THE OFFICIAL NEWSPAPER OF THE TOWN AND VILLAGE OF ELLICOTTVILLE, NEW YORK THE OFFICIAL NEWSPAPER OF GREAT VALLEY, NEW YORK
VOLUME 1 ISSUE 44 FREE www.EllicottvilleTimes.com
FRIDAY, JANUARY 4, 2013
Chase the Blues Away During the Winter Blues Weekend in Ellicottville By Jann Wiswall
© 2012 KEYSTONE DESIGNERS
The late Grammy-winning electric blues guitarist and singer Albert Collins once said, “Simple music is the hardest music to play, and blues is simple music.” Simple or not, you can listen to some of the hottest blues bands around during the Winter Blues Weekend this Friday, Saturday and Sunday at all of your favorite Ellicottville watering holes. Sponsored by the Ellicottville Chamber of Commerce, the annual event begins Friday at Balloons with the sounds of Brandon Santini and His Band from 7-11 p.m. Santini, a Memphis fixture known for his harp, vocals and soulful songwriting, will perform selections from his debut solo album “Songs of Love, Money and Misery,” including “She’s Sweet Like Honey,” “You Ruined Poor Me” and “What Can I Do?” Also on Friday, the Gin Mill will present the Easy Street Sliders Blues Band at 9 p.m. You won’t want to miss the foot-stompin’, Chicago-style blues performance by Buffalo musicians Doug Purcell, Sonny Mayo, Tom Corsi and Paul Siwula. Come Saturday, make plans to stop in at Balloons, Ellicottville Brewing Company (EBC), The Gin Mill and Madigan’s for four shows that will have you downloading music onto your MP3 players before the night is over. From 5-9 p.m., start your après ski evening with the Patti Parks Band at Balloons. Parks’ strong, soulful voice is the shining star of all of her shows, but the versatility of her seven-piece ensemble is unforgettable. At Madigan’s from 8 p.m.midnight, the Yvonne Schmidt Band will perform songs from “Miss Y’s” debut solo album “Nothing but Blue.” You’ll fall in love with Schmidt’s See Winter Blues page 4
SkiScape Comes to HoliMont
Pictured left to right, Bonnie Koschir, Ken Hinman, Mayor Charles Coolidge, Dennis Eshbaugh, Jane Eshbaugh at the Ellicottville Community Park, which could be a possible beginning point for the Recreational Trail.
Holiday Valley Presents $5,000 Check to Ellicottville-Great Valley Trail Committee On Jan. 2, 2013, Bonnie Koschir, Dennis Eshbaugh and Jane Eshbaugh presented Ellicottville Town Councilman Ken Hinman and Ellicottville Mayor Charles Coolidge representing the Ellicottville – Great Valley Trail Organizational Committee with a check for $5,000 to help fund a comprehensive study that will be used to develop a multi-use recreational and bike trail in the area. The trail committee has been
meeting since last summer to study the feasibility of building such a recreational trail as a safe, traffic-free alternative. Organizers are hopeful that a part of the trail will be built next year, but a lot of work remains to be done, including concerted fundraising efforts that will involve the whole Ellicottville – Great Valley community and our seasonal visitors. Currently, the group is in the process of choosing a design firm that will create
a potential development, construction and maintenance plan for the new trail. Ken Hinman, founder of the Ellicottville–Great Valley Recreational Trail committee commented, “Trails have many proven advantages of providing safe recreation for families and friends, easy access to exercise for better health, personal enjoyment of the outdoors and even as a traffic-free way to commute to work, school and See Trail page 4
This Sunday, Jan. 6, HoliMont will be playing host to the 15th annual SkiScape fundraising event. SkiScape raises money for the Kid’s Escaping Drugs Campaign, which was established in1987 as the Alcohol and Drug Dependency Services
Foundation (ADDSF) and then became known as the Kids Escaping Drugs Campaign. It was created with the sole purpose to raise funds for the creation and support of adolescent treatment facilities in Western New York. HoliMont is preparing for a
fantastic turnout for this very worthwhile all-day event. The Kid’s Escaping Drugs staff and volunteers will be setting up in the Main Chalet early on in the morning and getting people registered between 8–9:30 a.m. There is a minimum $60 preregistration donation required for non-members of HoliMont. HoliMont members pay $20 and that includes a T-shirt and lunch. A minimum $70 donation can be made the day of the event. The cost includes lunch, admission into the individual races, T-shirt (for those who pre-register), and a memorable day of skiing/ snowboarding. It’s an amazing deal for an amazing event. Every year, after registration is complete, many participants
See HoliMont SkiScape page 6
Allegany Nordic Supports Art Roscoe Trail All-Volunteer Group Keeps Trails in Shape By Jann Wiswall
Less than 15 miles from Ellicottville, just south of the Southern Tier Expressway at Parkway Drive, there is a parking area where you’ll find cars from New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Ontario, Canada and beyond. The occupants of those vehicles have traveled from near and far to experience cross-country skiing at its best
on the Art Roscoe Trails of Allegany State Park. “You can ski for 20 miles without seeing a power line or building – just nature and wildlife and breathtaking scenery,” said Andy Dickson, co-founder of Allegany Nordic, an all-volunteer group that works hard to keep the trails safe and in good condition for See Art Roscoe Trail page 7