Officials at Batavia Downs today announced that in preparation for the Kentucky Derby running this weekend, they will be extra staffing at all OTB Branches to help with those looking to place wagers.

Free Derby Programs will be available at Batavia Downs, All OTB Branches and all EZ Bet locations.

OTB Branches will open at 10 a.m. as Churchill Downs’ first race of the day will be at 10:30 a.m. The Kentucky Derby is at 6:57 p.m. and will be televised on NBC and Peacock. 

At Batavia Downs, guests may place wagers upstairs at the onsite ITW and inside the Park Place Room. They will be hosting a $30 lunch special which includes a $25 Free Play, $5 Wager on the Derby, Derby Program and a 1/2 Chicken BBQ Lunch from Center Street Smokehouse. Attendees can pay at the door.

The Derby Gala inside the historic Batavia Downs Clubhouse is sold out.

OTB Branches, EZ Bets, and the Batavia Downs ITW will be doing drawings for Derby Glasses and Star Wars Themed Derby shirts as the 2024 Derby falls on Star Wars Day.

Wagers can also be placed on BataviaBets.com from a phone, tablet or computer. People can also wager via the Dial-A-Bet service at 1-800-724-4000.

“This is an exciting year for us,” said Henry Wojtaszek, President and CEO of Batavia Downs. “Not only is it the 150th Kentucky Derby, but it’s also Western OTB’s 50th anniversary. Our entire team has been working tirelessly to make sure our gaming facility and branches are ready to welcome guests this Saturday. We wish everyone good luck on their bets and may the horse be with you.”

Find the OTB or EZ Bet near you by visiting https://www.westernotb.com/locations/. 

Fiscal year 2023 was one of “rebuilding” due to the loss of helicopters and the tragic death of a pilot in April 2022. However, the number of ground ambulance activity hit a high, Mercy Flight Executive Vice President Scott Wooton says.

Music Director Ric Jones promises no clouds will obscure the beauty of Genesee Chorale's spring program -- Eclipse.

The 12-song concert takes its theme from the recent total solar eclipse that passed over the United States, including Western New York, opening with "Measure Me, Sky." 

Other titles in the show include "Canticle of the Sun," "Song to the Moon," "Light Beyond Shadow, "Day of Fire and Sun," "Capture the Sun," and "You Are the New Day."

Three songs are performed in total darkness to help the concert mimic the experience of a total eclipse.

Eclipse opened Friday evening in the auditorium at Pavilion High School. Its second performance is scheduled for 2 p.m. on Sunday at St. James Episcopal Church, 405 East Main St., Batavia.

Photos by Howard Owens

Press Release:

This February the North Bergen Food Pantry completed the move to their new location; Bergen’s United Methodist Church at 27 South Lake Street in the town of Bergen. Pastor Hoyt Brown and Trustee Hal Milward and their congregation welcomed the pantry into their church building.

With the imminent closure of North Bergen Presbyterian Church after 200 years of service to the rural community of North Bergen; the food pantry had to be relocated. 

The process of searching for a new location took some time. However, with the objective of serving the rural population in the tri-county areas of Genesee, Orleans, and Western Monroe County; Bergen’s United Methodist Church seems the ideal location. 

Pastor Dave Fish along with three other members of the North Bergen Presbyterian Church first opened the pantry in 2019 as an outreach mission. Pastor Dave recognized early on that the needs of the rural communities sometimes often go unnoticed.

According to Fish, “There is such need in this area, more than you would suspect. People are really hurting. The elderly and those on fixed incomes seem to fare the worst.” 

Fish whose nature is to reach out to those in need continues, “I thought the easiest way to find people in need was to feed them!” 

To date, the pantry has served over 1100 individuals from nearly 400 households. 

The Bergen Methodist Church not only embraced the pantry, but church members also volunteered their talents completing a ramp, building and donating moving shelving units, and making space in order to accommodate the pantry with the perfect configuration to serve their needs.

Currently, several church members have joined the pantry’s board, and many others are even volunteering during pantry hours. With their welcoming attitude and help, the transition to the new location went much smoother than anticipated!

The Bergen Methodist Church is already very vital to the town of Bergen, the members actively serve the small community in many ways. Besides the 10 a.m. Sunday service, there is a Nursery School within its walls, and a weekly Wednesday night dinner. The ‘free-will dinner’ is open to anyone in the community regardless of their ability to contribute toward the meal expenses.

The pantry partners with Foodlink of Rochester and is open to anyone twice a month on the second Thursday from 5 - 8 p.m., and the last Saturday from 9 a.m. - noon. In addition to free food, there is fellowship; the pantry staff prides itself as a friendly, welcoming place for everyone.

