DECEMBER 20, 2019
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VOLUME 4 ISSUE 51
CAR. TR. MKTG MAIL US POSTAGE PAID PERMIT NO. 244 BRADFORD, PA
L I L V E G SP RIN TIMES
The official newspaper of the Town of Concord, and the Village of Springville. Serving Springville, the surrounding communities and Springville-Griffith Institute Central Schools
Merry Christmas Fun for All in Springville
By Kellen M. Quigley
It’s the most wonderful time of the year, especially for the kids (and hopefully some adults) who have the rest of the decade off from school or work. In between times of family and community celebration, there’s plenty of opportunities for seemingly endless fun over this holiday break. Hit the slopes at Kissing Bridge, which is open for the season, weather permitting. Lifts are spinning and the powder is calling all skiers and snowboarders. Kissing Bridge has 39 slopes spread out over 700 acres. There’s lots of great terrain perfect for the beginner or intermediate skier or rider, plus several challenging slopes for advanced. Whether new to skiing and snowboarding or experienced shredders, Kissing Bridge has the right experience for you with the
new Family Fun Experience and Family Mountain Adventure packages. Serviced by nine lifts, it is easy to see that at Kissing Bridge you will spend more time on the slopes and less time in the lift line. Visit www.kbski.com for more info. You can hit the slopes at HoliMont or Holiday Valley. Both ski resorts are open and in full swing. Choose from numerous lifts and slopes, warm up in the lodge and then head back out and do it all over again with beautiful scenes of the surrounding Ellicottville area. Check out www. holidayvalley.com for the latest updates and snow reports. Holiday Valley offers other ways to enjoy downhill winter fun if you want a break from or aren’t into the skis or snowboard. Holiday Valley Tubing Company has up to 22 lanes, each 900 feet long with a drop of 100 feet.
Some lanes are single width while others are wider group lanes to allow for linking up with friends. The park is located on the corner of Route 242 and Bryant Hill Road on the northeast of Ellicottville. For more info, including rates, visit www.holidayvalley. com/winter/tubing. Also visit the Sky Flyer Mountain Coaster near the Tannenbaum Lodge and get ready for a thrilling ride down through the snowy
Times file photo
As snowmobiling season gets underway in Western New York, town officials in Concord are discussing the safety on one new trail that goes through the heart of the town. At the latest Concord Town Board meeting Dec. 12, council William Snyder expressed concern with a couple of issues with the
use of the Rails to Trails route, including the unauthorized building of a bridge for snowmobilers near Sharp Street without the town’s knowledge. “As a policy-setting board, we’ve used a certain logic to pass codes,” he said. “An example would be a recent code we passed to require a private homeowner on his own property to get a permit
track set. The easier trails along the golf course at the base of the mountain are open during daylight hours and feature solar lights for a nighttime ski on the golf course, just be sure to stay away from the ponds that are used for snowmaking. Snowshoeing is also available on the lower slopes and on the golf course, but be sure to stay to the side of the cross country tracks.
By Kellen M. Quigley
second-floor courtroom of 65 Franklin St. and would be open from noon to 9 p.m. Melock noted that Dec. 31 is the first day to sign independent nominating petitions, the first day to file the petitions is Feb. 4 and the last day is Feb. 11. Three village trustees spots and one village justice spot will be open, she added. “This is very important that if someone wants to run to fill any of these seats, the trustees or the village justice, you have to go online and get the petitions from the election office downtown,” Krebs said. In the superintendent’s report, DPW Superintendent Duane Boberg said because of the relatively good weather last week, the village was able to clean up the final piles of leaves that fell late. In the police department report, Lieutenant in Charge Nick Budney said the department in conjunction with the sherrif’s and fire departments assisted the US Army Reserve with a children’s Christmas party
at Tim and Bonnie’s on Dec. 8. He said the Army Reserve sent the police department a framed thank you letter. On Dec. 14, the department held the annual Shop with a Cop and it was a resounding success, Budney said. Fourteen officers and deputies assisted 30 youth at the Springville Walmart during the program. Krebs informed the trustees that he finished a draft of the tree replacement process in the village codes. He said Melock, Boberg and Code Enforcement Officer Michael Koleta have been involved with the re-writing process. “This redefines how the village will manage the trees in the right-ofway, the parks and other public spaces,” he said. “I hope early next month to get a draft to you for your consideration.” The meeting concluded with the board wishing all a happy holidays, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.
