Press release from Batavia Players:

Our community suffered a tremendous loss this past Sunday as Wendy Williams, local business owner, teacher and humanitarian took her last breaths at Crossroads House comfort care home in Batavia.

Wendy was a 1985 graduate of Hilton Central School and continued her education to earn her Bachelor's degree from Oberlin College Conservatory.

A well-known actor and performer, Wendy shared her many talents on stage in venues throughout Eastern Ohio and Upstate New York. She was a long-serving member of our own Batavia Players/Main St. 56 Theater, performing regularly for over a decade in various plays and musicals including Into the Woods, Mary Stuart, Come Back to the 5 & Dime, Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean, Lile Women, The Merry Wives of Windsor, Cabaret, Mamma Mia, August, Osage County and countless more.

In addition to her various acting credits, she served as a member of the Board of Directors and was the Director of the Education at the theater, spearheading programs such Liberty Camp, which focused on keeping young people at risk interested in their education, TOAST Pre-K to first-grade introduction to the theater and the Summer Theater Camp.

Wendy also tirelessly fundraised for the theater and was a major deciding component of the new downtown Main St. 56 Theater Project.

Her illness did not stop these efforts and she continued to do everything she could to ensure that this project would come to fruition.

Wendy was also a solid supporter of the Main St. 56 Dance Company, where her daughter Avelyn was a student.

Williams was a patron of the musical arts in every possible way. Many may remember Wendy from her annual Christmas Caroling events. She funded theater classes and vocal competition fees for friends, acquaintances, and students to ensure that all could receive equal access to these programs.

As a former band director at St. Joseph’s Regional School, a school that had previously been without a band program, she campaigned, collected, and purchased instruments to distribute to her students who would have otherwise been unable to participate.

Wendy’s true genius as a facilitator of musical expression came from her teaching.

As a licensed Kindermusik educator for more than 20 years, Williams was passionate about the formative role of musical play in child development. With a degree in both Music Therapy and Vocal Performance, she was well equipped to provide instruction in both the technical aspects of music as well as the psychosocial role it plays as a tool for self-expression and therapeutic relief. The students of Sound Foundations, her rapidly growing voice studio, ranged from pre-k to adulthood.

An adjudicator for the National Association of Teachers of Singing, Wendy was adept at bringing out the very best in each of her students and many took part in companions at the national and international level, performing in Chicago, Washington DC, and Carnegie Hall in New York City.

Despite these many contributions, Wendy may be most well known for her human kindness. There was never a soul in need that Wendy Williams did not rally to. Every year, new and like-new winter coats would be purchased and collected by Williams and her mother Barbara Kerns to be distributed to those in need. Groceries were purchased for the ill, disadvantaged, or grieving.

On so many occasions, Wendy would fill her home with food, clothing, or toys to provide for individuals who had suffered a house fire, unemployment, or simply the challenges of life.

Wendy loved to bake and was involved in quite a few baking exchanges in the community.

The Williams house was always open to any looking for a roof over their head or a home-cooked meal.

A strong advocate for LGBTQ rights, Wendy was a mother to all and welcomed many estranged young adults into her inclusive family. When the idea of a PRIDE celebration came up in Batavia and Genesee County, Wendy made sure that it was promoted and worked to ensure that our local theater and Dance Academy were a part of the PRIDE events. She was truly an icon of love and compassion, and she will be sorely missed.

Wendy is survived by her mother, Barbara (Williams) Kerns, husband, Sean Williams; children, Collin Jones, Brannon (Emily) Jones, Charlie (Sara) Williams, Owen Jones, John Williams, and Avelynn Williams; a sister, Shayna (Bre) Klassen and her sister of the heart, Sara Brunner. Family and friends may call on Thursday from 4:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. at the H.E. Turner & Co. Funeral Home, 403 East Main Street in Batavia. There will be no funeral service and Wendy will be laid to rest in Hillside Cemetery in Holley. 

Oakfield-Alabama was able to hold off Notre Dame in an 8-7 battle to win the Class C Section V title in baseball on Tuesday.

Bodie Hyde was 2-3 with a walk and two runs scored for the Hornets. David Schnaufer knocked in three runs on one hit and Brayden Smith scored twice while collecting one hit and one walk.