Current volunteer, Chuck Walters says, “We started going to the pantry for food three years ago after COVID. People were so friendly and helpful. It really helped by providing us with full meals at a time when grocery stores were short on many items. Now my wife and I volunteer regularly, we enjoy meeting and helping people in the community. We have made lots of new friends and enjoy being able to give others the ability to make full meals each day, too.”

This year during Bergen’s Park Festival on Saturday, June 8, the pantry will have a booth set up and staffed by volunteers available to answer questions and hand out a schedule of their days/hours of operation. If you would like to help stop food insecurity, please bring a non-perishable food item to donate.

The next opportunity to visit the pantry will be on May 9 from 5 - 8 pm. If you need food or wish to volunteer or donate to the pantry, please call Pastor Dave Fish at 585-290-5487.

Warm weather, sunny skies and new faces made for a good beginning of a new location of Genesee Country Farmers Market, Manager Rebecca Grela says.

Grela was working the market at its new site in the lot at School and Jackson streets in downtown Batavia Friday.

“And it's a gorgeous day to start the pop-ups in May on Fridays that were allowed by the city. One of our vendors came up with the idea as like a soft opening to get the public used to being in our new location and to work out any kinks before the full season opens on June 7,” Grela said. “I think it's great. We already have new customers that we've not seen before from a few blocks away. They've walked over for lunch this morning, or they said they'll be back for lunch during the different days of the week, we have different food trucks.

“I think we're a little bit closer to Ellicott Street, so we're gonna get some traffic from there,” she said. “I’m very excited about the new location.”

The market has been next to the former JC Penney store at City Centre for years, but that area will likely get more congested with the construction of a new police station at Alva Place and Bank Street and shifting of parking for customers and business employees.

“I think we will lose some foot traffic from the other place. But with the construction and everything going on over there, I think this is also a safer location. And that's not only safer for the vendors, but also for our consumers,” Grela said. “They bring their families or their dogs, and I feel this is a lot safer parking lot than what we had over there. Definitely different traffic.”

She expects to have up to 16 vendors on Fridays once the full market begins in June. And then it will run from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays. Right now, it’s 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Fridays through May. 

“And we have anywhere between six to eight, maybe nine, vendors on the five Fridays in May,” she said. “But we will have three different food trucks in May as well.”
 

Photos by Howard Owens

“I’m a big supporter of the library,” he said.

Congresswoman Claudia Tenney (NY-24) voted in favor of H.R. 8034, the Israel Security Supplemental Appropriations Act of 2024; H.R. 8036, the Indo-Pacific Security Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2024; H.R. 8038, the 21st Century Peace through Strength Act; and H.R. 3602, the End the Border Catastrophe Act. These bills will support Israel, strengthen our national security, deter our adversaries, and secure our borders.

H.R. 8034, which allocates $26.38 billion for Israel passed the House by a vote of 366-58.

H.R. 8036, which allocates $8.12 billion to counter communist China, passed the House by a vote of 385-34.

H.R. 8038, which will implement strong sanctions and policies to counter Iran, China, and Russia, and ban TikTok, passed the House by a vote of 360-58.

H.R. 3602, which would have implemented many of the policies included in H.R. 2, the Secure the Border Act, failed to pass the House via suspension by a vote of 215-199.

"President Biden has repeatedly failed to support our allies, fueling our adversaries and projecting weakness on the international stage, making it imperative that House Republicans provide strong and resolute leadership," said Congresswoman Tenney. 

"This week, the House demonstrated the necessity of supporting our allies while providing single-subject spending bills that restore regular order. This is essential to providing transparency and oversight to our legislative process.”

"In order to support Israel, our greatest ally, we must continue to provide them with the resources they need to defend themselves against Iranian-backed terrorist organizations. Iran's recent drone and missile assault demonstrated the Iron Dome's state-of-the-art capabilities. If it weren't for this technology, Iran's attack would have been catastrophic. This legislation allocates $4 billion to replenish Iron Dome and David's Sling missile defense systems to continue defending Israel from attacks. The United States must also continue to counter the Chinese Communist Party’s increased aggression and ensure a robust regional deterrence. The CCP continues to enhance its intelligence capabilities, threatening our national security and Taiwan's statehood. I am pleased this legislation included $3.3 billion to develop submarine infrastructure under AUKUS, including investments in dry dock construction and advance procurement for Columbia Class and Virginia Class. We must continue to support Taiwan, whose security is critical to American interests in the region.”

