The parking lot at Liberty Street and Central Avenue, part of the rich tradition of Batavia's Southside community, experienced a "revival," of sorts, early Thursday night when a couple hundred people enjoyed free food and entertainment courtesy of the congregation at City Church.

"We're spreading the love to this side of town," said Pauly Lamendola, of Le Roy, a regular attendee of City Church, the Main Street evangelical house of worship that recently purchased the former St. Anthony's Roman Catholic Church from the Diocese of Buffalo.

According to the Rev. Marty Macdonald, pastor of City Church, "The Picnic in the Parking Lot" was organized as a kick-off to future events and services at both the church and community center.

"It's all about lifting people up and bringing some hope," Macdonald said. "We're focused on building relationships and friendships and sharing God's love."

Macdonald said the church has big plans for the property, which is need of much work.

"We haven't pinpointed anything (specific) yet, but we've already put on a brand-new roof and new electric service, and we're working on the heating, we're painting and cleaning it up," he said.

He added that the pews, stained glass and pipework of St. Anthony's Church will remain intact as he and his staff prepare to launch a weekly service either on Saturday evening or Sunday afternoon.

Several of about 30 volunteers from City Church, some wearing orange T-shirts and others wearing blue T-shirts, served hot dogs, hamburgs, french fries, ice cream and brownies, while Paul Berardini of Big Pauly's Pizza cooked his sheet pizzas on ovens in the former St. Anthony's School basement.

"Pastor Marty called me and asked me to help out and I said, 'Sure,' " Berardini said. "After all, I went to elementary school here, and it's close to home as I grew up on Wood Street. This place is a big part of the Southside; the church was a staple for us."

Those in attendance tonight were entertained by the Divine dance troupe and the City Church praise band led by Macdonald's son, Garrett.

Some came for the food, some to relive their time spent at the St. Anthony's Lawn Fete, and others -- such as Dawn Orlando, of Wood Street -- because they just happened to be walking by and were invited to partake.

For all the reasons, 13-year-old Paige Vinyard, of Perry, who attends City Church with her family, may have said it best:

"We thought it would be a good idea to support our church," she said. "I think it's wonderful that they're doing this -- showing how much they love the community and showing people the love of God."

Picnic sponsors included R.J. Nicometo Electric, Attica Carquest Auto & Ace Hardware, Country Cottage, Craig's Mowing & Landscaping, Crazy Cheap Cars, Divine Dance Studio, Wortzman Furniture, Jeremy & Tina Northup, Max Pies Furniture, Oakfield Fitness, Big Pauly's Pizza, Rick Caton, Terance Cranston Construction, Vinyl Sticks, Weekly Rooms LLC, Southside Deli and Batavia Cross-training.

Top photo: A couple hundred folks came out on a hot and humid Thursday night to attend The Picnic in the Parking Lot at St. Anthony's Church, which is now part of the ministry of City Church.

The church's Divine dance troupe and praise band entertain the picnic-goers.

Paul Berardini and Jessica Rae of Big Pauly's Pizza supported the cause by donating sheet pizzas, made with Pauly's own recipe in the St. Anthony's basement ovens.

Crude oil makes up the lion's share of commodities rumbling over railways traversing Genesee County. Ethanol is number two. And if a railcar carrying one of these highly volatile products derailed, it would not be good.

"Neither one of those things are really good products for us to see 100-car trains going through with 30,000 gallons on each one," said Tim Yaeger, county Emergency Services manager, who gave a review of his department Tuesday at the Public Service Committee.

"That's a lot of product going through. Bakken is down to one to two shipments a day; it was up to three, to four, even five at one time, but petroleum prices drive that."

(Bakken oil comes from a massive shale formation primarily in North Dakota, but it is also found in Montana and two Canadian provinces.)

And yet any rail disaster here now would likely be more ably dealt with than in the past.

There's a couple of reasons for that.

Firstly, the railroad operator, CSX, is more concentrated these days on public safety that in moving products swiftly. That's the sense Yaeger said he got from attending a CSX hazardous material outreach training program, which he lauded as "excellent."

