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VOLUME 4 ISSUE 5
The Official Newspaper
FREE
of the Village of Ellicottville, the Town of Ellicottville and the Towns of East Otto, Great Valley and Mansfield, New York
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JANUARY 30 - FEBRUARY 5, 2015
Your Hometown Newspaper Serving Ellicottville, East Otto, Great Valley, Little Valley, Mansfield, Olean, Randolph, Salamanca, Springville and Beyond
Calendar of Events
Ellicottville’s Must-Do Events
January 31 Stone Soup Fundraiser EVL Food Pantry
February Packs a Delightful Winter Punch By Eva Potter
February 6-7 AMSOIL Snocross at Seneca Allegany Casino
If you’ve never been to Ellicottville and are looking for some fun entertaining winter action, or maybe you’re a regular visitor and think you’ve seen and done it all, get ready to bundle up and head outside, because February is loaded with all sorts of fun events and activities. If you love watching races and cheering on the latest talent, then check out ski and snowboard races happening at Holiday Valley and HoliMont throughout the month. Competitions include boardercross, skiercross, parallel slaloms and an aweinspiring aerial event. For dates and details, visit www. holidayvalley.com and www. holimont.com. They’re back … AMSOIL Championship Snocross racers will make at stop at the Seneca Allegany Resort & Casino Feb. 6-7 on their eightstop national circuit. The highoctane action will leave you gasping as you watch the best battle it out on the oval, flying over jumps at high speeds as they compete shoulder-toshoulder for the big win. For tickets and details, visit www. snocross.com. On Feb. 7, head to HoliMont for the most feel-good race of the season, as more than 60 adult and youth competitors overcome a variety of disabilities and hit the slopes for the Phoenix Rise to the Challenge International Race. Whether on skis, a snowboard or a sit-ski, you can only be inspired by the athletes’ joy and determination, as you
February 12-13 Your Turn Women’s Ski Clinic at Holiday Valley February 13 Ellicottville Rotary Ski Day at HoliMont February 15 Art Roscoe Loppet X-Country Ski Race at Allegany State Park February 21 Penguin Paddle at Holiday Valley February 21 Red Bull All Snow Event at Holiday Valley
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February 27 Telestock Day at Holiday Valley February 28 Play It Forward Vertical Challenge at Holiday Valley March 5 Ski Day for United Way at HoliMont March 14-15 Mardi Gras and Winter Carnival March 22 Northwind Super-G Race at Holiday Valley March 28 Holiday Valley’s Pond Skimming
See February Winter Punch page 3
Hey Ladies! It’s Your Turn! February Fun for the Kids
Holiday Valley Hosts Women’s Ski Clinic Feb. 12-13 By Alicia Dziak
Hey ladies—it’s time to carve some time out of your busy schedule for yourselves! The third annual “Your Turn” Women’s Ski Clinic, Feb. 12 and 13, is just what you need to improve your skills, learn about the latest gear and meet other ski-minded women like you! Holiday Valley’s Snowsports School is featuring this clinic, which will be led by Lisa Densmore, a widely acclaimed coach, instructor and ski racer, who was member of the U.S. Ski Team in the late 1970s and a six-year veteran of the Women’s Pro Ski Tour in the 1980s. Today, she is a standout on the master’s circuit, with four world titles and 76 national titles across all alpine disciplines. She has been the number one ranked skier in her age group and a member of the U.S. Alpine Masters Ski Team since she joined the master’s circuit in 1991. “I’ve hosted women’s ski clinics since 1991. They See Women’s Ski Clinic page 3
Winter Break Boredom Busters By Alicia Dziak
The February school break is fast approaching, and now is the time to plan how you’ll spend it with the kids. While many people may hide from the cold this time of year, we know that living in or near Ellicottville makes that notion tough because there’s just so much to do outdoors! The slopes of HoliMont and Holiday Valley are calling, and February break week See February Break Fun page 5
Snowmobiles Set to Soar Feb. 6-7
World’s Top Racers Return to Seneca Allegany Casino and Resort By Daniel Meyer
Riglet Park’s Terrain Based Learning Photo by Joelle Wolters
In what has become one of the region’s newest winter traditions, featuring two days of family-oriented action and national television coverage, the AMSOIL Championship Snocross will return to Seneca Allegany Resort & Casino to entertain crowds in the thousands. Fans will watch action-packed races involving more than 200 of North America’s top snowmobile racers, as well as participants from nearly a dozen countries from across See Championship Snocross page 3
West Valley/ECS in Talks on Sports Merger
By Jann Wiswall
See Story on page 6
The big news this week for the Ellicottville Central School (ECS) District is the decision by West Valley Central Schools to enter into exclusive discussion with ECS to bring
its sports program here. The West Valley community made its decision at a board meeting on Monday, Jan. 26, selecting Ellicottville as its preferred partner over the Franklinville and Springville
school districts. Several ECS board members attended that meeting. At ECS’s board meeting the following evening, Jan. 27, the board and Superintendent Mark
See ECS School Board page 9