A Year in Review
A Year in Review
Goodbye 2020 … Cheers to brighter days ahead.
Certainly we are all ready to put 2020 behind us. A dumpster fire of a year it was, to say the least. Across the globe, communities went from thriving to shutdown. We’ve seen businesses close, we’ve watched the effects of political unrest, and we’ve lost some very special people over the course of the past year, many just in the past month.
But if there were ever a silver lining in 2020, it is the prospect of bringing community together, more than ever before. We’ve learned the importance of relationships, lending a helping hand, and living in the moment. Despite the catastrophe that 2020 has been labeled, there were actually some really great things that have happened. Here’s a glimpse at just a few of them …
JANUARY
A “normal” ski season saw the usual influx of fun-loving, snow-sliding visitors booking their winter vacations. It was your typical winter solstice here in ski country - crowded lift lines, packed bars, and a schedule filled to the brim with activities that we’ve all been accustomed to taking part in year after year: ringing in the New Year with the torchlight parade down Cindy’s Run, the best regional Blues music during Ellicottville’s Winter Blues Weekend, guided snowshoe tours, First Day hikes, and the hustle and bustle of shopping, dining and gathering with friends (with no limitations).
Holiday Valley started the season strong, and HoliMont introduced some new faces to the scene, including Travis Widger (ok, he’s not new, but he received the new title of Snowsports Director), and Chris Perks, HoliMont’s new terrain park designer/builder. Perhaps the most memorable highlight of January was “An Evening with Working Man’s Dead” - a performance that brought all Grateful Dead fans together for an unforgettable night of Deadhead euphoria. Who knew the HoliMont Lodge could hold so many people?
FEBRUARY
For anyone who thinks winter is a quiet time for events, on the contrary! The AMSOIL Championship Snocross circuit returned to the Seneca Allegany Casino grounds for a weekend of action-packed snowmobile racing. The City Garage hosted their annual Telestock festival at Holiday Valley. (This day of Peace, Love and Telemark Skiing saw its largest participation turnout ever!) And Madigan’s invited the masses to dress in their baddest one-piece ski suits and obnoxious neon for their Bad Ski Suit Party … what else would you expect from a ski town?
MARCH
March came in like a lion with a showcase of snowboarders banding together to bank turns and raise money for a great organization. The 3rd annual Boardroom Banked at Holiday Valley welcomed over 100 competitors on a hand-tuned banked slalom course surrounded by stellar sunshine and a crowd of spectators. The event, organized by The Boardroom Snowboard Shop and dedicated to celebrating a collective love for snowboarding, raised enough money to fully cover the cost of a service dog for a local veteran through the event’s partnership with the WNY Heroes program, “Pawsitive for Heroes”.
Then it hit. The Coronavirus. As Ellicottville ramped up for its biggest party of the season - Mardi Gras - word came from our governor that we’ve been impacted. Everything shut down overnight. The annual Mardi Gras Parade was cancelled. Holiday Valley’s Winter Carnival was cancelled. The remainder of ski season. Cancelled. What was expected to last two weeks turned into 4, which turned into several months - a gauntlet of lost income, lost lives, and the endless search for toilet paper. Every small business owner’s worst nightmare transpired - every ounce of hard work and every hard earned dollar, stuffed into a dark hole. Covid would place almost every “non-essential” business in limbo. Many businesses still hang from a fine thread; a rollercoaster in constant motion.
But this is where we dig. This is where we come together and peel back the darkness to find that beam of light. In our small community, that beam of light began with Daff.
APRIL / MAY
We’re used to a slow-down at the end of every ski season, but not like this one. The Village became a desolate place. No cars. No people. It was quiet … until Laura Solly put a call-out to the community to create rainbows. In an effort to bring hope and connection in the midst of a pandemic, Solly collected colorful works of art - curbside - and hung them in her storefront window. Those creations brought many (covered) faces in view, and they certainly helped make our world a bit brighter.
