FOOD & DRINK

Food, cash donations to be collected at three Seneca casino locations every Tuesday in October. As autumn begins in Western New York, Seneca Gaming Corp. is launching a monthlong effort to support neighbors in need throughout the region. The company announced public donations of money and nonperishable food items will...

Have you been contemplating pet adoption, or simply love perusing adorable pets? A myriad of delightful pets are available for adoption at various animal shelters in the vicinity of salamanca..

I know we all wish we could take our puppies everywhere. (Doesn’t matter how old, all dogs are puppies!) Unfortunately, most work places are not pet accessible, so we have to leave them behind during the day. Then you think, are they lonely? Will they be okay the whole time I’m gone? What if they get into something they shouldn’t? (It’s like leaving behind a kid without thumbs and a lot of teeth.) Well, don’t fret, because a new doggy sitting option is coming to Great Valley at the end of the month.

Bradford’s Homecoming Parade is tonight along Main Street. The parade will start at 5 PM at Davis Street, proceed down Main Street to Veterans’ Square, turn right onto Mechanic Street, then proceed down Barbour Street toward Tunungwant Creek. You can see a map of the parade route below.

OLEAN - Here comes Santa Claus! Here comes Santa Claus! Right down Santa Claus Lane! Santa Claus Lane has become six weeks of “celebration and song,” throughout the Olean community. The greater Olean area is a well-diversified community and as such, people from all walks of life and religion attend the parade to celebrate the gifts and graces of the holiday seasons. It is truly a night when the community comes together.

ST. BONAVENTURE, NY — Not everyone can say they’ve been sprayed by a fire truck, but those who donated $5 or more to participate in Friday’s Polar Spray sure can. The Polar Spray, a fundraiser for Special Olympics New York, happens annually in the university’s parking lot between the Richter and Reilly centers, during Family Weekend. Allegany Fire Department personnel come in a truck to spray participants with freezing cold water. Not everyone who donated chose to take part. At 5:20 p.m., event officiators called all the participants to the middle of the parking lot for a photo in front of the...

This October marks the 7-year anniversary for the Ellicottville Distillery located at 5462 Robbins Road just a few miles outside the village. The Distillery offers a homegrown approach to the age-old practice of distilling, nestled in the heart of the Cattaraugus County mountains. Owner and distiller Bryan Scarf opened doors...

Have you ever noticed how fall is a season of heightened senses? It seems there is more pungent spicy fragrances to smell, more brilliant colors to see, more sounds of nature to hear, more textures to feel in the clothing we wear and the cozy blankets we snuggle under, and more hearty meals and sweet baked goods to taste. There is something about fall that invites us to remember with each new sensory experience. One bite of freshly baked apple pie transports me to my mother’s kitchen counter, where we’d sit nightly, after the ten o’clock news, with a cup of coffee and a piece of her home-made pie while we rehashed the day perched on blue painted wooden stools. No one made apple pie and her special flaky crust like my momma. I‘ll bet you say the same.

A rhythmic maestro and artistic virtuoso, Jamie Ervay, from Hinsdale, NY stands out as a true Renaissance talent. Jamie Ervay is not only an accomplished musician renowned for his drumming prowess, but also a skilled artist who employs cutting edge technology to create unique works of art. The beat of his journey begins at a young age. Ervay’s father was a talented drummer who was an inspiration to him. When Ervay first picked up the drumsticks, he quickly realized his passion for rhythm and percussion. Over the years, he honed his skills, creating, assisting and managing band operations. Jamie played in the following bands- Led by The Blind, Avarice, Sardonic Grin, Best. Night Ever., Joker’s Wild leading up to Ervay becoming a sought-after drummer for hire, lending his talent to various bands and musical projects including his own solo project, Jamie Ervay which you can indulge in on Spotify, Soundcloud, Pandora, YouTube, Apple Music, Tidal… pretty much anywhere you can listen to music. Ervay’s rhythmic mastery has graced many stages, leaving audiences mesmerized by his beats. Ervay tells me, “I like music, loud music, it thumps you in the chest. The bass from the kick drum hitting my chest while I am drumming is what I like to feel.” Ervay’s favorite genre to play is progressive metal but participates and plays everything from classic rock to the blues as well.

