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Press Release:

The Board of Directors of the Michael Napoleone Memorial Foundation is excited to announce the opening of its Community Youth Grant for the Summer/Fall 2023 Cycle. This grant will be awarded to charitable organizations whose primary mission is to facilitate youth activities for children up to age 18. 

It supports one of three mission priorities established by the foundation: "to assist youth organizations and youth athletics.” The Michael Napoleone Memorial Foundation Community Youth Grants will be awarded based on the schedule below.

Summer/Fall 2023 Funding Cycle:

Application form available on August 1 (ONLINE ONLY)

Applications are due: August 22

Award notices will be sent to applicants: September 25

On August 1, the online grant application will be available at: https://michaelshope.org/grants. There are no geographic limitations for recipients, but preference may be given to the Western New York region. Requests for event or program advertising will be directed to the appropriate grant cycle. Organizations may receive one grant annually and there are two grant cycles per year (Winter and Summer/Fall). Typical grant awards range from $250 - $1,500, depending on the number of applicants and funds available for each cycle. 

For more information to support the foundation, please visit  www.michaelshope.org.

Press Release:

All through traffic will be closed on Thursday along Richmond Avenue between Union Street and Vernon Avenue in the City of Batavia. This closure is to mill and resurface damaged pavement, and the closure will extend into the late afternoon of Friday.

All motorists that regularly use these streets are asked to seek alternative routes while the closures are in place.  Businesses and residents within the area of the closure should anticipate delays.

This work is weather dependent and subject to rescheduling if it rains.

Musicians in a tribute band take on a special challenge. Fans are going to want to hear the hit songs just like they've heard them on the record, and they've listened to their favorite songs enough to know every nuance.

You can't flub your lines or miss a chord change, and you better get the harmonies right.

"That is the curse of the tribute band -- everybody knows those songs, and if you're not doing them right, they know it," said Bob Brummitt, leader and bass player with The Eaglez, an Eagles tribute band. "In a bar band, you can get away with it. You're a cover band, and everybody knows it and accepts it, but being in a tribute band forces us to be at the top of our game."

The Eaglez will perform at the Genesee County Fair on Thursday, July 27. Show time is 7 p.m.

The Eagles are a tough act to mimic, Brummitt acknowledged.  Many of the songs are deceptively simple, suitable for a campfire sing-along, but the arrangements can be more complex, especially with studio overdubs, something players can't easily recreate live.

"To tell the truth, we play these songs all the time and have been listening to them our whole lives, but sometimes we'll be like, 'what is that chord change?' even though we've heard it a million times, and so we're like, 'now we know why it sounds the way it does.'"

For more on the 2023 fair, see also: Genesee County Fair keeps growing, expands to eight days July 22-29

The Eaglez formed about 2 1/2 years ago, a child of the COVID-19 pandemic.

"We're all veteran players," Brummitt said. "We've all been doing the bar scene for about 40 years. We decided that for some of us, before fading off into the sunset, this is always something we wanted to do but none of us had the time.  COVID did us a huge favor. During the lockdown, nobody was booking any bands, so all we could do was go to the practice facility and grind it out. Then when things opened up, we were ready to fly." (No pun intended)

The current lineup is:

• Randy Barnard, Lead Guitar/Keyboard
• Dennis Makowski,  Guitar/Vocals
• Bob Brummitt, Bass Guitar/Vocals
• John White, Rhythm Guitar/Vocals
• Mike Nierenberg,  Vocals/Percussion
• Micky Judware / Rich Keigley, Drums
• Paul Vanacore, Sax/Keyboard

"Most of us were straight ahead barroom rockers," Brummitt said. "There's where the business has been the past few years. We played Bad Company, the Rolling Stones, ZZ Top, Skynyrd -- you name it, we've done it. We've just about played it all."

Not every musician Brummitt approached about joining an Eagles tribute band wanted to take on the challenge. He heard things like, "I can't take the time to learn it," "It takes too much commitment," and "It's too tough for me."

The players who did take on the challenge are attracted to the Eagles, Brummitt said, because "it's America's music."  

"Everybody loves the Eagles," Brummitt said. "Even bar bands play one or two Eagles songs."

Drawing on influences such as the Beach Boys (those high harmonies), Buffalo Springfield, Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young, the Byrds, and Graham Parsons, the Eagles took that nascent country rock sound of California and infused it with hooks and themes listeners could grasp.

"We all grew up with it, but even at our shows, there are people in their late 20s, early 30s, who weren't even born yet (when the Eagles topped the charts), and we're surprised," Brummitt said. "But they say, 'That's what my parents played when I was a child.' It's almost timeless."

The Eaglez have caught on in WNY -- band members live throughout the region -- and they play 20 to 25 shows each summer, mostly in outdoor venues, which they prefer.  In winter, they mostly avoid bars, except as a favor to outdoor venue owners who also have an indoor venue, and to stay in practice.

The Eaglez is the only full-time Eagles tribute band in WNY, as far as Brummitt knows, which has helped fuel their popularity.

"(Tribute bands) seems to be where the market is," Brummitt said. "It's a narrower market. It's an upscale market. And you don't have to bring a crowd. When you try to book into a bar (as a cover band), bar owners want to know how many people can you bring? That's not the case with a tribute band." 

A typical set from the Eaglez is 25 songs, and they pretty much play all the fan favorites.

The Eagles Greatest Hits (1971–1975) is certified platinum 38 times. It is the biggest-selling album of all time.

"We kind of pride ourselves on playing every single song on that album," Brummitt said.

The set usually includes a couple of songs from the solo careers of Eagles members Don Henley, Joe Walsh and the late Glenn Frey.  Some of those songs sound so much like the Eagles, he said, that some fans don't even know they're not Eagles songs.

This will be the first appearance for The Eaglez in Genesee County, and Brummitt said he's hoping they're a smash so they get invited back.  The band is looking to get more exposure in rural Western New York because the Eagles music, country rock, seems a natural fit. 

"It's an inviting venue because we're all really familiar with county fairs," Brummitt said. "It's a real festival environment, there's usually some liquid refreshment flowing, and it's our kind of crowd."  

The Eaglez concert will include The Batavian announcing the winner of its guitar-giveaway contest.

There is a total of five nights of live music at the Genesee County Fair.  Here is the rest of the 2023 lineup:

Saturday, July 22
BB Dang, 7 to 10 p.m.
 

You could say BB Dang is a group of graduates from ROC Star Academy in Rochester, where band members all first started playing together. They've successfully transitioned from a class project to a gigging band. Manager Tony Barbagallo described the band's sound as high-energy rock, including current hits and classic rock with a bit of country thrown into the mix. "I think that's been part of their success," Barbagallo said. "They span current pop music, current pop artists, all the way back to classic rock and classic country." The band members are Isabella Barbagallo, vocals, Reid Burton, vocals and guitar, Matt Edwards, bass, Alex Sherwood, guitar, Mike Valle, drums, and Abby Johnson, keyboards and vocals. For the fair, original member Cameron Carlson will be on bass in one of his last gigs with the band before starting college. Carlson is from Bergen.

Sunday, July 23
Knight Patrol, 7 to 10 p.m.

