BatFest offers fall-themed fun

Big hill. Pumpkin. Man's eternal curiosity about how far a spherical object will roll.

Combine the three and you get the pumpkin roll contest from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday at BatFest in downtown Batavia. For $1 per roll, you can see how far the orange orbs will go eastbound on the hill on Houston Street, from Route 31 to Island Avenue. Winners take home half the pot.

"It is very hilarious ... it is so much fun to watch," said Sue Fricano, assistant to the director of Batavia MainStreet, which runs the party. Last year, "We had a couple explode on the curb," she said.

You can bring a pumpkin, or buy one on-site from a Boy Scout troop.

The roll is one of many fun activities planned, starting with a 5K run at 9 a.m. to benefit the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill. (You can sign up on-site starting at 7:30 a.m.)

Kids can go trick-or-treating at participating merchants from 10 a.m. to noon. There are hayrides from noon to 3 p.m.; the price is a donation to the Batavia Interfaith Food Pantry.

There will be an arts and crafts tent for children.

"BatFest Stories and Songs" is at 12:30 p.m. in the courtyard at the Batavia Public Library, 10 S. Batavia Ave.

The Batavia Mothers Club Halloween costume parade starts at 1 p.m. from that spot and ends in a contest at 1:30 p.m. at the Riverwalk.

From 1 to 3 p.m. the Batavia Park District will run games at the Riverwalk. From 2:45 to 3:30 p.m. you can buy fall decorations, such as cornstalks, gourds and straw bales.

And the Albright Theatre company performs "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" at 2:30 and 7:30 p.m. in its space on the third floor of the Batavia Government Center, 100 N. Island Ave. Tickets are $13 for adults, $10 for senior citizens and students.

For a complete schedule, visit downtownbatavia.com, or stop by the Batavia Chamber of Commerce office at 106 W. Wilson St.

Batavia MainStreet Program is a nonprofit organization that promotes the economy of downtown Batavia.