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“It’s a great opportunity for businesses if they want to get on board,” said Lucille DiSanto, Batavia Zonta Club treasurer.

“Actually, it's kind of a pretty good idea,” said Jeremy Liles of Oliver’s Candy.

It is “Batavia-opoly,” a Batavia-themed Monopoly game coming to local stores this fall.

“A functioning, playable game. We're going to have the money, the card games – the choice and chance cards... Zonta cards, we're going to call them,” DiSanto said.

The Zonta Club of Batavia got the idea for "Batavia-opoly" from a few other cities and towns across America. They’ll roll out the game this fall, with all proceeds going to support local scholarships for young women.

“To do things locally, to better the status of women locally,” said DiSanto.

Local businesses are getting in the game, already gobbling up half of the available sponsorships in “Batavia-opoly” – including iconic Oliver’s Candies.

“I think it benefits the community with us being a part of it. Is it a huge benefit to us? Not really. But it really helps the community, we're supporting Zonta,” Liles said.

The classic game Monopoly is basically made for cross-promotion like this, and in Batavia, there’s plenty of opportunities to advertise. For example, States Avenue on the board game could be Batavia’s own State Street. The Electric Company, in this case, could be Falcone Electric. And for St. James Place, the Zonta Club has already signed on St. James Episcopal Church.

Even the game pieces will be little cars, representative of area auto dealerships, and the possibilities don’t end inside city limits.

“We have O-AT-KA, Upstate Milk, MY-T Acres, Fenton Farms,” DiSanto said. “Huge part. I mean, we wouldn't be here without our dairy and farmland in Genesee County.”

And perhaps Monopoly, a game of changing fates, is a fitting frame for Batavia. Once weighed down by critical debt, city finances are now in the black and new industry is developing nearby.

“I feel that this community is growing strong again,” said DiSanto. “I see nothing but growth and opportunity, and that's what I see for the Batavia-opoly, it's kind of a nice way to advertise that: how you can start from nothing, and grow, and really have a foundation from which you can stay and raise a family in this community."

Ensuring a future much more stable than a “roll of the dice.”