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I love to take long walks on the streets of Batavia. It is like taking a trip to a different time in our history. So many places trigger so many memories.  

Recently, I was walking by Farrall Park. It was a beautiful fall day. I sat on one park bench, and my mind took me back to the 70s when I was a playground supervisor. I closed my eyes, and it was 9 a.m., and I could hear the front doors of the homes on James Street, Otis, Osterhout, Clifton, Jackson, Swan, Sumner, and Williams Street slamming shut as the neighbor kids ran to the park to begin their day. We had already unlocked the storage door and removed the sports equipment and the craft they would make that week. 

The children were all friends, and many were cousins. I’m looking at the old swing set and remembering the merry-go-round where we gave endless pushes to the squeals of delight from the children. 

When all the parks opened at 9 a.m. all over Batavia, all the supervisors experienced what I was experiencing. You owned that park and were there to encourage all the children to have fun and use suitable sportsmanship, but you also tried to beat the other parks in everything competitive.   

We had the smallest park, and it did not have a wading pool, but it had the best kids. I worked with two excellent park supervisors, Gary Starowicz and Tim Beers. We all said we had the best kids. 

Every week, we did a different craft. One week, it was boondoggles. Unfortunately, the little kids had no idea how to make them so that they would be clipped to the chain-link fence. A supervisor like myself would begin making them as the young child would watch in anticipation of getting their boondoggle. You can’t forget the little clip that was added at the end.

Another week would be the plaster of Paris. Hopefully, it would be a warm sunny day so the plaster would dry. I think that was one of the children’s favorite weeks. We would line up the molds, mix the plaster, pour the plaster into the rubber molds, shake the mold to eliminate the air bubbles, and insert that tiny hook into the back so your creation could hang on the wall. After we removed them from the rubber mold, the children painted them. They were all masterpieces.

Some of the weekly contests we had were sandbox, coloring, stuffed animal, jello eating, tetherball, pet show, baby picture contest, stuffed animal, scavenger hunt, peanut hunt, and bean bag contest, to name a few. Another favorite was the Park Penny Carnival. Anything you can think of was a contest, and everyone was a winner because everybody at the park was a winner. The Daily News posted contest winners from the various parks in the paper every Friday.

The highlight of the summer was the park parade. Today, my children and grandchildren can’t imagine closing Main Street and having a hay wagon pulled by a tractor showcasing the most beautiful park float. It was covered in chicken wire, twisted, and stapled to 2X4s, depicting the theme of a particular year. Children today can’t imagine building a float, making flowers out of crepe paper, and stuffing the crepe paper flowers into the holes of the chicken wire. The older park members built the float if they were not hopping a train to Pembroke! People would offer their barns or garages to construct the float. We had a garage on Liberty Street for one year and Hawley’s barn on Bank Street for a couple of years. A lot of this took place after park hours. 

I miss the sounds of voices as I sit on a park bench at Farrall Park today. I miss seeing the smiles of those kids who had a safe and fun place to go every day. The boys would jump on their bikes and ride to another park if it were a baseball game. The same was true for the girls, who were amazing athletes.

On the day of the park parade, I remember walking with our park kids down Main Street with our float and ending at Austin Park. Every park had a location to display its float. Looking at the park from the street, you would see a wonderland of children and parents standing proudly by their float. Their park scrapbook was displayed with pictures from the summer. There was also a talent show and a place for our king and queen winners, regally dressed, to be judged. Every park waited to hear the winners. 

I can’t say we ever came in the first place, but in my heart, they were all first-place winners. I cherish the memories, but my heart is so sad that children today will never have the experience that the children from the city parks had back when the parks were open from 9 to 5 with a lunch break from 12 to 1. 

Every child back then had similar memories, and in their hearts, their park was the best it could be. You can delete Farrall Park and insert Kibbe, Williams, Austin, John Kennedy, MacArthur, Woodward, or Pringle Park, and the memories will all be the same. 

