Lonestar
Gentry, Steve Miller Band headline
BY KELLEN M. QUIGLEY
Lonestar and Montgomery Gentry, Steve Miller Band headline August outdoor shows at casino
SALAMANCA —
The air is going to be filled with the sounds of legendary music this August as Seneca Allegany Resort & Casino brings a pair of remarkable acts to the outdoor concert stage for a spectacular weekend of entertainment.
Lonestar and Montgomery Gentry, featuring Eddie Montgomery, will perform Friday, Aug. 29, and Steve Miller Band will take the stage Saturday, Aug. 30. Tickets go on sale at 10 a.m. Friday.
Lonestar has charted more than 20 songs on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart, including a remarkable nine No. 1 hits. The band’s amazing career catalog includes favorites “No News,” “Come Cryin’ to Me,”
Looking
“Amazed,” “Smile,” “My Front Porch Looking In” and “I’m Already There,” among others.
“Amazed” also charted at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, at the time becoming the first country song to achieve that feat in almost 20 years.
With the exception of lead singer Drew Womack, who joined in 2021, the current lineup of Lonestar remains unchanged from its most successful era.
Guitarist Michael Britt, keyboardist Dean Sams and drummer Keech Rainwater round out the original band members, and Britt says they’ve never been more solid.
“It’s kind of crazy that we’ve lived so long with each other,” he told Taste of Country in 2024.
“And now we’re just to the point where we can
kind of finish each other’s sentences ... so there’s a mutual respect that we’ve learned. You know, we’ve gone through so much stuff; there have been so many chances for us to give up, and we never did.”
Lonestar will be joined at Seneca Allegany by Montgomery Gentry, featuring Eddie Montgomery. Montgomery Gentry was a powerhouse duo that delivered five No. 1 country hits and more than 20 charted
singles, including “If You Ever Stop Loving Me,” “Something to Be Proud Of,” “Lucky Man,” “Hell Yeah,” and many others. After Troy Gentry died in a helicopter crash in 2017, Montgomery has kept the duo’s legacy alive, touring and sharing Montgomery Gentry’s music and spirit with fans everywhere.
“There’s not a night that don’t go by that we don’t talk about T-Roy,” Montgomery said during a 2024 interview from
Nashville. “I’m always used to lookin’ to my left there because it’s been me and him and John Boy, or John Michael as everybody knows him as, that started a band pretty much outta high school.”
Tickets for Friday’s concert start at $20.
Performing Saturday, Steve Miller Band has defined the classic rock sound for more than half a century. Formed in 1966 when guitar legend Steve Miller moved to San Francisco, the band shot to superstardom in the 1970s with hits including “The Joker,” “Fly Like an Eagle,” “Take the Money and Run,” “Rock’n Me,” “Jet Airliner” and more.
The band’s albums have sold tens of millions of copies around the globe,
and its songs are staples on the classic rock airwaves to this day. Steve Miller Band’s “Greatest Hits 1974–78” is among the best-selling albums of all time. Miller was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2016.
The Steve Miller Band played to nearly a million fans on successful tours in 2024 including with Journey and Def Leppard as well as a return to the top of the charts for “Abracadabra” via its prominent feature in Eminem’s hit single “Houdini.”Tickets for Saturday’s show start at $55.
In addition to these exciting outdoor shows, other upcoming performances at Seneca Allegany Resort & Casino include:
• March 28 – Carly Pearce. Tickets start at $29.
• April 12 – Dwight Yoakam & The Mavericks. Tickets start at $55.
• May 16 – Brothers Osborne. Tickets start at $45.
To purchase tickets, Seneca Resorts & Casinos uses all paperless ticketing for all events at all of its properties. Tickets may be purchased online at senecaalleganycasino. com or ticketmaster. com. Tickets may also be purchased in person at The Logo Shop inside Seneca Allegany Resort & Casino. A secure link, sent by either email or text, allows guests to save tickets to their phone or mobile device.
Photo courtesy Steve Miller Band
Steve Miller Band will perform Saturday, Aug. 30 as part of the Seneca Allegany Resort & Casino’s outdoor concert series.
and provides critical assistance through community-driven initiatives.
Formerly a dedicated youth service organization, the McCarthy Foundation has since provided essential help to families, including financial support and emergency aid. Some of Bob McCarthy’s visionary fundraising events — such as Celtic Thunder, Americana Folk Art & Music Fair, Farm Fest, Snowboard Auction and the
well-loved Irish Christmas — have all been woven into Ellicottville’s cultural fabric.