"I can tell you that CSX really impressed me -- their commitment to safety, their commitment to communities," Yaeger said. "It used to be their number-one goal was to get the train moving again. Now it's really safety and making sure that the community is safe before they worry about moving trains again."

The emphasis on beneficial PR is probably, at least partially, rooted in the call for industry-wide reform that followed the company's disastrous derailment accident in Lynchburg, Va., in May 2014 in which tankers carrying crude oil caught fire along with the James River.

At the time, a former chairman of the National Transportation Safety Board said it was a "wake-up call" for a slow, ineffectual federal rule-making process that failed to protect Amercians in a time when the amount of crude oil being moved by rail in the United States quadrupled in less that a decade.

"They've showed their weaknesses over the years," Yaeger acknowleged. "They show their ability now to respond better and integrate with the local communities as well. I was pleased."

Secondly, in conjunction with CSX training, representatives from the Department of Environmental Conservation traveled throughout the state in the spring developing emergency response plans for the entire rail system in the State of New York, working with local officials in each county.

"Basically, they come in and look at hazards within that area -- with about a five-mile buffer on either side of the tracks -- and find out what type of infrastructure is in the area -- schools, hospitals, things like that in the community -- and then identify the resources that we need to respond to that area," Yaeger explained to the committee.

In his CSX disaster training, Yaeger said he learned that "the entire heat signature goes up, not outward. So our concern, the fire service concern, is that we can't get near it because the amount of BTUs that come off the material is difficult. We have to basically wait for it to burn down.

"Luckily, 'the whip' -- its path -- is not that long. If we have a spill or a movement downhill or into a waterway ... it's a bad event, (but) it's really impressive to see what happens when that catches fire and we have multiple products. The actual damage is about 500 to 1,000 feet, so although it looks terrible, it's not that bad and that heat is going straight up."

Today, first responders in the fire service have full masks to wear to protect themselves from the fumes in fighting this type of conflagration. But they also have a different view about the appropriate response, as compared to, say, the state.

"The state has a different philosophy," Yaeger said, "that we're going in and save the day. And talking to the experts, you're going to be fried before you get close enough to try and do any of those things."

Rather, firefighters are going to use water to cool the exposures first, cool the tanks, and keep them from exploding. (This is known as a B.L.E.V.E -- pronounced "blevy" -- or Boiling Liquid Expanding Vapor Explosion, which is an explosion caused by the rupture of a vessel containing pressurized liquid above its boiling point.) 

Foam is not going to be employed initially.

"When the fire's out, we try and suppress the vapors, and then we'll be applying the foam."

Useful, too, is a new software program in the Emergency Services office to track "any shipment of cargo through this county," Yaeger said. 

Genesee County training for reaction to volatile commodity spills on highways or railways is continuing with sessions in Baltimore, and Pueblo, Colo.

Overall, emergency response education is strong and productive, with 344 students having participated this year in state programs at the local fire training center, and 22 students completed advanced EMT classes.

On the communications side, Emergency Services is testing pagers with new technology that allows them to switch between 800 megahertz (emergency dispatch radio) and VHF (paging) frequencies. They can be purchased, in conjunction with the Sheriff's Office, with government grant money.

After the county switched to the new emergency dispatch system, procedures changed; certain channels were no longer available and this created issues with first responders who were out of radio range.

The new pagers being tested are not radios. Those paged to respond to a call can't speak on them, but they can hear emergency dispatches and the directives of the incident commander on scene.

Before, responders would be paged on their pager, but then have to get within range of an 800 megahertz radio frequency to hear the emergency dispatch conversations. The new pagers are like "little scanners" that can switch between the two banks "to hear both sides of the conversation." They cost a couple of hundred dollars more than the old pagers and would only be provided to key individuals who "are always responding."

In terms his investigation team, Yaeger said workers are continuing their certifications and they are looking to retool how they do business in light of "the cancer issues that were coming out of the fire service."

Example: there are now more detailed processes in place for handling contaminated gear -- evaluating what gets bagged, what gets disposed of, what gets sent out and cleaned and brought back into service.