As I leave Farrall Park to continue my walk, I leave the voices of children’s laughter and the camaraderie of the voices I hear daily as a supervisor. Today, children’s memories are captured on their iPhones.   That is their playground.   I don’t think kids today can relate to what it was like to belong to a park. The memories from all those beautiful summers go to the park supervisors who made the memories possible. I thank former supervisors Marcia, Bill, and Gary for their help with this article.

If you recognize your park float, please post the name of the float and your park. ENJOY!

The park supervisors in 1972 were: Debbie Lampkin, Ann Gorton, Mary Preston, Doris Holvey, Nancy Manchester, Ann Pietrovito, Marcia Macugowski, Anne Peca, Roberta Thrasher, Laurie Winegar, Dennis Buckley, Larry Barone, Mike Stevens, Marie Howe, Bill Bostwick, Gary Starowicz, Wayne Benedict, Jeff Smith, Peg Marone, Fred Francis

The Pembroke Kiwanis hosted its third annual Trunk or Treat Saturday, and rain didn't dampen the trick-or-treaters' spirits as it cleared quickly for the event.

Patrick Weissend, event chair and member of Kiwanis, said that they were planning for 600 kids and that they had over 35 participants with trunks show up for the annual event. 

"Growing up in the country I missed getting trick-or-treaters come to my house," Weissend said. "I never got kids that I didn't know."

This event allows the Pembroke Kiwanis to contribute to the community through a free, family fun event, he said.

While 6-year-old Joseph Robinson continued to fill his Batman bag with sweet loot Saturday afternoon, his folks had the opportunity to learn about new places they hadn't seen before during the annual Business Improvement District Trick-or-Treat event in downtown Batavia. 

Derek and Mary Beth Robinson, of Batavia, brought their son for some fun trick-or-treating, and also took a tour of the newly built Main St. Theater inside Batavia City Centre. 

"It's really good, it's awesome," Mary Beth said.  "We got the brochure, so we plan on coming back."

That was a cabaret to Coburn's ears, you could say. They had an estimated 200 visitors throughout the two-hour event, and some "didn't know we existed," she said. 

"That's our reason for participating," she said. "That's our mission, to make theater accessible for people, and they can't attend if they don't know we exist."

She wanted to remind the public that a "Spooky Cabaret" is coming up in time for the season. It's at 7:30 p.m. on Nov. 1, and tickets are $10. 

Just outside the theater, Matteo Spink was with his dad, Michael, from Oakfield. They believed this was their fourth year attending, and it was mainly about the fun more than learning about the merchants since his family's experience had already been "dipped" in many of the local businesses, he said. 

"I have friends that work at some of these businesses, and my daughter has been in a youth program here," Michael said, motioning to the theater. 

Nearly 40 BID merchants sponsored the event, which drew families from throughout Genesee County and beyond, including Batavia, Oakfield, Le Roy and Varysburg.

Owners of H.E. Turner & Co., Inc. Funeral Home already knew they were committed to the business and taking care of customers, and being named as a Selected Independent Funeral Homes member has solidified their belief that “we don’t just talk the talk; we walk the walk,” co-owner Steven Johnson says.

While the honor may seem to place a narrow focus on the world of morticians and their industry, this is something that lets all prospective customers know who they can trust, Johnson said.

“I think why it's important to them is that our invitation to join Selected and Independent, and it truly is by invitation only sort of association, our membership can give the community that we serve, the families that we serve, the confidence that we are truly a cut above your average everyday run-of-the-mill funeral home,” Johnson said during an interview with The Batavian Friday. “We had to submit ourselves to background checks to be considered for applicant or for membership. So they did a background check on us, plus on our business, and only firms that are known and proven to be reputable are invited to join. And I think that that is something that the community certainly should appreciate, given what has happened in this community in the past.”

Selected Independent Funeral Homes was founded in 1917 as the world’s oldest and largest association of independently owned funeral homes. It has 399 members across the country and 474 members internationally. All members are expected to operate according to specific standards and best practices to provide the public with reliable, high-quality funeral services and funeral-related information.