For Notre Dame, Bryceton Berry was 3-3 with three RBIs and a run scored. Gavin Schrader had two hits and scored three times. Cody Henry was 2-3 with two RBIs. 

Photos by Kristin Smith.  For more photos, click here.

GO ART! tipped a hat in recognition of the late Lance Anderson’s contributions to the theater arts world with a Lifetime Achievement Award.

The Batavia-based nonprofit honored Anderson during its annual Genean Awards dinner this past weekend.

Anderson, an avid theater buff and longtime member, board member and president of the Lake Plains Players, died in April 2021 due to complications from a stroke. 

He was an active theater performer and director, and he helped to grow the Lake Plains Players and expand the group’s season. Anderson also helped the beginnings of a summer youth program to get going. Anderson expanded the Players’ productions in the summer to include recitals and a children’s theater camp.

Anderson grew up in Orleans County and caught the theater bug in the early 1980s.  He attended Fredonia State College to study voice and became a private vocal teacher while remaining entrenched in the local community theater group Lake Plains Players. 

He was a regularly sought out clinician for master classes and workshops, and he also worked with several other theater groups in the area. 

“Lance instilled a love of theater and singing into so many people and has left a legacy that will carry on, hopefully for generations to come,” said Vocal Music and Arts Teacher Jennifer Neroni-Trupo.

Top photo: The late Lance Anderson doing what he loved during a scene as Charlie Brown. Submitted photos.

The Batavia Blue Devils played last evening against the #1 seed in Class B1 Palmayra Macedeon but came up short 6-1 at the end. 

Batavia jumped to an early 1-0 lead off a solo homerun by Cole Grazioplene in the first inning.  Pal-Mac scored two runs in the same inning and jumped out to a bigger lead after the third.

Batavia had difficulty hitting versus the Red Raiders top pitcher but stood strong effort the entire game.

The photo above is Batavia senior Vincent Grazioplene looking on the final out of his high school career.

Photos by Steve Ognibene

To view or purchase prints, click here.

Photo submitted by Chris Crocker.

GO ART! staff presented the annual Genean Awards on Saturday night while also celebrating the nonprofit's 60th birthday.

Submitted photos. Top photo, Carol Hertel was honored as the 2021 Volunteer of the Year.

Jennifer Neroni-Truppo, past GO ART! board member and current board member for Lake Plains Players, was named Artist of the Year. 

Matthew Gray, co-owner of Eli Fish Brewing Company, accepted the award on behalf of his company as Supporter of the Year.

The Organization of the Year was GLOW YMCA.  Accepting the award was Executive Director Greg Reed.

Dispatchers have received multiple calls regarding an automobile accident in the area of 211 West Main St., Batavia.

Unknown injuries.

At least one caller reported a possible ejection.

City Fire and Mercy EMS responding.

UPDATE 10:17 p.m.: No one was ejected. There was one driver in each vehicle and they were each in their vehicles when police arrived on scene. One occupant is being transferred to United Memorial Medical Center for evaluation, and the other driver is being evaluated on scene. One vehicle was traveling southbound and the other vehicle was eastbound, and the vehicle on West Main Street allegedly was speeding, according to a witness, and ran a red light. That vehicle was T-boned by the other vehicle traveling on Oak Street. 

Jonathan P. “Bless”  Little, 32, of Batavia, is charged with criminal possession of a controlled substance 3rd, criminal possession of a controlled substance 4th, resisting arrest, and criminal impersonation 2nd. During a traffic stop in the City of Batavia on May 12, officers determined that the passenger of the vehicle was proving a false name. Batavia patrol officers identified the passenger as Little and that Little had several Genesee County warrants.  During a search, Little was allegedly found in personal possession of several bags of cocaine. Little was booked into the Genesee County Jail pending arraignment. Batavia PD was assisted by the Local Drug Task Force.

Carl T. Amesbury, 29, of School Street, Batavia, is charged with criminal sale of a controlled substance 3rd and criminal possession of a controlled substance 3rd. Amesbury was arrested by Batavia PD while dealing with an unrelated matter on a warrant stemming from a sealed indictment. It's alleged that Amesbury sold crack cocaine to an agent of the Local Drug Task Force. Amesbury was arraigned and released under supervision.