Times file photo There’s plenty of outdoor activities to experience during the holiday break, such as hitting the slopes at Kissing Bridge during its opening weekend of the season.
Concord officials express concern over snowmobile trail safety
By Kellen M. Quigley
woods. The Mountain Coaster is similar to a roller coaster but it is low to the ground and follows the contours of the terrain. For more info, visit www. holidayvalley.com/winter/ sky-flyer-mountain-coaster. 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
Winter sports can also be had closer to home, right at Sprague Brook Park, an Erie County park that offers snowshoe trekking daily from 7 a.m. to dusk. Miles of trails on varying terrain offer something for all abilities. For info, call 858-8513. Don’t forget to throw your sled in the trunk so you can take advantage of soaring down the sledding hill behind the casino building. Looking for some indoor fun? Head to Cascade Lanes or Springville Lanes for some competition. Order a pizza and a pitcher of pop and make an afternoon of it. Stroll down the village streets and stop into your favorite shops to stock up on gifts for yourself and postholiday deals. There’s no shortage of exciting adventures you can take this time of year. Enjoy the last of 2019 with friends and family and enjoy all Springville has to offer this holiday break!
to shingle his 10-by-10 shed roof in his back yard. But we’re going to allow a bridge to be constructed that’s going to be used by the public, motor vehicles crossing it, with no permit, no inspection, nothing?” Snyder said he is unsure of the legal standing of the town or what the authority would be in enforcing it, but suggested temporarily See Town Hall page 6
Springville village board holds final regular meeting of 2019
The Village of Springville Board of Trustees held its final meeting of 2019 Monday with a record pace. The village board approved the new fire department officers for 2020. The officers were unable to attend the meeting due to traffic control needs on Monday night, so they would be sworn in at the village office at another time. Next, the village board approved a resolution authorizing Mayor Bill Krebs to sign and execute all documents regarding the property transfers for Scoby Hill Dam to Erie County. A budget modification for the fire department by $1,500 was approved for a DEC grant for radios received by the village. “It’s very good to see we have some grant money coming,” said Krebs. Village Administrator Liz Melock noted the upcoming election information for village elections in 2020. The election is Wednesday, March 18, 2020, in the
A Look Back: Christmas Sleighs and Bells By Jolene Hawkins
Looking Back to a song we sing each year — you know the one — “Over the River and Through the Woods to Grandma’s house we go, The horse knows the way to carry the sleigh through the white and drifting snow. Oh how the wind does blow, it stings the toes and bites the nose as over the
ground we go. The dogs do bark and the children hark as we go jingling by, Oh hear the bells ring, ‘Ting a ling,’ Hurrah for Christmas day!” Let’s learn a little more about the song and sleigh bells. Lydia Maria Child was born in February 1802 in Medford, Mass., a little town known for sleighing and rum distilling. She grew up and became a schoolteacher until she married a Boston Lawyer in 1828. In her lifetime, she wrote 52 books, but now she is
not remembered for all of that, but for the poem she wrote in 1844 called ‘Over the River and Through the Wood.’ No one knows when it got set to music, but it became popular during the Civil War. By the turn of the century, it was a classroom standard. But what of the sleigh bells? They were decorative, sometimes they were silver or gold in color and had a practical function. They were made of sheet metal, bent into a spherical shape and a small ball bearing or short metal rod placed inside to create the jingle sound.
William Barton opened the first US Sleigh Bell company in East Hampton, Conn., in 1810. East Hampton eventually became known as “Belltown” because it produced so many bells. In the town of Boston, N.Y., there was a Bell Factory that was operated by the Yaw family. It was the largest bell factory in the United States, making cow and sheep bells. I could not find where they made sleigh bells, but they sure could have. It was still in operation and on the atlas map of 1880. While we all enjoy hearing sleigh bells, See A Look Back page 3