The Batavian asked Johnson and fellow owners Justin Calarco-Smith and Joshua Smith why the general public would care about this achievement, and all three pointed to the importance of being acknowledged for not only being successful in the industry but also for the role that Turner plays in its own backyard.

“In a world where a lot of family-run independent businesses, not even funeral homes, are being swallowed up by conglomerates and by people that don't really have any stake in the communities that they serve, I think it makes a difference for the public to know that it's still Steve, Joshua and Justin, no matter what number of rooftops that we own, it's still the three of us that own and operate this business on a daily basis, and we are the ones who decide how much money and where to divide all the money, you know, putting money back into the communities and into different organizations,” Calarco-Smith said. “You know, it doesn't go into somebody's pocket in Texas or Florida or California. Everything that we make stays sort of locally. And we do, we give a substantial amount of money back to our communities.”

As a local business, Turner constantly gets asked for contributions to nonprofits, and the typical response has been yes, whether it’s Genesee Cancer Assistance or Crossroads House or Gateway Home or others, Johnson said. That may not be the direct reason for this privilege of being named to Selected Independent; however, he said there is a strong connection between this newly named member and the community. 

“Just like Justin said, we're not just taking people's money and then sending all of it to Houston, wherever, and so that's important because we're independent, and Justin, Josh and I are the owners, we do have a vested interest in our community, and so we want the community to trust us, which is also another reason why this is important,” Johnson said. 

So what does this achievement actually mean? Turner was thoroughly reviewed for a background check of its business records, social media and online presence, and family satisfaction ratings, Johnson said. Every one of those 474 members gave a vote of yes to make the company a member of Selected Independent, and one vote would have hampered it from doing so. Membership is by invitation only and extended only after that review of character, service, performance and the facilities pass professional muster. 

In turn, part of this membership means that Turner has taken a vow to abide by a Code of Good Practice, which is a set of principles for funeral homes to be transparent about pricing, functions, services, and responsibilities; to provide charges in writing and make no additions without prior approval of the customer; be fair and accurate, respect all faiths, creeds and customs; maintain qualified and competent staff, complete facilities and suitable equipment required for a comprehensive funeral service; be responsive to the needs of the financially strained; comply with federal trade regulations; and, perhaps most importantly, pledge to conduct themselves “in such a manner as to deserve the public trust.”

Selected Independent Executive Director and CEO Robert Paterkiewicz welcomed Turner to the association, emphasizing that affiliation with this membership is an honor “because of the high standards of funeral service required to receive an invitation to become a member.”

“As independently owned and operated firms, our members are truly in their communities,” he said. “H.E. Turner & Co., Inc. Funeral Home, like all our members, takes seriously their responsibility and dedication to providing the best possible funeral service to their friends and neighbors.”

Since he learned about this membership last month, Calarco-Smith has felt validated as a professional in a time-honored, long-running family business that his father, the late Jim Smith, proudly worked in and earned a similar membership for, he said.

“For me personally, is the solidification of knowing that we are still doing the right things and taking the right steps. Our dad was a member of the same organization. It had a different moniker back in the early 90s, and it was important to him because it garnered a lot of the ideas we still implement today, almost. You know, 30 years after his initial call into membership, I'd like to think that whatever we can gain from the group, we can in ways, give back to our public,” he said. “As far as helping our public out more, helping our families out more, offering more. You know, if there's different ways that we can continue to help our community and our families, that's why this is very important to me.

“At the end of the day, this is what it’s all about; it’s all about family and community,” he said. “And this community, if you will, of the group that we just were elected into, that’s a sense of community there, and if we can take what we garner and learn therefrom that community and give it back to the people that we see on a daily basis, only good or positive can come from that.”

Johnson added that meetings are not just about paying dues and showing up for attendance, but about involvement in active discussions and brainstorming for future use. 

