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Victorian mourning customs among topics covered at HLOM in September

By Press Release

Press Release:

The Holland Land Office Museum is proud to announce the next edition of our Guest Speaker Series on Thursday, Sept. 7 at 7 p.m. GCC professor, author, and historian Derek Maxfield will be sharing his presentation "Victorian Deathways" on the many customs surrounding mourning and death in Victorian era culture. "In light of the 200th anniversary of the great and historic Batavia Cemetery, it seems fitting to examine American attitudes towards death. This may seem morbid to some, but how a society observes death - like other milestones – tells us much about their culture and values. The Victorians, in particular, created a number of fascinating ways of observing death – from redesigning cemeteries to the language we use to talk about it. This talk will focus mainly on antebellum Victorian culture, roughly 1835 to the outbreak of the Civil War." Admission is $5 or $3 for museum members. Please contact the museum at 585-343- 4727 or hollandlandoffice@gmail.com. “This project is made possible with funds from the Statewide Community Regrant Program, a regrant program of the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature and administered by GO ART!”

Genesee County will soon be graced with two fantastic celestial events and Dan Schneiderman of the Rochester Museum of Science Center is heading our way to tell us everything we need to know! Join Dan for a FREE public talk being held at the Holland Land Office Museum on Sept. 12 at 6 p.m. as he discusses the science & history of solar eclipses and how to prepare for this extraordinary astronomical opportunity. Reserve your seat by September 7 by phone or email at 585-343-4727; hollandlandoffice@gmail.comThis is a free event (Donations are always accepted for Holland Land Office Programming.) To learn more about how Genesee County is planning to celebrate these events please visit GeneSEEtheEclipse.com. “Genny the Cow” Genesee County’s eclipse mascot will also be on site for photo ops! 

The Holland Land Office Museum is proud to announce the next edition of our Trivia Night @ the Museum on Thursday, Sept.14 at 7 p.m. This month's topic is the ship of the pilgrims, The Mayflower. Admission is $5 or $3 for museum members. Please contact the museum at 585-343-4727 or hollandlandoffice@gmail.com if you would like to attend.

The Holland Land Office Museum is proud to announce the next edition of our Guest Speaker Series on Thursday, September 21 at 7 p.m. We welcome local presenter and researcher Joseph Van Remmen, as he shares his well-researched theory of how the city of Buffalo got its name. There are a number of theories thrown around, but Mr. Van Remmen's is one you might not have heard of until now. Admission is $5/$3 for museum members. “This project is made possible with funds from the Statewide Community Regrant Program, a regrant program of the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature and administered by GO ART!”

Come to the Holland Land Office Museum on Saturday, September 23 from 1 - 4  p.m. as local author Rob Thompson will be signing copies of all of his works. Rob lives in Attica and is most known for his books on the Linden Murders, but he has also just written a new book on the Sullivan Campaign of the Revolutionary War, "Behold & Blush: The Sullivan Expedition", which was waged against the Seneca in the Genesee Valley. He will also have copies of other works including Candles in the Rain and Swinging in the Rain. Copies of each of his books will be available. Prices range from $10-$15. 

The Holland Land Office Museum is proud to announce the next edition of our Java with Joe E. morning presentation series on Thursday, September 28 at 9 a.m. The museum welcomes the Town of Batavia Historian, Bernida Scoins, as she shares the life and works of Batavia native author John Gardner. Bernida will also have artifacts and items related to Gardner for display. Admission is free with coffee and donuts. Please contact the museum at 585-343-4727 or hollandlandoffice@gmail.com if you would like to attend.

Faith formation program now accepting registrations

By Press Release

Press Release:

Registration is now open for the 2023-24 Faith Formation Program at Resurrection and Ascension Roman Catholic Parishes in Batavia. The parish families are excited about this joint venture to share our Catholic faith with our families and children.  

All sacramental preparation classes (Reconciliation, First Communion, and Confirmation) will be offered as well as enriching programs for the entire family.

Classes will begin on Sunday, September 10 at 10 a.m. Mass at Ascension Parish, followed by a pancake breakfast, meetings, and of course, bingo!  Come and join us!

Please contact Jason Smith from Resurrection Parish at resurrectionff14020@yahoo.com or Ann Pratt from Ascension Parish at mgp1731@gmail.com for information.

Overdose Awareness Day shines light on effort to spread 'hope and healing'

By Mike Pettinella
Overdose Awareness Day
Overdose Awareness Day at Austin Park on Wednesday featured messages of hope from community members on the dangers of opioids.  Photos by Steve Ognibene.
Cheryl Netter

Cheryl Netter and Scott Davis are two of the fortunate ones. They are people who have survived the grip of addiction and have emerged on the other side, now devoting their lives to helping others who are struggling with substance use disorder.

So many others didn’t make it. More than 100,000 in the United States over the past year alone – and nearly 80 Genesee and Orleans County residents who died of a drug overdose over the past four years.

Netter (photo at left) and Davis briefly shared their stories of anguish successful recovery on Wednesday afternoon at the annual Overdose Awareness Day at Austin Park.

The event, organized to raise awareness of the dangers of opioids and to remember those who have succumbed to an overdose, was coordinated by the Genesee-Orleans-Wyoming Opioid Task Force, in conjunction with the National Institute of Health’s HEAL (Helping to End Addiction Long-Term) Initiative.

Recognized as a community “hope coach,” Netter said she is “an overdose and suicide attempt survivor.”

“Leading up to my (suicide) attempt, much of my struggle and pain I chose not to allow people to see. I spent my younger years masking my way through life, not recognizing or even acknowledging my inner struggles,” she said. “This led me to dabbling with mental health issues, risky behavior, substance use and trying to (commit) suicide. I stand with you today only by the grace of God, and with many years of recovery and I'm able to tell my story in my own voice.”

She quickly shifted her focus off of herself to speak about those who are no longer with us because of drugs.

“We're here and I want to remember and acknowledge those individuals gathered here today, along with their families and friends. Those who aren’t able to tell their story with their own voice due to …losing the struggle of addiction and to talk about the crisis we’re all facing right now.”

Netter encouraged family members and friends to keep the stories of those departed alive.

“We’re sowing seeds of hope and healing, not only in the hearts and lives of others, but also in our own hearts and our own life,” she said. “Strength and recovery can be found by giving a voice to the stories of those who may otherwise go unseen and unheard.”

Scott Davis

Davis (photo at right) has been a certified peer recovery advocate for the Rochester Regional Health system for the past two years – a far cry from where he was for most of his adult life while addicted to heroin and fentanyl.

He shared that when his mother died in 2008, his life spiraled out of control, and the result was incarceration, institutions and near death. Eventually, and with the help of medication for opioid use disorder and support from family and friends, Davis pulled himself up, and continues in his recovery.

Two years ago, his brother died from an overdose, a searing pain that he said he is “working through.”

“Every day, there is something that reminds me of him,” he said. “He’s always there with me.”

