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VOLUME 6 ISSUE 10
MARCH 10 - 16, 2017
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
Welcome to Mardi Gras and Winter Carnival!
March 10 Mountain Man Day Holiday Valley March 10 -11 Ski Patrol Food Drive Ellicottville March 10 -12 Winter Carnival and Mardi Gras Weekend Ellicottville & Holiday Valley March 18 Pond Skimming Holiday Valley March 18 -19 March 25 - 26 NYS Maple Weekends March 19 Northwind Super-G Holiday Valley
See Mardi Gras and Winter Carnival Schedule page 7
See Mardi Gras page 5
Pond Skimming March 18 By Alicia Dziak
Ready to laugh it up at the base of Yodeler? Check out Holiday Valley’s annual Pond Skimming on Saturday, March 18. This wet and wild event is a great way to take advantage of the rising temps and melting snow. Pond Skimming, which began in the early 2000s as a way to get more spring skiers to the slopes, attracts competitors of all ages. Those in the know wear creative costumes, ski down the hill, and at the bottom, skim across an icy cold pond. If you’ve never noticed a pond at the bottom of Yodeler, that’s because it’s there for this event and this event only! The pond is created from the huge mound of snow used for the Winter Carnival Snowbar. A Snowcat digs the hole, which is then covered with a tarp and the snowmaking system is used to fill it up. Since the water is cold to begin with, and surrounded by snow, the end result is an extra-chilly makeshift pond, perfect for challenging those daredevils as they head down the hill on skis and try to skim across.
Do you like maple syrup? Have you ever wondered how it’s made and how it gets from the trees to your stack of pancakes? Your chance to find out has never been easier, with two weekends of maple fun coming up March 1819 and 25-26. Every spring, the members of the New York State Maple Producers Association invite families and friends into their sugarhouses to experience the world of pure NY maple syrup. Located at approximately 160 farms and museums across New York State, Maple Weekends offer a delicious, fun-filled outing that has a little something for all maple lovers to taste and experience. During Maple Weekends, guests can stop See Maple Weekends page 10
March 30 - April 1 Ellicottville Central High School Musical April 7- 9 Greater Olean Area Home and Garden Show April 12 Catt. Co. Farmer-Neighbor Dinner West Valley
ECS Board Approves Girls’ Golf Team By Elizabeth Riggs
©This is Randolph Facebook
After teeing off with a convincing PowerPoint presentation by multiple ECS female golfers during Tuesday night’s ECS School Board meeting, the Board voted unanimously to approve their request for the formation of a girls’ golf team.
The students, ranging from 8th grade to seniors, presented to the Board their request for their own team based on current levels of interest in girls’ golf at the school, the number of female golfers that were previously playing on the boys’ team, and the fact See ECS Board page 4
Season Wraps up for ECS Basketball By Indrek Kongats
See Pond Skimming page 2
March Maple Weekends
© 2017 Ellicottville Times / Keystone Designers Inc.
Come one, come all to Ellicottville this weekend, where parties, parades, music and endless fun await during the annual Mardi Gras and Winter Carnival weekend! There’s no better place to spend the weekend as winter winds down. On Friday night, March 10, come out to Madigan’s for the Second Annual Junior Bacchus Ball. The party is upstairs from 7 to 9 p.m. with New Orleans styled food, music and fun. During the party, the weekend’s royalty will be crowned by those in attendance. Prizes will be given for costumes and, well, just because you’re there! You could walk out of the party with tickets to a Summer Music Festival concert, gift cards to an Ellicottville establishment, or even a crown. Tickets for the Ball are $30, $35 at the door, and are available throughout Ellicottville’s merchant community, as well as at the Chamber of Commerce and online at Ellicottvilleny.com. The crown that could be placed on your head leads to the annual parade tradition, as the winners will be toward the front of the parade. The 25th Anniversary edition will be Grand Marshalled in honor of “King” Ken Brown, and members of his 700 Club will lead the procession. Floats and walkers will be strolling the street, as will the Renegade Drum Corps, from Lancaster, to make the festivities complete. The parade lines up at 6 p.m. and starts at 6:30 on Saturday night. But there’s more! Before the parade, musicians
Upcoming Events
© Ellicottville Sports Boosters
Ellicottville Eagles basketball has come to an end with the Lady Eagles dropping their second round playoff game to the eventual Class D Champions, the Panama High School Lady Panthers. On the boys side, the Eagles also lost in the second round playoff game to the eventual
Class D Champions, the Franklinville Panthers. Although the season ended sooner than expected for both teams, it is time to recognize some individuals. ECS placed three players into the top 10 in both the Boys and Girls Section D individual scoring, a great accomplishment. The Eagles have three of
See High School / College Basketball page 4
Ken Brown 700 Club Helping Others Since 2000 By Mary Heyl
©NYSMaple
If you are age 70 or older and looking for a great way to give back to your community, the Ken Brown 700 Club is for you! The club was founded in 2000 by local skier, Ken Brown, who turned 70 that year, along
with nine friends of the same age who all wanted to have a great time and contribute to local charitable organizations. If you are or will turn 70 this year, now is the time to join this great organization! In 2000, Brown and nine See Ken Brown 700 Club page 2