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Le Roy

A dozen arrested, including two jailed, at Disturbed concert at Darien Lake on Sunday

By Billie Owens

Two people were arrested by deputies from the Genesee County Sheriff's Office and put in jail during the Disturbed concert at Darien Lake Performing Arts Center on Sunday, July 24. They are:

Ryan J. Budnik, 28, of Berkshire Drive, Rochester, was arrested for trespassing after allegedly reentering the concert venue after being advised not to return. He was arraigned in Darien Town Court and put in Genesee County Jail in lieu of $200 bail.

Richard J. Lewis, 37, of Pintail View, Walworth, was arrested for second-degree harassment after allegedly entering the backstage area of the concert venue and punching an employee. Lewis was arraigned in Darien Town Court and put in Genesee County Jail in lieu of $500 bail.

The following people were arrested and issued appearance tickets to be in Darien Town Court at 4 p.m. on Aug. 2:

Michael S. Prinz, 20, of Route 237, Stafford, was arrested for driving while ability impaired by drugs and unlawful possession of marijuana after driving into the Darien Lake concert venue while allegedly impaired by drugs and while in possession of a quantity of marijuana.

A 16-year-old from Le Roy was arrested for unlawful possession of marijuana after allegedly possessing a quantity of marijuana.

A 17-year-old from Orchard Park was arrested for criminal possession of a controlled substance, 7th, and unlawful possession of marijuana after allegedly possessing Adderall (not prescribed) and a quantity of marijuana.

Jeremy T. Maliszewski, 18, of Fisher Road, West Seneca, was arrested for unlawful possession of marijuana after allegedly possessing a quantity of marijuana.

Damien R. Koch Jr., 18, of Vanderbelt Street, Lovejoy, was arrested for unlawful possession of marijuana after allegedly possessing a quantity of marijuana.

Sean H. Pfeiffer, 18, of Indian Church Road, West Seneca, was arrested for unlawful possession of marijuana after allegedly possessing a quantity of marijuana.

Brendan T. Fitzpatrick, 20, of Whittier Road, Spencerport, was arrested for unlawful possession of marijuana after allegedly possessing a quantity of marijuana.

Dustin J. Houghton, 25, of Ridge Road, Webster, was arrested for trespass after allegedly reentering the concert after being told not to return.

John F. Jacobsen, 42, of Hamburg Street, Buffalo, was arrested for trespass after allegedly reentering the concert after being told not to return.

Grace A. Lotz, 35, of Clinton Street, Attica, was arrested for criminal possession of a controlled substance, 7th, and criminal possession of a hypodermic instrument after allegedly possessing suboxone and a hypodermic syringe and needle.

Law and Order: Pair of Rochester teens charged with possessing stolen car and trespassing in Le Roy

By Billie Owens

Deborah Ruth Walker, 19, of Belmanor Drive, Rochester, is charged with criminal possession of stolen property, false personation, trespass, and unlawful possession of marijuana. She was arrested at 11:22 p.m. on July 23 following a suspicious incident in the Town of Le Roy. She allegedly was in possession of a stolen motor vehicle, gave a false name, was trespassing and had an amount of marijuana in her possession at the time. She was arraigned in Town of Le Roy Court and put in Genesee County Jail in lieu of $10,000 cash or $20,000 bond. She is due in Le Roy Town Court on Aug. 18. The case was handled by Sheriff's Deputy Michael Lute.

Georgeta Marioara Coleman, 18, of Mount Hope Avenue, Rochester, is charged with criminal possession of stolen property, 4th, and trespass. She was arrested at 11:22 p.m. on July 23 following a suspicious incident in the Town of Le Roy. She allegedly was in possession of a stolen motor vehicle and was trespassing at a residence. She was arraigned in Town of Le Roy Court and put in Genesee County Jail in lieu of $10,000 cash or $20,000 bond. She is due in Le Roy Town Court on Aug. 18. The case was  handled by Sheriff's Deputy Michael Lute.