Richard Alan Steen, 53, of Lake Street, Le Roy, is charged with criminal possession of a weapon 2nd, criminal mischief 2nd, and menacing 2nd. Steen was arrested by deputies Morgan Ewert and Ryan Young after they responded to a call of a disturbance at 8:54 p.m., May 27, at a residence on Cole Road, Le Roy. Steen allegedly displayed a long gun in a threatening manner and allegedly shot a camper causing damage to it. He was arraigned in Town of Le Roy Court and released.

Tammy O'Shea, 50, of Stafford, is charged with grand larceny 3rd and filing a false instrument 1st. O'Shea is accused of marrying in 2019 and failing to report her husband or his income to Social Services. She allegedly received $5,265 in SNAP benefits she was not qualified to receive. O'Shea was arraigned in Town of Batavia Court and released on her own recognizance.

Angela Mueller, 49, of Corfu, is charged with grand larceny 3rd, grand larceny 4th and filing a false instrument 1st. Muller allegedly failed to report income and as a result, received $1,454 in SNAP benefits she should not have received.  She was issued an appearance ticket.

Chandah Sundown, 30, of Batavia, is charged with 11 counts of filing a false instrument 1st and one count of grand larceny 3rd. Sundown is accused of failing to report that the father of her children was residing in her residence and earning income. As a result, Sundown allegedly received $8,353 in SNAP benefits she should not have received. She was arraigned in Town of Batavia Court and released on her own recognizance. 

Megan Courtney, 26, of Batavia is charged with grand larceny and three counts of filing a false instrument. Courtney is accused of failing to report that the father of her children was residing in her home and earning income. As a result, Courtney allegedly received $6,830 in SNAP benefits she was not eligible to receive.

Matthew Edward Schultz, 32, of Park Avenue, Lockport, is charged with DWI, driving with a BAC of .18 or greater, speeding, and uninspected motor vehicle. Schultz was stopped at 12:23 a.m., May 29, on Lewiston Road,  Batavia, by Sgt. Mathew Clor.

Jacquelyn Mary Siverling, 41, of South Main Street Road, Batavia, is charged with DWI, driving with a BAC of .08 or greater, speeding, improper signal, and moving from lane unsafely. Siverling was stopped at 7:47 p.m., May 20, on South Main Road, Pembroke, by Deputy Trevor Sherwood. 

Riann Ledford, 27, of West Main Street, Le Roy, is charged with harassment 2nd and criminal obstruction of breathing or blood circulation. Ledford was arrested by Officer Zachary Klafehn following the report of a dispute at 6 p.m., May 24, at a location on West Main Street, Le Roy.  Ledford was arraigned in Town of Le Roy Court for the purpose of issuing an order of protection and released on her own recognizance.

Thomas J. Wolcott, 38 of Batavia, is charged with criminal contempt 1st. Wolcott is accused of violating an order of protection. He was arraigned in City Court and ordered held on $10,000 bail.

John L. Smith, 47 of Batavia, is charged with Felony DWI, felony driving with a BAC of .18 or greater, and speeding. Smith was stopped by a Batavia patrol officer at 1:14 a.m., May 13, in the City of Batavia. He was released on appearance tickets.

Katrina M. Mana, 37, of Batavia, is charged with petit larceny. Mana was arrested by State Police on a complaint reported at 3:30 p.m., May 28, on the Town of Batavia. She was issued an appearance ticket. No further information released.

As a June 1 deadline approaches, students anxiously wait for word of a license renewal for WGCC-FM.

The renewal  was filed amidst talk of ending the radio station that had circulated around the Genesee Community College campus, Student General Manager Cody Catlin said. Based in Batavia, the site has served up news and tunes since 1985.

“It was like a sigh of relief,” Catlin said to The Batavian Tuesday at the third-floor radio station.

The station’s license was to expire on Wednesday (June 1). The required paperwork was completed and submitted on March 31, however, officials had not received a decision by Friday (May 27), communications liaison Justin Johnston said. Submitting the renewal allows the radio station to continue operating, he said. As for whether the license will be renewed, he couldn’t say for sure.

