TRAIL FEST TO BRING MOUNTAIN BIKERS TO THE FOREST

By JOSH COTTON jcotton@timesobserver.com

When you’ve got a world-class amenity, you want to show it off.

That’s what Trail Fest does for the Trails at Jakes Rocks.

The seventh annual version of the festival is set for Sept. 22 to 24, centered at the Kinzua Beach recreation area and the TAJR parking lot.

The event generally brings in over 500 riders and many of them come from distance to participate - Pittsburgh, Buffalo, Cleveland, Cincinnati, Washington, DC and New Jersey in past years.

John Papalia, the Warren County Chamber of Business & Industry’s director of chamber operations and tourism said the 2021 event brought over 500 mountain bikers to the area and that most of them were from out of town.

The event brings vendors, food and music but also elements that make it a truly mountain-biking focused event - clinics, organized rides in the past set up by skill level, a race and shuttle service covered in the cost of registration. More information can be found at wccbi.org while registration is available at bikereg.com/jakes-rocks-trail-fest.

The event is hosted by the Warren County Chamber of Business and Industry with the support of the Northern Allegheny Mountain Bike Association, Western New York Mountain Bike Association, and the Allegheny National Forest.

The National Comedy Center, the nation’s official museum and cultural institution dedicated to comedy, has announced that kids and teens, age 17 and under, will be admitted to its museums for free throughout the summer, made possible with the generous support of Shults Auto Group.

This unprecedented, 14-week summer admission opportunity will enable more families to experience the National Comedy Center in Jamestown, NY on the heels of it being named one of U.S. News & World Report’s “Top 25 Family Weekend Getaways” in the country – joining Walt Disney World and Disneyland on that list. Up to two kids and teens will be admitted free with an accompanying paying adult from Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day weekend.

“With free admission for kids all summer long, at a national attraction named one of the best family destinations in the country and going toe-to-toe with spots like Disneyland on that list, there has never been a better time to visit the National Comedy Center,” stated National Comedy Center Executive Director Journey Gunderson. “We are thrilled that this unique opportunity makes the interactive museum experience more accessible for families – made possible by the generous underwriting of Shults Auto Group,” stated National Comedy Center Executive Director Journey Gunderson.

“Shults Auto Group is pleased to join with the National Comedy Center to offer more kids the chance to experience this award-winning museum throughout the summer months, while making it more accessible than ever before for residents of our community and throughout Western New York,” stated Tim Shults, President of