As regards fire records management, Yaeger said that 18 fire departments and first responders are now using the same records management system. Le Roy Ambulance Service is expected to join soon. 

Public Service Committee Member Rochelle Stein asked how that was going, if it's serving the communities' needs and if everybody likes it.

" 'Like' is a subjective term," Yaeger quipped, and that got a laugh. He offered the word "tolerate" in lieu of "like" and credited Bill Schutt, West Battalion coordinator for the Genesee County Emergency Management Office, for deftly handling the customer-service aspect of things.

"We're 100-percent reporting," Yaeger noted. "That's very important to New York State. Everybody's reporting their incidents. We're breaking some records. We had some issues, but it's working well."

Late last year, I came to the conclusion that if I wanted to build The Batavian into the kind of local media company I always intended it to become, I needed transform it from just a news media company into a media technology company.

In the first few years of this century, I worked at a newspaper in California, the Ventura County Star, where I was a web application developer. In other words, I wrote code all day. The applications I built made millions of dollars for our parent company, E.W. Scripps, and won industry awards. The work set me on a path to executive jobs, which brought me to New York and eventually to Batavia, where Billie and I decided we wanted to stay when the last executive job went away.

Until last November, I hadn't written code in more than a decade. I always thought I should build an application to manage our deal of the day program better, but resisted doing it because of the amount of work involved.

For years, we've tried to do things we thought would help grow the business with vendors and/or open source software, but I was always a little dissatisfied with how things worked. That led me to the decision to go ahead and start writing code again.

I have big plans, big ambitions, but I started simply: Deal of the Day.

Today, we launch our new Deal of the Day web application. I'm pretty excited. It feels like a milestone to me because I believe the future of the media industry depends on companies being masters of their own technologies and data.

It's been slow going to get to this point. I've only been able to work in small increments, sometimes only 15 minutes in a day, or not at all on some days, because of all the other responsibilities that go with running The Batavian and the Wyoming County Free Press (and losing six weeks of work time because of eye surgery didn't help). Now I'll start taking those small increments of available time and work on these more ambitious projects.

Billie and I appreciate your loyal and enthusiastic support of The Batavian as we continue to work on this little experiment to rewrite the future of local news.

Below (or through this link) is our first new Deal of the Day post.

There isn't much water flowing in the Tonawanda Creek, but the blue heron are still there hunting for meals.

Genesee County, like the rest of Western New York, is officially in a drought warning, according to the Department of Environmental Conservation.

That means there are no official restrictions on water use, but residents and businesses are asked to voluntarily conserve.

Tim Hens, whose responsibilities include, as county highway superintendent, watching over the county's water supply, said the county and city discussed issuing a water advisory, but decided that doesn't appear to be necessary and probably won't be necessary through the summer, even if no significant rain arrives before winter.

"We haven't had more than an inch of rain in a single day since October of last year," Hens said. "That's a long time for Western New York."

He said this is the dryest summer with the most consecutive sunny days he can remember in 45 years as a county resident.

"Unfortunately, we're probably already past the point of no return for farmers," he said.

Hens said current reserves and the available water from the Monroe County Water Authority gives the county, and by extension, the city, enough water to meet current needs and he doesn't anticipate a spike in demand.

"Most people seem to have given up on their lawns," he said.

The low water level at DeWitt Recreation Area has created a wide land bridge to the lake's island. The land bridge has been exposed all summer and the first time it's appeared in several years. The current level is just 3 inches above the record low, a record set in 2001.

The long-range forecast calls for a pretty snowy winter.

American five-piece girl group Fifth Harmony performed last evening at Darien Lake Performing Arts Center with special guests JoJo and Victoria Monet. The five singers who all successfully auditioned as soloists on the second season of "The X Factor USA" in 2012 failed to progress individually in judging competition and decided to form a group together.

The band was formed one month following the second season of "The X Factor USA" and was named "Next Pop Superstar of 2013" by Popdust magazine.  They played hits like "Gonna Get Better," "All In My Head (Flex)," "Worth It" and "Work from Home."

Opening for them was Joanna Noëlle Blagden "JoJo" Levesque and Victoria Monet. Next concert is BRAD PAISLEY: LIFE AMPLIFIED TOUR, Aug. 19^th at 7:30 p.m.

