Blissful Escapes ; Mary Kunz Goldman's Romantic Weekend Getaways

Jun 29, 07:46 AM

Let's be honest: I don't get away much. I'm married to a guy who gets uneasy outside our ZIP code, let alone our area code. Plus, I'm pretty devoted to house and garden, not to mention those fine trattorias on Hertel Avenue.
For all intents and purposes, I'm married to Buffalo.

But I can dream. And if I were ever going to go on a weekend getaway, this is what I'd enjoy. (Don't worry: Even in dreamland, I won't forget this is 2006, with money tight, time scarce and gas prices higher than Paris Hilton on a Saturday night.)
A vacation is, after all, a state of mind. Two for the road doesn't have to mean 200 miles. Want romance? Want escape? These places will do just fine.

> Southern Tier Special

A century ago, you'd have to plan this in advance. People used to flock to Chautauqua Lake. The lake, wide and blue, as pretty as anything in Europe, was full of steamboats named for the towns the tourists came from. The City of Cincinnati. The City of Jamestown. The City of Buffalo.
There was also something in the air, something spiritual that nourished and rejuvenated people. Protestant groups used to hold mass baptisms on the shores of Chautauqua Lake. The Chautauqua Institution played host to musicians and ministers.
The crowds are returning. The tiny town of Bemus Point, for instance, is being gentrified; sleepy taverns are giving way to upscale fern restaurants, and a Marriott is said to be in the offing. But there's still time to enjoy a little relative peace. Go to Bemus Point. Stay at the Hotel Lenhart (386-2715), which, besides the Athanaeum in the Chautauqua Institution, is the last of the grand old lakeside summer hotels. Your meals will be taken care of; it goes by the American Plan. And unlike the nearby, teetotaling Chautauqua Institution, you can have wine with dinner.
A side trip to the Institution is suggested; this month, they're putting on Mozart's "The Marriage of Figaro," perhaps the best opera ever written and certainly the most sensuous.
You can also find other nearby amenities: miniature golf, antique sales, boat trips on the lake, concerts on the floating stage at Bemus Point, where the Southern Tier Symphony performs, free. You didn't know there was a Southern Tier Symphony? Stick with me, kid.
Or just relax on the porch of the Lenhart, sitting on one of a hundred brightly colored rockers, watching kids play on the wide lawn, looking out over the lake and drinking the house drink, the Rocker. Inside there's a lounge, a spinet piano, board games. If they'd just take away that TV, it would be perfect.


For more information on Chautauqua Lake Real Estate & Living visit: www.chautauqualakehomes.com

Visit The Chautauqua County & Lake Erie Wine Trail



Blueberry Sky Farms Winery


Schloss Doepken Winery


Johnson Estate Winery


Vetter Vineyards Winery


Woodbury Vineyards


Willowcreek Winery


Roberian Winery


Merritt Estate Winery


Arrowhead Wine Cellars


Presque Isle Wine Cellars


Penn Shore Vineyards


Mazza Vineyards


Mazza Chautauqua Cellars


Blueberry Sky Farms Winery


Schloss Doepken Winery


Johnson Estate Winery


Vetter Vineyards Winery


Woodbury Vineyards


Willowcreek Winery


Roberian Winery


Merritt Estate Winery


Arrowhead Wine Cellars


Presque Isle Wine Cellars


Penn Shore Vineyards


Mazza Vineyards


Mazza Chautauqua Cellars

Chautauqua County is the western-most region of New York State, and is the gateway to the wine and grape country which blankets the southern shore of Lake Erie.While recognized as one of the newest wine districts of the state, Chautauqua County has a grape and wine heritage that lies deep in the history of the area.During the Ice Age, glaciers descended from the north gouging out great trenches, and brought with them tremendous quantities of Canadian soil, rocks and boulders. As temperatures began to warm, these glaciers receded, filling the trenches with glacial melt to form the Great Lakes, and leaving in their wake the soil and gravel in ridges along the lake shore.These glacial ridges separate Chautauqua County into two separate climatic regions, the narrow band along the lake shore being the only area suitable for the production of grapes and other fruit. The gravel loam soil and moderating effect of the lake are combined in just the proper proportions to allow the industry to expand to nearly 20,000 acres at present, producing almost 60% of New York's annual grape tonnage.The Chautauqua grape industry had its humble beginnings in 1824 in the town of Portland, when Deacon Elizah Fay successfully planted the first Isabella and Catawba vines. In 1830, he made the first six gallons of wine in his cellar, and continued to expand until his wine production had grown to two thousand gallons at the time of his death in 1860.The first commercial winery was established in Brocton in 1859. Other wineries followed, until 1900, when total wine production in Chautauqua County was over two million gallons.In the past two decades, a significant number of vineyard sites have been cleared and replanted with well-known premium wine grapes, including both French-American and European Vinifera varieties.The signing of the Farm Winery Act in 1976 allowed individual grape farms to establish small wineries, limited to a maximum of 50,000 gallons of wine annually. Passage of the law resulted in an increase in the number of wineries in New York State from fourteen in 1976 to over eighty in the first decade, creating a chateau industry whose wines rival the quality of premium vintages throughout the world.Today Chautauqua County produces wines for all tastes, from the fruity native Labruscas and exquisite French-American wines to Europeanstyle Chardonnays and Rieslings. The diversity and unique-styles produced here are unequaled anywhere in the world, resulting in consumer enthusiasm for New York wines everywhere. Welcome to Chautauqua Wine Country! Savor the wine, and enjoy the hospitality!


