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August 24, 2011

Ellicottville Fall Festival 2011 - The Oktoberfest

Celebrate the tastes and sounds of fall at the 2011 Fall Festival in Ellicottville, New York. The annual event, also known as the Oktoberfest, takes place on October 8 and 9, 2011. It is the oldest and largest Festival in Ellicottville and for good reason; the fall color is at its peak. Tens of thousands of festival goers make for a fun weekend of unique foods, Arts show, Crafts show, curb market, carnival rides, live entertainment, mountain bike race, a 5K and much more. In addition to all of the events, many of the local restaurants and shops have sales and special items throughout the weekend. It is well worth the trip with all of the activity and fun planned over the weekend.

ACTIVITIES

There are activities at the festival for all ages. From downtown Ellicottville to Holiday Valley Resort to around the county; you would be hard pressed to not find something fun to do. A full schedule will be available closer to the event at the Holiday Valley Resort website of the Village of Ellicottville's website. The following is a list of activities at the festival:

Holiday Valley Resort
Take a trip to Holiday Valley resort and check out their Mountain Coaster, Sky High Adventure Park or take a chairlift ride up the Mardi Gras ski lift to see the hills of Ellicottville ablaze with fall color. There will also be some great sale items in their tent sale along with a ski swap. For those looking for some adventure, there will be a 5K run and a mountain bike race.


Chair lift ride

The ride up the Mardi Gras chair lift is just $2 (money is donated to various causes around Ellicottville) from noon to 4 PM both Saturday and Sunday, weather permitting. At the top of Mardi Gras you can enjoy live music, delicious hot dogs or sausages, cold beer and cider and the spectacular view overlooking the valley full of the fall color. Music will be playing at the base area of the resort and at the Cabana bar as well.

5K Run
The 5K Running Race starts at 10 AM on Saturday, with registration at 9 AM at the Clubhouse Chalet. The course starts down Holiday Valley Road to 219 south, loops around the Ellicottville school and back to Holiday Valley. Beware of the monster hill at the finish! For more information on the 5K run go to heartrateup.com.  

Mountain Bike Race
The Mountain Bike Race starts at 10 AM on Sunday, with registration at 8:30 AM at the Holiday Valley Resort Training Center. The 5 mile route goes up the work road to the top of Holiday Valley then the singletrack begins across the top of the resort and down through the woods. The climb up definitely needs a low gear. It is a very challenging course and you can choose from 4 different divisions which range from one to 4 laps. For more information on the race go to heartrateup.com.

Tent Sale
The "Bargains Beyond Belief" Mountain Shop Tent Sale is located on the Holiday Valley Resort plaza, slopeside of the Clubhouse Chalet, on your way to the chairlift rides. Sale hours are Friday 4 PM to 8 PM, Saturday 9 AM to 5 PM and Sunday 9 AM to 3 PM. Check out the great deals! There will be golf items and more!

Ski Swap
The Ski Swap benefits the Holiday Valley Race, Freestyle and Snowboard Teams. You're encouraged to bring in your old equipment or gently used clothing and helmets and exchange for new or used.The Swap takes place on October 7, 8 and 9 at the Creekside Lodge. Sale Hours are: Friday 4 – 8 PM, Saturday 9 AM – 5 PM and Sunday 10 AM – 2 PM.

If you would like to sell items, the resort requests that you please drop them off on Friday from 4 – 8 PM or Saturday from 9 – 12 AM. You will have to pick up any unsold items on Sunday from 3-5 PM, otherwise they will be discarded. For more information on the swap call Mike Nenno at 716-378-1000 or email mnenno1@roadrunner.com.

Downtown Ellicottville
Downtown Ellicottville will be full of action. The street will be full of tents, carnival rides, arts and crafts shows and people. Take a stroll around town and enjoy the festival. All of the unique shops, restaurants and bistros will be open as well. Many of the pubs, restaurants bistros will have live music.

Food Court
The Food court will be open on Friday from 6 pm to 12 am and Saturday from 10 am to 10 pm, with a full variety of foods and tastes of the season.  

Craft Show
The craft show and sale will be Saturday from 10 am to 5 pm on Jefferson street. Check out some of the local talent at the craft show. There will be some great items for sale.

Art Show
Western New York is home to many talented artists and sculptors. The art show also be on Saturday from 10 am to 5 pm on Washington and Jefferson streets. The art is for view and the artist will have items for sale. Support the local artist and stop by the show.

Curbside Market
The curbside market is on Saturday from 10 am to 5 pm by the visitors center and Monroe street. There are a large number of vendors with some great sale items. Stroll through the tents and find some great deals.

Carnival Rides
The Carnival rides will be open  from 11 am to 6 pm on Saturday. Check out all of the fun! There will be rides for kids of all ages.

Live Music
There will be live music all weekend at many of the pubs and restaurants in town, including the Double Diamond, The Gin Mill, Balloon's Restaurant and more.

Application form to enter the art show, craft show or curb side market: Fall Festival show / market Entry Form

Around the county
Pumpkinville
Pumpkinville has something for everyone. A full day of fun! Pumpkinville has plenty of treats; with a barbeque pit chicken, fresh pressed apple cider, home-made pumpkin and caramel ice cream, home-made deserts and pies, fudge, maple products, pumpkin doughnuts and more. Checkout the farm animals, hay rides, the cow train ride, the corn cannon, pony rides and storyland. Select times there are helicopter rides. There is an apple barn and mill, painted pumpkins and local artist gift shop. And Pick up some pumpkins! From downtown Ellicottville, just follow the signs to the farm just south of town. The farm is located at:

4844 Sugartown Road
Great Valley, NY 14731
Telephone: 716-699-2205
Website: http://www.pumpkinville.com/

Hall's Produce
Stop by Hall's produce to pick up some pumpkins, squash, dried corn, gourds and other all items. The local produce stand has quality produce and is just down the road from Ellicottville. Take route 219 south for 3.6 miles and the farm and stand are on the left side of the road. Great prices!!!

Take a trip and enjoy the festival. There is so much to enjoy in Ellicottville during this fantastic annual fall event. The hills are full of color, the streets are full of music, fun and people, the stores and tents are full of sales and the smell of great food is flowing from the restaurants. The tradition of Oktoberfest is alive, celebrating the fall season!

4 comments:

RV said...

Don’t forget about the Rock City Park 2011 4th Annual Gem-Mineral-Fossil Show on October 8th, 9th and 10th!

Teeny46 said...

How bad is the traffic from Buffalo? Any suggestions on the prettiest way to drive to Ellicotville this time of year?

Rusted Windmill said...

Traffic from Buffalo is not too bad. The quickest, and still scenic, route from Buffalo is to take Route 219 south. The scenic part starts in Springville, where the 4 lane highway becomes a 2 lane highway. There are nice bridges and rolling hills south of Springville all the way to Ellicottivlle. You can also take 62 South to 39 East (to Springville) then 219 south or 62 South to 353 South to 242 East into Ellicottville, but they will take you further West and a little more time. Have a great trip!

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