JoJo:

Treynada T. Costley, 31, of Rochester, was arrested by Corfu Police at 6:52 p.m. on Aug. 3 following a traffic stop of Route 77 just south of the village. Costley was charged with aggravated unlicensed operator, 1st, criminal impersonation and numerous vehicle and traffic law violations. Corfu Police Officer Peter Scanio's plate reader hit for suspended registration on the vehicle Costley was driving. The driver failed to produce a license and allegedly repeatedly gave the wrong name to Officer Scanio as well as assisting officers. During the course of the investigation, it was revealed that the operator, later identified as Costley, had impersonated her sister and had 35 (31 on 11 dates) suspensions on a revoked non-driver ID only. Costley was put in Genesee County Jail in lieu of $500 cash or $1,000 bond. The NY State Police and Genesee County Sheriff's Department assisted Officer Scanio in this investigation as well as Officer Mike Petritz, of Corfu PD.

Anthony Willem Everett Begemann, 18, of Lake Road -- West Road, Hamlin, is charged with possession of alcohol under age 21 with intent to consume. At 8:55 p.m. on Aug. 3 while at the Fifth Harmony concert at Darien Lake, Begemann allegedly possessed vodka. The defendant was issued an appearance ticket for Darien Town Court and charged with possessing alcohol, under age 21, with the intent to consume. The case was handled by Sheriff's Deputy Timothy Wescott.

Press release from the city's Department of Public Works:

A water main tie-in is scheduled for Friday, Aug. 5, on North Street at Summit Street. This is part of the Summit Street Reconstruction Project. This work will require North Street to be closed to traffic from Bank Street to Ross Street until the tie in is completed.   

Water service will be interrupted on North Street from Bank Street to Ross Street, Seneca Avenue and part of Tracy Avenue. Water service should be restored by early afternoon. 

This may cause temporary discolored water in the area or low pressure. Please check to make sure that water clarity has returned before doing any laundry or other activities which could be adversely affected.

Thank you for your cooperation.

Missy, who belongs to the brother of a local resident and not familiar with Batavia, is missing.

Missy went missing from a residence on Ganson near Jackson and was last seen on Bank Street at Alva Place.

Information, call Jerry at 602-509-1442.

UPDATE 4:45 p.m.: We regret to inform our readers that Missy was struck by a car and has died.

A caller reports a black car is parked with a dog inside it near the entrance of Wal-Mart. Law enforcement is responding. It's a 2013 Chevy Impala and the engine is running.

"The caller is not concerned about the welfare of the dog," says the dispatcher. "She's concerned about the dog putting the car in gear and running into pedestrians."

Gov. Andrew Cuomo's decision to legalize interactive fantasy sports in New York State couldn't have come at a better time for Western Regional Off-Track Corp., which recently signed a four-year deal with FanDuel to offer fantasy sports competition at Batavia Downs Gaming and at some of its OTB branches.

"We are very excited, and since we have a team flying down on Friday to FanDuel headquarters (in New York City) to meet with company officials, the timing of this is very good for Western Regional Off-Track Betting," said Michael P. Nolan, WROTB chief operating officer Wednesday night.

Earlier Wednesday, the governor signed bill S.8153/A.10736 that requires fantasy sports companies to register with, and operate under regulations issued by, the New York State Gaming Commission. It is expected that once fully implemented, the legislation will generate approximately $4 million in revenue to fund state education aid.

Nolan said that he expects WROTB's contract with FanDuel to be approved by the Gaming Commission in time for Batavia Downs Gaming to have its fantasy sports program up and running for the 2016 NFL season.

"Three weeks ago, Nigel Eccles, the co-founder and owner of FanDuel, came to Batavia and we gave him a tour of Batavia Downs and a few of our branches," Nolan said. "With this agreement, Western New Yorkers can expect the FanDuel product to be much more prominent in this area, and we will be bringing more people into Genesee County."

The WROTB-FanDuel partnership is truly that -- "a 100 percent incentive-based partnership," Nolan said.

