Bill Kauffman has a post over at Front Porch Republic about finding great localist/regionalist songs, songs that celebrate place and home.

He leads off with this wonderful piece by Iris DeMent.

Which I'd never heard before.

He includes this classic by The Pretenders.

What a simple, angry song about paving over of our cities and rural lands by chain retailers, destroying the heritage of communities all across the country.  Chrissie Hynde sings about Ohio, but I always associate this song with my former hometown, El Cajon, Calif., which has something in common with Batavia -- a downtown pretty well damaged by urban renewal, though El Cajon was left in much worse shape.

The other classic anti-urban renewal song comes from a Brit, Ray Davies, and The Kinks.

But not all great localist songs lament what used to be. Some great ones celebrate home, like CCR's "Looking Out My Backdoor."

The first week I moved to New York from California, one of my favorite music artists, and there's no pretense in calling him an artist, Dave Alvin released a new CD of songs by California songwriters writing about California.  The first time I heard "California Bloodlines," I couldn't help but tear up.

The song was written by John Stewart and you can see him perform his version here.

I could do a whole post of Dave Alvin "California" songs, going back to his early days with The Blasters.

The last place in California I lived was Bakersfield, which is the subject the classic, "Streets of Bakersfield."  You know that song was written by somebody who lived in Bakersfield for a long time, as it opens up with the perfect conundrum that describes Bako: "You don't know me, but you don't like me / You say you care less how I feel ..."

Bakersfield got slammed pretty good by this local rap due in "Armpit of the State."

The last song to share is another classic picking on Bakersfield's less positive attributes, "Kern River."  That river claims five or six lives every year. 

OK, one more Merle Haggard song, because it takes me back to a time when I lived in a big city and longed to move to a small town ... and I finally made it when I arrived in Batavia.

Do you have any favorite localist songs, songs of place?

To post a video in your comment, use a bracket "[" and then the word "video" followed by a colon ":" then the URL to the YouTube video, then close bracket "]"

Like this (but with no spaces) [ video : http : //www.youtube.com/watch?v=T_q0WJJKFxA ]

If there's a state regulation that you find burdensome or unnecessary, here's your chance to complain about it and possibly get rid of it.

Gov. David Patterson has signed an executive order forming a committee of top advisers to review state regulations and eliminate any that are outdated or overly burdensome to business.

Agencies are already required to conduct lengthy reviews of new procedures and regulations before they become final. But under the new order, they will also be required to review such rules after they are put into effect.

Officials will be required to invite public comment on whether any existing rules and regulations — no matter when they were enacted — are “unnecessary, unbalanced, unwise, duplicative or unduly burdensome.” The committee would then reconsider rules that have generated the most criticism.

The first round of review will involve seven departments and agencies, including those responsible for environmental, health, liquor and labor regulations.

Some groups, such as labor unions, have previously opposed the governor's office taking on such sweeping power.

Three people were reportedly injured in a three-car accident at Oak Street and Richmond Avenue.

Traffic is blocked at this time and two cars will need to be towed.

Emergency crews are on scene now.

The state Department of Health and federal officials are girding for more cases of the H1N1 flu strain, from talking about quarantines to issuing guidelines for schools.

The state has also allocated more financial aid for county health departments dealing with H1N1 outbreaks.

We didn't have a deal of the day on Wednesday, plus just to mix up the times a bit and give more people a chance to win -- here's a Saturday morning deal of the day!

Valle Jewelers, 21 Jackson St., Batavia, N.Y.: Gifts, jewelry, expert cleaning and jewelry repair - $50 can go a long way in Valle Jewelers. We have a $50 gift certificate for $25.

Alex's Place, 8322 Park Road, Batavia, N.Y.: One of the region's premier restaurants and a favorite place for business lunches. We have a $25 gift certificate for $12.50.

Center Street Smoke House, 20 Center St., Batavia, N.Y.: Ribs, brisket, steak, prime rib -- Center Street is a meat lovers' paradise. We have a $25 gift card for $12.50.

Delavan's Restaurant and Tavern, 107 Evans St., Batavia, N.Y.: Have you tried the homemade Italian sausage yet? You should. We have a $20 gift certificate for $10.

T.F. Brown's, at 214 E. Main St., Batavia, N.Y.: T.F. Brown's is a great place for a good meal, good friends and to catch up on what's going on in the sports world. When you need to book your next party, think T.F. Brown's. See the ad on the right side of the page for contact information. We have a $20 gift card for $10.

