The word homosexual apparently didn’t show up in the Bible — any Bible in any translation — until 1946, and this is due to a translation choice of Greek words used in 1 Corinthians by a team preparing a modern edition of the Bible.

Based on this premise, a team of researchers traced how that word -- homosexual — and God’s judgment against it — made it into the Bible, creating, in their view, a Christian anti-gay movement. Or so the theory goes in the controversial documentary film “1946” directed by Sharon “Rocky” Roggio.

Roggio’s hope is that the film begins “the necessary conversations that rid this bad theology from the church and from our homes.” 

Homes that have included her own, with her father, Pastor Sal Roggio, who disapproved of her sexual orientation, given his understanding of the word of God.

“1946, The Mistranslation That Shifted Culture” will be part of a viewing party at 6 p.m. Thursday at Batavia First Presbyterian Church, 300 E. Main St., Batavia.

Organizers encourage folks not to miss this opportunity to watch what they believe will be a “thought-provoking documentary film screening exploring the tireless researchers who trace the origins of the anti-gay movement among Christians to a grave mistranslation of the Bible in 1946.”

Even with little background in Biblical literature, it seems to beg questions, such as why only point to 1 Corinthians 6:9, which is where the word “arsenokoitai” is used.

Alan Schlemon, who muses about the film and believes the central point is “irrelevant” even if it’s true, says that the word arsenokoitai, “does appropriately condemn homosexual sex,” is an aside to other passages documented prior to the New Testament. 

“Pro-gay theology advocates, like the ones who created this film, love to point out that Paul invented a new Greek word (arsenokoitai) in 1 Corinthians 6:9. Since there are no instances of that word being used in Greek literature elsewhere, they often call into question any translation that implicates homosexuals,” Shlemon said in his online site. “There are, however, at least two reasons why translators have chosen ‘homosexuals’ (or something equivalent) for the English rendering. One reason is that the word arsenokoitai is formed by combining two Greek words, arsen, meaning “male,” and koite, meaning “lying.” Arsenokoitai literally means ‘men who lie with a male.’ It’s not surprising that the most prominent English translation today — the NIV (2011 revision) — translates the Greek as ‘men who have sex with men.’ 

“It’s also worth noting that ancient Jews used the Hebrew phrase mishkav zakar, which means ‘lying with a male,’ to describe male-to-male sexual contact. Therefore, having a Jew invent the Greek term arsenokoitai follows the same pattern of condemning homosexual behavior by referring to the euphemism ‘men who lie with a male.’ But there’s a second reason that solidifies this translation. The Greek words arsen and koite appear together in two Greek Old Testament (Septuagint) verses … Leviticus 18:22 and 20:13 — the very two verses in the Mosaic Law that condemn homosexual behavior,”  he said. “In other words, Paul invents a new Greek word that literally means ‘men who lie with a male,’ and the two-component words that are used to create this new word are found together in the two Mosaic prohibitions of homosexuality.”

Rev. Jim Morasco, pastor of Morganville United Church of Christ in Stafford, watched the film. The producer is a lesbian whose father is a pastor who believes his daughter has a choice to be gay or not, and they are part of the film, which focuses on a group of people asked to make a revision of the Bible in 1946 at Yale University.

“The movie follows what they're doing at the university. It's a personal back-and-forth between the daughter and the father. And then there's the overall, what does it say in the Bible and why,” Morasco said. It's interesting. I'm not a Bible scholar by any means. But I've read similar things about what the Bible was made with, together with all the revisions.

“The people that were there were putting this together, and they interpreted it as homosexual. But what they say the truth is, it's not homosexual love; it’s a form of love.” 

How does he rectify Biblical literature of various degrees throughout the Old and New Testaments regarding homosexuality and not just in 1 Corinthians? 

“It’s simple,” he said. I don’t use the Bible as a rule book; I use it as a guidebook. I look at scripture … my basic understanding is that God is love,” he said. Use it as a recipe book rather than a rule. It’s a living document. The stories are inspirational rather than real. We can all relate.”

