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Chamber Clambake returns to Olean's War Vets Park

Chamber Clambake Back at War Veterans Park

Officials at Greater Olean Area Chamber of Commerce have set the 51st Annual Greater Olean Area Chamber of Commerce Clambake for June 12 at War Veterans Park, 551 E. State St., Olean.

“This festive gathering represents the traditional start of the summer season in our community and offers fun, fine food and prizes,” said Erica Dreher, the Chamber’s membership outreach coordinator. “Music, clams, and loads of fun are also a part of the Clambake.”

Chamber member, Grand Slam Grill led by Sparky Granger, will serve up raw clams, steamed clams, clam chowders, clams casino, and shrimp cocktail. The menu will also include Italian sausage, beef on weck, assorted desserts, meatballs, hotdogs, hamburgers, pasta salad, and more. Draft beer from Sanzo Beverage and Certo Brothers will be available, as well as soft drinks and water.

“The Clambake’s original host location was the Castle Restaurant,” added Meme K. Yanetsko, the Chamber’s COO. “It was held there for more than 20 years until the closing of the restaurant. The Clambake committee relocated the event to War Veterans Park where it was for at least 15 years with other sites of Lincoln Park, John Ash Community Center and at the former Premier Banquet Center.”

Tickets are for Chamber members and guests at $45 per person if purchased by end of business, Friday, May 24, with the cost of $55 per ticket May 25th until the event. Non-Chamber members can purchase tickets at the cost of $70. Event Regulation includes: A request for a clambake ticket(s) constitutes an agreement between you as the purchaser and our office as the seller. Payment for the ticket is required upon invoice receipt even if the purchaser cannot attend the clambake. For more information or to purchase tickets, please contact the Chamber at 372-4433 or email clams@oleanny.com.

Nominations sought for 2019 Hospitality

Wall of Fame class

Greater Olean Area Chamber of Commerce and its Taste of Olean Event Committee are now accepting nominations for the 2019 Taste of Olean Hospitality Wall of Fame Awards program.

The Hospitality Wall of Fame recognizes individuals and/or businesses who have made a significant contribution and given exceptional service to the food service/ hospitality industry in the past and who may continue to do so.

“As a community we are proud that the greater Olean area restaurants have excelled at all the most important elements of a great restaurant — impeccable food, inviting atmosphere, and friendly staff,” said Meme Krahe Yanetsko, the Chamber’s COO. “The area continues boast exquisite cuisine and unique dining options. We are excited to recognize the people who make the area a destination for diners.”

The Taste of Olean Hospitality Awards are open to any commercial, independent, corporate and franchise foodservice/restaurant company and/or individual, in any service format, regardless of size in the greater Olean area. Winners can be an owner, manager, wait staff and other food service employees. A panel of independent judges will assess the nominations using the following judging criteria:

• Minimum of five years commitment to the food service industry in the Olean area?

• Has made significant contributions to the industry?

• Food service has to be located/was located in the greater Olean area, which includes Olean, Allegany, Hinsdale, Portville, and Westons Mills.?

• Be a successful member of the foodservice, hospitality or related industries?

• Must have exhibited outstanding service and contributions to the industry and our greater Olean area community.?

The winners of the Taste of Olean Hospitality Awards will be announced on June 24 and recognized during the 29th Taste of Olean, scheduled for July 28 at War Veterans Park, 551 E. State St., Olean.

Past inductees to the Hospitality Wall of Fame include: Guerino “Butch” Butchello and Chef Anthony Lentola from the Castle Restaurant; Chef Pasquale “Patsy” Piccioli; John Sawaya; Sr.; Carl Iseman; Louis and Nancy Giannechini; Lucia “Lou” Bardenett; William “Bill” Augostini; Quinto and Dora Bagazzoli; Nicholas “Nick” Fratarcangelo; Louis Marra; Daniel Fessenden, Robert Styles, Tony Bassano, Jim McAfee, Neil and Denis Goodemote; Paul and Mary Psathas; Anthony Zampogna; James Pappas; Lou Russo; Nick Livoto; Steve Hollowell; Jackie Attard; John Malara; Richard Marcus; Louis V., ‘Little Louie,’ Marra; Eugene Stopha, Jack Coffey, Louis Frungillo Sr., Richard ‘Richie’ Piccioli, MarLayne Robinson, John M. ‘Mac’ Sue, Tom Weatherell, Joseph Marra, John & Karol Long, Anthony Fratercangelo, James ‘Jim’ Hastas, Mike & PJ McAfee, Anthony Procacci, Paul & Lisa Marra, Ola May Gayton, Alfred LaFredo Sr., Sparky Granger, and Randy Korkowicz.