For more information on Chautauqua Lake Real Estate & Living visit: www.chautauqualakehomes.com

THIS WEEK'S NATIONWIDE TOUR EVENT: PEEK'N PEAK CLASSIC
NATIONWIDETOUR

PEEK'N PEAK CLASSIC

When: Today through Sunday.

Where: Findley Lake, N.Y.

Course: Peek'n Peak Resort, Upper Course (7,025 yards, par 72).

Purse: $560,000. Winner's share: $100,800.

TV: Today through Sunday, 10:30 a.m.-1 p.m.

The Golf Channel.

Last year: Esteban Toledo beat Jeff Gove by two strokes for his first tour victory. Toledo holed an 86-yard shot for eagle on the par-5 14th in the final round.

Note: Keil Reifers, who won the Chattanooga Classic in his Nationwide Tour debut Sunday, is the 19th Monday qualifier to win in tour history and the first since Eric Axley last year in The Rex Hospital Open.


For more information on Chautauqua Lake Real Estate & Living visit: www.chautauqualakehomes.com

NATIONWIDE TOUR

PEEK'N PEAK CLASSIC,

Peek'n Peak Resort Upper Course, Findley Lake, New York - After back-to-back weeks in Tennessee, the Nationwide Tour visits New York this week for the Peek'n Peak Classic. Last year, Esteban Toledo earned a two- stroke win at this event.
For Toledo, it was his first crown on tour. He led by three entering the final round, but managed just a one-under 71 the final day to hold on for the win.
This event started in 2002 and was the first Nationwide Tour tournament in New York since the 1996 Buffalo Open. The Peek'n Peak Resort and Conference Center's Upper Course has hosted the event since its inception.
The Golf Channel will cover all four rounds this week. After a one-week break, the Nationwide Tour returns with the Scholarship America Showdown in Minnesota. Jason Gore claimed the first of his three titles here last year


For more information on Chautauqua Lake Real Estate & Living visit: www.chautauqualakehomes.com

Chautauqua 2006 theater season announced

6/26/2006 - CHAUTAUQUA — The Chautauqua Theater Company, now in its 23rd season, is the resident professional theater and conservatory of the Chautauqua Institution.Under the leadership of Co-Artistic Directors Vivienne Benesch and Ethan McSweeny, internationally known guest artist actors, directors, designers, writers and faculty join 16 of the finest emerging actors in America to produce three full productions, two staged readings of new plays and a host of related events in the newly renovated, award-winning Bratton Theater.

The schedule of performances for the 2006 season includes:

“The Cherry Orchard:” July 1 to 9, by Anton Chekhov, directed by Ethan McSweenyCTC favorites Lisa Harrow and Stuart Margolin, stars of last season’s “All My Sons,” return to Bratton stage as a brother and sister reunited to preside over the demise of their family estate. It is 1904. The peasants have been liberated. For generations, the family cherry orchard has thrived. Will social change spell its doom? Or a new beginning? In the week following Chautauqua’s exploration of the “new” Russia, CTC takes a look at Russia at the turn of the last century. From the playwright who best dramatized the irony that change is the only certainty of life comes one of the most sublimely human comedies ever created for the stage.

“The Art of Coarse Acting:” July 22 to 30, directed by Dylan Baker

What is a coarse actor? The coarse actor has a desperate desire to impress and is most anxious to succeed, but is hampered by one minor detail — the inability to act. It’s “Noises Off” meets Monty Python when the Bakersberg Community Theater undertakes an evening of chestnuts and masterpieces. From “The Cherry Sisters,” (a hitherto undiscovered Chekhov fragment) and “Streuth” (not by Agatha Christie) to “All’s Well That Ends As You Like It” (based on an idea by William Shakespeare), BCT! tackles the classics — and flattens them. Developed from author Michael Green’s hilarious book “The Art of Coarse Acting,” the comic madness is orchestrated onstage and off by film, television and Tony-nominated actor Dylan Baker (currently starring on NBC’s “Book of Daniel”).

“Twelfth Night:” Aug. 12 to 19, by William Shakespeare, directed by Andrew Borba

Orsino loves Olivia. Olivia loves Viola. Viola loves Orsino. From this classic triangle comes one of Shakespeare’s funniest and most moving comedies about the madness, mania, mix-ups and mistaken identity of that most fallible human emotion — love.Director Andrew Borba returns to CTC to bring his gift for language and his talent for humor to Shakespeare’s delirious exploration of that many-splendored thing.

