The Caryville Inn in Oakfield sponsored its annual Turkey Trot on Thursday morning.

It was a new, and for the first-time certified, course for this year's event.

It’s that time of year when most everyone knows the drill by now: it’s feast day on Thanksgiving, followed by Black Friday deals online and at bigger box and department stores, and then there’s the day that not only supports your local community but allows for shoppers to get that personalized touch from smaller, quality businesses.

Yes, Small Business Saturday is right around the corner, and it’s such a great time of year, that Valle’s Jewelers devotes an entire week to it, Carrie Lawrence says.

“We always celebrate Small Business Saturday one week prior by doing eight giveaways and several in-store special sales,” the shop’s co-owner said. “It’s our favorite week of the year to thank our customers for shopping with us all year long.”

Lawrence said that you don't want to miss the eight giveaways this year, as “we do have some really fantastic giveaways.”

“You can just come on in, and each lady gets a ticket, and they can enter in to win all the fabulous giveaways,” she said, adding that shopping local is also important to her as a consumer. “My brother and I, and all of our staff, feel that it's incredibly important to give back to the community that has given so much to us by shopping at all of the local stores. And we kind of feed off of each other at this exciting time before the December rush by sending our customers to the other local establishments as well.”

The opportunity for giveaways will be going on through Saturday, with hours of 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. at 21 Jackson St., Batavia. 

A walk through the alley between Jackson and Center streets would get you to Adam Miller Toys & Bicycles at 8 Center St., which is loaded with kids’ toys, games, bikes, and accessories. One thing’s for sure, store owner John Roche said, “Small Business Saturday is for us, and not Black Friday.”

“That's totally changed to something different,” he said. “So Small Business Saturday, obviously, is for small business and is very important. It kicks off the holiday season for us.”

The store will begin its expanded holiday hours of 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and offer some special promotions, he said, including a buy two, get one free for the large jigsaw puzzles and buy one, get half off plastic model kits.

There will also be a holiday gift basket that shoppers can enter to win. Everyone will get one entry form, and then the more you purchase, the more entries you will receive. The shop also has a holiday gift certificate every year that’s priced as the year. So this year, you can purchase a $30 gift certificate for $20.23. 

Just down the street on the corner is Charles Men’s Shop at 200 E. Main St. A longtime familiar face and part owner, Don Brown, is a proponent not only of customers frequenting the men’s shop but of the bigger picture as to how keeping it local works. When you spend your money in your own community, it tends to remain right here and get reinvested, boosting the local workforce, the businesses that those people support, and the overall local economy. 

“Small Business Saturday aims to create awareness about the impact shoppers have when they buy from locally owned stores and companies year-round,” Brown said. “At least two-thirds of every dollar spent at small businesses stays within the local area, creating returns for the entire community. We encourage people to make a big impact by shopping small on Small Business Saturday.”

Brown is also an owner of Batavia Bootery at 210 E. Main St., which sells an assortment of men’s and women’s boots, slippers, shoes, sandals and other footwear accessories. The men’s shop and bootery will be selling a $100 gift certificate for $20 off as a special this weekend. 

Brown wants customers to know that Charles Men’s Shop has a tailor shop on the premises, free gift wrapping and free parking behind the store. That’s another perk of shopping in a smaller downtown such as Batavia — free parking lots, no paid garages, and accessible spots close to shops. 

He understands that people may go online to shop for certain goods such as supplements or batteries, but when it comes to specialty items, that’s where the small, customized business shines, Brown said. He is also a big believer in shopping local himself.

“I am a big fan of shopping local, and creating relationships,” he said.

Charles Men’s Shop will be open from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. and The Bootery from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday.

Senator George Borrello will be doing his part in forging those relationships with business owners and constituents on what has become a yearly trek in Downtown Batavia followed by a trip to Wyoming County for some small business shopping. 

Borrello plans to hit up six shops in the city, browsing everything from handmade chocolates and fine jewelry to men’s clothing, comfy footwear and children’s games. Businesses are the “heart and soul of our communities,” he said, which is why he advocates for them in Albany and is a staunch supporter of them locally as much as possible.