He said the Bible has some 900 different versions and thousands of interpretations in various languages. Much of it stems from the Roman Empire, which consolidated the Christian religion with the Roman government. 

Morasco said a passage about the man as head of the household and the woman serving under him is one example of how the Bible can be interpreted—or misinterpreted—according to one's personal bias or agenda. That is more about Roman law, not through any Godly inspiration or directive. 

“That’s the structure adopted,” he said. 

He doesn’t agree with those people who take a firm stance and tell others, “You can’t argue with me because I’m copying what the Bible says.” 

“That’s not the way it is; I don’t agree with that,” he said. “I have friends who are gay and friends who are transgender. They’re human beings, and to put a label on somebody makes them less than human. They’re people.”

Robin Schumacher, columnist for The Christian Post, also takes a dive into the Greek words of Paul’s New Testament letters and says that “the most straightforward, hermeneutical conclusion we can come to is that Paul was against the idea of males engaging in sexual intercourse together.”

Schumacher also takes a bottom line stance when “the literal-historical-grammatical method” is used to interpret the writing of Paul on this topic. 

“We find the Apostle can’t be used to validate homosexual behavior,” Schumacher said. “That being the case, the most logical thing to do for those wanting to justify homosexuality is to stop trying to modify what the Bible says on the subject and instead assume the position of the late atheist Christopher Hitchens, who once remarked, “What do I care what some Bronze Age text says about homosexuality?”  

As someone who has watched the film in its entirety, does Morasco agree with its conclusion?

“I think it’s a possibility,” he said. “God loves us no matter what we are and who we are.”

Morasco plans to attend the viewing and participate in breakout group discussions afterward. He said all opinions are welcome. 

“I grew up Catholic, ordained a Baptist, and am a reverend at a United Church of Christ. I’ve been exposed to a lot of different ways,” he said. “I might do it differently. I’m not saying that anyone is wrong.” 

Two people did different things, but the right things, which led to Walmart being evacuated Wednesday afternoon even though there was no threat to life or the safety of people at the store, said Chief Deputy Brian Frieday.

A local man had purchased a pellet rifle and, after apparently throwing out the packaging, decided to return it to Walmart. Frieday said the man did the right thing. He called the store in advance to let them know what he was doing.

A customer saw the man get out of his truck and walk into the store with the gun.  That customer called 9-1-1 and reported a person had loaded a shotgun and was walking into the store.

"Patrols converged on the Walmart store," Frieday said. "In that response, we're able to clear the store, locate the individual and locate what was not a shotgun. It turned out to be a pellet gun that they were returning to the store that didn't work properly. There is no fault whatsoever. I'm glad the person called in because that's the 'see something, say something.' I'm glad they called it in. I know it creates a little bit of an inconvenience for patrons of the store, the store itself, and anybody around, even traffic around. But that's a great outcome. It's just a little bit of an inconvenience compared to everything we're seeing around the country now."

The man was located by patrols outside the store without the gun.  He had left it at the gun counter in the store.  He is not facing any charges.

"It seems very innocuous," Frieday said. "It's a misunderstanding. It was an observation by somebody that they rightfully called in because it appeared that it could be something threatening."

The Sheriff's Office was the lead agency on the call, assisted by Batavia PD and New York State Police. At least 10 patrol units responded, according to a witness.

During the incident, the store was evacuated -- all employees and customers were asked to leave the building.  Once police officers determined there was no threat, employees and customers were allowed back in.

Photos by Howard Owens.

While the man did the right thing by calling the store in advance, Frieday suggested people who need to return a potentially threatening item that isn't in its original packaging can go a step further by asking an employee to meet them outside with some sort of bag or packing for the item.

Pavilion teen Carson Tyler has been a longtime animal lover. With three dogs at home and a penchant for trail-riding horses with her mom, when she came into a little money, her decision about what to do with it was an easy one.

She opted to donate a check of $1,000, which she won as Gatorade’s Best Player of the Year for her volleyball prowess, to Purple Pony Therapeutic Horsemanship in Le Roy.

