Of the multitude of factories that dotted the Batavia landscape in the early 1900s, one company stood apart.

When Batavia officially became a city in 1915, the Wiard Plow Company on Swan Street had the distinction of being its oldest industry and the nation’s oldest manufacturer of agricultural plows. Continue reading →

BATAVIA — Leona Pastore used to make her own roast beef for the famous beef on wecks at the Pok-A-Dot.
She’d cook all day in her home kitchen and someone would come and get it to take over to the restaurant at the corner of Ellicott and Liberty streets on the city’s southside. She also made pots of pasta fagioli, varying it from the traditional white sauce with a red one. Continue reading →

BATAVIA — Art is getting a little sweeter at the GO ART! site at the corner of Bank and East Main streets.
Sweet Ecstasy bakery has moved into a portion of the historic building. A glimpse into its side entrance door gets you an eyeful of muffins, cupcakes and other confectionery treats. The adjacent dining room seats 23 and is open for lunch from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. week days and 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday. Continue reading →

Next week, Hollywood comes to Batavia.
GoArt!, in partnership with local author Bill Kauffman — author of such books as “Dispatches from the Muckdog Gazette” and “Look Homeward America” — and filmmaker Ronald F. Maxwell — director of the Civil War epics “Gettysburg” and “Gods and Generals” — will host a screening of the movie “Copperhead” on Thursday, June 13.
This will give locals a chance to see the film before its official release in theaters on June 28. Continue reading →

The state of New York is the home of some pretty big foods, like potato chips and salad dressing. Here’s the history behind some of your favourite New York-born staples. Continue reading →