 Viking Ship to Sail the Waters of Chautauqua Lake June 29, 2011 Updated Jun 29, 2011 at 12:26 PM EDT Jamestown, N.Y. (WKBW release) -- The Vikings are coming! The Vikings are coming! Centuries ago, such a statement would have been viewed as an ominous warning of impending doom to coastal towns and villages throughout western Europe. Today, however, it should be met with great enthusiasm, as anyone wanting to catch a glimpse of a replica Viking ship will have the chance to do so on July 14 when The Norseman sails the waters of Chautauqua Lake. The event is being held to help promote the 2011 Scandinavian Folk Festival, taking place July 15 – 17 at the Gerry Rodeo Grounds, located just 10 minutes north of Jamestown. The Norseman is a ship owned by The Leif Ericson Viking Ship, Inc. – a not-for-profit education group from Philadelphia aimed at raising awareness of Leif Ericson and the Viking's role in world history. It is a 40 foot-long replica and has a mast that rises 24.5 feet above the waterline. The sail is 17 feet by 17.5 feet. The vessel also features a figurehead, representing a sea serpent that was hand-carved by artist and sculptor Marty Martinson. The shields on the side represent the countries of Canada, Denmark, Finland, Greenland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden. It is rated for a maximum crew of 20 people. The Norseman's tentative schedule is to embark from Chautauqua Lake's Long Point State Park on the morning of July 14 and sail to Bemus Point. From there it is on to the historic Chautauqua Institution, before returning back to Long Point. The ability to sail is dependent on the weather. Not only will local residents and summer visitors have an opportunity to see this unique vessel in action, but one local person will also get to ride on the boat with a guest. Festival organizers are holding a drawing where one lucky winner will receive two boarding passes to complete the sail. Tickets for the drawing can be obtained for $12. In addition to being entered into the drawing, anyone who buys a ticket will also receive a weekend pass to the Festival (also valued at $12). Tickets may be purchased at Ecklof Bakery, Peterson Farm or the Reg Lenna Box Office. The drawing will take place on July 10. The tenth annual Scandinavian Folk Festival will be celebrated July 15-17, 2011 at the Gerry Rodeo Grounds on Rt. 60 in Gerry, N.Y. There, The Norseman will be docked as part of the Viking Village theme area. Vikings will be reenacting many aspects of daily life including ancient Viking competitive sports. A Viking Kubb tournament will be held on July 16. The Festival will also celebrate our Scandinavian culture with traditional and contemporary Scandinavian music and folk dancing in the entertainment tent, the shops in the market tent, presentations in the lecture tent, craft demonstrations along with a child and family center in the culture tent and, of course, Swedish meatball, pancakes and korv dinners. For more information on Chautauqua Lake Real Estate & Living visit: http://www.chautauqualakehomes.com/ By WKBW News |
, Erie Times-News
ed.palattella@timesnews.com
Eighteen years ago, David O. Simon learned how to ski at Peek'n Peak Resort and Spa, near Findley Lake, N.Y.
This week, Simon, a veteran bankruptcy lawyer in Cleveland, started preparing the Peak for a sale in U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Cleveland in September.
Just as he has enjoyed the Peak as a skier, Simon said he has good feelings about the future of the ski and golf complex, whose Cleveland-area parent company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy 13 months ago.
"It is a healthy resort," Simon said. "The place has a heartbeat, a strong heartbeat. It needs the right kind of operator to give it some tender loving care and to bring it back."
As trustee, Simon is overseeing the Peak and arranging for its sale at a public auction, which he said he wants to occur by the end of September. Proceeds from the sale will go to the Peak's creditors, none of which is expected to recover all its losses.
U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Randolph Baxter, seated in Cleveland, on Monday approved the trustee appointment of Simon, 61, a lawyer for 37 years. Simon assumes oversight of the operations of the Peak from Paul E. Kiebler IV, a real estate developer from Chardon, Ohio, east of Cleveland.
Kiebler had controlled the resort as the owner of Kiebler Recreation LLC, which bought the Peak from the Cross family, of Waterford, in January 2006.
Kiebler Recreation filed for Chapter 11 protection in May 2010, declaring debts of $28 million. That includes what is now more than $17 million owed to Huntington National Bank, Kiebler Recreation's main mortgage holder and the primary secured creditor for the Peak's property.
Huntington and the other creditors earlier this month petitioned for the appointment of a trustee, claiming that Paul Kiebler was mismanaging the Peak. They also said he failed to come up with a Chapter 11 plan for Kiebler Recreation to reorganize, settle its debts and retain ownership of the Peak.
Simon, who is regularly appointed a bankruptcy trustee, visited the Peak on Saturday and will work out of his office in Cleveland, where he runs his law practice. His trusteeship fees will come out of the bankruptcy estate of Kiebler Recreation.
The Peak remains in business, with its president, Robert Swenson, and about 300 employees on the job. The Peak's workforce grows to about 1,000 in winter.
"My function is essentially the same as upper management," Simon said. "I oversee the operation of the resort and anything related to it."
Kiebler Recreation fell into unmanageable debt as it borrowed to buy the Peak and expand the condominiums on the 1,150-acre resort, which opened in 1964.
Since it filed for bankruptcy, the Peak has recorded $16 million in sales and other revenue but lost $2.7 million after paying operating expenses and professional fees related to the bankruptcy, according to court records.
"I think it perhaps tried to grow too big, too fast, which created a capital shortage," Simon said of the Peak. "That is not uncommon. We see that all the time."
He said a "healthy" number of prospective buyers have contacted him, though the list is confidential at this stage.
A new owner, Simon said, will need to infuse the Peak with cash but should also have the advantage of carrying a reasonable debt load.
Baxter set a Sept. 1 deadline for the sale of the Peak. Simon said he now expects the sale to occur by Sept. 30.
"We recognize the seasonal nature of the resort," Simon said. "The timing of the sale is optimal between golf season and ski season. We don't want to do it in the middle of either season."
ED PALATTELLA can be reached at 870-1813 or by e-mail.
For more information on Chautauqua Lake Real Estate & Living visit: http://www.chautauqualakehomes.com/
