BOLIVAR — The New York State Oil Producers’ Association will induct five men into its Wall of Fame, located at the Pioneer Oil Museum’s Hahn & Schaffner site on Boss Street, on June 27.
Honored will be the late Bob Wilkinson, William McEnroe, Wallace Sawyer, Paul Plants and Jim Macfarlane — each for making significant contributions to the oil and gas industry in the Twin Tiers of New York and Pennsylvania.
The public is invited to attend the ceremony, which begins at 6 p.m. with the inductions, followed by a wine and cheese tasting. Tickets for the wine tasting are $20 and may be purchased at the Pioneer Oil
Museum’s Main Street site, the Bolivar Free Library, via postal mail or the night of the event.
BOB WILKINSON (1938-2014)
He worked in the local oil field industry as a self-employed drilling contractor and oil producer for many years. For side businesses, he was a self-employed logger, operated a waste disposal business, and supervised the Town of Bolivar landfill. Wilkinson attended the West Clarksville Baptist Church and was a life-member of the NRA. For many years he was a member of the NYSOPA.
WILLIAM B. McENROE (1887-1983)
An Allentown native, he
attended Immaculate Conception School in Wellsville and later was a graduate of Elmira Business Institute. He and much of his family were active in the oil business as drilling contractors and producers. In 1921, his company promoted the early development of secondary oil recovery by introducing the first successful use of artificial water pressure in the local oil fields.
Eventually McEnroe developed the most productive 5 acres of oil property in all of New York state. He was the owner of McEnroe-Brown Oil Company, and among his operations was a lease on Hog Brook near Allentown.
Bolivar celebrates its bicentennial, Pioneer Oil Days
BY KATHRYN ROSS
BOLIVAR — The celebration of the Bolivar Bicentennial and Pioneer Oil Days runs through the coming weekend. The calendar of events is a combination of activities celebrating the oil history of the community and the town’s 200 years. There is something happening every day through June 29, featuring everything from food to races and contests, music, antique cars, fireworks and a parade. Many events were held beginning this past Sunday, June 22.
Bicentennial chairman Kelly Lounsberry said the committee worked to
combine both elements from Pioneer Oil Days and the 150-year celebration of the town from 1975.
“We realize that times and people have changed a lot over the last 50 years, but we thought they would still enjoy some of the old events like the bathtub races and the Brothers of the Brush contest,” he said.
New this year is a sand sculpture by wellknown local artist Eric Jones. Lounsberry said the sculpture will showcase the oil history of the town and other iconic features. Jones is featured in the “Guinness Book of World Records” and is well-known for his patriotic sculptures as well as his works featuring the Buffalo Bills.
The sculpture will be located on Main Street next to the Heritage of Flame building. June 28 will feature the Pioneer Oil Days parade and car show. The car show has 12 different categories and will be on Main Street after the parade. The Brothers of the Brush and Mustache contest will also be judged.
On June 29 the event ends with the Bolivar-Richburg Central School graduation ceremony. For times and
Photo provided
Five men will be inducted into the New York State Oil Producers Association Wall of Fame. They are (upper, from left) Jim Macfarlane, William McEnroe, Paul Plants, (lower, from left) Wallace Sawyer and Bob Wilkinson.
Photo provided
Taking first place in the bathtub
BY STEPHEN WALKER
ANDOVER — Artificial Intelligence, or AI, has crashed the Irish Festival — drunk, pushy and getting in everyone’s face with some of the most obnoxious and un-authentic Celtic art of all time.
We wouldn’t expect a very high standard of authenticity for the kitsch in the run-up to Saint Patrick’s Day, but there are some people using it who should know better. Alongside the green plastic bowler hats and shamrock Mardis Gras beads, in 2025 the t-shirt graphics have hit a new low in tone-deaf cultural illiteracy.
The really sad thing is how many festivals, magazines, cultural organizations and others who have responsibility for our heritage have been settling for the same appallingly low standard of clip-art and AI-generated tangles of spaghetti passing for Celtic interlace.
Celtic art scholar and Irish presidential candidate Donnacha MacGabhann of County Limerick, says, “I share the concern about what happens when AI ultimately gets better at it. I can’t imagine AI being programmed to replicate the quality of work in the ‘Book of Kells.’”
The International Day of Celtic Art was Sunday. Contemporary Celtic artists and their supporters focused this year on raising awareness of what makes Celtic art good and authentic. The day was declared by contemporary Celtic artists and craftsmen to celebrate this ancient art form and to encourage growth
and the continuation of the “Celtic Renaissance,” which has been gathering momentum since the end of the 20th century. The emergence of artificial intelligence is causing a crisis for many contemporary Celtic artists. AI is not especially good at producing Celtic art — yet — but because it is fast and cheap it is being used more and more frequently to supply designs and illustrations for Celtic-themed projects. What AI is producing is frequently very attractive, but it fails miserably to follow the traditional norms of Celtic design.
