Announcements

The Batavia Blue Devils Youth Football Camp will be held from 9 to 11:30 a.m. on Monday and Tuesday, July 18 and 19, behind Batavia High School, located at 260 State St. in Batavia.

The camp is for children entering grade two through grade eight. All school districts are welcome.

It is hosted by Head Coach Brennan Briggs and the Batavia High School football coaching staff. Plus current BHS football players and members of the two-time Section V Championship teams will speak to, and work with, the campers.

Cost is $40. Deadline to register is July 8.

Bring shorts, T-shirt, cleats, and a bottle of water.

Campers will get a T-shirt and pizza after Tuesday's camp.

The camp will feature offensive and defensive position work.

There will be speed challenges; flag football games at the end of each day.

What they'll work on (All drills will be modified for age group):

Quarterbacks -- Hand placement, 3-step, 5-step, footwork drills, throwing mechanics, ball handling drills;

Wide Receivers -- Stance, start, footwork drills, hand drills, route running;

Running Backs -- Stance, start, footwork drills, run blocking, pass blocking;

Offensive Line -- Stance, start, run blocking drills, pass blocking drills;

Linebackers -- Stance, start, footwork drills, tackling form drills, run stopping, pass defending;

Defensive Backs -- Stance, start, footwork drills, man coverage, zone coverage, pass defending;

Defensive Line -- Stance, start, 1 v. 1 drills, speed and quickness off the ball.

Make checks ($40) payable to:

Blue Devils Touchdown Club, 306 S. Jackson St., Batavia, NY 14020

Mail check with a piece of paper that includes:

• Name of camper
• Grade the camper will enter this fall
• Emergency contact and phone number
• Offensive Position
• Defensive Position
• T-shirt size

Stacey Ziminski is continuing on with the Batavia citywide yard sale that started last year with the help of the now-defunct community booster group Vibrant Batavia.

Vibrant Batavia supplied Ziminski with a map of around 80 yard sale participants and some advertising.

Ziminski plans to run the yard sale as an annual event that will take place the last Saturday and Sunday of June starting at 9 a.m. and ending at 5 p.m. each day.

"I'm scrabbling around to throw it together...I'm looking to get as much help as I can...," Ziminski said.

​She doesn't have a dedicated website for the yard sale yet, but she does have a Facebook page, which boasts more than 800 likes; she plans to use it to list addresses of all the yard sales in Batavia this weekend. 

To register your yard sale in the Batavia citywide yard sale, go to their Facebook page and submit your address and yard sale.

The weather should be nice and hot.

Press release:

Genesee, Orleans and Wyoming Public Health Advisory

Keeping Wild Animals – Unsafe, Illegal and Inhumane! 

RABIES ALERT! STOP! and THINK! Do NOT touch! It can kill! Any mammal is able to get rabies, it is very important to get your pets vaccinated and not to touch or handle any stray or wild animals including baby animals and bats.

“The Health Department has had several cases where people have taken in wild animals (babies) and / or played with stray cats and dogs which have led to unnecessary post exposure treatments and/or having to put the animals down (euthanize) them to be tested," stated Paul Pettit, director of Genesee and Orleans County Health Departments.

"Because rabies is in New York State ALL wild and stray animals that come in direct contact (bitten or scratched with broken skin and saliva exchange in open wounds or mucous membranes – eyes, nose, and mouth) with humans and domesticated animals are assumed to have rabies...even if they don’t.

"The only way to know is by testing the animal, which means it has to be euthanized. Whether the animal has rabies or does not, it is dead. Not only are you putting your family and friends at risk of a deadly disease, those who think they are ‘helping’ an animal could be giving it a death sentence."

Rabies is a deadly disease caused by a virus that attacks the central nervous system (brain and spinal cord). Infected mammals can spread rabies virus to humans and other mammals through the saliva and spinal fluids. Rabies is almost always fatal once symptoms appear.

Pettit notes, “It is illegal to possess any wild animal that naturally lives in the state. Not only do these animals have the potential to spread rabies, but they often carry parasites, or may carry diseases that can be spread from animal to human.

"It is important to leave wild animals alone! More times than not baby animals are not orphaned but are kept hidden while the parents can hunt for food or stay away to protect them from predators. Nature will take care of nature. Wild animals have had to be put down because humans have interfered in their lives.”

The best way to keep pets safe from rabies is to vaccinate them and keep their shots up-to-date.

By avoiding contact with stray or wild animals, saving the bat / animal that may have had contact with humans / domestic animals, and reporting an incident to your local Health Department, we may be able to avoid unnecessary medical treatment that averages over $3,000 per person.