Knight Patrol plays 80s monster rock hits, said manager Angelo Affronti.  The band includes his son A.J. on lead guitar, lead singer Tim Burnett, Eddie Krysinski on keyboards, Zach Biern on bass and the drummer is Jon Bishop (with a sub on the GC Fair show).  "We play all of the biggest hits of the 80s -- Bon Jovi, Journey, Motley Crue, Electric Light Orchestra, Bryan Adams -- all the greatest hits.  All stuff that people know."  A.J. Affronti said the band loves 80s music because they can relate to it better than today's music. "I think it's a bit of a different character, and it's more into how we feel. When you hear an 80s song, you know it's an 80s song. It just has an energy to it."  He said his favorite guitarists include Glenn Tipton and Richie Faulkner of Judas Priest, along with Neal Schon of Journey.

Friday, July 28
Audibull, 7:30 to 11 p.m.

Audibull is a Genesee County band through-and-through, based in Pavilion, playing local gigs for a dozen years, and rooted in the local music scene. Members are Tim Pitcher on guitar, Bill Christiano on bass, Chris Iannone on drums, and Todd Tracy on lead vocals.  It's a solid four-piece playing modern hard rock -- System of a Down, Korn, Drowning Pool, Disturbed, and Godsmack, for example. "We like the energy of the crowd," Tracy said. "I've always lived with the idea that there's a new crop of 21-year-olds every year who want to hear what they grew up with, but the older we get, the crowd gets younger."

Saturday, July 29
BarnStorm, 7 to 11 p.m.

The Genesee County Fair will close out its live music showcase with a night of current and classic country from BarnStorm. Their set highlights such acts as Reba McIntire, Maren Morris, LeAnn Rimes, Tanya Tucker, Randy Travis, Phil Vassar and Kenny Chesney.  The lineup is Rick Polinsky on keyboards, Rich Ulinski on lead vocals, Leslie Trippi, lead vocals, Dave Dunkowski, bass, and Pete Militello, drums. The band has been together about 15 years and the current lineup are all dyed-in-the-wool country fans. "We're all veteran musicians," Polinsky said. "We all like country. That's the toughest thing, trying to get five people on the same page as far as the kind of music you're doing.  We had people who did rock and roll and had no clue about country music these guys have been playing it for years and know it like the back of their hands."

No matter what you might think of fairs, Genesee County’s 183rd annual one this year has packed so many activities, there's an expanded eight-day schedule to keep kids and adults busy, entertained, well fed, and — if they come by the carload — financially intact by the end.

Of the many new offerings at the fair for 2023, one of the mainstays is Genesee County Ag Society treasurer Norm Pimm. He has been one of the steadfast volunteers for the event who knows the ins and outs of happenings, from musical groups and a welding competition to the talent show, stockyard classic and a power wheels race for kids. 

So where to begin? The stockyard classic show has grown to be enormously popular, with 500 entries, Pimm said. It began with an event in May and will continue July 21 through 23 with a sheep, goat, hog, and beef show. Participants up to 21 will compete for showmanship prizes for the top five categories of peewee, novice, junior, intermediate and senior. The top two will then advance to the next round of competition. 

“Any age contestant can show their animal, spectators are more than welcome to come and watch. We'll be running two different show rings all the time. So you'll have pigs in one, sheep in one or two, so they'll be moving around,” he said. “So there will be probably 150 to 200 exhibitors.”

As for music, fan favorites BB Bang will open things up from 7 to 10 p.m. July 22. A group of musicians 18 to 22, they’ve been playing for the last several years, Pimm said. “They are really good,” he said. “They do 75 to 100 shows a year. One kid is from Byron-Bergen school.”

Knight Patrol, a high-energy rock band from Macedon, will be playing tunes from the 80s from 7 to 10 p.m. July 23. 

The Eaglez, as its name implies, is a tribute band to American soft rock band The Eagles and will give its fair debut from 7 to 10 p.m. July 27. This band’s performance will include a special giveaway of a guitar sponsored by The Batavian. 

A “very big fan favorite” steps up from 7:30 to 11 p.m. on July 28, and that’s Audibull.

Country rock band The Barnstorm will cap off the county fair from 7 to 10 p.m. on July 29. It’s been a dozen years since they’ve been here, Pimm said, and they are coming back with toe-tapping favorites.

For more on the musical lineup, see also: The Eaglez highlights GC Fair's five nights of live music that spans genres and eras

Tucked into that musical line-up are other fair staples and add-ons in the entertainment tent: Faith at the Fair, with a couple of Christian rock bands, from noon to 4 p.m. July 22; the fair queen competition at 3 p.m. July 23, followed by the queen crowning from 6 to 8 p.m. July 24; a crowd-pleasing double night of karaoke from 7 to 10 p.m.  July 25 and 26.

Participants that sign up for the talent show by July 22 are guaranteed a goodie bag, and everyone will take to the stage on July 29. 

What’s the fair without a parade? That will be happening at 6:30 p.m. on July 25 around the grounds.

Gates open at 6 p.m. July 28 for the demolition derby, with a 7 p.m. starting time. That has been the biggest draw of more than 2,000 people, Pimm said, and this year there will be the addition of a power wheels derby. At 6:15 p.m., kids with power wheels will compete, and whosever battery lasts the longest wins. Featuring motorized jeeps, gators and cars, it’s like a real demolition derby but with children’s versions of vehicles, he said. He watched one at an Adirondack fair.

“It was so much fun,” he said. “There have been 51,000 hits on the post that’s been up for a week so far. People are excited about that. The next biggest is 50,000 hits for an Enduro race.”

The entry form for the kids' power wheels demo derby is on the fair website. There are two age categories of 4 to 7 and 8 to 12. For more information, call 585-709-9859.

The Enduro race is a family-friendly race at 7 p.m. on July 29. Older stock cars with the doors chained shut race some 100 laps for a $2,000 pot. 

For anyone looking for some of your more traditional fair amusement, there’s 4-H, which begins July 24 with what’s predicted to be the most entries ever, Pimm said, of rabbits, chicken, sheep, goats, pigs, and the home goods, crafts, and clothing items. 

“The barns are going to be full of animals all week,”  he said, begging the question of how do they stay cool. “We have big fans that were installed two years ago in dairy, beef and swine bars, and we’re installing them in the sheep barns. They can keep air moving through the barns and shade them pretty good.”

Along with new fans, other updates have included a new sound system and LED lighting in the horse and livestock arenas. 

What would a fair be without Future Farmers of America Day? And this year, Miller Welding is sponsoring a welding competition for FFA members on July 26. There are to be 20 to 30 kids showing their welding skills as a way to promote the trades, Pimm said, with plans to build on that with future events for tractor driving and “anything to do with trades.”

An attraction that most fair-goers can’t resist is the Hammerl Amusements midway, expanded for 2023, which runs from 1 to 9 p.m. July 22, 23, 26 and 29, and 4 to 9 p.m. 24, 25, 27 and 28. A Kids All Day (1 to 5 p.m.) special for $15 will be offered on both Saturdays and Wednesdays of the fair and feature Mr. Scribbles and a pedal tractor pull.

Other activities include pig races, balloon demonstrations, a Taste of New York selfie contest, kids Color Wars, an ice eating contest, and an Ag Awareness tent. 

Don’t miss preview night that begins at 3 p.m. Friday with a special admission of $5 and the North American Six Horse Hitch Series at 5:30 p.m. at the horse arena, with a follow-up performance at 12:30 p.m. Saturday.