That’s not to say that it has taken computers to screw up this venerable art form. Regular
humans have been getting Celtic art wrong for centuries. Historically poor Celtic design is often a result of not knowing or not caring how it is supposed to be done as long as it suggests the interlace, spirals and geometric patterns of the ancient art. AI will create very attractive images but when asked to create Celtic designs
the results are a mishmash, consistently even further from that of uninformed human artists.
“As someone who has to work with AI a great deal, I’m very concerned about it — not about what it can or can’t do today/tomorrow, but more long-term ramifications in generational knowledge and skills lost,” said Michael Stone, network/systems
Commentary: Celtic artists strike back at AI
administrator at Alfred University. “It may be adept, but it is soulless. As human beings, we’d be wise to not relinquish our souls so readily.”
California-based tattoo artist Pat Fish concurs by saying, “I was raised with the admonition, ‘Don’t look for what you don’t want to see,’ but I can’t help it, there I am muttering the over-under-over incantation.
“The worst are the items on Temu — truly tragic,” she continued.
“Or the people who proudly send me photos of tattoo installations they have had done locally after purchasing my patterns online, where I can see the point where the stencil blurred and the tattooist started to ad lib the knots. (Stephen’s) visual of the pushy drunk AI
image purveyor is apt, and he’ll sell his t-shirts to the credulous crowd.
“For those of us stuck in the catechism of the tradition, we can only be responsible for our own work.”
Fish is one of many Celtic artists who have spent a lifetime mastering this ancient idiom only to see a flood of AI images overwhelm the internet with unauthentic imitations. My fear, which is shared by many of my Celtic art colleagues, is that the cheapening of our style will devalue the entire genre.
As an old man shaking my fist at the cloud, I don’t know if I can make any difference.
(Stephen Walker is a jewelry artist working in the Celtic tradition. His business, Walker Metalsmiths is on Main Street in the village of Andover.)
McEnroe worked in oil production in Kansas and Oklahoma as well as Allegany County. He served as director of Citizens’ National Bank for many years and was a member of the Wellsville Masonic Lodge No. 230. Other social organizations included time as a fifty-year member of Corning Consistory and member of the Ismailia Shrine Temple of Buffalo.
WALLACE SAWYER (1884-1960)
He graduated from the University of Arizona with a degree in business administration and marketing. Getting into the oil industry in 1904, he began a partnership with R.A. Streeter in drilling and contracting in the Bolivar area. In 1915, he formed a new drilling partnership that had locations in Ohio, Oklahoma, and Kansas in addition to New York. In 1922, he formed the Sawnett Oil Corporation, and in the late 1920’s and into the 1930’s, he purchased numerous local oil leases. Included in his purchases was the 300-acre, 85 producing well Finnessy & Kinley oil lease which he acquired in 1930, and from this property, eventually the Hickory Grove Oil Company was formed. That company’s main offices were located in Rochester.
In 1922, Sawyer started an early oil refinery in Bolivar, which was
later sold to Vacuum Oil Co. In 1935, he purchased the Graves Motor Company, a garage he later changed to the Sawyer Garage. Among his civic duties was a stint on the Bolivar Village Board for a number of years. He was a member of the Bolivar Methodist Episcopal Church and the Bolivar Chamber of Commerce. He joined the Macedonia Lodge 258, Ismailia Shrine in Buffalo, and the BPOE Elks 1495 in Wellsville.
PAUL PLANTS (1937-2024)
He enlisted in the U.S. Army in 1958 and was stationed at Fort Benning, Ga. After his military stint, in 1970, he formed Plants and Goodwin Corporation, an oilfield service company, along with George Goodwin. Both men worked mornings in the oilfields while still maintaining their jobs on second shift at Acme Electric. Eventually both of these individuals worked full-time at Plants and Goodwin as it grew to be one of the largest oil and gas well plugging companies in the Northeast United States.
Plants served as a member of the board of directors of the NYSOPA for more than 40 years and as its president for many years. He joined the board of directors of the Pioneer Oil Museum of New York in 2000,
serving as a board member for 24 years and the first president for 15 years. During that period he was instrumental in the expansion of the museum including the museum’s move to its new location as well as the implementation of the NYSOPA Wall of Fame. Plants was a lifelong member of the Ceres United Methodist Church where he served as lay minister. He had a love for the outdoors as a hunter, and he spent six decades farming and raising cattle.
JIM MACFARLANE (1962-2024)
He was a 1980 graduate of Bradford (Pa.) Central Christian High School. Later he earned an Associate’s Degree in Petroleum Engineering Technology from the University of Pittsburgh at Bradford. Eventually he earned a Bachelor of Science degree in 1985 in Petroleum Geology, also from Pitt-Bradford. His oil and gas career started at Quaker State Oil Refining Corpora-
tion, and he worked at Halliburton Services while in high school and college.