Jackson St. Grill/Belladessa's Pizzeria, 9 Jackson St., Batavia: From homemade soups, desserts to pizza, the Grill and Pizzeria offers a fully menu of great meals. Today, we have a Family Deal (value $25), which includes a large one-topping pizza, 24 wings and 2 liter soft drink for $12.50.

Settler's Restaurant, 353 W. Main St., Batavia, N.Y.: Settler's has a 25-year history in Batavia of serving great, affordable breakfasts, lunches and dinners to Batavians. We have a $20 gift certificate for $10.

A $1 PayPal service fee applies on items more than $10. The fee is 50 cents on items below $10.

Rules: The gift certificate must be used by within 30 days of purchase. It is not valid with other offers and has no cash value. Only one gift certificate per-merchant per-person every six months. Gift certificates cannot be combined with other offers without prior approval of the merchant. Gift certificates bought separately cannot be combined for a single purchase. Individuals buying gift certificates must use their own personal PayPal account for the purchase.

How to Win: Purchase using the PayPal "Buy Now" button below. After the first person to hit the "buy now" button completes the purchase, PayPal will let you know that the item has been sold. Unless other arrangements are made immediately after purchase, the gift certificate will mailed to the winner at his or her PayPal-provided postal address within two or three days of purchase.

Valle Jewelers

SOLD

Delavan's

SOLD

Alex's Place

SOLD

Center Street Smoke House

SOLD

T.F. Brown's

SOLD

Belladessa's

SOLD

Settler's

SOLD

A fire alarm has sounded at 229 Summit St., Batavia. Batavia Fire trucks are responding.

View Larger Map

Batavia Downs is celebrating a world record set in 1977 by a horse named Excalibur, with Fred Haslip at the controls. Excalibur set the world record for a double-gaited gelding when he trotted home in 2:03.3. That matched his lifetime best pace record. The combined time of 4:07.1 erased the previous record, set by Leon in 1939.

Full press release after the jump:

Batavia, NY --- It was one of the biggest nights in Batavia Downs history. A new world record and new track record in the same night, and it came 32 years ago.

Excalibur, with Fred Haslip at the controls, set the world record for a double-gaited gelding when he trotted home in 2:03.3. That matched his lifetime best pace record, set earlier in his career. The combined time of 4:07.1 erased the previous record, set by Leon in 1939. His time was 4:07.5, performed in an era before time was kept in fifths of a second.

Later that same evening Stanley Dancer would team the great pacing filly Mistletoe Shalee to a new track record, when she went wire-to-wire in 1:59.1, in a New York Sire Stakes event for 3-year-old pacing fillies.

On Saturday night (August 8), Batavia Downs Casino continues its tradition of honoring a horse that has a profound impact in the history of harness racing in Western New York. This year we honor Excalibur, the locally owned horse that set the world record back in 1977.

The sensational double-gaited gelding came on the local scene as a pacer in 1972 when Fred Haslip and Paul Zambito, Jr. purchased him for $3,500, an excellent investment considering he made his owners almost $200,000 lifetime. Driver, trainer, and co-owner Haslip used Excalibur predominately as a pacer until he was a 6-year-old, but noticed he did not take kindly to hobbles.

“I never dreamed he wanted to trot until 1974 when I had trouble getting him going in training. He had been a decent pacer up until that point and was making money, but he wasn’t happy on the pace,” Haslip remarked in 1977.

Additionally, upon further investigation in 1974, Haslip discovered that Excalibur’s mother, Spanish Lady, was a royally bred trotting mare.

His best mile as a pacer was 2:03.3, set in 1974.

Between 1975 and 1977, Haslip used Excalibur to his strength as a double-gaited gelding, competing in pacing and trotting events each year. However after the 1977 season Excalibur would strictly remain on the trot.

During his career he would start 169 times and make 50 winner's circle appearances. He notched 12 victories with hobbles on and 38 as a square gaiter. Excalibur raced until the veteran age of 14, retiring in 1982. His combined lifetime earnings were $196,668.

He was always a force in the featured trotting events at Batavia Downs and Buffalo Raceway and because of his uniqueness, a fan favorite.

Come out to Batavia Downs Casino this Saturday as we honor the gusty gelding by rolling back prices to 1977. Zweigles hot dogs and sodas will be just 50 cents beginning at 5:30 p.m. in the Paddock Room all night long. The Batavia Downs program will feature a special four-page insert with newspaper clippings and photos of Excalibur, as we take a walk down memory lane.

Todd Haight
Promotional Marketing Specialist
Batavia Downs Casino

Carlson's Studio, 39 Jackson Street, Batavia, N.Y.  Family photos are more than just photographs. When you need photos for that special occasion, Carlson's is a great choice in Genesee County. We have a $100 gift card for $50 (with $2 PayPal fee).