“I walked away from here with 30 different ideas of ways that we could better serve our community. Now, are we going to do all of them? No, but it’s an open, free-sharing, honest conversation amongst peers who specifically are not competitors. And so, back when it was National Selected Morticians, Jim (Smith’s) study group is what gave us the idea for our annual service of prayer and remembrance. And so now I hope that the study group that I was fortunate to be asked to join while I was in Florida a couple of weeks ago will feed something else that really will continue to put us apart so that we can better serve the community.”

Johnson believes that offshoots from that study group will eventually be implemented here to further benefit and strengthen the grieving process and serve the needs of families and individuals. 

All three owners are humbled and honored for the designation, they said. Joshua Smith added that “it shows that the time and effort that we put in, we know it here and we see it here from everybody.”

“It's nice to see that it's recognized by others who have the same approach and the same ideas as far as what, why you're doing, what you do, why you spend time to get to develop relationships with the people that you meet,” Smith said. “We always try and we do the best, but having others recognize that from miles and miles away is a real honor.”

Press Release:

The Court Street entrance to County Building One, which provides access to multiple county departments, including the Genesee County Department of Motor Vehicles, will be closed to all pedestrian traffic, including employees and deliveries, on Wednesday, October 30, due to scheduled maintenance. 

This closure is necessary to ensure the safety of all visitors, staff, and maintenance personnel.

During the closure, please use the alternative entrances on Main Street (Clerk’s Office entrance) and Ellicott Street (Courtyard entrance). Signage will be placed externally and internally to direct all foot traffic to these entry points.

The entrance will reopen once maintenance is complete. If you have appointments scheduled for October 30 with any department in County Building One, we encourage you to contact them in advance to confirm your access route. Thank you for your cooperation.

Press Release:

Senator George Borrello will partner with VA Western New York Healthcare System and VFW Post #1602 in Batavia to host a Veteran Outreach and Enrollment Event on Thursday, November 7, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Senator Borrello underscored the importance of our Veterans to gain access to all the benefits they’ve earned through their service.

“Our veterans have given more to our country than we could ever repay. In return for their dedicated and selfless military service, our federal and state governments will continue to partner and provide information on access to VA healthcare and monetary compensation to our veterans and their families. Representatives from the VA will be available to answer questions about VA healthcare options and related issues for compensation. This event will be a great resource and one that highly I encourage area veterans and their families to attend and utilize,” said Senator Borrello.

Senator Borrello also noted that the federal PACT or “Promise to Address Comprehensive Toxics” Act, which took effect in August of 2022, has eliminated previous phased-in timelines for VA health care and benefits for veterans exposed to burn pits, Agent Orange, and other toxic substances. VA representatives will answer questions on this new change.

The outreach event will take place at the Veness-Strollo VFW Post #1602, located at 25 Edwards Street, Batavia. The event is free and registration is not required.

Press Release:

Tops Friendly Markets, a leading full-service grocery retailer in New York, northern Pennsylvania, and Vermont, announced today that the company will once again offer military personnel and their immediate families an 11 percent discount off of their grocery bill this Veterans Day. This marks the 12th year Tops has been extending this discount to military personnel and their families. 

On Monday, November 11 Tops Markets will honor an 11 percent discount off of a total order to all veterans and immediate family members in the same household, who shop at any Tops location. Customers should present proof of service that they, or an immediate family member are a U.S. Veteran, active duty, reserve or retired military personnel to automatically receive an 11 percent discount off of their total purchase that day.

"The respect and gratitude we feel for those who serve or have served in the military is beyond measure, and for that, we are eternally thankful," said Ron Ferri, president of Tops Friendly Markets. "This annual savings is just one of the many ways we wanted to give back to our local military community by honoring the associates and customers who have bravely defended our nation and made countless sacrifices through their service."

Additionally select Tops locations will be selling 4x6 US flags with a portion of its proceeds being donated back to Buffalo Niagara Honor Flight. Flags will be on sale through Veterans Day.

Tops is a longtime supporter of military associates and customers. The company’s support of military organizations includes, but is not limited to, support of the Wall that Heals, American Veterans Tribute Traveling Wall, Honor Flight Missions and golf tournaments, sending care packages for troops serving domestically and overseas, VA hospital visits, participation in veteran job fairs, parades and expos.

