News

Co-owners Nancy Bachulak and Kent Ewell toast the 15-year anniversary of O’Lacy’s Pub in Batavia Sunday.

We've evidenced prolific bird life so far this spring. This robin was perched in the cottonwood while singing its praises of the day as I snapped the photo.

The Oakfield Historical Society Museum officially opened for the season today with two new displays -- one about World War II on the home front and the other on the five major fires in Oakfield in the 1800s.

If the Pok-A-Dot isn't already world famous, it soon will be

America is now marking the 150th anniversary of our Civil War. As a history teacher at Genesee Community College, I have had plenty of opportunity to reflect on the meaning of that self-inflicted wound we call the Civil War.

When the news of wars and troubles starts getting you down, take a drive along Main Street in Batavia.

History is coming alive in Oakfield, thanks to the efforts of the Oakfield Historical Society.

Since opening its doors for business in the fall, Palm Island Indoor Water Park at the Clarion Hotel has made a big splash.

They gathered on a strip of grass between Main Street and Tonawanda Creek for a ceremony Saturday morning. The crowd was not a crowd at all. No one cut any ribbons and politicians stayed away.

Getting to the small, but fun, JELL-O Museum in upstate New York isn’t hard. Once you’re in Le Roy, the town where this jiggly confection was invented in 1897, you can just follow the Jell-O Brick Road from East Main Street to the museum.

Holland Land Office Museum Director Jeff Donahue shows a display featuring his mother, Marilyn Mae Wood, who married Thomas H. Donahue Jr. in 1951.

I spent some time this afternoon photographing the giant tree near the front entrance of the Woodward Memorial Library in Le Roy.

STARTING OVER ... AGAIN: Batavia resident Rose Mary Christian reviews the menu with prep cook Angelo Cassidy as they get set to open Rosie’s Diner on Ellicott Street Road. The restaurant, formerly operated by Christian’s father as the Bee Hive and then by Christian as Bee Hive Too, is to open at 6 a.m. Monday and offer a slate of breakfast and lunch items plus dinner on Fridays.

It goes back to what I said about the Industrial Revolution — I can’t imagine how exciting it would be, that whole sense of being able to harness electricity, of having the power to do new things. Those might be great things, but without education, without the knowledge of how to use that power, you have problems.

Amidst these life-changing events, Ken was having a bad day, and the weather was terrible. He was sitting outside, looking at the dark, heavy clouds above, and a bit of sunlight and blue sky poked through. He said he realized, that's life -- the storm clouds are temporary, the blue sky is permanent.

Here in the Oak Orchard Wildlife Management Area it's a good time to watch migrating waterfowl and an opportunity to see the diving ducks that will later congregate on the bigger bodies of water.

While David and Greg have made changes in the campground -- upgrading infrastructure, adding an annual pumpkin patch and a summertime slippery slide on one of the hills, for example -- the biggest change has been booking more than a half-dozen big-name music acts into their outdoor amphitheater.

Rose Mary Christian thought she would be retired these days, but she can't quite get away from the restaurant business.

Lei-Ti Campground on Francis Road, Bethany, was voted by users of the Woodall's Campground Directory, as one of the top 100 campgrounds in the United States.

Darien Lake Theme Park is investing more than $5 million in the park this season, including the creation of a new themed area for children.

St. James Episcopal Church in Batavia was recently awarded a $19,200 grant from the Rochester Area Community Foundation (RACF) for the restoration of the stained-glass window centrally located on the bell tower.

Judith Littlejohn of Elba will speak on “Materials Matter” at the April 5 meeting at the Historical Society of Elba Museum on Maple Avenue Extension.

Between now and Easter Sunday, April 8, is one of the busiest times of the year for Oliver’s.

When Kate Middleton married Prince William in England the papers were filled with pictures of women wearing unusual hats called the Fascinator.