“Independently owned businesses make our downtowns more vibrant, spur additional growth, employ our neighbors and contribute to our tax base,” Borrello said to The Batavian. “In addition, every dollar spent at a small business has a greater multiplier effect. Many local shops rely on local suppliers and services and also contribute to local charities and community organizations."

When it comes time to buy gifts for family and friends, he and his wife always shop at small businesses, he said. After all, it takes one to know — and appreciate — one.

“We are small business owners ourselves, and we want to support other entrepreneurs,” Borrello said. “But we also ‘shop small’ because that is where we are most likely to find truly unique, high-quality items that will be enjoyed long after the holidays. Big Box stores typically don’t have those one-of-a-kind gifts."

And should you feel like a bite once out and about,  there are several individually owned restaurants to choose from in Genesee County, including Eli Fish Brewing Co., 109 Main St., and T.F. Brown’s, 214 E. Main St., Batavia. 

Hoops runs in the McCulley Family DNA, and that trait was fully on display on Tuesday in Rochester when cousins Callie and Amelia took the court against each other for the first time in their respective college careers.

Callie is in her final year, as a fifth-year senior and the University of Rochester. Amelia is just starting at William and Smith College.  Both young women helped their respective Notre Dame squads win Section V titles and both scored more than 1,000 points in their high school basketball careers.

Callie graduated in 2019 and Amelia last year.

U of R got the win on Tuesday, 83-72. Calle scored 22 points and grabbed eight rebounds. Amelia scored five points and had three rebounds.

Photos by Pete Welker.

Good music was part of the Thanksgiving celebration at Ri-Dans in Batavia on Wednesday night with the Rusty Fisher Band and the Growlers Blues Band both taking the stage.

Photos by Howard Owens.

A two-vehicle accident is reported on Main Street at Clay Street in Le Roy.

No word on injuries.

Reported airbag deployment.

One vehicle is blocking a lane of traffic.

Le Roy Fire and Le Roy Ambulance dispatched.

Press Release:

Assemblyman Steve Hawley (R,C-Batavia) recently received an excellent ranking in the New York State Conservative Party’s legislative session ratings report, which was released yesterday. Hawley received a conservative rating of 92 out of 100 with the average score for Assembly Republicans being 88. 

The report took into account members’ positions on issues such as criminal justice, Second Amendment rights and tax policies. Hawley is proud to have received this high rating and is committed to supporting pro-business policies and working to lower the cost of living across the state.

“Upholding conservative principles has been the cornerstone of my time serving in Albany,” said Hawley. “Our state has seen rising crime and increased inflation due to liberal policies that have had negative effects on citizens and businesses. What New York needs more than anything right now is representatives who believe in individual liberty and the rule of law. As long as I am still in the Assembly, there will always be someone standing up for these values in our state.”

Press Release:

Six members of the Byron-Bergen Chapter of the FFA joined over 72,000 attendees at the FFA National Convention in Indianapolis, Indiana on Nov. 2 and 3. However, their adventure began four days prior when they loaded up the tour bus and set out on an agriculture-themed road trip complete with educational experiences, sightseeing, and celebrity photo-ops. They shared this journey with the Belleville Henderson FFA, Indian River FFA, and Alexandria Bay FFA.

“I really loved meeting people from all over the US,” said 10th-grade FFA member Grace Mundell. “The people I met and got to know on our bus were amazing and I felt such a sense of belonging.”

After a quick stop at the Cleveland Zoo, the group headed to Kentucky for a peak into the world of horse racing. Keeneland Racetrack, Churchill Downs, and the Kentucky Derby Museum were all on the itinerary as well as Ashford Farm. Ashford Farm is a family-owned horse farm specializing in boarding and training sport horses. While at Ashford, FFA members had the opportunity to Meet 2015 Triple Crown Winner, American Pharoah.