The snowball effect to come together and help one another during a time of crisis grew strong. The Boardroom Snowboard Shop, with major support from the Weed Ross Group and Mud, Sweat n’ Gears, led local efforts to collect new and gently used goggles to donate to Goggles For Docs - a nationwide initiative to get eye protection into the hands of healthcare workers as they treated COVID-19 patients. Steelbound Brewery and Ellicottville Distillery both reorganized their operations into hand sanitizer production facilities. Schools called in their cafeteria staff and bus drivers to cook, package and deliver breakfast and lunch to the doorsteps of district students.
But perhaps the biggest impact came from restaurant owner Nick Pitillo. Not one to accept defeat and unable to sit back and watch the devastation unfold, Pitillo launched StockTheFreezer.com, a food delivery service which provided customers and shut-ins a platform to order their favorite Villaggio/Osteria 166 meals, made fresh and frozen right away. The need for this new food delivery service allowed Pitillo to bring his crew back into the kitchen, and orders from all over Western New York kept his team on their feet. (What started as a way to help the community and healthcare workers has turned into a full business entrepreneurship that continues to run strong today.) The best part: stockthefreezer.com offers the option to “Donate a Meal” which in turn is given to those in need - most notably our frontline workers. Within days of its initial launch, the Donate a Meal program received hundreds of donations, and to this day, that number continues to rise. (Ahem, over 30,000 meals have been donated so far, delivered personally by Pitillo and his team to individuals and organizations all over WNY including hospitals, community centers and food pantries, to name a few.
Pitillo’s efforts attracted partnerships left and right, and when the Rotary Club of Ellicottville approached him to join forces, the pair went to work with a focus on the community’s youth. Although schools were shutdown, cafeteria workers and bus drivers stayed busy providing district students with meals; the Rotary stepped in with additional funding to help Ellicottville district students and their families receive dinners prepared by local restaurants including Stock the Freezer, Dina’s, and Katy’s Cafe. In addition to assisting with school meals, the Rotary continued to be a significant contributor to the local food banks. With the banks operating at full capacity, they needed all the help they could get. The Rotary obliged.
JUNE / JULY
As businesses were given the green light to re-open, event organizers were anxious to find ways to bring some form of “normal” back to the streets. With safety precautions in place, the Stroll the Streets Series and weekly Farmers Market re-emerged. Families, masked up and socially distanced, enjoyed Friday evening entertainment along the village sidewalks, albeit on a much smaller scale. Live music, balloon twisting, ice cream cones and fresh produce stands were a warm welcome to get outdoors and take in the fresh air.
Other summertime events that marched on: The Ellicottville Chamber of Commerce brought back the Gazebo Series, which saw a great turnout each Thursday evening on the lawn in front of Town Hall. The Big Eddie Szpaicher Golf Tournament at Holiday Valley filled its limited capacity field, and although there was no after-party, no dinner and no hugs, the event still raised money for student scholarships. (Since the tournament’s inception in 2012, the Szpaicher family has awarded over $45,000 in scholarships to graduating seniors from Ellicottville Central School.)
Then there’s Brad Poole. The CF Warrior took on an extraordinary challenge: running 266 miles in seven days to raise money and awareness for cystic fibrosis. Hitting every town in Cattaraugus County, Poole’s mission not only made an impact on CF research, it also made an impact on the local community. With a strong support system backing him (and the hottest days of summer at his doorstep), Poole completed his run on schedule, finishing the last stretch from Great Valley to Ellicottville.
AUGUST / SEPTEMBER / OCTOBER
Bill Finnerty also created an opportunity to build awareness. Vowing to walk 100 miles with his St. Bernard, Finn, the pair celebrated their accomplishment with a belated Mother’s Day celebration for all at Finnerty’s Tap Room - a fundraiser in memory of Bill’s mom, who passed away from multiple system atrophy (MSA).