CTC/NPW: New Play Workshops

Staged reading one: July 13 to 15; staged reading two: Aug. 3 to 5

CTC/NPW introduces Chautauquans to important new voices in the theater, to the staged reading as a thrilling theatrical event in its own right, and to the power of theater, unique among the performing arts, to speak directly and immediately to contemporary issues. In a uniquely Chautauquan twist, CTC/NPW chooses new plays that converse with or comment upon the corresponding lecture theme of the week. Guest artists, writer and director participate in a post-show discussion after each performance.

More information is available at www.ciweb.org.

For more information on Chautauqua Lake Real Estate & Living visit: www.chautauqualakehomes.com

In Peak Condition
By PATRICK L. FANELLI

A golfer takes a tee shot at the par-3 hole No. 6 at Peek’n Peak’s Upper Course recently.P-J photos by Jim Riggs

6/25/2006 - Peek’N Peak Readies For Nationwide Tournament For the fifth year in a row, Chautauqua County’s own Peek’n Peak Resort and Conference Center in Findley Lake is hosting the second highest level of professional golf events in the world.The Nationwide Tour — a worldwide series of golf tournaments that allows professional golfers a doorway to the prestigious PGA Tour — will arrive at the resort Monday.The Peek’n Peak Classic, as the event has been named, will join just 30 others — one each in Australia, Panama and New Zealand and the rest scattered across the United States — that will determine who qualifies to compete in the PGA Tour.‘‘It’s good for the region and it’s good for the fans,’’ said Linda Warnshuis, tournament director.The standard 156 golfers will be competing at the Peek’n Peak Classic for a spot on the PGA Tour and a purse of $560,000 — and 20,000 fans are expected to watch them do it.‘‘Each day, the crowd grows bigger and bigger,’’ Ms. Warnshuis said. ‘‘Each day, the tournament grows bigger and bigger.’’Hosting one of the Nationwide Tour’s 31 events is great for business. Though proceeds from the event will benefit the American Cancer Society and the Foundation For Cancer Education and Research, that’s 20,000 fans who will be drawn to the resort — potentially eating at Peek’n Peak’s restaurants and concession stands and staying at its inns and condominiums.Though she couldn’t say for sure whether every room will be filled, Ms. Warnshuis said, ‘‘I’d have to say the census is very high during that time period.’’As for the golfers themselves, where they stay is up to them.‘‘The accommodations are all up to them, though the large majority stays at Peek’n Peak because of the atmosphere. Many bring their families,’’ Ms. Warnshuis said.Local businesses also benefit from the surge of golfers and fans, especially in Findley Lake. In previous years, business owners have done their best to cash in on the extra traffic as much as possible.‘‘In any city or town where there’s a tournament event, it increases the economy, and there’s residual from that,’’ Ms. Warnshuis said.The event also gets Peek’n Peak — with its championship-quality, 7,061-yard, par-72 Upper Course — national exposure, especially since the event will be televised on The Golf Channel.It also raises an awful lot of money for charity. In previous years, the tournament has grossed upwards of $50,000, and with a wide array of extra events being planned — such as the $1 million hole-in-one contest and the King of the Hill competition — Peek’n Peak officials hope that figure will be even higher this year.‘‘The purpose of doing these is to raise additional funds,’’ Ms. Warnshuis said, adding it’s also an added bonus for the spectators.According to Ms. Warnshuis, hosting such a huge event does not require extra hands to be hired — the resort’s hundreds of employees simply do their best to keep everything in tip-top shape, which she said is always their goal.‘‘The course is in this condition whether the tournament’s here or not,’’ she said. ‘‘Do we step it up when the tournament is here? No.’’There may be a great deal of extra traffic, but the resort’s support staff is big enough to handle it, she added.For more information, visit the resort’s Web site at http://www.pknpk.com/

For more information on Chautauqua Lake Real Estate & Living visit: www.chautauqualakehomes.com

Bemus Point-Stow Ferry Operation Set For July 4

‘‘It fits very well with our focus to give people an experience when they come to Chautauqua County.’’— Greg Edwards, county executive

6/25/2006 - Residents, County Officials Join Forces To Have Bemus Point-Stow Boat Ready By Early Next MonthBy PATRICK L. FANELLI