Regular admission is $10 per carload from Saturday through July 29 at the fairgrounds, 5056 E. Main Street Road, Batavia. The fair is hosting special deals for senior citizens, veterans, kids, and emergency responders on select days throughout the week. Fans can keep up with the deals and news HERE, where the fair will be holding four trivia contests to give away tickets to the demolition derby and coupons to the Ag Society’s food stand, the Chuckwagon.  

What’s not new? The need for volunteers. The fair survives on them, Pimm said.

“It’s 100 percent volunteer; none of us gets paid, not one person, and, like, 12 of us work all year round. And then there's others that come in. I mean, just over the week of the fair, we get over 100 volunteers, which is fantastic,” he said. “Yeah, we can allow them on for various parts of the fairgrounds, whether it's the food stand or parking or helping with livestock shows or cleaning barns or, you know, just everything. So, we're always looking for more volunteers and or, obviously, joining the Fair Board, but even without that, we're still looking for volunteers.”

That’s mostly how the operation that’s been going since 1839 has continued, drawing families from across the region to meet and greet with animals — promised to be more than 1,000 this year. Genesee County just keeps thriving and beating the odds each year, Pimm said.

“Really, unfortunately, some fairs aren't even around anymore but we’re around,” he said. "We continue to grow, which is great. I mean, last year, we had almost about 75,000 people.”

 For a complete list of events, visit gcfair.com/fair-schedule/.  For more information, visit gcfair.com

By Alan Sculley

Martin Cash of We The Kingdom admits it might seem odd that the Christian group chose to make their second album a self-titled effort. That’s usually a title bands reserve for their debut albums.

“I think it’s ironic that it ended up being self-titled because to be honest, in the beginning that option was thrown out because we couldn’t agree on any other name. Someone at some point was like ‘Hey, why don’t we just call it ‘We The Kingdom’ and call it like a day,”

Cash said during a recent phone interview. “At first we were like ‘Ah that feels like a cop out. That feels like throwing in the towel.’ But the irony is that I really think this album highlights the individual members of We The Kingdom because throughout the album there were particular people that started certain songs and we all kind of jumped in to finish them.”

“(It says) Hey, we are a team. We are all in this together,” he said. “As you look down the list, it’s almost like Ah, I remember, that’s kind of Franni’s song that she started and we came around and finished it. That was a really cool and different, unique thing that happened with the album, where it was still collaborative, but there were just individuals who started songs and brought them to the rest of the band that we then all finished.”

It makes sense that the five members of We The Kingdom would grow more collaborative. After all, this is essentially a family band that’s very accustomed to being around each other. The band includes Ed Cash, his brother, Scott Cash, Ed’s son and daughter, Martin Cash and Franni Rae Cash-Cain, and long-time friend Andrew Bergthold, We The Kingdom became a group after writing several songs while the five musicians were serving as worship leaders during a stint at a Young Life camp in 2008.

The band got signed by Capitol Records’ Christian Music Group, and debuted in 2019 with a six-song concert EP, “Live at the Wheelhouse.” That release contained a version of the song “Holy Water,” which topped the Christian Airplay singles chart. The studio version of that song became the title track for the “Holy Water” studio album, and in April 2020 the song landed atop three different Christian music charts. Two more top-5 singles, “God So Loved” and “Child of Love,” followed, as We The Kingdom became one of the fastest-rising acts in Christian music.

So far, the self-titled album has generated a top 15 single in “Miracle Power,” a top 30 single in “Jesus Does” and more singles could still be released. In making the “We The Kingdom” album, the five band members grew more collaborative as songwriters, drew on some different influences (Martin mentioned Fleetwood Mac, the Eagles and the Smash Mouth hit “All Star” as prime examples) and experimented with new tones and sonics. In the end, the band emerged with an album full of strong songs that are a bit more energetic overall than the “Holy Water” album.

Cash said doing a second album presented We The Kingdom with plenty of questions about the next musical step the band should make. “With our first album, you’re starting from zero. You have no reference for what people like from you, the sound,” he explained. 

“If say, they gravitate toward ‘Holy Water,’ you struggle with should we write more records like ‘Holy Water,’ that same sound? But then the creative in you is going ‘No, we’ve already done that. How do we continue reinventing ourselves and pushing the envelope, but still offering the same sound people fell in love with?’ So that was a struggle with the self-titled album. I’m personally super pleased with how it turned out.”

We The Kingdom is back out playing headlining shows after starting the year co-headlining the multi-band Winter Jam, one of the year’s biggest Christian music tours. That outing initially caused the band some concerns, because when We The Kingdom took the stage, it was later in the evening and they were seeing a significant number of people who were either leaving during their set or before We The Kingdom took the stage. 

After a number of discussions, Cash said, they came to feel people were leaving for logistical reasons – such as needing to get home to meet up with babysitters or the younger fans had curfews. Cash feels that experience will only help the band, even with headlining shows.

“There was talk of like are we playing the right songs? Should we play more songs that are hooky, kind of cheap tricks you can get into to get people to stay?” Cash revealed. “But at the end of the day, the point is not to force them to stay. It’s to play to the ones that are there. It’s a lesson, but it’s a good one.”

We the Kingdom will be playing at Darien Lake Performing Arts Center on Tuesday.

By Dave Gil de Rubio

If synthesizers are the engine for Howard Jones’ creative drive, then positivity is the fuel. It’s been that way since Jones broke onto the international music scene with his 1983 hit single “New Song” and has continued to be the case with the current four-album concept that started with 2015’s “Engage,” followed in 2019 by “Transform” and last year by “Dialogue.” The fourth album, “Global Citizen,” is set to wrap up this overarching concept album project, and could arrive as soon as this year.

The English musician described the story arc that has been his focus for the past seven years. “‘Engage’ was about not just being a bystander—be involved in what’s going on around you and don’t think that you don’t have any effect on the world and your environment because you do,” Jones explained in a recent phone interview. “‘Transform’” was about if we want to change the world and change things for the better, we have to start with ourselves. We have to work on ourselves and our behavior towards other people and ourselves as well. And ‘Dialogue’ is what I just described—the importance of communicating towards each other. The next one...is ‘Global Citizen,’ and that’s putting all those three concepts into action and believing that you can have an effect on the world as a global citizen.”

Like the rest of the world, Jones found himself isolated by the pandemic lockdown as he embarked on recording “Dialogue.” The dark mood of uncertainty that came with this global situation meant lyrics came later, but in the end, Jones was able to surmount the challenges presented with being a one-man band, particularly after contracting a post-vaccination case of COVID-19.

“I couldn’t really work with other people on this, so it was me, my growing synthesizer collection, software and studio,” he recalled. “In a way that makes it quite focused, I think. I had plenty of time to experiment, try some new things and get some really great sounds together. I got to spend days on just one sound to make it really special. And having that amount of time was a blessing to really experiment. I suddenly remembered that I used to do a lot of harmony vocals—layered vocals and big multi-harmonized vocals and I got back into that idea. And I wanted my voice to sound different every time I used one of those harmonized vocals and I was experimenting. 

“There was one point that I got COVID-19—I was completely vaccinated and everything but when I got it, I sort of lost my full voice,” Jones said. “I thought I was going to have to try and do something different, so I sang in a different way more quietly. I got a really different sound and I was really quite excited about that. If you’re doing all your own backing vocals yourself, you need to make yourself sound different to differentiate between the lead and backing vocal. It worked for me.” 

