FREE! TAKE ONE!
MARCH 29 - APRIL 4, 2019
LOCAL
VOLUME 4 ISSUE 13
SPORTS
ENTERTAINMENT M&T Bank to co-sponsor Ellicottville summer music festival ....see page 4
Taco, burrito shop now open in Springville ....see page 2
CAR. TR. MKTG MAIL US POSTAGE PAID PERMIT NO. 244 BRADFORD, PA
Springville hopes winter work helps unlock softball bats in 2019 ....see page 11
Her Heart Barn to offer a spring full of creative opportunities
By Alex Simmons
Kathleen Ketch Stromecki, the owner of Her Heart Barn, was born on a dairy farm in a small town in Western New York, the oldest of six children, the other five being all boys. Her parents have taught her the “values of hard work” and the importance of “understanding, family, acceptance and love,” she said. Stromecki said she has always been the creative type, whether it was “fixing tractors, cooking, sewing, gardening, painting, etc.” She has referred to herself as “Genevieve's granddaughter.” Genevieve was her grandmother who “had many interests.” Stromecki said she really looked up to her grandmother and believes that she probably “got the gene from her.” In a way to preserve her grandmother's story, she began to collect antiques from the past to make sure others stories don’t fade away either. Stromecki has planned many fun events for this spring. If you’ve ever seen that cute barn with the castle-like tower on the side, that’s Her Heart Barn. It is a unique interactive art studio at 7935 Boston State Road in Hamburg. Stromecki loves to create with all her heart and loves to share the joy that creating can
Photos Submitted
bring. Her Heart Barn is hosting an Open House this Sunday, March 31 from 1 to 5 p.m. Stop in and say hi. The barn is a welcoming area open to all ages. Her Heart Barn offers many different types of classes, including Pysanky, Placek & Polkas (Babcia too!) on March 30 and April 7 at 1:30 p.m., April 13 at 10 a.m. and April 14 at 3 p.m. Create different types of Polish crafts just in time for Dyngus Day and Easter. Since spring time has just begun, you can create Springtime Gnomes on April 10 and April 24 at 7 p.m. Cute little gnomes
that can just lounge around the house for decoration or out on the front porch to welcome visitors. Another class offered is called Letters and Lattes. This takes place on April 4, 11, 18 and 25 at 4:30 p.m. This class is meant to bring back the art of letter writing, with a side of latte. If you’ve got a green thumb you might enjoy classes like creating your own Garden Totems, happening on April 5 at 7 p.m., or Sweet and Sassy Succulents, happening on May 3 at 7 p.m. and May 5 at 11 a.m. In the succulent workshop, you will pick
Ashford syrup producers gear up for NY Maple Weekends
By Rick Miller
The first maple sap was a long time coming this season. Cold temperatures locked the sap in the trees. Last week, Brandon Blesy boiled his first run of sap into delicious amber syrup. The smell of maple syrup bubbling in the gas-fired evaporator filled the sugar shanty on Henrietta Road in the town of Ashford. Located just off Route 219, the Blesy Farm has a couple of woods full of maple trees. “We’ve got about 850 taps this year,” Blesy said as he watched the sap. “I added 250 more taps this year all on tubing. The weather has been so cold, I didn’t tap until last week.” Several miles of tubing wind through the woodlots collecting sap flowing from the trees with the help of vacuum systems. The vacuum assist pulls more sap from the trees. It’s collected in 250-gallon tanks at the vacuum sheds and pumped into tanks mounted on a wagon Blesy pulls to the woods and back to the
a container and neatly organize the succulents in it to make something beautiful. There will be a family photo shoot area available to celebrate Mother’s Day with Family Portrait Fun! This event will happen on April 14 at 12 noon. Stromecki will also be coming to the Hulbert Library in the Town of Concord to do a class called Snail Mail Saturday. This class takes place Saturday, April 6 from 1 to 3 p.m. She will be showing creative ways of how to make handmade cards using repurposed materials including fabrics. The event is free, but don’t forget to bring your address book and stamps! Registration is required, so call the library at 592-7742 or stop by to reserve your spot. Other events at Her Heart Barn include Meditation twice a month with Michael Rorick, and Stromecki also offers Dirty Pour Classes. Her “heART” Barn was “the dream of a seven-year-old,” she said. “I wanted a place to honor all the creative ways my grandparents taught my brothers and I my whole life.” So stop in and explore your creative side and the company of others. For more information, call Stromecki at 472-8258 or email her at KatStromecki@ gmail.com. Visit their Facebook page, “Her Heart Barn.”
Concord Town Board supports ‘going green’ with Solarize
By Kellen M. Quigley
Photo by Rick Miller Miles of blue plastic tubing connect about 850 taps on maple trees at Blesy Maple on Henrietta Road in Ashford. The tubing leads to a tank in the shed that houses the motor driving the vacuum system.
sugar shanty with a tractor. Blesy has been making maple syrup at Blesy Farms for nine years. He started in a much more modest sugar shack on the property. New regulations that prohibit any lead solder in the pans meant buying a new evaporator a few years ago.
ck
a B k o o L A
Since it is more concentrated — the sap starts out at 2 percent sugar and is at 8 percent after reverse osmosis — a smaller evaporator can be used that uses far less natural gas. When the bubbling maple syrup gets to the right temperature, it auSee Syrup page 4
In the town of Concord, things could start looking a lot more green, and not just because the snow is melting and spring is here. At the last meeting of the Concord Town Board, Supervisor Clyde Drake was authorized to sign the Solarize Partnership Agreement to join the Solarize movement in the town of Concord. Reed Braman, president of Green Springville, addressed the board about Solarize, a clean-energy program through NYSERDA for local governments to increase the number of solar rooftops
in the jurisdiction through group purchasing, locally-organized community education and outreach and a limited time offer. “This is all about solar,” said Supervisor Drake, who has attended some Solarize meetings with Councilman Philip Drozd. “This an opportunity to get together with other towns.” Some of the other Erie County towns who have joined the initiative include North Collins, Eden, Boston, Evans and Colden, Braman said. According to Braman, the program is meant for residential solar. What See Green page 6
A Look Back:
Revisiting the Woodside Inn
BY JOLENE HAWKINS The bathroom was mainly for the Looking female guests and had a large powder back to the good ole days, when we all room area. There was a large fireplace that was located in one of the corners, went out to twist and turn on the dance floor and hear some providing adequate heat. A library full of reading materials and books on good music on a Friday or Saturday shelves was found in the center of the night, and you will see the Woodside Inn was a lower floor. popular place to go. On the upper floor designed for The 40-by-100-foot pavilion’s construction started in 1900 and dancing were two corners cloakrooms. finished by 1901. It is probably the most remembered building that was located on the Woodside farm. On the lower floor of this A stage that was 24-by-12 feet two-story pavilion was the recreational room, dining facilities, a provided an area for entertainers to perform. Remember Archie Warner, library and a bathroom. the fiddler? Yep, he played there a lot The recreational rooms were equipped with a bowling alley with his group. I can just hear him and shuffleboard that was located in the rear along with a pool now. and billiard table. The dining facilities consisted of a number of tables and chairs with a bar located to the right of the library, See A Look Back page 5 providing a serving area for food and beverages.
Emerling
Spring into a new vehicle at Emerling CDJR
135 South Cascade Drive, Springville, NY 14141 • (716)592-2881 • www.emerlingcdjr.com • Sale Hours: Mon., Tues. & Thurs. 9-8, Wed. & Fri. 9-5:30, Sat. 9-4