“The 21st Century Peace through Strength Act also includes much-needed enhancements to the Senate’s bill. This legislation bolsters our national security, by including legislation to force the sale of TikTok to protect Americans’ data from China and crack down on their malign influence.”

“Finally, the End the Border Catastrophe Act would finally institute key policies, such as the Remain in Mexico policy and the Migrant Protection Protocols, to secure our Northern and Southern Borders. This bill demonstrates House Republicans' continued commitment to reversing the disastrous Biden policies that have allowed 9 million illegal aliens to cross our borders. While some of my Democratic colleagues crossed the aisle to support this commonsense bill, I am disappointed that the overwhelming majority of Democrats stood by the Biden Administration’s failed policies. Rest assured, the House Republican Majority will continue to do everything in our power to protect our communities and secure the border.”

Rain or shine, the Genesee County Master Gardeners will be hosting their annual Spring Garden Gala on Saturday, May 18, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Cornell Cooperative Extension of Genesee County, 420 East Main Street in Batavia.

This annual plant sale features a variety of perennials, many of which are from the gardens of Master Gardeners.  There will also be a selection of houseplants. The plant sale starts promptly at 10 a.m. No early birds, please.

Visit the Basket Auction for garden art, gift certificates, and a variety of themed baskets. Basket Auction drawing starts at 12:30 p.m. Gently used garden books will also be for sale.

Our garden shed sale was so popular last year, that we’re doing it again!  We’ll have an assortment of gently used or maybe never used, gardening items such as containers, tools, signs, and garden decor. This will be set up in the parking lot area near the garden shed.

Bring in a soil sample from your garden or lawn for a free pH test. A half-cup sample of your garden soil in a clean container is needed for the test. 

Master Gardeners will also be available to answer your gardening questions.

Don’t miss your chance to pick up some great plants at great prices, plus garden art and other interesting items.  Arrive at 10 a.m. for the best plant selection. Proceeds from the sale benefit the educational outreach of the Genesee County Master Gardener Program.

For more information contact Cornell Cooperative Extension of Genesee County, at 585-343-3040, ext. 101, or stop by the Extension office at 420 East Main Street in Batavia.

Visit our website at http://genesee.cce.cornell.edu/events for more information. Like us on our Facebook page for Gala and Master Gardener program updates https://www.facebook.com/CCEofGenesee.

Press Release:

In 1991, a formal Congressional resolution acknowledged the vital role that telecommunicators play in emergency situations by proclaiming the second week in April as a week of annual recognition in their honor.

National Public Safety Telecommunicators’ Week is a time to thank these men and women who have dedicated their lives to serving the public.

Genesee County Sheriff William A. Sheron, Jr., along with the Genesee County Legislature and all emergency first responders, recognize these public safety professionals for their continued dedication, professionalism, and commitment to public service. The Genesee County Legislature issued a proclamation recognizing April 14 – 20, as National Public Safety Telecommunicators’ Week.

Emergency Services 9-1-1 Dispatchers are there 24/7, 365 days a year for police, fire and emergency medical personnel and the public in time of need. 

Many people do not think about these seemingly nameless, faceless individuals until they experience actual emergencies themselves. In many instances, Dispatchers make the difference between life and death. 

Typically, over 80,000 events are dispatched yearly, a daily average of 219, and over 100,000 telephone calls are handled, which is an average of 273 calls per day. 

The Genesee County Emergency Services Dispatch Center is comprised of 23 men and women who dispatch to 5 local police agencies, the New
York State Police, 19 fire departments/Emergency Management Service, 3 ambulance services, as well as 41 other local, county, regional, state, and federal agencies.

“Everyday citizens depend on the skill, expertise and commitment of the 9-1-1 Dispatchers. They are the first to take that phone call; the first to provide basic life support in a medical emergency; and also the first to dispatch needed fire, police or EMS responders for the call. 

They are to be recognized and commended during this very special week. I would like to personally extend my sincere appreciation for their hard work and dedication. They are truly unsung heroes in our community,” stated Sheriff Sheron.

The Batavia Society of Artists is having its Spring Member's Art Exhibit for the month of May at the Richmond Memorial Library, 19 Ross St., Batavia. 

Free opening reception in the Gallery Room on Tuesday, May 7 from 6:30 - 8 p.m. 

The Judge is Jill Pettigrew and the winners will be announced at 7 p.m. The Virginia Carr-Mumford Scholarship will be awarded then to GCC student Kathryn Blankenship. 

Light refreshments will be served. Please come and enjoy this Free Art Show, all are welcome!