downtown

Press release:

United Memorial Hospital will host a free Health Fair from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 20 at Cary Hall, 211 E. Main St., Batavia. The fair has been planned to coincide with the City of Batavia’s “Summer in the City” event.

Rochester radio’s WBEE 92.5 FM will host a live remote with personality Steve Hausmann from the Bee’s Morning Coffee Club from 2 to 4 p.m. They will host live on-air interviews, play games, and give away prizes.

The Health Fair will feature free screenings provided by United Memorial’s Healthy Living Department for total cholesterol, blood pressure, body fat analysis, and blood glucose. (Please fast for two hours prior to the blood glucose test for accurate results.) Dr. William Guthinger will provide free prostate health checks for men.

United Memorial’s Infection Prevention Department will provide information, appropriate hand-hygiene education, and demonstrate the detection of organic material using ATP (Adenosine Triphosphate) on surfaces.

Complimentary hot dogs and beverages will be also be available.

Under the tent, several community partners will offer information, free giveaways and games. Participants include the YMCA, YWCA, Genesee County Department of Health, HCR Home Care, Cancer Services Partnership of Genesee and Orleans Counties, UMMC’s Summit Physical and Occupational Therapy, Community Action Center of Genesee and Orleans, UMMC’s Maternity Department and lactation consultant, Catholic Charities, Independent Living of Genesee Region, the Veterans War Memorial Committee, UMMC Foundation, Fidelis, Brighton Securities, Planned Parenthood, the NYS Department of Public Service, Genesee County ARC, Procair/UMMC Sleep Lab, and Dr. Jeffery A. Goldstein.

At least five people showed up to Present Tense Books on Thursday as a result of the Genesee Cash Mob effort organized by Chris Charvella.

There may have been more customers come in because of the novel effort to promote local businesses, said owner Erica Caldwell, but only five people said specifically that they came in because of the "cash mob."

"I know some of them hadn't been in the store before and I think it's fantastic if it gets people to visit a store they hadn't been in before," Caldwell said.

It's hard to say, said Caldwell, if the business day was bigger than normal.

"There is no normal," she said. "Business fluctuates so much day to day, there is no baseline to compare it to."

But that's almost beside the point, Caldwell indicated.

The key of the Genesee Cash Mob idea is to promote the idea of shopping locally at independently owned businesses, which Caldwell fully supports.

"It was definitely worth it," Caldwell said.

And she figures being the first cash mob effort, the participation will only grow. She didn't have high expectations for a big return, being the business selected for the first week.

"It was wonderful being the first business selected," Caldwell said. "I'm very proud of that because it means we must be doing something right."

The following streets in Downtown Batavia will be closed from 8 a.m. until 11:30 p.m. on Saturday: 

Bank at Washington
Main at Upton Monument
Main at Liberty / Summit
Jackson at Ellicott
Center at School
Court at Ellicott
Jefferson at intersection of Tonawanda Valley FCU and Wendy’s parking lots
Wendy’s - Main Street entrance

For the Don Carroll 5K,  barricades set up at:

Post Office / Police Station parking lot at Jefferson (3 p.m.)
Jefferson and Washington Avenue (at noon)
West side of Jefferson along Austin Park - cones at 8 a.m.

Main Stage: Will be located in front of Wendy’s / County Building #1 on Main Street facing east. Entertainment: begins at 2 and ends at 10 p.m.
Featured: Terry Buchwald “Elvis”, Ghost Riders and Shama Lama

Vendors: Crafters and nonprofits will be located on Main Street. Food and commercial vendors will be on the northside of Main Street from in front of Larry’s Steakhouse west to corner of Main and Jefferson. KidsZone will be in front of City Hall in the parking lot. Commercial and nonprofits will be on south side of Main Street from Jackson Street west to Court Street.

Super Cruise: Vehicles will be on both sides of Main Street from Jackson Street east to Liberty / Summit. Overflow of vehicles will be parked on Jackson, School  Center and Bank Streets.

A hand-painted sign on the back of Main St. Pizza Company on East Main Street, Batavia, has the local zoning board's blessing, according to shop owner Vic Marchese.

He said that the zoning board approved a variance for the sign on Tuesday, even though the county planning board had recommended disapproval.

The sign was painted by local muralist Vinny DelPlato earlier this summer. It was only after Delplato completed the work did Marchese learn the painting, considered a sign, not art work, needed city approval.

Rancho Viejo, Batavia's new Mexican restaurant, opened at 11 o'clock today.

Owner Leon Ramirez, right, said he decided to open a restaurant in Batavia because it seemed like a good market and there was no Mexican restaurant in Batavia.

Ramirez completely remodeled the former Ponderosa location on Ellicott Street.

This is Ramirez's fifth location. He also owns Mexican restaurants in Mt. Morris (his home), Cornell, Waterloo and Fairport.

"I invite everybody down to give us a try," Ramirez said. "I promise them very real Mexican food."

Pictured with Ramirez is Jonathan Martinez.

This is video sent to us by Ken Mistler of his own motorcycle burning last night on East Main Street, Batavia.  We initially reported the fire last night.