And while Jones did all the creative-lifting, he got a compositional assist from BT (aka Brian Transeau), the American musician/DJ/electronic music pioneer who became a close friend of Jones after the latter came out to see him head up an ambitious orchestral project in Miami in 2015. It’s a connection Jones has come to treasure.

“On the new album, we did two or three tracks and BT was great,” Jones said. “For those two tracks—‘Celebrated Together’ and ‘Be the Hero’—he’d sent me some seed ideas for tracks quite a long time ago. I used a bit of that in the writing of them and I’m really hoping that we may get a remix from him based on one of those songs. I know he was particularly excited about ‘Be the Hero.’ We probably will continue to work together maybe throughout the rest of my career because we get on very well. For him, it’s about trying to find time because he’s the busiest man in the universe.”

While this string of albums is heavily electronically driven, Jones will mix things up during his live shows as he opens this summer for Culture Club. 

“It’s an electronic show and we’re going to be debuting a few tracks from the ‘Dialogue’ album along with a couple of tracks from ‘Transform’ and one from ‘Engage’ as well,” he said. “The fans really follow everything I do and I really must look after that as well as playing the hits.”

Looking ahead, Jones and his fan base have plenty of projects to anticipate between “Global Citizen” completing his four-album musical concept, a concert album (“Live at Union Chapel”) and a collection of non-synthesizer-based material Jones has been working on for a number of years (“Piano Composed”). And while he’s understandably excited about this burst of creativity that’s going to take him into the next year, Jones has always clung to the philosophy of gratitude driving him forward while refusing to get caught up in the highs and lows of the music industry and life in general.

“I think it’s very important to be happy with your work and one of the best ways to be happy is to really appreciate the situation you find yourself in, even if it’s difficult or you’re having problems or whether you’re soaring because it’s going well,” Jones said. “Just really appreciate things because if it’s not going well, then you can learn a ton of stuff from that to make it better. If things are going really well, don’t get carried away, because that may stop you from doing great work in the future.”

Howard Jones will be playing at Darien Lake Performing Arts Center on Saturday.

Now in her third year as the lead of Genesee County’s talent show, Laura Kauppi remembers perhaps the epitome of a fair contestant a couple of years ago: a young boy wearing big farm boots and work clothes ran in to register moments before the contest.

“And he got up, and he played this beautiful piano piece that he had composed himself, I think on the spot, actually. And, you know, that was just a fantastic experience. And I think that’s kind of what it’s all about,” Kauppi said. “He was really proud of himself. He got his prize and went back to taking care of his animals.”

And so it goes with a real down-home, rural fair filled with plenty of 4-H activities, animals and kids. If you've got some talent to share, register by Saturday to receive a goodie bag, or at least by 1:30 p.m. July 29 to participate in this year's talent show in the entertainment tent at the fair on East Main Street, Batavia.

This year’s event already has an impressively varied list of entries, about a dozen so far, Kauppi said, with a handful of pianists from the piano teacher's own lessons’ groups, a violin duet, a family band, and Chinese folk dancers. 

She offered to organize the show three years ago to continue a tradition that Kauppi, of Corfu, enjoyed so much as a participant, she said. She broke up the categories so that ages 13 to 19 will be separated from the adults, and all ages will have the opportunity to perform and compete amongst their peers — under seven; seven to 12; 13 to 19; and ages 20 and older.

“There used to be a state level where people could compete at state, and that's just one of the things we lost due to COVID. Now that there's not a state level, I kind of added the tiny tots, I added the adult category, being different. It used to be age 13 and up as one category, so I added the adult category as being separate because I thought it was more fair to not have 13-year-olds competing against adults,” she said. “It’s a nice relaxed way to share your talent with the community.” 

Anyone who registers by July 22 is guaranteed a goodie bag, she said. If you're still debating a decision after Saturday, you may register up to 1:30 p.m. on the competition day of July 29.

Then it’s go-time, when one by one — solo or group performers will be center stage to sing or play or dance, or otherwise demonstrate their hard work of rehearsals in front of the crowd. But not to worry, it’s a nice crowd, she said.

“I really like that it’s very relaxed, and I really like that it’s very family-friendly,” Kauppi said. “I competed in it, and I want them to have the same positive experiences that I had. You get to have a goodie bag and a participant ribbon and pride in knowing you performed for your community and shared your talent with the people around you.”

There have been a couple of outdated links of the entry form published, Kauppi said, and she provided The Batavian with an updated version. Register by July 22 for a guaranteed goodie bag and by 1:30 p.m. July 29 to participate in the show. 

There aren't enough cases flowing through City Court, especially now that the Centralized Arraignment Part Court is up and running, said Tom Burns, so he stepped down as of July 14 as the part-time City Court judge.

Ironically, perhaps, Burns was a leader in establishing the CAP court.

"I'm proud of the fact that I was involved in the development of the Centralized Arraignment Part Court," Burns told The Batavian. "That was a huge accomplishment.  It relieves the City Court judges of 24/7 arraignment responsibility."

But with the lower case volume in City Court, Burns is turning his attention back to his full-time job as a defense attorney.

"After CAP court was implemented, the low volume in City Court, from my perspective, does not justify my continued involvement there. I just don’t feel the need to continue in the position because the demand isn’t there for it."

Burns has been on the City Court bench for 2 1/2 years, and in 2022, the part-time position, which at times amounted to eight hours a week, paid $50,000.

The part-time City Court judge is paid by the state, though the position is appointed by City Council.

Durin Rogers is the current full-time City Court judge, also paid by the state and an elected position, and earned $192,920 in 2022.

"I loved my service to the community and the chance to serve the community," Burns said.

The City of Batavia also released the following press release seeking to fill the part-time City Court judge position:

The City Council is seeking to fill a part-time City Court Judge position.  This position is appointed by City Council to serve the remainder of a term ending 12/31/26.

Minimum qualifications require candidates to be an attorney admitted to practice law in the State of New York for at least five (5) years as of the date he or she commences the duties of the office and must be a resident of the City of Batavia. 

All interested candidates, please submit a letter of interest and resume to: 

City Court Judge
Attn: City Council President Eugene Jankowski, Jr.
One Batavia City Centre
Batavia, New York 14020

Resumes and letters of interest are due by 4:30 PM on Friday, Aug. 4. 2023.  Please provide hard copies of your materials directly to the City Manager’s office.

Prior to attempting to kill a man on Jackson Street in Batavia on Oct. 18, Tyshon L. Taylor, 25, had been in and out of the state's mental health system -- encounters brought about by his expressed desire to kill someone or himself -- and depending on your point of view, either Taylor failed to take advantage of what the system offered or the system failed him.

An agitated and impassioned defense attorney, Frederick Rarick, argued the system had failed Taylor. He said healthcare practitioners who handled his cases knew about his threats of violence and that he was dangerous when he wasn't taking his medication but failed to hold him or make sure he got the help he needed.

"I don't mean to, well, actually, I do blame the mental health system," Rarick said.

District Attorney Kevin Finnell argued the fault for his crime lay squarely on Taylor's own decisions.

While acknowledging that Taylor has significant mental health issues, Finnell said Taylor had previously been to the comprehensive psychiatric emergency program at U of R on multiple occasions. Each time they medicated him, stabilized him, and got him back to "baseline." They then gave him referrals for follow-up care. While he came into the emergency program because of the violent thoughts running through his mind, by the time he was discharged, he was back in a calm state.