Other speakers included John Bennett, chief executive officer at Genesee/Orleans Council on Alcoholism and Substance Abuse; Paul Pettit, public health director for Genesee and Orleans County Health Departments, and Dawn Stone, peer advocate at Spectrum Health in Wyoming County.

John Bennett: We’re Working to Save Lives

John Bennett

“You would think that in the year 2023, with all of the people who have come out publicly – all the movie stars and athletes that have come out and talked about their addiction – that the stigma would reduce? But it hasn’t. It’s still there,” Bennett said. “So, I just want to thank all the people here today who are recovery warriors. It’s the work that you guys do every day. The support agencies like GCASA, to support the people in the community, that really make a big difference.”

He mentioned how the agency has grown in recent years from 65 to almost 200 employees and adding needed services such as housing for various groups, childcare, transportation and The Recovery Station social meeting place on Clinton Street Road.

“We also provide services for the homeless, particularly through a homeless housing grant that we recently got,” he said. “We’re going to be working on coming up with transitional housing crisis beds for these folks, where they will have a place to stay for seven to 15 days. Those are hard to find, but we’re working to make those come true.”

Bennett said recovery workers are making a difference by trying to save lives.

“My heart goes out to all of you who have lost a loved one. I can’t imagine the grief and loss. But know that we’re trying to make a difference behind the scenes to help future loss of life,” he said.

Paul Pettit: An ‘Urgent Public Health Threat’

Paul Pettit

Pettit said that data shows that the opioid epidemic continues to be a “very urgent public health and public safety threat in our communities.”

“Drug overdose deaths continue to be the number one leading cause of injury mortality in the United States,” he said. “It’s been that way for many years now. And unfortunately, it's probably going to continue to be the number one cause of death. It's more than vehicle accidents and other types of injuries.”

More than 100,000 people died by overdose last year in the U.S., he said, adding that since 2019, there have been 56 overdose deaths in Genesee County and 23 overdose deaths in Orleans County.

“That’s 79 individuals that have lost their lives to overdoses that we could have prevented; that we are working to prevent it. And that's why we're here today -- to bring awareness to that and to honor them,” he said.

Pettit credited the GOW Opioid Task Force, a three-county coalition founded in 2017, and the more recent HEALing Genesee initiative for examples of community human services agencies coming together to fight this epidemic. 

“Three areas that we continue to focus on in the community is opioid overdose prevention and education and naloxone (Narcan) distribution … medication for opioid use disorder and linking individuals to treatment, and safer opioid prescribing and dispensing.

Dawn Stone: ‘It Takes a Community’

Dawn Stone

Noting that she provides support and encouragement for people from the age of 5 to 90, Stone said “it takes a community” to combat the increasing mental health and substance use epidemic.

In recovery for 19 years, she said that 21 people have died due to an overdose in Wyoming County in recent years, with 41 being the average age of those individuals.

“It’s not just young people,” she said. “Substance use affects all ages. We need to ask our elders, ‘Are you OK?’ and offer them the help they need.”

To conclude the program, Brandi Smith of Batavia, who has been in recovery from heroin, fentanyl and cocaine for six years, read a poem, No Hero in Heroin, in memory of her brother, Jason, who died of an overdose.

In part, the poem states, “So alone, so filled with fear, but I kept on swimming, well, drowning in tears; I never gave up, finally said my goodbyes, found beauty in life, without you by my side; You’re part of my past now, no longer a friend, despite you name, there’s no HERO in heroin.”

Disclosure: Mike Pettinella is the publicist for GCASA.

Photos by Steven Ognibene.

agency booth
Information sharing was a big part of the event as representatives of more than 20 human service agencies participated.
kids
Children joined in on the experience by taking part in educational exercises.
co-chairs
Amy Kabel, left, and Sue Gagne served as co-chairs for the observance. Here they stand in front of flags representing those who have died due to an overdose.
face painting
Seven-year-old Elizabeth Dorchak getting her face painted at a GCASA booth.

Sponsored Post: Did you know Reliant works with some of the areas top Investors/Entrepreneurs

By Lisa Ace
Reliant Real Estate

194 Washington Avenue Batavia-City
Looking for a professional business setting? Look no further-this is a great space and offers so much exposure in an area that is revamping and expanding! This space offers a large reception/office, waiting area, 4 private offices and 2 baths. There is also an enclosed foyer and one office has its own entrance door for possibility of sublet. Great opportunity and landlord open to discussion

Hawley tours Upstate Niagara, supports local farmers

By Press Release
Hawley upstate niagara
Submitted photo of Assemblyman Steve Hawley (R,C-Batavia) outside Upstate Niagara’s Facilities

Press Release:

Assemblyman Steve Hawley (R,C-Batavia) toured the Upstate Niagara Cooperative’s O-AT-KA Milk Product facilities in Genesee County on August 17. 

Upstate Niagara is a farmer-owned dairy cooperative that owns eight manufacturing facilities making products such as milk, cream, butter, cottage cheese, yogurt, evaporated milk, and specialty beverages, along with employing more than 1,500 people in New York. Hawley is proud to see local businesses helping to support the region and state’s number one industry, agriculture. 

Hawley took the time to meet with management and staff at Upstate Niagara’s facilities including Director of O-AT-KA Operations, Joe Steinocher.

“We were honored to host Assemblyman Hawley at our plant here in Batavia. O-AT-KA Milk, a subsidiary of the Upstate Niagara Cooperative, employs about 450 people and receives milk from many of its 260 local farmer-owners,” said Steinocher about Hawley’s visit. 

“On our tour, we had the pleasure of showcasing the many great things our team continues to accomplish each day. We also highlighted the areas in the plant where we have grown through investment and discussed many of the challenges facing us in the future. We hope Assemblyman Hawley found the tour enlightening and will think of the economic impact O-AT-KA and Upstate Niagara have on Batavia and surrounding communities when he returns to Albany for the next legislative session.”

“Agriculture is the backbone of our state’s economy and cooperatives like Upstate Niagara are leading the charge,” said Hawley. “It is always great to see local businesses making an impact in our community and throughout our state. I will always support our local businesses, farmers, and agricultural industry in Albany.”

This year's Labor Daze includes new music, food, boxcar derby

By Joanne Beck
labor daze promo 2023
Members of the Oakfield Betterment Committee preparing for Labor Daze, from left, Darla Allen, Kerry Ohlson, Jaden Ohlson, Jamie Lindsley, Christopher Dickens, and Jeff Allen.
Photo by Howard Owens.

When you’re heading into an event that’s nearly four decades old, it might seem tempting to press repeat and do the same things over, but that’s certainly not the case with this year’s 39th ever-growing Oakfield Labor Daze Music & Food Festival, committee Chair Jamie Lindsley says.

Several new musical groups and food offerings, plus more arts and craft vendors, a new boxcar derby and sharing this year’s 5K proceeds through scholarships to local students is an indicator that board members and hands-on volunteers are continuing to shake things up.

Bigger and better might just summarize it. Plus, it’s free, Lindsley said. Most of the action happens in Triangle Park in the heart of the town, Saturday through Monday. 