Larry Alvin Hubler, 67, Byron Holley Road, Byron, is charged with driving while intoxicated and operating a motor vehicle with a BAC of .08 or more. Hubler was arrested at 1:38 p.m. July 20 on Main Road in Stafford after allegedly driving his vehicle into a business, namely Dupont TV. He was issued an appearance ticket for Aug. 30 in Town of Stafford Court. The case was handled by Sheriff's Deputy Joseph Loftus, assisted by Deputy John Dehm.

Rachel A. Palmer, 47, of Britt Road, Le Roy, was arrested on July 22 by the Le Roy Police Department and charged with two counts of petit larceny, a Class A misdemeanor, two counts of third-degree identity theft, also Class A misdemeanors, and criminal possession of stolen property in thr fourth degree, a Class E felony. Palmer was arrested following the investigation into the use of a stolen credit card which was used in the Village of Le Roy. Palmer allegedly used the stolen credit card to purchase merchandise at Dunkin Donuts as well as the Yellow Goose in the amount of $16.07. Palmer was arraigned and released under supervision of Genesee Justice. Palmer is to return to the Le Roy Town Court on Aug. 18 to answer to the charges.

Tonya Marie Ficarella, 29, of West Main Street, Batavia, is charged with second-degree harassment. She was arrested on a bench warrant out of the Town of Batavia Court for allegedly failing to appear in court regarding an alleged harassment at midnight on June 27 on West Main Street Road, Batavia. She was released and is set to appear in Batavia Town Court on Aug. 22. The case was handled by Sheriff's Deputy Michael Lute.

Resident of Le Roy Manor reports shooting, but that doesn't seem to be the case

By Howard B. Owens

Multiple law enforcement units, including deputies and troopers, were dispatched a few minutes ago to Le Roy Manor, 8678 Lake Street Road, Le Roy, after a resident there reported a shooting.

As officers responded, dispatchers were able to reach a supervisor who informed them there was no shooting or other violence at the facility. It appears to be a mental health issue.

Le Roy Manor is a county-run adult-care facility.

Farmers Market coupons for low-income seniors to be distributed at Le Roy Farmers Market Saturday morning

By Billie Owens

Press release:

Farmers Market coupons will be distributed by the Genesee County Office for the Aging at the Le Roy Farmers Market from 10 a.m. to noon Saturday, July 23. Booklets are available to adults age 60 years and older who are income-eligible. Proof of age must be provided.

Income guidelines are as follows: household of one -- $1,832 per month; household of two -- $2,470 per month; and, household of three -- $3,108 per month.

Maureen Estabrooks, Office for the Aging’s coordinator for the program, noted that, “We were pleased to find out that this year anyone 60 or older in a household may receive a coupon booklet as long as they are income eligible. This means that in a qualifying household, multiple individuals may receive booklets. This program is a wonderful way to help older adults with limited income to purchase healthy fresh produce from our local farmers.”

Questions may be directed to the Genesee County Office for the Aging at 585-343-1611.

(UPDATED 2:30 p.m.: Farmers Market Coupons will be distributed by the Genesee County Office for the Aging at the Genesee Country Farmers Market at Bank Street and Alva Place from 10 a.m. to noon on Friday, Aug. 5th.)

LCCP announces end of after-school programs

By Howard B. Owens

Statement from the board of directors for LCCP:

After 18 years of providing after-school programs in our community, the Le Roy Christian Community Project is sad to announce that as of September 2016, we will not reopen our After School Program, Teen Drop-In Center or Summer Day Camp.

The Le Roy Christian Community Project will continue to operate the Backpack Program and Grace’s Kitchen.

We are so grateful for the support that the community has shown us and for the families and children that we were blessed to work with throughout the years.

Thank you to Susan Wakefield and Jana Pritchett for 18 years of dedication to these programs. We are proud of our staff for providing quality after-school enrichment programs that have served this community for a very long time.

Thank you for your past support of our programs for the youth of our community and your ongoing support of our remaining programs.

Man who lives on Myrtle Street in Le Roy jailed on charge of first-degree sexual abuse of child less than 17

By Billie Owens

Ronald D. Stives, 34, of 61 Myrtle St. in Le Roy, was arrested by the Le Roy Police Department and charged with one count each of sexual abuse in the first degree, a Class D felony, and endangering the welfare of a child, a Class A misdemeanor.

