Welcome to our Chautauqua Lake blog. We want to provide you with informed information on Chautauqua Lake and Chautauqua Institution living and real estate. We will regularly post up to date comments and information on the activities and real estate market on and around Lake Chautauqua and Chautauqua County NY.
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Over the past three years, Chautauqua County, New York, has experienced notable trends in both tourism and demographics.
Tourism Statistics:
2021:
Chautauqua County achieved record visitation numbers, surpassing
pre-pandemic levels. This success was attributed to the county's diverse
tourism offerings and outdoor recreational amenities.
2022:
Visitor spending in the Chautauqua-Allegheny region increased by 11%,
reaching $671 million. Chautauqua County contributed $294 million to
this total, representing 44% of the region's tourism sales.
2023:
The upward trend continued with a 7% increase in visitor spending in
Chautauqua County, totaling $314 million. The region's overall visitor
spending reached $713 million, with Chautauqua County maintaining its
44% share.
Population:
Chautauqua County's population has been gradually declining. In 2022,
the estimated population was 126,027, decreasing to 124,891 in 2023. The
projected population for 2024 is 124,438.
Racial/Ethnic Composition (2023):
The county's population was predominantly White (84.3%), followed by
Hispanic (9.3%) and individuals identifying with two or more races
(3.2%).
In
case you’re behind in the news, the Mayville Winter Festival initially
faced cancellation this year due to increased expenses and challenges in
organizing the event. However, there was a fortunate development where
Inspire Good of Western New York, Inc., a local nonprofit, announced
they would take over and proceed with the festival.
I love Hail Mary’s. How about you?
Now that the festival is up and running again, I’d like to urge
everyone to bundle up in their best furry boots and ear muffs and be a
part of the fun. It’s up to the community to send the message to
organizers that our local events are important to us.
And not to rehash old wounds, but people still hope to see the Bemus
Bay Pops return one day. How about a once-a-year bash? An all day summer
concert? The exit of the Pops still feels like a blight on our record.
It was a weekly program loved by locals and out-of-town visitors alike
and it disappeared in what felt like the height of its popularity and
appeal. We need to be good stewards of the things that make our region
special. And I know how smug that sounds since I’m not an organizer
dealing with the finances and all of the other details of big events.
But
it’s true, many things that have defined our regions or our nation have
fallen by the wayside or out of existence through the years, because
things change. Barnum & Bailey Circus. Does that ring any bells?
President-Elect Trump is talking about revising the World’s Fair
again, which at one time was an unparalleled event that defined progress
and showcased man’s ingenuity. The first electric lights, the first
telephones were unveiled at the fair. It was a magical event that
highlighted innovation, culture, and global exchange. Throughout the
late 19th and early 20th centuries, the fairs became grand spectacles,
with an average of six million attendees.
The World’s Fair never officially ended, but public perception has
shifted over time. The fairs, which are now referred to as Expos,
continue to be held periodically, though they may not always capture the
same level of global attention as they did during their heyday in the
19th and early 20th centuries. What could they showcase today that we
can’t see on the internet? Maybe it’s just the act of coming together
as a world that is meaningful.
Other things that are missed: the Boston Tea Party reenactment in
Boston, Lilith Fair concerts that celebrated women in music, the
Buffalo-Courier Express, Marshall Field’s enchanted holiday windows in
Chicago (which lost their magic when Macy’s bought the store), and
Friendly’s banana splits. Feel free to make your own lists.
Here’s an annual pastime in Chautauqua County you might not know
about: horse racing on area lakes was a unique chapter in our history.
In the 1890s, there were horse races on the ice on Findley Lake in
January and February. According to the Chautauqua Sports Hall of Fame,
the horses had special calks on their shoes so they wouldn’t slip on the
ice.
People skated on the ice on Findley, Cassadaga Lake, Chautauqua, as
well as on any small pond that froze. Chautauqua Lake also had ice
boats with sails and ice boat races, but sledding seemed to be most
popular and something anyone could do. “In the 1930s and ’40s, sledding
and tobogganing parties were very popular on the hilly highways such as
Stockton, Sprague Hill near Levant, Ravlin Hill near Clymer, Buesink
Hill in Mina and others,” the Hall Of Fame website explains. “On a good
night, 30 or 40 young people would gather and spend two or three hours
speeding down an icy hill and coasting nearly half a mile away, then
they’d walk back up the hill hauling their sled or toboggan for another
run.” Gosh that sounds like fun.
Ah, there’s things we miss. Thankfully, the winter festival in
Mayville won’t be one. Embrace the winter. Those hardy people who lived
before us certainly did.
