The Beat

Chautauqua, N.Y. (July 10, 2020) — Voters in the latest USA Today 10Best Readers’ Choice contest have spoken: Chautauqua, New York, boasts America’s “Best Small Town Cultural Scene.” The announcement was made at 10best.com at 12 p.m. EDT today.

“It’s a tremendous honor for Chautauqua to win this national contest, especially among such an amazing array of fellow nominees. We’re so grateful to all of our dedicated community members here in Chautauqua County and all over the country for helping in this effort,” said Michael E. Hill, president of Chautauqua Institution. “We’re immensely proud of the cultural scene we provide at Chautauqua Institution: We explore the best in human values and uplift art and voices that our world needs to see and hear. This is further affirmation that the work we do matters.”
Town of Chautauqua Supervisor Don Emhardt agrees. “This recognition is extra special because it suggests Chautauqua is not only a great place to visit, but it’s also a wonderful place to live year-round,” Emhardt said.

Chautauqua, N.Y. -  Chautauqua Institution is pleased to share that a panel of experts and USA Today 10Best editors have chosen Chautauqua as a nominee for their 2020 Readers' Choice award for the “Best Small Town Cultural Scene” category.

The public is invited to vote daily from June 1 to June 29 for Chautauqua, one of 20 nominees. All votes can be submitted by individuals who are at least 18 years old by going to vote.chq.org…

Jamestown, N.Y. – Due to the ongoing COVID-19 situation, the National Comedy Center has announced that it will be rescheduling the 30^th annual Lucille Ball Comedy Festival in Jamestown, NY, originally scheduled for August 5-9, 2020, to the same weekend in 2021: August 4-8, 2021, in order to ensure the health and safety of festival attendees, staff and volunteers. This precautionary measure was taken in consideration of CDC, federal, state and regional guidelines for the presentation of large group events.

Jamestown, New York loves Lucille Ball! It’s the “First Lady of Comedy’s” hometown and you can find tributes to her all over the city, including through the new, National Comedy Center Anywhere online platform. Enjoy this virtual hometown tour from the comfort of your home! The official Lucille Ball Hometown Tour is a guided experience that features even more stops and occurs every year during the Lucille Ball Comedy Festival, happening August 5-9, 2020.

Exclusive Museum Content Now Available for Viewing at Home

Jamestown,  NY – April 16, 2020 -- The National Comedy Center, the nation’s official cultural institution and non-profit museum dedicated to comedy as an art form, announced today that it has launched a new online content platform featuring exclusive content directly from its interactive comedy exhibits, as an extension of the museum during its temporary closure.

National Comedy Center Anywhere tells the story of comedy via commentary from the artists themselves, and rare archival material never-before-seen outside of the Comedy Center  -- just named the “Best New Museum in the Country” six weeks ago by USA Today, and named to TIME magazine’s “World’s Greatest Places” in 2019. …

Chautauqua County, N.Y. – In light of social distancing mandates, some of Chautauqua County's attractions are offering ways for you to engage with them online. The Chautauqua County Visitors Bureau will continue to update this list as developments occur. If you enjoy the information found in this blog post, please help support the local tourism economy by sharing it with your friends and family via Facebook or email. 

Westfield, NY – Five & 20 Spirits & Brewing would like to announce that we have officially begun production of hand sanitizer at our facility in Westfield, NY, with a main focus of donating to departments of health, non-profits, local healthcare workers, our own staff, and our restaurant, bar, and distribution partners who are still hard at work to safely serve their customers. We are fortunate to have the ingredients, equipment, and processes in place to distill a product that will make a real difference in our community, and are currently following strict WHO, TTB, and FDA guidelines to ensure that the product is properly regulated.

Chautauqua County, N.Y. – As you have probably read, the Federal government has put together an economic stimulus plan—the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES). The specific details of the plan are still being formulated but the Act does seem to contain specific funding provisions for small businesses. As further information about relief programs becomes available, we will make sure we provide it to area tourism businesses.

Chautauqua, NY – The Chautauqua County Visitors Bureau wants to know and share everyone's favorite Tour Chautauqua travel memories to spark conversation, create a connection with our online community, and inspire excitement for tourism seasons to come.

Unique experiences coupled with the unrivaled natural beauty of the Chautauqua-Lake Erie Region have sustained an active flow of summer vacationers since 1874, the year Chautauqua Institution was founded. Lily Dale Assembly, the world's largest center for Spiritualism, opened its gates just five years later, and Midway State Park began operations in 1898. Today's travelers experience many of these same attractions plus summer camps their great-great ancestors once attended!…

Chautauqua County, N.Y. – New York's tourism industry mobilized on Friday, with thousands of hoteliers and other tourism businesses requesting that hotels be considered as essential services under the State's Executive Order 202.6. Working with elected officials, the NYS Hospitality & Tourism Association, and the NYS Tourism Industry Association, hotels have now been added to the list of Essential Businesses.

View the most up-to-date NYS Guidance on Whether a Business is Considered Essential, under the current restrictions. This is very helpful in determining which business are considered exempt in terms of workforce reduction order 202.6.