The lineup for this summer’s Rockin’ the Downs concert series at Batavia Downs Gaming is nearly complete, the facility’s director of marketing reported this morning following the monthly meeting of the Western Regional Off-Track Betting Corp.’s Board of Directors.
Ryan Hasenauer said that 11 of the 12 musical artists have been confirmed and the 12th, which will perform on June 18, is expected to sign on by May 1.
The Friday night series will commence on June 11 with Almost Queen, a Queen tribute band, and conclude on Aug. 27 with Spin Doctors.
“We’re working on tier ticket pricing as some concerts will be priced higher than others, and tickets will go on sale next Thursday,” Hasenauer said.
Other concert series is follows:
June 11 -- Almost Queen (Queen tribute band);
June 18 -- TBA;
June 25 -- Steve Augeri (formerly of Journey);
July 2 -- Molly Hatchet;
July 9 -- Don Felder (formerly of The Eagles);
July 16 -- Tommy James and the Shondells;
July 23 -- Skid Row;
July 30 -- The Grass Roots;
Aug. 6 -- The Machine (Pink Floyd tribute);
Aug. 13 -- Queensryche;
Aug. 20 -- Puddle of Mudd;
Aug. 27 -- Spin Doctors.
In other developments from today’s meeting:
- Chief Financial Officer Jacquelyne Leach reported that WROTB will distribute $80,241 in surcharge revenues to member municipalities for March and $174,752 in operational earnings to the municipalities for the first quarter of 2021.
- Director of Branch Operations Sean Schiano revealed that Batavia Bets, the corporation’s interactive online betting platform, has bounced back significantly when compared to previous months and years.
Batavia Bets’ handle was $1.5 million in March and is more than $1 million thus far in April – increases of more than 60 percent from the previous year. Year to date, the handle is $5.4 million, up more than $2 million compared to the same time period in 2020.
- Directors formally approved the purchase of The Hotel at Batavia Downs from ADK Hospitality LLC, for $7.5 million as well as a contract with Hart Hotels to manage the facility through Dec. 31, 2023 at a monthly fee not to exceed $7,000.
- Directors voted in favor of a resolution to spend up to $40,000 with Hanson Aggregates for materials needed to resurface the harness horse racing track and re-bank the turns.
Todd Haight, director/general manager of live racing, said approximately 1,500 tons of stone dust and racetrack mix will be spread on the track to alleviate problems caused by weather-induced erosion.
He also said he is in the process of finalizing live racing dates for this year.
- President/CEO Henry Wojtaszek said 10 more machines have been added to the gaming floor, increasing the number of “live” machines to about 500. Batavia Downs Gaming has close to 900 machines but some are not in use due to current COVID-19 restrictions.
The wall of the board room at Batavia Downs Gaming includes two reproductions of programs from days gone by. This one depicts the official program from Nov. 16, 1957. Photo by Mike Pettinella.