To learn more about this restaurant wall of fame program and to download nomination information and forms, please visit www.oleanny.com. The deadline for this year's awards nominations is June 17, 2019.

Corporate Challenge routes announced

The ninth-annual Southern Tier Corporate Challenge Run/Walk will be held June 27 at Jamestown Community College’s Cattaraugus County Campus.

Challenge hosts, the Olean High School Sports Boosters and the Greater Olean Area Chamber of Commerce invite all organizations, businesses and companies to participate in this wellness event.

The event was created by the Chamber with the goal of promoting team-building, fitness and friendly competition.

"The Corporate Challenge allows local businesses to compete in a participative and competitive basis, while promoting fitness and corporate camaraderie," said Erica Dreher, the Chamber’s membership outreach coordinator. “The running route is exactly like last year with the start to the finish line sprint ending behind the technology building at the campus of JCC.”

The running route will start at the front parking lot of JCC and be in North Union Street from the roundabout until Laurens Street. From there, the route goes Washington to the Allegheny River Valley Trail, right towards Constitution Avenue, continues on the trail extension behind Sub-Con/InTandem, to Wayne Street, to the trail along Olean High School sports fields, to First Street to North Union and straight path to behind Allied Health building.

The walking route will start at the JCC arches, go up Sullivan Street hill, till North Fourth Street, they will take a left onto North Fourth, right onto Washington. At North 12th, the walkers will take a left going up the street till West State Street, cross over North Union Street to the east side of Union Street, walking up North Union Street, and returning to campus with finish line under the arches into the parking lot.

The registration fee remains $20 per participant and if registered by June 12, includes a race promo item, refreshments, and entrance to Office Party with live music. The Most Spirited Team (determined by team dress coordination, cheering for all participants, spirit during the challenge). You may not have the fastest runners in the field, but your team can still come out a winner (and look great too!) by entering the Logo Design Contest. Let your creative juices flow and come up with a design that incorporates either the Series logo, full event name or any other element of the race (event location, city name, etc.). This is only a logo design. The winning design may be used in future events as the race logo.

The 3.1-mile road race and 2 mile walk will run throughout downtown beginning and ending at JCC-Olean. Sponsors for the challenge include BlueCross/BlueShield of Western New York, The Mix 101.5 / WMXO, Sanzo Beverages, Pepsi Bottling Company of Jamestown, and Constellation. From small companies to large corporations, the event will promote health, wellness and fitness among companies and their employees, families and individuals.

For more information or registration details, please call the Chamber at (716) 372-4433 or email events@oleanny.com.

First of three StrOleans coming up in June

First of three StrOleans coming up

Greater Olean Area Chamber of Commerce held its first ever StrOlean August 2017. This new event was defined as an event to be held in downtown Olean; event goers were able to saunter, amble, wander, walk North Union Street; and able to enjoy food, music, fine arts, classic cars and fun for all ages.

The first StrOlean for 2019 will be held June 15 throughout the greater Olean area. The Chamber’s Events Committee chose this weekend as it coincides with the 136th Alumni Reunion for Olean High School.

“Activities are planned throughout the weekend for former and current residents of Olean. What a great idea to give them loads of activities, retail options and food opportunities then to plan StrOlean at the same time!” said Meme K. Yanetsko, the Chamber’s COO.

There are three ways for businesses, nonprofits and school groups to participate at any of the StrOleans – retail vendor, food vendor or event host. Organizations should start now and plan to participate as these can be fundraisers too!

POPUP MARKET: If your business is a brick and mortar store, the Chamber would like for you to host an event outside your store, host sales/info table inside/outside your store, or if you are a restaurant, we would like you to vend outside your store. As an existing storefront, there is no fee to participate, but the Chamber asks you to fill out the application.

For those wishing to vend on North Union/State Streets, the Pop Up Market will include arts & crafts, artisans, catalog/home party, farm market stands, artwork, and jewelry among other things.

EVENT ORGANIZER: Is your organization looking for a fundraiser event? The Chamber is also encouraging organizations to come on down and create an event that would benefit their organization. StrOlean would love to have organizations host events during the day such as: a planned walk, story time, a tasting station, a sport demonstrations, 5K/1K fun run, outside fitness class, strolling chorus, children’s activities, and a bunch of other ideas. There would be no charge to run the event. The event would be included in the overall promotion, poster, Facebook, etc. The Chamber suggests those organizing events do some small promotion and market to their captive audience.

