Elba beat Alexander 10-4 in Girls Softball on Wednesday.
Adi Norton had three hits and an RBI. Brianna Totten had two RBIs.
Brea Smith fanned five Trojans.
The Lancers were down 4-1 going into the top of the seventh inning and scored nine runs.
Photos by Kristin Smith.
There seemed to be mixed reactions to Monday’s big event as those few minutes passed — depending on where you were — around 3:20 p.m. debuting this area’s total solar eclipse under gray cloud cover.
Social media posts varied from exclamations of having witnessed the best thing ever and feeling awed by the eerie cloak of darkness that descended and lifted as if someone dimmed the light switch and ever so gently rolled it back up.
Still others heaved with palpable sighs of disappointment after all of these past weeks and months of education, promotion and preparation for what was to come due to those nasty clouds that arrived and settled in for a stay.
Locals that ventured out to one of the many gathering spots in Genesee County, or others that drove in from out of state, such as John King, seemed to glean some good out of the day no matter how mired it was in foul weather.
King, all packed up with his recording equipment, came from Gettysburg, Pa. because Batavia “was the closest to me that was in the path,” he said.
He traveled to Tennessee for the partial eclipse in 2017 and, even though he considers himself “a complete amateur,” is prepared with a mount for his telescope and cameras to track the sun, he said.
Despite the clouds, he wasn’t disappointed and, in fact, had come to expect them from experience.
“I went to the 2017 eclipse in Tennessee, and it was a perfect, beautiful day with not a cloud in the sky. And we went to the Watts Bar Nuclear Facility, which is on the Tennessee River. It released a cloud into the sky out of the smokestack that completely blocked my view, even though there was not a cloud anywhere in the sky. I did not get to see the eclipse there either,” King said. “So at least this time, when I came here, I expected that the clouds were going to be like this, and I probably wouldn't get any pictures. But this is my second one that I've brought nothing back.”
Did you think about going somewhere else when you heard what the weather would be like here?
“I looked from Indianapolis to here, and they all said about 90 percent cloud cover,” he said. “We’d already reserved the rooms. I said, what the heck, it's still an event, it still turns dark, you still get to see it. And it only happens, you know, every five, six years.”
He was “amazed” at how little traffic he encountered on his way here compared to Tennessee in 2017.
“Every road around there for 60 miles, every shoulder was covered with cars that had pulled over and parked, and it took me 16 hours instead of eight hours to get home because the traffic was so bad,” he said. “And we cruised up here in normal time, five hours.
“I think the weather, people just said it's just not worth it to travel that distance, and it's gonna be cloud-covered. I was committed, though, just for the heck of it. I'm coming,” he said, sharing that his wife’s daughter stayed put and had a much different view. “My wife, she FaceTimed her daughter who's in Columbia, Maryland, and they have scattered clouds, so they saw it perfectly.”
On the other hand, Tom Jones of Brigantine, New Jersey, drove quite a few hours to get here, he said. He paused when asked if it was worth it.
“Seeing nighttime in the middle of the afternoon was a freak. I’ve never seen that. That was an experience,” he said. “And I brought everything in preparation: my Corona beer, my bottle of champagne, my cereal box viewers. I even brought the little index card thing. Let down.”
He was figuring out when the next total was, as he had heard it was in Spain in a few years, though his parking lot compadres thought it was in Iceland in a different year. Here you go, Tom Jones: the next total solar eclipse is slated for Aug. 12, 2026, with a path of totality limited to Greenland, Iceland, Spain, Russia and a small area of Portugal.
Over in the village of Elba, Clerk Jerah Augello manned a booth at Elba Central School as part of eclipse activities. She enjoyed watching the eclipse in action despite the gray matter obscuring it.
“This is amazing, even though we didn't get to see the full eclipse because of the clouds. The fact that we're on top of the football field with a big crowd of the community, and it's dark, and it really got dark very quickly,” she said. “And then, within a matter of minutes, it was bright again. And then we did get to see a sliver. It was really amazing. I really wish we could have seen the whole thing but what we did get to experience was pretty cool itself.”
