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VOLUME 5 ISSUE 53
DECEMBER 23 - 29, 2016
The Official Newspaper of the Village of Ellicottville, the Town of Ellicottville, Ellicottville Central Schools and the Towns of East Otto, Great Valley and Mansfield, New York
www.EllicottvilleTimes.com facebook/theEllicottvilleTimes
Your Hometown Newspaper Serving Ellicottville, East Otto, Great Valley, Little Valley, Mansfield, Olean, Randolph, Salamanca, Springville and Beyond
Holiday Break in EVL
Fri • 2 Guys Drinkin’ Beer • 9pm Mon • 2 Guys Drinkin’ Beer• 8pm Tues • The Hick Ups • 7pm Wed • Wagner & Winston • 8pm
By Alicia Dziak
See Holiday Break page 2
20 Washington St • 699-2530
20 Monroe St • 699-4162
Upcoming Events in Ellicottville December 31 New Year’s Eve Party & Torchlight Parade Holiday Valley
© 2016 Ellicottville Times / Keystone Designers Inc.
Woo hoo! Kids are off until 2017, and it’s time to celebrate with loads of fun over this holiday break. Hit the slopes! Holiday Valley is open and in full swing. Choose from numerous lifts and slopes, warm up in the lodge, then head back out and do it all over again. HV offers other ways to enjoy downhill if you want a break from the skis or snowboard. Both the Sky Flyer Mountain Coaster and the tubing park just opened for the winter season. Check out the article on page 1. Cross country skiing and snowshoeing are other great ways to get some exercise and fresh air. The cross country trails along the top ridgeline of Holiday Valley and around the golf course at the bottom of the mountain are generally packed by snowmobile and if weather permits the lower trails are trackset. The trails on top are open until 3 p.m.; intermediate skills are recommended. You can buy a two-ride cross country ticket for the Mardi Gras, Cindy’s or Tannenbaum lift for $12 and either ride the Mardi Gras or Tannenbaum chair back down, or ski down. The easier trails along the golf course at the base of the mountain are open during daylight hours and there are solar lights for a nighttime ski on the golf course, but be sure to stay away from the ponds that are used for snowmaking. (they’re marked with a rope) Cross country rental skis, boots and poles are $18 per day. Snowshoeing is also available on the lower slopes and on the golf course, just be sure to stay to the side of the cross
See our “Welcome to Ellicottville Guide” on page 10
January 1 First Day Hike Allegany State Park January 2-8 Canadian Friendship Week January 20-22 Winter Blues Festival January 26 - 27 “Your Turn” Women’s Ski Clinic Holiday Valley
Olympic Hopeful Ski and How Will You Welcome 2017? Snowboarders Return to EVL By Jann Wiswall
Megan Farrell By Indrek Kongats
Every parent has the best intentions for their children and spends countless hours, and what seems like unlimited expenses, trying to give them the best opportunities to succeed. The success comes in many ways and sometimes in very spectacular forms. On Dec. 28, four
Olympic hopefuls are returning to their roots— HoliMont Ski Club, where they developed their skills at an early age to become world-class competitors. “Patricia Mangan, Robbie Andison, Megan Farrell and Darren Gardner all grew up skiing and riding on the slopes at HoliMont. Now they are in a position to chase down their lifelong dream of becoming an Olympic athlete,” states Greg Culver, the marketing, retail and rental manager at HoliMont. These fine athletes are participating in a fund raising effort to help pay for their expenses and travel costs required to compete and qualify for the 2018 Olympic Team. The event will take place in the main chalet at HoliMont from 7 to 10 p.m. The athletes will be signing autographs and answering questions. At $50/plate or $100/ family, this is a very worthwhile event and an incredible opportunity to meet with these world See Olympic Hopefuls page 8
Varsity Lady Eagles Hold Off Randolph Cardinals
Ellicottville is the perfect place to celebrate the new year. With two ski areas, a bounty of restaurants, great shopping and spas, a picturesque village and gorgeous scenery everywhere you look, you can customize your celebration in an endless number of ways. See Welcome 2017 page 11
HV Tubing Park, Mountain Coaster Open
Even more downhill fun in Ellicottville awaits, starting now! Holiday Valley Tubing Company opened for the season this week. If you like flying down the hill in an inflatable tube without the work of lugging it back to the top, this place is for you. Tubing is fun for everyone; all you have to do is sit down, hang on and experience the exhilaration of pure winter fun! The Tubing Park has up to 22 lanes, including See HV Tubing Park/Coaster page 4
Finnerty’s Tap Room Opens
Finnerty’s Tap Room is now open, on Mill Street next to Kwik Fill and across from the Wingate Hotel. “Thank You to everyone for the warm welcome – we’re really excited to join the community of Ellicottville, said owner Bill
Finnerty. The holiday schedule is to be open Thursday Dec. 22 from 4-10pm, Friday Dec. 23 12-12pm, and then open daily starting Monday, Dec. 26 at 11am. See full story in next week’s edition of the Ellicottville Times.
Up Close and Personal with Mud Sweat n’ Gears By Indrek Kongats
See High School / College Hoops page 4
The Ellicottville Times recently had the opportunity to chat with Kim Reading, owner of Mud Sweat n’ Gears, one of Ellicottville’s finest ski shops and a great place to stop before the holidays or during the break. Can you tell me something about the history of the store, when it was first started? What was the inspiration in starting a ski shop? Mud, Sweat n’ Gears opened its doors in 1992 as a See MSG page 13