During the August 2017 StrOlean, events included a tire flipping competition, an outside yoga class, story time, roller derby with a track for bouts at the Olean Center Mall parking lot, a make and take craft class, a car show, “Battle of the Lips,” a planned walk, and a scavenger hunt.

FOOD SPOT: The Chamber is encouraging food vendors to come and serve up some food. There is an application for those businesses wishing to open a food spot during StrOlean. An existing restaurant will still need to fill out the food application.

For more information or registration forms, please call the Chamber at 716-372-4433 or email events@oleanny.com.

Baseball fields across the county ready to host tournaments

The Cattaraugus County Legislature funded the County Baseball Project for improvements on baseball fields in six communities: Olean, Salamanca, Allegany, Portville, Ellicottville and Franklinville. Upgrading these baseball fields to Little League standards would provide enough ballfields to hold weekend tournaments drawing teams from a wide area.

These fields are primed to host little league jr. / sr. baseball tournaments. Tournaments could be hosted in the same age group same weekend split between Salamanca and Allegany (14 miles - 20 min drive time); Olean and Portville (5 miles - 10 min drive time); Salamanca and E-C-LV (Ellicottville, Little Valley & Cattaraugus) (9 miles - 16 min drive time); and mix and match in betwee.

The little league fields of Cattaraugus County would love for you to come to our section of Western New York and PLAY BALL.

Below is information on each separate field with field information, fees, amenities and contact people/organizations details. General questions, please call the Chamber at 716-372-4433 or info@oleanny.com.

https://oleanny.com/Media/Files/LittleLeague-Allegany.pdf

https://oleanny.com/Media/Files/LittleLeague-ECLV.pdf

https://oleanny.com/Media/Files/LittleLeague-Fville.pdf

https://oleanny.com/Media/Files/LittleLeague-Olean.pdf

https://oleanny.com/Media/Files/LittleLeague-Portville.pdf

https://oleanny.com/Media/Files/LittleLeague-Salamanca.pdf

Olean's Macker could use an assist

After 46 years and 2.7 million players, the Gus Macker 3-on-3 Basketball Tournament is still a hit.

Olean’s Macker returns this year for another weekend of basketball on Aug. 16-18. Greater Olean Area Chamber of Commerce anticipates 250 teams and 8,000 spectators from a 100-mile radius to attend the three-day event and see this as a great opportunity to showcase Olean. Last year, 162 teams played with 648 registered players.

The tournaments roots trace back to a teenage Scott McNeal (aka Gus Macker) hosting his own March Madness-inspired 3-on-3 tournament in his family’s driveway.

Little did MacNea; know at the time that event held on a driveway in Lowell, Mi., was about to start something that would become his life’s passion. And his life’s passion became the passion of 46 years worth of 3-on-3 basketball.

The Chamber is looking for businesses and/or individuals to become sponsors in an event that will benefit the greater Olean area. The sponsor form provides an overview of the opportunities and benefits of supporting the tournament, and proposes ways in which the local business community can become involved.

There are several in-kind sponsorships available as well. If you are a restaurant business, the event would love your gift cards in exchange for the cash to pay for the sponsorship level. Also, the event needs several items that your business may have in house or you may even sell them at your business. In exchange of the items, your business would receive a sponsorship level in the amount of the value of the donation. The items include cases of water bottles, cases of Gatorade, man-hours to scorekeep or to register; and sandwiches/subs or pizza to feed volunteers.

If you are a restaurant or a related retail store, there are vendor forms available to reserve your spot at the Macker.

“Please consider participation through a sponsorship or as a vendor that best meets your needs and be secure in the knowledge that your sponsorship fee will be used directly to manage this event with excess revenue being brought back out to non-profit organizations,” said Erica Dreher, the Chamber’s membership outreach coordinator. “The Chamber thanks its 48 corporate sponsors who have stepped up and funded the $10,000 tournament fee to Macker National for our 2019 event.”

Gus Macker 3-on-3 Basketball is America's largest outdoor basketball tournament. The Macker Tournament is designed so that anyone can play: male or female, young and old, short and tall, the most experienced or no experience at all. Since 1987, the Macker tour has expanded, holding a total of 1,012 tournaments with over 2.7 million players – male and female from seven to beyond 50 years old — and more than 23 million spectators.