Municipal officials on both sides of the lake hope to see the Bemus Point-Stow Ferry operating by the Fourth of July.Now that the Chautauqua Lake Historic Vessels Company has made it clear they are no longer interested in operating the ferry, concerned residents and county officials have joined forces to see that it happens.‘‘There are other people who want to take over that responsibility,’’ said Jim Loutzenhiser, Historic Vessels Company board of directors president. ‘‘Now that we’ve got a whole bunch of people from Stow and Ellery and the county involved ... they’ve chosen their baby, I’ve chosen mine.’’His ‘‘baby’’ is the Chautauqua Belle, the steamship currently drydocked in Mayville, which — like the ferry — has been out of commission. Loutzenhiser said he and other board members are ‘‘brain-storming’’ ways to get it back into operation.That leaves the fate of the ferry in the hands of municipal officials from North Harmony, Bemus Point, Ellery and Chautauqua County, as well as residents who don’t want to see it permanently out of commission after such a long and proud history.‘‘What we needed to do was figure out if there was enough interest and commitment to get it running. The interest was there,’’ said County Executive Greg Edwards. ‘‘It appears we’re going to be able to get the job done.’’According to Edwards, the issue was brought to his attention by legislators Richard Babbage, R-District 17; Frank Jay Gould, R-District 19 and Fred Croscut, R-District 20, who asked him to investigate the matter.Since then, Edwards has been brain-storming with all interested parties on a way to get the ferry up and running and establish a new group to oversee its operation.The goal of finding a new operating entity is still in the early stages of consideration. Both Edwards and Bryan Dahlberg, Bemus Point mayor, seemed to agree taxpayers shouldn’t be forced to fit the bill, whether through local or county government. However, that doesn’t rule out the possibility of a municipal presence on any board or commission, public or private, assigned to simply oversee the ferry’s operation.All parties are moving on the goal of getting the ferry running again, though. According to Edwards, Dick Davies, county insurance director, is obtaining bids for the insurance needed for the ferry to operate.Residents, such as John Cheney — who used to help run the ferry in the old days — have come forward to assist with the ‘‘nuts and bolts’’ aspect of getting it up and running.‘‘I know some volunteers have been working on the ferry doing some maintenance work,’’ Dahlberg said. ‘‘(John Cheney) has been working really hard doing the mechanics, getting the nuts and bolts done.’’Cheney reports the ferry is in good shape, and even got it inspected, though he doesn’t expect to hear anything more for a few days at least.Assuming the ferry passes its inspection and adequate insurance is available, the only obstacle left seems to be finding a way to pay for it — which, according to Dahlberg, might prove to be a ‘‘stumbling block,’’ though he has faith that the community will lend a hand.‘‘So many people who we’ve talked to who’ve rode that thing across the lake as kids would help get that thing going,’’ he said.Edwards is also ‘‘cautiously optimistic’’ the public will come forward with its support.‘‘The good news is it looks like it’s going in that direction,’’ he said about the overall prospects of seeing the ferry operate like it used to. ‘‘It fits very well with our focus to give people an experience when they come to Chautauqua County."

For more information on Chautauqua Lake Real Estate & Living visit: www.chautauqualakehomes.com

Chautauqua Institution hosts Spanier

Penn State President Graham B. Spanier will be the featured morning amphitheater speaker at Chautauqua Institution on Thursday, July 6.

He appears as part of the Week Two theme "Education: Our Children and the World" and will speak on the topic of "Today's College Student."A national leader in higher education, Spanier led the Kellogg Commission on the Future of State and Land-Grant Universities, was president of the National Council of Family Relations, chairman of the board of the Christian Children's Fund and serves on the board of Junior Achievement International. He was appointed Penn State's 16th president in 1995. Spanier has been the guiding force behind several historic academic initiatives, including the creation of an honors college, the Penn State World Campus, the College of Information Sciences and Technology, and new programs in forensic sciences and security and risk analysis. He has promoted increased internationalization of the University and expanded Penn State's outreach efforts." We are pleased to welcome President Spanier for a two-day visit with northwestern Pennsylvania alumni and friends and a talk on the important topic of youth at Chautauqua," said Jack Burke, chancellor of Penn State Erie. Spanier serves as chair of the National Security Higher Education Advisory Board and is a member of the National Counterintelligence Working Group. He served as chair of the board of directors of the National Association of State Universities and Land-Grant Colleges, is co-chair of the Committee on Higher Education and the Entertainment Industry, served as chair of the Big Ten Conference Council of Presidents/Chancellors and is vice chair of the Worldwide Universities Network. Rustum Roy of Penn State's Materials Research Institute and Evan Pugh professor emeritua of the solid state, also will speak during the afternoon session. He has been elected to the national academies of science/engineering of the United States, Russia, Japan, Sweden and India. For the last decade he has been deeply involved in Whole Person Healing. His lecture is part of the week's afternoon series, "The Necessary Three-legged Stool for Rebirth of a National Culture: Religion -- Science -- Healing."In honor of Spanier's lecture, the Chautauqua Institution's historic Athenaeum Hotel will offer room packages that include gate fees and meals at a special discounted rate for Penn State alumni, employees and students. The Penn State Alumni Association will host a box lunch with Spanier following his lecture. The cost is $25 and includes Chautauqua's daily gate fee (parking is extra). Make reservations with Rebecca Grimaldi, assistant director of development and alumni relations, at extension 6367 or rcg12@psu.edu via e-mail. Go to http://www.pserie.psu.edu/alumni/ for information.


