Batavia, New York is a city located midway between Rochester and Buffalo, directly off Interstate 90. It was incorporated in 1915. With a population of just over 15,000 residents as of the 2006 Census, Batavia has a variety of events throughout the year that attract residents from the area as well as tourists.
The Batavia Muckdogs are a Minor League Baseball team that plays in the New York-Penn League, a short-season A-ball league. Their parent club is the St. Louis Cardinals, but the Muckdogs are operated by the nearby AAA Rochester Red Wings. The Muckdogs play in Dwyer Stadium, a 2,600-capacity outdoor ballpark. They won the league championship in 2008 and are a beginning point in the careers of many future Major League Baseball players. The team’s season runs from June through September.
The Downtown Batavia Public Market is an outdoor farmer’s market that runs on Thursdays from June through October each year. The market is a venue for local residents to sell and buy local produce and baked goods including fruits, vegetables, cookies and more. Homemade artisan items such as soaps are also sold at the market, which is located at the corner of Center and Ellicott streets in downtown Batavia.
Batavia has a thriving arts community and the Genesee Center for the Arts & Education is at its forefront. The center’s Stuart Steiner Theater seats 328 audience members and regularly hosts dramatic productions, concerts, dance events, lectures and literary discussions. Local theater groups often perform at the Genesee Center for the Arts & Education, which also hosts international traveling productions.
Batavia residents and visitors with a need for excitement and speed visit Area 51 Motocross on weekends and some weeknights throughout the spring, summer and fall. Numerous classes of motocross bikes, all-terrain vehicles and other motorized machines race at the park, which has on-site camping available for participants and fans alike.
The Taste of Fall Wine Walk gives Batavia residents an opportunity to walk through the city’s downtown area and taste wine and food from Batavia vendors, as well as meet store owners. The event takes place on a Saturday in October and more than 400 people attended it in 2010.