“I love how everything and everyone in Kentucky revolves around horses,” said Mundell. “I got to pet American Pharoah, one of two living triple crown winners. I learned that the stud fee for him is $250,000 and I learned about how much work and money goes into horse racing.” 

“We learned that a horse sold for 12 million dollars at Keenland racetrack and (at Winstar Farms) I learned that Secretariat’s heart was three times the size of an average horse’s heart,” said 10th grade FFA member Paige O’Brien. O’Brien’s favorite part of the trip was visiting Haygard Equine Medical Facility. “I was able to see other career options that I may want to fulfill.”

From Kentucky, the group headed to Indiana to visit Tom Farms, the largest landowner in the state. They farm 18,000 acres, 3500 acres in seed corn and the rest is a mix of soybeans and field corn. The group received a behind-the-scenes look at what goes into producing over 150 million pounds of corn and soybeans every year.

The final stop on their journey was the 96th Annual FFA National Convention. The main sessions were held in Lucas Oil Stadium, home of the Indianapolis Colts. FFA members networked with agricultural industry representatives and representatives from many agricultural, natural resource, and engineering colleges including Cornell University, SUNY Cobleskill, SUNY Morrisville, Paul Smiths College, and Clarkson University.

“This was a great opportunity for our students to network with FFA members from across the state and nation,” said Parnapy. “There were chapters at the convention representing all 50 states.”

O’Brien stated that “making connections with members from other states” was the most memorable part of the convention. Mundell will always remember reciting the FFA pledge at the convention center in unison with 66,000 other FFA members. One of the last stops before boarding the bus back to New York State was to the Indiana State Fairgrounds to attend a rodeo.

“I think one of my favorite parts was probably the rodeo, I hadn't ever been to one before and it was really fun and super cool to watch and cheer for the cowboys,” said Mundell. “In all that was the best trip I have ever gone on. I will never forget the people I met or the things I experienced and the places we went, it really was amazing.”

In light of an explosion today at the Rainbow Bridge in Niagara Falls of an undetermined nature, Genesee County Sheriff William A. Sheron, Jr. would like to remind citizens to be conscious of their surroundings and to report any suspicious activity immediately to local law enforcement by dialing 9-1-1.

For those that haven't heard the news, two people died, and a Border Patrol officer was injured when a vehicle exploded Wednesday at the Niagara Falls International Rainbow Bridge border crossing between the United States and Canada, according to a New York Times article. 

The FBI is investigating the incident.

The article cited two American law enforcement officials "with knowledge of the matter."

The cause of the explosion, its precise location and the direction that the vehicle had been traveling were not immediately clear, the article stated. A video from the scene showed what appeared to be an inspection booth at the bridge, with smoke billowing out of the top and debris surrounding it.

A bicyclist has reportedly been hit by a car on West Main Street, Batavia, between Bogue and Woodrow.

City Fire and Mercy EMS dispatched.

UPDATE 2:09 p.m. by Joanne Beck: The patient was initially unconscious, but came to and is being examined by Mercy EMS and is likely going to be transported to a local hospital with minor injuries.

Press Release:

Today we received a tanker of water from the NY State Office of Emergency Management to temporarily provide water to our residents experiencing dry wells.

For those residents affected, please call 585-343-1399, Ext. 202, and leave your full name, address and phone number. You will then be contacted with times to come to the town hall parking lot to fill your water totes.

Respectfully, Bethany Town Supervisor Carl Hyde Jr.

A Town of Batavia resident and business owner reiterated his objections Tuesday night to a proposed Genesee Biogas plant earmarked for the Genesee Valley Agri-Business Park but, once again, project developers attempted to alleviate his concerns over the smell of its emissions.

Speaking at the Batavia Town Planning Board meeting at the Town Hall on West Main Street Road, Eric Biscaro questioned Lauren Toretta, president of CH4 Biogas, and Sara Gilbert of Pinewood Engineering, about the extent of the odor from the facility, which is set to be constructed on Ag Park Drive, not far away from Ellicott Street Road.

