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FED talks at Arbor House

By Allison Lang

Join us for next installment in our FED series! Join us for evenings of savory meals, exciting talks, and group conversations on a series of topics that the contemporary church must address. Pairs of speakers will give talks that challenge, entertain and inspire.

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FED talks at Arbor House

By Allison Lang

Join us for tnext installment in our FED series! Join us for evenings of savory meals, exciting talks, and group conversations on a series of topics that the contemporary church must address. Pairs of speakers will give talks that challenge, entertain and inspire.

Event Date and Time
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Vintage Christmas Event at Northgate

By Allison Lang

Northgate Free Methodist Church invites the community to a ‘Vintage Christmas’ event, on Saturday, December 8th, from 5-8pm.  Enjoy a festive Christmas tractor hayride through our community prayer walk, complete with carols and a retelling of the Christmas story.  Come roast marshmallows around our bonfire, eat s’mores, drink hot chocolate, while the children are invited to create ornaments for the tree.

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Mothers Of Pre-Schoolers (MOPS) Kick-Off

By Allison Lang

Mothers of Preschoolers or MOPS are groups of women who gather together twice a month to share and support each other in the remarkable journey that is motherhood. Meetings consist of relevant speakers, fun crafts, supportive conversations and fellowship.

There is always hot coffee and free childcare provided at all MOPS meetings. Moms can choose from a 9am morning group or a 6:30pm evening group. MOPS is open to all moms with children from birth to their youngest child finishes kindergarten.

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Northgate's Star Spangled Celebration

By Allison Lang

Starting at 7pm come out and enjoy some fun games, delicious food and a great view of the local fireworks display. Rain or shine we will have something for all ages and a time you won’t want to miss. Bring your family and friends to Northgate’s North Campus and celebrate with us.

 

8160 Bank Street Road

Batavia, NY 14020

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Sponsored Post: Join now & save during March Madness at the YMCA

By Lisa Ace

Hurry in before March Madness ends and join the YMCA team on the road to success! Stop in the Y and sign up for a membership. The faster you do the more you save!

The countdown is on for the biggest savings: If you come in Thursday-Saturday we will waive the entire joining fee for you. Every day after that you will receive a percentage off of the joining fee.

  • Thursday, March 15th -- 100% Joining fee waived
  • Friday, March 16th -- 100% Joining fee waived
  • Saturday, March 17th -- 100% Joining fee waived
  • Sunday, March 18th -- 50% Joining fee waived
  • Monday, March 19th --  25% Joining fee waived 

Save more with a teammate, bring someone into the Y with you and if they sign up for a new membership* we will waive their joining fee (based on day). Complete our membership referral form and you can receive one free month of membership! Stop in before the buzzer sounds to score on savings! (*Excludes membership upgrades)

The Hard Work of Being a Family

By Joseph Langen

There is no such thing as a perfect family.
Behind every door there are issues.
The difference is accepting and encouraging
each family member as they are,
not as we would like them to be.

~Catherine Pulsifer~

 

Are you at peace with everyone in your family? If so, congratulations! Be thankful for your family and for your ability to listen to each other and talk about your differences. No two people are the same. Our values and perceptions are all at least a little different. It is inevitable that from time to time we will see things in a way which conflicts with the views of even those closest to us.

 

If you find yourself in conflict with an acquaintance, it might not trouble you. What that person feels or believes might not matter that much to you and you just go on your way. There are plenty of other people in the world. Disagreeing with a few of them is no big deal. What they think does not affect your daily life. You just let it go unless you are one of those people who think everyone must agree with you.

 

What about conflict with a family member? Did you grow up in a family where your parents were able to listen to each other, digest what they heard and respond lovingly? I have never met a family which approaches conflict in this way one hundred percent of the time, including my own. You might have been lucky enough to have had parents who handled most conflicts this way. If so, you most likely learned good ways to handle conflict most of the time.

 

You might have had parents who weren’t so good at managing conflicts. If you never saw good ways to handle difficulties as you grew up, you might find yourself at a loss for how to manage your own conflicts. There are a few ways to improve your ability to handle conflict. Here are a few suggestions you might want to try.