“We try to make sure we include local organizations, whether it's the fire department, the school, and also, our community is very dependent upon and really helped by agriculture. And we really like to make sure that they're included in anything that we do. So we'll have tractors in the parade. We're also going to have the Shriners in the parade this year. So that's not new, but it's just something we haven't had in several years,” Lindsley said during an interview with The Batavian. “And new this year is the boxcar derby. And we're really thrilled to have that because it's got that nostalgia; it's a family-friendly event.

“Seeing children work together with their parents or their mentors to decorate the cars and to race the cars and troubleshoot and figure everything out; it’s really amazing,” she said. “I’m a big fan of science and math, and all of that is interrelated with what it takes to do the boxcar derby and to operate the boxcars.”

Where to begin? How about with the Hornet Hustle 5K at 9 a.m. Saturday. This year’s proceeds will be used for two $1,000 scholarships beginning with 2024 Oakfield-Alabama grads, and then to be awarded annually. This is a change from past years, when the race usually targeted one nonprofit, such as Warrior House or Alex’s Lemonade Stand, Lindsley said. 

“We've had multiple different causes over the years,” she said. “We would like to just have one and stick with it. And hopefully that will help it grow.”

Feel like lacing up and joining in? You can still register by Wednesday or the day of the race. Runners and walkers are welcome, organizers said.

Then get over to Drake Street to watch the 22 drivers steer their boxcars off the ramp and down the street for the first-ever derby at 11 a.m. Saturday.

“We’re very excited about this. The shells were prepared and put over the chassis,” Lindsley said. “The kids decorated the cars with stickers. We hope to have a ton of spectators.”

Committee member Scott D’Alba came up with the idea, and everyone was on board with it, and fellow member Chris Marcott was going to be gleaning some tips and experience from helping out at Batavia’s boxcar derby this past Saturday, she said. Some of those derby cars were also going to be used in the Oakfield event.  

Kiddie Fun Day goes from noon to 4 p.m. on Saturday. That used to happen at Schoolhouse Manor, but due to construction, fun day has been moved over to the town park on Drake Street. 

“So kids can just walk down the street and get there. But we're going to have bounce houses and horse and pony rides. We're going to have games. We're gonna have like little arts and crafts and coloring stations. That should be fun,” she said.

There will also be vehicles, including a school bus and a tractor, parked for kids to see and perhaps climb onto,  and a visit from a K-9 officer, she said.

By this point in the day, Dance Images will be taking to the stage, from 11 a.m. to noon, followed by Batavia Players at noon. 

The Saturday entertainment line-up also includes:

  • 1 to 2 p.m. Skycats 
  • 4 to 7 p.m. Hazzard County
  • 7 to 10 p.m. Dave Viterna Group 

And that's just Day One. 

Some 50 vendors will be selling their creative wares from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Sunday and Monday. You may notice more than usual, as “there’s a little more this year,” Lindsley said.

“I’m glad. We have a lot of repeat vendors because they enjoy doing our show,” she said.

There will be lots of entertainment on Sunday:

  • 9 to 10 a.m. Christian Music Hour and church service to follow
  • 11 a.m. Russ Peters Group
  • 12:30 to 3:30 p.m.Songbirds
  • 3:30 to 6:30 p.m. Dark Horse Run 
  • 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. Nerds Gone Wild

So far, that brings two new musical groups onto the Labor Daze scene. Hazzard County, according to its website, has been nominated as “one of the top country cover bands of the year for WNY,” made possible by its five-member band’s passion for delivering “authentic country sound combined with the dedication of our talented members” with a combined century of experience.  

As for Nerd Gone Wild, it is just what you might expect — musicians with pocket protectors, taped glasses, bowties and suspenders in a lively, energetic and interactive performance of 1980s tunes, choreographed dance moves, trivia questions, contests, and a tribute band showcase “like nothing you’ve seen before,” its website states.

What better way to top that off than to check out the fireworks to follow at 9:30 p.m. at the town park on Sunday? 

If you’re going to the parade at 10 a.m. Monday, it is suggested that you get there early, since roads are closed by 9:45 a.m. to prepare for the groups that march down the Main Street, Lindsley said. If you’re interested in being a participant, there’s still time to register.

Of course, one of the biggest attractions to any festival is the food — whether it be grilled, crunchy, soft, sweet, savory, spicy or something in between, Labor Daze seems to have it, with several food trucks and local organizational food booths, she said. 

New items include fried ravioli, empanadas, fresh-cut fries and a poutine truck. The O-A Music Boosters will have pizza, Alex’s Lemonade Stand will be there, and the O-A Lions Club will be selling its “world famous Italian sausage with peppers and onions, as well as a loganberry drink.”

“And then we're going to have lots of other amazing things like ice cream and shakes and milkshakes. Kettle Corn. Novelty desserts, like a high-end dessert truck, so things like French macarons, cheesecake, carrot cake, chocolate covered strawberries, lemon bars, cupcakes, cookies, all kinds of deliciousness,” she said.

Other food trucks include Sweet Lisa’s, Ice Cream and Chill, Lori’s Delectable Edibles, which offers bubble tea and iced coffees, Islands Hawaiian BBQ (on Monday), plus the parent-teacher group will be selling cotton candy. It’s a safe bet that no one will go hungry in Oakfield this weekend. 

Monday’s musical line-up includes:

  • 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Batavia Swing Band
  • 1 to 4 p.m. Exit 13
  • 4 to 7 p.m. Public Water Supply
  • 7 to 10 p.m. The Floyd Concept

Public Water Supply, out of Rochester, bills itself as an alternative rock/indie Americana act of five university-trained musicians in a blend of "distinctive songwriting, spectacular vocals and incredible instrumentalists," and The Floyd Concept, a Pink Floyd tribute band, are two more new bands to the festival this year. 

The committee lines these groups and vendors up months in advance, beginning its planning the day after — or days before in some cases — the current Labor Daze festival, Lindsley said.

“We’re making notes right now,” she said of next year’s event. “We are a nonprofit, and we're 100 percent volunteer-driven, and a lot of our vendors at the event are also nonprofit organizations. This is an event that's beneficial to them for their fundraising and for raising awareness about their organization, and it’s hopefully driving new membership for everyone.”

What were the biggest challenges for this year’s festival?
“The two main challenges, or opportunities I'd like to call them, is finding out that the air show is the same weekend. It doesn't overlap the entire weekend, so I don't think that'll be as big of a problem as my worst fears were,” Lindsley said. “But the other thing is the construction of Schoolhouse Manor. It's really just such a stately old lady of a building, and we really are happy she's being restored, but not being able to use that space was a bit of a challenge for sure.

“I think the reception has been pretty good. People are excited about both (the air show and Labor Daze). We anticipate people going to the air show, and we encourage them to do that; what an amazing opportunity,” she said. “Personally, I'm sad that I won't have a chance to. But the community is still planning on coming out. And, you know, we have a lot of volunteers from within Oakfield-Alabama and surrounding communities that actually volunteer in our food booths. And I think the reception has been pretty good. I have a really good feeling about this year.”