For more information on Chautauqua Lake Real Estate & Living visit: www.chautauqualakehomes.com

Ellery Sees Significant Assessment Changes

By PATRICK L. FANELLI

‘‘We’re at $4 million they’ve given away.’’— DeAnna Wheeler, Ellery assessor

6/18/2006 - BEMUS POINT — The assessment appeals process is over for Ellery, North Harmony and Gerry residents, and Grievance Board decisions are in the mail for the latter two.Ellery property owners will have to wait a few more days since there are some details to wrap up, but there have been ‘‘significant’’ changes made to the town’s assessment roll, according to DeaAnna Wheeler, assessor.‘‘It’s not what the board typically does,’’ she said.According to Ms. Wheeler, members of the Ellery Board of Assessment Review made a great deal of changes to property assessments appealed by owners at Grievance Day last month. She said the changes they made in most cases were ‘‘significant.’’‘‘We’re at $4 million they’ve given away,’’ she said, displaying some disappointment with the decisions.That’s $4 million off a townwide assessment increase of nearly $50 million — but considering there were only 80 appointments, that drop would likely have been substantially higher if all property owners who experienced a large increase decided to appeal.She said the 80 appointments represent roughly 2 percent of the town. The numbers were similar elsewhere — 62 appointments for North Harmony and 26 for Gerry. There were a handful of mail-ins, and many of the property owners owned two or more parcels — but far fewer property owners appeared their assessments than might have been guessed.Some residents believe this was because many property owners were frustrated with Ms. Wheeler and the process and didn’t believe it would do any good.Ms. Wheeler believes it was because the situation in her three towns was exaggerated, and that other towns fared worse.‘‘Compared to other towns, it was majorly played up in the media,’’ she said. ‘‘It was highly advertised. There was a lot of unjust throwing out there. My numbers speak for themselves.’’Shortly before she learned of the changes the Ellery Grievance Board made to the assessment roll, she told The Post-Journal that she expected only one-third of the property owners to see their assessments changed. For Ellery, the changes far much more substantial, and for North Harmony, too — where approximately half of the assessments were changed, but to a lesser degree.The Ellery Town Board’s request that the state Legislature roll back the assessments is still pending, but there is little hope it will be granted. For the property owners who went to Grievance Day, though, a deus ex machina might not be needed — and there’s still the Small Claims of Assessment Review court in Mayville to appeal to.

For more information on Chautauqua Lake Real Estate & Living visit: www.chautauqualakehomes.com

Rusted Root Lead Singer Coming To Bemus Point

By JASON BUSSMAN

Michael Glabicki

6/21/2006 - Since 1988, Michael Glabicki and Rusted Root have toured the country playing with such bands as The Grateful Dead, The Allman Brothers, Santana and even Jimmy Page and Robert Plant.On Saturday, Glabicki will be on stage at The Village Casino in Bemus Point.Equipped with his acoustic guitar, the Rusted Root frontman is hoping to fill up The Casino with the band’s staples as well as new solo material.‘‘Because the band is gone, the guitar has room to come out and fill up the room,’’ Glabicki said. The show on the shores of Bemus Point caps Glabicki’s solo tour that has spanned the last three months.‘‘This tour was great. I’m having a lot of fun and loosening up quite a bit. I’m just sort of laying back and having fun with it all,’’ Glabicki said. ‘‘It’s a one-man show and it’s real different. It’s got a lot of power behind it and it gets the room rocking.’’Rusted Root recently reunited from a hiatus just in time to start their summer tour, which kicked off at the Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival in Manchester, Tenn., on June 17.‘‘Bonnaroo was great. It was our first time playing there,’’ Glabicki said. ‘‘A lot of people came out for our show. I was surprised by it. It was overwhelming.’’Glabicki founded Rusted Root upon returning from a post-high school trip to South America. Since the band’s inception, Rusted Root has had a unique sound that still flourishes 18 years later. While some argue whether Rusted Root should be labeled as a jam band, almost all will agree that there is no other band that sounds like them.‘‘We started getting labeled as a jam band when we were touring with The Grateful Dead and bands that follow that genre. We don’t really have the 30-minute guitar solos and all of that going on,’’ Glabicki said. ‘‘Nowadays, the jam band scene is more like rock and roll.’’Labels withstanding, Rusted Root has produced quality music for almost two decades. In 1990, they released a self-released CD, Cruel Sun. The disc attracted Mercury Records which signed which signed the band and released When I Woke (1994). Two more records (Remember in 1996 and the self-titled Rusted Root in 1998), three EPs (Evil Ways, Live, and Airplane), a home video (Rusted Root Live) and miscellaneous film and TV soundtrack credits (Twister, Matilda, Home for the Holidays, Party of Five, Homicide, and Ice Age) followed. Welcome to the Party (2001) is their latest album to date.‘‘Beyond the songwriting, there is a collaborative thing that happens that is unique in our band,’’ Glabicki said.On Saturday, a national recording artist is coming to Chautauqua County largely due to the efforts of Blue Moon Management.‘‘This acoustic show is really great because I can try new material on the road. It’s different, it’s not like seeing what makes the crowd dance or scream their heads off at the end, it’s more about picking a few people out of the crowd and feeling their reaction on a very subtle level. It’s a whole different world. It’s extremely powerful,’’ Glabicki said.‘‘Anyone who likes the songs of Rusted Root would in a lot of ways identify with me. They are experiencing something personal in the music.’’Doors open at 9 p.m. at The Village Casino in Bemus Point. Opening for Glabicki is The Steve Johnson Band — the lead singer of Big Leg Emma — and the soulful sounds of Jacinta Whitcome. Cost for admission is $10.

For more information on Chautauqua Lake Real Estate & Living visit: www.chautauqualakehomes.com

Mayville Bluegrass Festival

Bluegrass by the Lake.

Celebrating our 5th year! Saturday & Sunday, June 17-18, 2006 It's not too late to purchase a special $18 weekend pass at the outlets listed on the "Tickets" page.
http://www.mayvillebluegrassfestival.com/

Featuring:

Cherry Holmes, Rhonda Vincent & The Rage, Richard Greene & the Brothers Barton, Tony Trischka & The Ohio Math League,
David Peterson & 1946, Chuck Pyle, Ryan Holladay, Jimmy Bowen & Santa Fe, The Mark Newton Band, Clay Hess & Crossfire, John Rossbach & Chestnut Grove, The Doerfel Family, Mountain Run, Creek Bend, Goodfellas Bluegrass Band, Wind River and Barton, Liuzzo and Ward. Please check the bios page for more information on these fine musicians.

Welcome to the Mayville Bluegrass Festival! We are a community supported, all-volunteer organized event in the heart of beautiful Chautauqua County. The festival is held at Lakeside Park throughout the weekend, and in a variety of bars and restaurants Saturday night. The park and late-night venues are all within the Village of Mayville on the shores of Chautauqua Lake. Founded by local musician Bill Ward and the local Chamber of Commerce in 2002, the festival’s mission has remained constant: to present world class bluegrass music in a family-oriented environment at the lowest cost possible for the entire Chautauqua County community and beyond. We hope this web site answers most of your questions and helps you on your way to enjoying future festivals with us!

If you can’t find what you’re looking for, click the "contact" link above and send us an email.
We’d be happy to hear from you.

For more information on Chautauqua Lake Real Estate & Living visit: www.chautauqualakehomes.com













The Community Music Project, Jamestown, NY
Mayville Bluegrass Festival • 89 Elm Street • Mayville, NY 14757 • phone: 716.753.2800

Regatta Winner To Get Name On Trophy

By PATRICK L. FANELLI

6/21/2006 - LAKEWOOD — There will be an awful lot riding on this year’s Chautauqua Lake Championship Regatta for those brave enough to challenge their fellow sailors.This year, the winner will walk home with a whole lot of pride and a little piece of immortality.Al Nottage, who founded and oversees the annual regatta, has established the official Chautauqua Lake Championship Trophy that will forever be on display in front of the Chautauqua Lake Yacht Club on Lake Street in Lakewood and was dedicated on Memorial Day.It’s not just any trophy, either. It’s a cast iron dove that once belonged to oil tycoon and philanthropist John D. Rockefeller.‘‘The bird goes back to the 1800s,’’ Nottage said. ‘‘It was part of the Rockefeller estate in Cleveland. It’s 32 pounds of bird.’’Nottage explained his great uncle managed the Rockefeller family’s Cleveland estate, and was given the dove by the family in 1926 — the year Nottage was born.‘‘He gave it to him. It passed to my uncle, then to me,’’ Nottage said.According to Nottage, the item has spent too much time in his closet, and he laughed about how he donated the heirloom to the yacht club rather than his own daughters.The dove was copper-coated by Jamestown Electro-Plating Inc. on Water Street and was mounted on a thick, secure pole by Jamestown Boiler and Manufacturing Company on Jones and Gifford Avenue.‘‘No one’s ever going to get this sucker off,’’ Nottage said, noting the pole extends underground into 400 pounds of concrete.The winning skipper of the regatta will have his or her name engraved on the pole for all to see as they enter the Yacht Club. The winner will also receive a new 2006 Suunto watch — the premier sailing watch, according to Nottage. It does everything any other digital watch can do, but is best known for the option that allows sailors to program in their competitors’ times.‘‘It’s a neat toy,’’ Nottage said, showing off his own.The third annual Chautauqua Lake Championship Regatta — organized by the Chautauqua Lake Yacht Club — will be held July 15 and 16. Registration closes July 1, and a $20 entrance fee and a minimum $100 sponsorship is required.Local individuals and businesses have been strongly encouraged to consider sponsoring a boat by a donation of $100; sponsoring the regatta with a donation between $500 (Boatswain level) and $5,000 (Admiral level); or donating services or merchandise for the event’s give-aways and Chinese Auction.For more information, contact Nottage at 763-7230 or acn@stratos.netAll proceeds will benefit the American Cancer Society and will stay within the county.Send comments to pfanelli@post-journal.com

