The following you tube has captured the fireworks that took place in Mayville, which is county seat of Chautauqua County. This was from 2009.

In the video you can see a small section of red on the left hand side of the image. This is part of the traditional” lighting of the flares.” Flares are lit around the entire beachfront of the lake. No small task, but its taken place for many years. The eerie red light from the flares adds a beauty and mystery to the night.

My only experience of fireworks on Chautauqua Lake were at the Chautauqua Institution. I could barely see the fireworks from mayville but the red light of the flares along the lake and the sounds of music floating down to the lake shore were an image that I will remember for a long time.

photo credit: WIlly Volk

The 131st season opened June 25, 2010 and will close August 29, 2010. And although the summer season closes in late August the community is open all year round. It just operates at a quite pace without a gate fee and planned activities. For further information on off-season activities check the Lily Dale off-season link.

The lily Dale summer programs include lectures, workshops and other activities featuring best-selling authors.  Leaders in academic and scientific research into psychic phenomena, as well as the world’s most powerful mediums, teachers and healers participate in the programs and activities offered.

Lily Dales Daily Summer schedule for June 25, 2010 – August 29, 2010

8:30 am Meditation Service in the Healing Temple
10:00 am Healing Service in the Healing Temple Saturday only
10:30 am Healing Service in the Healing Temple Monday – Friday only
11:30 am Video Presentation in the Library
Noon Healing Service in the Healing Temple Sunday only
1:00 pm *Message Service at Inspiration Stump
2:30 pm Guest Speaker and Clairvoyant in the Auditorium
4:00 pm *Message Service at Forest Temple Monday – Saturday
5:30 pm *Message Service at Inspiration Stump
7:00 pm Healing Service in the Healing Temple

* In the event of inclement weather, the service will be held in the Auditorium.

There are also weekly events scheduled. Further information can be found at the Lily Dale home page.

One other attraction of Lily Dale is the beautiful architecture and winding paths and gardens on the grounds. Cassadage Lake also lines one section of the grounds.

Whether you visit Lily Dale for spiritual reasons or to enjoy the scenery and businesses located on the grounds it’s day that you will remember.

These images are from an old souvenir pamphlet handed out for the community. The pamphlet was not dated but the images show a town that I do not remember. Many of the images have the old trolley cars still running the streets.

Photographic Images pictured

The Erie Railroad depot is pictured on the bottom. The building was elegant and the station handled many trips during the day. The importance of the railroad for manufacturing and shipping lead to the vast variety of products produced in the area. At the time this pamphlet was assembled the Erie railroad was the only truck line direct to Jamestown and Chautauqua. The railroad also had a direct line the Buffalo and Niagara falls.

The railroad had Pullman parlor cars and the train roadbed was made of stone ballast, which made the rail line relatively free from dust.

The image on the right is the City Hall and the photo on the left is the Office of the American Aristotype Company.

Jamestown was one of the larger cities in Chautauqua County and its industry shaped the history and culture of the city and surrounding towns and villages.

photo credit: Putneypics

Maple syrup buckets hanging from trees have become a sign of spring in the Chautauqua County area and nearby counties. Collecting maple syrup has been a tradition passed down through generations and taught to the American settlers by the American Indians.

Growing up in this area my family would tap the male trees on out property. After school we would collect the sap from the buckets and store it in milk can until we had a free night from after school activities or the weekend.

The sap would be boiled outside until it was quite thick and brought in the house for the final cooking.

Unfortunately one year the canvas tent caught on fire that covered our boiling pan. That was a little inconvenient and added stories that would be told in later years. But the really big event was the night my brother and a few friends decided to boil sap all night long.

Of course they fell asleep and the boiling pan was ruined. Now, that was not a funny story as the pan was expensive to replace. Maple syrup was produced by the family for several more years until we grew up and moved onto other projects.

Fresh maple syrup is wonderful in the spring and once in a while we would make maple butter or maple candy. It became a symbol of spring and we would look forward to the season – even if it was a lot of work.

If you live in the Chautauqua County area and would like to check out Maple Weekend check out the site for more information. You will be able to watch sap being boiled and various other stages of maple syrup production.

The Birmingham was made from 1921-1923.  It was a 55 hp Continental-engined six on a 124-inch wheelbase with standard components used throughout.  But it had a most unusual flexible suspension system.

Three transverse springs and an independent rear axle were combined with two transverse springs in front that made for a four-wheel independent suspension and the “easiest riding car ever put on the market,” as advertising said. But as with many automobiles getting the Birmingham on the market and creating sales was the hard part.

The first Birmingham prototype sedan was completed and tested in Detroit in May of 1921. Jamestown N.Y. had already been selected as the factory site. The mayor of Jamestown, Samuel A. Carlson, agreed to serve as president of Birmingham Motors Corporation. He agreed to accept no salary for the position because he believed production of the Birmingham would benefit the town of Jamestown much like what the Franklin had done for Syracuse or what Ford had done for Detroit.

Five cars were assembled in nearby Falconer by early 1922. These joined the other two cars previously put together in Detroit. These cars then were displayed in as many as 50 cities. One city was New York City for the National Automobile Show, which was held in January 1922.

Stock was selling quickly for the new company but a defamatory article about the company had appeared in the stock market publication, known as the U.S. Investor.

Initially it was thought this malicious piece of journalism could be turned to Birmingham’s advantage. But in August 1922 the AP wire service buzzed with the news that a Federal grand jury in Washington had filed a presentment following a 10-month investigation by the U.S. Post Office. The charge was fraudulent use of the mails to sell more than $300,000 of worthless stock. 18 Birmingham men were named ion the named action including Mayor Samuel Carlson. Newspapers that were not friendly to Carlson had a field day with these charges.

Production continued and during the next two months Birmingham assembled 26 cars. But a stockholders meeting in October ended in bedlam, with one local stock salesman stabbed to death.

In June of 1923, the indictment against Birmingham officials was dismissed in court but the damage was done. To generate favorable publicity, a Duesenberg-engined Birmingham racecar was built to compete in the 1923 Indianapolis 500. But with all the controversy and slacking sales the money ran out before it could be completed. In December of 1923 the company was forced to close.

One final attempt was made in 1924 to revive the Birmingham as a new car to be called the Wright for the Canadian market. This plan fell apart quickly.

There were as many as 50 Birmingham vehicles built during the short life of the company. Records for the company are difficult to find so tracking cars has proven to be impossible. None of the cars are believed to exist today.

photo credit: whizchickenonabun

The Jammer’s  are a local a minor league baseball team and classified as a is the Short-Season team. They are an affiliate of the Florida Marlins and play in the New York – Penn League.

The Jamestown Falcons, who were originally called the Jamestown Jaguars, preceded the Jamestown Expos. The Expos left in 1993 for a new location in Vermont. The current team is the Jamestown Jammers and they have played and entertained the crowds since 1994.

The new team was named the “Jammers” after a fan vote with the mascot character named J.J. Jammer.

The question of what is a jammer plagued the team year after year so in the offseason of 2005, the Jammers changed their logo to a cartoon grape theme.

The new logo represents the strong tradition of grape growing in Chautauqua County. On June 19,2006, the eve of opening day, the team announced the name of its new mascot: Bubba Grape, the Baseball Ape. This officially put an end to the jammer question.

The Jammers’ radio affiliates are WKSN, which carries all away games, and WRFA-LP, who carried four home games in 2007. In an effort to draw people to the ballpark, the team does not usually allow home games to be broadcast on the radio.

But unless it’s pouring why not head out to the ballpark and enjoy the music, hot dogs and atmosphere of a baseball game? There always seem to be one or two surprises at a live game.

Note: Jamestown has had a baseball franchise in the New York-Penn League since its inception as the PONY League in 1939. It just goes to show baseball is still one of America’s favorite past-times.

Photo courtesy of Snowflake Festival

Normally the Festival is held the first Sunday in February but with the Super Bowl this Sunday the event was moved up one day. The event offers events for all ages and also brings to mind, Roger Tory Peterson. Peterson was best known for his book, A Field Guide to the Birds. Peterson’s studies of birds and nature are world renown.

Roger Tory Peterson

Roger Tory Peterson’s life wok with nature and bird watching has affected people worldwide. Best known for A Field Guide to the Birds, his efforts led to 52 other field guides and a life rich in teaching, art and instilling a love of nature that hopefully would be passed from generation to generation.

Peterson was born in Jamestown, N.Y. on aug.28, 1908. He always had a passion for nature, insects and birds. His mother noticed and encouraged is interest.

In 1920, at the age of 11, one of his teachers, Blanche Hornbeck, enrolled her class at the Junior Audubon Club. During school she would take them into the nearby forest where she taught them about art, science and writing. She also taught them about birds. Peterson’s interest was further piqued and he began drawing birds.

In the next few years he became interested in birds, moths and photography. He continued with photography and drawing throughout high school. He graduated form Jamestown High School in 1925 at the age of 16 with a degree in design and mechanical drawing.

In 1926 he left Jamestown to attend the Art Students League and then the National Academy of Design 1929. In 1931 Peterson began teaching art and natures studies in Boston. While in Boston he met Frances H. Allen, an editor at Houghton Mifflin Company. Peterson showed him the book he was working on, A Field Guide to the Birds. Allen felt the book was a one of a kind field guide and offered to produce the manuscript. Two thousand copies were made and within two weeks they were all sold out.

The Audubon Center & Sanctuary offers many nature activities, including birding throughout the year and the Snowflake Festival is a great way to experience what the center can offer to the entire family.

Below are a few of the many activities offered during the day.

1.  Build a Bluebird Nestbox with our Audubon Crew of Volunteers ($5)
2.  Children’s Crafts – featuring valentines from recycled materials (no charge)
3.  Horse-drawn Sleigh (or Wagon) Rides with Dennis Wright ($5/adult, $2/school-aged children)
4.  New Hope Assistance Program – a not-for-profit organization based in Warren PA that provides therapy dogs to people with disabilities.
5.  Tails of the Tundra Siberian husky rescue – including scooter and kick-sled demonstrations

The center is located between Jamestown, N.Y. and Warren. P.A. just off of RT 62 at 1600 Riverside Road. For more information check out the Website: Snowflake Festival 2010 .

The last postcards I found were of images drawn by Jane E. Nelson. Nelson is known for her beautiful renditions of building and scenes on the grounds of the Chautauqua Institution.

This postcard by Nelson is of the main gate of the Chautauqua Institution. For those of you not familiar with the Chautauqua Institution, it is a gated community for cultural learning located in Chautauqua County NY. The Institution provides a nine week summer schedule of learning and cultural activities for all ages.

Kellogg Hall has a long and interesting history at the Chautauqua Institution. The building originally sat a few blocks from the location it occupies today.

It was used for many years for Special Studies offices and classes. Currently it houses the Chautauquan Daily Newspaper and offices while it waits for renovation for its next use.

Jane E. Nelson has produced  a large selection of postcards of homes and scenery of the Chautauqua  grounds. She  had has  many drawing in books and currently has a 2010 Chautauqua Institution calendar at the Chautauqua Bookstore for sale.

Maple Springs is a hamlet in Chautauqua County NY. Today it is best known for Midway Park, an amusement park with a rich history in the Chautauqua and Jamestown, NY area. Midway was given its name for being “midway” in between Jamestown, NY and Westfield, NY. It was also located across the Lake From Chautauqua, a bustling center for the “Chautauqua Movement.

Maple Springs was a busy hamlet with a Railroad stop in the past. Being midway between the two towns it served as a popular rest stop. Many tourists also crossed the lake to visit Chautauqua and attend the lectures and classes given in the summer season. Their trip across the lake was provided by one of the many steam ships that sailed Chautauqua Lake.

The Whiteside Hotel was one of the popular bed and breakfast stops for the travelers. The porches were a popular resting place on a hot day while waiting for transportation or to continue on to their next vacation stop.

photo credit: r_bowley

Sitting along Lake Erie and Pennsylvania’s Northern border, Chautauqua County is an area that many people do not know about. But if you look into New York history, Chautauqua County has a diverse history that dates back to several Indian nations, founding exploration and the beginning of the Chautauqua movement.

Chautauqua County has been the home of many famous people including Roger Tory Peterson, former Governor Ruben Fenton, Lucille ball, Natalie Merchant and Buffalo Bills player, Shane Conlan

The following you tube will show the variety of Chautauqua County and its quaint towns and villages. I have always found the architecture in these towns to be inspiring. Each town seems to have it own area of interest. If you look closely at the buildings in Jamestown NY you will see many stained glass windows, Lily Dale has a vintage flair while the town of Chautauqua has a touch of almost every architectural style imaginable.

And while I tend to favor the summer and spending time at one of the five lakes or walking one of the many trails, winter offers a wide variety of winter sports.

Mayville, NY will host it’s winter festival “President’s Day Weekend Ice Castle Extravaganza ” in February. The building of the Ice Castle has been a tradition for many years. There are Sleigh rides offered on weekends through the quaint winding streets of the Chautauqua Institution and the ski resort, Peek-n-Peak near Findley Lake, has both winter events and summer activities.

Growing up near and area that offers so much makes me tend to overlook what all the area has to offer. I am reminded when I watch a video or entertain friends from out of town.