According to the Federal Communications Commission website, WGCC-FM is in “pending” status for renewal of license, and neither General Manager Steve Petty or Johnston had any definite knowledge of its status as of Tuesday, they said.

In the face of an unknown status, a post was made Monday to the station’s Facebook site inviting alumni for one more visit.

“As we are gearing up for tomorrow’s (May 31) “Show Must Go On” Alumni takeover, we would like to share some news with you all regarding what will happen after tomorrow’s event,” the post stated. “In recent conversations with college administration, WGCC will continue to broadcast on 90.7fm after June 1! The timetable to see how long will be determined after college administration weighs all of their options and with some assistance from a consultant, the paperwork was filed with the FCC to renew the current broadcast license. If the frequency does get sold at a later time, that would mean that the frequency has a current broadcast license attached to it.”

Alumni Jason Reese came to participate for a few sessions during the day.

“I had fun. I’m enjoying myself," Reese said. "I hope other folks can enjoy themselves here.”

The alumni visit had a purpose beyond bringing together radio aficionados for old times’ sake. WGCC 90.7 FM has been in limbo the last several months, going from its license potentially being sold to the latest news of a license renewal being completed and submitted to the FCC.

Class of 2013 grad Stephen Trinder originally came to GCC for paralegal studies. He switched to communications after joining the radio team.  When he heard the license may be sold, he was “kind of surprised.”

“This was a flagship crown jewel of the college,” he said. “It’s one of the most powerful radio stations owned by a college.”

Odessa Cramer, a 21-year-old radio club member, has been on the air a few times, but she mostly assists with other types of support, she said. A veterinarian technician major, her classroom is just down the hall from the station.

“This is a hidden treasure,” she said. “I didn’t know it existed.”

Reese has put his degree to good use by conducting his own social media show, he said. He credits at least some of that to his college education.

“Coming from a small town of Pavilion and going to Batavia, I’ve met a lot of people. I met Steve Petty here,” Reese said. “I’m glad I’m a communications and media arts major. I think WGCC was social media before that was even popular.”

He was “sort of shocked” to hear about the license possibly being sold, he said.

“It’s been on the air for 37 years, and was great for the community,” he said. “We had phone calls, fan mail, we got the message out to the public.”

Some of the types of events promoted by the radio station have included Law Day, Cougar Connections, pizza and music in the Student Union and providing audio and music during Business Creators Club.

The final decision to sell the station will be up to the college’s Board of Trustees.

Top photo: Members of the radio station talk business Tuesday, including Odessa Cramer, left, Cody Catlin, Jason Reese and Stephen Trinder, front. Jason Reese of Batavia takes a turn at the mic during an alumni event Tuesday at GCC's radio station; and General Manager Steve Petty and Student General Manager Cody Catlin show the station's emergency broadcast sytem. Photos by Joanne Beck

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Press release from the Automobile Association of America:

Today’s national average price for a gallon of gasoline is $4.62, up 2 cents from last Tuesday. One year ago, the price was $3.05. The New York State average is $4.93, no change since last week. A year ago, the NYS average was $3.08. AAA Western and Central New York (AAA WCNY) reports the following averages:

• Batavia - $4.83 (down 1 cent from last Tuesday)
• Buffalo - $4.83 (no change since last Tuesday)
• Elmira - $4.87 (up 2 cents from last Tuesday)
• Ithaca - $4.87 (up 1 cent from last Tuesday)
• Rochester - $4.89 (up 1 cent from last Tuesday)
• Rome - $4.89 (up 2 cents from last Tuesday)
• Syracuse - $4.86 (no change since last Tuesday)
• Watertown - $4.90 (up 1 cent from last Tuesday)

With Memorial Day in the review mirror, motorists are hoping for some relief at the pump. That will depend on oil prices, demand, and geopolitical factors. In a typical year, pump prices peak around Memorial Day and taper off over the summer though summer prices are almost always more expensive than winter prices due to increased demand and summer blend fuel that is more expensive to produce.

This morning, oil prices are over $118 per barrel, which is a significant increase over last week. If oil prices remain elevated, motorists will likely continue to feel pain at the pump.

Meanwhile, the national average for diesel fuel is at $5.52. One year ago the price was $3.19. In New York, the average price for diesel is $6.45. One year ago the price was $3.23.

