Although many people often think of Holiday Valley for its skiing renown, this month the slopes will be used by the elite of another sport—Bowhunting. From August 20^th through the 23^rd, Ellicottville should be filled with thousands of extra people, as competitors come from around the world for the 2008 World Bowhunting Championships.

The Championships are an International Bowhunting Organization event. Because of this, over 2,000 competitors will come to Ellicottville from the world over. Once here, they will compete on twenty man-made courses across the Holiday Valley grounds. On these courses, competitors will stand up to forty yards away from their targets, which will be 3D models of animals.

The archer who can hit these targets the best will walk away with a World championship title. All those in the running must be qualified to enter, and additional qualifying rounds begin on the 21^st. In addition to the World title, those who make rank face other, more lucrative chances: over $200,000.00 in cash and prizes will be disbursed to the winners.

Archers who aren’t world-elite can also enjoy the weekend, thanks to Holiday Valley. The hosting resort will offer an Archery Festival during the competition dates. For forty dollars, pre-registered archers can try their hand at the same course as the World Championship competitors, but without the pressure. Additionally, a Future Bowhunters event will be run for the younger champions of tomorrow.

You can’t quite say that the circus will be coming to town on August 15^th through 17^th in Olean, but you wouldn’t be far off. With three festival-esque events all happening in the same weekend, the city’s Chamber of Commerce has brought the weekend under one title, naming the week’s end the Shuck, Rattle N’ Roll Weekend. Each part of the name represents a different component of the weekend. These components are the Community Corn Festival and Wellness Rally, the Gus Macker 3 on 3 basketball tournament, and the Rally in the Valley motorcycle event.

Exercise fiends should be well at home this weekend, considering that two of the three events involve exercise of some sort. The Olean-Bradford Family YMCA is sponsoring the first part of this weekend’s trio, The Corn Festival and Wellness Rally on August 17^th, at Gargoyle Park. True to form, some of the events the Y is offering are fun runs and bike rides. Festival goers are welcome to participate in a 5k Fun Run/Walk, or they can jump on the saddle for a sixty mile bike ride. Although the festival begins at 11 am, bike riders will be departing at 9 am. The festival also seeks to provide a good time for those not interested in running or riding, through a whole gamut of family friendly attractions. All the festival essentials made the list, including 50/50 raffles and a Basket Raffle Rally, as well as all the normal family fun like bounce houses and a bungee run, pony rides and rides in a horse drawn wagon, a dunk tank and petting zoo. The festival will also feature music by “DJ Dan Shambeda,” as well as fresh, roasted corn from Bockmier’s Corn Market, hence the name.

The Corn and Wellness Festival is not the only place in town to get a workout, though. On August 15^th Olean will also host the Gus Macker 3 on 3 basketball tournament to benefit the Olean High School Sports Booster, and the Olean City School District Foundation. First held in Lowell, Michigan in 1974, the Gus Macker tournament has grown and evolved with the times. Now America’s largest outdoor basketball tournament, the Gus Macker event aims to allow everyone to be competitive and enjoy the limelight. They go about this by using a computer to match teams up according to age, height, and experience. More than that, randomly selected teams can get passed to the Dream Court. An All-American venue, the Dream Court is a specially designed red, white, and blue court, complete with bleachers, team benches, and a synthetic court surface. While the Dream Court game is going, commentators will give a play by play from a soundstage, aiming to focus on the nicknames and personalities of players of spectators.

Of course, spectators may not be able to hear the commentary over the rumbling from across town, as the Annual Rally in the Valley motorcycle will roll into town on August 15^th. Began in 2003, this Rally has brought in an increasing number of bikers and spectators every year since. The weekend is scheduled to begin with the Friday Kick Off to the Rally, featuring the Patti Parks Blues Band. There will be even more going on Saturday, with the Bike Rodeo. The Bike Rodeo consists of a number of contests, including the slow ride, ball drop, tire toss, and hot-dog contests to demonstrate rider control. A bike show is also scheduled for Saturday, and during it all bikers can listen to the sounds of Jon Payne & Wildfire over the revving engines. Sunday will see the bikers off with a 130 mile dice-run. A 2008 Harley Davidson Candy Red Glo FxDF Dyna Fat Bob motorcycle will also be auctioned off during the weekend.