Doug and Gwen Bush of EnduranceFactor, who’s Happy Half/5k in May was forced to run as a virtual event, worked closely with Holiday Valley to create 2020’s first socially distanced and safe live event. Dubbed the Dirty Dozen, the 4 and 8-mile off-road run was organized in “waves” of runners over the course of the day, and was a major success, setting the stage for the Holiday Valley Mudslide Obstacle Race later in the month and EnduranceFactor’s Halloween Half/5k in October.
By now, businesses and organizations across the area discovered creative ways to carry on with events and keep the public engaged. The EVGV Trail teamed up with Carson’s Chicken BBQ to continue their fundraising efforts, offering delicious take-out dinners from an outdoor venue. The Ashford Station Bistro invited the public to cruise out to their location in West Valley for their weekly Cruise Night featuring live music and a revolving display of classic cars and hot rods. Griffis Sculpture Park brought back Night Lights, and Pumpkinville - unsure if they were going to open for the season - came through, bringing tradition back for thousands of visitors heading into Fall.
Perhaps the biggest step towards normalcy: school re-opened. Although far from normal - with students donning facemarks, clear plastic barriers around each elementary desk, and middle/high school students working on a hybrid platform - it was a reunion for many kids (and teachers, too!) who felt the heartbreak of the previous school year’s abrupt ending.
John Burrell maintained his seat as Ellicottville’s mayor during the Village’s Mayoral Election, Holiday Valley got the bullwheel turning with Fall Foliage chairlift rides, and as part of the Town of Ellicottville’s 200th birthday, the Bicentennial Committee celebrated a historic event with the unveiling of a plaque commemorating the first settler in Ellicottville.
NOVEMBER
The Ellicottville Skatepark Committee hosted SOUP-to-SKATE, which turned out to be a SOUP-er rad event. Originally scheduled for March but cancelled because, you know … the committee was excited to be able to bring this event to life. Featuring one-of-a-kind ceramic bowls handmade by school students and signature soups from many local restaurants, the walk-through event brought in close to $5,000 which when matched by The Skatepark Project/Ralph C. Wilson Jr. Foundation, will be applied towards the construction of a permanent concrete skatepark in Ellicottville’s Village Park.
Heading into the holiday season, the Ellicottville Chamber hosted a virtual lighting ceremony of Ellicottville’s ski tree and downtown village, and ski resorts across the U.S. released their COVID-19 ski season procedures, preparing for opening (once Mother Nature decides to cooperate). Knowing that this holiday will see higher numbers of individuals and families who’s incomes have been affected by the pandemic, local efforts kicked into high gear to once again help provide for those in need.
DECEMBER
The day that everyone with a love of snow had been waiting for … ski season. Holiday Valley officially opened for the 2020-21 season Dec. 10th; HoliMont followed suit Dec. 19th. For anyone who enjoys the slopes, it is that moment while carving down the hill that all seems right with the world. It is an escape. It is freedom. It is happiness.
Happiness also came in the form of remembering one of Ellicottville’s most beloved personalities. Bob McCarthy’s Irish Christmas, a fundraiser for Santa’s Workshop and the Santa Sheriff Program and hosted by the Rotary Club of Ellicottville, made its online auction debut, keeping in the spirit of giving. Other holiday-fueled donations were provided to Cornell Cooperative Extension through a wreath decorating contest and auction, and the United Church of Ellicottville Food Bank received a generous donation as a result of the sale of EVL facemasks, organized by the Ellicottville Chamber and sold at businesses around town. It doesn’t appear that facemarks will be making an exit anytime soon; EVL masks are still available at Daff and Ava Grace Fashions.
2020 has been a year you may wish to forget, but undoubtedly one you will always remember. Despite the chaos and challenges, the hardships and losses, we march on. We have found strength in each other. And we will continue to pull from one another as we head into a new year. Cheers to 2021. This is our community. Strong as oak.