It is alleged that during the morning hours of July 18, Stives subjected the victim to sexual contact when the victim was incapable of consent by reason of being physically helpless. Further it is alleged that when he did so, Stives knowingly acted in a manner likely to be injurious to the physical, mental or moral welfare of a child less than 17 years of age.

Stives was arraigned before the Judge Daryl Sehm of the Le Roy Town Court and put in Genesee County jail in lieu of $10,000 bail.

Restoration of the Creekside Inn could be completed this year

By Howard B. Owens

Over the winter, restoration work on the Creekside Inn resumed. The building was covered in protective plastic on the east side for much of the winter and when the plastic came off and the scaffolding came down, it revealed three levels of patios and decks and restored masonry.

Owner Bill Farmer expects work to be completed to have a restaurant and bar open by December.

Today he hosted a small gathering of invited guests to see the progress of the work.

Farmer gave me permission to take pictures of the decks, patio and interior. Sadly and unfortunately, as I was rushing out the door this evening to get to the fairgrounds for the tractor pulls, I hastily reformated the SD card in my camera, forgetting I had not yet transferred the pictures to my hard disk. Disk recovery didn't work and they're all lost.

All I can tell you is, Bill is doing a first-class job. This place, when it's done, will be stunning. The views will be beautiful. A couple of times this morning when he gave me a private tour, I was amazed by the work he's done on the place.

Farmer doesn't want to talk publicly about his plans at this point, but the revived Creekside Inn should be a great addition to Le Roy and Genesee County.

Photos: Oatka Festival Parade 2016

By Howard B. Owens

It was a perfect day for a parade in Le Roy and the annual Oatka Festival Parade went off without a hitch.

One of the highlights of the parade was the performance by the Preston Scout House Band, of Cambridge, Ontario, Canada, which closed out the parade (top photo and bottom three photos, with more in the slide show).

Don't let these memories get away: To purchase prints, click here.

Le Roy U12 All-Stars capture District 3 Championship with a 5-3 victory over Batavia

By Billie Owens

Submitted photo. First row, from left: Gianni Ferrara, Kenny Saunders, Zac Vanderhoof, Colin McCulley, Maveric McKenzie, Shawn Morabito, Adam Risewick, Cole Rauscher, John Panepento, Jim Burns, Tyler Strollo, Brady Fix. Back row, from left: Coaches Rob Panepento, Ken Saunders and Manager Erik Fix.

Press release:

The Le Roy Little League U12 All-Stars captured the District 3 Championships with a 5-3 victory over Batavia Tuesday evening in Le Roy. 

The game was a hard-fought battle by both teams. Batavia struck first in the bottom of the second when Dominic Taylor would reach on an error and score on a fielder’s choice by Sawyer Siverling. 

It didn’t take long for Le Roy to answer as Maveric McKenzie would lead off the top of the third with a double to right and reach third on a passed ball. He would score on a sacrifice fly by Colin McCulley to make it 1-1. Le Roy would add three more in the top of the fourth when Kenny Saunders hit a two-run homerun scoring Zac Vanderhoof.

Catcher Cole Rauscher would make it back-to-back homers just two pitches later and Le Roy would take a 4-1 lead.

Luke Rogers and Jameson Richardson would both score in the bottom of the fourth to pull Batavia to within 1, 4-3.

Le Roy got an insurance run in the top of the sixth when Brady Fix would score on a sacrifice fly by Saunders to take a 5-3 lead. Saunders would get the win on the mound, thanks to some strong defense including two double plays, and a great catch by Fix on the last out of the game. 

Le Roy advances to Sectional play in Fredonia, July 17-21st.

Townsend Energy in Le Roy burning off fuel in some propane tanks on purpose, flames visible from the village, but no problems

By Billie Owens

Townsend Energy in Le Roy is in the process of burning off fuel in some propane tanks and will continue to do so for the next two days, reports an emergency dispatcher. Flames are visible from Main Street in the village and the dispatch center has received calls about it. There is no problem or cause for alarm as this is routine maintenance at the facility.

Le Roy HS hires new athletic director

By Howard B. Owens

A Western New York native is returning to the area to become the new athletic director at Le Roy High School.

