DW Memorial Dice Run
DW Memorial Dice Run
Get ready to shake and roll through Olean this August
OLEAN - GOACC and the former Rally in the Valley committee met in late 2021 and are bringing a dice run to the August StrOlean! “We are excited with this addition to the event,” reported Meme Yanetsko, GOACC COO.
The dice will be ‘shaken and rolled’ for the inaugural DW Memorial Dice Run, August 13th, with start/finish in Downtown Olean. Two businessmen from the Rally in the Valley Event Committee have passed away ~ Dennis Jones and Wayne Johnston. Team DW Dice Run are proposing this event as a memorial to those gentlemen with proceeds to benefit area youth in the county through scholarships at Olean City Schools and Archbishop Walsh through the Cattaraugus Region Community Foundation.
“Dennis was synonymous with the Rally in the Valley Olean; he was the heart and soul of the first Rally back in 2003 and it continued until his passing in 2016. Wayne, Dennis’ brother-in-law, was also a mainstay with both the organizing committee and the event staff of the rally,” added David “DJ” Dick, Rally organizer since early 2010s and current member of the DW Dice Run committee.
DJ is joined by many others from the Rally committee including Mike Stevens, Tim Brushingham, Joe Duplechian, Colleen Taggerty; and they are accompanied by Abbey Bowser, Tim Smith, Tom Yanetsko, House Ellman, Cam Myers, Mayor Bill Aiello and Laurie McCarthy.
The Dice Run will have registration on the campus of Jamestown Community College at Cutco Theater lobby that Saturday. The run will commence from JCC at 11:00am and will have a route either located throughout SWNY or NWPA (this will be determined later this month). The run participants are expected to be back in Olean to Delaware Avenue (off North Union) by 4:00/5:00pm.
Participant fees will be available for both driver and passenger with prize monies of $2,000 awarded to high/low rolls. Registration will also be open in June online at shop.oleanny.com.
Joe Duplechian stated, “Our core group would like to see this event grow back to a version what the Rally once was; we are working with GOACC again as their core staffing has attention to detail and organizational skills our volunteer committee didn’t have - due to jobs, kids, etc.”
The dice run has sponsor opportunities for local organizations and businesses. Named after the run’s honorees, Dennis Jones and Wayne Johnston - the levels are Jones Chrome Sponsor $200: Sponsor’s logo on the event tee shirt and promotion on social media / website. Sponsor receives two shirts; and Johnston Leather Sponsor $100: Sponsor’s name listed on event tee shirt and promo on social media / website. Sponsor receives one shirt.
Yanetsko added, “Since the run is held during our StrOlean, there are food and retail vendor opportunities available. We are also going to connect with the restaurants in and around the AHOP area to see about them having an in-restaurant Taste of Olean.”
GOACC has three StrOlean events scheduled for this summer - in June, August and October, with the first one taking place this Friday, June 3rd.
For more information on any GOACC events and activities or to learn more about how you can get involved, please call the Greater Olean Area Chamber of Commerce office at 716-372-4433 or email info@oleanny.com.