That seemed to be the consensus, including for Molly Anderson, who noted that “we’ve got people from all over the country, from Virginia and Georgia and New Jersey.”
“I think this is awesome that everybody came together up here. And, you know, we're up here on the football field and got to see the little sliver there at the end. But it's nice,” Anderson said. “It was great that the community put this together. And you know, we're all out here, and it’s something to remember forever: darkness in the middle of the afternoon.”
School, village and community members worked together to provide the day, which included musical entertainment by the Front Porch Pickers, homemade onion soup, fried dough, a lemonade stand and the Sports Boosters firing up the grill, to name a few of the offerings.
“We had a great turnout today. I believe that this was because there was something for everyone to enjoy at our school and throughout the village. So many of the Elba community members came out, but there were many from the surrounding area, too,” School Superintendent Gretchen Rosales said. “We even had some out-of-state guests; they had no connection to Elba but really wanted to experience the eclipse, so they picked the Elba community as their place to enjoy the moment.
“Although we didn't get to see too much due to the cloud cover, the darkness was impressive. The best part was being in a crowd with children and adults alike who were in awe of the experience.,” she said. “I am thankful that our community turned out for the event and so pleased that guests decided to join us in our Elba home for this fun. It was an honor to host everyone today for this once-in-a-lifetime event.”
Elba Elementary School student John Anderson, 10, thought it was “cool.”
“Just because it got so dark. All of a sudden, just in the afternoon, when it’s not nighttime,” he said. “I think it was fun. I got to play football with my friends.”
Being part of an eclipse is “just one of those moments that you’re never gonna forget,” Jessica Beck, a graduate student from Philadelphia, said. She saw the partial in 2017 after she and her family made a last-minute dash to Nashville to go see it as the clouds started coming in with the totality’s path.
“But we found a spot that was clear. You know, you can you can say what happens, like, the crickets started chirping, the birds went quiet. You saw a rainbow all around the horizon; the stars came out. But just the goosebumps, like I'm feeling right now just recounting this, I felt total goosebumps, just totally in awe of the fact that we're on this little speck of a planet and it just happened to line up right with its own moon,” she said at DeWitt Recreation Area. “And we're witnessing the heavenly bodies moving into position. It's just so cool. It's hard to put into words, but it pulls you back.
“I’m kind of banking on the fact that it's definitely going to be like sudden nightfall; we're gonna have sudden night for about three and a half minutes here in Batavia, and the wildlife, I’ve been hearing the Red-winged blackbirds chirping since we got here to the park, and they're gonna stop that,” she said. “So we are gonna hear the wildlife kind of going crazy. It is going to be total darkness. And I think it's still going to be an experience even though you're not getting the full view of the sky that you would have otherwise.”
And why did you choose Batavia?
So Philadelphia's closest to this area in terms of where the region of totality is. I had some familiarity with the region as my mom is a U or R alum, and my sister is a U of R alum, so I spent some time in upstate New York and kind of wanted to see Niagara again,”she said. “So I knew there would be stuff to do in and around here, even if we had cloud cover on the actual day, so we've actually been here since Friday just been enjoying what the Finger Lakes region has to offer.”
Round Up of The Batavian's Eclipse Coverage:
The village and school district of Elba collaborated to host an eclipse event Monday. Here are some of the visitors and participants, and activities that took place on school grounds.
Photos submitted by Gretchen Rosales.
Photos by Debra Reilly.
Press Release:
The Genesee Valley Wind Ensemble (GVWE) will be performing their Spring Concert & Premiere at Elba Junior/Senior High School on Saturday, April 27 at 4 p.m. There will be a pre-concert chat beginning at 3:30 p.m.