"We feel that FanDuel is the best fantasy sports provider in the world and that's who we want to be associated with," he added.

Nolan said that he along with WROTB President Henry F. Wojtaszek and a few other members of the project's operations team will be going to New York City on Friday. He noted that while other race tracks and casinos in the state have voiced opposition to legalizing fantasy sports (claiming that it would hurt their businesses), WROTB management sees FanDuel's "synergy" with Batavia Downs Gaming's business model and "agreed that this was the best direction to proceed."

The governor's action ends a battle between New York State and the fantasy sports companies (Draft Kings is the other major player). State Attorney General Eric Schneiderman had unleashed investigations, lawsuits and regulations to shut them down, calling them illegal gambling ventures that raked in around $200 million in entry fees from more than a half-million customers in New York in 2015.

In signing the bill, Gov. Cuomo said in a press release that "daily fantasy sports have proven to be popular in New York, but until now have operated with no supervision and no protections for players. This legislation strikes the right balance that allows this activity to continue with oversight from state regulators, new consumer protections, and more funding for education.”

Interactive (online) fantasy sports are games of skill in which contestants assemble a roster of athletes in a given sport and use the actual performance statistics of those athletes to determine the contest’s winner. Contestants pay fees to enter the contest and, if successful in performing against their opponent, win prizes.

In addition to establishing the means for regulating interactive fantasy sports in New York State, this legislation also takes steps to institute important consumer protections for players for the first time, some of which include offering introductory procedures to new players, identifying highly experienced players, prohibiting the participation of minors and protecting players' funds upon deposit.

From our news partner WBTA:

According to Katie Sergel, the assistant director at the Holland Land Office Museum, Interim Director Jeffery Fischer has decided to step down from his position.

Sergel says that the Board of Directors are still talking with Fischer, determining if he will continue working with the Museum and, if so, to what capacity.

This is the second museum director that has left the position in less than a year after the previous Executive Director Jeff Donahue resigned in October after holding the office for five years.

The Holland Land Office Museum has made no official comment on the circumstances of Fischer’s departure or any possible replacements, however Board President Don Burkel told WBTA that they are currently in the process of looking for a new director. 

Assistant Director Sergel did say they are creating several new, exciting exhibits for the museum, including a Muckdogs exhibit that is already in the works.

Autism has become less taboo in today's rather accepting culture; native Batavia resident and author Dan Crofts is leading the charge in developing an online learning tool for parents and teachers.

Crofts has Aspberger Syndrome himself, which is a mild autism spectrum disorder, and gives a firsthand view from the mind of the unknown. Crofts's website FormingHorizons.com mixed with his rather personal writing style gives you a true through-the-eyes view of how someone with a form of autism thinks.

"I want this to become a tool any parent, teacher, and eventually employer, can use to further understand this disorder," Crofts said.

He hopes this website grows and educates people on how autism or Asperger Syndrome can cause the person to think extraordinarily differently; something people without the disorder cannot easily understand.

Crofts wants to develop a community full of parents and teachers who deal with autistic kids on daily basis and help them better understand their thinking ways; doing so will help their elders teach them a more effective way to learn academically and help them function better in a broader social setting.

Crofts believes his philosophy for the website is what sets him apart from other autism websites.

"You have to see the person behind the diagnosis if you want to help the person with the diagnosis," Crofts said, "You have to start with the sensory issues."

Crofts considers himself "blessed" to be apart of the high-functioning autism group; it gives him a real way to communicate to people without this diagnosis. 

"I feel like I have a lot to offer on my experiences, especially to parents," Crofts said. 

FormingHorizons has been in development as a for-profit. Crofts hopes to bring in that profit through advertisements and affiliate links on his website. But for now he is concentrating on its content and structure.

Lucille DiSanto has helped Crofts in significant ways and has become a mentor to him; DiSanto met with Crofts to talk about the development of the website.

"I feel like my next step in life is to create an autism website ... to help people further understand," Crofts said. 

Croft officially bought his domain name http://forminghorizons.com in August of 2015. 

"I want to work on my substance first," he said.