“I grew up super fortunate being able to travel all over to play volleyball and being able to give back to kids who are less fortunate. It was just something I wanted to do only because I grew up so blessed and had been able to do so many things,” the 18-year-old said Tuesday while presenting her donation to board members at the Purple Pony farm. “So I was doing some research about it, and it popped up. And I was like, oh, this is right. And I knew that this was the place I wanted to give to. I knew that they are able to help kids with disabilities ride horses -- not even kids, but young adults, too. And so once I learned that, I was like, yes, it just clicked, this is just the place. I just kind of knew this is where I wanted to give the money to.”

While board members gratefully accepted the donation, Carson will continue her plans to attend Ball State University and study sports administration. She hopes to “get back here at some point” and see the horse program again, she said.

Purple Pony Therapeutic Horsemanship, which turns 20 this year, works with children ages 4 through adult with disabilities and provides “physical, cognitive, emotional and social benefits” by pairing each participant with a well trained horse and volunteer to teach various aspects of horsemanship, trust, and commands while also building inner strength, confidence and growth.

Shelley Falitico has been volunteering for six years. She said she came to Purple Pony with career experience from working with kids and adults with special needs. She signed on after seeing firsthand how a half-ton animal gently connected with William, a young boy with autism who had significant communication issues: he didn’t talk.

William’s parents brought him to every session, and Fallitico worked with him and his speech pathologist, who programmed different commands into a speech box. When William was on the horse, he could work the box to give commands, such as whoa and walk on.

“And I saw how much confidence and ability, that he was in control of something he so thoroughly enjoyed. And the horse was beautifully trained. And it got to the point where I would be holding the lead rope, but it got to the point where I could back away a few steps, and William would be sitting up there in that saddle, so proud. And he would push the button, and it would say — his speech path person put in there ‘walk on’ — and the horse would hear walk on, and the horse would walk. And there’d be William sitting in the saddle holding his reins, so happy and proud of himself," she said. "And I think the biggest point, and I get mushy on this one, was when we did a show at the end of the lessons. His parents were there. His grandparents were there. And they were all sitting on the side. And William was in the center of the arena with the horse by himself, and I stood back. And he did the whole show by himself. And his parents started to cry. And it was because it was such a huge accomplishment for him to be able to, he had barriers in his life, take such a step to be so independent.

"And it was so meaningful. And you could just see in his face how much he loved what he was doing," she said. "And I saw the magic. And I said this has to just keep going and keep continuing.”

Falitico felt that she was a good match for the organization, since there were people with equine expertise, and she was bringing in a background from having worked at Arc of Genesee Orleans for people with developmental disabilities. 

“So they’ve actually brought me in to be a trainer to train the other volunteers. Some kids who had some significant behavioral or communication issues, they have me come and work with them and get them adapted around the horse,” she said. “And we see nothing but success because there is magic around those big, beautiful animals.”

She recently joined the board of directors and wants to see the nonprofit keep thriving to serve the 30 to 35 participants each year, she said. There are five therapy horses at the Purple Pony farm at 8321 Lake Street Road. It is 100 percent run on grants, donations and foundation funds, Falitico said, and is also supported by trained volunteers and not a paid staff.

It adheres to a strict protocol in terms of very well-trained horses that can handle strangers and surprises and follow the commands as expected, she said, and is certified by the Professional Association of Therapeutic Horsemanship International, a leading agency of professional equine-assisted services committed to supporting members and stakeholders with rigorous standards, credentialing and education, according to PATHI's website.

When Carson won her scholarship and was in the process of choosing a benefactor, Falitico was only too happy to share about Purple Pony. A high school senior at St. Mary’s in Lancaster, Carson “just fell in love with the whole concept,” Falitico said, wanting to see the farm, horses and the kids in action receiving their lessons.

“So we were totally excited that she picked us,” Falitico said. 

It seems as though others in the community have followed suit: Vic Blood of Le Roy has donated $1,600 to the cause, and the Michael Napoleone Foundation recently informed the organization that it was chosen for a monetary award from them as well.

All donations go to the site's operations and expenses, such as saddles for the horses. Two nine-week courses are offered to participants, and there is a waiting list for the popular programs. The first session is set to begin April 23. Applications for volunteers and participants are encouraged and may be found on the website.  

