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Photos: Third annual Wine Walk in Downtown Batavia

By Howard B. Owens

Batavia enjoyed perfect weather Saturday for the third-annual Wine Walk as 500 wine lovers strolled through downtown to more than 20 businesses serving a variety of wines for tasting. Merchants also offered finger foods and a couple of shops featured live music.

If you're unable to view the slide show below, click here. To purchase prints of the photos, click here.

While some like it hot, Salsa & Curry offers cuisine suitable to those who walk on the milder side

By Howard B. Owens

A year or so ago when the Rathod family opened Salsa & Curry on Jackson Street, Downtown Batavia, they offered only a few Indian dishes along with a full menu of Mexican food items.

With no Indian restaurants in Genesee County, the Rathods weren't sure how the unique cuisine would be received.

It turns out, it was received very well.

After closing for a few weeks while the family traveled to India for a wedding and then did some minor remodeling, Salsa & Curry reopened a week ago with a daily buffet of Indian food, more Indian food items on the printed menu and slightly fewer Mexican food items.

While Indian food has a reputation for being spicy -- and WNYers have a reputation for not liking spicy food -- not all Indian dishes are spicy, or need to be prepared with a hot flavor.

The buffet features only mild items.

What the Rathods have learned, however, is some kick has its place.

"We were actually surprised -- a majority of people like it spicy," said Sonny Rathod, who is managing the restaurant with his brothers Raveen, Nick, sister Anupa Hirani and her husband Peter.

Customers who don't want to partake of the milder buffet can order spicy alternatives prepared immediately in the kitchen and over the past week that's exactly what a lot of customers have requested, Sonny said.

Meanwhile, in a couple of weeks the restaurant will have a liquor license and will be able to serve domestic, Mexican and Indian beer as well as margaritas.

The restaurant is open Monday through Friday 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., Saturday until 10 p.m. and Sunday, Noon to 7 p.m.

Photos: Summer in the City 2012

By Howard B. Owens

Well, it looks like it was a beautiful day in Batavia for Summer in the City, judging by these pictures from Steve Ognibene.

More pictures after the jump (click on the headline):

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Photo below from Tim Walton, Pink Gorilla T-Shirts.

Street closings announced for Summer in the City on Saturday

By Howard B. Owens

Starting at 7:30 a.m., Saturday, the streets of Downtown Batavia, will start closing so vendors, classic car owners, food stands and musicians can start setting up for Summer in the City.

Main Street will be closed in both directions from Court Street to Liberty Street. Court, Jackson, Center and Bank streets will all be closed.

For a map of closures and locations of Summer in the City attractions, click here (pdf). For more detail on closures, click here (pdf).

Photos: Saturday at the WNY Round Up Rally in Downtown Batavia

By Howard B. Owens

Hundreds of bikers converged on Downtown Batavia today for the 2nd Annual WNY Round Up Rally.

At one point, just about the entire length of the south side of Main Street was lined with parked Harleys (mostly), Triumphs, Ducatis and Suzukis.

The bars and restaurants were full and of course there were vendors to visit and live music in Jackson Square.

The rally continues on Sunday.

If you're unable to view the slide show below, click here. To purchase prints of these pictures, click here.

Photos: Start of WNY Round Up Rally in Downtown Batavia

By Howard B. Owens

The WNY Round Up Rally got off to a soggy start, but it is under way.

By tomorrow, thousands of bikers with bright, shiny Harleys and Triumphs, and maybe an Indian or two, are expected to fill the streets of Downtown Batavia.

There's only a 30-percent chance of rain, so perhaps we'll have a nice weekend for the round up.

At least it should be clear enough at times for all of us to make our way to Main and Jackson.

Bottom photo: You could win this sculpture and help contribute to canine health at the same time.

Sponsored Post: City Slickers has biker weekend specials, country DJ, hot dog contest and more!

By Press Release

City Slickers welcomes everyone for a weekend full of events and drink specials!

Friday:

Country/ Southern rock DJ from 7 p.m. to close.

Meet the Labatt Blue girls from 10 p.m. to midnight and the Sweet Revenge girls from 11 p.m. to 1 a.m. 

Saturday:

Hot Dog Cup 2012- "Batavia's largest hot dog eating contest"- To enter call City Slickers at 345-6788 or stop in before the event to register. $10 to enter and the winner will receive their name on the Hot Dog Cup and a free 1 year Next Level Fitness Membership. The contest is at 1 p.m. 

Meet the Bud Light girls from 2 to 4 p.m., then meet the Labatt Blue girls from 4 to 6 p.m. and Sailor Jerry's girls from 9 to 11 p.m.

Country/ Southern rock DJ from noon-close. 

Enjoy 16 oz. cans of Budweiser, Bud Light, Labatt Blue and Labatt Blue Light for just $3 all weekend long! Tent is up and the patio is open! 

(...and don't forget, every Wednesday from 8 to 11 p.m. is karaoke!)

Photo: Downtown streets closed for bike rally

By Timothy Walton

City workers have closed School Street, along with all of Jackson Street for today, Saturday and Sunday, in order to make room for motorcycles and street vendors participating in this weekend's Round Up Rally. The rally, which last year hosted more than 2,500 bikers, was moved downtown in order to increase the number of vendors and bikes who could attend. 

Historic Masonic Temple building remains open during restoration project

By Howard B. Owens

Don't let the scaffolding around the historic Masonic Temple building at Main and Center streets fool you -- the shops and offices inside the structure remain open for business.

Owner Dave Howe has hired Catenary Construction out of Rochester to give the brick and mortar structure a $150,000 facelift. The masonry is being repointed and restored.

"I could have done some temporary fixes along the way, and could be doing that forever, but the right thing to do to save the building is restore the whole building," Howe said.

Catenary's most recent Batavia projects were the restoration of the St. James Episcopal Church tower and the restoration of the First Baptist Church.

Construction of the Masonic Temple Building was probably completed in 1909. Howe said he has tattered blueprints that are dated 1908.

While Howe is shouldering the majority of the expense, he has conditional approval on a state Main Street Grant for $35,000 and the Business Improvement District is providing a $7,000 facade-improvement grant.

"I couldn't have done it without the help of Don Burkel at the BID and Julie Pacatte at the BDC," Howe said.

Howe recently won a Landmark Society Award for the restoration work on his house in Alexander and the long-time business owner has nursed along the aging Masonic Temple building for a couple of decades, making various repairs and upgrades to keep the building suitable for his business, Charles Men's Shop, and his tenants.

"Besides the fact that I love older buildings and the history of older buildings, also my business is here and it's important to keep up the appearnace of the building for my business and my tenants," Howe said.

Tenants include Enchanted Florist, Travelore, The Batavian, Blue Pearl Yoga, attorney Tom Burns, A Place for Change and the BID.

All businesses and offices remain open during the project, which will take a couple of months, and pedestrian access to East Main Street remains open under the scaffolding.

City Slickers donating money to cancer victim for new Facebook likes

By Howard B. Owens

Press release:

City Slickers Bar & Grill is giving back. This time, it's all powered by Facebook. Starting today, anyone that likes their facebook page, www.facebook.com/cityslickersbar , will have add another $.25 that will be donated to Austin Heineman. Austin, a recent 2012 Pembroke graduate, was diagnosed with a rare form of childhood cancer. The donations are being given to help pay for medical bills and treatments that his insurance would not cover. The donation count will continue to grow until $500.00 is raised for Austin's Army!

New store owner sees a future in electronic cigarettes

By Howard B. Owens

The way Russ Walker sees it, the day is coming when the government bans the internet sale of electronic cigarettes, just as the state has done with tobacco cigarettes.

When that happens, Walker said, storefront locations offering the modern alternative to tobacco-based products will be in a good position to grow.

A couple of weeks ago, Walker opened R.W. Vapors at 224 Ellicott St., Batavia.

E-cigs are cigarette-shaped devices that are designed to deliver the sense of smoking. They contain a liquid that is heated and vaporizes. The liquid can be flavored and may contain nicotine in varying amounts, from none to a heavier concentration, depending on the preference of the consumer.

"I can't make health claims about e-cigarettes," Walker said. "It is an alternative to tobacco. You're not getting all of the carcenogens. There's no combustion."

Typically, e-cig smokers are people who want to get away from smoking tobacco, or use the product as a bridge toward quitting cigarettes.

While Walker sells novelties as well in his store, he said he won't knowingly sell his product as a novelty to somebody just looking to experiment with e-cigs.

"This isn't for anybody who isn't already on some form of nicotine," Walker said. "I don't recommend starting a nicotine habit if you don't already have one."

Walker also won't sell to minors, even though a state law regulating the sales of e-cigs based on age won't go into effect until January.

As for the liquid, Walker said he mixes all of the liquid himself.

"It's not imported from China," he said. "It's all made locally."

Walker said he sells a variety of flavors and can make custom-order mixes.

As for the novelties -- what he carries in his shop are decidedly old-school pranks and jokes. He said he knew his shop would need to offer a variety of products besides e-cigs so he picked a product line he said he's always enjoyed.

The store also carries some jewelry -- charms and bracelets.

Photo: First new permitted vendor downtown opens hot dog stand

By Howard B. Owens

Robert Brown, an Albion resident, stands with his hot dog cart outside Batavia City Hall on Tuesday afternoon.

It's been about a decade since the city has approved permits for street vendors, but recently decided to start issuing them again.

Brown and his partners jumped on the opportunity and were the first vendors approved for a permit.

They've been running hot dog carts in Orleans County for a number of years.

"We found out the city was going to allow street vendors," Brown said. "It's been a while since it's been allowed, but we thought this would be a great city (for a hot dog cart)."

The hot dog stand opened on Friday and Brown said he and his partners will operate the cart from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday offering hot dogs, hamburgers and sausage.

Photos: Ghost Riders in Jackson Square, both bands

By Howard B. Owens

The Ghost Riders played Jackson Square on Friday night -- both bands.

The Ghost Riders country band shared the venue with the Ghost Riders Drum and Bugle Corps, which is also based in Batavia.

If it's ever possible to say Jackson Square is SRO, then last night was one of those nights. The square was nearly wall-to-wall music fans.

Photo: Watering the city's hostas

By Howard B. Owens

This morning city employee Colton Cole was watering the city's hosta garden outside of City Centre.

Photos: Ramble Arts & Music Fest 2012

By Howard B. Owens

More than 40 bands and solo performers congregated downtown Saturday, the rain stayed away, and a good time was had by all at the annual Ramble & Arts Fest in Jackson Square.

If you're unable to view the slide show below, click here.

To purchase prints of these photos, click here.

The Ramble goes on!

By Howard B. Owens

The Ramble Music & Arts Fest, scheduled to start at noon today in Jackson Square, will still take place today, despite this morning's thunderstorm.

The performance schedule will run about an hour behind because of the storm, but all performers are still expected to take the stage.

UPDATE: At 11:45 a.m., singer Brent Persia was already performing on the acoustic stage. The Ramble is under way.

BID awards four facade improvement grants

By Howard B. Owens

Press release:

The Batavia Business Improvement District has awarded four more façade improvement grants to its downtown businesses. The recipients are: Kenneth Mistler, owner of City Slickers, 59 Main St.; Rich Clark of CPR (Computer & Phone Repair), 216 E. Main Street; Paul Marchese, Marchese Computer Products, 220 Ellicott St.; and Gerald and Thomas Williams, The Williams Law Firm, 2 Court St. Plaza.    

They received the following matching funds for improvements to their structures: Ken Mistler and City Slickers - $1,944 for new signage on the front and rear of his building; CPR - $286.69 for signage on their frontage; Marchese Computer - $1,205 for signage and gooseneck lighting; and Williams Law Firm - $1,487.50 for awnings on the second floor. These funds were awarded based upon the Business Improvement District’s design guidelines.  

The Batavia Business Improvement District is a not-for-profit, municipal / business incorporated association. It was established back in 1997 by a group of business owners to make improvements above and beyond what the municipality was normally responsible for.

B.I.D. provides programs, events and economic benefits to more than 190 downtown property owners and tenants. It has contributed greatly to the renewed vitality of downtown, the preservation of the character of its structures and development of its streetscapes.

According to Don Burkel, downtown manager, these improvements demonstrate a long-term commitment by these business owners to downtown and positive steps for its future. Eighty-seven businesses within the district have benefitted from this program and received more than $323,380 in funding. You also have to consider that these businesses have reinvested in total project costs of over $2,450,935 in Batavia’s downtown, which is pretty impressive.

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