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Photos: GO ART! Picnic in the Park 2017

By Maria Pericozzi

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The 39th annual GO ART! Picnic in the Park was Tuesday, starting at 11 a.m., featuring music, food, arts and crafts, and family fun at Centennial Park in Batavia. 

Britishmania, a Beatles Tribute Band, was the headlining act on the stage, promoting the "Summer of Love" theme. 

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jeff saquella

brian dont take it personal...if you go through and look at all the comments on any article lately you'll see that someone has been doing this to everyones comments. someone obviously has no life and this is his/her way of entertaining themselves. they need to get out more

Jul 5, 2017, 12:14am Permalink
Brian Graz

Isn't it time the Batavian upgraded this comment section so that it would show the other participants names who vote up or down, as well as name all the commenters. Plus allow the commenters to delete and/or edit their comments [ala: Facebook style].

Jul 5, 2017, 12:20am Permalink
Frank Bartholomew

Jeff,Brian,I've bitched about the trolls many times,to no avail.As long as this is Howard's site,and he doesn't disapprove,we have to live with it,or stop commenting here.

Jul 5, 2017, 3:56pm Permalink
John Roach

Brian, "Batavian Hierarchy"? You should have said "the owner of the site who uses this as his business". Good grief, you're still whining. This is Howard's page. You had to ask to be on it and knew his rules. Don't like the rules, start your own page or go on another, but stop crying about having to follow the rules set by the owner.

Jul 6, 2017, 5:45am Permalink
Howard B. Owens

The FCC doesn't regulate speech on the Internet.

The First Amendment guarantees freedom of the press.

We're the press and we set the rules for the site we own. As John said, don't like the rules, well, there's plenty of other places online where you can drop your pearls of wisdom. Nothing we've done abridges your right to speech. You have plenty of options to speak out as you see fit. Here, you'll abide by our rules. If the content of your speech isn't good enough to not include profanity or personal attacks, then that sounds like an issue for you to address, not us.

Jul 6, 2017, 8:52am Permalink
John Roach

What Brian does not seem to understand is that while he has the right of free speech, Howard has the right to decide what is published on his solely owned business site. Brian has the right to ask anyone to publish what he writes, but there is no requirement that anyone do it. Brian has the right to start his own site and publish what he wants but does not have the right to tell others they have to publish his stuff.

Jul 6, 2017, 9:42am Permalink
Thomas Callan

John, did your Father or Uncle, used to own J.T. Roach Lincoln-Mercury in Batavia back in the day? If so, I would really like to talk to you.

Jul 6, 2017, 11:50am Permalink
Billie Owens

Another comment by the same person was deleted for including profanity once again.

The rules for commenting on The Batavian are neither murky nor onerous in my opinion. Don't use profanity, no name calling, no personal attacks, use your real name.

If you don't like it, that's your prerogative.

Jul 6, 2017, 2:23pm Permalink
Frank Bartholomew

So Howard,one can imply something,as long as it goes unsaid,or gets into specifics,because Thomas just called me a whole slew of names through implication.
Keep running your yap Thomas,no one has to call you a fool.

Jul 6, 2017, 5:27pm Permalink
Brian Graz

I have no problem with the terms adopted by the Batavian. I agree that Howard and Billie have the right to regulate their news media site as they want... I would. Before I made my comment with the notorious dis-allowed term, I did a net search to see if other media has barred, or allows the term. I didn't find any case where it was strictly banned, not even by the FCC for broadcast {as you may know, there are certain words that the FCC has banned}. Even President Bush II used the term in a public forum and survived. So I thought that perhaps the term would be tolerated. Ironically the SCOTUS has ruled; "Surely the State has no right to cleanse public debate to the point where it is grammatically palatable to the most squeamish among us"... yet an individual does(?). Or do they? Maybe the Batavian should also include a list of banned words in it's policy section.

Besides, just think how boring commenting on the Batavian would be if there weren't some folks like me who from time to time kick against the pricks... I'd bet money that you all have great fun in repressing the positions and now the alleged "profanity", that I provide for your attacks {which are most certain to come whenever I comment}. For Pete's sake, I post something as harmless as "Where's the photos of the Fab Four???", and I end up with 6 thumbs down! No wonder all my friends from the local Libertarian party tell me that they refuse to comment or even look at the Batavian any longer.

Jul 6, 2017, 5:39pm Permalink
Brian Graz

Responding to comment #12 from JR... why doesn't your thinking apply to the straight couple who own a private Bakery and refused to make a wedding cake for a gay couple?

BTW, what John deceives himself to believe is that I "do not seem to understand", and I am a "slow learner". Actually everything I post is calculated, and most often provides amusement {it sure gets a rise out JR}. Whether I believe it or not is irrelevant. ;-))

Jul 6, 2017, 5:55pm Permalink
John Roach

Brian, the couple who own the bakery was not the subject anywhere here, that's why.

And I did not vote you a thumbs down (or up). But your rant over getting a thumbs down by someone was not very bright (calculated or not)t.

And you sure did not seem to know your freedom of speech did not mean Howard had to print it.

Jul 6, 2017, 6:28pm Permalink
Frank Bartholomew

Give em hell Brian.Most times my comments are meant to rile folks up a little,otherwise,this site might as well be the daily snooze.I take the least favorable side of an issue just to see how people react.I recall being called a bigot on this site because I took the same stance on muslims as our current president does now,go figure.