Take note of the upcoming FREE anti-rabies immunization clinics for dogs, cats and ferrets. The animal must be three months of age or older. Additional clinics can be found by checking the web sites or calling your local Health Department. Check your county web site for pre-registration instructions. Each dog, cat, and ferret must be accompanied by someone who can control it:

• Genesee County: Thursday, Aug. 18, at the Genesee County Fairgrounds, 5031 E. Main St., Batavia. The clinic runs from 4 to 7 p.m. Dog, cat and ferret vaccinations are free for Genesee County residents. A $5 voluntary donation per dog, cat, or ferret, is appreciated to offset clinic expenses. Non-county residents must pay a mandatory $5 fee for each dog, cat, and ferret immunized. Speed up the registration process during the clinic by registering your pets ahead of time! To pre-register your pets visit: http://www.co.genesee.ny.us/departments/health/click_here_to_pre-register.html
• Wyoming County: Wednesday, July 20, at the Attica Town Highway Department, Route 98, Attica. The clinic runs from 6 to 8 p.m. (Registrations until 7:45 p.m.) This is a FREE clinic to Wyoming County residents ~ Donations are gratefully accepted! Out of county residents will be charged $10 per animal.
• Orleans County: Saturday, Aug. 27, at the Shelby Highway Department, 4062 Shelby Basin Road, Medina. The clinic runs from 9 to 11:30 a.m. You must arrive no later than 11:30 to ensure that you will be served. Clinic staff reserves the right to decline service to late (after 11:30) arrivals. To pre-register go to https://apps.health.ny.gov/doh2/applinks/cdmspr/ this site will have an Orleans County button/link before the scheduled clinics.

• For information on Health Department services contact,

• Genesee County Health Department at: 344-258,0 ext. 5545 or visit their website at www.co.genesee.ny.us/departments/health/index.html. Visit Facebook at Genesee County Health Department and Twitter at GeneseeCoHealthDept.

•  Wyoming County Health Department at: 786-8890 or visit their web site at   www.wyomingco.net/health/main.html. 

•  Orleans County Health Department at: 589-3278 or check out our website at: www.orleansny.com/publichealth.

            Visit Facebook and Twitter: the user name for both is OrleansCoHealth.

Children ages 5 to 12 years old are invited to join the Batavia High School cheerleaders at their premiere cheer camp Friday and Saturday, July 29-30, at Vandetta Stadium. The stadium is located at 120 Richmond Ave. in Batavia.

Both days are mandatory. Cost is $40 and will include a camp T-shirt and pizza on Saturday.

Camp on Friday is from 1 to 5 p.m. On Satruday, it's from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., with a performance for parents at noon.

There will be a cheer merchandise booth for the participants to purchase extra apparel and bows.

Registration is due by July 8.

Questions? Call Melissa Swinehart at 202-6504 or Sherri Wahr at 356-0639.

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Mail registration fee, payable to Batavia Cheer Boosters, along with a piece of paper with the cheerleader's name, age, name of parent or guardian, phone number, and shirt size to:

Batavia High School

Attn: Cheer Booster

260 State St.

Batavia, NY 14020

Press release:

The Batavia Concert Band’s 91st season of music making will run again this year with free public concerts in Batavia’s Centennial Park on June 29; July 6, 13, 20, 27; Aug. 3 and 10, as well as the ever-popular July 4 "Picnic In The Park" sponsored by GO ART!

In addition, the Band will be featured at Birchwood Village Apartments' "Light the Night" concert on Tuesday. Aug. 2. The Aug. 3 concert in Centennial Park will feature sections of the Band and soloists.

The Batavia Concert Band’s repertoire is wide ranging in origin, period and style: marches, Big Band and swing numbers, popular songs from musicals and movies, rock favorites arranged for band, classical adaptations, fun songs for kids of all ages, and everything in between.

The Band consists of 45-55 brass, woodwind and percussion players ranging from talented high school students to 60-year veterans. Many have professional experience; the rest are advanced amateur musicians. All love to play.

This year’s conductor will be John Bailey, instrumental music director at Lyndonville Central School. The June 29 and July 4 "Picnic In The Park" concerts will be conducted by Joshua Pacino.

Founded in the early 1920s, the Batavia Concert Band has brought musical pleasure to the region every year except during World War II. The Band currently enjoys support from GO ART!, concert sponsors, program advertisers and individual patrons. The City of Batavia supplies chairs for musicians. The Band also sponsors 50-50 raffles at every concert, bake sales and other low-key fundraisers. Individuals or businesses interesting in supporting the Band should contact a Board member at any concert.

Downbeat for regular season concerts is 7 p.m., Wednesday evenings, in Centennial Park, Batavia. (*In the event of rain, concerts will move to Genesee Community College’s Stuart Steiner Theatre. Notices will be posted at the northwest corner of Centennial Park, announced on in local media, on the Batavia Concert Band’s website http://bataviaconcertband.net, and the Band’s Facebook page.)