We’re not in Philly anymore. If you recall our entries from the fall about working in Philadelphia with an artist native to Olean, you’ll instantly remember the stunning images of massive building-side murals that drape the streets in Philly. World renown mural artist, Meg Saligman, launched her web site with Mellon & Co. several months ago. She has since taken her art on the road, to do yet another nationally recognized mural. This time around, the Saligman crew can be found atop scaffolding in Omaha, Nebraska, working on one of the world’s largest murals. The project, “Fertile Ground,” consists of Nebraska historical characters and events.

Mellon & Co. is working closely with Saligman and her talented marketing consultant, Sue Spolan, to maximize public relations opportunities in Omaha to bring the good news back east.

The list of media is growing, and you can find all sorts of interesting project information at www.omahamuralproject.org. The full list can be found on Saligman’s PR page.

We are extremely excited about working with such a talented artist with local roots. For information about seeing Meg’s work, contact us anytime.

If you’re a business owner in the village of Ellicottville, visit the new Shop Ellicottville web site. This is a great advertising opportunity for business owners to directly reach customers. It’s also a great way for visitors in Ellicottville to find accurate information about the businesses, including restaurants, bars, shops, and more.

Contact us or the Ellicottville Chamber of Commerce for more information.

Heidi Ofinowicz, our director of marketing services, announced that she has accepted a position at Roswell Park Cancer Institute in Buffalo, N.Y. There she will assume the role as marketing communications manager.

Heidi will remain as a marketing consultant for Mellon & Co., but will no longer be handling client accounts. All new inquiries can be directed to Rachel Drinkwalter at rachel@mellonco.com, or call our Olean office at 716.372.5996, or our Ellicottville office at 716.699.3337.

Heidi has been an integral role in our marketing communications efforts, and has helped us build a relationship with you as we’ve worked together. Although we will miss her, we are extremely excited for her new opportunity, and wish her the best in all endeavors with her new role. Feel free to send her a note of congratulations!

Mellon & Co. is pleased to announce completion and launch of Cornell University Cooperative Extension’s new Web site. The site launched in early June, and may be viewed at http://counties.cce.cornell.edu/allegany_cattaraugus.

The team at Mellon worked closely with key individuals from Cornell to build an online platform that offers improved access to diverse information about the organization and how it serves its communities.

Highlights of the site are informational resources including Cattaraugus-Allegany 4-H, agriculture, environmental opportunities, consumer science, and healthy living and wellness in the Southern Tier.

There are also unique resources that residents of Cattaruaugs and Allegany can learn about on the Web site. These include gardening and and environmental destinations, such as Nannen Arboretum, a non-profit, volunteered based organization dedicated to providing home garden and natural resource education, test plots for research, and an opportunity for nature appreciation and leisure.

Another vital resource is the Southern Tier Wellness Partnership, which provides information, education, and services surrounding diabetes, heart disease, obesity, and cancer. The Partnership provides resources and support to change the environment and policies that have become barriers for its citizens to lead a healthy lifestyle.

These items, and many others, make Cornell University Cooperative Extension a unique and valuable resource to residents of Cattaraugus and Allegany counties. Working on the planning, design, and development of the web project was enjoyable and rewarding. For more information, visit the new Web site at counties.cce.cornell.edu/allegany_cattaraugus.

June 4, 2008

Live entertainment, great giveaways and one of the most dazzling fireworks displays around are just three reasons why the Olean Area Fireworks show has been drawing crowds for over 40 years. Mellon & Co. is pleased to be a sponsor of this long-standing tradition in Olean and was happy to donate the new oleanfireworks.org website to keep the show going all year round.