From Gas Buddy:

“After several weeks of soaring gas prices, last week saw prices nationally slow down ahead of Memorial Day, but I'm afraid the good news ends there," said Patrick De Haan, head of petroleum analysis at GasBuddy. "While gasoline demand has been seasonally soft, the large decline in refining capacity over the last few years has meant that refiners are struggling to produce even lower amounts of refined products. This has lead inventories to struggle to see any gains, boosting concern that they won't be able to catch up. Coupled with continued talk that the EU is still working on sanctioning Russian oil, even though Hungary is a hold out, oil markets are quite on edge. As a result of the continued decline in gasoline inventories in recent weeks, wholesale gas prices surged last week, which will likely boost prices at the pump in short order. Motorists in the Great Lakes could see prices jump early in the week to new record highs, and the rest of the nation will follow. Odds are rising that we'll eventually see the national average reach that dreaded $5 per gallon."

Press release:

The Digies is an annual digital media conference and festival run by the School Library Service, a program of the Genesee Valley Educational Partnership. The mission of The Digies is to strengthen the digital media continuum between Pre-K-12 schools, higher education, and professional institutions. The Digies recognizes student potential in an annual festival format and draws student entries from throughout the region and the Upstate New York area.

The in-person awards ceremony was canceled and an awards recognition video was created and posted to YouTube.

Emilee Williamson and Andrea Fetterly, Library Technologies’ Specialists, coordinate this conference. Fetterly shared that this year’s festival drew a record number of entries. “Creativity is intelligence having fun,” Fetterly said. “We are excited to celebrate the amazing creativity and skill demonstrated by the participants in this year's Digies festival.”

Congratulations to these imaginative students! 

Audio

• Pre-K-3 1st Thomas Thering, Annalise Allen, Jade Rivera Rangel, Friendship Podcast, Geneseo CSD
• 7-9 1st Bennett Wallin, Lucy McGrain, Mitchell Baker, U.S, Citizenship: Our Rights, Our Responsibilities (Voting and Taxes), Avon CSD; 2nd Kristen Thompson, Blue Journey, Alexander CSD; 3rd
• Alexis Reamer, Amealia Kerr, Bridget Rehrberg, Olivia Wonsey, U.S. Citizenship: Our Rights, Our Responsibilities (Naturalization and Voting), Avon CSD
• 10-12 1st Gadge Savastano, Lefthandshake, Mount Morris CSD; 2nd Mina Stevens, What Was I Thinking, Pittsford CSD; 3rd Caroline Ruof, Minecraft Music Tech Project- Reason, Orchard Park CSD

Graphic Arts

• Pre-K - 3 1st Peter Boring, Double Exposure Self Portrait, Avon CSD; 2nd Cheyenne Claus, Double Exposure Photograph, Avon CSD; 3rd Caitlyn Lipome, Double Exposure Self Portrait, Avon CSD
• 4-6 1st Isabella Ehrman, Eye Art, Southwestern CSD; 2nd Tianna Norman, Creative Name Card, York CSD; 3rd Annalisa Krug, Pixel Parrot, Southwestern CSD
• 7-9 1st Fadwa Al Dulaimee, Two Faces, Rush-Henrietta CSD; 2nd Anna Holt, Nutella, Alexander CSD; 3rd Tori Jewell, Self Portrait, Rush-Henrietta CSD
• 10-12 1st Quinn Carletta, The Road to a Cleaner Future, Brockport CSD; 2nd Paige Conley, Sustained Investigation, York CSD; 3rd Cameron Anderson, Untitled, Brockport CSD