“If you go by O-AT-KA (Milk Products Cooperative) on lots of given days, the odor there is enough to … it’s bad,” Biscaro said. “So, it’s seems that it would be more intense at your place if you’re going to bring it over from O-AT-KA and (HP) Hood and Upstate (Niagara Cooperative). If you’re going to be worse than O-AT-KA, then I’m going to tell you that I’m going 100 percent against this.”

Biscaro mentioned his neighbors on Ellicott Street Road and also those on Shepard Road when he added, “We really don’t want you to do that to us.”

The scene mirrored what played out six months ago when Biscaro, as a member of the Genesee County Planning Board, voiced his opposition to the digester based on the potential odor.

Last night, as was the case in May, Gilbert and Toretta, responded by stating that measures are in place to mitigate the smell as the digester handles sanitary waste primarily from the three Ag Park enterprises.

Gilbert said the digester storage tanks feature a process that is “entirely enclosed,” unlike the system at O-AT-KA that has open air containers where “odors can get into the air and get wind dispersed.”

“It is an enclosed process, it has odor filtration, and we also have an odor mitigation plan that we’ve started to prepare if there’s a breakdown in the process; a way to identify it and rectify it,” she said.

Toretta called the digester, which was first proposed about nine years ago, a “next level” project and a “landmark facility” that comes with numerous technological advances.

Biscaro then brought up the placement of the facility and wondered why it couldn’t be shifted further north on Ag Park Drive, closer to HP Hood and Upstate and farther away from people’s homes.

“This is the parcel that the Ag Park asked us to be on,” Toretta replied, noting that Hood is planning an expansion and has use for more of its property. “We also oriented the site as far from the road as possible, up against the tree line …”

Prior to Biscaro’s comments, Gilbert updated planners on the project, emphasizing that waste from the food processing plants will be shipped to lagoons approved by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation and not to the City of Batavia wastewater treatment plant.

She said the waste is deemed by the DEC as “good material for fertilizer.”

Gilbert addressed other key points such as making sure the project aligns with federal requirements concerning environmental impact, stormwater treatment, water usage, truck traffic and wildlife protection.

She noted that county planners have recommended approval of a height variance for the storage tanks, and that the next step is to return to the Town Planning Board to take on the State Environmental Quality Review process.

A head-on collision is reported on West Main Street Road just west of Lewiston Road in the Town of Batavia.

Town of Batavia Fire and Mercy EMS dispatched.

UPDATE 11:55 a.m.: It appears to be minor injuries. Only one ambulance is required.

UPDATE: One occupant in each car, minor injuries.

More than two dozen football players from Genesee County made the West's roster for the Eddie Meath All-Star Game, which was played Monday at U of R's Fauver Stadium.

The East beat the West 21-6.

Genesee County players on the West roster:

• Trent Woods, Alexander
• Clayton Bezon, Alexander
• Case Hill, Alexander
• Landyn Thomas
• Cole Grazioplene, Batavia
• Mekhi Fortes, Batavia
• Brian Calderon, Batavia
• Damon Linzy, Byron-Bergen
• Anthony Leach, Byron-Bergen
• Max Wilson, Byron-Bergen
• Tony Piazza, Le Roy
• Jackson Fix, Le Roy
• Drew Strollo, LeRoy
• Cal Koukides, Le Roy
• AustinPangrazio, Oakfield-Alabama/Elba
• Ashton Bezon, Oakfield-Alabama/Elba
• Bodie Hyde, Oakfield-Alabama/Elba
• Angelo Penna, Oakfield-Alabama/Elba
• Tyson Totten, Pembroke
• Jeremy Gabbey, Jr., Pembroke
• Sean Pustulka, Pembroke
• Jaden Mast, Pembroke
• Brennan Royce, Pembroke
• Joe Bauer, Pavilion
• Tyler Brady, Pavilion
• Austin Cummings, Pavilion

Ella Mattice of Le Roy participated as a cheerleader.