Taylor didn't take advantage of the follow-up care, Finnell said.

Prior to the attempted murder on Oct. 18, Taylor had been to the University of Rochester emergency program and left stable with enough medication to get him through the next week.

Four days later, Taylor decided, Finnell said, to walk through Batavia looking for a victim.

"There was a safety plan referral for what he could do if he was feeling violent," Finnell said. "He didn't take advantage of (the referral), and instead, on the night of the offense, he transversed the city, leaving the hotels on the north end until he got to the south side and found somebody walking back from the store minding his own business. And he just stabbed him for no other reason. The victim was unknown to him. He stabbed him. He stabbed him, intending to kill him."

Finnell said that the Batavia PD detectives who handled the case and Chief Shawn Heubusch said they considered Taylor a risk to the community and should be incarcerated. 

The victim in the case, Finnell said, has suffered substantially because of the attack.  He no longer walks to the store just a block from his residence, driving instead, and his physical injuries have prevented him from returning to work full time.

Taylor was in court on Tuesday to be sentenced on his conviction on a charge of attempted murder, a Class B violent felony. He entered a guilty plea on March 28. 

He is also a second-time violent felony offender.

Before he was sentenced, Taylor read from a statement in which he apologized for his actions, both to the victim and his family. He said he was feeling helpless and angry every day. 

"I have a lot of regrets," Taylor said. "I could have ruined my life. Well, I ruined my life, but I could have ruined it more, and I ruined somebody else's life. I want to take steps to be better."

Judge Melissa Lightcap Cianfrini said that perhaps Taylor's case could be a case study for the state's mental health system, but that didn't relieve Taylor of his responsibility for his actions. 

"Our mental health system may be imperfect. It needs to be improved," Cianfrini said. "But you didn't take advantage of the opportunities offered to you."

She sentenced him to 20 years maximum in state prison and 20 years on parole.

While a gathering of bees and woodpeckers have been welcomed visitors by Mother Nature at the Interpretive Center at Genesee County Park & Forest in East Bethany, they weren't so appreciated by county highway staff once they saw the damage.

The woodland creatures ate their way through the Center’s natural siding, and the price for the replacement of that and a new roof left County Highway Superintendent Tim Hens with a bit of shopper’s discomfort.  

“I was a little shocked at the price of the project, to be honest with you, but the low bid we received was $248,350. I think with the original, volunteers did it, and the original siding was cedar lap siding … and the bees and the woodpeckers have just literally destroyed that. I mean, there’s physical holes in the roof. It needs to be done,” Hens said during the county’s Public Service Committee meeting Monday. “The problem from a municipal standpoint is it’s too small of a project for your general construction people to get involved because they have to suck everything out, and they don’t make any money on it. And it’s the subs that would do the work and don’t want to be the (general contractor) because they don’t want to have to take up the bonds, and the insurance is required to be the person in charge. So it’s kind of in this purgatory gray zone area between a big project and a small project.”

The cedar siding would be replaced with a fiber cement siding, which is appropriate for the building, he said. Vinyl could be used, but it wouldn’t really look appropriate on that building, and “you’d lose a lot of the character,” Hens said. Using vinyl would have saved about $10,000, and everyone involved is comfortable spending the extra money “to do it right,” he said.

“It will make it so that it’s maintenance-free for the next hopefully 30 or 40 years,” Hens said.

And the bees and birds should leave it alone since it’s almost like concrete, similar to what’s used at the airport terminal. 

“It’s not prone to bugs and insects and woodpeckers,” he said.  “It’ll be architectural shingles on the roof. They’re going to be rewrapping some of the soffits and aluminum, and then the main part of the building will be shake fiber cement siding, and then the higher part in the center will be a false stone application. It’d be really sharp when it’s done. It’s just the pricing sometimes, in a municipal sense, blows my mind. I saw $240,000. We had $205,000 originally for the budget. I thought we were gonna be great, but this is what it is.”

“We’ve used metal on some of the pavilions and whatnot, but we didn't consider it in this place, just again from the cost standpoint, it's a bigger building, bigger roof, and then Paul wants to keep it kind of a cabin in the woods type of a setting,” he said. “It was put together almost 100 percent by volunteers and by county staff, so it's 25 years old.”

He has recommended Kircher Construction Inc. of Mount Morris for the job and expects it to be completed by this fall. 

While trying to obtain a schedule of events for the second annual Italian Festival, scheduled for July 29 and promoted this year along with a classic car cruise, The Batavian has learned that the event has been canceled.

“The BID has decided not to move forward with Italian Fest this year,” the group’s executive director, Shannon Maute, said Monday. “Although we loved the event, we have decided to focus on our other events.”

During BID’s — which stands for Business Improvement District — annual awards get-together in April, Maute shared that upcoming events, including the Italian Fest, would be “bigger and better than ever.” It was quietly canceled, per the online note and line drawn through the event name on its own page. 

On Monday, Maute emphasized that BID is still forging ahead with its boxcar derby, set for 8:30 a.m. Aug. 26 just outside of downtown on Ellicott Avenue, and the annual Wine Walk has been penciled in already for 4 to 8 p.m. Oct. 7 in downtown Batavia, with this year’s theme being “Under the Big Top.”

Press Release:

The New York State Thruway Authority today announced the new Pembroke Service Area (I-90 eastbound mile marker 397) in Corfu is now open to the public.

The location is the tenth new service area to open to Thruway customers as part of the $450 million project to redevelop and modernize all 27 Thruway service areas. The New Baltimore, Clarence, Ardsley, Plattekill, Clifton Springs, Iroquois, Indian Castle, Chittenango and Junius Ponds Service Areas have reopened.

The Pembroke Service Area is located on I-90 eastbound between exit 48A and exit 48. The facility is more than 20,000 square feet making it one of the largest new buildings on the system.

Restaurant options include:

• Burger King
• Popeyes
• Panera Bread (opening later this year)
• Dunkin’ (drive-thru)
• Applegreen C-Store
• Taste NY Food and Drink Products

Other amenities include:

• Playground area*
• Outdoor seating
• Dog walking area
• Climate controlled pet enclosure*
• Private nursing area
• Digital tourism kiosk*
• Six level 3 high-speed EV chargers*

 *Available Soon

The Pembroke Service Area is one of four locations on the Thruway that has expanded amenities for commercial vehicle drivers.

Commercial trucking amenities include:

• Separate entrance
• Lounge
• Showers
• Lockers
• Restrooms
• Washer and dryer

With the opening of the Pembroke Service Area, the Angola Service Area (I-90 eastbound and westbound, mile marker 447) and the Scottsville Service Area (I-90 eastbound, mile marker 366) are now closed for construction. Fuel services remain available at all service areas during construction.

All 27 service areas are being redeveloped in a $450 million project with Empire State Thruway Partners. The project is funded through a public-private partnership, and no toll or tax dollars are used for construction.

Customers can learn more about the project on the Thruway Authority’s website. Customers can view a project map, photo gallery, renderings, and more information about the planned amenities and services.

In 2022, motorists took more than 376 million trips and drove 7.7 billion miles on the Thruway. The Thruway Authority’s service areas are open 24 hours a day and offer motorists a variety of food and beverage options, restroom facilities, and fueling for passenger and commercial vehicles. Taste NY Farm Markets and Tourism Information Centers are also available at select locations.