Community Action of Orleans & Genesee, Inc., is looking for additional vendors and crafters for its upcoming Vendor Blender to be held on Saturday, Oct. 8, in Batavia.

Please e-mail Kim for more information at kgloskowski@caoginc.org. 

Community Action Of Orleans & Genesee

5073 Clinton Street Road

Batavia, NY 14020

Press release:

A 2016 Summer Basketball Camp will be held July 18-22 in the Batavia High School Auxiliary Gym. 

It will be held from 9 a.m. to noon Monday-Friday.

The camp is open to boys and girls entering grades 3-8 in the fall. Cost of the camp is $65 and includes a camp T-shirt. Participants are asked to bring their own basketball every day and have their name on it.

The camp will feature Coach Jim Fazio, Batavia Jr. Blue Devil Youth Director, coaching intern Antwain Richardson, youth coaches, and current and former Blue Devil players.

Camp benefits: The camp will focus on the offensive fundamentals of the game including shooting, passing, dribbling, and ball handling, with a major emphasis on shooting. Sportsmanship, fair play, and safety will be emphasized all week. There will be daily contests with full and half court games.

Batavia City Schools are not responsible for injury that may happen during camp. Please enter and exit the high school in the front circle.

Make checks payable to: Batavia Boys Basketball Boosters.

Mail to: Jim Fazio 5190 Ellicott Street Road, Batavia, NY 14020.

Also, provide this information:

• Name
• Address
• Town
• Age
• Grade entering in Fall
• School
• Phone #
• Medical concerns
• T-shirt size (Youth S-XL; Adult S-XL)
• Parent/Guardian signature

Press release:

Independent Living of the Genesee Region will be holding a series of FREE Chronic Disease Self-Management workshops for the community beginning June 20^th.

Those who attend will be shown practical steps to gain control of their daily health concerns. Participants will learn about healthy eating, problem-solving, action plans, medications, weight management, physical activity, sleep, and relationship communication skills.

The workshop information is relevant for those experiencing chronic conditions such as: Arthritis, Asthma, Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disorder (COPD), Cystic Fibrosis, Diabetes, and Eating Disorders. The workshops are taking place from 1:30 to 4 p.m. at the Independent Living of the Genesee Region, 113 Main St., Suite 5, Batavia, over six Mondays, but skipping the Independence Day holiday. 

The actual dates are June 20^th and 27^th; July 11^th, 18^th and 25^th; and Aug. 1^st.

Registration priority is given to Medicaid recipients, but Medicaid eligibility is NOT required for attendance. Pre-registration IS required. You can receive more information, and sign up for the workshops by contacting Patricia McAllister at pmcallister@wnyil.org or (585) 815-8501, ext. 402. Again, please be sure to RSVP if you are interested!

Press release:

The City of Batavia Audit Advisory Committee was established to provide oversight to the financial and compliance reporting process, external audit process and control environment. 

If you are interested in serving on the Audit Advisory Committee, please submit your application (which can be obtained from the Clerk’s Office or found on our website, www.batavianewyork.com) to the City Clerk’s Office by June 30^th.

The Committee aids in the communication between the City Manager and the independent auditor in areas including integrity of the City’s financial statement, compliance with legal and regulatory requirements and the performance, qualifications and independence of the auditors.

The Committee will be responsible for meeting with the auditor’s prior to the audit, reviewing risk assessment, reviewing the draft financial statements and making a recommendation on acceptance of the external audit reports to the City Manager. Additional responsibilities include reviewing the management letter and establishing internal controls. The Committee is made up of three City residents and two Council members.

Thank you for your interest!

Press release:

The City Council is seeking interested individuals to take part in a Deer Management Committee. The committee will be comprised of both citizens and city staff members and will seek to identify and quantify the deer problem within the city and explore all deer management techniques.

The outcome will be a definition of the problem, an outline of all techniques utilized by other communities and identified as best practices to deal with the problem, and a comprehensive list of resources including costs associated with each management practice.  From there, City Council will decide which, if any, deer management practice to initiate for the City of Batavia.

Council is seeking individuals from a diverse background and who are interested in this subject matter. Individuals should reside within the City of Batavia. All interested individuals should submit their application, which can be obtained from the City Clerk’s office or online at www.batavianewyork.com, by June 30th.  Thank you for your interest in this committee!

Press release:

The Batavia Business Improvement District (BID) is pleased to host the Second Annual Beertavia Craft Beer Festival, with major sponsorship by Alex’s Place, on Saturday, June 18th from 3-6 p.m. in the Bank & Alva parking lot (27 Bank St.) in Downtown Batavia.

