News

Lincoln exhibit opens this weekend at HLOM

Many people point to the flood of March 1942 as the worst in area history.

Batavia Peace Garden Members Attend State Tourism Workshop

Batavia Christmas during the 1960s

BATAVIA — With Thanksgiving just a week away, many folks are thinking about what to buy that certain someone for Christmas or Hanukkah. A group of artisans on the east side hope to answer that with Holidays on Harvester.

BATAVIA — The Holland Land Office Museum is planning its 12th annual Wonderland of Trees. The Opening Gala will be from 7 to 10 p.m. Nov. 22 at the museum, 131 West Main St. Theme this year is “Visions of Gingerbread.”

BATAVIA — I pulled back on the giant stone slab, which must have weighed hundreds, if not thousands of pounds, listening to the eerie moan of a centuries-old door that wished to remain shut. With each inch that passed, the creak grew louder, like the wail of a disturbed spirit. Next to me, Sharon Burkel asked simply “Heavy isn’t it?” Yeah, you could say that.

If you lived in Batavia between 1940 and 1972, chances are you stopped at The Dagwood, a popular eating establishment on Main Street. The Dagwood was one of several smaller restaurants in the downtown area during that period. Others included Don's Dinette, The Plaza Restaurant, Young's Restaurant and the Berry Patch, among others.

BETHANY — Phoebe Jane White’s entire world was at the former Genesee County Poor House. Hard to say what was affecting her. A newspaper account of her death described her as “always idiotic” and blind for the last 10 years of her life. Phoebe Jane was 9 years old when she delivered to the Poor House in 1828. She was one of the first people sent there, and it’s where she died.

BATAVIA — It was a sanctuary for the city’s impoverished and orphaned youth, the home where titans of Batavia’s past planned their business and philanthropic endeavors, and a symbol of an era of land speculation whose loss four decades ago galvanized a community towards preservation. The Richmond Mansion is now long gone, but its memory and its inhabitants role in shaping the city’s institutions were celebrated warmly at the dedication of a new historic marker outside the Richmond Memorial Library.

The World Series will have a distinct local flavor when play begins Wednesday night at Fenway Park. Nine players from the St. Louis Cardinals and one member of the Boston Red Sox are former Batavia Muckdogs, the short-season Single-A club 30 minutes west of Rochester. “There’s a lot of pride here in Batavia,” says Muckdogs general manager Travis Sick.

BATAVIA — If you think there’s not much intriguing history to come out of Batavia, City Historian Larry Barnes plans to set the record straight. His talk, “A History of Batavia: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly,” will review examples of assorted happenings from years past. The free presentation is at 1 p.m. Oct. 20 at St. James Episcopal Church, 405 East Main St.

Taverns were very important in the settlement of Genesee County. If you were a pioneer, you traveled very slowly by foot, horseback or wagon. Some sort of lodging was necessary. There were more than 187 taverns in Genesee County between the years of 1788 and 1895. Some say that there was a tavern every nine miles.

Has there ever been a more useless question than “Would you like cheese on that?” I don’t care if you’re talking about my hamburger, pasta, soup or salad, the answer is an emphatic “Yes!” I mean, really, who doesn’t love cheese? Evidently, not anyone in this country. According to the most recent report from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the average American eats 23 pounds of cheese a year. That’s up from 8 pounds per person in 1970.

Chuck D’Imperio loves Upstate New York. And he reconnects with his beloved by climbing into his SUV nearly every summer to drive 1,000 miles from Lake Erie to the Hudson Valley and up to the Adirondacks. He goes to check out what makes each community special, to uncover their hidden gems. Then he writes about his findings.

Alpaca farms throughout the region and across the nation will open their gates to visitors this weekend to show off their prized animals and promote the expansion of the growing fiber industry. The 2013 National Alpaca Farm Days will be celebrated with open houses throughout the Genesee region, with local farmers eager to share their love for the peaceful camelids and spark interest in future alpaca owners.

BATAVIA — The Genesee-Orleans Regional Arts Council has switched over all of its galleries for new shows that will be on display throughout September and October.

BATAVIA — The Great Batavia Train Show, sponsored by the Genesee Society of Model Engineers, will be held from 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Oct. 13 at the Clarion Hotel Park Road, Batavia. Tickets cost $5 adults, $2 under 18, free for children under 13. There will be vendor tables, door prizes, free parking, snack bar.

Author Peter Troy will give a local audience the first look at his second book, “The Plowshare Legacy,” when he returns next month for a fundraising dinner for the “A Tale for Three Counties” community reading project. Troy wove a tale of Irish immigration and his own family’s history during the 2013 Tale program in March which featured his debut novel, “May the Road Rise Up to Meet You.”

BATAVIA — The town of Batavia doesn’t have a museum to display historical items of interest, but it does have a new, custom-made cabinet to showcase a bit of such history for visitors to the Town Hall. The cabinet, made locally, stands in the front hallway of the town office building at 3833 West Main Road. It has held two different types of exhibits thus far and town historian Berneda Scoins is looking for more in rotating displays for the future.

The sun had barely cleared the horizon when I pulled out of the driveway Tuesday morning. And with the camera case on the seat beside me, I really wasn't sure where I was going. The last thing I expected on a rather chilly morning was a bald eagle perched in a dead tree overlooking Tonawanda Creek.

Batavia native Tim Pastore loves to tell stories. He always has. He also always knew he wanted to work in television and film. “I was a TV kid. I love the medium,” he said. That passion is reflected in Pastore’s career that took another step up with his recent hiring as executive vice president of production and development for National Geographic Television.

Products made in Genesee and Wyoming counties are among those being promoted as part of Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s “Taste NY” initiative. Cheeses from Yancey’s Fancy New York Artisan Cheese of Corfu and maple products from Attica’s Merle Maple Farm are now available at the New Baltimore Service Area, located on the Thruway south of Albany. It is the first location in the state to offer “Taste NY” products year round.

Batavia's new frozen yogurt shop, Yo Twisters, on Jackson Street, officially opened late this afternoon, and as soon as Mercedes Rivera, left, and Tesla Phelinger heard the shop was open they headed right down.