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AUG. 3-9, 2018
VOLUME 3 ISSUE 31
Your Hometown Newspaper
The official newspaper of the Town of Concord and the Village of Springville, serving Springville, the surrounding communities and Springville-Griffith Institute Central Schools
We
Get Ready for the Erie County Fair! SGI Grad Manages ‘The Best 12 Days of Summer’ daughters in the house Mark grew up in. Underberg has been working for the fair for over two decades. “This will be my 23rd fair,” she said. “I started working at the front desk and have worked in every department since then.” Underberg worked as the assistant manager at the fair for eight years before being promoted to fair manager last October. With the fair only days away, Underberg explained that this time of year is all about the little things. “The last month is more details and final touches,” she said. While she acknowledges the scope and size of the fair,
BY ALICIA DZIAK
We hope you had the opportunity to get down to Little Valley for the Cattaraugus County Fair — or perhaps you have plans to stop down this weekend — and we’re counting down the days until the Erie County Fair in Hamburg. With that said, what a great opportunity we had to sit down with Jessica Underberg, a 1994 SGI graduate, to talk about the upcoming Erie County Fair. Congratulations to her as she enters into her first fair week as the fair’s new ECO and manager. The Erie County Fair is no small time event, and Jessica should take pride in her accomplishment. It was wonderful to see our village hopping last weekend with the Fiddle Fest. The turnout, at least from the way we witnessed it, was great as people were walking all along Franklin Street between all the different venues. A thumbs up to all those who were part of the event. Congratulations also to Jeff Mahl. We followed up on his recent trip across the country and it sounds like he had not only a great time but a safe and productive one, too. We featured some details of his trip in this week’s edition but be sure to check out his blog, 2018nytoparisnews.com, for more photos. And check out the display on George Schuster right in our own backyard at the Heritage Building. It’s truly a sight to behold. Have good news to share? Email us at info@ springvilletimes.com or stop by our office at 65 E. Main St. in Springville.
UPCOMING EVENTS
Dubbed “The Best 12 Days of Summer,” the Erie County Fair returns Aug. 8-19 for its 179th year, celebrating 150 of those years in Hamburg. The Erie County Fair has many ties to Springville, both past and present. Not only was the fair held in Springville the year before it moved to Hamburg, but this year at the helm of it all sits Jessica Underberg, CEO and fair manager, who is a 1994 SGI grad. Underberg grew up on a dairy farm in Collins, attended college at Canisius and married her high school sweetheart, Mark. The couple still resides in Springville with their two
Aug. 8-19 Erie County Fair Aug. 9 One Song at Fiddlers Green Park Aug. 16 The Pyramid Band at Fiddlers Green Park
Underberg also says August brings in so much outside help. “Our staff of 50 grows to 500 (for the fair),” she said. In comparison, other events held on the fairgrounds throughout the year are also sizeable but must be done only by the staff of 50. Everyone remembers last year’s fair, with a tornado touching down on the fairgrounds just 20 days before the fair was supposed to start. Underberg recalls being in a camper with her lunch when it hit, and she felt the camper lift off the ground. The storm, which she said “left as quickly 1994 SGI grad Jessica Underberg was as it came” left much of promoted to CEO and fair manager of the the grounds and buildings Erie County Fair in fall 2017.
See Erie County Fair page 10
Springville Resident August Means Fun Retraces Greatin Springville Grandfather’s Historic Journey
Jeff Maul (right) and others participants who recently drove across the country stopped at Twin Springs, Nev., to meet members of the Fallini family. The same stone bunkhouse was standing in 1908 when George Schuster stopped to get help from the family’s great-grandfather, Giovanni. Submitted photo.
BY RICH PLACE For Springville resident Jeff Mahl, a 17-day road trip from eastern New York to San Francisco was about more than just seeing the country. It was about more than taking his 1929 Model A Roadster Pickup for a joy ride and there was definitely reasoning behind enduring 100-plus degree heat in Death Valley without air conditioning. His journey was a re-creation of the American leg of the 1908
BY ALICIA DZIAK August is a month full of summertime activities, special events and long days of fun. Whether you like an action-packed day of outdoor adventure, a relaxing evening of live music and tasty desserts or a competitive day on the golf course, Springville has got you covered this August! Special Events If you like live music, you’re in luck! Right here in Springville, the Thursday concert series is underway. Concerts are held from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. in the Fiddlers Green Park gazebo in downtown Springville. See August page 6
See Great Race page 2
The Erie County Fair in Springville BY JOLENE HAWKINS
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Aug. 4 Christine Padasak Memorial Autism Awareness 5K & Family Fun Walk at the Children’s League Aug. 8 Barnstorm at Colden Gazebo
Springville Soccer Club ....see page 4
There’s something special about a good oldfashioned county fair. Farmers, crafters, and families come together to celebrate regional agriculture and much more. Did you realize that there are over 50 County Fair and 4-H fairs, starting in July and running through the fall? Every weekend, somewhere in the state of New York is a fair— sometimes they overlap each other with dates, and some of the farmers and crafters are at several of them. I am going to be sharing the history of the Erie County Fair…here we go! On Sept. 14, 1819, the Niagara County Agricultural Society was founded at the Court House in Buffalo. (At that time, Erie County was part of Niagara County.) In 1821, Niagara County was divided and Erie County was formed and so was the Erie County Agricultural Society. Who were some of the towns that participated? Hamburg, Holland, Wales, Eden, Boston, Concord and Amherst. In 1842, the fair was held on the Delaware Avenue Grounds, owned by Ebenezer Johnson and a noble herd of cattle and oxen were shown, as well as a mammoth sow weighing 800 pounds! Prizes and awards were handed out for fruits and vegetables, as well as winning crops that produced high yields per acre, such as Indian corn, 57 bushels per acre, oats, 67 bushels, carrots 1,124 ½ bushels, beets 1,280 bushels. There was even a plowing match where Peter Curtiss and his chestnut team plowed a quarter of an acre in 51 minutes. And, of course, the women were demonstrating spinning wheels, clothes and quilts, honey and even cheese.
Emerling 195 West Main Street, Springville, NY (716)592-2881 www.emerlingcdjr.com
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The racetrack at Dygert Farm, which was the site of the Erie County Fair before it moved to Hamburg 150 years ago.
See A Look Back page 8
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