For more information on Chautauqua Lake Real Estate & Living visit: www.chautauqualakehomes.com

Chautauqua Institution Expands Offerings for Landscape Architecture Week

As previously noted in LAND Online, the Chautauqua Institution in Southwest New York state will be offering a week’s worth of intensive study on landscape architecture from July 17–21. The institution recently announced a new set of speakers for that week, including the authors of the Not So Big House series of books.
On Thursday, July 20, Sarah Susanka, architect and coauthor of the influential Not So Big House series of books, will speak at the institution. Susanka’s design philosophy flies in the face of the current trend toward McMansion-style homes, and instead embraces the idea that small, well-designed spaces can give home owners the comfort they seek while having a minimal impact on land use.
“The inspiration for The Not So Big House came from a growing awareness that new houses were getting bigger and bigger but with little redeeming design merit,” Susanka says on her website. “The problem is that comfort has almost nothing to do with how big a space is. It is attained, rather, by tailoring our houses to fit the way we really live, and to the scale and proportions of our human form.”
Julie Moir Messervy, Affiliate ASLA, landscape designer, coauthor of Outside the Not So Big House: Creating the Landscape of Home, and author of Contemplative Gardens will also address the institution. Her talk is scheduled for Friday, July 21. Moir Messervy is a regular contributor to Fine Gardening magazine, where she writes the “Inspired Design” column. She is also an accomplished landscape designer whose work includes the Toronto Music Garden.
"Sarah Susanka and Julie Moir Messervy's clearly written text offers practical advice for designing indoor–outdoor spaces that respond to modern lifestyles,” James Van Sweden, FASLA, has said of Outside the Not So Big House. “They reveal secrets for achieving the ideal combination of architecture and nature in the home and in the garden."
The institution has also added Dean Gowan, ASLA, an award-winning landscape architect from Buffalo, New York, to the lecture schedule. Gowan is the landscape architect for the institution, which is a National Historic District listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It was designated a National Historic Landmark on June 30, 1989. Gowan will speak on the unique challenges of creating landscapes for a historic landmark.
Other featured speakers include:
Dennis Carmichael, FASLA, vice president and principal, EDAW, design, planning & environments worldwide; ASLA president
James van Sweden, founding partner, Oehme, van Sweden & Associates, Washington, D.C.; cocreator of New American Garden style, and coauthor of Architecture in the Garden
Charles Birnbaum, FASLA, preservationist; coordinator, National Park Service Historic Landscape Initiative
L. Azeo Torre, FASLA, president, Torre/ Design Consortium, New Orleans
The Athenaeum Hotel at the Chautauqua Institution is offering special rates for all ASLA members. Chautauqua is a community noted for its landscapes, historic architecture, beautiful gardens, and overall community design. For more information visit the Chautauqua Institution website, or download the group's brochure on the event.

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Are You Interested in a Bicycle Ride Around Chautauqua Lake?




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Row, Row, Row Your Boat


From left, are Chautauqua Lake Rowing Association members Steve Odrzywolski, vice-president; Lee Stein, chairman; Judge Joseph Gerace; and Kevin Sixby, president. P-J photo by Steven M. Sweeney

6/11/2006 - Rowing Club To Make Waves In City
By STEVEN M. SWEENEY

Rowing returns to Chautauqua Lake on Saturday as the newly-formed Chautauqua Lake Rowing Association charges full-steam ahead.The association is the brain child of Jamestown natives Kevin Sixbey, Steve Odrzwolski and Eric Larson who all served on the rowing teams of their respective alma maters. Last October, they discussed their thoughts with retired state Supreme Court Justice Joseph Gerace and Lee Stein. ‘‘What said we could do it here is a history of rowing in this lake starting in 1886. In 1889, the Chadakoin Rowing Club was formed, which lasted until 1938,’’ said Sixbey, association president. ‘‘Really all it took (now) was some people with dedication and a passion for rowing.’’After formal incorporation with the state in December, Gerace called long-time friend and Jamestown mayor, Sam Teresi, to see if there were any possible partnership opportunities.The result: rowers are being accommodated with an ancient steamboat slip at the Chautauqua Lake outlet on city property near McCrea Point Park in exchange for site upkeep.‘‘We appreciate what the city has done in such a quick period of time. We initially talked about a spot on the end of Jones and Gifford Avenue,’’ said Stein, association chairman. ‘‘There was a suggestion to look at this spot just two weeks ago. The concrete pier is the perfect height for launching rowing shells.’’Stein thanked several local businesses for their loans of effort and space for the rowing association as well as city parks and recreation workers for clearing the land. In late May, th area surrounding the boat slip was covered with thick brush and weeds. Shells or hulls for the rowing association will be stored in the former city recycling building nearby.‘‘From the city standpoint ... this project has value for the city of Jamestown. It ties in perfectly into the parks system and into our riverfront reclamation and development program,’’ Teresi said. ‘‘Meanwhile, we’ll work on the site at the city line with Celoron as a replacement or second site.’’Rowing association members are planning a ‘‘learn-to-row’’ event in two sessions Saturday from 9 a.m. to noon and 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. and again on June 17.

