FREE! TAKE ONE! VOLUME 4 ISSUE 25
JUNE 19 - 25, 2015
The Official Newspaper
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of the Village of Ellicottville, the Town of Ellicottville and the Towns of East Otto, Great Valley and Mansfield, New York
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Calendar of Events
Make Some Muddy Buddies!
June 20 Mudslide Obstacle Run Holiday Valley
Still Time to Register for Saturday’s Mudslide By Alicia Dziak
It’s time for loads of muddy fun at the annual Mudslide obstacle run at Holiday Valley, happening this Saturday, June 20! Choose from the 3.5 mile or 5.4 mile courses, and get ready to have a blast! The race begins at the Spruce chairlift. Then it’s up to you to find your way over, under and through 11 wet and wild obstacles. The course will be a combination of old favorites and some brand new muddy challenges. “We put climb-over tubes at the top of Tannenbaum that will have a water spray,” said Jane Eshbaugh, Holiday Valley’s marketing director. “We are adding ‘mud moguls’ at the bottom of Explorer, a balance beam at Holiday Run/ Northwind and spider webs at the base of Yodeler that will be used in the kids’ race.” All races end at the famous mudslide down the base of Yodeler, where there’s no escaping the muddy mess that awaits you. From there, head to the finish line where you’ll be awarded your medal and can rinse off using the snow guns. Costumes are encouraged and prizes will be awarded to the most creative.—sp why not slide into a mud pit wearing an old bridesmaid’s dress or some Lederhosen? Your reward for completing the course is a fabulous postrace party by Yodeler Lodge. Eshbaugh explained that every competitor will get a hot dog and two beers or other
June 20 Critter Cruise Dice Run for EARS June 20 Randolph Arts & Crafts Festival June 27-28 Raccoon Rally Allegany State Park July 2-5 Ellicottville Rodeo July 3-5 Summer Music Festival Holiday Valley
© 2015 Keystone Designers Inc.
July 10 Rock the Park Allegany State Park
See Mudslide page 9
It’s Festival Season in Ellicottville!
By Alicia Dziak
There’s never a shortage of fun in Ellicottville, and with the long, sunny days ahead, festival season will soon be in full swing. Mark your calendars for the upcoming festival weekends so you don’t miss a beat! Summer Music Festival, July 3-5 Music, games, family-friendly fun, and, of
course, fireworks! It’s all here on Independence Day weekend at the annual Summer Music Festival, July 3-5 at Holiday Valley and in the village of Ellicottville. Friday, July 3 – Kick off the weekend with a Top of the Mountain Party. Take a chair lift ride to a celebration, complete with drinks and hors d’oeuvres, then head back down the mountain, where the party will continue at Holiday Valley’s Main Lodge with a Caribbean Poker Night. Use the funny money that comes with your ticket to grow your pot, and then use the “money” to bid on auction items. Saturday, July 4 – Check out the annual Pet Parade, beginning at 11 a.m. on Washington Street, and stay for the Ellicottville Gazebo Music Series from 1 to 4 p.m. in the village. That evening, the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra (BPO) will take to the Holiday Valley stage at 8 p.m. See Ellicottville Festivals page 5
Presenting ECS’s 2015 Valedictorian, Salutatorian
July 24 Ellicottville Jazz & Blues Weekend August 2 IBO World Championships Holiday Valley August 15 Taste of Ellicottville
ECS Gains in Business First Rankings Elementary School Earns Five-Star Distinction By Jann Wiswall
The full 2015 report on Western New York school rankings has been released by Buffalo Business First and the Ellicottville Central School District has shown some impressive results on numerous levels.
The publication ranked all public and private schools and districts in Western New York (Allegany, Cattaraugus, Chautauqua, Erie, Genesee, Niagara, Orleans and Wyoming counties), using four years of raw data supplied by See ECS Rankings page 4
EVL Town Board Approves Insurance Law Highway Barn to be on Wednesday, June 17 that coverage if they provide proof Named for Dave Golley permits the “town to provide of coverage on another policy By Jann Wiswall
Following a public hearing that generated no comments, the Town of Ellicottville’s board passed Local Law No. 2 of 2015 during its meeting
cash payment in lieu of certain health insurance benefits” to town employees. The law will allow eligible town employees to opt out of the town’s health insurance
(e.g. a spouse’s policy). In lieu of the town’s health coverage, they may choose a $4,500 buyout to be paid in equal, taxable payments each pay period. See Town Board page 6
Visit the EVGV Trail Booth at Mudslide
Finn Wilson Valedictorian
Patrick McMahon-Eagan Salutatorian See article on page 4
The Ellicottville-Great Valley (EVGV) Trail Committee is making a splash at Saturday’s Holiday Valley Mudslide Obstacle Run as it begins its summer push to build community and visitor support for the trail. Stop by the “Vendor Village” at Yodeler Lodge on Saturday, meet trail committee members,
pick up a brochure, buy some EVGV Trail merchandise and purchase raffle tickets for your chance to win an “All Things Ellicottville” basket of goodies. You can also look forward to seeing the trail booth at the Summer Music Festival (July 3-5), the Jazz and Blues Festival Weekend (July 24-
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26), the Taste of Ellicottville (August 15-16) and Fall Festival (Oct. 10-11). See Trail Talk page 6