Lindsley is president of the Oakfield Betterment Committee, which also includes board members Ritchie Kirkum, Scott D’Alba, Diane Klos, Emily Kolpack, Chris Marcott, Jeff Allen and Jaden Ohlson.

Pink Floyd tribute band new to Labor Daze festival

By Joanne Beck
the floyd concept
Photo courtesy The Floyd Concept

Just as it sounds, The Floyd Concept is a Pink Floyd tribute band, founded in 2016, that’s been playing with its current lineup for the past year, plus its newest member, female vocalist Samantha Hoy.

Michael Diggs, keyboardist and one of the founding members, thought it was important to add a female singer since the actual Pink Floyd group employed a few of them, and the Floyd Concept formerly only had five guys.

“But on some of the music that we do, our harmonies are important, and this is where there's certain signature voices that we need to try to get as close as possible. So we decided to add the female singer,” Diggs said during an interview Sunday. “This year we are doing the 50th anniversary of ‘Dark Side of the Moon,’ and there's a song, you know, there's a great one that they call ‘The Great Gig in the Sky,’ one of the songs on the album, which has a female singer.”

They will be performing the album during their show as one of the new groups at this year’s Oakfield Labor Daze Music & Food Festival from 7 to 10 p.m. Monday. 

“If you like Pink Floyd, then you want to come and see this group because we get it as close as possible. And you will love the light show that we give you because you're in for a complete show,” he said. “You'll want to come see this group. We have people who have left the show just blown away from our live show and the music. So you'll definitely be in for a treat when you see our show.”

Diggs first joined a group called Hey You in 2000, and that was a regional Pink Floyd tribute band. He was drawn to Pink Floyd as a kid and then got to see them live in 1989 while stationed with the Army in Germany. 

“And that just made it even better for me,” Diggs said. “And it just kind of, you know, solidified my love for the group and when the opportunity came for me to join a Pink Floyd tribute, I did. So, that group dissolved in 2012. And the founder of that group, George Root, and we started the Floyd Concept together.

“I always loved the music, but after seeing them live, the production just blew me away. And I mean they use like a 25-foot circular screen with movers, you know. The production is unreal. That really did it for me. We wanted to kind of almost try to replicate that type of production on our own for our show. So we … we built a nine-foot screen, a circular truss, with the movers, and we started buying our own light show. So we try to replicate the production side of it as much as we can.”

Band members include: 
Tony Aversa on lead guitar and vocals, an “international recording artist whose music has been used in radio and television across the globe,” according to the group’s website. He began playing guitar in 1980, infatuated with Van Halen, settling into a love for the blues, and becoming hugely influenced by Pink Floyd’s 1982 release of “The Wall,” moving on to his own music label, recordings, bands, songs and now The Floyd Concept.

Tim Toole, on guitar and vocals, described on the site as delivering “the fun, melodic and emotional dynamic experience so common to all great music shows.” A lifelong fan of Pink Floyd and David Gilmour melodies,  Toole has played in various bands throughout his life, amassing more than 100 shows with his guitar rig of several Fender Stratocasters, Taylor 6 string 314 CE, Fender 12 string, various classic tube amps and modulation effects. 

Bryan Owczarzak, bassist, began his piano studies at age 10 and has early professional experience recording music for local TV and radio commercials while in high school and college. He’s played keyboards and bass in several local jazz and progressive rock bands since the mid-1990s.

Chris Collesano is on percussion, drawn to music at an early age, he started banging on “anything that sounded cool to me,” he says on the website. He bought his first electric guitar at 15 and his first drum set at 12, teaching himself how to play both. Collesano has done several side projects and sessions and studio work, plus solo work, playing tame star classic drums and a variety of snares and cymbals. 

As for Diggs, a Hamburg resident, he won first place in a star search while stationed in Germany, and was nominated for best rock keyboardist for the Buffalo Music Awards in 2011 and 2012 and again in 2017, 2018 and 2019. 

He’s had some time to practice, taking up keyboards at age 8 and never putting them back down, the 55-year-old said. However, he does seem to like talking technology every bit as much as the music — maybe even more. The video production, choreography, lighting, movers on stage in rhythm with the melodies, they all lend that legitimacy and spirit of Pink Floyd to the experience, he said. 

Take the song, “Welcome to the Machine.” 

“You know, the screen is all red. There’s a video of a robot doing office work. You'll see the video footage of that. When you see ‘Dark Side of the Moon.’ I mean, we'll have actual clips from Pink Floyd stuff, ‘Dark Side of the Moon’ there. We like to use stuff of space, earth and stuff like that,” he said. “So ‘Money,’ of course, we'll use the actual footage of the video for money. And the same thing with ‘Time.’ Also, with the ticking clocks and stuff like that. It's very, very video-driven. And our movers are mounted to our screen. And it kind of flows with the music, which is where our lighting director comes in. And then, plus, we have other types of lighting.”

The band is a side gig for the members, and they perform at least a dozen times a year at festivals and theaters, he said. For Diggs, he’s an electrician for Erie County, and his bandmates are insurance agents, school teachers and the like. It’s not uncommon to go from working a job to performing, and “Western New York has some amazing talent,” he said. 

“It's unbelievable, all the groups that we have around here, and we're very, very fortunate to be playing for the Labor Daze, bringing our show to the Batavia area,” he said. “I’ve been doing bands probably since 1988. Even while I was stationed in Germany, I played in some bands over there, and it was pretty cool. We got a chance to play in places like Frankfort and different venues while I was there, you know, but as far as doing the Pink Floyd stuff, that's always been a dream of mine to do.  I've done like Blues Brothers, progressive rock, stuff like that, but yeah, Pink Floyd just happens to be a passion that I love to do.”

Flying in entertainment and commerce as part of air show's return this weekend

By Joanne Beck
batavia air show arrivals aug 29 2023
One of two MX aerobatic planes that landed at Genesee County Airport this afternoon taxis into a hangar.
Photo by Howard Owens.

There’s a rule in the air show business that you’ll know how good the event will be by how well you’re treated and taken care of in the first 15 minutes of arrival, Doreen Hillard-Zeliff says.

As one of the lead organizers of the resurrected Wings Over Batavia Air Show, she intends to provide nothing but an A-plus experience for those performers and pilots coming into town for the weekend’s event. 

They’ll get a hearty welcome, no doubt, a rental car, their hotel packet with a map, a bottle of water, local information, a swag bag, necessary credentials, and — an especially important local commerce element — a community event and some wining and dining.

“So Thursday night, we’re having a community event at Eli Fish, in back at Jackson Square. It should be a lot of fun, and everybody can come. And there's music. Matty Gray hired a band that is going to play. So there'll be appetizers and drinks, and we're going to introduce the performers,” she said during an interview with The Batavian. “They all like to give back. The only thing we wish is that the kids were in school right now because they make school visits. And it's real special for them to do that; they love giving back to the communities that they get to fly and perform for.”

There might even be a few pilots flying over Jackson Square during this Thursday’s event. It’s all part of a bigger picture that draws revenue beyond the airport into the community at large, she said. 

