By Carol Fisher-Linn
Part II
As we wrap up the holidays and you have a chance to put up your feet, we will conclude our 2025 season highlights. Last week we brought you from January and the 100-year anniversary of WJTN Radio in Jamestown, through May and the announcement of grand plans for the Hotel Lenhart in Bemus Point and the continuous, steadfast improvements to Holiday Valley Resort in Ellicottville.
June, 2025: Readers were informed of the $2M renovation for the Wingate by Wyndham in Ellicottville to be transformed into the Huntley House Hotel and Griffis Sculpture Park introduced their new Memory Café in Ashford. Chautauqua Institution introduced their upcoming summer season. EBC celebrated their 30th anniversary and Lakewood announced their first “Rock the Lake” Summer Music Series.
July: We celebrated the announcement of one of Ellicottville’s Olympians’, Jillian Vogtli’s induction into the Greater Buffalo Sports Hall of Fame. Ellicottville received a $1M Empire State Development grant for the infrastructure surrounding the 1887 Building and the Gin Mill announced it’s for-sale status at $9.5M.
August: We welcomed the newly opened Bear Creek Lake Resort in Franklinville; Enchanted Mountains Canna opened at 24 Washington Street along-side Blue Collar Workwear in Ellicottville and Anzivino’s Sweets and Boutiques at 8 Washington in Ellicottville celebrated their first-year anniversary.
from a ribbon cutting
at the Seneca Niagara
Casino’s grand opening
12/31/2002. Today The
Seneca Nation runs
three Class III gaming
facilities in WNY.
September: Buffalo Wing Fest was celebrated this year in Sahlen’s Field, Cuba Garlic Festival celebrated their 20thannual event, HoliMont hosted “Good for the Soul” comedy show to benefit mental health awareness and the Raven and Rune Tavern opened in Jamestown.
October: Villaggio celebrated its 10-year anniversary in Ellicottville, Amherst singer and songwriter, Cami Clune who was once a semi-finalist on NBCs The Voice and sang the National Anthem at a Buffalo Bills game, visited Ellicottville at Mill Street’s Sports Pub. Revolution Bike Tours out of the Village of Cattaraugus began, Mila and Trey Clauss completed their purchase of the City Garage ski shop building on Monroe Street in Ellicottville, and Mud Sweat N’Gears celebrated their 25th anniversary. The Thriller Dancers held their 10th annual Halloween performance on Monroe Street presented by Villaggio and Holiday Valley’s President and General Manager Dennis Eshbaugh was spotlighted by NYSkiBlog. Mill Street Sports Bar was approved to become an official Bills Backer Bar! We shared the good news, the beloved Ellicottville Depot has been purchased by the Crook family, owners of the Bar-Bill Restaurant in East Aurora.
November: Holiday Valley was ranked #4 Ski Resort by SKI magazine Readers Survey 2025-26. The Old Library Inn in Olean celebrated new ownership (you have read about the new owners before in The Villager, Jess Anderson and Mike Bysiek, one of their first projects together was the Kelly House and Timberline Lodge in Ellicottville). The Carol Mongerson Theater, a re-purposed church located on 37 N. Buffalo Street in Springville recently reopened. Arts, Cloth and Crafts presented a fashion show at the Reg Lenna Theater in Jamestown.
NYS Ski Racing Association (NYSSRA) announced appointment of Ellicottville native, Caitlin Croft as Executive Director.
December: Bob McCarthy’s 20th annual Irish Christmas Event took place in EBC in Ellicottville, MTA (Mike Thorton Agency) presented “A Christmas Carol” at the Robert H. Jackson Center’s Cappa Theatre in Jamestown. Ellicottville’s St. Paul’s Lutheran Church welcomed new Rev. Mark Swanson from Jamestown. Holiday Valley had a fantastic opening day on December 5 followed by HoliMont, December 13 as well as the 30th annual Ellicottville Christmas Stroll.
Wishing everyone a new year filled with hope, peace, joy, happy memories and gratitude. Welcome 2026!
(2025 was filled with too many highlights and features to fit in one article. If you missed the first part of this 2 part series, see last week’s edition of The Villager online www.thevillagerny.com for more highlights of 2025.)