The biannual Treasure Sale, Purple Pony’s largest fundraiser of the year, will be filling the horse arena with goodies from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Aug. 10 and 11. Donations are also welcome at the barn after July 1. For more details, go to the website or to Purple Pony's social media site HERE.  

Press Release:

The Genesee County Health Department is seeking information about the location of a dog and its owner following a dog bite incident on Sunday, March 31. The incident occurred at Crosby’s (6890 Byron Holley Road) in Byron.

The owner was a male with a medium build. He had two dogs on flex leashes. The dog involved in the incident was described as a mixed breed, mostly white, with long hair, and medium-sized on a retractable leash.

The health department is trying to avoid unnecessary medical treatment for the victim, so it is important to locate the dog. If the dog is identified, the health department will request that the owner confine the dog at their residence for a ten-day observation period to monitor for symptoms of rabies. 

If the dog remains healthy following the biting incident, it is then determined that there was no risk of rabies transmission through the saliva at the time of the bite incident. Post-exposure rabies vaccinations will not be
recommended for the victim. If the status of the dog cannot be identified, post-exposure rabies shots will be recommended to the victim.

If you have information about the location of the dog and its owner, please contact the Genesee County Health Department at 585-344-2580 ext. 5555.

Press Release:

GO ART! is excited to host the Western New York Steel Band Festival for its second year on Saturday, April 13, at 2:30 p.m., in the Batavia City Centre. Organized by teaching artist and percussionist Ted Canning, the event welcomes everyone to enjoy steel pan bands performing on this instrument developed in Trinidad and Tobago. 

Admission is a $5 suggested donation, and ample parking is available at the City Centre.  The Western New York Steel Band Festival is being presented as part of the activities of GLOW Creatives, a group of 10 artists (including Canning) at GO ART! who received a grant from the Creatives Rebuild New York Artist Employment Program, supported by the Mellon Foundation. 

GO ART! programming is also made possible by the New York State Council on the Arts, which has the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature.

Doors open at 2 p.m. for the public. Attendees can view a new City Center statue created collaboratively by GLOW Creatives artists Bill Schutt, Dan Butler, and Jill Pettigrew. 

Ithaca College’s IC Steel, Steel Alchemy Community Steelband, Rochester Institute of Technology’s Tiger Steel, Lancaster High School Carnival Kids Steel Orchestra, and Panloco Steelband are featured bands. 

The bands will showcase Caribbean music while also illustrating the many genres and rhythms that steel bands commonly perform. The concert will conclude on a high note with a joint performance of all the bands—about 70 players in all!

Carnival Kids Steel Orchestra was started by John Marone in 1974 and is the third oldest established continuing steel drum program in the United States. The group performs numerous concerts and events annually in the greater Buffalo area, has produced several recordings, and has traveled from Philadelphia, Chicago, Disney World, and Trinidad.

IC Steel was established in the 1990s by percussionist Gordon Stout and continues to offer students the opportunity for a diverse ensemble experience at the college. 

The RIT Tiger Steel band is an ensemble offered through the School of the Performing Arts, a campus-wide initiative to enhance the arts experience for all students. They have represented the university at events off campus and were featured in the 2022 holiday video card for the university. 

Steel Alchemy was formed in 2001 as a community-based band, open to anyone ages 13 and older. With an emphasis on intergenerational group learning, the band performs at town festivals, concert series, and private events throughout the Genesee Valley. 

Established in 1995, Panloco Steelband explores the unique musical qualities of the pan from its traditional Caribbean roots to pop, jazz, classical, and styles from around the world. They perform at private and public events in the region and with international performances in Sicily, Mexico City, and Siena, Italy.

“I’m excited to bring this festival to Batavia again,” says Canning.  “It might be surprising for people to learn that our part of the state has a significant connection to the Trinidadian steel band tradition and its founders, from the groups featured at the festival as well as Paul Ferrette’s Caribbean Extravaganza in Buffalo, Al St. John’s Trinidad and Tobago Steel band in Rochester, and a history of school bands in Rochester, Randolph, Ithaca, Naples, and Dundee. I’m looking forward to sharing this music with our community—it will be a great time!”