Photos by Debra Reilly

All things considered, Bethany Town Supervisor Carl Hyde was in fairly good spirits Tuesday evening after making phone calls to Bethany residents for three hours to, as he put it, serve as an early Grinch and rob them of their holiday. 

Those people had been planning on celebrating Thanksgiving at the town’s Community Center because they didn’t have water in their own homes. On Tuesday morning, the Community Center went dry as well. 

“They always rent the hall. So today, I had to be the Grinch that stole Christmas and Thanksgiving. I’m just sick to my stomach over it,” Hyde said. “I’ve been here 60 years, other than the six years I was in the military, and I’ve never seen it like this. And even some of the old people that have been in to see me that are out of water, they’ve been here a heck of a lot longer than me, and they’ve never seen it this bad.”

Just how bad? Out of 665 homes, 100 of those households do not have water, plus several dairy farms that either have no water at all or are having to truck water in to supplement the sparse supply that they do have, he said. And then there are the businesses that are also hauling in water because they have none.

Remember those warnings during the summer to use water sparingly because of dry conditions? While Bethany’s intense dehydration is affecting home, dairy and business owners’ wells, it’s due to the same type of drought conditions, Hyde said. There has not been a significant enough snow or rain fall in a long enough time period, that it has made a huge impact on well water levels, he said.

The sliver of silver lining for Hyde was that he heard from the state Office of Emergency Management Tuesday, and it is sending a tanker full of water — 6,700 gallons full — to Bethany to help out. Hyde will be setting up a schedule for folks to fill their 250 and 500-gallon jugs for at least some relief during the holiday week and beyond. 

He has been gathering a list of people who are without water and encourages residents to contact him if they have not yet gotten on that list. Genesee County Health Department has also been helping out, he said. 

“I can have a system set up for the residents of Bethany that need to fill their water tank. I'm going to have 6,700 gallons to dole out to those people to try to help them out. The Genesee County Health Department's been very helpful,” Hyde said. “They're working, contacting Department of Homeland Services and environmental services to see if they can bring in, get from the state, a truckload of gallons or pallets of bottled water to these people, so we're going all different avenues to try to help relieve some of their pain.

“I’m trying all kinds of avenues. Anybody that wants to help, any big stores, Walmart Tops, wants to donate a pallet of water for the residents, we greatly appreciate it,” he said. “Whatever help I can get for these people, I’m not afraid to ask.”

He will gladly accept donations and distribute them to a community that has struggled with water issues for the last 25 years, he said. He cited one large dairy farm, Lor-Rob, which is trucking in 60,000 gallons of water a day for its 6,000 cows. 

“That’s not sustainable for a farm,” Hyde said. “And if they were to sell off the dairy herd, they’ve got 100 employees. What are you gonna do, kick them to the curb? And it’s not just like one dairy farm.”

He went on to list three or four others, all dealing with the same problem. 

Well, why doesn’t he apply for assistance, certainly there must be aid for a municipality in this condition. He did. In 2022, Hyde included real-life scenarios of what the residents are enduring to apply for a state Water Infrastructure Improvement (WIIA) grant. 

Bethany was turned down, as it didn’t qualify.

“They’re giving money away like candy,” he said. “But when someone is in dire need, you can’t get it. I’m doing everything I can. I've called FEMA, Homeland Security and environmental services. I've called the state, I've called the federal government. I've got everybody in the mix right now.”

He has applied for another WIIA grant and is hoping to hear back by the end of this year. He included a stack of letters from residents. The town does have four water districts, two each on the northeast and northwest side of town, and Hyde is pursuing a District 5 in the heart of Bethany, where 52 homes have no water at all.

The town had pursued District 5 in 2018 and a USDA grant of $16.5 million. It was looking hopeful, and then COVID came along, everything shut down, and “prices went through the roof,” Hyde said. That project shot up in price, with the cheapest route using plastic piping for a total of $21.5 million.  The grant was still $5 million short. 

Several politicians have reached out in support of Bethany, and Senators Chuck Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand and Congresswoman Claudia Tenney put in for federal appropriations budget funding. Again, it seems as though timing and circumstances aren’t exactly on Bethany’s side.

Since Congress hasn’t been taking care of much business, that budget vote still remains in the to-do pile, Hyde said.

“You know how confused the federal government's been with getting rid of McCarthy and all that. They've been really confused and have lost sight of the American citizens. So they haven't even voted on the budget yet,” he said. “So we don't know if we'll even get any federal appropriations money. Bethany is literally caught between a rock and a hard place. 

I mean, if we get any funding, you know, when we get all the paperwork for that done, whichever route we go, we can't start digging until probably summertime, when we do the bid process. Award the bid, then order the material, and they start digging, it’s probably going to be summer. And the water district is going to take 12 to 18 months to complete,” he said. “So we're looking at 2025-26 when people actually have water at the tap. So how long is the drought going to last? It’s a dilemma.”

He knows all about having to live without water and can empathize all day long with his residents, but in the meantime, Hyde is trying to get something done to help. Once that tanker is empty, it will go to Genesee County for a refill, and that can keep happening for at least the next 30 days, he said. 

The state Office of Emergency Management has sent it on loan for 30 days, with the possibility of an extension. He’s not sure who will pay the tab for the water and isn’t as concerned about that right now.

“We’re going to help the residents first, and then worry about that later, how we’re going to work this out,” he said. “There’s got to be an amicable way to work this out. My goal is to get all the logistics worked out by tomorrow afternoon, so those people in their homes on Thanksgiving can have water.”

If you’re a Bethany resident without water and need to get on his list or have a donation of water, call Hyde at 585-356-2658.

You just bought your first house, which has a 16-foot well, and that works sufficiently for your family and your 250-head dairy farm for a few years. Then in 2007, the well goes dry.

So you drill it out and go down 65 feet and hit water. You’re good again, until 2013, when the well goes dry again.

Then you have to go down 125 feet at a cost of $75 per foot. You strike water and are good again, but only for another five years. In 2018 the well goes dry permanently.

That happened to Bethany Town Supervisor Carl Hyde.

“So my wife and I went for one year without water,” he said. “I had to go buy a 250-gallon water tank, and had to go buy a trailer to put it on to haul it and drive it to either Pavilion or Stafford to fill it up and back it up in my yard to my well.”

The well sucked up that water into the house and used it just for the toilets. Additional water was needed for drinking.

One’s lifestyle most definitely changes without running water, he said. You microwave your meals, eat on paper plates and use plastic cutlery. Showers are taken at obliging family members’ homes, and dirty clothes are taken care of at a laundromat.

There’s no turning on the tap, hopping in the shower or taking anything for granted when it comes to a steady stream of that liquid gold labeled H2O.

The Hydes tracked their water-related expenses and spent $2,200 in one year. They are now on public water and pay $40 per quarter. They have walked the walk and can empathize with the town residents who are now wrestling with the effects of an excessively parched Mother Nature.

Out of 665 households, some 350 to 400 “may have water,” Hyde said, and at least 100 do not, plus some dairy farms and businesses. He has applied a second time for a state Water Infrastructure Improvement grant and is anxiously waiting to hear back about approval or denial.

There is another option — a USDA loan of $5 million at 3.1 percent interest to shore up a previously obtained $16.5 million grant to meet a new project total of $21.5 million for District 5. One thing’s for sure, though, he said.

“That’s going to raise the cost for public water,” Hyde said.

A straw poll would be taken of the 400 District 5 residents, and 51 percent have to say yes for it to be approved. Yes would mean they get public water, but it would also mean paying more due to the increased project cost and paying off that $5 million plus interest over 30 years.

On the other hand, there’s the option of doing nothing and having no water at all. That’s an existence Hyde does not wish on anyone. 

“Until you live that ugly (experience), you don’t know. I’m not saying my house is a mansion or anything, but, you know, even a $100,000 house is great, but when you have no water, you can’t sell it; it’s worthless,” he said. “And life is miserable.” 

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