Larry's Steakhouse, 60 Main St.  The name says it all -- Larry's is a great place for steak. Larry's is a fine dining atmosphere with a great menu and outstanding service.  We have a $50 gift certificate for $25.

The Enchanted Florist, 202 E. Main St., Batavia, N.Y.: Brighten up your home or office with flowers!  We have a $20 gift certificate for $8.50.

Valle Jewelers, 21 Jackson St., Batavia, N.Y.: Need a gift? Need some sparkle? Valle's has a large selection of jewelry and gifts starting at under $25. We have a $50 gift certificate for $25.

Delavan's Restaurant and Tavern, 107 Evans St., Batavia, N.Y.: If you're looking to try a perfect neighborhood eatery, check out Delavan's. We have a $20 gift certificate for $10.

Main St. Pizza Company, 206 E. Main St., Batavia, N.Y.: Main St. wins consistent praise from diners for every item on its menu, but of course Main St. is most famous for its pizza and wings. We have a $25 gift certificate for $12.50.

A $1 PayPal service fee applies on items more than $10. The fee is 50 cents on items below $10.

Rules: The gift certificate must be used by within 30 days of purchase. It is not valid with other offers and has no cash value. Only one gift certificate per-merchant per-person every six months. Gift certificates cannot be combined with other offers without prior approval of the merchant. Gift certificates bought separately cannot be combined for a single purchase. Individuals buying gift certificates must use their own personal PayPal account for the purchase.

How to Win: Purchase using the PayPal "Buy Now" button below. After the first person to hit the "buy now" button completes the purchase, PayPal will let you know that the item has been sold. Unless other arrangements are made immediately after purchase, the gift certificate will mailed to the winner at his or her PayPal-provided postal address within two or three days of purchase.

Carlson's Studio

SOLD

Larry's Steakhouse

SOLD

Valle Jewelers

SOLD

Delavan's

SOLD

Main St. Pizza

SOLD

The Enchanted Florist

SOLD

Funny how people can get along even though they may appear to be poles apart in idealogy.

Mark Potwora and I both took the The Political Spectrum Quiz with the following results.

The Political Spectrum Quiz
Bea is a left social moderate. She is also a slight non-interventionalist and somewhat culturally liberal. Bea's scores (from 0 to 10):
Economic issues:+4.99 left
Social issues:+0.64 authoritarian
Foreign policy:+2.94 non-interventionalist
Cultural identification:+1.05 liberal

The Political Spectrum Quiz
Mark is a center-right social moderate. Mark is also a slight neo-con and somewhat culturally conservative. Mark's scores (from 0 to 10):
Economic issues:+1.71 right
Social issues:+0.04 libertarian
Foreign policy:+3.06 neo-con
Cultural identification:+1.76 conservative

click here for quiz

It would be interesting to see how others, on here, score.

Here is an article from the New York Times that I really like. It's not political or an opinion piece about something political. It's about life, love, and happiness.

But wait. This isn’t the divorce story you think it is. Neither is it a begging-him-to-stay story. It’s a story about hearing your husband say “I don’t love you anymore” and deciding not to believe him. And what can happen as a result.

You see, I’d recently committed to a non-negotiable understanding with myself. I’d committed to “The End of Suffering.” I’d finally managed to exile the voices in my head that told me my personal happiness was only as good as my outward success, rooted in things that were often outside my control. I’d seen the insanity of that equation and decided to take responsibility for my own happiness. And I mean all of it.

Craig L. Schrutt, 56, of 50-2 Spring Meadow Drive, Williamsville, is charged with two counts of grand larceny and two counts of issuing a bad check. Schrutt, the former operator of of CARP's Auto Sales in Clarence, is accused of writing checks that were later returned for insufficient funds to a local car dealership. The reported amount of the checks were for $11,300 and $2,500. Schrutt was sent to the Genesee County Jail on $10,000 bail. The investigation was conducted by Warrant Officer Eric Olson with assistance by Investigator Timothy Weis, and deputies James Diehl and Tim Wescott.

Jean Rebecca Fili, 31, of 8089 E. Main Road, Le Roy, is charged with petit larceny and possession of a controlled substance. Fili allegedly stole merchandise from Wal-Mart and was allegedly found in possession of a controlled substance at the time of her arrest.

Molly A. Crowe, 45, of Bergen, is charged with DWI, aggravated DWI with a BAC of .18 or greater, and refusing an initial roadside breath screening. Crowe was reportedly stopped on Route 262 in Byron by state troopers after allegedly driving her car across the center line several times. Crowe was sent to Genesee County Jail on $250 bail.