Press Release:

The Genesee County Department of Public Works announces the temporary closure of Junction Road between Hartwell Road and Covell Road in the Town of Pavilion, effective Monday, October 28. This closure is necessary for critical repairs to a steel deck bridge in the area.

The bridge repair is expected to take approximately four weeks. During this time, a section of the bridge will be removed, and no traffic will be able to cross the bridge. Motorists are advised to seek alternative routes and plan accordingly.

After all of the hopeful visions and dreams for developer Yong Guang Ye’s possible plans for the former JC Penney building, the site is now likely to go up for auction after going to foreclosure.

Ye’s former realtor, Jonathan Mauer of Pyramid Brokerage Co. in Fairport, no longer represents the California developer, who “didn’t really have a business plan” when he bought the department store property for $500,000, Maurer said. It was then put up for sale at a selling price of $750,000.

After the purchase became public, others chimed in with hopeful wishes that it could be turned into a boutique or micro hotel or a concert venue, citing its downtown location and midway point of Buffalo and Rochester as being a perfect setup for travelers. There were no takers for the property, apparently, and Ye let property taxes lapse into what may be eventual foreclosure, Maurer said. He wasn’t certain which out-of-state bank was the lender.

City Manager Rachael Tabelski briefly mentioned that it looked like the property was going up for auction during a recent City Council meeting. The Batavian requested further confirmation about the site's status at 40 Batavia City Centre on Friday afternoon. 

"I believe they are one year out of back taxes, so foreclosure requires two years delinquent. I’ll need to check records to confirm," Tabelski said Friday. "I have heard that the lending company may be auctioning the property off. But I also have not found any details of this yet."

JC Penney closed its doors at City Centre in the fall of 2020 in an onslaught of closings due to corporate bankruptcy proceedings. Batavia’s site then sat quietly as local shoppers mourned the loss of another department store. 

According to Genesee County assessment records, Yong Guang Ye of San Jose, Calif., purchased the 38,524-square-foot site on Feb. 2, 2021. The property has been assessed at $400,000. 

JC Penney was built in 1978 along Alva Place and remained a strong anchor for the former Genesee Country Mall-turned-Batavia City Centre until its doors were permanently closed in late 2020.

UMMC and the Cancer Services Program of Genesee & Orleans hosted their annual Pink Hatters Night Out at Batavia Downs on Thursday.

The event supports those battling cancer, admires survivors and honors those who have passed.  

Photos by Howard Owens. (Apologies if we didn't use a picture we took of you -- many good pictures were lost because of photographer error.)

Genesee County municipalities can expect a share of the half million dollars in mortgage tax that the county will distribute after the Legislature approved a resolution of payments this week.

The county clerk/treasurer reported that $504,734.48 is available from mortgage tax—the one-time tax paid when a mortgage is recorded—and the Legislature agreed during Wednesday’s meeting to distribute that lump sum of the respective mortgage tax amounts to the city of Batavia and each of the towns and villages within Genesee County. 

The breakdown is as follows:

• The city of Batavia will receive - $83,983
• Town of Alabama - $11,275.13
• Town of Alexander - $15,680.53
• Town of Batavia - $50,704.70
• Town of Bergen - $31,432.60
• Town of Bethany - $7,805.15
• Town of Byron - $23,154.70
• Town of Darien - $14,484.98
• Town of Elba - $12,676.74
• Town of LeRoy - $30,712.91
• Town of Oakfield - $16,642.28
• Town of Pavilion - $20,423.81
• Town of Pembroke - $136,785.84
• Town of Stafford  - $21,895.93
• Village of Alexander - $1,410.28
• Village of Attica - $484.87
• Village of Bergen - $4,174.35
• Village of Corfu - $7,870.05
• Village of Elba - $1,542.34
• Village of LeRoy - $8,932.81
• Village of Oakfield - $2,661.48

The county has records of these payments since 2011, with a total of $264,130.74. The totals have been a rollercoaster of ups and downs, with a high of $636,882.14 in 2022, which decreased to $562,507.30 in 2023, and that fell again this year. 