Press Release:

Town Assessor Rhonda M. Saulsbury announced that beginning April 10, Change of Assessment Notices will be mailed to property owners within the Town. Instructions indicating the procedure for requesting an informal review, how to obtain forms, and where to get information will be included with each notice.  

Ms. Saulsbury reminds property owners to review the full market value estimate found on the Change of Assessment Notification. If you do not agree with this estimate AND can offer proof for a change, you can follow the process of filing a challenge. Informal reviews will be held during April & May. Appointments are required with email submissions preferable.

Property assessments, inventory data, and sale information will be available online beginning in April at https://townofbatavia.prosgar.com.

The Town of Batavia strives to maintain a 100% equalization rate (sale price to assessment ratio), which means that we aim to keep our assessments at 100% full market value across all property types. To accomplish this, we do regular re-evaluations and make adjustments accordingly during the assessment update project. Values can adjust due to physical changes and/or market changes.

As part of this process, we run each property through our appraisal software system, comparing the building style, square footage, year built, bedrooms, baths, lot size, et cetera, against the recent sale data. Based on the aforementioned data, we then do a field review to determine the fair full market value.

Press Release:

The Genesee and Orleans County Health Departments (GO Health) will hold their quarterly Local Early Intervention Coordinating Council (LEICC) Meeting. 

The meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, April 17, from 3:30 to 5 p.m. at the Genesee County Health Department (3837 West Main Street Road, Batavia) or by Zoom. Refreshments will be provided.

The LEICC is a supportive group made up of county officials, Early Intervention providers, childcare providers, parents of children with disabilities, and other community members. 

The goal of the LEICC is to allow parents and other members the opportunity to voice their thoughts and concerns on the strengths and weaknesses of the Genesee and Orleans County Early Intervention Program and to work together to improve the program. The Genesee and Orleans County Health Departments encourage parents to attend and offer input on how we can best meet the needs of all infants and toddlers in our local communities.

For Zoom connection information or more information on the meeting, please contact Deborah Krenzer-Lewter, Director of Children with Special Needs, at 585-344-2580 ext. 5572 or 585-589-2777.

Press Release:

The Law Street Yard Waste Station will open for the season on Monday, April 15, for city residents.

The station will be open from noon to 6 p.m., Monday through Saturday, until Daylight Savings Time in November, when time changes to 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. 

The station will also be closed on May 27 for Memorial Day, July 4 for Independence Day, September 2 for Labor Day, and November 28 for Thanksgiving. The station will close for the season in early December.

City residents may bring yard waste material (grass, leaves, and limbs) to the Law Street Yard Waste Station as there is no spring curbside pickup of these materials. 

The following items cannot be accepted at the station:

• tree stumps
• building materials
• rock
• fill (soil and stone), other debris

Yard waste shall be free of trash (paper, plastic, bottles, cans...etc.), as this material cannot be processed.

Use the Law Street entrance to enter and exit the City Yard Waste Station only.

Press Release:

Congresswoman Claudia Tenney (NY-24) announced her office will be hosting a Webinar with guests from the Social Security Administration (SSA) to discuss retirement best practices, fraud protection, and other services the SSA offers.

This webinar is open to all constituents and aims to provide an overview of best practices for retirement preparation. Guests from the SSA will share invaluable tips and strategies for navigating the complexities of retirement and accessing vital SSA resources.

• When: Tuesday, April 30
• Time: noon
• Format: Zoom Webinar
• RSVP: To receive the link to the webinar, email NY24.RSVP@mail.house.gov

This webinar is being hosted as part of Congresswoman Tenney’s monthly webinar series, in which the Congresswoman connects residents of New York’s 24th Congressional District to resources and support at the federal level. Recordings of past webinars can be found on Tenney’s website here.

Click here to view 124 Vine Street, Batavia.
Click here to view 3720 W. Main St. Rd., Batavia.

Photos by Philip Casper.