Crofts has always excelled in academics and graduated from Brockport University with a master's degree in English Literature; Crofts started free-lance writing for The Batavian in November 2009 and stopped doing it so much in August of 2011. 

"I want to create a handbook like writing that people with this disability can use to excel in college, much like I have," Crofts said. "People with this diagnosis don't quite understand common sense." 

Common sense is defined in Webster's Dictonary as "sound and prudent judgment based on a simple perception of the situation or facts." Crofts explained those common sense actions really aren't quite as simple as the definition; autistic people think differently. 

(Photo by Zach Lee of Dan Crofts from FormingHorizons.com.)

(Dan Croft's latest article.)

(FormingHorizons Forums) 

John Franklin McLaughlin Jr., 44, of Old Route 17, Salamanca, is charged with second-degree harassment. The defendant was arrested for allegedly ounching a person in the face at 7 p.m. at the Main Gate at Darien Lake Amusement Park on Alleghany Road. He was due in Darien Town Court on Aug. 1. The case was handled by Sheriff's Deputy Kevin McCarthy.

Tanner A. Dahl, 19, of Westfield, was arrested by State Troopers for possession of a forged instrument, 3rd, operator of motor vehicle impaired by drugs, 1st, when he was stopped on Colby Road in Darien July 30 for non-functioning tail lights. Dahl was found in possession of an open container of moonshine and a fake Pennsylvania Driver’s License in the name of T. Dahl after Troopers detected the odor of marijuana emitting from his vehicle. Dahl failed the standard field sobriety tests administered to him. He was transported to UMMC for a blood sample, which he refused. A breath sample of 0-percent BAC was obtained. Dahl was issued an appearance ticket and uniform traffic tickets returnable to the Town of Darien Court on Aug. 9.

Michael T. Dibble, 25, of Corfu, was arrested by State Troopers for: felony driving while intoxicated -- with a previous conviction; felony first-degree aggravated unlicensed operation -- alcohol; criminal possession of controlled substance, 7th; failure to keep right; moving from lane unsafely; and use of vehicle without ignition interlock device.

Shortly after 4:30 p.m. on Friday, July 29, Dibble was traveling northbound on Angling Road in a Chevrolet Cobalt when he crossed over the center line in the path of a tanker truck causing a collision, according to the Troopers' press release issued Tuesday.

Dibble was in and out of consciousness at the scene and was taken by Mercy Flight to ECMC. 

Troopers, investigating the scene located a white powdery substance that appeared to be heroin. Dibble was unable to perform any standard field sobriety tests or evaluations due to his injuries but gave consent to draw blood at the hospital. Dibble was listed in stable condition with a broken left forearm and a leg injury.

He was issued uniform traffic tickets returnable to Pembroke Court at a later date. The driver of the truck was not injured.

Batavia PD has been conducting bicycle safety training at parks throughout the city this summer, in conjunction with the Youth Bureau. Today's bike rodeo was at Lions Park.

City fire also brought Ladder 15 to the park for the kids to check out.

Six-year-old Devin Polk learns how to use a fire extinguisher during a kitchen fire demonstration set up by City firefighters at Batavia's annual participation in National Night Out, which is an opportunity for police, fire and city services to come together with community members.

The event was held at Birchwood Village on Dewey Avenue.

There were games, activities, community groups supplying health and safety information, bike registration and pizza and popcorn. Local musicians also performed.

Everyone is invited to City Church's first big event at its new property "St. Anthony's -- A City Church" for "The Picnic in the Parking Lot" starting at 5:30 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 4.

It's located at 122 Liberty St. in Batavia. There will be food, live music, kids' activities and more.

"We've really pulled out all the stops on this one," says Pastor Marty Macdonald in a Facebook message about the event. "I'm excited about it, about the people who will be here, the music. ... We have enough food to feed half the city...Let's get to know one another."

In another mesaage, aimed at dispelling "myths" that apparently have sprung up about City Church's plans for St. Anthony, the pastor says the beautiful, historic wooden pews inside the sanctuary are staying put, so too are the finely crafted stained-glass windows, which add "architectural splendor" to the whole place. And the existing church on Main Street Downtown will remain open. A third City Church Sunday service, to be held at St. Anthony's, will be added at some point, time to be announced.