For more information, please call the Chamber at 716-372-4433 or email info@oleanny.com

Cattaraugus-Allegany Workforce Development Board announced RFP

The Cattaraugus-Allegany Workforce Development Board, Inc. (CAWDB) announce the release of the 2019-2022 Request for Proposals (RFP) to provide workforce preparation and development services to youth, ages 16 to 24. Applications will be accepted from organizations that have the expertise and capacity to provide services to youth that, in conjunction with One Stop Career Centers, cover the 14 program elements listed in the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act.

There will be a significant focus on services to out-of-school youth, including dropouts and those 24 and under who have graduated but are skill-deficient or are under or unemployed.

Eligible applicants include public entities, not-for-profit agencies, educational institutions, business associations or other community–based organizations. Applications are due in the WDB Office no later than 12 p.m. on Friday, May 31, 2019.

The RFP can be accessed at www.cawfny.com under the News and Events section at the top of the homepage and then clicking News or RFPs or by contacting the WDB office at (716) 806-0060, or by email at jmiller@cawfny.com

Ellicottville Skate Park Fund established at CRCF

Chris Perks grew up skateboarding in a town that did not have a dedicated skate park.

“We were always looking for places to skate,” Perks recalled. “We usually ended up skating in parking lots or in the street; of course that created some friction between us and the local businesses and law enforcement. As often as we could, we would drive out of town - usually to Jamestown, but sometimes as far away as Rochester or Pittsburgh or Ohio - to skate indoor/outdoor parks."

When Chris and his wife, Brenda, heard about an initiative through the Tony Hawk Foundation to support the building of concrete skate parks, they immediately thought about bringing one to Ellicottville.

“The ‘Built to Play’ matching grant program has the mission of helping communities across the US build outdoor concrete skate parks that are free and open to the public,” said Brenda, an advocate for the skate park project in Ellicottville. The Tony Hawk Foundation initiative is partnering with the Ralph C. Wilson Jr. Foundation to fund projects like the skate park across Western New York on a dollar-for-dollar basis up to $250,000.

The goal to construct a skate park in Ellicottville is about more than just skateboarding, added Mrs. Perks.

“The skate park will provide a safe, designated place for skateboarders, rollerbladers, BMXers and scooters. It will encourage kids and adults of all ages to get outside and be active,” she said. “Whether you’re an experienced skateboarder or you want to learn, the facility will be open to everyone to use, and at no charge.”

Once the project application is approved by the Tony Hawk Foundation, the Perks and others spearheading the skate park efforts, hope to raise the full $250,000 for match and break ground on the park within two years.

“Our goal is to raise at least that amount, so that we have a minimum of $500,000 to build the park. According to the Tony Hawk Foundation, the average outdoor concrete skate park costs $50 per square foot,” said Mrs. Perks. “Reaching our funding goal will allow us to build a 10,000 square foot park for our community.”

The Ellicottville community will have a hand in painting the final vision of that 10,000 square foot park, which is proposed to be built in the Ellicottville Village Park.

“The exciting part about this process is that the community is encouraged to give their input on the design,” said Chris “After all, this will be a community park, so we want the design to reflect the desires and interests of our locals that plan to use the park.”

With their vision in mind, the group considered the many pieces required to bring the project to fruition and turned to the Cattaraugus Region Community Foundation.

“Our grant writer (Kathy Elser, Chris’s aunt) already had an established relationship with the Community Foundation and introduced our project to them,” said Mrs. Perks. “With interest from both sides, we were able to sit down with the Foundation and learn about the many different ways they can help out as our fiduciary.”

The group’s fund at CRCF will allow the public to make tax-deductible contributions in support of the project and will allow for an ongoing source of funding for ongoing maintenance and other necessary costs at the park.

Despite the daunting fundraising ahead, Chris and Brenda and other community members, are excited for the work to come.

“We are excited to work with a world renowned organization such as the Tony Hawk Foundation,” said Mrs. Perks. “And with support from the Village of Ellicottville, we are anxious to get the project’s fundraising efforts underway.

“It will take the entire community to make this project come to fruition, so we are hoping to get as many community members and businesses as possible to help out in any way they can - whether it be a monetary donation, volunteering with fundraising events, or just helping to spread the word, we’ll all do it together.”

An open meeting to introduce the project to the community will be held on Thursday, May 23, at 6 p.m. at the Ellicottville Town Center, 28 Parkside Drive in Ellicottville, NY (Cornell Cooperative Extension building). This meeting welcomes all community members and interested parties to learn more about the project, to ask questions, and to get involved.

Donations can be made to Ellicottville Skate Park Fund at CRCF, 301 North Union St., Suite 203, or online at cattfoundation.org.