Niagara ReporterWROTB Revenue Helps Support Local Communities
By Tony Farina
The Christmas spirit has arrived and there will be a very special holiday event at the Riviera Theatre in North Tonawanda on Wednesday night, Dec. 13, at 7 when Batavia Downs sponsors a screening of the 1947 Christmas Classic “Miracle on 34th Street,” with doors opening at 6 p.m. Seating will be first come, first served.
A timeless tale for the entire family that never grows old, and provides all with a wonderful, warm holiday story that has been with us for all these years and still entertains.
The film, of course, features Kris Kringle (Edmund Gwenn) as an old man filling in for an intoxicated Santa in Macy’s annual Thanksgiving Day Parade. It is truly a classic that has stood the test of time.
It is a time in North Tonawanda when local businesses and the community come together in support of our local food pantry at a time of great need and make this event a huge success, said Henry Wojtaszek, president and CEO of Batavia Downs Gaming & Hotel.
Cultural Endowment Fund
The tentative Niagara County Budget includes a $300,000 Cultural Endowment Fund to support arts and cultural organizations made possible by a share of the revenue generated by Western Region Off-Track Betting, which operates Batavia Downs Racetrack and Casino and off-track betting locations, and contributes many thousands of dollars every years to the 15 counties and two cities that support the public benefit corporation.
The endowment was announced by Niagara County Legislature Chairman Becky Wydysh, emphasizing the fact that the cultural community is an important component of the county’s tourism sector.
Legislature Chairwoman Rebecca Wydysh
WROTB has contributed more than $240 million to its 15 member counties and two cities since it was founded back in the 1970s, said Henry Wojtaszek, president and CEO of the public benefit corporation that sets revenue records every year.
Also, Wojtaszek presented a $7,000 check to the Rochester Veterans Treatment Court to help support veterans within the court system.
The money was raised back in October at Batavia Downs with a night of live racing events.