City Church closed escrow on the former Roman Catholic parish and school this spring.

You don’t have to travel to The Smithsonian in Washington, D.C., to have an experience with American history. We recently visited all of the Genesee County historical locations with the hope of shedding a little light on the history and relevance of each town. See history come alive by visiting these places!
 

The museum itself is a neat place as it was originally an one-room schoolhouse. When you walk into the museum, you can see the big windows and high ceilings and wonder about the children and the education that went on in the building. Through the artifacts you will discover that Alabama used to have three gun manufacturers in its small town. There was a prominent citizen named Dr. Grant Neal, whose buggy is displayed at the museum. Part of the original Bason post office is also on display. Some people might find the museum’s vintage posters of “horse auctions” and old-time carnivals as interesting historical markers and how life was way back then. One small item that is still relevant today is a Christmas party invitation harking back to 1856 in regards to some soiree in Alabama. Gladly open by appointment only. Feel free to call (585) 948-9287.

Alexander Museum, 3350 Church St., Alexander, NY (585) 591-1204

Up on the third story of Alexander’s Town Hall (United States’ only three-story cobblestone town hall) sits the Alexander Museum. The building alone is worth the trip and makes for interesting photographs – bring your camera. A few items on display that are relevant in today’s world, include an old phone, record players and typewriter – which are all now part of our cell phones. Children these days would be baffled in the ways we use to communicate. In a section dedicated to tools, it’s interesting to look at the objects and try to guess their usage. The museum’s large open space is filled with their wide-ranging collection. From farmer’s tools to old record players, there’s a lot to absorb here. Please call to schedule a visit.

Bergen Museum,  7547 S. Lake Road, Bergen, NY (585) 494-0080

The Bergen Museum is a truly unique place. The museum resides in the former 1880 Hartford Hotels Livery Stables in downtown Bergen. It has been converted into a cozy, and well-done museum. Inside the old barn, there are a handful of interesting, life-size tableaus depicting, a blacksmith shop, a general store, school classroom and more. The goal of the exhibits are to have the artifacts tell the story. You really get an excellent sense of what it was like to shop at a store, studying in school or visit the local pharmacy. A local military exhibit includes war time posters, which capture people’s imaginations. The nicely crafted tableaux were created by museum’s volunteers.  Open every Sunday 1 to 4 p.m.

Byron Museum, 6407 Townline Road, Byron, NY  Phone: (585) 548-9008

A cool surprise is that this museum is located in an old church that is right next to an old cemetery. The sanctuary of the former German Lutheran church is packed with countless items, including a lot of clothing and textiles. People who love fashion or clothes will enjoy looking at what people were wearing a hundred years ago. South Byron High School is well-represented with photographs and yearbooks. Behind the church, there is a large annex dedicated to items typical of a farming community. There are even a few local business and community signs spread throughout. The collection is pretty deep. Open Sundays 2 to 4 p.m. Memorial Day through Labor Day. Other hours are gladly accepted with appointment.

Elba Museum, Maple Avenue Extension, Elba, NY (585) 757-9094

The Elba Museum has an impressive collection distributed through three buildings, including a museum building, an original 1842 house and a reconstructed barn. The museum building is filled with all things Elba. An exhibit dedicated to the local high school, that included a cheerleader uniform was a nice touch. Walk next door to the original 1842 house. The house is well presented and gives you a glimpse of life was like without cell phones, microwaves and other modern conveniences. You can clearly see how life used to be lived. Make your way to the barn and see how hard work was performed 150 years ago. The building is filled with all sorts of fascinating objects and equipment. Open Sundays 2 to 4 p.m. from Memorial Day to Labor Day. 

Jell-O Gallery and Historic LeRoy House, 23 E. Main St., LeRoy, NY 14482

The LeRoy Historical Society plays host at two separate museums on the same property in the Village of LeRoy. The Jell-O Gallery and Historic LeRoy House are separated by a small garden the the “Jell-O Brick Road.”