Irish Christmas, originally created to support Family Support’s “Santa’s Workshop” for local families in need, was renamed in McCarthy’s honor following his passing in 2016.
The McCarthy Foundation relies solely on fundraisers, donation boxes in local businesses and individual contributions to sustain its efforts. Community participation is key, and Irish Christmas remains a cornerstone event in ensuring support for those in need.
Working closely with schools and local agencies, the Foundation provides financial support in areas, including the Ellicottville Food Pantry; financial support for students to ensure equal
opportunities; aid for families in crisis situations; emergency assistance for heating, food and clothing needs; support for seasonal workers; and help for victims of unforeseen events and medical hardships.
“Bob McCarthy’s spirit of generosity, creativity and dedication to the Ellicottville community lives on through the dedicated community volunteers and local philanthropists,” said Kirk Windus, CRCF executive director. “It is a joy for CRCF to play a role in supporting the work of the Bob McCarthy Foundation and to help preserve Mr. McCarthy’s memory through this endowment.”
Donations can be made to the Bob McCarthy Foundation endowment fund at CRCF, 301 N. Union St., Suite 203, Olean, NY 14760, or online at cattfoundation.org.
Randolph FFA members promote ag benefits, opportunities to county leaders
BY KELLEN M. QUIGLEY
LITTLE VALLEY — Career awareness, hands-on experience and advocacy — just some of the many reasons why Randolph FFA members love having an agriculture program in their school.
Four students and their advisor spoke to the Cattaraugus County Legislature on March 12, sharing how they hope to see agriculture education grow in area schools and what involvement in FFA, 4H and other groups has meant to them.
“This is an issue we all feel very passionate about at our chapter,” said Taylor Costa, Randolph FFA President.
“But for a lot of students, we just don’t really know it.”
Costa said agriculture is often viewed with a traditional image in schools with limited career awareness and an outdated curriculum. She said some students think of it as only an elective subject, even though they can earn math and science credits toward their diplomas, and the skills they learn are far more than being out in a field or riding a tractor.
FFA Secretary Olivia Shawley said that introducing agriculture
to the classroom is important because changing perceptions of it can lead to addressing food security, promoting STEM education and expanding career awareness for students and nutritional education for everyone.
“Agriculture often ties into local culture and traditions,” she continued. “Rebranding it can strengthen community ties and encourage students to appreciate their local agricultural heritage.”
Katrina Schrantz, FFA Reporter, said that by signing up for an ag class or joining FFA, students gain a number of benefits, such as field tips, competitions and hands-on learning during their school careers, as well as awards, scholarships, degrees and career pathways for after high school.
“I’ve traveled in and out of state multiple times this year, getting to go to different farms and getting to gain those experiences,” she said. “When you get to go to a farm, or even in our classroom, getting that experience and doing it ourselves is beneficial for all of us.”
To help spread all the good things about bringing ag into the classroom, Shawley said they need advocacy — or as they put it in the FFA world, ag-vocacy. She said advocacy helps gain understanding of the importance
ag in the classroom is part of the problem, Costa explained, with fewer than 10 school districts in the region offering agriculture education. She said lack of funding means they are constantly looking for grants, and sometimes it’s not a focus for the district administration.
“Which is crazy to think about because we’re mainly rural counties and we have a lot of farmland and a lot of agriculture growing,” she added.
of agriculture, ushers in a positive representation of the agriculture community and opens doors for more appreciation of it.
“There are many students, especially in our school, who
don’t get experiences like FFA or 4H, so having agriculture in school exposes them to ag and farming that they might not get elsewhere,” she added.
The lack of opportunities for
To address the issue, Shawley said they need help reducing the lack of awareness, promoting modernization and encouraging ag integration into other areas of the school curriculum. She said there needs to be a perception change of what ag is and can be, which can be achieved with community involvement, a focus on sustainability and technological advancements.
Costa said some of the ways schools can help push for an ag education range from school
gardens and farm-to-school programs to field trips to visit farms and guest speakers and workshops on ag. She also said guidance counselors could promote ag classes and highlight its career opportunities, and the district can create ag clubs like FFA and incorporate technology into ag education.
Randolph ag teacher and FFA advisor Arissa Hitchcock said they offer classes to students in neighboring districts that don’t have their own ag or FFA program. Each member — including new
“I’ve
retreat.
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Photo by Kellen M. Quigley
From left, Randolph FFA members Dayne Jantzi, Katrina Schrantz, Olivia Shawley and Taylor Costa present to the Cattaraugus County Legislature on the benefits and opportunities of agriculture education in schools. FFA advisor Arissa Hitchcock stands at the right.