Gates open at 2 p.m. Saturday and Sunday for Wings Over Batavia at Genesee County Airport on Saile Drive, and events run from 5 p.m. into the evening, finishing with fireworks. 

That revenue is being spread throughout Genesee County, as organizers have been taking air show participants out for meals while they’re also staying at local hotels. Harrington’s has been booked to provide breakfast throughout the weekend. 

Formerly Hillard, Doreen, one of the two air show co-chairs, just got married to Pete Zeliff, a fellow airplane and air show enthusiast who owns a hangar at the Genesee County Airport. They’ve been working on the show with a committee and a handful of hired professional, seasoned veteran air show staff to ensure a smooth first-time event, including an air show director, a parking specialist, and a ticket agent.

Committee member, county Highway Superintendent Tim Hens, has also brought his expertise into the mix with responsibility for the county’s safety. 

“I’ve been focused on creating safe access for parking, safe pedestrian access to the site, safe movement of planes, limiting impact on our airport tenants, managing traffic around the airport, coordinating lighting during and after the show.  I feel like everything is in a very good place. The Air Show has an excellent parking plan, and it’s great that they are including the price of parking in the admission tickets to get people off the roads and into the airport to avoid traffic,” Hens said. “We have a good plan in place for pedestrian safety, and the county has made several on-site improvements to move folks through the venue. We will be doing final inspections all (this) week to make sure things are safe. We will be putting out some PR this week … highlighting parking and access to the airport as well as some community notification on the fireworks, pyrotechnics and explosions that will occur on 9/2 and 9/3 as part of the show.”

While talking, Hillard-Zeliff had to pause momentarily to move off a ramp while a man cleared off some “foreign debris” in preparation for more planes to arrive. There was plenty of commotion, as could be heard in the air all afternoon and into the evening.

While preparing for the show was exciting, it was certainly old hat to Hillard-Zeliff, who grew up in air shows, she said, in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, home to the AirVenture Museum, which is dedicated to the preservation and display of historic and experimental aircraft and antiques, classics and warbirds. She’s also involved in the Air National Council of Air Shows and wants to bring back air shows as a more common staple to communities. 

“It celebrates what we’re all about: the human spirit,” she said. “I call it aerial ballet because some of the acts are just so beautiful, with the smoke and the music. And it just does something of your soul I think. You can tell I love it.”

So even though she rattled off names of performers and pilots and planes that may not be familiar to everyone, they’re the real deal, she said. Trainer fighters, beautiful Mustangs from World War II in a beach team doing a day and night show, the F-22 Raptor, Rob Holland Aerosports, Kevin Coleman Extra 300 SHP, a choreographed pyromusical fireworks show and many other acts that are mostly described as to leave the audience in awe.

Some of these aircraft have such precision aerobatic skills, with super light maneuverability, yet there are also regular Cessna family planes that can also manage similar feats despite their much more sensitive carriages, she said. There’s a pilot that “pours a glass of water in the cockpit and doesn’t spill it,” she said. The audience can see this because there’s a live video for those below to watch.

And there are many other plane acts that take place at twilight and at night, and all are choreographed to “beautiful music,” she said. Or with the 1,000-foot wall of fire. The U.S. Air Force A-10 is one of her favorite demonstrations.

“It’s just different,” she said. “If I was in the desert, I’d be scared. It’s got big gatling guns.”

Don’t let her gender fool you; air shows and the industry are drawing more women, she said.

“It’s slowly become half and half,” she said. “Our premiere team is A-10 demo; it’s female. My niece is an F-16 pilot. A lot of my family fly and they are all girls. A lot of women are coming around.”

Hens credits her and Zeliff for bringing the air show back and thinks the community has been very supportive of its return. Hens alternates between excitement and nervousness every day as he approaches the actual event, he said. But he’s definitely looking forward to it.

“The acts I am most excited to see are the P-51s. I’ve been in love with those planes ever since I was a kid, and they are one of the reasons I went to the Air Force Academy. It will also be great to see the P-51 fly with the A-10 and the F-22 in a Heritage Flight,” he said. “Everyone always enjoyed the air shows in the 90s, and there is excitement for it to be back. There’s also a desire by many to see community events return. We’ve lost so many over the years. I think the hardest part is getting volunteers to run these things. They don’t happen by themselves, and much to everyone’s surprise, there is usually little to no government involvement outside of Police and EMS.”

Perhaps that’s why organizers have been calling the air show so family-friendly. It’s a grassroots type of deal, and more volunteers are always needed, organizers said. Nonprofits can make 10 percent of the proceeds if they work in concession stands.

Ticket sales have been going well, and The Mustang Club category was sold out as of Tuesday. For Hillard-Zeliff, she also sees the show as very affordable and patriotic to offer something for the community and the soul. The Ghostwriter will be leaving messages in the sky throughout this week, so you may want to be glancing upward until the show begins, she said.

Or, as Hens said, “it will be life-changing.”

“Aviation has so much to offer, and most kids just aren’t exposed to it. The air show provides a great opportunity for kids in Genesee County,” he said.

batavia air show arrivals aug 29 2023
Doreen Hillard-Zeliff and Pete Zeiliff.
Photo by Howard Owens.
batavia air show arrivals aug 29 2023
A pair of MX aerobatic planes do a flyover at the Genesee County Airport as they arrive in Batavia for this week's Wings Over Batavia airshow.
Photo by Howard Owens.
batavia air show arrivals aug 29 2023
Any skywriting you see promoting the air show over the next few days will be the work of Nathan K. Hammond in his Chipmunk.
Photo by Howard Owens.
batavia air show arrivals aug 29 2023
Pilot Bill Stein, who flew in on one of the MX planes, receives his swag bags, rental car keys, and directions to his hotel from Janet Rohan.
Photo by Howard Owens.

Parent company announces remodel of Flying J, $10K donation to Pembroke Central Schools

By Press Release

Press release:

The Flying J travel center in Pembroke, New York, is ready to welcome travelers with a fully refreshed look and new amenities. The renovations are part of Pilot Company’s nationwide initiative, called New Horizons, to invest $1 billion in remodeling its stores to upgrade the experience for team members and guests and prepare for the future of travel. Additionally, Pilot Company is donating $10,000 to Pembroke Central School District as part of its commitment to giving back.

As part of the store’s complete overhaul from curb to counter, the Flying J travel center located at 8484 Allegheny Road features: 

  • Refreshed and expanded restrooms and showers to improve the guest experience
  • Enhanced food offerings
  • Expanded beverage coolers 
  • New team member breakroom
  • Updated public laundry facilities

“We are excited to showcase our newly updated travel center with the Pembroke community and the travelers we serve every day,” said Allison Cornish, vice president of store modernization at Pilot Company. “We continue to listen to our guests’ feedback and strive to make their travel experiences easier and more enjoyable.”

The New Horizons initiative is a three-year project to fully remodel more than 400 Pilot, Flying J and One9 travel center locations and marks the company’s most significant investment in store modernization to date. For more information about New Horizons, visit pilotflyingj.com/new-horizons.