For information or to register for the free class call Odrzwolski at 913-2409 or e-mail at steveodjo@hotmail.com


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CLA Employees Go To Work For Summer
By PATRICK L. FANELLI

Weed Clean-Up Begins

Jarrett Wiggers, 20, a CLA employee, stands at the helm of one of the weed harvesters as they work on Burtis Bay. P-J photo by Patrick L. Fanelli

6/9/2006 - Jarrett Wiggers likes his job.From the helm of the Chadakoin — one of the Chautauqua Lake Association’s seven water-borne weed harvesters — the 20-year-old steered the vessel into the weed-choked waters of Burtis Bay.‘‘I’m not complaining,’’ said Wiggers, a business management major at Grove City College. ‘‘This is a pretty good summer job. You get to be outside. You get to learn a lot about the lake. I’d recommend it to anyone.’’He’s one of several CLA employees who help maintain the Chautauqua Lake shoreline through the summer months — sometimes a thankless job, but a necessary one.The young crew — minus a few for whom the summer season has yet to begin — started Tuesday aboard the harvesters, working to clear Burtis Bay of the unsightly weeds that have kept the boats of nearby residents drydocked.‘‘This is the worst I’ve seen it,’’ Wiggers said. ‘‘I’ve never seen it come to the top like this.’’The unprecedented growth in that area has been credited to the warm, sunny winter that made it the perfect growing season for the weeds.They look nasty — disrupting the clear, rippling waters and causing it to assume a still, swamp-like appearance. The weeds are especially bad for boats, sometimes tangling themselves around propellers or clogging themselves into jet ski impellers.The efforts of CLA employees are pretty noticeable, though. After only a few days, the waters they’ve worked are clearly distinguishable from the waters they haven’t.‘‘When we started over here, that was all the way to the docks,’’ Wiggers said, pointing toward the acres of weeds they hadn’t yet tackled. ‘‘It’s so thick it’s ridiculous. It’s like night and day over there.’’The harvesters are like gigantic amphibious lawn mowers, with huge blade-tipped conveyers in front that are lowered into the water — cutting the vine-line weeds then drawing them out and storing them underfoot.Wiggers said normally they just work the waterfront around people’s docks and where they swim, seldomly venturing farther than 200 feet from the shoreline. With seven harvesters working everyday, they’re able to do every inch of the shoreline at least once during the summer season.‘‘Our goal is to do everything once. That’s why we have different crews in different places,’’ he said, explaining how transport barges are sent out with the harvesters when they’re far from CLA headquarters to collect the debris.There’s nearly 44 miles of shoreline, though, and only limited resources to work with. Doing the whole shoreline 200 feet out is difficult enough, but having to concentrate on hot spots like Burtis Bay — where the harvesters are venturing as far as 2,000 feet out to cut paths for boats to travel — can sometimes set them back.CLA employees don’t just take care of the weeds, either. When there’s a storm or a carp die-off like last summer, they’re the ones who clean it up.‘‘Last year was the worst since we had to deal with the carp. You have no idea how bad they smell,’’ Wiggers said. ‘‘That was a pretty big setback, having to deal with the fish, but there was no one else to do it.’’Unfortunately, complaints seem plentiful. Chautauqua Lake has its fair share of waterfront residents who expect the waters to be weed-free all summer long, and expect the harvesters to work around their docks more than once a season.The CLA is a non-profit corporation, though, relying almost entirely on the generous contributions of local philanthropists. The equipment is incredibly expensive, and there’s no mechanism in place for financial support from local municipalities. Without donations — most coming from the coffers of a tiny handful of supporters — lakefront residents would be out of luck entirely.Fortunately, donations continue to be made and the CLA employees are on hand to clear the lakefront of weeds, as well as any other tasks that come about. Wiggers was out only an hour or so before the Chadakoin was filled to capacity — forcing him back to CLA headquarters.Assisted by workers on shore, he backed up against a vertically-angled conveyer that pulled the dense green and brown debris from the back of the vessel and dumped it into a waiting truck.Then it was all ahead full, back into the waters for another run — a full eight-hour shift at the helm of the Chadakoin.‘‘We’ll keep going until we get all along the lake,’’ Wiggers said.

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JCC, Chautauqua Institution Collaborate on Summer Courses






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Ribs and the city of Jamestown





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Woodcrest Golf Course Gets Approval For Vacation Home Development




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Effective January 1, 2007 on all Property Sold in the Chautauqua Institution 2% Service Charge




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CHAUTAUQUA LAKE IDOL

(Floating Stage, 61 Lakeside Drive, Bemus Point) June 19-August 21. Top 50 finalists audition June 19, 6:30pm. Live Monday performances July 3, 10, 24 & 31, Aug 7 at 6:30pm. Finale Aug 21 at 6:30pm. www.bemusbaypops.com

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