Carol Fisher-Linn
Now in its 49th year, the Fall Festival in Ellicottville beckons visitors from near and far. Imagine that first event in 1976! I remember the man at the Big Red Apple (yes, it was built like a great big, shiny, round red apple) dispensing candied apples on the four corners in front of the Historical Building. I would let my older children, aged 8 and 10, wander about with a reminder to meet me and their younger sister there at a designated time to get a candy apple and walk a block-and-a-half home. Imagine, everybody knew everybody and we parents could trust that our children would be safe enjoying themselves without us. It was a community party – great time for the kids to meet and enjoy the festival together. There was more for the kids to do back then. We even bought our pets! Of course, the “crowds” were nothing like they are today, so we could easily find them if we needed them. The good and bad of progress!
1976 was quite a year in the world. That was the year the first Concorde flights took place from London and Paris (1/21/76) flying well over the sound barrier at 1,250 mph. Air travel time was cut by more than half! Imagine! They flew for 27 years with only one fatal accident in 2000 but they were all retired in 2001.
In 1976, the theme song from “Welcome Back, Kotter” was the #1 song in America. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iTZ2k3u-HqA Sing along with me, “Welcome back, your dreams were your ticket out …” On a terrible note, the dreaded Ebola Virus devasted the Sudan (which is still today suffering a humanitarian crisis. Imagine! Some things never change). The Sex Pistols appeared in Manchester, England, helping to launch the punk era. The first women were inducted into the Naval Academy, and women were enrolled at West Point for the first time in history. Don’t you wonder what will happen to our women in the military today? (Some things go backward.) On the seventh anniversary of Apollo 11 lunar landing, Viking 1 successfully landed on the surface of Mars. It’s hard to believe we still haven’t gotten there. NASA unveiled its first space shuttle, the Enterprise. The New Jersey Supreme Court ruled that Karen Ann Quinlan, who had been in a vegetative state for months could be disconnected from her ventilator. Today, NYS is hoping to pass the M.A.I.D. (Medical Aid In Dying legislation – https://lawreview.syr.edu/maid-in-new-york-medical-aid-in-dying-act-awaits-governors-decision/. Steve Jobs (age 21) and Steve Wozniak (age 26) formed Apple Computer in California. No, they did not build the first computers in his garage. (See The Guardian Dec. 2014)
What were you doing in 1976? Have you been here for all 49 years of fall festivals or are you discovering Ellicottville for the very first time? Perhaps you celebrated with us at Holiday Valley pre-1976 where the annual Octoberfest featured an art show and a Bavarian band. Around the same time, Dennis Signore held an annual antique show in the village and several of the women in the village thought it might be fun to have the art show in tandem with the antique show in town. Thus, it began. Within no time, the antique/art show turned into a full-fledged festival with our own Bavarian Band on a flatbed in front of the Post Office. OoomPah! It was always fun to have goulash at The Barn Restaurant, or lamb at the Birdwalk. Who remembers visiting the Buffalo Ranch on Horn Hill? It was home to largest herd of Buffalo this side of the Mississippi! One of the memories frequent Fall Fest visitors have is the nightmare traffic getting here and the parking nightmare once you entered the village. Good luck with the traffic, but there is now free community parking (heading south, turn left at the Kwik Fill – up a block + on the right) with several charging stations and quick, easy access to the village.
Please be extra courteous while you are guests in our community. Enjoy the fall colors and the amazing flowers that beautify our street corners. These flowers are a result of our hard working volunteer Alley Katz so please respect their efforts as you are welcome to enjoy them. Let’s make it fun for everyone, especially for those who are working the event- many are doing it for charitable causes. Be kind and enjoy Ellicottville. As Josh Allen says: “Be good, do good, God bless and Go Bills!