At the Jell-O Gallery, discover the intriguing story of  America’s Most Famous Desert that was created in LeRoy in 1897. The museum is dedicated to how Jell-O grew as a brand and played a prominent role in daily American life. There are many examples how Jell-O used innovative marketing and merchandising methods to promote their product. The gallery has a neat gift shop, too!

In the basement of the Jell-O Gallery is a small transportation museum, harking back to the days when people traveled via buggy or sled. It’s a small, but nice collection that allows you to trace the evolution of modern transportation.

Over 100 years of local history is preserved in the Historic Leroy House, which was built in 1822 as a home for Jacob Leroy, a successful land agent. The museum has three floors open to the public and is filled with unique items from yesteryear. Prominent attractions include an exhibit about Leroy’s Ingram University, which was founded in 1837 and was the first university to grant women a four-year degree, and an exhibit about agricultural pioneer Calvin Keeney. The house’s kitchen reminds visitors of how food was prepared and served a century ago.

Holland Land Office Museum, 131 W. Main St., Batavia, NY (585) 343-4727

Located in a stone building built in 1810, the Holland Land Office Museum offers thousands of artifacts pertaining to the history of Western New York. Batavia is known as the “birthplace of Western New York” because out of the Holland Land Office came the sales and disbursement of over 3.3 million acres of land. One of the items on display in the museum is the Medal of Honor received by Batavian Charles F. Rand, who was the first soldier in the nation to volunteer for the Civil War. A dark piece of history, the museum houses an original gibbet that was used to perform hangings, the last being 1881. The Holland Land Office Museum host many educational and social events throughout the year. The museum is also located right next to the Batavia International Peace Garden.

Oakfield Historical Museum, 7 Maple Ave., Oakfield, NY (585) 948-5901

In the Village of Oakfield is a two-story house museum has some really interest facets. It does a very good job educating visitors on the importance of gypsum mining in Oakfield. Numerous photographs and mining equipment tell the story of an industry that was important to the town. Another prevalent theme is the Native American influence on the town. A very nice collection of arrowheads (gathered from the local area) that is worth the trip alone. A unique aspect of the Oakfield Historical Museum is that they publish their own books on local history, which are available for purchase. Open Sundays 1 to 3 p.m.. Closed January and February and major holidays. 

Pembroke Museum, 1145 Main Road, Corfu, NY (585) 599-4892, ext. 9

This small museum is located inside the Town of Pembroke Town Offices on Route 5. On a recent visit, items from the town’s former post offices were on display – reminding us how we used to send messages and communications. One section is dedicated to the local fire department, where you learn they used to throw “glass water grenades” to fight fires over a century ago. Civil War buffs will enjoy looking at a soldier’s hat and bullets. Pembroke’s military history is also proudly on display.. The Pembroke Museum is open by appointment only. Give them a call to schedule a visit.

Stafford Museum of History, 8903 Route 237, Stafford, NY (585) 343-1928

The Stafford Museum of History was built in 2004 and is attached to the Town of Stafford Town Hall. The museum in one large room in which artifacts are well presented in nice display cabinets and information panels. This museum doesn’t try to show you everything, just some great representations of early settlement life in Western New York. The Morganville Pottery collection is popular with visitors. In the nearby hamlet of Morganville, a type of pottery was made that included a distinct reddish hue (from the local excavated clay). On your way out of the museum, check out their small gift shop area. Open every Sunday from 2 to 4 p.m. Individual visits can be arranged by calling the museum. 

Tonawanda Indian Reservation Historical Society, 372 Bloomingdale Road, Akron, NY (585) 542-2481

The history of the Tonawanda Band of Seneca Indians is celebrated throughout the hallways of the Tonawanda Indian Community House. There is no designated space of a museum, as the historical items are displayed throughout the building. The community house is open every day, so there’s ample opportunity to visit this location and learn. There are numerous large-scale photographs and illustrations throughout the building that displays the history and heritage of the Tonawanda Indian Reservation. Some of the lithographs tell the story about the tribe and the history of the Seven Nations. A piece off high reverance -- a chief’s headdress – is definitely a highlight on the second floor. The historical artifacts can be viewed during normal business hours 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily.