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.