Christmas in Gowanda preparations

Christmas in Gowanda preparations set for Dec. 4

BY BILL PEGLOWSKI

GOWANDA — The Gowanda Area Chamber of Commerce is preparing for the 2021 Christmas In Gowanda celebration.

Centered around the downtown business district, the annual celebration of the Christmas season is also the kickoff of the chamber’s “Shop Local” campaign heading into the holiday season.

While Christmas In Gowanda remains a Saturday-only event in 2021, many of the familiar in-person activities are scheduled to return. In 2020, the event was downsized from a Friday and Saturday schedule of activities to a Saturday-only one with parts of it being done virtually.

On Dec. 4, Gowanda’s New York & Lake Erie Railroad will be running the Santa Express train rides starting at 11 a.m. with additional trips at 12:30, 2 and 3:30 pm. Tickets are $22. Additional information can be found at nylerailroad.com.

The Hollywood Theater will be showing a children’s movie at noon that will be repeated at 5 p.m. Also starting at noon, the Gowanda Free Library will be hosting an adult’s and kid’s craft time until 2 pm. From 3-4:30 p.m., the Gowanda Moose Club will be hosting an ornament creation craft session. Horse-drawn wagon rides will begin at 1 p.m. along with police car and firetruck rides. While the wagon rides will end at 3, the other vehicle rides will continue until 4 p.m.

Santa and Mrs. Claus will be at Gowanda’s Love, INC to visit with the children from noon until 2 p.m. and then again 4-6 p.m. One of Santa’s reindeer will also be on hand for children to see. This very popular event is back and scheduled from 5-7 p.m. on the village square in front of Persia Town Hall. The town hall will also be the place to get free hot chocolate and cookies sponsored by the town.

As always, the highlight of the event will be the annual Christmas Tree Lighting at Chang-Hu Park on West Main Street. This event is sponsored by the Gowanda Assembly of God and the tree will again be donated by the Dixieland Tree Farm. The tree lighting should begin around 7 p.m. with the annual Holiday Spirit parade following afterward.

Starting around 7:30, the parade will head back into the downtown area for the Christmas Fireworks display. This will be visible from the downtown area near the square. Gowanda’s Wicked Glen on Water Street will be holding an Ugly Sweater Party as the outdoor events conclude.

Some other events are also scheduled along with Christmas In Gowanda. The Enchanted Mountain Blue Star Mothers will be at Love, INC taking collections for active military as well collecting holiday cards for the troops. More information can be obtained via e-mail at president.ny16@ bluestarmothers.us.

The Christmas in Gowanda Home & Store Front Decorating Contest is also back. Registration forms are available from Auto Wrench Connection, Village of Gowanda, Persia Town Hall or The Wicked Glen. Submission deadline is Nov. 30. Winners will be announced on the Christmas In Gowanda Facebook page Dec. 4.

Eville Ski Tree

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their memories. Skis on the tree held significant memories reminding community members of loved ones, childhood memories and good times.

While Ellicottville’s first ski tree went up only in November of 2017, the tree is already expected to stand the test of time, creating a legacy. “The intention was never to make the tree permanent,” said Nelson, the mastermind behind the project. “We did not expect as much community response as we received.”

The tree almost was removed in the spring of 2018 when the Ellicottville Village Board passed a resolution to have the tree removed. However, due to the outstanding community support, the tree remained.

Nelson and his wife organized several events to help continue to fund the tree. The “Save the Ski Tree” fundraiser deputed in 2018, raising enough funds to help maintain the tree including moving the tree from one side of Washington Street, near where the old M&T bank is, to the other side of the street near the Nelson Law Firm is.

The second fundraiser, “Christmas in July,” debuted in 2019, raising even more funds to help cover the cost of new lighting.

This year, locals and travelers from afar can expect new strung lights on the tree. In addition, within the next couple of months, the ski tree in Ellicottville is on track to receiving the Guinness World Record for the tallest ski tree!

As you are strolling through the streets of Ellicottville this holiday season, do not forget to stop and check out the ski tree. It is located on Washington Street between the Ellicottville Historical Society Museum and the Nelson Law Firm. Check out the new lights and skis recently added.

Hopefully, this tradition will continue its legacy for this holiday season and many more to come.

Silver Bells

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In the film, Hope, being pursued by gangsters because of his gambling debt, disguises himself as Santa Claus. This gag led to the film needing a Christmas song. But what to name it? “That was the story of why we had to write a Christmas song, so we shared an office with two desks facing each other,” Evans told NPR. “And on one of the desks there was a little bell. We said, ‘Oh, there’s our theme for Christmas and the bell makes a tinkling sound when it’s ringing, so we’ll call our song ‘Tinkle Bell.’

“Jay went home after finishing the song,” Evans continued. “His wife (Wilma) said, ‘Well, what’d you do in school today?’ or something like that. And he said, ‘We wrote a Christmas song called “Tinkle Bell.”’ Well, she looked at him in astonishment, ‘“Tinkle Bell”? Are you out of your mind? You can’t write a song with the word “tinkle” in it. Don’t you know what the word “tinkle” means? It has a double meaning.’ And Jay said, ‘I never thought of that.’

“So we started to write a complete new song, get rid of ‘Tinkle Bell’ completely. But we liked the music that went with ‘Tinkle Bell’ except for the word ‘tinkle,’ and a lot of the lyrics. And we ended up with the same song we started with, only ‘Tinkle’ became ‘Silver Bells.’

“It’s a stupid, stupid story, but ignorance was bliss, and thank God we did because our royalties are very, very good from our song.”

In their heyday, in the 1940s and ’50s, the team of Evans and Livingston was much in demand in Hollywood, turning out songs for film after film that often became big jukebox hits. The team was formed after Evans met Livingston at the University of Pennsylvania.

Evans and Livingston received three Oscars for Best Original Song throughout their careers. The first was for “Buttons and Bows,” a tune from the 1948 comedy-western “The Paleface.” Next was “Mona Lisa,” written in 1950 for an Alan Ladd film called “Captain Carey, U.S.A.” “Que Sera, Sera (Whatever Will Be, Will Be),” won a third Oscar for the team, was sung by Doris Day in “The Man Who Knew Too Much” (1956).

Evans died Feb. 15, 2007, at the age of 92. He is honored with the Ray and Wyn Ritchie Evans Foundation in Culver City, Calif., and the Ray Evans Seneca Theater in his hometown is named after him.