SPECIAL SHORTS
(05/08/2009) By Gerlind Dubey

Mother’s Day is celebrated with lot of enthusiasm in over 46 countries across the globe. To understand this holiday and what it really means, you need to understand the person in your life called Mother. This is the day to stop, remember, and pray for that special person in our life. Happy Mothers Day

The Hummingbirds are back! Fill those feeders.

The Salamanca Garden Club meets this Monday May 11 at 7 pm at the United Methodist Church at 143 Broad St. All interested gardeners are invited to join. The club hosts its annual “Spring Bulb Show and Plant Swap” there will also be a talk on updated information on “Suitable Plants For Containers”. Sign ups for container parties at Sinn Valley and trip to Bockmiers Nursery for shrub information and tour. Exchanging Plants and Flowers Is The Neighborly Thing To Do!
Space Still Available For Creative Writing Workshop… The Cattaraugus County Arts Council still has several spots available for participation in “Writing Between the Lines”: Your Story in Poetry and Prose. This is a four session class that takes place Tuesdays, 6-8 pm on May 19, 26 and June 2 and 9. This class will take participants on an artistic journey of a different kind this spring through the medium of writing. CCAC’s newest instructor, Elizabeth Thompson, will guide this class through writing exercises and activities designed to transform memories into narrative poetry and prose. Each session will be interactive and will include readings from published writers, writing exercises, free writing, speed writing, and more. No previous creative writing experience necessary and sharing of personal work will be voluntary. Class size is limited. Call the Arts Council to register at 716-372-7455 or email artscouncil@verizon.net. The fee is $40 for Arts Council members or $50 for nonmembers. Writing Between the Lines: Your Story in Poetry and Prose takes place at CAPS (Community Art and Pottery Studio) located at 80 North Fourth Street, Allegany. CAPS is a program of the Cattaraugus County Arts Council, an independent nonprofit organization providing quality arts programs and services for ten years.

“The Cattaraugus County Bicentennial History 1808-2008”…. revised edition coffee table book is heading to the printer; books will be available by the summer of 2009.

Bicentennial Overage…The Cattaraugus County Bicentennial ended with the burial of a time capsule on March 11 2009.However there is still memorabilia available at the County Museum. Available are : historical postcard collections on DVD (county wide ,Allegany, Ellicottville, Franklinville, Hinsdale, Leon, Little Valley, Salamanca, Persia/Gowanda); Recipes and Remembrances Cookbook” by the Dept. of Aging; tee-shirts )sizes small through 4X). The price per item is 4.00 dollars per item plus shipping. Contact the Cattaraugus County Museum, P.O. Box 352, Machias, New York 14101 –email- www.scfellows@cattco.org

Holiday Valley is proud to offer the Phil Ritson-Mel Sole Golf School again this
summer. Having been fortunate enough to experience this three day school, I have personal proof in the improvement of my game- my confidence level and mental attitude. The Phil Ritson-Mel Sole Golf School is consistently named one of America’s top 5 golf schools and the best golf school value by Golf Magazine. The three day Golf School is available Tuesday through Thursday or Friday through Sunday. The cost of Golf School with 2 nights of lodging at the Inn at Holiday Valley is $695. Golf school with a golf package is $799, including lodging, additional golf, some meal vouchers and an arrival gift. The commuter rate for Golf School is $495.  One and two day programs are also available, as are private hourly lessons and on-course playing lessons. For more information and reservations call 800-624-4653 or go to www.ritson-sole.com.

Elkdale Country Club…- don’t forget to sign-up for the men’s or women’s President Cup- The Presidents Cup is a series of 18 hole matches between members over the course of the season. The Ladies of Elkdale also have a 9 hole Vice-Presidents Cup. The scoring system of these events is Singles Match Play. Match play is one of the main forms of competition in golf. It pits players one against another, rather than one against the field as in stroke play. Opponents compete to win individual holes, and the player who wins the most holes wins the match... … The Club is open for lunch every day along Wednesday Prime Rib Night, Friday dinners and Sunday Breakfast.
Nature Groups Hosting Mother Earth Day…Spring is a great time to take your child out to enjoy nature closer to home. This Saturday, many local area nature groups are hosting the annual Mother Earth Day in Olean NY. The event is all about nature!  These local groups bring nature closer to children by offering displays, information, and up close experiences with wild animals.  Live owls and hawks from Hawk Hideaway will be on display.  The Old Red School House will show exotic reptiles and snakes.  Displays of local trees and wildflowers and demonstrations on how to identify them will be offered by Pfeiffer Nature Center.  Representatives from the SPCA will also be on hand.  Local scout groups will be selling Girl Scout cookies. The event will be held on Saturday, May 9 from 10 AM – 5 PM at War Veterans Park, 551 East State St in Olean, NY For more information, please contact Pfeiffer Nature Center at 716-933-0187.

Playback Theatre of Buffalo To Perform At Springville Center for the Arts…Save the date!  Playback Theatre of Buffalo is coming to the Springville Center for the Arts, 37 North Buffalo Street, on Sunday, May 17 at 2 pm.   Playback is a form of improvisational theatre performed by a small troop of actors who “play back” real life stories shared by members of the audience.  The actors listen for the heart of each story and then act it out, improvising movement and dialogue, sound and visual imagery to bring that story to life. Whether your tale is comic or serious, the experience of seeing your own story acted out is pure magic.  Call 592-9038 for tickets to this powerful and moving experience.  Tickets are $10 general admission, $8 for students or seniors.
Seed Swap Saturday May 9 at Tickletown Trust and Trade, food networking through seed saving. Tickletown Trade and Trust will hold its annual seed swap this Saturday starting at 4 pm. Bring open pollinated homegrown seeds, perennials, tree seedlings, etc. to swap and sell. To learn more about seed saving there will be a fun workshop hosted by Richard Price, who will educate us on the how- to and why of growing your own seeds. Lois and friends celebrate the earth with a monthly signature Full Moon potluck dinner which falls that same night, Join Lois and her friends at the Full Moon gathering at 6 P.M. If you have any questions, please contact Lois at 945-5460 or email at: tickletown@gmail.com.

THE OLD VIRGIN… In a tiny village on the Irish coast lived an old lady, a virgin and very proud of it. Sensing that her final days were rapidly approaching, and desiring to make sure everything was in proper order when she dies, she went to the town’s undertaker (who also happened to be the local postal clerk) to make the proper “final” arrangements. As a last wish, she informed the undertaker that she wanted the following inscription engraved on her tombstone: “BORN A VIRGIN, LIVED AS A VIRGIN, DIED A VIRGIN” Not long after, the old maid died peacefully. A few days after the funeral, as the undertaker-postal clerk went to prepare the tombstone that the lady had requested; it became quite apparent that the tombstone that she had selected was much too small for the wording that she had chosen. He thought long and hard about how he could fulfill the old maid’s final request, considering the very limited space available on the small piece of stone. For days, he agonized over the dilemma. But finally his experience as a postal worker allowed him to come up with what he thought was the appropriate solution to the problem. The virgin’s tombstone was finally completed and duly engraved, and it read as follows: “RETURNED UNOPENED”