In other action, the Legislature also approved overtime costs of $100,000 for the Sheriff’s Office to cover a current shortage projected through the year-end. This is due to police services for outside agencies and the need for overtime pay and fringe expenses.  

The overtime cost, plus $6,200 in social security tax, $1,450 for Medicare tax, and $23,200 in retirement expenses, will have a total budget impact of $130,850.

Press Release:

Starting the week of October 28, the Batavia City School District, in partnership with a certified arborist, will begin needed work on the beloved and historic willow tree on the front lawn of Batavia High School (260 State St. Batavia).

According to the arborist, while the tree appears healthy, several dead branches are adding too much weight to the trunks. Without this work, we run the risk of a strong storm irreparably damaging the tree.

Our goal is to proactively maintain the tree and preserve it for generations of Batavia High School students and staff to come.

Work on the tree should only last a few days and will not impact school arrivals or dismissals.

Press Release:

The City of Batavia Fire Department is proud to announce the winners of our 10th Annual Fire Prevention Coloring Contest. With over 400 entries from Batavia Schools, this contest was very difficult to judge.

Congratulations to the following winners:

Grade K-1:

First Place- Isabelle Herdlien - 1st Grade Jackson Elementary, Miss Wahr

Second Place- Massiah Ayala - Kindergarten St. Josephs Regional School, Mrs. Case

Third Place - Ada McCracken - 1st Grade Jackson Primary, Mrs. Harloff

Grades 2-3:

First Place- Amara-Lee Thomas - 3rd Grade John Kennedy, Mr. Coke

Second Place- Cecilia Dejaneiro - 2nd Grade John Kennedy School- Ms. Wirth

Third Place- Payton Ford - 3rd Grade St. Joseph's School- Ms. Dumuhosky

Grades 4-5:

First Place- Josie Varland - 4th Grade St Paul Lutheran School, Ms. Austin

Second Place- Maiya Holman - 5th Grade Batavia Middle School, Mrs. Penepent

Third Place - Blessing Brobey - 5th Grade Batavia Middle School, Mrs. Consagra

An awards luncheon will be held Saturday, October 26, from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the City of Batavia Fire Station located at 18 Evans St. for all 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place winners. The 1st place winner of each group will receive a ride to school on a City of Batavia Fire Engine. Congratulations to all the winners!

Press Release:

WHAT: In honor of Veterans Day, Batavia High School will host its annual ceremony celebrating local veterans and their service to our country.

Batavia High School would like to invite any local veterans to participate and be honored during the ceremony.

The ceremony will include special musical performances, recognition of our veterans in attendance, and guest speakers to commemorate the event.

WHERE: Batavia High School Auditorium

WHEN: Thursday, November 14 from 8 - 9 a.m., with a short reception immediately following.

CONTACT:  If you are interested in participating in the event, please call Batavia High School at 585-343-2480, ext. 2000.

Press Release:

HomeCare & Hospice Foundation is preparing for their 29th Annual Tree of Life ornament sales and ceremonies.

Every year during the holiday season, HomeCare & Hospice Foundation and the communities they serve, come together to honor and remember lost loved ones. 

“We look forward to bringing the communities we serve together,” said Melissa Sullivan, Chief Executive Officer at HomeCare & Hospice in Allegany. “We want those who have lost loved ones to feel support during the holidays – we encourage anyone to attend one of our ceremonies regardless if they have an ornament or if their loved one was on our services.”

Ceremonies will be held in Allegany on Thursday, November 14 starting at 5:30 p.m. at the St. Elizabeth Motherhouse, located at 115 E. Main St., and on Wednesday, December 4 starting at 5:30 p.m. at the Richmond Memorial Library in Batavia, located at 19 Ross St. Batavia.

To purchase an ornament or for more information, please visit https://2024treeoflife.givesmart.com or contact Sarah Negron at 716-372-2106.