The Business Improvement District's Cider Walk returns to Downtown Batavia on Saturday, June 22.

The second annual walk starts at 3:45 p.m. with registration at Tonawanda Valley Federal Credit Union on Jefferson Avenue. Registration ends at 5:45 p.m. and the walk continues until 8 p.m.

Paid participants can stop at 18 different downtown businesses to sample a variety of ciders as well as shop at local retailers.

Tickets are available at YNgodess Shop, TVFCU, and Eventbrite.

Ticket sales are limited to 300.

Participants must be 21 years of age or older. The BID asks "no children, please."

"Come Downtown, taste great ciders, meet new people, see old friends, and create memories while you shop small and support your local businesses," said BID Director Shannon Maute. 

At Thursday's annual meeting of the Business Improvement District at Center Street Smokehouse in Batavia, My Cut Barbershop was honored as business of the year and Sara Tenney was named the BID's volunteer of the year.

My Cut is located on the first floor of the Masonic Temple building, 200 E. Main St., Batavia.

Join us for our annual FeBREWary Beer Walk Downtown Saturday, Feb. 24 from 4 - 8 p.m. with 23 participating businesses. Registration is to be held at GO ART!

Come walk The Downtown Business Improvement District, sip some delicious craft beer, and visit local businesses. Shop our downtown as you visit with friends and family, eat some great food, and see what is new. 

FeBREWary tickets are $35.00 per person, and you must be 21 or over to attend. No one under 21 will be allowed entry. 

Tickets are available at Adam Miller Toys & Bicycles, Yngodess Shop, and Eventbright. For more information, visit our Facebook page or at www.bataviabid.com.

Press release:

Join us in the holiday spirit at the annual Christmas in the City celebration on Saturday, Dec. 2, from 2 to 6 p.m. with the Downtown Holiday Parade starting at 6 p.m.

Christmas in the City activities include pictures with Santa, holiday crafts, cookie decorating, chili, hot cocoa, face painting, sleigh rides, family portraits and more! Several downtown businesses will be offering activities, crafts, and in-store specials. For a full listing of activities, go to www.bataviabid.com.

The parade begins promptly at 6 p.m. at Wendy's and makes its way down Main Street east toward Liberty/Summit Streets. 

Join us in our scavenger bunt bingo throughout Downtown, exploring and and supporting our small businesses. Bingo begins at Iburi Photography at 35 Jackson St. and ends at GO ART!, 201 East Main St. There are 22 business bingo stops. 

For more information on Christmas in the City, see The Batavian's previous story: Snow is here, December is coming, it must be time for Christmas in the City

Batavia’s downtown Business Improvement District members would like to spend some of their more than $220,000 capital account to enhance the downtown area, and because that will take a city amendment to do so, a public hearing is necessary.

While trying to obtain a schedule of events for the second annual Italian Festival, scheduled for July 29 and promoted this year along with a classic car cruise, The Batavian has learned that the event has been canceled.

“The BID has decided not to move forward with Italian Fest this year,” the group’s executive director, Shannon Maute, said Monday. “Although we loved the event, we have decided to focus on our other events.”

During BID’s — which stands for Business Improvement District — annual awards get-together in April, Maute shared that upcoming events, including the Italian Fest, would be “bigger and better than ever.” It was quietly canceled, per the online note and line drawn through the event name on its own page. 

On Monday, Maute emphasized that BID is still forging ahead with its boxcar derby, set for 8:30 a.m. Aug. 26 just outside of downtown on Ellicott Avenue, and the annual Wine Walk has been penciled in already for 4 to 8 p.m. Oct. 7 in downtown Batavia, with this year’s theme being “Under the Big Top.”

Vette opened the Thursday Night concert series in Jackson Square yesterday.

The band consists of Kole Moore, lead vocals and rhythm guitar, Alex Fitzak, lead guitar, and on Thursday, the substitute rhythm section was Mike "Thunder" Warren on bass and Alex DeSmit on drums.

The next show is the band Free Beer on Thursday, followed by Qwister on Aug. 10 and Radio Relapse on Aug. 17.

The concerts are hosted by the Business Improvement District.

The Friday evening concert series in Jackson Square, sponsored by the Business Improvement District, kicked off the 2023 season with the Skycats.

Photos by Howard Owens.

The Business Improvement District hosted its inaugural Cider Walk, modeled after the popular Wine Walk in the Fall, in Downtown Batavia on Friday.

Photos by Nick Serrata.

The Soapbox Derby, sponsored by the Business Improvement District, returns for 2023 with sleeker, larger, faster car kits, organizers announced today.

The race will be at the same locations as last year -- Ellicott Street at Richmond, next to Centennial Park in Batavia -- on August 26.