floods, bodies washed away, so they moved it over to what is now known as Harvester Avenue but was originally Cemetery Street. It was owned by the Presbyterian Church and the Episcopal Church.
In 1823, the Batavia Cemetery Association was formed and that not-for-profit organization took over ownership and still owns it today.
Duffy said HLOM had some artifacts related to the cemetery, but the association loaned to the museum much of what is on display.
"It was about creating a new space, but also shining light on another local hidden gem that people tend to forget about sometimes," Duffy said.
Preparing the display was an interesting task at times. He had to research what organizations some metal grave markers represented, and some of the artifacts the museum already had in its inventory hadn't necessarily been connected to the cemetery before.
"There was a little bit of detective work going into some of this, which always makes it a little more exciting," Duffy said. "Going through things that are here in the museum, we didn't necessarily know they were connected to people in the cemetery because we hadn't really taken a deep look into them. So it uncovered a lot of things that we didn't even know we had."
As long as anybody alive could remember, there was a Dead End sign in the cemetery that was actually at the start of a dead-end path. It disappeared during the pandemic. Sharon Burkel fears it was sold for scrap. At an art show in Rochester, Burkel spotted a photo of the sign and told the director there where the sign came from and what happened to it. The photographer, Daniel Hogan, showed up unexpectedly at the Holland Land Office Museum one day with a copy of the photo to donate to the association. Photo by Howard Owens
Photo by Howard Owens
Photo by Howard Owens
Metal grave markers, such as those often placed by veterans groups, some largely forgotten. The cemetery association now keeps them in storage because scrap scavengers have taken to stealing them. A few were brought out of storage to put on display. Photo by Howard Owens
The Inaugural Garth Swanson Memorial Scholarship was awarded Wednesday night to Dawson Young, a Batavia High School graduate now attending GCC. Also pictured are Ryan Duffy, director of the Holland Land Office Museum, and Amy Swanson. Photo by Howard Owens.
Part-Time Children's Library Clerk Haxton Memorial Public Library is seeking a Part-Time Children's Clerk 19 Hours a week $15.00/hr. Interested applicants please go to www.co.genesee.ny.us for an application or come to the library at 3 North Pearl Street, Oakfield. Any questions, please call at (585) 948-9900
