SPECIAL SHORTS
(04/03/2009) By Gerlind Dubey

Peter Cottontail Express… A special event passenger excursion train with Peter Cottontail. The New York & Lake Erie Railroad announces that it will again be running the Peter Cottontail Express, on April 4th and April 11. The train will depart at noon on a 20 mile, 2 hour round-trip rail excursion with a two hour station stop over for an Easter egg hunt for children of all ages. The train will depart from the Gowanda Railroad Depot, at 50 Commercial Street and Peter Cottontail will ride along. Fares are $15 per adult, $14 for Seniors 65+, $10 per child (3-11) and children 2 and under are FREE if riding on laps. Reservations may be obtained by calling the NY&LE RR at 716-532-5716.

GOLF IS IN THE AIR- Prepare yourself! Stretch and exercise for the season ahead and remember… If you arrive at the course 15 minutes early you are already 15 minutes late!... If you’ve arrived late for your tee time, don’t start cold. Jumping out of the car into the cart and rushing to the first tee with a grip-it-and-rip-it mentality might make you rip something else! Warm –up! At the very least, grab two clubs and swing them slowly, starting small, then building up to a long, full motion. Speed isn’t the goal, but rather the size of your swing and the stretch it produces. By properly elongating your golf muscles, you’ll not only be prepared to play, but also less likely to suffer an injury.

Elkdale Clubhouse News… from the kitchen; Wednesday Prime Night begins April 22, The restaurant opens this Friday April 3rd for dinner. Lunches will start in April weather permitting.

GO FISH - Lake Lane resort in Olean has a trout pond and a bass pond plus you don’t need a license to fish! They offer bass, bullhead, perch, bluegill and various trout. They offer pole rentals and have a shop where you can purchase bait, night crawlers and essentials. For those of you who don’t like to clean your fish, they’ll do it for you! They have a rifle range, a bow range and a shotgun range. Hunting is available during seasons. For more information or to check on upcoming Derby dates, see their website, www.LakeLaneResort.com Small scale resort, big scale fish.

Pfeiffer Nature Center Spring Break Creek Walk “What’s in the Water?”
Walk the creek, collect critters (macro-invertebrates), enjoy games, see who lives in the water!  Hands on!  Feet wet! Thursday April 9 -1 PM-3 PM $5 pp Eshelman Property – 1420 Yuba Dam Rd Portville

St. Bonaventure University will host Chuck D, the recognized leader and co-founder of legendary rap group Public Enemy, for a candid discussion on “Race, Rap and Reality.” The free program is slated for 7 p.m. Friday, April 24, in the Reilly Center Arena on campus. His lecture will address serious issues that go beyond rap music, such as electoral politics, Internet file sharing, the representation of urban space and culture, and race in the media, offering his audiences a jolting combination of intelligence and eloquence. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. High schools and colleges that plan to bring a group of students to the lecture are asked to reserve seating by contacting Jonelle Massey at jhmassey@sbu.edu.

The Alzheimer’s Association, Western New York Chapter is continuing to bring free memory care assistance such as care consultations, educational classes and support groups to Cattaraugus County communities such as Olean and Machias.  All programs and services are open to the public. Free care consultations will be available the 1st Tuesday of every month in Machias from 9 – 11:30 a.m. at the Pines Rehabilitation Center, Machias Campus (9822 Route 16 in Machias).  Consultations are open to the public, but appointments are preferred.  The Machias support group is held the 2nd Friday of every month at 1 p.m. at The Pines, Schobert Conference Room (9822 Route 16 in Machias).  For more information about this support group, please call the support group facilitator, Joanie Cuff, at (716) 353-8516 ext. 4630.The 1st Tuesday of every month, free care consultations and an educational class will take place in Olean at the office of Dr. Othoniel Castro of Olean Medical Group (535 Main Street in Olean).  Consultations will take place from 12:30 – 2 p.m., and appointments are preferred.  An educational class will take place each month from 2 – 3 p.m. and will cover topics such as communication, activities, future planning and more. The Olean support group is held the last Tuesday of every month at 6:30 p.m. at St. Bonaventure Church (95 East Main Street in Olean).  For more information about this support group, please call the support group facilitator, Kathleen Ryan, at (716) 373-5994.If you would like to schedule an above program/ service at a different time/location, schedule an appointment or have questions, please call Lisa Theurer at the Alzheimer’s Association, WNY Chapter at (716) 626-0600 or toll-free at (800) 272-3900