OLEAN – The Tri-County Arts Council is pleased to welcome the community to the 2nd Annual Lincoln Park Evening Art Market on Saturday, September 23rd from 4:00-8:00pm. This juried show features the work of some of the region’s best-known artists and craftspeople, many of whom also have international reputations in galleries and fine art shows throughout the United States and abroad. An intimate evening of fine arts and crafts, the Lincoln Park Evening Art Market is an opportunity to add to or begin an art collection, purchase a one-of-a-kind gift, and meet the artists and makers behind an impressive collection of work.

ST. BONAVENTURE, NY — Avalon String Quartet, with mezzo-soprano Julia Bentley, will open the 2023-2024 Friends of Good Music performance season at St. Bonaventure University’s Regina A. Quick Center for the Arts with a performance at 7:30 p.m. Friday. This special program, titled “For Such a Time as This,” features the New York premiere of a new work by composer Stacy Garrop, with a libretto by Jerre Dye, based on texts from the biblical Book of Esther. The artists will also perform the rarely heard work “Folk Songs in Counter Point” by American composer Florence Price as well as Schubert’s famous quartet “Death and the Maiden.” Based in Chicago, Avalon...

David Hoelscher, a senior environmental studies major, awoke around 3 a.m. one early March morning due to the violent ringing of a fire alarm — a common occurrence in the Garden Apartments last semester, according to Hoelscher. As he lazily shuffled his shoes on with a blanket over his head, Hoelscher heard a shout come from the hall.

When I began writing my Wramblings at the invitation of Owner/Editor Andrew Harris he suggested that Thursday would be a good day for a weekly column. I’m not sure how either of us pictured or envisioned the writings, but the Wramblings tag just kind of evolved from something akin to “Wiser Words” or “Words from Wiser,” as I tended to ramble at times through various topics of interest. I think initially Andrew was taken to my poetry and that was to be a feature of my writings. Today I will not disappoint, at least myself, as the coincidence of a Thursday falling on September 28th, the date of my mother’s birthday, allows me to reflect on her and her impact on my growth, and to include poems inspired by, and dedicated to, her. My mother was the most intelligent woman I ever knew and despite only having a public-school education, her wisdom far exceeded the depth and breadth of any further schooling. Chiefly because of her and her assistance in teaching me how to “be a learner” I was able to have a fairly successful academic career both as a student and finally as an educator teaching at Alfred State College.

The Greater Olean Area Chamber of Commerce is looking for groups to march in this year’s Santa Claus Lane parade. The parade will be held on the Friday, November 24, in downtown Olean, beginning at 6:30 PM. The Chamber encourages area organizations and businesses to participate with a float, send in a musical unit, or display historical or public vehicles in the parade.

The 2023-2024 Friends of Good Music performance season opens Friday at St. Bonaventure University’s Regina A. Quick Center for the Arts. “This is the first concert of our eight concert season,” said Evelyn Penman, interim executive director and senior curator of the Quick Center. “The Quick Center partners with Friends of Good Music, an organization in Olean, to bring classical music to area residents.”

Pizza Napoli in Bradford celebrated its 50th anniversary Friday with a ribbon-cutting ceremony presented by the Bradford Area Chamber of Commerce. Founded in 1973 by Gertrud and Italo Procacci, Pizza Napoli quickly became an institution enjoyed by Bradford residents for generations. In 2015, Sue Gleason and her husband Greg and...

OLEAN, NY - The Olean Elks Lodge will offer patrons Mexican manicotti Wednesday. Included with the meal will be tossed salad with ranch or Italian dressing and a roll and butter. The cost of each meal will be $12.  The deadline to order is Tuesday at 7 p.m. Patrons should call 716-372-4191. Patrons can pick up their orders at the far back door in the Elks parking lot on the corner of West State & South Second streets.

Rebecca Wheeler lives in Kill Buck, not far from Ellicottville in the town of Great Valley and saw a “need in the area,” for a dog daycare facility “with friends and family frustrated with the lack of options, it seemed like the opportune time to use my knowledge and experience to fill that need.” She expressed to have an interview with The Villager. Wheeler has savoir faire in the doggie daycare field and she also has training in veterinary studies. The Villager caught up with her for an interview: