Information and photos provided by Tipping Point Media.

This weekend, Darien Lake Theme Park is hosting a Festival of Nations, celebrating cultures and heritages from around the world.

The festival features 19 various bands and dance teams from across Western New York from a variety of backgrounds – Middle Eastern, Brazilian, Irish, German, Polish, African American, Asian, and classic American Country.

The festival continues on Sunday with 11 different live performances from 11:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.

In these parts it doesn't get much better than beer and wings, which makes T.F. Brown's right now the place to be.

T.F. Brown's, Main St. Pizza Company, Big Pauly's and Batavia's Original have teamed up to create the first ever Yuengs and Wings fest to raise money for Genesee Cancer Assistance.

The event goes until 8 p.m.

Pictured are Brenda Marchese, Rick Mancuso, Kathy Ferrare, Vic Marchese, Tom Scott, Paul Bernardini, Jamie Ingersol, Mike Bernardini and Racheal Cook.

Friday evening John Kennedy School hosted its annual Community Night. Nearly two dozen local businesses participated along with the police and fire departments and Mercy EMS. It was a chance for parents and children to enjoy some free pizza, play games and learn more about what the Batavia community has to offer.

NOTE: I'm a bit slow in getting these posted because the SD card in my camera turned out to be damaged, so it was a bit of a task getting the pictures off.

Batavia police responded to Jackson Street after receiving a complaint by a woman who says a man on the street threw things at her, knocked her down and threatened her with a knife. She said he then went and sat out on a nearby porch. Police are out with the suspect at 113 Jackson St. This was not a domestic violence call.

A large propane tank toppled over and is on fire near the house at 7615 Dublin Road, just west of Jerico Road. A state trooper at the scene says she's trying to get someone away from the fire and the person is refusing to leave. Bergen Fire Department is responding.

UPDATE 4:06 p.m.: The officer reports the person is now away from the fire.

UPDATE 4:09 p.m.: Fire command reports a 100-gallon cyclinder is on its side, free burning, with no exposure to the house.

UPDATE 4:19 p.m.: Griffith Oil is called to help its customer at that address.

UPDATE 4:25 p.m.: A rep for the oil company asked if the tank was still free burning and fire command says it is but the fuel level is low at this point.

An Airstream travel trailer is reportedly on fire on the westbound Thruway near mile marker 397.0. East Pembroke Fire Department is responding.

UPDATE 3 p.m.: The fire is "going pretty good." According to caller reports, the location is closer to 392.2, which is in Town of Batavia's district. All manpower from East Pembroke is called in along with units from Town of Batavia.

UPDATE 3:03 p.m.: Traffic is backed up to Kelsey Road. The trailer fire appears to be fully involved. The vehicle is disconnected from the trailer and both are roadside. There are still conflicting reports as to the location, now said to be by mile marker 396. It's determined to be in East Pembroke's district, which will therefore be in command.

UPDATE 3:08 p.m.: Firefighting equipment is not yet on scene. The trailer is probably going to be a total loss, according to fire command. Traffic is snarled.

UPDATE 4:16 p.m.: The East Pembroke / Town of Batavia assignment is back in service.

A person wearing a clown mask and driving a car downtown caught the eye of another driver, who called 9-1-1. Police are checking out the "suspicious condition" somewhere off Ellicott Street.

A caller to dispatch complains that a woman who appears to be in her 40s is pushing a baby in a stroller, and has two small children trailing behind her and she's allegedly screaming obscenities. The caller says she can "hear her all the way down the street," but she can't tell if she's allegedly screaming at the kids or something / somebody else. The caretaker was seen walking on Pearl Street in the city. Police are responding.

A bicyclist reportedly fell on off his bike and was lying unconscious in the roadway at Griswold, near Caswell Road. Law enforcement on scene says the man is a "little out of it" and cannot recall what happened. He is not intoxicated. He is conscious and alert. Mercy medics and Stafford fire were dispatched and Mercy Flight put on ground standby.

UPDATE 1:51 p.m.: Mercy Flight is cancelled and the other responders are told to proceed non-emergency.

UPDATE 2 p.m.: The Stafford assignment is back in service.

A woman from Akron is accused of selling crack cocaine to an agent of the Genesee County Drug Enforcement Task Force on Friday afternoon in the Village of Oakfield.

The woman and a passenger in her vehicle were allegedly found in possession of drugs and cash when they were arrested.

Taken into custody were Cindy Ann Battistoni, 41, of Greenbush Road, Akron, and Sakeel D. Hilson, 20, of Stevens Avenue, Buffalo.

Battistoni was allegedly found in possession of crack cocaine and marijuana.

Hilson was allegedly found in possession of crack, morphine and $1,050 cash.

The charges against Battistoni are criminal possession of a controlled substance, 3rd, unlawful possession of marijuana, criminal using drug paraphernalia, 2nd, and aggravated unlicensed operation.

Hilson is charged with criminal possession of a controlled substance, 3rd, criminal possession of a controlled substance, 4th, and criminal possession of a controlled substance, 7th.

Both suspects were arraigned in Oakfield and jailed on $25,000 bail each.

Task force members were assisted by uniformed deputies and the District Attorney's Office.

A deputy has been asked to check on two young women hitchhiking on Route 19 near Parmalee Road, Le Roy.

The deputy asked, "Is there a problem with them?"

The dispatcher replied, "The caller was concerned for their reason for hitchhiking."

Jason Whitehead is a missing teen from Le Roy. Whitehead is missing from foster care. He's considered a likely runaway. He may have headed to Olean or Oakfield.

There is no available clothing description. He is 6' 2", 185 pounds with sandy hair and hazel eyes. If you have information that could help authorities locate Jason, call the Sheriff's Office at (585) 343-5000.

Press release:

Batavia City Manager, Jason Molino, spoke to approximately 75 attendees at a roundtable discussion on Tuesday during the New York Conference of Mayors (NYCOM) 2013 Fall Training School that took place this week in Saratoga Springs.

Molino addressed the group as part of a discussion about budgeting and finance, a topic which Molino has been asked to speak about before. Molino shared Batavia’s budgeting process and outlined the way in which it has been successfully linked to the City’s Strategic Plan the past three years. He also shared Batavia’s achievements in developing a progressive employee wellness plan, successful water loss program and cost-effective sewer infrastructure improvements.

Last year Molino was invited to address attendees at NYCOM’s 2012 CFO Summit about Batavia’s Wellness Initiative.

“Our wellness initiative has resulted in higher employee and spouse participation as well as aggressive pursuit to minimize future healthcare costs for the City,” Molino said, “and after the summit last year, I received multiple phone calls from other cities and villages requesting more details about our wellness initiative.”

“One of NYCOM’s core functions is to educate and train local officials, and the September conference is our largest conference of the year,” said Barbara VanEpps, NYCOM’s deputy director. “During this conference, it’s important that our members walk away with a wealth of knowledge. We keep inviting Jason (Molino) to speak to our members because he has provided many good ideas regarding initiatives that the City of Batavia has undertaken that not have only helped Batavia to reduce expenses and function more efficiently, but that can also be replicated in other cities and villages across the state.”

“We are thrilled that Jason has been asked to represent Batavia on the state level for three years in a row,” said Batavia City Councilwoman Patty Pacino. “Jason is constantly pushing the envelope seeking to make Batavia a better, more viable place to live and work, and he is also an excellent teacher. The fact that NYCOM continues to invite Jason to help educate others clearly demonstrates the respect Jason has earned from other city, village and town leaders. This kind of recognition is important for Batavia, because while we realize that the programs we are doing and the decisions we are making are effective, being recognized by the state serves to reinforce the quality of those decisions.”

NYCOM, founded in 1910, has 1,579 members which include counties, cities, towns and villages across New York State. NYCOM’s mission is threefold: to serve as an advocate for city and village governments and their taxpayers before the state’s government; to serve as a readily accessible source of practical information for every area of municipal activity; and to serve as the preeminent provider of training for local government officials.

Press release:

The City of Batavia released a request for redevelopment proposals to reinvest at one of the City’s strategic Batavia Opportunity Area (BOA) sites. The one-acre parcel is located in the heart of downtown. Market research reports a demand for new office space and downtown market-rate residential.

