THE OFFICIAL NEWSPAPER OF THE TOWN AND VILLAGE OF ELLICOTTVILLE, NEW YORK THE OFFICIAL NEWSPAPER OF GREAT VALLEY, NEW YORK
VOLUME 1 ISSUE 25 FREE www.EllicottvilleTimes.com
FRIDAY, AUGUST 24, 2012
Americana Folk Art Festival This Weekend
by Sue Whistler
The Americana Folk Art Festival will be held at the village gazebo on Saturday and Sunday, Aug. 25-26 and will feature the work of several local artists, live music and a quilt show on the lawn of St. John’s Episcopal Church. The fun starts both days at 10 a.m. and goes until about 4 p.m. with live music from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday features the band Weekly Notice with Fred Joseph and Rod Tucker. Sunday you can hear Wild Oats with Tory and Rob Bedard. The festival winds down with an auction at 2:30 p.m. Sunday afternoon. The festival is organized by Ellicottville’s own Bob McCarthy, local artist and Ellicottville goodwill ambassador. There will be seven folk art cottages on site, each of which will house a different artist and their work. Three of the cottages were built by McCarthy, one by Chris Woodareck, and three by woodcarver Doug Stein, who will also be displaying his handcarved creations at the festival. You will find Ellicottville Times Editor Jennie Acklin weaving wool that has been spun by local horse whisperer Annie Widger in the Weaver’s Cottage. Huey Dunne will display pieces from his Art of the Forest collection. Huey creates his unique, handcrafted furniture from organic artifacts, which he scavenges from the local landscape. Other featured artists include woodcrafter Emily Arena, water colorist Pat Kerl, birdhouse fabricator Lisa Hitchcock, as well as jewelry by Urania Shaklee, owner of the Purple Doorknob. Perhaps the best part of the Americana Folk Art Festival is the active participation of some very talented and civicminded local young people. Eight- and 12-year-old siblings, See Americana Folk Art Page 2
Volunteers and Cyclists Make Centurion an Ellicottville Success by Jeff Cole
After three days of cycling, Centurion Ellicottville crossed the finish line a winner this past Sunday, thanks to hundreds of cyclists and volunteers who made that happen. The two-day festival took place Saturday and Sunday and included a C25, a C50, a C100 and a ride with Hockey Hall of Famer Pat LaFontaine. This year was the first of five consecutive years the event will be held in Ellicottville.
Competitive Skiing Approved for WNY Section Six Schools ECS Pursuing a Team – Coach to be Named
by Jennie Acklin
In an interview with ECS Athletic Director Karl Schwartz on Monday afternoon, he talked about the recent announcement of the Section 6 approval of a competitive skiing program for all WNY
schools. “I am delighted that this is happening under my watch,” said Schwartz. Ellicottville Central School is pursuing the necessary steps in putting together a team. Miguel Azcarate, racing coach
for Holiday Valley, has been working diligently for several years to bring racing to the school level. Although no coach for the school team has been named as yet, it is an exciting accomplishment for everyone involved. Finally students can receive the recognition they deserve from the school and their community for all of their hard work on the slopes. And the possibility of athletic scholarships is an important part of this program. All other school sections in New York have a school level race team, and now WNY can finally join the list.
According to event organizers, the Centurion featured about 650 entries, about 85 percent of whom came to Ellicottville for the first time. Many cyclists said that they would be interested in returning to Ellicottville, not just to race, but simply to visit. A number of cyclists also posted positive comments on the Centurion’s Facebook page. Charlie Dias wrote, “Thank YOU Centurion for coming here. PLEASE do so again next year ... and maybe
bring some more events into Buffalo/Niagara area. Your organization is top notch, and I would ride with you any day!” Henry Lo wrote, “Talking to a few locals, they were all excited about this event. These people actually want us to be there. So refreshingly different from all the complaining in some big city events I participated in the past.” Cyclists also noted that the course was more challenging than the other Centurion venues,
due to a more hilly terrain, though they mentioned this was something they enjoyed. Krista Flanagan, marketing/media relations contact for the Centurion, said that her organization was hoping for more cyclists, but noted that in other towns that have hosted the Centurion, participation has grown to about 4,0005,000 cyclists during the third of fourth year that a town has hosted See Centurion page 9
Holimont Marks a Half-Century of Skiing
BY
JEFF COLE
The new chairlift currently being installed in honor of HoliMont’s upcoming 50th anniversary exemplifies one of many changes for the ski area as its monumental winter season approaches. This winter season will mark a half-century of business for HoliMont and in honor of the historic
occasion, the ski area has been working all summer on installing its first high-speed detachable quad chairlift. The addition will replace the old Exhibition chairlift and will be dubbed “The Exhibition Express,” according to Dash Hegeman, marketing director for Holimont. “This upgrade was one
that the majority of the HoliMont membership wanted to see happen and the membership is looking forward to experiencing the final product. With the upgrade of this lift, members and guests will be able to get to the top and disperse throughout the mountain faster than ever, which ultimately will allow for more runs to be made and more fun to be had,” he said. Hegeman said the price tag for the new chairlift was approximately $3.6 million and that HoliMont hopes to have the lift ready to use by the start of the Ellicottville Fall Festival. In addition, the ski area is spending slightly more than $700,000 on other infrastructure this year. Dave Riley, general manager of HoliMont, said See Holimont page 2