By Barbara Arnstein
Great plans are well underway for a sixteen-mile trail that will connect Ellicottville, Great Valley and Ashford Hollow, and extend to places such as the Holiday Valley Tubing Park and Ellicottville Central School. It will be known as the Ellicottville-Great Valley Trail and the fund-raising committee behind its development is known as the EGVT Committee.
A fundraiser, The Second Annual 5K TrailSquatch Trail Run, was held in Ellicottville on May 4th at HoliMont, America’s largest private ski resort. The event at the all-season venue had a Star Wars theme, because “May the Fourth” sounds like the beginning of the well-known Star Wars line, “May the Force Be with You”. The photo promoting the run featured two people costumed like Sasquatches (legendary, giant, shaggy creatures), who resemble the alien “Star Wars” character Chewbacca.
From 10am-noon, the participants enjoyed the beautiful running trails, rides on the Expo Chairlift and the views from above.
There were two categories: the Adult Open and the Open Junior Class, and over ninety participants came from areas all around. They included: Allegany, Buffalo, Bradford, Cheektowaga, Clarence center, Coudersport, Cuba, Ellicottville, Franklinville, Gowanda, Hamburg, Irving, Little Valley, Mayville, Olean, Perry, Randolph, and Springville, Each one received a trucker hat, medal and admission to the post-race party at the conclusion.
“The event was a great success, even with the weather!”, said Kristen Sciara, a board member of the EVGV Trail Committee. “We are so appreciative of HoliMont and all of our sponsors, for everything they do to make this event happen. We have a great group of Committee members as well, that volunteer their time not only to the event but also to moving the trail development forward.”
The EGVT Trail is meant to showcase the beauty of Ellicottville and all summer and winter activities, and could be groomed for cross-country skiing, fat biking and anything non-motorized. Primarily it is intended to give bikers, runners and walkers a better option than having to travel on the sides of roads. The hazardous conditions along Highway 219 encountered by students biking or walking to Ellicottville Central School, and other travelers there, can be seen on the website https://evgvtrail.org. The progress of the EVGV Trail can be followed on Facebook. Part of the Southern Tier Trail, it is currently in the design phase. The Southern Tier Trail will connect the Erie-Catt Rail Trail in Ashford, looping down 52 miles through Cattaraugus County to the Genesee Valley Greenway in Hinsdale. It would also connect Ellicottville to the 750-mile Empire State Trail.
The EVGV Trail Committee is really excited about the progress we are making on the trail” said Kate O’Stricker, Senior Development Specialist for the Department of Economic Development, Planning and Tourism. “We are fortunate to be able to work with the Southern Tier Trail on the design. This is a huge step for us, towards construction”. To donate online to the Cattaraugus Region Community Foundation for the development of the trail, go to cattfoundation.fcsuite.com. The Southern Tier Trail grant is funding all of the alignment and design work for the EGVT System, and the committee has applied for more grants to build sections through Ellicottville’s town park and arboretum. All donations will secure matching finds to help get grants.