NOW this… by Brenda
NOW this… by Brenda
The Home Stretch: From spring skiing to summer fun!
Whoah. It’s been one year.
Did any of us think last March that a two-week “cautionary” shutdown would carry on for a whole year? Certainly not I. This pandemic has made quite an impact on so many levels for so many people - financially, physically and mentally (hello stress eating!). Thankfully for our mental state, we live in a ski town.
Kudos to our local resorts - the snowmakers, the groomers, the lifties and every essential ski resort employee (FYI they are ALL essential!) for providing us with an outlet to maintain some sliver of normalcy over the winter months. Our snow-sliding fun may be nearing another season ending, but it isn’t quite over yet!
WINTER CARNIVAL WEEKEND
Let us celebrate (6-feet apart, of course) a Mardi Gras-inspired weekend, March 13th-14th. No, there won’t be a parade full of floats or zany marching groups, but the “zany” can still come out and play! Holiday Valley is planning to flip pancakes and host mountain top cookouts, along with beer tastings, s’mores, and (be still my growling stomach!) a Mac n’ Cheese food truck! … So show up with an appetite! Visitors can also take part in a Mercy Flight raffle (they’ve got a snowboard up for grabs!), races on Foxfire, and a rail jam in the Rail Fun Park. Add in a groomer display, Mountain Shop sidewalk sale, and fireworks on Saturday night and you’ve got yourself a super celebration! Oh, and space is limited, but the 6-hole Winter Golf Classic on Sunday is a great way to pair your two favorite seasons in one fun outing! (Check out the full schedule of activities at holidayvalley.com)
The Ellicottville Chamber of Commerce is bringing the Winter Carnival vibe downtown with a storefront window decorating contest, themed music playing in the streets, and a larger-than-life ski boot made of snow by sculptor Eric Jones. A photo op for sure! See it for yourself on the lawn of the 1887 Building after your shopping, dining, wine tasting and axe throwing excursion.
WIN A HOLIDAY VALLEY SEASON’S PASS
Interested in scoring a combo pass to Holiday Valley for next season? SK8EVL will be set up on Saturday of Winter Carnival at the Holiday Valley Plaza (main lodge) from 11:30am-1:30pm and downtown next to the giant ski boot from 2:00-4:00pm, selling raffle tickets to raise money for the Ellicottville Skatepark Fund. Tickets are $20 apiece or three for $50, with the drawing to be held April 1st. They also have their hands on a pretty sweet poster of Tony Hawk from back in the day, signed by the legend himself, which will be part of the raffle as well! The best part: every dollar you donate will be matched by The Skatepark Project/Ralph C. Wilson Jr. Foundation and will go towards constructing a permanent concrete skatepark here in Ellicottville! SK8EVL advocates will be on-hand to answer questions about the project, which to date, has raised $104,000 towards its $250,000 goal! (To purchase tickets virtually, follow their posts on FB and IG @sk8evl. Learn more about the project at sk8evl.com)
SETTING THE PACE FOR A SUPER SPRING!
When those lifts DO stop spinning, you can rest assured that our town won’t skip a beat. Dust off those running shoes and set your pace for this year’s Happy Half Marathon and 5k. The 2021 event at Holiday Valley is a GO! Race organizers received the green light just a couple weeks ago, and since announcing the good news for the May 8th event, the race field is already half full! (In other words, if you plan to run, get registered - NOW!)
Similar to the EVL Halloween Half (the Happy Half’s sister race), there have been a few adjustments made to the race format in order to accommodate Covid-19 concerns. A wave start will be implemented (which worked extremely well for the Halloween race), allowing for individual starts with a 5-10 second gap in between each runner.
Oh don’t fret, you can still expect a live DJ at the start/finish to get everyone excited, and each participant will go home with a cool finishers medal and super style event t-shirt. And no doubt, there will be plenty of tutus and unicorns.
Ready to reserve your spot at the starting line? Go to happyhalfrun.com
RED HEAD DAYS: “BRING OUT YOUR BEST GINGER”
When Winery of Ellicottville owner Sam Sheehy approached the Ellicottville Chamber with a new theme for summer, the ideas (and memes) began flowing. Uniting redheads - both natural and unnatural - for a weekend of ginger-loving fun, plans for Ellicottville’s 1st Red Head Days are presently in the works and are expected to include various red-themed contests, drink specials, redhead memorabilia and … unicorns? (If you haven’t noticed, Ellicottville has a thing for unicorns.).
Circle June 18th-19th on your calendar (with red permanent marker) because Ellicottville’s Red Head Days is sure to attract a fun crowd and become a permanent fixture on the summertime schedule. Keep tabs at ellicottvilleny.com
SUMMER MUSIC FESTIVAL
Speaking of summer, the Chamber is moving forward with this year’s Summer Music Festival, scheduled for July 2nd-4th. Although it may look a little different based on Covid-19 regulations at that time, the line-up remains the same: STELLAR! Steve Augeri (former lead singer of Journey) with opening act Tommy Decarlo (current lead singer of Boston) are on the bill to perform slopeside at Holiday Valley - which many agree is one of the best outdoor concert venues in the region.
With restaurant capacity increasing, limitations on gatherings easing up, and the number of people being vaccinated on the rise, we can only hope that warmer days ahead will find us back to enjoying all the things we missed out on last year. In the meantime, soak in the snow … spring skiing is here!
Brenda Perks is the owner, editor and designer of ellicottvilleNOW and owner of DesignPerks, a graphic design company affiliated with the local media/marketing agency, PaNDaGOAT Media. You can reach Brenda at brenda@ellicottvillenow.com.
