By Darlene Brace
This Saturday, January 25, the annual Doors Open event is taking place in Jamestown from 10am-4pm. During Doors Open, you can explore everything Jamestown has to offer. This fun event has been a tradition for many years and is organized by the Chautauqua County Chamber of Commerce.
Doors Open Jamestown was established years ago to encourage the exploration of local restaurants, businesses, and area attractions. This event offers free admission at many local attractions, allowing residents to experience their community as visitors do, and it intentionally occurs during what is typically a slow time of year for these venues. Along with complimentary access, some locations may feature special activities. It’s an opportunity to discover new places while enjoying some of your local favorites.
Here are the 21 attractions that are participating this year: • Audubon Community Nature Center • Chautauqua Sports Hall of Fame • Chautauqua Youth Symphony • CHQ Chamber and Visitor Information Center • Fenton History Center • Infinity Visual & Performing Arts • James Prendergast Library • Jamestown Jackals • IntegrityFirst • Lucile M. Wright Museum • *Lucille Ball Desi Arnaz Museum • Lucille Ball Little Theatre • Martz-Kohl Observatory • Marvin Community House • *National Comedy Center• Northwest Arena • Partridge-Sheldon House by Jamestown DAR • Pearl City Clay House • Reg Lenna Center • Robert H. Jackson Center • Roger Tory Peterson Institute • Sukanya Burman Dance. Those marked with * require pre-registration on their own websites.
Many of the participation locations are in the downtown area, but a few are in other areas in Jamestown. Below is a sampling of what some of the attractions are offering that day:
including backstage, dressing rooms, WRFA-LP 107.9 F.M. radio station, the
Media Arts Studio, and more.
The Reg Lenna will be open for free tours on the half hour from 10am-2:30pm, including backstage, dressing rooms, WRFA-LP 107.9 F.M. radio station, the Media Arts Studio, and more.
Infinity Visual & Performing Arts will have an interactive stage performance, an instrument “petting zoo”, and a photo booth.
Jamestown Audubon will offer free admission, featuring the outdoor trails and the indoor facilities, including their children’s indoor nature play area with hands-on experiences.
The Roger Tory Peterson Institute will have free admission to the facility and all current exhibitions including the Helen Glazer Exhibit called Waking in Antarctica. There will be a raffle, and the curator, events manager, and other staff will be available to answer questions.
The Robert H. Jackson Center will have free admittance for self-guided tours and some activities for children. The center is still decorated as it was for the holidays, so come enjoy the beautiful sights.
The James Prendergast Library will have the Mixed Media Novel Experience, Adult Legos, a yarn station for creating tassels for the Community Seasons Tree, and open play in the Makerspace area.
Some restaurants, bars, and other local small businesses will be participating, such as Art, Cloth and Craft, 4 Below Haggy’s Bar and Grill, BioDome Project, Brazil Craft Beer and Wine Lounge, Brigiotta’s Farmland Produce, Chautauqua Art Gallery, Crown Street Roasting, HotSpot Café, Labyrinth Press Company, and Wicked Warrens Jamestown.
Participating attractions are donating some great merchandise creating four fantastic baskets that will be prizes for the online scavenger hunt quiz contest. There’s no app to join this contest. Just visit your first attraction and find the answer to their question. Then use the QR code or go to go.chqchamber.org to access your game pass on your mobile device. Just enter your contact info to get a text link. Answer the contest questions as you visit participating locations. When you have earned at least 25 points, click the “Rewards” icon and select “Claim Now” to enter the drawing. Winners will be randomly selected and notified on January 27th. A map of all the locations will be available.
For more information about Doors Open, you can visit chqchamber.org or contact the Chamber of Commerce at (716) 484-1101. This special event invites you to explore and support a variety of local attractions with many businesses to choose from. Make sure to visit your favorite locations as well as some new ones to really enjoy your experience at Doors Open Jamestown.