Asheesh Williams local songwriter and Rapper and 11 year old Douglas Shannon came out with Care-A-Van and shared their rapping talents Thursday night.

We are blessed to have more and more folks coming out to share their talents.

A three-run bottom of the 9th put Batavia (22-26) within one run, but that’s all they could do as Brooklyn (30-17) got the sweep by a score of 5-4.

The Muckdogs scored their first run in the 5th to tie things up.  Beau Riportella walked, stole second base and then came home on a single by Michael Swinson.  The Cyclones scored four more through the last three innings to make it a 5-1 game before the Muckdogs tried to make things interesting.

In the bottom of the 9th, the rally started on a single by Kyle Conley, a walk by Devin Goowin and a single by Travis Mitchell to load the bases.  Jon Edwards followed with a single of his own for a RBI.  Swinson then hit a sacrifice fly to score another.  During the next at-bat, Ryan Jackson had a base hit to score Mitchell for the last run of the night.

Justin Edwards lasted five innings in the start with one run, four hits, one walk and six strikeouts.  Jesse Simpson (0-1, 6.00) followed him to get the loss.  He went three innings with two runs, five hits, two walks and one strikeout.  Tyler Lavigne struggled a bit in the 9th, going two-thirds of an inning with two runs on three hits with two walks and one strikeout.  Tyler Leach threw two pitches to get a pop out to end the inning.

Matthew Adams had the only multi-hit night.  He finished 2-for-5.

Wednesday, the Jell-O Museum in Le Roy celebrated its 100,000th visitor.

Pictured: Lynne Belluscio. left, Director of the Jell-O Museum,
Marilyn Smith, the official 100,000th visitor, her husband Steve Smith and
Adele Friello, friend of the Smiths.

Press Release after the jump:

Press Release:

“We knew it was going to be this week,” said Lynne Belluscio, Director of  the Jell-O Museum.  “We just weren’t sure exactly when, but as we left  Tuesday night, we were only 21 people from the 100,000 mark.”  The Jell-O  museum opened in June 1997, during the 100th anniversary of Jell-O’s  “invention” in LeRoy.  “The first three years, we were only open a  couple of months a year.  Then in 2000, we installed bathrooms, renovated  office space, and put in furnaces and air conditioning. So since then we’ve  been open all year. We’ve been hovering near 10,000 people a year. This  year, we’re setting all attendance records.  We’re already past the 7000  mark with five months to go! Every state in the union - - except North Dakota  have visited - - and there will be another party when they show up. We’ve  had visitors from 20 different countries.”  .

“So Wednesday morning we had a small group in the museum, and we were  counting very carefully, when three people came in, and I said: ‘One of  these folks is it!’”  “Where are you folks from?”  “Johnstown, New  York.”  “What a coincidence. Knox gelatin is from Johnstown.” “We  know.”  “Well, you are our one hundredth visitor since we opened in 1997  and we’d like to present you with the bag of Jell-O items from the gift  shop and a year’s supply of Jell-O – a box per week and a brick in the  Jell-O Brick Road, and an invitation to come back and visit anytime you  want.”

The official 100,000 visitor is Marilyn Smith – and yes she likes Jell-O,  in fact she and her husband, Steve, moved to Johnstown a few years ago, from  the state that consumes the most Jell-O  - Utah.  “So, what brought you to  the Jell-O Museum today?”  It seems that they were in Niagara Falls a week  or so ago and picked up one of our brochures.  Marilyn told her husband that  they had to stop on their trip to Indiana this week. They almost didn’t  stop, because they were supposed to get a head start at 6 in the morning but  were an hour late leaving home.  But as they came to LeRoy, she insisted that  Steve stop.  So after all the picture taking, and the presentation of gifts,  they were another hour behind, but Marilyn and Steve were good sports, and  said they really didn’t mind, and boy do they have a great story to tell - - and Jell-O shirts to wear at the drum corps competition that they are  going to in Indianapolis.  They’ve promised to come back to see Marilyn’s  brick in the Jell-O Brick Road, and the D & R Depot has graciously offered a  gift certificate for lunch on their return to LeRoy.  They did leave behind  the large cluster of colorful balloons that we gave to them.  They decided  that the balloons on a long trip to Indianapolis wasn’t a good idea.

The first Onion Festival, also known as Field Day, was on Saturday, Aug. 14, 1937.  Almost 5,000 people gathered at the Four Corners (Main, Chapel and Mechanic streets) to take part in the parade and other festivities such as bicycle races, dancing, tire-racing, water fights and a pie-eating contest.

Barbie Ognibene, who is the chairman of the festival, says that it was originally planned to celebrate the harvest.