Advanced purchase tickets are $10 for designated drivers (must be 21 to enter festival), $25 for regular admission and $35 for VIPs. (Tickets on the day of increase to $30 and $40, respectively.) All designated drivers receive complimentary drink and food. A regular ticket holder receives a sampler 5 oz. glass. VIPs receive a 16 oz. pint glass and earlier admission at 2 p.m.

Sixteen breweries will be on hand to serve samples of their craft creations including 42 North Brewing, 810 Meadworks, Abandon Brewing, Amber Lantern Brewing, Bandwagon Brewery, Big Ditch Brewing Co., Community Beer Works, CB Craft Brewers, Ellicottville, Four Mile Brewing, Hamburg Brewing, Ommegang, Resurgence, RG Brewery, Rohrbach Brewing Co., and Southern Tier Brewing Company.

In addition to the breweries, the festival will have a temporary parklet/ biergarten; food from Alex’s Place and other local vendors, and music provided by The Bluesy Band. All persons must be 21 to enter the festival.

Press release:

The Batavia Business Improvement District (BID) is pleased to announce the beginning of the season for the Genesee Country Farmers’ Market located at the Downtown Batavia Public Market.

The market is located at Bank and Alva streets and will operate from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays beginning this Friday, June 10^th until Oct. 28^th.

The market will offer fresh fruits, vegetables, flowers, coffee, crafts and more.

Please come this Friday to join the many others who support the newly merged markets and to support the Downtown with this new venture.

For questions regarding the market, please contact Market President Bob Austen at (585) 991-8339.

Press release:

This year is a special year for Mercy Flight WNY as we are celebrating our 35th year of operation.

Batavia Mercy Flight & Mercy EMS will be having our annual summer open house Satruday, June 18th, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Batavia Home Depot, located at 4181 Veterans Memorial Drive, Batavia.

We are planning to have Mercy Flight land at noon for tours as well has have some ambulances from the Mercy EMS fleet on display and tours, too.

During the event we will have various family activities and an ongoing 50/50 and Chinese Auction during the event. 

Their will be various police, and fire departments doing demos and speaking with the community and showing off their vehicles, too. The City of Batavia will also have its Child Safety Seat technicians out to check car seats. If possible, bring both the child and the car seat with you, so they know its properly installed and fits the child using the car seat.

If you have any questions or wish to make a donation for the Chinese auction table, please contact Base Coordinator Lynn O'Donnell at 716-864-5060 or lodonnell@mercyflight.org and she will be happy to assist you.

Children ages 5 to 12 years old are invited to join the Batavia High School cheerleaders at their premiere cheer camp Friday and Saturday, July 29-30, at Vandetta Stadium. The stadium is located at 120 Richmond Ave. in Batavia.

Both days are mandatory. Cost is $40 and will include a camp T-shirt and pizza on Saturday.

Camp on Friday is from 1 to 5 p.m. On Satruday, it's from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., with a performance for parents at noon.

There will be a cheer merchandise booth for the participants to purchase extra apparel and bows.

Registration is due by July 8.

Questions? Call Melissa Swinehart at 202-6504 or Sherri Wahr at 356-0639.

****************

Mail registration fee, payable to Batavia Cheer Boosters, along with a piece of paper with the cheerleader's name, age, name of parent or guardian, phone number, and shirt size to:

Batavia High School

Attn: Cheer Booster

260 State St.

Batavia, NY 14020

Press release:

Would you like to live with the next Ryan Howard or Chase Utley? 

The Batavia Muckdogs are again seeking local families to assist in housing players during the 2016 baseball season.

Anyone can help provide lodging for this year's Muckdogs by either providing space or renting a room, apartment, or home. While many host families come back year after year, the team is always looking to add to their list of availability for the players.   

Host families play a crucial role in helping young players feel comfortable in a new environment. Many who have hosted players in the past have had incredibly wonderful experiences. However, with players coming and going throughout the season, we have constant needs as far as housing goes.

The 2016 season runs from June 17 until Sept. 5 and players typically range from 18-23 years of age. Because of the players schedule, they typically spend about 40 nights in their host family home. 

Anyone in need of more information on becoming a host family is invited to contact the Muckdogs’ office at (585) 343-5454 or tsick@muckdogs.com. You can also call our housing coordinator Shirley Fanara directly at (585) 356-3411.

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The Batavia Muckdogs are the short-season, Class A affiliate of the Miami Marlins and are the last remaining founding member of the New York-Penn League, dating back to 1939. The Batavia Muckdogs are operated by the neighboring Rochester Red Wings.

Location: Dwyer Stadium, 299 Bank St., Batavia, NY 14020

Phone: 585-343-5454; Fax: 585-343-5620

Website: www.muckdogs.com