Photo courtesy of NYS Thruway website

Press Release:

Congresswoman Claudia Tenney voted in favor of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2024 (FY24), which passed the House of Representatives by a vote of 219-210. This legislation includes 20 of Congresswoman Tenney’s amendments aimed to strengthen U.S. national security and hold America’s adversaries accountable.

“The National Defense Authorization Act is a critical investment in our national security, our servicemembers, and their families,” said Congresswoman Tenney. “This year's NDAA takes significant strides in modernizing our armed forces, bolstering our military readiness, and enhancing our defense capabilities. Importantly, this bill reins in the Biden administration’s “woke” policies that are actively harming military readiness, such as Green New Deal mandates, unnecessary Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) officers, and wasting taxpayer dollars on sex reassignment surgeries and gender hormone treatments. This bill also bans funding for drag shows or Drag Queen Story Hour and implements important oversight measures over our aid to Ukraine.”

“Additionally, the FY24 NDAA includes the largest salary increase for our servicemen and servicewomen in the last 20 years at 5.2%. This reaffirms our commitment to our service members and their families and ensures they have the resources they need to carry out their missions effectively. I was disappointed to see my Democratic colleague’s decision to betray the longstanding tradition of strong bipartisan support for the NDAA and our military.”

“Despite the Democrats’ attempts to block this important legislation, House Republicans continue to deliver on our commitment to America. I will continue to advocate for all our servicemembers and their families, especially those stationed at Fort Drum, Niagara Falls Air Reserve Station, and throughout New York’s 24th Congressional District. The passage of the FY24 NDAA through the House demonstrates House Republicans’ unwavering commitment to national security, our servicemembers, and the defense of our great nation. I look forward to working with my colleagues in the Senate to ensure its swift passage into law and give our Armed Forces the resources they need to continue to defend and protect our freedom!”

Key Provisions in the FY24 NDAA

• Provides $886.3 billion for our national defense, complying with the caps set by the Fiscal Responsibility Act.
• Authorizes a 5.2% pay increase for service members and bonuses for junior enlistees due to Bidenflation
• Reaffirms the House’s support for Fort Drum soldiers receiving cold weather pay.
• Bans Critical Race Theory and woke DEI policies in the military.
• Eliminates Green New Deal climate change mandates and regulations.
• Continues the prohibition against adverse actions due to refusal to take the COVID-19 vaccine and creates a process for service members’ reinstatement.
• Prohibits funding for drag shows or Drag Queen Story Hour
• Authorizes $113 million over the budget request for the construction of new childcare centers.
• Implements important oversight measures over security aid to Ukraine and requires a strategic plan before any new aid is available.

As one of the most active and effective Members of Congress, Tenney had 20 amendments included in the FY24 NDAA, the second-most of any Member.

Background on Tenney’s Amendments Included in Bill:

Ending Taxpayer Funding for Gender Transition Surgeries: Prohibits TRICARE from covering and the Department of Defense from furnishing sex reassignment surgeries and gender hormone treatments for transgender individuals.

UAVs at Military Bases:  Requires a report on the threat of aerial drones and unmanned aircraft to United States national security and an assessment of the unmanned traffic management systems of every military base and installation (within and outside the United States) to determine whether the base or installation is adequately equipped to detect, disable, and disarm hostile or unidentified unmanned aerial systems.

CENTCOM Capability Gap Report: Requires a report on CENTCOM capabilities and any capability gaps in carrying out CENTCOM's responsibilities, as well as recommendations to address any capability gaps.

Report on Dissuading Allies from Purchasing Weapons from our Adversaries: Requires a report by the Secretary of State, in consultation with the Secretary of Defense, on U.S. efforts to dissuade allies from purchasing Russian and Chinese weapons.

Prohibiting Iranian Funding: Prohibits any funds authorized by the NDAA from going to any entity owned or controlled by the Iranian government or on relevant blacklists.

Providing Precision Guided Missiles (PGMs) to Israel: Revised Requires a DOD assessment of the precision-guided munitions Israel needs in the event of a conflict with regional actors. Would extend existing authorities to provide Israel with such munitions in the event of an emergency.

Strategy on Counter-Fentanyl Operations: Requires the Secretary of Defense to develop a strategy to disrupt fentanyl trafficking, and report to Congress on efforts to enhance counter-fentanyl cooperation with Mexico.

Protecting Our Aerial Refueling Tankers: Prohibits the decommissioning of any KC-135 Stratotankers in Fiscal Year 2024.

Combatting Iranian Killer Drone: Requires the Secretary of Defense to report on the status of U.S.-Israel cooperation on efforts to counter threats by Iran in the form of unmanned aerial systems (UAS), including loitering munitions, otherwise known as "suicide" and "kamikaze" drones.

Prohibits COVID Vaccine Status Discrimination: Prohibits any adverse actions against cadets or midshipmen based on their COVID-19 vaccination status. Further, states that an individual may not be denied admission at a service academy based on their COVID-19 vaccination status.

Reporting on the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Threat to Europe: Adds a description of the threat posed by Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) to Europe to the Annual Report on Military Power of Iran.

Protecting U.S. RDT&E Funding from China and Russia: Adds U.S. entities that partner with universities in China and Russia that maintain partnerships with their military or intelligence services to a DoD list of U.S. universities that are engaged in malign activities. Prohibits DoD RDT&E funding from going to any entity on that list.

Report on pro-BDS Goods Sold on Military Bases: Requires DOD to submit to Congress a report on whether any products sold at commissary or exchange stores in fiscal years 2022 or 2023 were produced by companies that have participated in a boycott action against the State of Israel.

Report on Growing Cooperation Between Iran and China: Requires the Secretary of Defense to include in their annual report on Military and Security Developments Involving the People's Republic of China information on the PRC's burgeoning relationship with the Islamic Republic of Iran.

Extends COVID Vaccine Protections to the Coast Guard: Amends service reinstatement and protection provisions in the FY2024 NDAA for service members who refused Covid vaccination to also include members of the Coast Guard.

Ending DOD’s Radical Abortion Policy: Prohibits the Secretary of Defense from paying for or reimbursing expenses relating to abortion services.

Prohibiting “Woke” Flags on Government Buildings: Codifies Trump admin guidance to prohibit the display of unapproved flags.

End Warrantless Surveillance of Americans: The amendment would prevent DOD from purchasing data that would otherwise require a warrant, court order, or subpoena. This applies to data inside the United States.

Prohibiting Contracting with Entities That Support BDS: Prohibits the Department of Defense from entering into contracts with entities that engaged in a boycott of the State of Israel.

Report on Chinese-Russian-Iranian Ties: Expands the annual China Military Power Report to include China's security cooperation with Iran and Russia.

Two high-ranking officials of the Erie County Democratic Committee have been appointed to the Western Regional Off-Track Betting Corp. board of directors.

WROTB President/Chief Executive Officer Henry Wojtaszek informed The Batavian today that Jennifer Hibit and Crystal Rodriguez-Dabney, secretary and vice chair of the ECDC, respectively, will be joining the board and are expected to attend its next meeting on July 27 at Batavia Downs Gaming.

Hibit will represent Erie County, replacing Francis Warthling, while Rodriguez-Dabney will represent the City of Buffalo, replacing Michelle Parmer-Garner.

Wojtaszek also said that Terrance Baxter, a Republican and current Town of Moravia supervisor, will represent Cayuga County on the board. Baxter replaces Paul Lattimore.