 

  1. Find out what is important to the other person and why. Learn how he or she feels about the issue and why.
  2. Next, think about what is important to you and make sure you understand your own feelings.
  3. Look for areas of agreement. Share these with each other.
  4. Share what you love and respect about each other.
  5. Make sure you understand the other’s viewpoint.
  6. Agree to hear and respect each other’s opinion even if you don’t agree with it.   
  7. Understanding might lesson the conflict but in the end you might need to accept each other as you both are.

 

Life Lab Lessons

 

 

  • Make sure you understand your own position and feelings about areas of conflict.
  • Get some help understanding yourself if you need it.
  • Do more listening than talking.
  • Try to understand your relative’s position and feelings.
  • Look for ways to support each other regardless of your differences.

 

2nd Annual Route 98 Museum Crawl

By Holland Land Office

Spend Saturday and/or Sunday visiting these local museums. Get your passport stamped at each museum you visit and win a discount at a local restaurant or other merchant. Fun, educational, and just plain interesting! 

Participating Museums include:

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Oakfield Museum Open to the Public

By Jamie Lindsley

Each Sunday the Oakfield Historical Society opens the Museum and Research Center to the public for two hours free of charge.  Current exhibits include the Indian Room, Glassware, Cary Seminary, Haxton Foods, and the War Room.  Families are welcome. https://www.facebook.com/events/730386113734719/

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Godfrey's Pond holds fourth annual Easter Egg Hunt

By Steve Ognibene

More than 70 children with there families attended the fourth annual Easter Egg Hunt at Godfrey's Pond yesterday. The club put out a couple thousand Easter eggs early before the event which started at Noon and continued through 2 o'clock. Cookies, drinks were provided to all who attended. Mike Hammon, caretaker of Godfrey's Pond, said the free public event has grown consistantly over the years.

Other activities included a petting opportunity with six baby chicks.

Two contests were held; one for who collected the most eggs and a coloring contest.

Abby Lampke was the winner of the coloring contest.  

Egg hunt winners were:  

Gold -- Adrian Laird

Silver -- Connor Schrane

Bronze -- Trevor Pahl

Photo above is 7-year-old Eliana Stringham with the Easter Bunny. Craig Gillard submitted the photos from Godfrey's Pond.

Photos: Easter Bunny at Oliver's Candies

By Steve Ognibene

It’s an annual tradition that has some patrons make an hour-long trek to continue. Oliver’s Candy Store on Main Street in Batavia welcomed Spring with the arrival of the Easter Bunny earlier today. 

Genesee County’s “sweet spot” has extended business hours – from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Saturday, April 4. Oilver’s is closed only two days a year – Christmas and Easter – regular business hours are 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., Monday through Sunday.

Fall Family Festival at the Willow Bend Inn

By Holland Land Office

The Holland Land Office Museum and the Willow Bend Inn present a Fall Family Festival at the historic stage coach stop of the 1800s on Sunday, October 19th from 1:00 pm to 5:00 pm.  Events include children's games and crafts, stagecoach travelers, Civil War and 1812 reenactors, musket firing, raffles, live music by Red Creek, food including wings, chicken fingers, fries, chili, burgers, and a cash bar.  This is a fundraiser for the Holland Land Office Museum.  Admission is $5.00 for adults and free for children.

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Local moms start group to help kids, families

By Daniel Crofts

From left: Iris Hatcher, Jessica Polk, Jessica Simmons and Kenyetta Reese.

Leave it to a group of mothers to figure out what their community needs, and then to do something about it.

Pictured are the four founding members of "Mothers Supporting Children and Families" (MSCF), a new nonprofit designed to "provide inspirational support and positive direction to children of all ages" and "empower children and families" (per their mission statement.)

Polk, the WSCF president, said she conceived the idea during a dinner party at her Batavia home.

"There were a bunch of us mothers there," she said. "We got to talking -- Jessica (Simmons) had had the idea for a long time about doing something for the youth in the community to get them off the streets and doing something productive."

Polk and her friends were concerned about what appeared to be an increase in instances of local youth getting in trouble -- "and at a younger age" -- in recent years.

In order to help address this problem, she and her fellow MSCF moms are joining forces with Care-A-Van Ministries, a local Christian street ministry.

"They were extremely instrumental in giving us spiritual guidance from the very start," Polk said.  "They've taken us under their wing, and they've given us advice on how to start a nonprofit. We ask for their advice all the time."

Elsewhere in their mission statement, they name an important aspect of how they intend to address the problem of troubled youth: "MSCF lends a helping hand to the community so there are fewer children in unhealthy home dynamics."

Ways of positive self-expression, adult role models, and trusted adults that kids can come to with their concerns if, for whatever reason, they cannot go to their parents or legal guardians, are among what they seek to offer young people.

"And I hope that we, as an organization, will be able to show them the different resources available to them that they may not know of," Hatcher said." We want to guide them into whatever they need to relieve that pressure that is causing them to get into trouble."

But their mission is not limited to kids; rather, it is founded on "the concept of parents helping parents" and "promotes positive parenting, and healthy families."

MSCF is open to all families in Genesee County. Despite the group's name, Polk wanted to make it clear that men are welcome to be involved as well (they just cannot be official members).

Hatcher said that eventually, they would like to be able to arrange for situations in which families and children can get together for fun and socialization.

"We just have to get on our feet first and get our name out there," she said.

For more information on MSCF:

Web site: www.mscfmothers.wix.com/mscf-
Twitter: www.twitter.com/MSCFMOTHERS
Facebook: M.S.C.F. Mothers
Email: mscfmothers@yahoo.com

People can also contact Polk at 300-3804.

Photo submitted by Jessica Polk.

11th Annual Family Game Night

By Lu Ann Henry

Sponsored by the Genesee County Youth Bureau.  April 30th from 5:30 - 7:30 pm @ 2 Bank Street, Batavia.  Turn off the TV/ internet and spend quality time together.  Learn about our County Departments, enjoy a light dinner, play a board game and leave with a board game of your own to start your Family Game Night tradition.  $3 per person or $10 for a family of four.  Hope to see you there!

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Free Community Yoga Class to be Offered at Blue Pearl Yoga

By Patricia Hawley

FREE COMMUNITY YOGA CLASS OFFERED AT BLUE PEARL YOGA IN BATAVIA

 

BATAVIA…Blue Pearl Yoga will offer free yoga classes to the community on Friday, February 21 at 6:00 p.m. These classes are suitable for all ages and skill levels. A DJ will provide music for this fun event. Light refreshments will be served following the class.

 

Karen Reisdorf, owner of Blue Pearl Yoga and recent recipient of the 2013 City of Batavia Business of the Year award announced that she will teach a yoga class as a way to say thank you to the community for the support they’ve shown during her 14 years in business. “Independent business owners owe everything to their customers, especially when you live outside an urban center,” Reisdorf said. “This is a way for me to give back and show my appreciation to all of the people who’ve supported me and helped me grow Blue Pearl Yoga.” 

 

A class for adults will be held on the 3rd floor of her yoga studio located at the old Masonic Temple on Main Street in Batavia. A special class for families will be held on the fourth floor; both classes begin at 6 p.m. “We’re committed not only to the health of our families but the health of our community,” said Reisdorf. While this is the first time that a free yoga class has been offered community-wide, Blue Pearl Yoga can often be found at local community agencies like the Mental Health Association and the YWCA teaching yoga to their clients.”  

 

A class for families will be held simultaneously on the 4th floor of the studio. Maryanne Skye will teach a class designed for fun and suitable for adults and children of all ages. Participants can expect light stretching and simple yoga poses that create a delightful flow of energy to an upbeat soundtrack.

 

No special equipment is required but participants should wear light, comfortable clothing. Yoga mats will be provided by the studio or you can bring your own.  Blue Pearl Yoga is located at 200 East Main Street in Batavia. For more information please call Karen Reisdorf at 585.230.5430 or email bluepearl.yoga@yahoo.com

 

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