Interactive

• Pre-K - 3 1st Maylen Aguilar Gutierrez, All About Candy, Geneseo CSD 1st Karma Chidsey, Nora Church, John Ciulla, Cheyenne Claus, Scarlett Claus, Donovan DeCarlo, Casen Frey, Keaton Griffiths, Spencer Hayes, Preston Michael, Ezmae Pizarro, Ilah Rene, Wyatt Swafford, Kayden Taft, Noah Wheeler, African Animals, Avon CSD; 2nd Nolan Boyle, Ethan Chan, Cliff Clarry, Sophia Cowan, Carter Driscoll, Jesse Dumbleton, Mabel Freeman, Bobby Hoffmann, Cora Jackson, Theoren Kearse, Olivia Koncilja, Flynn McMahan, Khloe Price, Pierce Schmid, Brian Stanton, Willow Cruz-Schell, Ian Segovia, Habitats and the Animals That Live There, Avon CSD; 3rd Oliver Clark, Lucas Daniels, Damon Davin, Bianca Estabrooks, Jordan Fayiah, Jayda Fears, Ryker Greene, Olivia Jeffries, Emmalynn Johnson, Wesson Pedro, Adlin Schultheiss, Nora Sherman, Bradley Spencer, Caleb Webb, Lincoln Wheeler, Ariana Crawford, Habitats and the Animals Around the World, Avon CSD
• 4-6 1st Jack Spuhler, Inventor Room: Milton Hershey, Livonia CSD
• 1st Arianna Scalisi, Inventor Room; Milton Braille, Livonia CSD; 2nd
• Isabella Zygadlo, Inventor Room: Jacques Cousteau, Livonia CSD
• 7-9 1st Ben Knapp, Monke Homecoming, LeRoy CSD
• 10-12 1st Lillian Smith, Website, Rush-Henrietta CSD; 2nd Anastasia Fields, Website, Rush-Henrietta CSD 3rd Vicki Li, Website, Rush-Henrietta CSD

Video

• Pre-K - 3 1st QueenNira Bey, Nazir Bey, The Secret Room Virtual Tour, Monroe County Library System; 2nd Cameron Clark, Joey Backer III, Kaboom News, Avon CSD
• 4-6 1st Anna Shumaker, Charlotte Jaros, Brooke Kiley, Nomie and Niomi the Two Hungry Animals, Avon CSD; 2nd Mackenzie Rogers, The Lollipop, Southwestern CSD; 3rd
• Gavin Sterner, Stavros Kolokouris, Baylee Gilmore, Alien Abduction, Avon CSD
• 7-9 1st Gabby Agyingi, Asher Eden, The Plant Growing, Rush-Henrietta CSD; 2nd Zendage Zia, Greyson Phillips, Mason Stock, Change the Formality, Rush-Henrietta CSD; 2nd
• Ryan Zika, Double Crossed, Pembroke CSD; 3rd Ava Champion, Addison Colatoy, Brenna Krieger, Anna Leathersich, Out to Sea, Rush-Henrietta CSD; 3rd Halie Hassell, From a Future Congress Woman, LeRoy CSD
• 10-12 1st Andrei Campbell, Old World, GST BOCES- Wildwood Education Center; 2nd Mina Stevens, The Sea Girl Animation, Pittsford CSD; 3rd Jared Berger, The Diving Board, Pittsford CSD

Press release:

The Genesee County Economic Development Center (GCEDC) Board of Directors will consider O-AT-KA Milk Products LLC’s 3,200 sq. ft. facility expansion in the town of Batavia at its board meeting on Thursday, June 2, 2022.

The proposed $3.1 million investment will house two new 18,000-gallon tanks to increase the capacities of cream-based liquor beverages and future expansions. The project is proposing to create two new jobs at a leading employer in Genesee County’s food and beverage manufacturing ecosystem.

O-AT-KA Milk Products has been a part of the Genesee County community since 1959. Some of their products include dairy-based beverages, evaporated milk, butter, milk powder, and other dairy products. 

“We are pleased to see O-AT-KA Milk Products’ continued growth and increasing capacity for value-added products,” said GCEDC President & CEO Steve Hyde. “The success of O-AT-KA Milk Products and our entire food and beverage cluster has produced outstanding benefits to our agricultural community and the nearly 1,000 workers employed in Batavia, the Dairy Hub of the Northeast.”

O-AT-KA Milk Products, LLC has requested approximately $208,109 in property, sales, and mortgage tax. The project is estimated to generate $3.5 million of local economic benefits over 10 years, equal to $27 dollars in economic activity for every $1 of public investment.

A public hearing for the initial application was held in the town of Batavia on May 23.

The June 2, 2022, GCEDC Board meeting will be held remotely at 4 p.m. A livestream and on-demand recording of the meeting also will be available at www.gcedc.com.