"The farmers wanted everyone to get together for harvest time, when they were all harvesting their crops," says Ognibene, who has been involved in the planning of the festival for 21 years.

Today, the two-day event is held at the Elba Park, and most of the original activities, such as rolling-pin throwing and the soap-box derby, have been replaced by carnival rides and games.

However, many of the old traditions, such as the crowning of the Onion Queen and the Elba Volunteer Fire Department’s car raffle, still remain, and of course the "onion spirit" is still alive. Onion soup, rings, and petals will be available, as well as bags of Elba onions. The parade, another beloved tradition, will kick off the festivities at 7 p.m. on Friday.

Ognibene says that to many native Elbans, the Onion Festival is more than just a carnival:

“A lot of people plan their vacations around this weekend. There's going to be a high school class reunion, two weddings and several family reunions."

Ognibene says that although all the profit from the festival goes to the Volunteer Fire Department, the event is really more about keeping a fun tradition alive than fundraising. 

"It's really more of a service act," she says. "The fire department gets one-hundred percent of the profits, and that's put towards serving the community."

The Batavian continues to grow. Most recently, we've been fortunate enough to meet up with three young women who aspire to careers in journalism, but are just starting out and are looking for more experience -- and they also believe that Web journalism is the way of the future. They all are big fans of The Batavian, so they stepped forward to offer to help with local news coverage.

We're not yet to the point of hiring staff writers, but we asked them if they would take on the volunteer role of "correspondent" and either cover a beat or be available for occasional assignments.

Tasia Boland should be a familiar name to long-time readers of The Batavian. She was an intern for us last semester and after taking a break, she's back with The Batavian covering a variety of assignments. Tasia is originally from Wisconsin, but moved to New York in 2002 and currently resides in Batavia.  She graduated from Brockport with a Bachelor's Degree in Journalism. 

Brittany Baker grew up in Genesee County, graduating from Oakfield-Alabama High School in 2004. She started her journalism education at GCC and went on to Buffalo State College then SUNY Brockport where she earned a Bachelor's Degree in Communications - Broadcasting, with a minor in English.  Her career goal is to become a TV news anchor at a WNY station. Brittany is covering Oakfield and Alabama for The Batavian.

Gretel Kauffman first approached me and Billie at the Muckdog's home opener about doing an internship with The Batavian this summer. She is interested in a career in journalism. Gretel is a sophomore at Elba Central School. She has published poems in various magazines. She is the daughter of Bill and Lucine Kauffman. Gretel is covering community events in her hometown of Elba.

We're always on the scout for people interested in being correspondents for The Batavian. If you have a particular area of Genesee County you would like to cover, contact Billie Owens:  billie (at) the batavian(oneword) dot com.

When I ran into the Harley-riding Border Patrol agents today, they said they were in town for a golf tournament at Terry Hills co-sponsored by the Border Patrol and that I should show up at 4 p.m. because "one of the real hereos" was going to get an award from the Border Patrol.

Mark O'Brien, from Marilla (just outside of East Aurora), served in Iraq as Marine corporal, where in service to his country, he lost an arm and a leg. O'Brien is married with a child (in the stroller, far right of the picture).

The group presented O'Brien with a $1,000 check as a token of appreciation for his service.  He received at least five standing ovations during the presentation.

This morning, driving down Main Street, Batavia, I spotted a group Border Patrol agents riding Harley-Davidson Motorcycles, and I immediately thought, "I've never seen the Border Patrol on motor bikes before."

I would soon learn, this is an unusual sight -- there is only one motor bike unit with the Border Patrol in the United States, and they're based in Grand Island.

I stopped at an intersection next to the agents and asked one what they were up to and he told me they were headed to Stan's Harley-Davidson -- a pilgrimage of sorts, I gather.

The agents were in town to display their bikes at a Border Patrol co-sponsored golf tournament at Batavia Country Club.

Assistant Chief Mike Hester told me the Border Patrol invested in the Harley unit a year ago, during the previous administration, when the President was looking to double the size of the Border Patrol. Area agents found out that the Buffalo region has the second highest rate of Harley ownership in the nation, so a Harley unit was seen as a way to get into the community and recruit potential agents. Mostly, the Harley unit has been used at bike events and other community events, but they also patrol the tourist areas of Niagara, where heavy pedestrian traffic can make a typical cruiser harder and more dangerous to use.

Pictured are Supervisor Adam Matuszeiuski, Chief Hester, Acting Assistant Chief Andrew Scharnweber and Field Operations Supervisor Jason Heckler.

Stan's Harley was the group's last stop for the day in Genesee County before heading home.