In 1987, Macfarlane started MacTech Mineral Management with his father, consulting as an exploration and development specialist. He traveled throughout the eastern U.S. designing and completing horizontal drilling programs through highly-regulated areas of public and private lands. Later he joined Minard Run Oil Company in 2011 and served as vice president of operations and business development. He served as consultant to Otis Eastern in Wellsville and was a member of the board of both NYSOPA and the Bradford District Pennsylvania Oil Producers Association, also serving as president of that organization.
Additionally, he was a member of numerous other organizations: Western Pennsylvania Oil and Gas Association, Independent Oil & Gas Association of
New York, Society of Petroleum Engineers, American Association of Professional Landman, American Association of Petroleum Geologist and Vineyard Oil & Gas. His community service endeavors included assisting the McKean County Care for Children and as president of the Olean Youth Hockey Association.
NYSOPA organized the Wall of Fame in 2005 to honor those individuals who had been involved with the local oil/gas industry from
the late 1800s to the present day. There are 75 names on the WOF, all honored posthumously.
NYSOPA works in conjunction with the Pioneer Oil Museum, which compiles research on the honorees, displays the plaques and provides the setting for the event.
Bronze plaques with the inductees’ photos will be placed on a wall in the museum. During the ceremony, family members will be provided time to speak about their loved ones.
health & Wellness
Nutritional benefits of watermelon
Watermelon is widely considered a summertime treat that’s particularly refreshing on a hot day. A staple at backyard barbecues, watermelon makes a great appetizer, side dish and even dessert.
Watermelon also can make for a nutritious addition to a backyard barbecue menu. Those who want something nutritious to eat alongside less healthy fare like hamburgers and hot dogs can consider the many nutritional benefits of watermelon.
• Watermelon is low in calories. The Mayo Clinic notes that one cup of watermelon is 46 calories. That makes watermelon an ideal low-calorie dessert, particularly when compared to other treats, including ice cream. The calorie count for a single cup of ice cream varies by flavor, but the United States Department
of Agriculture notes one cup of vanilla ice cream contains 274 calories, while one cup of chocolate ice cream is 286 calories. Watermelon is a low-calorie dessert alternative to ice cream that can be especially appealing after eating popular backyard barbecue fare.
• Watermelon promotes hydration. The Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health notes that drinking enough water helps to regulate body temperature, lubricate the joints, prevent infections, and promotes proper organ function. Water also delivers nutrients to cells. Come summertime, it’s easy to fall victim to dehydration, but consuming watermelon can help to prevent that. The Mayo Clinic notes watermelon is 92 percent water, which can help people remain hydrat-
ed on hot summer days spent outside.
• Watermelon is a good source of vitamins C and A. The National Institutes of Health notes that human beings are unable to synthesize vitamin C endogenously, which means they must get this crucial vitamin from the foods they eat. Watermelon contains 14 percent
of the recommended daily value (DV) of vitamin C per USDA dietary guidelines, making it a worthy addition to anyone’s diet. Watermelon also contains 5 percent of the recommended DV of vitamin A, which the NIH notes is important for normal vision, immune system health, reproduction, and growth and
development.
• Watermelon does not contain any fat, cholesterol or sodium. It’s not only what’s in watermelon that makes it so healthy, but what’s not in it as well. Unlike other popular desserts, such as ice cream, watermelon contains no fat, cholesterol or sodium. Opting for watermelon over more
traditional desserts can help people lower their fat consumption, reduce their cholesterol and avoid overconsumption of sodium. Watermelon makes for a refreshing treat on a hot summer day. But watermelon provides a host of additional nutritional benefits as well, making it an ideal food for your next backyard barbecue.
➡Bolivar Celebrations
other features of the bicentennial and POD Celebration see the list below or go to the bicentennial website.
The town of Bolivar was formed from the town of Friendship on Feb. 15, 1825.
According to the history of Bolivar compiled by the Bicentennial Committee, available on its website, “By 1825, enough citizens lived near the confluence of Root Holler and Little Genesee creeks that they decided to form a town. They chose ‘Bolivar’ to honor the then living Liberator of South America, General Simon Bolivar.”
“Within 10 months of the discovery the population of Bolivar grew … to as many as 12,000 prospectors who moved into the valley to make their fortune in the oil fields. Business exploded with an Opera House, six clothing stores, 14 blacksmiths, four meat markets, seven doctors and 11 attorneys, and a telephone exchange,” according to the history.
Wells were drilled everywhere and by the end of 1882, approximately 7 million barrels of oil had been extracted from the Allegany oil field, mainly in and around Bolivar.
crude oil. During World War II the production of oil was declared an essential war industry, and while many local men headed for the battlefields of the Europe and the Pacific, many also stayed in the oil fields.
