The Beat

The 1891 Fredonia Opera House was named the 2020 WNY Arts Organization of the Year in the 7th annual Arts Services Initiative of WNY (ASI) Spark Awards competition. The awards are presented annually by the ASI to honor outstanding artists and cultural organizations in five counties of western NY, and were presented in a virtual ceremony which live streamed on YouTube Monday, Nov. 16.

The Opera House was recognized for “enhancing the cultural landscape of Chautauqua County since its grand reopening in November 1994 and creating a niche for itself as a year-round presenter of varied and quality entertainment amidst a thriving arts community.”…

Ellicottville, NY -- Holiday Valley Resort has announced plans to construct a new chairlift in 2021. The new lift is a state of the art high speed detachable quad chairlift that will replace the fixed grip Yodeler Quad, built in 2001. The new lift will be supplied by Doppelmayr USA, based in Salt Lake City, Utah. Including installation, the cost of the new Yodeler High Speed Quad is $4 million. 

As compared to the existing lift, the chairs travel uphill at a much faster rate, but they detach from the cable and go slower for loading and unloading, making it much easier for skiers to get on and off the lift. Holiday Valley currently has 3 other detachable chairlifts; Mardi Gras, Tannenbaum and Morning Star.

Ellicottville, N.Y. – The SKI Magazine Reader Resort Survey once again named Holiday Valley Resort one of the top resorts in Eastern North America. According to Dennis Eshbaugh, President and General Manager, “This is the 14^th time since 1999 that skiers ranked Holiday Valley in the top ten of over 150 resorts. Our 6^th in the East rating is a testament to our guests’ appreciation of the commitment to our continual reinvestments to maintain a top quality ski resort. We are humbled and honored by their loyalty.”…

99% of Guests Feel Safe and Recommend Visiting the Museum

Jamestown, NY – The National Comedy Center, the nation’s official cultural institution and non-profit museum dedicated to comedy, has surveyed guests who have visited the Comedy Center since it reopened its doors nearly four weeks ago and the results are in. Visitors are giving the Comedy Center high marks for LaughSafe, its new, state-of-the-art health and safety program, which has transformed one of the most interactive museums in the country and revamped the experience with new health and safety protocols specifically designed for the COVID era. The post-visit research results confirm that National Comedy Center guests feel comfortable and safe during their visit, and report that their museum experience has been worry-free, stress-free and touch-free.

Featuring Jimmy Fallon, Lin-Manuel Miranda, “Weird Al” Yankovic, Tiffany Haddish, Jay Leno, Kenan Thompson, Howie Mandel, Aidy Bryant, Margaret Cho, Roy Wood Jr., and More

Virtual Festival to Recognize National Comedy Center Advisory Board Member Carl Reiner, Featuring an Interview with Never-Before-Seen Footage from the Archives

National Comedy Center Virtual Festival Photos and Graphics: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/lbf0p423d071v25/AABdZRcDR2y5gD-cIJsaVItIa?dl=0

Jamestown,  NY – August 12, 2020 – The National Comedy Center, the nation’s official cultural institution dedicated to comedy – recently named the “Best New Museum” in the country by USA Today --  is presenting its acclaimed Lucille Ball Comedy Festival virtually this year, featuring conversations with a diverse lineup of artists, starting this Friday, August 14, 2020 and streaming over three weekends throughout August.

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. …