The school board approved the appointment of Jennifer Dean to the position at its meeting Tuesday night.

Dean is a graduate of Cuba-Rushford, where she was a three-sport athlete. She majored in physical education at St. Bonaventure University and is certified in Physical Education by the NYS State Board of Education.

Most recently, Dean was with the Hamilton Central School District in Central New York, where she was a secondary Physical Education teacher as well as a coach for basketball, soccer, softball, track and field and field hockey.

In 2011, she was appointed to the AD's position and under her leadership the soccer team on a state champion and the school won four sectional titles as well as numerous individual track and field sectional and state titles. 

She was seeking a position closer to friends and family and is residing in Dale.

Dean replaces Jon Wilson, who is now the elementary school principal in Pavilion.

Law and Order: Trio arrested after Summit Street scuffle, man allegedly flashes knife during kerfuffle on Thorpe

By Billie Owens

Roger J. Grazioplene, 41, of Summit Street, Batavia, is charged with second-degree harassment. He was arrested on July 5 following an investigation into an incident which occurred at 4:29 p.m. on June 24 on Summit Street wherein he allegedly flicked a cigarette at another person and the cigarette struck the person in the neck during an argument. He was issued an appearance ticket and is due in City Court on July 19. The case was handled by Batavia Police Officer Arick Perkins.

Martha I. Grazioplene, 40, of Summit Street, Batavia, is charged with second-degree harassment. She was arrested on July 5 following an investigation into an incident which occurred at 4:29 p.m. on June 24 on Summit Street wherein Grazioplene allegedly subjected another person to unwanted physical contact by grabbing and pulling on the person's arm during an argument. She was issued an appearance ticket and is due in City Court on July 19. The case was handled by Batavia Police Officer Arick Perkins.

Samuel R. Giglia, 25, of Ledge Lane, Williamsville, is charged with second-degree harassment. He was arrested on July 5 following an investigation into an incident which occurred at 4:29 p.m. on June 24 on Summit Street wherein Giglia allegedly pushed a female during an argument with the female and her husband. He was issued an appearance ticket and is due in City Court on July 12. The case was handled by Batavia Police Officer Arick Perkins.

Steven James Scott, 25, of Thorpe Street, Batavia, is charged with second-degree menacing. He was arrested on Watson Street following an investigation into a reported disturbance on Thorpe Street at 11:38 p.m. on July 8. It is alleged that Scott displayed a knife during the incident. He was jailed in lieu of an unspecified amount of bail and is due in City Court at a later date. The case was handled by Batavia Police Officer Peter Flanagan, assisted by Officer Matthew Lutey.

Jose Gomez-Chavez, 43, of Oak Orchard Road, Elba, is charged with: second-degree burglary -- illegal entry into dwelling; first-degree criminal contempt -- violation of order of protection; and fourth-degree criminal mischief -- intent to damage property. At 12:10 a.m. on July 10, Gomez-Chavez allegedly broke into the residence of a person for whom there was an order of protection. During the course of breaking into the residence, a window was allegedly damaged. Gomez-Chavez was put in jail and bail was set at $25,000 cash or $50,000 bond. He is due in Town of Elba Court on July 13. The case was handled by Sheriff's Deputy James Diehl, assisted by Deputy Chad Cummings. UPDATE (by Howard Owens): We have a little more information on this case. Deputy Chris Erion was just clearing a concert detail at Darien Lake at 1 a.m. when this call came in. He responded with his K-9 "Destro." Destro picked up the track and began to follow it for about a half-mile into several fields, a large storage building, across a road and into a thick, brushy hedgerow and a bed of poison ivy.  Destro located the subject. In the midst of the search, Erion lost his cell phone. Destro located that, too, the next day, in the middle of a field.

Alex P. Wells, 27, of Pembroke, was arrested on July 8 on Route on 33 in the Town of Pembroke after being stopped for speeding -- going 70 in a 55-mph zone. SP Batavia Trooper Eric Daigler stopped Wells at about 11:45 p.m. and the vehicle Wells was driving struck a mailbox as it was pulling over. Wells was allegedly found to be intoxicated, with a BAC of .23 percent. He was issued tickets for aggravated DWI and speeding and is to appear in Town of Pembroke Court at a later date to answer the charges.