The GVWE Spring Concert's featured works include:
- Celebration - William Palange
- Dark Ride – Laurence Tallman *World Premiere*
- La Bamba De Vera Cruz – Terig Tucci
- O Magnam Mysterium – Morten Lauridsen
- Selections from Encanto- Lin-Manuel Miranda, arr. Paul Murtha
- On An American Spiritual- David R. Holsinger
- Mambo- Leonard Bernstein, arr. Michael Sweeney
- Glee Showstoppers: Jump, Total Eclipse of the Heart, The Safety Dance, Dream On- arr. Jay Bocook
- Firebird Suite- Igor Stravisky, arr. Robery Longfield
- The Stars & Stripes Forever- John Philip Sousa
Conductors for the spring concert are:
- Philip J. Briatico, conductor & founder of the GVWE
- Harold McJury- Member Conductor
Tickets are $10 for adults, $8 for seniors(55+) and veterans, $5 for students (with ID), and free for children under 5 years old.
For more information email geneseevalleywindensemble@gmail.com or visit www.geneseevalleywindensemble.org.
Thursday was Drive Your Tractor to School Day in Elba.
Photos by Debra Reilly.
John P. Volpe, 71, of Buffalo Street Road, Alexander, is charged with predatory sexual assault against a child, course of sexual conduct against a child 1st, two counts of criminal sexual act 1st, attempted rape 1st, aggravated sexual abuse 2nd, aggravated sexual abuse 1st, aggravated sexual abuse 3rd, three counts of sexual abuse 1st, rape 3rd, two counts of criminal sexual act 3rd, and two counts of forcible touching. Volpe is accused of engaging in numerous acts of sexual conduct involving a child beginning in 2012 and continuing until 2024 with a known victim. Volpe was arrested on March 7. He was arraigned and ordered held on $20,000 bail. This is an ongoing investigation and additional charges are possible, according to the Sheriff's Office. The Sheriff's Office was assisted in the investigation by the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation Police. The FBI also participated in the investigation.
Randolph R. Byrd, 60, of Batavia, is charged with burglary 2nd, assault 3rd, unlawful imprisonment 2nd, criminal obstruction of breathing, criminal mischief 4th, and resisting arrest. Byrd is accused of illegally entering a residence on East Main Street on March 5 and attacking a victim. He allegedly resisted arrest and damaged an officer's portable radio. He was arraigned and held in the Genesee County Jail.
Anthony Michael Gabri, 28, of Long Wood Drive, Rochester, is charged with criminal impersonation of a public servant and front windshield non-transparent. Gabri was stopped at 11:30 a.m. on March 18 on an alleged traffic violation on West Main Road, Le Roy, by Deputy Jeremy McClellan. During the stop, Gabri was allegedly found to be wearing the badge of a village of East Rochester constable and an outer carrier tactical vest typically used to carry body armor while traveling to Batavia to serve paperwork for his privately owned business and not under the direction of village authorities. He was issued an appearance ticket and released.
Alicia M. Lyons, 44, of Batavia, is charged with trespass. Lyons is accused of being at Kwik Fill, 99 Jackson St., Batavia, on March 11, after being previously barred from the property. She was issued an appearance ticket.
Trevon L. Armstrong, 38, of Batavia, was arrested on a warrant on March 11. Armstrong was initially arrested on Nov. 16 on a charge of criminal mischief 4th after allegedly damaging property during an incident on Denio Street. He is accused of failure to appear in court on the charge. Armstrong was arraigned in City Court and released on his own recognizance.
Ronald W. Lewis, 36, of Ogden, was arrested on March 8 on two warrants issued by City Court. The first warrant stems from an incident on July 7, when Lewis was charged with petit larceny after allegedly stealing merchandise from a local business. The second warrant is the result of an incident reported on Sept. 24, when Lewis was charged with trespass after allegedly refusing to leave United Memorial Medical Center. Lewis was arraigned and released.
Niranh S. Woods, 29, of Batavia, was arrested on a warrant on March 8. Woods was initially charged with aggravated unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle 2nd on Aug. 5. The warrant was issued after he allegedly failed to appear in court. Woods was arraigned in City Court and released.