Oleanfireworks.org is a comprehensive source for information about the Olean Fireworks program. The Web site details the history of the program, provides a schedule of events for the 2008 show and showcases photos from previous shows and fundraising events. It also provides information on how to support the Fireworks show. A combined effort of the City of Olean Firefighter’s Local 1796 and the WMXO/WOEN Radio Station, the fireworks are supported completely by community donations.

To raise the approximately $20,000 that is needed to put on the show, the Fire Department accepts donations year round and will soon be accepting donations electronically on oleanfireworks.org. The Web site also provides up-to-date information on local hot dog sales that support the show, a long-standing tradition of the fireworks program.

The Olean Fire Department encourages the community to come out and show its support at the next hot dog sale from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., Friday, June 13, at the Olean Area Federal Credit Union. Visit www.oleanfireworks.org to learn more.

Mellon & Co. is pleased to announce the launch of the Olean Bethany Lutheran Church website.

As one of many non-profit projects undertaken this year, OleanBethanyLutheran.org provides a way for the Church to reach out to congregation members and the public alike with features such as an online monthly newsletter and updated prayer list.

The Mellon & Co. team is pleased to see organizations like Bethany Lutheran utilizing the internet to communicate and relate to its constituents. Building an online presence is a great way for churches and other non-profits to promote their mission and connect with audiences they otherwise may not have reached. Read more about Mellon & Co.’s dedication to social responsibility.

If you are a non-profit or know of a non-profit that could benefit from a website, contact Mellon & Co. today to learn about our non-profit discounts.

Mellon & Co. Re-designs Ellicottville.com for new ERA Vacation Properties

Century 21 Town and Country of Ellicottville has a new name, a new look and has added a few new friendly faces.

And they’ve topped it off with a new website.

Ellicottville.com has been redesigned by Mellon & Co. to represent the branding of the new ERA Vacation Properties, which includes the former Hunt ERA, Century 21 Town and Country and Ellicottville Concierge offices of Ellicottville, NY. Century 21 Town and Country acquired the other offices April 1 and will now operate under the name ERA Vacation Properties.

ERA Vacation Properties is owned by Bill Soffel. Serving all of Cattaraugus and Chautauqua counties, the newly expanded company has started the process of integrating the former Hunt agents and vacation rental properties into the Ellicottville operation.

This integration can be seen on the new web site, which provides complete details and photographs of the agents’ vacation property listings along with a number of resources for both buyers and sellers. The site serves as a full-service real estate web site including property searches, mortgage information, and vacation rentals directory.

“Our focus is to brand ERA Vacation Properties as the premier real estate, vacation rental and property management company for Cattaraugus and Chautauqua Counties. Mellon & Co. understands our vision and has been instrumental in facilitating this mission,” said Joanna Dahlbeck, director of owner and guest services for ERA Vacation Properties.

The look of Ellicottville.com mirrors that of ERAvp.com, which represents the Chautauqua offices of ERA Vacation Properties. Both websites were designed by Mellon & Co. and top off a substantial list of websites developed by Mellon & Co. within the real estate industry.

Mellon & Co. has kicked off its Illustrate Your Story campaign by introducing new web sites for several organizations and individuals. Mellon & Co. donated an Illustrate Your Story web site to Nance Jackson, a local artist, preparing for Routes to Art, a Western New York open studio art tour. Additionally, the Gus Macker 3-on-3 basketball tournament, and the Olean Ancient Order of Hibernians, and Canticle Farm were approved to receive Illustrate Your Story web sites at no charge.

The sites may be viewed at www.nljackson.com, www.oleanaoh.org, www.oleangusmacker.org, and www.canticlefarm.org. For more information about Illustrate Your Story web solutions, visit www.illustrateyourstory.com.