County announces attendance safety measures for Wings Over Batavia

By Press Release
wings over batavia parking
The Wings Over Batavia parking plan.

Press release:

Genesee County officials are committed to ensuring a safe environment for the Wings Over Batavia Air Show at the Genesee County Airport, scheduled from 5 to 9 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 2, and Sunday, Sept. 3. Wings Over Batavia, the independently owned and operated agency responsible for this event, is working closely with the Genesee County Sheriff’s Office and Genesee County Emergency Management to ensure public safety remains at the forefront of preparations.

Comprehensive Safety Measures
Genesee County is committed to overseeing comprehensive safety measures. The Genesee County Sheriff's Office, New York State Troopers, and City of Batavia Police are coordinating efforts to help ensure public safety. Various emergency services providers will be present at the event to uphold public safety standards.

Emergency Services and Special Effects
Planned explosions, pyrotechnic displays, and fireworks will be handled exclusively by the event organizers. Attendees and residents are informed not to dial 911 for these planned activities, as emergency services will be on site.

Traffic Control
Leading up to and during the event on Sept. 2 and Sept. 3, State Street Road will be closed from West Saile Drive north to Batavia Elba Townline Road, and West Saile Drive will be closed from the Milton Cat building to the storage barns on the east side of the airport. Motorists are asked to pay attention to signs and flaggers, exercise extreme caution and be alert to changing conditions. Pedestrians must follow marked paths and signage.

Information and Guidelines
For further details about the show and other pertinent information, please visit:

https://wingsoverbatavia.com/

Pavilion, like a lot of schools, grappling with 'terrible' problem of students with mobile phones

By Howard B. Owens
pavilion schools mobile phone policy
Charles Martelle, high school principal, and Carin Wade, foreign language teacher, during the discussion of mobile device policy at Monday's Board of Education meeting for the Pavilion Central School District.
Photo by Howard Owens.

Like every other school district in the nation, Pavilion Central School District teachers and administrators are frustrated by the distractions and problems created by students with mobile communication devices, particularly mobile phones.

"When you ask teachers, what's the one thing we could do to get kids more focused in school and in the classroom, it would probably be the removal of cell phones," said Charles Martelle, Pavilion's high school principal. "That doesn't mean we can come up with a way to do it that doesn't cause more distractions."

It's a problem even in elementary school, said principal Tom Wilson, and Carin Wade, a ninth-grade language teacher, chimed in with, "It's awful."

She added, "They can put it in their pockets and you don't even see it. They can text without looking at their phones.  I mean, you've got 25 kids in a classroom and you can't -- it's terrible."

During the discussion of outright bans, Wade said it's been tried at Pavilion, and parents complained.

Parents, one administrator said, are part of the problem.

"I understand the safety side of it, but at the end of the day, parents shouldn't be texting their kids during class," he said.

"And they know they are," Wade said. "They know their kids are in class, and the kids will be like, 'But it's my mom,' and I'm like, 'OK, but you're in class. I don't understand.'"

The policy for 2023-24 will be the same as last academic year, which uses a color-coded system to let students know where and when they can touch their phones.

In the green zones -- hallways and the cafeteria, they get close to unlimited access to their phones (they're not supposed to take pictures or make audio or video clips).  In gold zones, such as most classrooms, they can only access a phone with teacher permission. And in red zones, phones cannot be touched or displayed at all. This includes bathrooms, locker rooms, and the auditorium.

If a student is caught in violation of the policy, a staff member can collect the phone and leave it in the main office, where a parent or guardian must pick it up.

The discussion at Monday's meeting indicated even this policy leaves much to be desired when it comes to limiting distractions caused by electronic devices.

Schools have tried outright bans, but Martelle said there's no evidence these bans achieve favorable outcomes. Some schools have tried lockable pouches that students must store the device during the school day, getting the pouch unlocked by a staff member at the end of the day, but some school districts, Martelle said, found that students use "burner phones," phones they don't really use, to dump in the pouches.

"If there's a plan that actually worked and serves our interests that was more strict, we would use it," Martelle said. "I think a lot of schools are (implementing more strict policies), so we'll be able to look at articles and literature and studies. Right now, it's really up in the air. The studies as to whether or not schools that have done this versus those that haven't, the studies are really kind of inconclusive. We're looking at different things as to whether it actually improves anything in schools or not or whether it's effective."

He said administrators are open-minded about finding a better way of dealing with the problem.

"It's a very difficult problem right now," he said.

Elba farmer makes Batavia's first legal weed purchase at Empire Hemp

By Howard B. Owens
empire hemp first legal weed purchase
Historic moment: Matthew Starowitz, an Elba farmer, makes the first legal marijuana purchase in Batavia at a new dispensary inside Empire Hemp.
Photo by Howard Owens.

Matthew Starowitz arrived at Empire Hemp early this afternoon, well before the 1 p.m. opening time for legal cannabis sales, with the goal of being the first customer to make a legal weed purchase in Batavia.

Goal accomplished.

"That's the way I was raised," Starowitz said. "You support local people, and so you're there; you're the first one."

It's been a struggle to bring legal cannabis sales to Batavia as state regulators figure out the ins and outs of licensing and legal distribution. Empire Hemp has had products ready to sell for some time.  With the "pop-up" store, called the Cannabis Growers Showcase, opening on Tuesday, they've been allowed to open to cannabis buyers on a limited basis.

The adult-use dispensary for licensed cultivators of high-quality cannabis products will run from 1 to 7 p.m. every Tuesday through Saturday through Dec. 30. 

It provides local shoppers with the opportunity to purchase certified cannabis products, but the showcase opens the door for Empire Hemp to sell its THC products as well. Typically, the state doesn’t allow one company to be a grower, a processor and a retailer, VanDusen said, and this will allow his company to sell Empire Hemp products through Dank as the retailer set up within Empire Hemp shop. 

Starowitz said he was happy the long process of marijuana legalization has gotten to the point that there is now a locally owned and operated retail location in Batavia.

"I've smoked it since I was like 12 years old," Starowitz said. "I'm 35 years old now. I have always loved it. It's just always been that way. So now that it's legal 100 percent, I'm going to support it locally."

He purchased several different products as a kind of sampler.

"I feel like I just want to sample everything that they have here, at least as far as sativa and sativa hybrids, because then I'll figure out what I like, you know," Starowitz said. "I think that this is better than the stuff I'll ever get from the Res because a lot of their stuff is unregulated. It's not lab-tested. At least this here is legit and lab-tested."

Why sativa?
"Because with indica, I feel like I get too lazy, and I really don't want to do too much," Starowitz said. "Whereas with sativa, I'm always active and going around and doing things. "I'm a vegetable farmer, so sativa is for me as the way to go. This way, I don't get lazy."