Dylan Nathan Willett, 22, of Murphy Road, Gainesville, is charged with driving while intoxicated and aggravated driving while intoxicated for allegedly having a BAC of .18 percent or more at the time. Willett was arrested following a traffic stop on Sumner Road in the Town of Darien at 11:49 p.m. on July 8. He was allegedly found to have a BAC more than two tines the legal limit and was arrested. He is due in Town of Darien Court on July 19. The case was handled by Sheriff's Deputy Patrick Reeves, assisted by Deputy Kevin Forsyth.

Lindsay Patricia Kenyon, 21, of Christ Road, Warsaw, is charged with second-degree obstructing governmental administration and resisting arrest. She was arrested at 11:51 a.m. on July 8 following an incident on Sumner Road in Darien wherein she allegedly became verbally and physically offensive toward a deputy while a friend was being investigated for a possible DWI violation. Kenyon allegedly refused to cooperate and physically obstructed the deputy during her friend's subsequent arrest, thus she was also arrested. Kenyon allegedly continued to be verbally abusive and physically resisted arrest and had to be subdued to avoid injuries. She is due in Darien Town Court on July 19. The case was handled by Deputy Patrick Reeves, assisted by Deputy Kevin Forsyth.

Martha L. Munson, 63, of River Street, Batavia, is charged with moving from lane unsafely and driving while intoxicated. Munson was westbound on West Main Street in Batavia at 4:11 p.m. on July 2 when she was allegedly observed swerving into the passing lane twice, both times without a signal or other indication she was about to make a lane change. She subsequently submitted to a blood draw to determine her BAC and those results are pending. Additional charges may be forthcoming. She was released on an appearance ticket and in due in City Court on July 20. The case was handled by Batavia Police Officer Chad Richards, assisted by Officer Stephen Cronmiller.

Martin Fitzgerald Jones Sr., 45, of Mill Street, Batavia, is charged with petit larceny. He was arrested at 8:57 p.m. on July 9 after allegedly stealing a bicycle out of a yard on Pringle Avenue in the city. He was jailed in lieu of $10,000 bail or $20,000 bond. He is due in City Court today to answer the charge. The case was handled by Batavia Police Officer Christopher Lindsay, assisted by Officer Arick Perkins. Following his arrest on the petit larceny charge, Jones was charged with promoting prison contraband in the second degree. Jones allegedly introduced contraband into the Genesee County Jail at 10:35 p.m. on July 9. He is due in City Court on July 27 to answer that charge. The contraband case was handled by Sheriff's Deputy Robert Henning, assisted by Deputy Christopher Parker.

Lenard Tyshon Jones, 23, of Lux Street, Rochester, is charged with: unlawful possession of marijuana; second-degree aggravated unlicensed operation; unlicensed operator; speeding over 55 mph; and driver's view obstructed. Jones was stopped at 6:54 p.m. on July 2 on Route 77 in Pembroke for allegedly speeding. An investigation revealed that the defendant was allegedly unlicensed to drive, was driving on a suspended license and in possession of marijuana. The case was handled by Sheriff's Deputy Kevin McCarthy.

Sergio A. Forte Jr., 44, of Myrtle Street, Le Roy, was arrested on July 3 by the LeRoy Police Department and charged with unauthorized use of a vehicle in the second degree, a Class E felony. Forte allegedly operated a motor vehicle not belonging to him, knowing that he did not have consent from the owner to operate such vehicle. Forte was charged accordingly due to a prior conviction of unauthorized use of a vehicle within the preceding 10 years. Forte was arraigned and put in Genesee County Jail in lieu of $1,000 cash bail or $2,500 bond. Forte is to return to the Town of Le Roy Court on Sept. 6.

Maranda L. Isabell, 19, of South Main Street Road, Batavia, is charged with speeding and unlawful possession of marijuana. Isabell was arrested at 4:02 p.m. on July 6 following a traffic stop on South Main Street in the city for speeding. At that time, she was allegedly found to be in possession of marijuana. She was issued appearance tickets and is due in City Court July 19. The case was handled by Batavia Police Officer Mitchell Cowen, assisted by Sgt. Christopher Camp.