Jul 6, 2017, 6:33pm Permalink
Brian Graz

John, if you can't see a parallel between your point "Howard has the right to decide what is published on his 'solely owned' business site." and the bakery "owners" refusing to do business with someone whom they are morally and ethically at odds with... then I say you are the "slow learner".

Jul 6, 2017, 6:45pm Permalink
John Roach

Brian, I can see no parallel where you demand that Howard print your rant on a site you had to ask to be allowed on, with rules you agreed to, and a freedom of religion case.

But the original point is still you went on a crying rant over a "Thumbs down". I agree the thumbs down made no sense, but you lost it.

Jul 6, 2017, 7:00pm Permalink
Brian Graz

John, I demanded no such thing! I made a comment, the Batavian deleted it because they had an issue with a term I use. I'm OK with that. I'm not sure that if I had Carl Paladino's financial wherewithal, and sued for a 1st Amendment violation, that they would win. Besides, I wasn't "crying" I was PO'd {OMG, is that another banned term?} because there are jerks who are allowed to be anonymous, who obviously lie in wait for me [and apparently others] to make a comment, just to quickly, mindlessly give thumbs down. The Batavian should modify the format so that all who respond in any way are identified... just like you and I when we engage in a debate such as this. I'll bet that those naysayers would go away.

I have to say, the more I contemplate your rhetoric, the more you sound just like a progressive, fake conservative.

Jul 6, 2017, 10:54pm Permalink
Ed Hartgrove

Well, I'm pretty sure I'll be tagged as a "Word Nazi" (or, some such derogatory label) for what I'm about to ask, but, that's OK. Thumbs-downs don't bother me in the least.

Just wondering, Brian. Is the correct term PO'd, or, P'd O?

After all, the "ed" belongs to the P-word, not the O-word. Nobody I know uses the word Offed.

I've never seen it written as P'd O, but, I would think that would be more grammatically correct. Just saying!

Jul 7, 2017, 1:10am Permalink
Brian Graz

Ed, you raise a very valid point, but would it make a difference if one was P'd Off, or P'd On? What is a "Word Nazi"?

BTW, Isn't it time we made the word Nazi another "N word", never to be uttered in polite society again??? To hell with the 1st Amendment.

Jul 7, 2017, 4:22am Permalink
John Roach

Brian, so you think (if you had the money) you could sue to take away Howard's right to set the rules for his personal site? Even after you had to ask to be a member of it and agreed to follow the rules? And you think your issues is the same in law as Paladino's? Wow, what an ego trip.

But, Howard already allowed you not to use your real name, so I guess you could say he selectively enforces the rules.

Side note: You did mention you should be able to edit comments. You can, but you have to pay a fee for a different level of access to the page.

Bottom line, you lost it (Crying, whined, PO'd or P'd), you could not handle somebody gave you a thumbs down, like they do many of us. Maybe you need a safe place?

Jul 7, 2017, 7:01am Permalink
Howard B. Owens

For the record, Brian made the case that everyone knows him as Graz. I have no way to verify this other than even outside of The Batavian, including on Facebook, that's how he ID's himself, so it made sense that as far as a widely held public persona, that is his 'real name,' that requiring his legal name might be more confusing to most readers.

Jul 7, 2017, 9:00am Permalink
Billie Owens

Brian, deep pockets or not, no reasonable judge in America is going to uphold a case alleging the abridgment of someone's freedom of speech against a private publisher who enforced a well-established rule against use of profanity on his news site. It's ridiculous on its face.

Putting quote marks as you did around profanity, which you preceded with the word alleged, does not make the word used originally any less disagreeable. Just because the word is more commonly found in the public square does not make it, in my opinion, fine to use. The tangents and examples that could be cited here are endless.

If you want to let it all hang out, there are other options for you.

English is rich with colorful words. Old cuss words bely a poverty of language and the world is the poorer for it.

I'm afraid I can offer no further help or hope for you.

But I will say that photos of The Fab Four were not shot at Picnic in the Park because the group was scheduled to take the main stage at 3 p.m. and Picnic in the Park started at 9. Our intern who covered it had to get what coverage she could before leaving for her second job's shift that day. Sorry to have disappointed YOU.

Jul 7, 2017, 1:27pm Permalink
Ed Hartgrove

Billie. While I'm 100% on you side about this, I'm glad you used the term, "no reasonable judge".

I'm not sure how much money Carl Paladino has, but, it doesn't take very long to do an Internet search to find articles about dishonest/disbarred/convicted judges, who've sold their decisions for money. And, I'm guessing that there are some who haven't been exposed.

Jul 7, 2017, 2:51pm Permalink
Frank Bartholomew

Howard,I'm trying my best not to let tom drag me into this back and forth nonsense,but if he wants to post a bunch of negative garbage after every post I make,I'm gonna give it right back.For the record,the only needles to go anywhere in my body were administered in the emergency room,or in the hospital,or at a doctors office.I haven't used alcohol since Dec..2001.So the next time Mr..Callan suggests any different,he is simply a liar.

Jul 7, 2017, 6:19pm Permalink
Lorie Cook

This year seemed to be extremely quiet. I live close to this and my road is typically lined with cars but not this year. Just seemed odd. I really like this event. Billy and Howard, you do a great job. I know some folks will never stop complaining. How folks are.

Jul 7, 2017, 10:46pm Permalink

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