The board was disbanded in May by New York State Assembly and Senate leaders and Gov. Kathy Hochul in response to a proposal by Democratic State Sen. Tim Kennedy of Buffalo to reconfigure the voting method from one municipality/one vote to a weighted system based on population.

As a result, the majority of the 100 votes are in the hands of directors from Erie and Monroe counties and Buffalo and Rochester.

Monroe and Schuyler counties have yet to announce their appointees to the 17-director board.

Hibit spent 11 years as the Chief of Staff for Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz before taking a position as the director of Human Resources last year with the Erie County Water Authority. During her time with Poloncarz’ staff, she served as the campaign manager for his election and re-election campaigns. 

Rodriguez-Dabney, an attorney, recently accepted the position of Senior Vice President & Chief Diversity Officer with Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center. Before that, she served for 15 months as the First Deputy Mayor and Chief of Staff for the City of Buffalo.

Baxter is a Member at Large on the Cayuga County Soil and Water Conservation District board and is a former Cayuga County legislator.

As previously reported by The Batavian, the other board members are Charles Zambito of Elba (Genesee County), Edward Morgan (Orleans County), Susan May (Wyoming County), Mark Burr (Cattaraugus County), Vincent Horrigan (Chautauqua County), Thomas Wamp (Livingston County), Elliott Winter (Niagara County), Mark Bombardo (Oswego County), Dennis Bassett (Rochester), Richard Ricci (Seneca County), Michael Horton (Steuben County) and Kenneth Lauderdale (Wayne County).

The weighted voting system gives Erie County 24 votes, followed by Monroe County (20), Buffalo (10) and Rochester (eight). Niagara County also has eight votes, while Chautauqua has five; Oswego, four; Steuben, Wayne, Cattaraugus and Cayuga, three each; Livingston and Genesee, two each; Wyoming, Orleans, Seneca and Schuyler, one each. The directors will serve four-year terms.

Foreigner has announced that the band is now embarking on its  final tour -- an outing that could extend well into 2024 when the buses and semi-trucks will get parked and the band members will move on to new chapters in their lives. 

This development doesn’t come as much of a surprise. It’s been widely reported that health issues have prevented guitarist and founding member Mick Jones from playing multiple shows and sometimes only performing a few songs with the rest of the band when he has been able to participate in recent tours.

But what also becomes clear in interviewing singer Kelly Hansen is that he had a good deal to do with deciding it is time for Foreigner to step away from being a touring band. The fact is, Hansen said in a recent phone interview, he recognizes that as a high tenor vocalist, the day is coming when he won’t be able to deliver Foreigner’s songs the way he wants. Certain songs have notes that already are difficult for him to hit and he wants the band to call it a day with touring while they can still play and perform at their current high level.

“It gets harder and harder every year to perform this catalog in the way that it deserves, not only for the songs, but for the fans,” Hansen said. “I want to have us go out strong and have the live presence be remembered as still super strong and energetic,” he added. “That’s how I want the legacy of this band to be remembered.” 

As for Jones, he’ll be along for the final tour as often as possible. “He wants to be out. He’s scheduled to be with us. It all depends on what is allowable for him health-wise,” Hansen said. “I think the show itself is better with him there, but I think the show is really, really good even when he’s not there because it’s really about the songs. It’s about this catalog. It’s about the legacy of what this band has put out over these past 45 years.”

That 45-year history has seen Foreigner become firmly established as one of rock’s most enduring and successful bands, overcoming ups and downs and a major departure along the way. Jones, who previously had been in the band Spooky Tooth, formed Foreigner in 1976. 

Over the course of six albums, from the 1977 self-titled album through 1987’s “Inside Information,” Foreigner notched 15 top 20 singles, the high point coming with the multi-chart-topping epic ballad, “I Want To Know What Love Is” in 1984. Earlier rocking hits like “Feels Like The First Time,” “Hot Blooded,” “Double Vision” and “Urgent” established Foreigner’s credentials as a band with talent for writing catchy mainstream rock.

But then Jones and singer Lou Gramm had a falling out and Gramm left the band in 1990. And while Gramm rejoined Foreigner for the 1994 album, “Mr. Moonlight,” any return to former glories was sidetracked when Gramm needed surgery to remove a brain tumor in 1997.

He was able to resume touring in 1998, but tensions gradually returned and the Jones/Gramm partnership ended in 2003. After a couple of years, Jones decided to bring back Foreigner. Hansen, who had fronted the band Hurricane from the mid-1980s into the early 1990s, got wind in 2004 that Jones might be forming a new edition of Foreigner and pursued the singer’s slot. He got an audition, which he obviously passed.

But Foreigner was not going to return at anywhere near the same level of popularity the band had achieved in the 1980s, and Hansen said the band had to get an entire organization, from management on down, in place, and more to the point, rebuild relationships, not only with fans, but with promoters, booking agents and other industry professionals.

“Of course, the band had the catalog and a great history, but there had been some damage done over the previous years,” Hansen said. “So it took time for us to develop trust with people. But as soon as we started doing shows, I think people recognized that this was something again formidable and were willing to take a chance on us again and do that and gave the band that new breath of life.”

As the years ensued, Foreigner played bigger and bigger venues while earning respect for the way the band delivered the song catalog. Another key step in solidifying the credibility of the “new” Foreigner, Hansen said, was making an album of new songs, “Can’t Slow Down,” which was released in 2009.

The lineup that made “Can’t Slow Down” is largely intact today, with guitarist Bruce Watson, drummer Chris Frazier (who joined in 2011 and 2012 respectively), and guitarist/bassist Luis Maldonado (a 2021 recruit), stepping in alongside Jones, Hansen, bassist/keyboardist Jeff Pilson and keyboardist Michael Bluestein. This stability has helped the band’s credibility as well, and Hansen is proud of what his edition of Foreigner has accomplished.

“I think over the course of these 20 years, what we’ve done, my goal has been to maintain the legacy of this band and the integrity of the catalog and give it the sincerity and the dignity that it deserves,” Hansen said. “I think that we have done that.”

Foreigner will be playing at Darien Lake Performing Arts Center on Friday

There are times when a title won’t save you from your own worst fears.

And county Legislator John Deleo learned that when he climbed into a polyethylene kayak and slid out onto the water at DeWitt Lake.

“I’m terrified of the water,” he said on what was now his second or third time Saturday at the Cedar Street recreation site. “That's why I bought this special vest because I can be up on the water in case I fall in because I'm terrified of the water. I can't swim.”

Deleo and about six others, plus three county staff tour guides, gathered for the last guided experience of the season. Five people attended the morning session, Conservation Education Program Coordinator Shannon Lyaski said, as she and the others waited to see if anyone else of the 10 registrants would show before they shoved off for the two-hour excursion.

“Weather makes all the difference in the world,” she said as a few raindrops pelted the skin. “If it sprinkles, we’ll still go out. But if it thunders, we’ll get out of the water.”

Lyaski runs the guided tours a couple of times a year, and the first one was in May. For $25, participants get a life vest, kayak, general lesson on how to use it and two hours on the water learning about the lake and surrounding area and wildlife. 