Press release:

Representatives from Batavia Downs Gaming & Hotel and the Ricky Palermo foundation today donated over 3,300 tickets to the Genesee County Veterans Service Agency for the upcoming concerts at Batavia Downs.

The first concert, featuring Bruce in the USA, the World’s #1 Tribute to Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band, will take place on Friday, June 10^th.  100% of the proceeds from ticket sales, chair rental and raffles that day will go to the Ricky Palmero Foundation for Spinal Cord Research.  The fifth Rockin’ the Downs concert series, presented by Pepsi, will start the following week on Friday, June 17^th.

“We are happy to extend these complimentary tickets to our local veterans, “said Henry Wojtaszek, President and CEO of Batavia Downs and a retired member of the US Navy.  “We thank all the men and women of the Armed Forces for all that they have done and continue to do for our great nation.”

“Our Ricky Palermo Foundation has worked with many veterans and veteran agencies throughout the years,” said Ricky Palermo, President and CEO of the Ricky Palermo Foundation.  “Just like Batavia Downs has done in years past, we too wanted to extend complimentary tickets to our concert for area Veterans to thank them for their service.”

“We are grateful to receive tickets for all 11 concerts, said William Joyce, Director of the Veterans Service Agency of Genesee County.  “Our area Veterans love going to the concerts and we are pleased to be able to extend this opportunity to them once again.”

Tickets can be purchased to all Batavia Downs Events including the Ricky Palmero Charity Concert at BataviaConcerts.com

About Batavia Downs/WROTB
Western Region Off-Track Betting Corporation is a public benefit corporation with headquarters in Batavia, NY. WROTB owns and operates 10 branches, as well as Batavia Downs Gaming, a standard bred racetrack and gaming facility. Since its inception, Western Region OTB has generated over $232 million in operating and surcharge revenues to the taxpayers of participating municipalities.

About The Ricky Palermo Foundation
When we first started our foundation, we started small, hosting a cut-a-thon and selling T-shirts that raised a total of five thousand dollars for The Miami Project. In 1996, with the help of my family and close friends, we started The Ricky Palermo Spinal Injury Golf Tournament. Our first year we set a goal to raise five thousand dollars. By the end of the day we had raised eleven thousand, exceeding our goal by over fifty percent. Fast forward to today, our tournament is one of the largest in Western New York with 200 plus golfers, raffles, fun, and even a helicopter golf ball drop. Our foundation has grown into more than just raising awareness and money. We have annual comedy shows, soccer, basketball and lacrosse clinics, and dinners with both live and silent auctions. In 25 years, we have donated $1.7 million to our community and to research at The Miami Project to Cure Paralysis.

About the Veterans Service Agency of Genesee County
The Veterans Service Agency of Genesee County Provides services for veterans and their families.   We assist with filing claims and obtaining psychological, employment, and financial counseling.  We also offer assistance in military review of discharges and in obtaining New York State benefits.  Services are free to veterans, spouses, widows, and children of veterans.

Top photo by Chris Crocker.  Bottom photo by Joanne Meiser.

As part of its Memorial Day observance, the Town of Byron honored Steve Vernaccini, a 99-year-old World War II veteran.  The Byron-Bergen High School band played the Star-Spangled Banner and Taps.

Photos and information submitted by Tamara Hillabush Walker.

Article and photos by Glenn Adams.

The Bethany Fire Department hosted a Memorial Day Celebration at the Genesee County Park Monday morning.

The service began at 7 a.m.

Veterans and their families gathered to reminisce and remember those who had fallen in the line of duty.

Coffee and doughnuts were provided by the fire department.

The featured speaker was Assemblyman Steve Hawley, who spoke about our country's stand against tyranny. He reminded us that freedom is not free: It is bought with a price.

A wreath was placed at the memorial, followed by the gun salute and the playing of taps.

Batavia residents display the Stars and Stripes year around for the most part but in honor of Memorial Day, here is a sampling of some of those displays.

Top photo: Chestnut Street.

Kibbe Avenue

Otis Street

Elm Street

Fisher park

Vine Street

Vine Street

Vine Street

Vine Street

North Street

North Street

UMMC

North Street