Previously: Making history: first-time legal cannabis sales begin Tuesday at Empire Hemp in Batavia

empire hemp first legal weed purchase
Empire Hemp's Chris VanDusen opens the door to his shop at 1 p.m. for the first time with a legal pot dispensary.
Photo by Howard Owens.
empire hemp first legal weed purchase
The first potential customers for the new legal marijuana dispensary in Batavia enter the store."
Photo by Howard Owens.
empire hemp first legal weed purchase
Photo by Howard Owens.
empire hemp first legal weed purchase
Photo by Howard Owens.

Batavia native Mike Sputore hired as Blue Devils' varsity baseball coach

By Mike Pettinella
Mike Sputore

Mike Sputore fell in love with the game of baseball when he was a young boy growing up on the southside of Batavia.

He excelled at the sport, starting as a member of the Ramblers, who were coached by his father, Paul, in the Batavia Minor League on the diamond at the corner of State and Denio Streets and continuing through two seasons as a pitcher and third baseman for the Genesee Community College Cougars.

Sputore’s baseball career didn’t end then, however. In a sense, it was just beginning. For the past 20 years, he has been a coach at various levels – including the past two years as the varsity head coach at Pembroke Central School.

This summer, when he heard that James Patric was stepping away from the job after two years at the helm, Sputore submitted his resume to Mike Bromley, director of Health, Physical Education and Athletics for the Batavia City School District.

“In 2022, James had reached out to me about coaching the jayvee team at Batavia, but I was committed to Pembroke at that time,” said Sputore during an interview with The Batavian on Monday at Mancuso Bowling Center, where he is employed as the general manager. “When the position did come available, I applied and was interviewed by Mike and (physical education staff members) Brennan Briggs and Nick Burk.”

Apparently, Sputore, a 1999 BHS graduate, aced the interview and was offered the job.

“We had several applicants and Mike came through as the leading candidate,” Bromley said. “He had some great experiences as a coach at Notre Dame and the last couple years at Pembroke as the varsity coach. We know that he has a love for Batavia baseball, with his family deeply involved in baseball here for a long time.

“We think that he has some of the attributes that it would take to be the next varsity coach here in Batavia – a good work ethic, great with kids and loves baseball. Just a good fit.”

Sputore credits his dad, who was president of Batavia Minor League for many years, for introducing him to the sport.

“He was a big influence when I was young and now, I’m enjoying it more and more the older I get,” Sputore said. “It’s very satisfying to help others in reaching their goals.”

After progressing through the summer youth baseball programs in the city – Minor, Little and Junior-Senior leagues, Sputore was a three-year starter at Batavia High under coaches Pep Johnson and Rick Saunders – claiming a Section 5 title in 1998 and earning Monroe County Honorable Mention status as a pitcher and third baseman.

Interestingly, Sputore’s brother, Chris, also won a Section 5 championship as a Blue Devil in 1994.

Mike Sputore played American Legion ball, before enrolling at GCC. It was there that he started his coaching career, serving as an assistant in 2003.

From there, he joined the Notre Dame High baseball program, recruited by varsity coach Rick Mancuso to run the jayvee program. In 2006, he became the varsity assistant coach under Mike Rapone and stayed in that capacity for 11 more years.

From 2018 until last season, Sputore coached at Pembroke – helping to build its program while coaching at the modified and varsity levels.

“We were very young (at Pembroke), but we made progress,” Sputore said, noting that the team won five games over the past two seasons after not winning any the previous couple years. “Going to Batavia, I feel the program has been set up for success, thanks to James, and we hope to continue the tradition built by Pep and Rick.”

Sputore said his expectations for his players start with two words – hustle and effort.

“It takes zero talent to hustle and give your best effort at all times,” he said. “We’re looking for kids to be coachable and to be motivated to succeed.”

He said he hopes to get his players on the field for some practice in October and is planning some “winter workouts” with the drop-down batting cage at the high school’s auxiliary gym. He also is excited about the “Meet the Coach Night” on Sept. 12 at the high school for all of the program’s players and parents.

Ryan Mansell, a five-year ballplayer at Brockport State, has accepted a health teacher position at BCSD and has been hired as the baseball program assistant. Other coaches are Derrick Busch (junior varsity), Greg Mruczek (modified A) and Rich Wagner (modified B).

Sputore has a son, Benjamin, a senior at BHS, and a daughter, Brooklyn, an eighth grader at Oakfield-Alabama Central School. His wife, Jillion, is a teacher at John Kennedy Intermediate School.

Pavilion school board gets run down of busy summer for facilities team

By Howard B. Owens
rex-eighmey-pavilion-maintenance
Rex Eighmey, Pavilion Central Schools, director of facilities.
Photo by Howard Owens.

Rex Eighmey, the director of facilities for the Pavilion Central School District, gave the Board of Education on Monday a complete rundown of all the work his staff is performing during the summer months.

It's more than just keeping the lawns mowed and the floors buffed -- which board members praised as always extra shiny -- it's repairs and upgrades, among other items.

A few of the items he mentioned:

  • Clean all furniture, windows, floors, ceilings;
  • Perform maintenance on the HVAC system;
  • Unpack and assemble new furniture that comes in and place in the appropriate rooms;
  • Retrofit some of the high-pressure sodium lights outside with LEDs;
  • Clean and repair concession stands at sports fields;
  • Maintain and repair sports fields;
  • Repair baseball and softball dugouts;
  • Replace some whiteboards and blackboards in classrooms; and,
  • Replace condensation pumps in the cafeteria.

Among several other items that have kept work crews busy all summer.

Pavilion's new SRO welcomed to school district at Monday's board meeting

By Howard B. Owens
deputy trevor sherwood
Deputy Trevor Sherwood
Photo by Howard Owens

The Pavilion Central School District Board of Education members warmly welcomed Deputy Trevor Sherwood as the district's new School Resource Officer at their Monday evening meeting.

Sherwood's new position begins with the start of the school year, and he said he's excited to get going.

He said the job is a chance to have a positive impact on the lives of young people.

"I grew up here -- not necessarily in Pavilion, but in Batavia, just down the road," Sherwood told The Batavian after the meeting. "The biggest thing is I have a younger brother who is still in high school. I think I can be a positive role model."

A former star athlete in basketball and baseball at Batavia High School, Sherwood said one of the aspects of the job he's looking forward to is supporting the Golden Gophers in their athletic programs.  He's on board, he said, with Gopher Pride.

"I've always tried to be a positive role model, especially in sports," Sherwood said. "I've been out of touch with (sports) for years. I've coached previously, junior league baseball and stuff like that years ago, and I thought one of the biggest things is that it would be cool to be around sports again."

pavilion board of eduction sherwood
Front row, left: Rebecca Dziekan, Margaret Gaston, Callin Ayers-Tillotson, Marirose Ethington; back row, Christopher Jeffres, Kevin Stefan, Trevor Sherwood, and Jeff Finch.
Photo by Howard Owens

Former parochial school principal suspected of violating terms of plea agreement

By Howard B. Owens
Jason Clark

A former parochial school principal in Batavia who admitted to a course of sexual conduct with a child less than 11 years old is facing the possibility of having his interim probation revoked.