Thomas D. Demmer, 19, of Walden Estates, Batavia, is charged with trespass. He was arrested at 10:25 p.m. on July 8 on South Lyon Street in Batavia after he was allegedly observed inside another person's vehicle. He led police on a brief foot chase before being taken into custody. He was issued an appearance ticket and is due in City Court on July 26. The case was handled by Batavia Police Officer Christopher Lindsay, assisted by Officer Arick Perkins.

Heather Elaine Schramm, 36, of Summit Street, Batavia, is charged with second-degree criminal contempt. At 6:02 p.m. on July 2, Batavia PD responded to an address on Ellsworth Avenue for the report of a custody issue. After an investigation, Schramm was arrested after she allegedly refused to obey a lawful court mandate. She is due in City Court on July 12. The case was handled by Batavia Police Officer Arick Perkins, assisted by Sgt. Dan Coffey.

Andrew James Aaron Morris, 19, of Main Street, Attica, is charged with petit larceny. He was arrested on July 8 following the investigation of a larceny at Walmart at 6:51 p.m. on June 27. Morris allegedly stole alcoholic beverages from the store. He was released on an appearance ticket and is due in Batavia Town Court on July 25. The case was handled by Sheriff's Deputy Kyle Krzemien.

Christopher James Parker, 27, of Morse Place, Batavia, is charged with unlawful possession of marijuana. Parker was arrested at 2:21 a.m. on July 9 on Clinton Street Road in Byron after vehicle and traffic violations were allegedly observed and the vehicle was searched. He was issued an appearance ticket for Town of Byron Court at a later date. The case was handled by Sheriff's Deputy Ryan DeLong.

Jessi M. Heale, 23, of Buffalo Road, Bergen, was arrested on July 3 by the Le Roy Police Department and charged with unlawful possession of marijuana, a violation. Heale was a passenger in a vehicle stopped by the Le Roy Police Department and was allegedly found to be in possession of marijuana. Heale was issued an appearance ticket and is scheduled to appear in the Le Roy Town Court on July 25 to answer to the charge.

A 16-year-old who lives on Hall Street in Batavia is charged with unlawful possession of marijuana. The teen matched the description of a subject who was entering vehicles around DeWitt Recreation Area. The teen was stopped on Harvester Avenue and allegedly found to be in possession of marijuana. The defendant is due in Batavia City Court on July 12. The case was handled by Batavia Police Officer Marc Lawrence, assisted by Officer Matthew Wojtaszczyk.

Former Wiss Hotel awning restored and hung at the Smokin' Eagle

By Howard B. Owens

The journey for the old awning on the former Wiss Hotel to the Smokin' Eagle was a lot longer than a trip across the street and down the block. It involved a $1 auction purchase, some BOCES students, the chance discovering of a historic photo and a lost cat.

Once the decision was made to tear down the Wiss, the Eagle's co-owner, Jay Beaumont, asked Bob Lathan if the village could save the awning. Beaumont had some vague idea that he might want to install it somewhere on the Eagle building at some point.

Once saved, it was added to the Village's surplus property auction, and with no other buyers, Beaumont was able to purchase it for $1.

Then it sat in the DPW lot for eight months because the awning was in pretty bad shape and Beaumont had no real idea what to do with it or how to restore it. Then through a chance meeting with a BOCES official at his daughter's volleyball game, he found out there was a group of students at BOCES who would love to take on just such a restoration project.

Once those wheels were in motion, Beaumont began to wonder what words once appeared on the awning. There was blank spot for the sign, but no sign.

He called one of the building's former owners, Don Pangrazio, and he had no idea. The next day, Pangrazio saw a post on the website Le Roy Then and Now. It was of the Wiss in the 1930s and included the awning.

The sign read, "Tap Room."

Mystery solved.

And Beaumont acquired a copy of that photo. The photo now hangs on the wall of the Eagle, next to an enlargement of the portion of the hotel with the awning. 

