Anne's Arts & Activities Blog

Frank L. Muto, 86, of 440 Congress St., Bradford, formerly of Bolivar Drive, passed away, Thursday, January 23, 2014, at the Bradford Regional Medical Center. Born November 22, 1927 in Rochester, NY, he was a son of the late Anthony D. and Susan (Chiapetta) Muto. In 1956 he married Virginia M.(Sweitzer) Muto who preceded him in death on June 25, 1992. Mr. Muto was a 1946 graduate of Bradford High School. He was Captain of the undefeated Football Team under Coach Pflug. He was selected to play on the Pennsylvania All State Football Team. On September 18, 1950 he enlisted in the United States Army and served as a Cpl. in Japan during the Korean War. On August 22, 1952 he was honorably discharged. He was a member of the Italian American Club, American Legion, VFW and the former Bradford Moose Lodge. He owned and operated the Option House for many years,. He was involved in Commercial Real Estate in the Bradford Area for some time. He managed the kitchen at Howard Johnson...

It's official: The owner of Kabob Kafe in Ellicottville is buying The Option House. Bradford City Council approved a $50,000 loan on Tuesday that completes the funding package he needed to buy the Main Street building from Sam Sylvester. Other money is coming from the McKean County Redevelopment Office and The North Central Regional Planning and Development Commission. Owner Sheikh Iqbal is also investing $40,000 of his own money. Debbie Huston of the Office of Economic and Community Development says the outstanding job Sylvester did in renovating the building is what attracted him to The Option House. In a news release, Huston added that Sylvester is pleased that Iqbal has decided to bring his highly popular restaurant to Bradford's Main Street as "he is a widely experienced restaurateur and caterer." She adds that over the past few months Sylvester and "Icky" -- as Iqbal likes to be called -- have developed a close personal and business relationship. Sh...

Today's Morning Buzz featured an auction to raise money for The ELF Fund, and brought in $380. The prize package included tickets to the premier of "Unstoppble," a meal at The Option House, a private meeting with actor Lew Temple, and a photograph of the meeting by Long Art Photography. While the ELF Fund folks were at the radio station, Chairman Ed Hayden talked to Scott Douglas about just a few of this year's applicants. Listen here . You can learn more about the ELF Fund at ELF Fund.org , and we'll be talking more about it -- and The Festival of Trees -- on next Tuesday's LiveLine. ~~ The Festival of Trees Annual Auction had a remarkable item awarded on WESB/WBRR Morning Buzz with Scott Douglas on Tuesday, November 9. Connie Malone was the winning bidder of the Unstoppable Movie/Dinner package for the Festival of Trees. Her winning prize is comprised of dinner for four at the Option House, four tickets to the premier showing of Unstoppable (as provided f...

The Bradford Area Chamber of Commerce is proud to announce the recipients of their 2010 Awards and the nominees honored in each category. The Option House is the first recipient of the BACC Exemplary Business Award. The BACC Exemplary Business Award is given to a for-profit business that demonstrates a well-planned, commendable, and thorough approach to business development. They must also exemplify the unique “hometown” charm of the area in their manner of administration, customer service and quality of product or service. This award covers manufacturing, industrial, tourism, hospitality, retail or service. From the moment Sam Sylvester purchased The Option House, he had a plan, dream and vision of what he could do for the hometown he loves. Through hard work, determination and perseverance, he would give back to Bradford a magnificent, historic building that was on the verge of collapse and ruin. This landmark is restored to its former glory and beyond as ...