Robert J. Schultz, 66, of Elba, is charged with criminal mischief 4th. Schultz is accused of damaging another person's car on March 8 during a fight on Liberty Street. Schultz was issued an appearance ticket.
Christopher G. Marr, 55, of Batavia, is charged with DWI. Marr was stopped on March 3 on South Main Street by a Batavia patrol officer. He was issued an appearance ticket.
Shamond R. Adams, 27, of Batavia, is charged with a barking dog violation. Adams is accused of allowing his dog to bark for an extended period of time on March 9. He was issued an appearance ticket.
John Carl Ireland, 39, of Sumner Road, Darien, is charged with criminal mischief 3rd. Ireland is accused of damaging the property of another person with a value in excess of $250 during an argument reported at 11:40 a.m. on March 12 at a location on Sumner Road, Darien. Ireland was arraigned and released.
Torres Epifanio Nazario, 47, of Church Street, Bergen, is charged with DWI, driving with a BAC of .08 or greater, moving from lane unsafely, and improper turn signal. Nazario was stopped at 9:57 p.m. on March 9 on Route 19 in Bergen by Deputy Zachary Hoy. He was issued tickets and released.
Khadija Aisha Wilson, 27, of Freeman Street, Buffalo, and Shakayla Monique Williams, 29, of Petters Street, Buffalo, are charged with petit larceny and conspiracy 6th. Wilson and Williams are accused of shoplifting from Ulta Beauty on Veterans Memorial Drive, Batavia, at 12:39 p.m. on Feb. 27. Deputy Ayrton Blankenship and Sgt. Michael Lute investigated the case.
Mark W. McWethy, 56, of South Main Street, Batavia, is charged with criminal possession of a controlled substance 7th and failure to keep right. McWethy was allegedly found in possession of cocaine during a traffic stop at 9:47 p.m. on March 18 on Main Street, Batavia. He was processed at the Genesee County Jail and released.
Dustin James Brown, 22, of Raymond Road, Ontario, Canada, is charged with DWI, driving with a BAC of .18 or greater, drinking alcohol or using cannabis in a motor vehicle, and unregistered motor vehicle. Brown was stopped following traffic complaints at 5:50 p.m. on March 14 on Byron Holley Road, Byron, by Deputy Stephen Smith. He was processed at the Genesee County Jail and released.
Michael Anthony Sweet, 38, of Raymond Avenue, Batavia, is charged with criminal possession of a controlled substance 7th and driving without an inspection certificate. Sweet was stopped at 1:09 a.m. on March 19 on Oak Street by Deputy Jacob Kipler. Sweet was processed at the Genesee County Jail and released.
Vincenne Elizabeth Mendrysa, 68, of West Main Street, Batavia, is charged with criminal contempt 2nd and falsely reporting an offense to law enforcement 3rd. Mendrysa was arrested on March 14 after allegedly reporting an incident to law enforcement that did not occur. Mendrysa was allegedly found in violation of an order of protection at the time of her arrest. She was jailed pending arraignment.
Sharon Renee Boyer, 55, of Alexander, is charged with DWI and driving with a BAC of .08 or higher. Boyer was stopped by State Police at 11:28 p.m. on March 15 in the Town of Alexander. She was released to a third party.
After trailing for most of the game, a fourth-quarter surge pushed Northville over Elba on Saturday in Troy to end the Lancers’ season in the state semifinal game.
Northville won 42-34 after scoring 17 points to just five for Elba in the fourth quarter. At the end of three quarters, Elba led 29-25.
Hailey Monroe, a leading scorer for Northville, was only 2-18 from the field for the first 28 minutes of the game. She drained her final five shots of the game to propel her team to victory.
Maddie Hall scored 10 points for Elba, Lydia Ross, nine, and Sydney Reilly, seven.
Monroe finished with 24 points.
Photos by Debra Reilly
Elba beat Panama on Saturday in the Girls Basketball Class D Far West Regional Championship to advance to the state Final Four.
The final score, 58 to 47.
Lydia Ross led the way with 26 points for Elba.
Sydney Reilly scored 16 points for the Lancers. Mariah Ognibene scored eight points.
Photos by Debra Reilly.
Coming in as the #7 seed, the Elba Lancers lost to #1 seed Avoca-Prattsburg in the Class D championship game at Blue Cross Arena on Saturday.
The final score was 50-37.
Angelo Penna scored 15 points for the Lancers. Ashton Bezon scored eight. Both Penna and Bezon were named to the all-tournament team.
Photos by Debra Reilly.
Elba captured another Girls Basketball title on Saturday, beating the #1 seed C.G. Finney 56-54.
The Lancers, the #2 seed in Class D, overcame a 10-point half-time deficient, outscoring Finney 16-12 in the third quarter and 20-12 in the fourth to secure the two-point margin of victory.
Sydney Reily, who was named tournament MVP, scored 23 points. Lydia Ross scored 11 points and Mariah Ognibene and Brea Smith each scored seven. Ross and Smith were both named to the all-tournament team.
Photos by Debra Reilly.
The Elba Central School Drama Club presents "The Little Mermaid" this weekend.
Show times are Friday at 7 p.m., Saturday at 2 p.m., and Saturday at 2 p.m.
Tickets are $10 for adults and $5 for children 12 and under and are available at the door.
Key roles are:
Photos by Howard Owens.
The #7 seed, Elba, in Class D knocked off Andover-Whitesville, the #2 seed, 40-36 on Wednesday to advance in the sectional tournament.
The Lancers will contend for the Class D championship at Blue Cross Arena on Saturday. Game time is 4 p.m. against #1 seed Avoca-Prattsburg, who beat Hammondsport in their semifinal 90-60.
For Elba, Angelo Penna scored 12 points. Nickolas Scott scored 11 and Ashton Bezon scored 10.
Photos by Debra Reilly.
The Elba Lancers, the #3 seed in Class D Girls Basketball, beat the #2 seed in a semifinal game on Wednesday, 55-47
Next up, #1 seed C.G. Finney on Saturday at 11 a.m. at Finger Lakes Community College. Finney scored 71 points against Genesee Valley-Belfast in its semifinal game.
For the Lancers, Sydney Reilly scored 18 points, Brea Smith scored 14, and Ava Buczek scored 13.
Photos by Debra Reilly.
Sydney Reilly topped 1,000 career points in an Elba Lancers 98-32 win on Tuesday in a first-round, Class D sectional win over Romulus.
The Lancers are the #3 seed in the tournament and next take on Notre Dame (#6) on Friday at Elba at 6 p.m.
No stats were submitted for the game.
Photos by Debra Reilly.
Felicia R. Sherrell, 43, of Batavia, is charged with DWI, driving while ability impaired by drugs and alcohol, failure to keep right, leaving the scene of a property damage accident, harassment 2nd, and resisting arrest. Sherrell was arrested in connection with a motor vehicle accident reported on Dec. 17. According to police, Sherrell's vehicle struck a sign on West Main Street at Oak Street, Batavia, and then left the scene. Once located, Sherrell allegedly resisted arrest and struck an officer. She was released on an appearance ticket.
Isaiah J. Munroe, 33, of Batavia, is charged with assault 3rd, unlawful imprisonment 2nd, and criminal mischief 4th. Munroe is accused of being in a fight with another person on Walnut Street, Batavia, on Feb 4. He is accused of restraining a person and preventing the person from calling for help. He was arraigned and released.
Michael R. Ostrander, 59, of Batavia, is charged with assault 3rd. Ostrander is accused of hitting another person, causing injury, during an incident on Feb. 9 on Mill Street. Ostrander was arraigned and released.
Leona J. Polk, 44, of Le Roy, is charged with harassment 2nd. Polk is accused of striking a nurse in the emergency room at UMMC on Feb. 12. She was issued an appearance ticket.
Rebecca R. Fugate, 33, of Batavia, is charged with harassment 2nd. Fugate is accused of striking a person on Feb. 12 while on a bus in Batavia. She was issued an appearance ticket.
Kristen R Aquino, 40, no community listed, is charged with DWI. Aquino was stopped on Feb. 3 on Liberty Street by a Batavia patrol officer. She was issued an appearance ticket.
David J. Sokolowski, 54, of Batavia, is charged with criminal possession of a controlled substance 7th. Sokolowski was allegedly found in possession of narcotics on Feb. 6 in the city of Batavia. He was issued an appearance ticket.
Jaylinn M O'Neil, 33, of Le Roy, was arrested on Feb. 7 on a warrant issued by City Court. O'Neil was initially charged with aggravated unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle 3rd on Nov. 8. She is accused of failure to appear in court as ordered. She was arraigned in City Court and released pending her next court appearance.
Peter Hubbard, 43, of Lovering Avenue, Buffalo, is charged with DWI, DWAI (combined influence of drugs and alcohol), driving with a BAC of .18 or greater, moving from lane unsafely, driving left of pavement markings. Hubbard was charged following an investigation by deputies Zachary Hoy and Nicholas Chamoun at 5:40 p.m. on Dec. 16 on Ellicott Street Road, Pavilion. He was arrested on Feb. 17. Hubbard was released on an appearance ticket.
A 13-year-old was arrested by State Police on Feb. 15 and charged with burglary 3rd. The alleged burglary was reported on Dec. 29 at 5:17 p.m. in the Town of Elba. No further information released.
Jacqueline M. Kotas, 49, of Alden, is charged with DWI. Kotas was stopped by State Police at 9:30 p.m. on Feb. 13 in the Town of Darien. She was issued an appearance ticket.
Press Release:
Buffalo State University is pleased to recognize the following students who have been named to the Fall 2023 Dean's List.
- Talidy Blijden of Batavia, is majoring in Social Studies Education (7-12)
- Hunter Doran of East Bethany, is majoring in Biology
- Annmarie Georgia of Batavia, is majoring in Ceramics
- Morgan Harrington of Elba, is majoring in Psychology
- Brianna Smith of Oakfield, is majoring in Childhood Education
- Amber Snyder of Batavia, is majoring in Fashion, Textile, & Technology
In general, students who have completed at least 12 credit hours and who have attained a GPA of 3.5 or higher qualify for the Buffalo State dean's list. Full criteria and grade-type exceptions can be found in the undergraduate catalog.
Elba beat Lyndonville in Boys Basketball on Wednesday, 69-34.
Ashton Bezon scored 19 points for the Lancers. Bing Zuber and Angelo Penna scored 12 each. Nicklos Scott scored eight points.
Photos by Debra Reilly.
Elba beat Lyndonville on Tuesday in Girls Basketball 67-44.
Sydney Reilly scored 35 points. Mariah Ognibene scored 12.
Also in Girls Basketball:
In Boys Basketball, Batavia beat Greece-Olympia 65-62. Estavan Lovette scored 16 points, Carter Mullen, 15, and Justin Smith, 12.
Photos by Debra Reilly.
In Boys Basketball on Monday, Elba beat Holley 53-47.
Mike Long scored 31 points and Angela Penna scored 14 for Elba.
Also in Boys Basketball on Monday, Le Roy beat Pavilion 66 - 27. The win ended a two-game losing streak for the Knights and dealt a blow to the Goper's three-game win streak. For Le Roy, Merritt Holly scored 32 points, had 14 rebounds and three blocks. Jean Agosto, nine points and 13 rebounds.
Pembroke beat Kendall 71-41. Tyson Totten scored 31 points, 10 rebounds, Avery Ferreira, 11 points, and Owen Hootman, 10 points and nine rebounds.
Photos by Debra Reilly
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