The RFP deadline has been extended to Wednesday, Sept. 25.

Please review the attached proposal or visit the Web site for more details. Questions? You may contact our office or the City Manager’s office at 585-345-6330.

http://www.batavianewyork.com/

PDF Files:

• 2013-08-05 - RFP Della Penna (final)
• 2013-09-13 - ADDENDUM NO 1

Press release:

Congressman Chris Collins (NY-27) announced today additional grant funding for the Genesee County Airport and a separate grant for the Le Roy Airport.

The Genesee County Airport is receiving a $200,000 federal grant from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to build a new terminal building. According to the FAA, the existing terminal has "exceeded its useful life" and needs to be replaced. Earlier this week, Collins announced additional FAA grants for the Genesee County Airport totaling more than $1 million. That money will allow the County to relocate the airport’s apron and design a new taxiway.

Collins also announced $137,773 in federal funding for the Le Roy Airport (Le Roy Aviation Services). The money will allow the airport to remove trees and other obstructions near the Runway 10 approach to ensure clear navigation and enhance safety.

Press release:

The United States Constitution was crafted to protect the rights of individuals. An Eminent Domain clause was entered into the 5th Amendment to protect individual property owners from seizure of their property without the just cause of “public use,” and not without "just compensation."

We at the Genesee County Libertarian Party (GCLP) stand firmly against the seizure of the Douglas family home in East Bethany, NY. There can be no "just compensation" for a family who is forced to sell their home against their wishes. This violation of rights affects all taxpayers as well, since there is no justice in forcing said taxpayers to compensate property owners for a theft committed by bureaucratic means.

While it may be so that a roundabout will reduce the chances of accidents at this particular intersection, the GCLP believes that there are less expensive, and less intrusive solutions available to the NYS DOT which would could help alleviate this issue, while still respecting the individual rights of its citizens.

The GCLP urges the NYS DOT to explore those options, save the taxpayers undue expenses, and offer the Douglas family the security of knowing they are safe from government eviction.

A pick six with a 70-yard return by Andrew Budlong in the fourth quarter felt like a game changer.

The Batavia Blue Devils cut in half their 14-point deficit against the Cougers of Honeoye Falls-Lima and the energy level on the sidelines and in the stands kicked up a notch.

Even Head Coach Brandon Briggs was thinking "win" as the refs signaled touchdown.

"We always talk about X plays, the big plays, and you've got to win the big play battle," Briggs said. "When he was running that back, first I've got to look to make sure we don't clip anybody, and when he was crossing that goal line I was saying in my mind, 'we're going to win this football game.' Momentum swings."

Alas, with two minutes left in the came the momentum dissipated as quickly as it had swung to Batavia.

The Blue Devils were knocking on the door for another six when sophomore QB Greg Mruczek flicked a pass into the end zone that only found white jerseys.

From there, HFL was able to run out the clock. Final score, HFL 27, Batavia 20.

At no point during the four quarters of football did Batavia have a lead.

The Cougers scored in the first quarter on a seven-yard run by Ryan Olivo. At the top of the second quarter, HFL made it 13-0 when Cougers QB Dan Hart hit Jovan Alcorn on a 24-yard TD pass.

Brandon Stevenson finally put Batavia on the board with a 13-yard run, but the Blue Devils went into the locker room down 20-6 at the half.

"We told them when we were down a couple of scores last year at half time against Albion, we came back to beat them," Briggs said.

And the Blue Devils fought back, even after the Cougers opened the third quarter with another score, Batavia never said quit.

Mruczek answered HFL with a 38-yard strike to Stevenson to make Budlong's eventual pick six meaningful.

The defense tightened up and the cause seemed far from hopeless.

"Our theme is to keep chopping," Briggs said. "We're a small team. We're a blue collar team. We've got to come out no matter what and keep chopping away."

The game, like any early season game for a good, young team, is a learning experience, Briggs said.

"Monroe County football is a different horse," Briggs said. "I think our guys found that out tonight. I don't think they're going to pack it in at all. I think we're going to come in with our lunch boxes on Monday and we're going to do a good job."

