Anne's Arts & Activities Blog

There is a plus side to all that snow in Cattaraugus County – for skiers. Holiday Valley opened this morning for skiing and snowboarding, and will be open Saturday and Sunday, too. Two lifts will be running until 10 o’clock all three nights. They start at 8:30 Saturday and Sunday morning. At least four slopes will be open, depending on how much more snow we get, and how much more they make. The slopes will be closed Monday through Thursday of next week, and then will reopen next Friday. The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

Connor James English, 21, of Warren, PA died Wednesday, March 5, 2014 as a result of injuries sustained in a snowboarding accident at Holiday Valley in Ellicottville, NY. Born on July 26, 1992, in Warren, he was the son of Gregory Allen and Beth Ann Williams English. Connor was a 2010 graduate of Warren Area High School where he was involved in baseball, football and wrestling. He was a student at the University of Pittsburgh at Bradford where he was majoring in Environmental Studies and was a member of the Ski Club and Pool League. Connor was a member of First United Methodist Church in Warren and the Pennsylvania Kinzua Pathways Club. He was loving, helpful, a good friend to many and lived life to the fullest. When he was younger, Connor enjoyed playing the saxophone and viola. He also enjoyed paintball, ping pong, camping, kayaking and fishing. Surviving in addition to his parents are his brother, Jordan Gregory English of Warren, PA, his sister, Mariel Elisabeth English of Warre...

A University of Pittsburgh at Bradford student died last night in a snowboarding accident at Holiday Valley. Connor English was a junior environmental studies major from Warren. Staff members in the Office of Counseling and Health Services are available for members of the Pitt-Bradford community in Room 226 of the Frame-Westerberg Commons. The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

Holiday Valley will be open for skiing at 8:30 Saturday morning. Three lifts and four slopes will be open until 10 p.m. The resort will also be celebrating the grand opening of the new $12 million Holiday Valley Lodge. For updates you can go to www.Facebook.com/holidayvalley . Photo provided by Holiday Valley The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

CARE kid, Damien, age 7, gets some last-minute instruction before hitting the slopes at Holiday Valley in Ellicottville, New York on Monday during CARE for Children’s ski outing for children of all abilities. Damien is pictured with Lounsbury Adaptive Ski Program volunteer ski instructors Patty Jordan-Smith (l) and Eric Marasco (r). A total of 12 children from ages six through 17 took part in the afternoon of instruction, including two children that were sit-down skiers using mono and bi ski equipment. The event, including transportation, lift tickets and lunch, was sponsored by the Port Allegany Rotary Club. Through the Lounsbury program, a chapter of Disable Sport/USA, certified, volunteer ski instructors provide expert coaching and instruction to children of varying abilities. The program also provides a wide-range of adaptive equipment to meet the needs of each individual participant. This is the ninth year that CARE for Children has offered the program. The adaptive ski outing is ...

Despite the relative lack of real snow – Holiday Valley will be opening Wednesday morning. The Yodeler and Mardi Gras lifts and the Mardi Gras, Yodeler and Candy Cane loop trails will be open from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. For more information go to http://www.HolidayValley.com/ The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

Senator Catharine Young will be hosting a roundtable discussion this Thursday with key transportation, tourism, labor, logistics, education, banking and health care officials from around the region to discuss the importance of completing the NY Route 219/Continental 1 expansion project in New York. The “Route 219: Road to Our Future” forum will focus on finding ways to improve the state, local and regional efforts for reviving the north-south expressway project that is hoped to open the region to new trade markets that will bring new jobs and economic development opportunities. A completed Route 219/Continental 1 will provide Western New York with a nationally significant trade corridor connection from Toronto to Miami using 1,300 miles of completed interstate highways. Completing approximately 20 miles of Route 219 is the essential connection for the New York State portion of the route. Senator Young, joined by members of the Western New York Legislative Delegation, will host Thursday...

Holiday Valley is holding a grand opening today for its newest summer attraction – the Sky Mountain Coaster. The uphill track is 1,865 feet long with a Vertical rise of 283 feet. The downhill track consists of 15 curves of varying length, 12 waves, 1 jump, plus a huge circle / spiral. It’s in the Sky High Aerial Park, near the Tannebaum Lodge. The Aerial Park is open daily through Labor Day, then weekends through Fall Festival. http://www.holidayvalley.com/HolidayValley/info/skyhigh.aspx

CARE for Children, along with instructors from The Lounsbury Adaptive Ski Program, offered an adaptive ski clinic at Holiday Valley Ski Resort in Ellicottville, NY on Monday. Through the Lounsbury program, a chapter of Disabled Sports/USA, certified ski instructors provide expert coaching and instruction to children of varying abilities. The program also provides a wide-range of adaptive equipment to meet the needs of each individual participant. The Lounsbury Program received a grant from the Enterprise Foundation, which funded the ski passes, lessons and lunch for the ten children taking part. Transportation and snacks were provided by the Port Allegany Rotary Club. The adaptive ski clinic is just one of many therapeutic recreation programs that CARE for Children offers kids of all abilities. For more information on this or any other service offered by CARE, visit the website at www.careforchildren.info. Photo courtesy of CARE for Children

Holiday Valley Resort announces the third annual Boarding for Breast Cancer event on February 12, 2011. Boarding for Breast Cancer is a non-profit fundraising foundation that focuses on education, especially in the areas of early detection and the value of an active lifestyle. The B4BC foundation seeks to engage youths by partnering with snow communities like Holiday Valley to raise awareness about breast cancer among young people. The Boardroom Board Shop in Ellicottville is Holiday Valley’s partner in presenting this event, and sponsors are Holiday Valley Realty/ Rental Management and Buffalo MRI. Events during the day include women’s only snowboard clinics on learning to snowboard, riding the parks, or freeriding, a ‘Breast Trick’ rail park event open to men and women, a silent auction (featuring a Danny Kass autographed snowboard), Chinese auction, music and bar specials. Participants may register for the event between 11 AM and noon in the Overlook rooms at upstairs in the Clubhou...

Holiday Valley will be opening three quad lifts and up to 10 slopes on Thursday from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m., General Manager Dennis Eshbaugh announced today in a news release. He says conditions have been excellent for snowmaking since last Friday, and they've been making snow 24 hours a day since then. Ski School West, Mardi Gras, Yodeler, Candy Cane, Laurel, Punchbowl, and Sugar Plum will be open. Independence, Lower Crystal, and Edelweiss will be added in a day or two.