There seemed to be mixed reactions to Monday’s big event as those few minutes passed — depending on where you were — around 3:20 p.m. debuting this area’s total solar eclipse under gray cloud cover. 

Social media posts varied from exclamations of having witnessed the best thing ever and feeling awed by the eerie cloak of darkness that descended and lifted as if someone dimmed the light switch and ever so gently rolled it back up.

Still others heaved with palpable sighs of disappointment after all of these past weeks and months of education, promotion and preparation for what was to come due to those nasty clouds that arrived and settled in for a stay. 

Locals that ventured out to one of the many gathering spots in Genesee County, or others that drove in from out of state, such as John King, seemed to glean some good out of the day no matter how mired it was in foul weather.

King, all packed up with his recording equipment, came from Gettysburg, Pa. because Batavia “was the closest to me that was in the path,” he said. 

He traveled to Tennessee for the partial eclipse in 2017 and, even though he considers himself “a complete amateur,” is prepared with a mount for his telescope and cameras to track the sun, he said.

Despite the clouds, he wasn’t disappointed and, in fact, had come to expect them from experience.

“I went to the 2017 eclipse in Tennessee, and it was a perfect, beautiful day with not a cloud in the sky. And we went to the Watts Bar Nuclear Facility, which is on the Tennessee River. It released a cloud into the sky out of the smokestack that completely blocked my view, even though there was not a cloud anywhere in the sky. I did not get to see the eclipse there either,” King said. “So at least this time, when I came here, I expected that the clouds were going to be like this, and I probably wouldn't get any pictures. But this is my second one that I've brought nothing back.”

Did you think about going somewhere else when you heard what the weather would be like here? 
“I looked from Indianapolis to here, and they all said about 90 percent cloud cover,”  he said. “We’d already reserved the rooms. I said, what the heck, it's still an event, it still turns dark, you still get to see it. And it only happens, you know, every five, six years.”

He was “amazed” at how little traffic he encountered on his way here compared to Tennessee in 2017.

“Every road around there for 60 miles, every shoulder was covered with cars that had pulled over and parked, and it took me 16 hours instead of eight hours to get home because the traffic was so bad,” he said. “And we cruised up here in normal time, five hours.

“I think the weather, people just said it's just not worth it to travel that distance, and it's gonna be cloud-covered. I was committed, though, just for the heck of it. I'm coming,” he said, sharing that his wife’s daughter stayed put and had a much different view. “My wife, she FaceTimed her daughter who's in Columbia, Maryland, and they have scattered clouds, so they saw it perfectly.”

On the other hand, Tom Jones of Brigantine, New Jersey, drove quite a few hours to get here, he said. He paused when asked if it was worth it.

“Seeing nighttime in the middle of the afternoon was a freak. I’ve never seen that. That was an experience,” he said. “And I brought everything in preparation: my Corona beer, my bottle of champagne, my cereal box viewers. I even brought the little index card thing. Let down.”

He was figuring out when the next total was, as he had heard it was in Spain in a few years, though his parking lot compadres thought it was in Iceland in a different year. Here you go, Tom Jones: the next total solar eclipse is slated for Aug. 12, 2026, with a path of totality limited to Greenland, Iceland, Spain, Russia and a small area of Portugal.

Over in the village of Elba, Clerk Jerah Augello manned a booth at Elba Central School as part of eclipse activities. She enjoyed watching the eclipse in action despite the gray matter obscuring it.

“This is amazing, even though we didn't get to see the full eclipse because of the clouds. The fact that we're on top of the football field with a big crowd of the community, and it's dark, and it really got dark very quickly,” she said. “And then, within a matter of minutes, it was bright again. And then we did get to see a sliver. It was really amazing. I really wish we could have seen the whole thing but what we did get to experience was pretty cool itself.” 

That seemed to be the consensus, including for Molly Anderson, who noted that “we’ve got people from all over the country, from Virginia and Georgia and New Jersey.”

“I think this is awesome that everybody came together up here. And, you know, we're up here on the football field and got to see the little sliver there at the end. But it's nice,” Anderson said. “It was great that the community put this together. And you know, we're all out here, and it’s something to remember forever: darkness in the middle of the afternoon.”

School, village and community members worked together to provide the day, which included musical entertainment by the Front Porch Pickers, homemade onion soup, fried dough, a lemonade stand and the Sports Boosters firing up the grill, to name a few of the offerings.

“We had a great turnout today.  I believe that this was because there was something for everyone to enjoy at our school and throughout the village. So many of the Elba community members came out, but there were many from the surrounding area, too,” School Superintendent Gretchen Rosales said.  “We even had some out-of-state guests; they had no connection to Elba but really wanted to experience the eclipse, so they picked the Elba community as their place to enjoy the moment.  

“Although we didn't get to see too much due to the cloud cover, the darkness was impressive.  The best part was being in a crowd with children and adults alike who were in awe of the experience.,” she said.  “I am thankful that our community turned out for the event and so pleased that guests decided to join us in our Elba home for this fun.  It was an honor to host everyone today for this once-in-a-lifetime event.”  

Elba Elementary School student John Anderson, 10, thought it was “cool.” 

“Just because it got so dark. All of a sudden, just in the afternoon, when it’s not nighttime,” he said. “I think it was fun. I got to play football with my friends.”

Being part of an eclipse is “just one of those moments that you’re never gonna forget,” Jessica Beck, a graduate student from Philadelphia, said. She saw the partial in 2017 after she and her family made a last-minute dash to Nashville to go see it as the clouds started coming in with the totality’s path.

“But we found a spot that was clear. You know, you can you can say what happens, like, the crickets started chirping, the birds went quiet. You saw a rainbow all around the horizon; the stars came out. But just the goosebumps, like I'm feeling right now just recounting this, I felt total goosebumps, just totally in awe of the fact that we're on this little speck of a planet and it just happened to line up right with its own moon,” she said at DeWitt Recreation Area. “And we're witnessing the heavenly bodies moving into position. It's just so cool. It's hard to put into words, but it pulls you back.

“I’m kind of banking on the fact that it's definitely going to be like sudden nightfall; we're gonna have sudden night for about three and a half minutes here in Batavia, and the wildlife, I’ve been hearing the Red-winged blackbirds chirping since we got here to the park, and they're gonna stop that,” she said. “So we are gonna hear the wildlife kind of going crazy. It is going to be total darkness. And I think it's still going to be an experience even though you're not getting the full view of the sky that you would have otherwise.”

And why did you choose Batavia? 
So Philadelphia's closest to this area in terms of where the region of totality is. I had some familiarity with the region as my mom is a U or R alum, and my sister is a U of R alum, so I spent some time in upstate New York and kind of wanted to see Niagara again,”she said. “So I knew there would be stuff to do in and around here, even if we had cloud cover on the actual day, so we've actually been here since Friday just been enjoying what the Finger Lakes region has to offer.”

Round Up of The Batavian's Eclipse Coverage:

• Visitors from out of town get ready for the total solar eclipse
• Eclipse brings out entrepreneurial spirit: solar glasses for sale
• Photos: eclipse beauty and fun in Alexander
• Photos: Food, vendors, games and fun during eclipse in Oakfield
• Photos: Eclipse Party at Batavia Downs
• Video: Eclipse Time-lapse shot from a Jackson Street rooftop
• Travelers from the East Coast hang out at Genesee County Fairgrounds to view eclipse
• Photos: A partial glimpse of the eclipse at the Richmond Memorial Library
• Golf Dedication: Using glow-in-the-dark balls during total solar eclipse at Terry Hills
• Visitors from throughout Northeast watch eclipse from animal sanctuary in Byron
• Community views of the eclipse
• Corfu eclipse events allow families to spend time together
• Photos: Elba celebrates the eclipse

During the eclipse events in Corfu, there was something sweet happening at Sweet Dream Maple Farm on Reynolds Road. Owners Al and Amy Stein had the farm open today for maple samplings, lunch, tours of the farm, and their shop was open for business.

When Al heard that the Darien Lake Hotel was going to be open for the eclipse weekend, he wanted to include their farm with all of the local happenings. 

"It's something for the visitors to do," Al said. "I opened everything as an extension of Maple Weekend." 

Nick and Tina were up here on a family trip from Danbury, Conn., with their three kids, Ben, Nicola, and Samantha. They heard of the events happening in Corfu from their Airbnb host, Amy Stein, and decided to keep their eclipse viewings local. 

Another stop was in the village of Corfu for their eclipse viewing party at Pembroke Intermediate School, which was free for all to attend. Many locals gathered for games of corn hole, miniature golf, trivia, and a cookout fundraiser for the church food pantry. 

Jim and Sara Hall of Corfu were excited to spend time with their kids today. 

"I took the day off of work," Jim Hall said. "It looks like it's going to be a dark one." 

He laughed.

"The three-day event was a great success," said Tom Sargent, the village of Corfu mayor. "It was well attended for a small community." 

He recapped that Corfu had the parade and dance on Saturday, which at one point had 45 people on the dance floor learning to square dance. The craft festival and movie night on Sunday also had great turnouts. 

"The weather definitely affected the turnout today," Sargent said. 

Even though it was a cloudy day for everyone in Genesee County, Corfu was able to catch a couple of glimpses between clouds before the total eclipse.

There was widespread agreement that it was an exciting event even though the actual total eclipse wasn't visible.

The village and school district of Elba collaborated to host an eclipse event Monday. Here are some of the visitors and participants, and activities that took place on school grounds. 

Photos submitted by Gretchen Rosales.

These photos, above of the total solar eclipse when the sun was fully shadowed by the moon and, below, after the few minutes were over and darkness evaporated into daylight again on Monday, were submitted by Red Dyson from Park Avenue in Batavia.

Other residents submitted their versions of the total solar eclipse as well.

 Animal lovers took in the eclipse Monday at Mockingbird Farm Animal Sanctuary in Byron.

Jonell and Joe Chudyk, and Jon Tedd founded the livestock rescue farm. They care for more than 40 rescue animals and birds.

The event on Monday drew visitors from New York City, New Jersey, Binghamton and Ithaca.

Ben Strothmann (aka Honey LaBronx, The Vegan Drag Queen) from Manhattan, who has performed at fundraisers for Mockingbird Farms, made the trip, saying it was "kismet" when he saw that a charity he supports was in the path of totality and was hosting a special eclipse event.

While awaiting the eclipse,  visitors could pet livestock, play lawn games, get tarot card readings, and read about eclipses.  

The event was coordinated with the Wounded Warrior Project. 

Previously: Mockingbird a sanctuary for all creatures, take a tour at festival Oct. 7

If you were in Genesee County on Monday were teed off that you didn't get to actually see the total eclipse that passed over the region, at Terry Hills, they were really teed off.

In the midst of the darkest minute, golfers hit glow-in-the-dark balls of the first tee, apparently just to say they played golf during a total eclipse of the sun.

Terry Hills Golf Course hosted an eclipse party, including a special menu with food items such as Total Eclipse Burger, Blackout Caesar Salad, and Supernova Nachoes.

Golfers also received a commemorative "I Saw the Eclipse at Terry Hills April 8th 2024" golf ball.

Danielle Rotondo said about 150 golfers hit the links on Monday, with about sixty playing during the eclipse.  The three people teeing off from the first tee during the totality were Mary Brown, Casey Brown, and Rotondo.

"It was a great day, an amazing experience playing and teeing off during totality," Rotondo said. "My aunt, Mary Brown, had the idea to use the glow golf balls, which make for an epic tee shot!  We had people come from all over New York State to experience it at our facility."

Photos and video submitted by Danielle Rotondo

The sun and moon may have hid behind clouds during the total solar eclipse that passed over Western New York -- with Batavia dead-center in the eclipse path -- on Monday afternoon, but even a glimpse of the partial eclipse from 2:41 to 2:44 p.m. thrill some visitors to the Richmond Memorial Library.

The total eclipse started at 3:19 p.m. and lasted for four minutes. It, however, was shrouded by clouds.