In the 1950s the secondary recovery of oil peaked and oil production declined.
ing, New Oil Museum, 6:30 to 8 p.m.
• Pioneer Oil Days fireworks show at dusk.
SATURDAY, JUNE 28
• American Legion Auxiliary Breakfast, 7 to 11 a.m.
• Pioneer Oil Days Parade, 10 a.m.
• Pioneer Oil Days Summer Cruise Car Show immediately after parade.
• Duck Race, Main Street Bridge, noon.
• Firemen’s chicken barbecue at the fire hall, noon until gone.
• Bicentennial Brothers of the Brush beard and moustache contest judging.
Historically, from 1825 to 1881, the population of Bolivar seldom exceeded 160 residents, who made their livings as farmers, loggers and tanners. On April 27, 1881, that changed when, “A huge oil gusher was struck in the nearby town of Wirt.” Known as the Richburg Discovery well, it produced more than 400 barrels of oil a day, “beginning the oil boom that forever changed the Bolivar valley.”
Millionaires were born with the flow of oil and built grand houses along the streets of Bolivar. By 1920 oil production had ebbed, but a new recovery method of flooding the wells with water initiated the second oil recovery and propelled Boliver into a prosperous future.
The history states, “Bolivar was one of the wealthiest communities per capita in New York state,” based on the production of green
Today the forests of oil wells that once stretched across the fields from Richburg to Bolivar and beyond are preserved in old photographs displayed on the walls of the elegant homes that still grace the streets of Bolivar and in the memories of the children and grandchildren of the oil pioneers.
That history has been celebrated since the 1980s with the annual Pioneer Oil Days, or POD.
A schedule of events follows:
FRIDAY, JUNE 27
• Oil Producers Wall of Fame inductions, New Oil Museum at the Hahn & Schaffner site, 6 p.m.
• Wine and cheese tast-
• Live music on Main Street with Generations, 12:15 p.m. at the parade judging area.
• Bolivar Central and Bolivar-Richburg Central Alumni Banquet at the Bolivar Country Club, 2 p.m.
• School tours, see alumni website for details.
SUNDAY, JUNE 29
• Bolivar-Richburg graduation, 1 p.m.
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home improvement
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Check out the
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Nathaniel Dike’s descendants visit museum in Wellsville, gravesite
BY KATHRYN ROSS
WELLSVILLE — The Nathaniel Dike Museum hosted members of the Nathaniel Dike family during a special visit on Sunday.
Rebecca Abbey, the 10th generation relative of Dike, brought her daughters and grandchildren to the museum to learn about their family history. Sara and Allison and grandsons Gavin, Stephen and Wyatt made the morning ride from their homes in Rochester, at the north end of the Genesee River, to visit
the museum.
Abbey explained that her grandson, Gavin, a ninth-grade student, was researching his family history for a German class, which he is taking.
“I just wanted them to know about their family’s history,” Abby said.
They spent about 90 minutes at the museum, which has some artifacts wrought by Dike, who settled in the Elm Valley area in 1791 with his family. They were the first permanent white settlers in the area. At that time,
Allegany County was the wilderness and designated as “Indian territory” — it was land where the Seneca Nation had lived. Settlers were prohibited from crossing a line of demarcation that stretched from Lake Ontario southward into Pennsylvania, crossing the western boundary of the town of Andover.
Dike, a Connecticut Yankee, was part of the Lexington Alarm and served as a private in the militia. After the Revolutionary War, he moved his family west into Pennsylvania and then followed Purdy Creek through Canisteo and into what would become Allegany County.
Abbey and her family enjoyed browsing through the museum and discovering the family tree and newspaper articles about the family in the Dike family file, part of the museum’s archives.
Abbey contacted the museum nearly two months ago to arrange for the Sunday afternoon visit. The museum is open on Wednesdays between 1 and 4 p.m. from May through the end of October; however, arrangements can be made to tour the museum at other times. Call
(585) 610-5343 or the numbers listed on the Wellsville NY Nathaniel Dike Museum Facebook page. Before leaving the museum to head to Arcade, Abbey and family were directed to Nathaniel Dike’s grave marker in Elm Valley to pay their respects. The gravesite was marked by the Daughters of the American Revolution in the early 1900s and re-marked a few years ago when a roadside historical marker was erected on Route 19 near the site.
It points the way to Dike’s resting place — a short walk uphill to the cemetery site.
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A 10th-generation relative of Nathaniel Dike and her family visit the Nathaniel Dike Museum in Wellsville. From left are Wyatt and Gaven, Rebecca Abbey, Sara and Allison.
Photos by Kathryn Ross Gavin Abbey holds items housed in the Nathaniel Dike Museum, made by his 12th great-grandfather, Nathaniel Dike.