UPDATE: Stats from the game: Stevenson, 18 carries for 105 yards and a TD, and two catches for 40 yards and one TD. Mruczek was 4-10 for 90 yards, a TD and three interceptions. Tom Garlock had 4.5 tackles and one sack. Budlong has a 77 interception return for a TD.

To purchase prints of photos, click here.

In other Friday night football action:

Alexander scored 64 points against hapless CG Finney for a 64-0 victory. Alexander had 509 yards of total offense, including 452 yards rushing. Dylan Scharlau had 22 carries for 239 yards and three TDs. Scharlau also blocked a punt and recovered the ball in the end zone for a touchdown. Tristan Aldinger filled in at fullback and had three carries for 118 yards and two touchdowns. Will Burke also played fullback and gained 58 yards on six carries and scored once plus three two-point conversion runs. On defense, Burke had 10 tackles. QB Nelson Burke was 2-5 passing for 57 yards and one TD with no interceptions. Zach Laird scored on a 41-yard reception. Cody Trzecieski has five tackles and two interceptions. John George had six tackles and he picked off a screen pass that he returned 28 yards to set up another Alexander score. Alexander is now 2-0 on the season and plays Notre Dame next Saturday.

Notre Dame moved to 2-0 with a 35-21 win over Oakfield-Alabama (0-2). Andrew Mullen carried the ball 18 times for 62 yards and one TD. QB Tim McCulley was 7-18 for 116 yards and four touchdowns. He also carried the ball 13 times for 99 yards. McCulley was 5-5 in PATs. Charlie Hebert had three receptions for 36 yards and one TD. Josh Johnson had two TD receptions and gained 53 yards. Joe Zickl also caught a 22-yard pass for a score. Hebert and Zickl led the defense with 8.5 tackles. Mullen had 7.5 tackles, as did McCulley. Tyler Stroud, 8. Dylan Cory recorded a sack. For the Hornets, QB Allen Chatt was 7-16 for 88 yards and one TD. Chris Nanni carried the ball 31 times for 167 yards and one TD. Nanni also had three receptions for 56 yards and a TD. Chase Manzella had 15 carries for 95 yards and a TD. Dominic D'Alba caught two pases for 15 yards. Manzella led the defense with six tackles and a sack. Jon Harris had four tackles as did D'Alba.

Le Roy moved to 2-0 with a 47-8 win over Bishop Kearney. We did not receive any stats for this game.

The only local game today is at 1:30 when Elba/Byron-Bergen (0-1) hosts Pembroke (1-0).

The Lyndonville Tigers, a semi-pro football team that plays its home games in Pembroke, host the Troy Fighting Irish at 4 p.m. today, in the NFA championship game.

Olympic gold medalist Jenn Suhr will perform the opening coin toss.

Fireworks will follow the game at 8 p.m.

In their 10th season, the Tigers are looking to win its first NFA championship against a Troy team that has won four consecutive championships. Both teams are 9-2 on the season.

Join us for the first ever Yuengs and Wings Fest. Saturday September 14^th 4-8 p.m. to benefit Genesee Cancer Assistance. It's sponsored by T.F. Brown's, Big Pauly’s Pizza and the Yuengling Brewery.

This event will be held on the patio at T.F. Brown's, located at 214 E. Main St., in Batavia. The participating vendors are: T.F. Brown's, Big Pauly's Pizza, Main Street Pizza and Batavia’s Original Pizzeria.

Tickets can be purchased at the door.

Each vendor will bring their favorite flavored wing. The $10 ticket price gets you three wings from each vendor -- so 12 wings for $10. We will donate $5 from each ticket to a local charity.

Live music on the patio during the event, with $2 cans of Yuengling Lager and Light Lager. Music entertainment provided by the Strummerz, and Rich Conroy from 4 – 8 p.m. The evening entertainment is Brent Persia.

Yuengs & Wing Fest is sponsored by T.F. Brown’s, Big Pauly’s Pizza and Yuengling Brewery. Proceeds will benefit Genesee Cancer Assistance.

A large mulch pile is smoldering on city property north of the Sheriff's Office, which is located at 165 Park Road. City fire is on scene.

UPDATE 6:23 p.m.: A firefighter aboard Engine 11 says "We're going to call it a steaming pile of mulch. We're returning to service."