Downtown Batavia can support a supermarket and a group of businessmen who have done the marketing research to prove it have entered into a lease agreement to open a Save-A-Lot in the former Latina's location on Ellicott Street.

The new store will be 18,000 square feet.

"These guys have really got their heads straight," said Vito Gautieri, the building's owner. "We were looking at another chain, but this one looked like the best deal. I think it will be really good for Downtown Batavia."

The Gautieri's own Washington Towers and Vito said the family recognized the need to bring a supermarket downtown, both for the sake of tenants at Washington Towers and also 400 Towers.

"We really need a supermarket downtown," Gautieri said.

In fact, said Gautieri, the family decided to pass on an offer from a discount retail chain that would have filled all 40,000 square feet of the building because the need seems so great to bring a supermarket to the space.

The ownership group, operating locally as Batavia Food, Inc., has three other Save-A-Lot locations. The other stores are in Wheatland, Salamanca and Bradford, Pa.

Save-a-Lots operates as a kind of co-op of locally licensed stores. The new owners of the planned Batavia store have no affiliation with the owners of the Le Roy Save-A-Lot.

Gautieri said the owners of the Le Roy store were given first crack at the Batavia location, but for some reason a deal couldn't be put together.

Now Gautieri and his son, Vic, need to work on getting a tenant for the remaining 22,000 square feet on the first floor. He said they already have a couple of solid leads on possible tenants.

Gautieri is still working on ideas about what to do with the second floor. The space is currently 15,000 square feet, but because the building was constructed to support warehouse space on the second floor, the second floor roof could be raised and the area expanded to 25,000 square feet.

If Gautieri decides to expand the second floor, the space would either become premium office space or residential apartments.

Even though there are some finishing touches left yet for the new patio at South Beach, the grill is open. Chef Arvin Ortiz opened the grill today with an offering of hamburgers, hot dogs and pulled pork. Throughout the remainder of the summer, the grill will be opened for lunch and dinner this weekend and, for now, lunch during the week. At times the menu will include ribs, chicken and other grilled dishes. Menu service from the main kitchen is also available on the patio. This afternoon, starting at 4, there will be live music on the patio, and the Ghost Riders play starting at 8 p.m., Saturday.

It wasn't the Beatles, but an area band known as Monkey in a Bottle, put on a good grove atop the roof of Glass Roots on Friday evening.

The band started playing shortly after the end of the Jackson Square concert, with Glass Roots providing some refreshments to guests and a parking lot cleared of cars, giving plenty of room to enjoy the music.

A sunflower has popped up among the lillies at Jackson and Main streets, Downtown Batavia.

After an evening at the Genesee County Fair -- yes, I finally made it, in the last hours of the last day -- I stopped by Center Street Smokehouse for some ribs and a drink. A band called The Feast was rocking the house, so I had to take a picture.

The concrete has been poured for the new South Beach patio and owner Ken Mistler said the patio will be open for business in two weeks "at tops."

After the concrete was poured and hardened a bit, it needed to be watered for several hours to help it dry slower and set harder.

Below, pictures submitted by Mistler of the work in progress.

First goal after leaving the court house around noon -- getting a pulled pork sandwich from Alston's at the Downtown Public Market. Second goal, photos at the market.

Both goals accomplished.

And I also learned that Alston's now participates in the Genesee Country Farmers Market at Batavia Downs. That market is open on Tuesdays and Fridays, but Alston's is only there on Fridays.

The downtown market appears to be doing very well this year. There was certainly a great selection New York fruits and vegetables to "heart."

Here's some pictures from the 2011 Batavia Ramble Music and Arts Fest held in downtown Batavia yesterday.

More pictures after the jump:

Kelly Kubala from Go Art! opened the 2011 Ramble Music and Arts Fest in Downtown Batavia shortly after 11 this morning.

The Ghost Riders followed and more musical acts will be performing throughout the day, plus there's food, crafts and arts.

Parking is available off School, Jackson and Center streets.

The event goes until 9 p.m.

UPDATE: Video shot by Steve Ognibene:

The summer concert series in Jackson Square, Downtown Batavia, sponsored by the Business Improvement District, kicked off this evening with a show by 78 RPM.

Valle Jewelers is celebrating its 60th year in business today with sales, prize drawings and refreshments. There was a good number of people in the store this morning when we stopped by.

Previously: Three generations and 60 years later, Valle family business still sparkles

It's always fun to take pictures of musicians playing live and so with Kay McMahon, Jim Catino and Bill MacDonald laying down some countrified grooves on the patio of Larry's Steakhouse this evening, I thought I should stop by.

The trio plays an acoustic set at Larry's each Thursday through the summer.

And Bill wanted me to remind everybody that the Ramble Music and Arts Fest is coming. Mark your calendars for July 2.

Crews have been working yesterday and today to remove the concrete and plants that once made a little park between the HSBC building and South Beach Restaurant.

South Beach owner Ken Mistler acquired the strip of land from the city in order to create a BBQ pit and outdoor dining area for his restaurant.  

The new space will also contain a greenway with a walking path and bricks inlayed as a fundraiser for the Kiwanis Club (the park was formerly known as Kiwanis Park).