THE OFFICIAL NEWSPAPER OF THE TOWN AND VILLAGE OF ELLICOTTVILLE, NEW YORK THE OFFICIAL NEWSPAPER OF GREAT VALLEY, NEW YORK
VOLUME 1 ISSUE 21 FREE www.EllicottvilleTimes.com
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FRIDAY, JULY 27, 2012
Centurion Cycling in Ellicottville Aug. 17-19 Ride Alongside Former Sabre Pat LaFontaine The Centurion in rolling into town! From Aug. 17-19, the area will be filled with regional and international cycling enthusiasts ready to take on the challenge of 25-, 50- and 100mile road courses. A highlight of the weekend will be a Saturday morning 11.5-mile ride with former Buffalo Sabre Pat LaFontaine to raise funds for his children’s charity. After playing for the New
York Islanders, Buffalo Sabres and New York Rangers, LaFontaine left hockey prematurely due to a series of head injuries and concussions suffered throughout his career. With the help of friends and family, as well as inspiration gained from the kids at Buffalo Children’s Hospital where he volunteered much of his time, he was able to bridge this difficult time.
He said, “Being with these kids … changed my life. These children left me with a simple reality: We don’t always have much control over what happens to us, but we do have a choice in how we respond.” The amazing kids he met provided the impetus to begin the Companions in Courage Foundation to help fund interactive playrooms called See Centurion Cycling Page B4
Centurion Ellicottville Route for the C100 starts in Ellicottville and then travels through several towns, including Little Valley, Franklinville, Ischua, Humphrey, Great Valley, Salamanca, and back to Ellicottville, covering some of the county’s highest hill climbs. The C100 is 100 miles of cycling on Sunday, Aug 19.
Jazz and Blues Weekend CONT. FROM FRONT PAGE
weekend, Saturday, will have six musical acts, some performing as early as 1 p.m. and others playing into the a.m. hours. The Mark Mazur Little Big Band, whose music ranges from jazz to Top 40 to big band, and the Quartet of John Troy, fronted by hard bopinfluenced saxophonist John Troy, are both scheduled for 1 p.m. starts, with the former to play until 4 p.m. at the Monroe Street Main Stage and the latter to perform at the EBC. Mazur, who plays the keyboard and provides vocals for his band, said he is excited for his group to be able to perform outdoors instead of in a club so that he can utilize his seven-piece band, rather than just a quartet. “I think it will be pretty cool to be a so-called ‘street performer,’” he said. “It’s pretty cool because we play inside all of the time.” The All Stars, described as a “super-talented group of Balloon’s favorite music masters,” will show off its jazz and blues chops from 6-10 p.m. Saturday at Balloons Restaurant and Nightclub. The EZ3 Band will showcase its smooth jazz sound at 7 p.m. Saturday at The Silver Fox Patio, Hughes Alley. Liz Boberg, the lead vocalist for the EZ3 Band, said she always enjoys playing in the
jazz and blues weekend. “It’s a fabulous time for anybody to be in Ellicottville because of the variety of music that you’re going to hear that you don’t necessarily get to be this close to and I feel very honored to be a part of it,” she said. From 8 p.m. until midnight Saturday, The Untouchables, which features Blues Brothersstyle blues and more, will perform at Madigan’s, 36 Washington St. Mojo Hand, who, according to its website, plays “traditional rhythm and blues, blues, soul and funky stuff,” will play at 9 p.m. that day at EBC. Rounding out the weekend on Sunday will be three bands. The Quartet of John Troy is slated to play at 1 p.m. at EBC, and The Jim Tudini Band with Strings will perform from 1-3
p.m. at the Monroe Street Main Stage. The last musical act, The Chris O’ Leary Band, which “sings the blues with style,” will play from 3-7 p.m. at Balloons Restaurant and Nightclub. While his band has played at least five times at this jazz and blues weekend, this will be the first time that Jim Tudini’s group of musicians will be accompanied during the weekend by four extra string players. “We wanted to change the color of the band, turn it into a more orchestral kind of accompaniment, just to bring those string colors into the mix,” he said. “And we’ve added the four string parts to the original repertoire, so every tune was taken apart and four string parts were added and pretty much now, we have the entire repertoire, which is quite huge as a matter of fact, all include string parts,” he said. When his band played at the Ellicottville Jazz and Blues Weekend for the first time, Tudini said, it “started off there trying to convince the people that we were worth it.” “Now, when we come, they’re right down the street waiting for us. Honest to God, I’m not bragging, it’s a fact. We get a standing ovation every year. It’s a wonderful, wonderful experience,” he said.