“So this is a great place to try it for the first time because it's just a nice little small lake. You know, we had to be careful, we take every precaution that you need to, but generally, there's not a lot of surprises out there. We have these flat water kayaks, they're designed for casual use. And so we started out with the basics of sitting in the boat, getting in the boat, being comfortable in the boat, the basics of paddling, getting in and out of the boat and the basics of doing things,” she said. “It's not a race, we just take our time. We have two whole hours to explore the lake. We talk about the wildlife, we talk about the history of the site, we explore the little coves, and we look at different places where the water can go, like depending on how high and how low it can get. There's some neat stuff about the area and interesting things about the ecology of this park. So we go over that too.” 

Deleo said that he is gradually “getting drawn in” to kayaking moments before his craft glided out on the glassy water. Barb Matarazzo was in the same boat as Deleo, no pun intended, when she first began. She was afraid of the sport and the water, which quickly changed once she gave it a try.

“Now I love it. I’m a pure participant and loving every minute of it, “ she said. “I don’t care how often you do this, you find something new every time.”

Although DeWitt Recreation Area is on the outskirts of Batavia, it isn’t forgotten, made evident by the group having a picnic at the pavilion, a person standing near the water casting a fishing line, some bicyclists, perhaps making a pit stop from the nearby Elliott Trail, and some kids dunking their feet into the water. 

A slab of cement near the boat launch is still waiting for a kayak rental kiosk, which was expected to be in place by June. That has been delayed, Lyaski said, and she wasn’t certain when it would be at the park. 

County Highway Superintendent Tim Hens had said the county is looking at the kayak rentals as “an opportunity to provide a recreational service to the community that also generates residual income and requires no county maintenance.”

The county Legislature approved an agreement for a period of five years, at a total cost of $16,000, for the installation and activation of smart lockers, fully equipped with kayaks/lifejackets and locker signage. Kayak users would then pay a rental fee through the use of the kiosk that would go back to the county. The concrete has been poured for the kiosk and is waiting for delivery.

In the meantime, if you’ve got your own kayak or plan to rent one, DeWitt Lake promises some “really cool features that have been added,” Lyaski said. 

“I like to point out all those big nice park benches at the end of the lake, where Ellicott Trail comes in off from Route 5,” she said. “That's not an accident. It's facing west, it's a beautiful view of the sunset on the lake.”

A power outage is affecting 829 customers in the Oakfield area, centered on Lockport Road and Lewiston Road.  The outage area covers north in Shelby, south to Batavia Oakfield Townline Road, and from Basom to the northwest half of the Village of Oakfield.

National Grid estimates power will be restored by 9:15 p.m.

UPDATE 9:57 p.m.: National Grid reports that power has not yet been restored and that crews are "re-assessing condition."

UPDATE 10:30 p.m.: Since the last update, power has been restored.

By Aaron Irons

Gov’t Mule’s latest album “Peace… Like A River” shreds laurels and hews fresh sounds from a batch of deeply personal and dynamic songs that deliver fuel for new and longtime admirers alike without giving into convention or complacency. A dozen studio albums in, the gang that originally hammered out its vanguard album at the Allman Brothers' old house in Macon, Georgia three decades ago is possibly even more compelling today than it was then.

Recorded in the same stretch of quarantined sessions that also begat the Mule’s 2021 juke- fest, “Heavy Load Blues,” “Peace… Like A River” is the story told clear-eyed in the sunshine, wary of encroaching shadows, and informed by lead guitarist/songwriter/frontman Warren Hayne’s pandemic experience.

“We decided to go with the blues record first because we'd been talking about doing a blues record for a long time and we thought, ‘Well if there was ever a time when everybody's got the blues, this is it!’” laughed Haynes, the Asheville, North Carolina native who started Gov’t Mule with drummer Matt Abts, and the late bassist Allen Woody in 1994. “‘Peace... Like A River,’ in some ways, deals with coming out of COVID and the whole lockdown, which we're all thankful to be out of -- assuming we are -- but it deals with it in more of a celebratory ‘other side of hell’ way.”

Recording the album’s more introspective material during daylight hours in the main room at the Power Station studio in Waterford, Connecticut, today’s lineup of Gov’t Mule, Haynes, Abts, bassist Jorgen Carlsson and keyboardist/guitarist Danny Louis would end the evening in one of the studio’s adjacent spaces, cranking out oily, fire-belching blues.

“We would switch our brains off, take a dinner break, and after dinner, hole up in the little small room next door and play blues the rest of the night! It was kind of a way of cleansing our brains and it turned out to be the right recipe,” said Haynes, who called in for this interview in late April.

Songs like “Made My Peace” offer up epic swells of stadium rock and psychedelia while plumbing emotions of loss and resignation, spiritually evoking the prodigal and notions of forgiveness. “It's also a metaphor for just coming back,” Haynes said. “It's written through the eyes of the prodigal son, which I don't think of myself that way, but metaphorically speaking, there's a lot of references to being gone for a long time and finding your way back. I also lost my dad during this process, which was really tough for me. And still is.”

On “Gone Too Long,” Haynes pays tribute to a fallen hero. “‘Gone Too Long’ is more of a one-on-one relationship with your soulmate, but the same thing of acknowledging how much of your life you've spent being away and what damage it did, and what major losses were suffered along the way,” Haynes revealed. “[It's] is a song that I wound up dedicating to David Crosby, who I only knew slightly. We played together once, but he was definitely an influence. I felt like that song had some of his influence from the very beginning, and then when he passed, it just made perfect sense for me.”

A wealth of special guests are seasoned throughout “Peace… Like A River,” including stellar shots from Ivan Neville and Ruthie Foster on the buoyant but lamenting “Dreaming Out Loud,” soul/blues belter Celisse Henderson, who appears on the hope-and-keys-laden “Just Across The River,” and icon Billy F. Gibbons of ZZ Top, who drops in on the “Heavy Load Blues”-ish “Shake Our Way Out”.

“That song, when we started working it up in the studio, it took on a ZZ-influenced vibe from the beginning and that's what urged me to call Billy and ask him if he would get involved,” said Haynes. “It was great. You know, he had played on a song called "Broke Down On The Brazos" that we did on (the 2009 album) “By A Thread” but he didn't sing. And on this one, he just sang and didn't play, so next time I guess we gotta get him to do both!”

With the revelation that he’s writing new material, Haynes is careful not to commit to the next chapter while Gov’t Mule prepares to embark on a tour that will crisscross North America through year’s end. “You know, I’ve been writing a lot of stuff that is more similar to “Man In Motion,” Haynes said, referencing his 2011 solo effort. 

“It’s somewhere between [that] and “Ashes & Dust,” and I wonder if maybe the next thing I do might wind up being a solo record. I’m sure after two records and two back-to-back tours, Gov’t Mule might want a break. I’m not there yet, but I have started to write a lot. “I’m looking forward to getting back in the studio, but for now, we’ve got a lot of stage playing to do,” he said.

A motor vehicle accident with unknown injuries is reported in the area of 5549 Clinton Street Road, Stafford.

The location is near the Prole Road Extension.

Stafford Fire dispatched.

UPDATE 12:36 a.m.: Two vehicles blocking the westbound lane.

UPDATE 12:41 a.m.: There is only one Mercy EMS ambulance available to respond.  There are five patients, "most of them will be signoffs," said chief on scene. Bethany's ambulance to be requested to the scene.

Le Roy enjoyed its 33rd Oatka Festival Parade on Saturday.

The Oatka Festival continues on Sunday and will include a car cruise and a duck barrel. 

Photos by Howard Owens. For more photos (a total of 72) and to purchase prints, click here.