When Beaumont got the enlargement back, he looked it over carefully just to see what he might see, and he saw a sign in the window that read "John Hepps."

About this time, Beaumont's cat went missing. He loves his cat and he was pretty upset. The cat went missing on Father's Day. He had us post about the missing cat on The Batavian and he put up fliers around Le Roy.

On Monday, July 4, still missing his cat, Beaumont went down the Eagle in the morning to hang the pictures. His partner Jon Marcello stopped by and Beaumont said, "hey, look at this," pointing the sign with "John Hepps" on it.

Marcello did a quick Google search and found he had been a contractor in Le Roy.

That evening, Beaumont gets a call from a woman, Rose Marie Betts, who thinks she found Beaumont's lost cat. Beaumont drove over to her house thinking, "this is another false lead."

But it wasn't.

Overjoyed, he took his cat home. She was home. She was safe and she was in good health.

"My couldn’t believe that cat came out of the woods that day," Beaumont said.

Beaumont drove back to Bett's house to give her a reward. She refused the money. He decided, well, maybe he could give her a gift certificate to the Eagle.

He told her he was co-owner of the Smokin' Eagle, "but before I could go any further, she goes, 'My grandfather used to own the Wiss and his name is John Hepps.' I was on a high with the cat, but that took me to the next level. My mouth dropped. I couldn’t believe it."

So Betts and her daughter, Christine, were guests of honor last night at the official unveiling of the restored owning inside the Eagle, which also served as the fourth anniversary of the business and a customer appreciation night.

Top photo: Jon Marcello pulls the string releasing the balloon-filled cover on the Wiss awning for its official unveiling.

Beaumont, with the mic, speaks after the unveiling.

Local tourism boost: Two prominent car clubs to visit here starting Sunday

By Billie Owens

Press release from the Genesee County Chamber of Commerce:

Two prominent automobile clubs will be visiting the Batavia-area beginning Sunday, July 10th.

The 1965-66 Full-Size Chevrolet Club will use Batavia as a base of operations for five days. The Early Ford V-8 Club of America will embark on a five-day driving tour that will begin and end in Batavia. In total, more than 200 people will be coming to the area.

The 2016 International Meet for the 1965-66 Full-Size Chevrolet Club will take place at the Quality Inn in Batavia on from Sunday, July 10 to Friday, July 15. The group is celebrating the 50th anniversary of the 1966 Impala.

While here, the group will tour Oliver’s Candies in the City of Batavia (afternoon of July 11) and Kutter's Cheese Factory in Corfu (morning of July 15) and the JELL-O Museum in Le Roy (morning of July 11). The club will also have a show day at Ken Barrett Chevrolet on West Main Street, Batavia, on the morning of July 13.

The Chevrolet club will also be cruising to Letchworth State Park in Wyoming County, touring the Chevy plant in Tonawanda, visiting the Carousel Museum, getting an exclusive tour of the Pierce Arrow Museum, and visiting the Erie Basin & Waterfront Naval Park.

The club was founded in 1983 and has more than 100 members. Members have been successfully working with manufacturers to make hard-to-find parts available again and assist in restoration of the vehicles.

From July 10 to July 15, the Western New York Regional Group #3 of the Early Ford V-8 Club of America will celebrate its 50th anniversary on a five-day National Driving Tour around the Finger Lakes.

On Sunday, July 10, the group will be hosting an opening party at the Quality Inn in Batavia. The following morning they will depart for a tour of Olean, Corning, Binghamton and Liverpool. The group will return to Batavia on Friday, July 15, for a farewell dinner.

The Western Regional Group of the Early Ford V-8 Club of America is centered in Rochester. It features all Ford products produced from 1932-1953 and are the second-oldest active regional group in the world. They have 85 active members.

Four-car MVA reported on Thruway in Le Roy

By Howard B. Owens

A four-car accident is reported in the eastbound lane of the Thruway near mile marker 279.

Unknown injuries.

Le Roy fire and Mercy EMS dispatched.

UPDATE 10:16 a.m.: One patient with a possible leg and head injury and another with "overall soreness."

UPDATE 10:17 a.m.: A chief on scene reports only two vehicles involved. One is blocking a driving lane.

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