A hearing will be held in October to help Judge Melissa Lightcap Cianfrini determine if he's violated the terms of his probation by telling probation officers that, contrary to his guilty plea, he has never been sexually attracted to children.

When Jason Clark, who was principal at St. Paul Lutheran School, entered his plea, District Attorney Kevin Finnell said Clark made a factual admission, by definition of his guilty plea, that he had sexual contact with a child to satisfy his sexual desires.

Clark's statement to a probation officer during his pre-sentence investigation interview, according to Finnell, is that Clark isn't and never was sexually attracted to children, and that statement, Finnell asserts, is inconsistent with his sworn admission in court. 

That constitutes a violation of the warnings Clark was given by Cianfrini at the time of his guilty plea.

In June, Clark entered a guilty plea to sexual conduct against a child in the second degree, Class D felony.  Under the terms of the plea, Clark agreed to surrender his teaching license and was placed on interim supervision by the Probation Department for one year.

If he successfully completes interim probation, Clark can change his plea to endangering the welfare of a child, which is a misdemeanor. 

As part of his plea, Clark made a factual admission that he touched the chest of a female child two or more times over a period of time not less than three months in duration.

Cianfrini ordered a hearing, which will likely include testimony from the probation officer, for 10:30 a.m. on Oct. 17. 

Clark was named principal at St. Paul in June 2019 and served in that position until sometime in 2022. He was arrested in January.

Making history: first-time legal cannabis sales begin Tuesday at Empire Hemp in Batavia

By Joanne Beck
Chris Vandusen, CEO of Empire Hemp, behind the
Chris VanDusen, CEO of Empire Hemp, behind the cannabis sales counter at his company's retail shop on East Main Street. On Tuesday at 1 p.m., the empty shelves in the cannabis room will be filled with legal weed products from various vendors selling marijuana legally in Batavia for the first time.
Photo by Howard Owens.

A line down the sidewalk.

That’s all anybody could hope for, and Empire Hemp founder Chris VanDusen and his eight suppliers — cannabis cultivators and processors bringing in product for the 204 E. Main St., Batavia Empire Hemp store beginning at 1 p.m. Tuesday — will happily and hopefully be watching the street side form with customers.

“For us, it's a huge thing for us. People always ask -- they want our THC products, and we haven't been able to sell to them because we're not allowed to. So to be able to have this opportunity is really great,” VanDusen said during a busy Monday of preparing for opening day of the Cannabis Growers Showcase. “So we have a range of products, flower products, prerolls, you know, a lot of whole flower from … all the other vendors are cultivators. So it's all their stuff. We're hoping that we have a line down the sidewalk is what we're really hoping for. We're just just hoping for a really big turnout. We just found out last week we got approved to do it, so you know we've been scrambling to get everything out there.”

Greenside Cannabis, in partnership with Dank, Buffalo’s first licensed adult-use dispensary, and Empire Hemp Co., is hosting the WNY Cannabis Growers Showcase, a pop-up adult-use dispensary for licensed cultivators of high-quality cannabis products, which will run from 1 to 7 p.m. every Tuesday through Saturday through Dec. 30. 

Not only will it provide local shoppers with opportunity to purchase certified cannabis products, but the showcase opens the door for Empire Hemp to sell its THC products as well. Typically, the industry doesn’t allow for one company to be grower, processor and retailer, VanDusen said, and this will allow his company to sell his products through Dank as the retailer set up within Empire Hemp. 

He’s got three flavors of THC gummies and three flavors of vape cartridges, plus more being developed in the lab to be launched soon, he said. Other participating cultivators and processors include Greenside Cannabis, Tarot Tokes, Flwr City, and House of Sacci, vendors “all the way from Jamestown to Niagara Falls to Rochester and everywhere in between,” he said, with a range of flower, edibles and vape products.

All participants are licensed by the state Office of Cannabis Management and are therefore authorized to sell directly to consumers. Would he have liked a larger window of more hours and days? Yes, of course, VanDusen said, but the OCM worked this out and adjusted the schedule to make it six hours a day for five days a week, “and we said, ‘no problem, that works,’” he said.

“But to be able to sell, so what it's gonna be is, we're partnered with Dank as the dispensary (from Buffalo), and they have set up their cash registers within our store. So they’re like a dispensary within our CBD store,” he said. “I think what it's going to be is, right now, they're looking at is like after January 1, there won't be any more, but if they don't get enough dispensaries opened by that time, I think they will extend it because it's the only way small brands can survive.”

Dank has been operating at 501 Main St., Buffalo, for six weeks and has been doing “excellent, way better than we thought we’d do,” owner Aaron Vancamp said. Not that he didn’t see the big influx at the start, but then expected traffic to ease up a bit after that, Vancamp said, and that’s not what’s happened.

“But it's actually increased and been increasing a little after that. So it's been really good,” he said. “We've become more efficient, though. So like, we're getting the customers, we still have the line. But then it's just like the rest, learning the payment processing and things like that to just get the customers out quicker.”

So they’ll be bringing those lessons to Batavia for some brisk sales in what VanDusen said will be a two-part process of checking IDs at one station and then cashing people out at the second one. Overall, Vancamp believes this showcase might just be a lifesaver for those in the cannabis business.

“It could be something that possibly saves the industry. It’s in dire straits, with the amount of stores that are open and the fresh crop coming in, people really need outlets to take care of that fresh crop if we could get a lot of these open and places like Batavia, where there’s like a good solid population, and Batavia’s been very welcoming of us, it wasn’t really tough, they were very glad to have us, and double the amount of revenue that we’re going to generate for them,” he said. “So basically, we think this could be something that saves you on the street for the time being until they can get more stores open and get things organized on the retail side.”

What are the benefits of these pop-ups? Convenience, established hours and locations for point-of-sale, and a coded product that a consumer can check to get the breakdown of how many milligrams it contains of THC or CBD, he said. 

“That’s especially helpful in dealing with the vapes or the edibles because you can actually break down your dosage and figure out what exactly you need,” Vancamp said. “In the other market, you don’t know what you’re getting. Sometimes it could be better. Sometimes it could be worse. Sometimes it could be something horrible. They’re dealing with old products or something like that. And you’re just better off with a more safe route here.”

How can customers trust the product? It’s all been lab tested, and each product has a certificate of analysis (COA) to prove that every one of them has been tested and is safe to consume, VanDusen said.

empire hemp cannabis
Cannabis products from Empire Hemp.

Top Items on Batavia's List

Tourism Marketing Assistant Position The Genesee County Chamber of Commerce, serving as the official tourism promotion agency for Genesee County, NY is seeking an experienced marketing professional to assist in the overall Chamber tourism and marketing initiatives for Genesee County. https://visitgeneseeny.com/about/join-our-team
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Town of Batavia Court Department is seeking a part time as needed Court Officer. Court Officers are responsible for maintaining order in the court room and court facility during proceedings. Please send resume to Town of Batavia, Attention Hiedi Librock, 3833 West Main Street Road, Batavia, NY 14020. Complete job description is available on the Town web site or at the Town Hall Application deadline is April 15, 2024.
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