150 YearsFeb. 20, 1873: The Baptist society of East Otto has long felt the need for a better and more commodious house of worship, and is now putting forth an effort to acquire that result, and desire that all who feel disposed of, may help further the dialogue by their liberal subscriptions for that purpose. We feel confident that nearly all would be glad to see the old structure supplanted by the new but it will need the help of the generous public to accomplish that purpose.
Feb. 20, 1873: Prof. James P. Mills, A.M., Principal of the Lake Shore Seminary, located at North East, P.A., will lecture in the M.E. Church in this village (Little Valley), on Wednesday evening next, Feb. 35th. His lecture will be on “Recollections of the War of the Rebellion,” and is very highly commended by those who have heard it elsewhere. The proceeds of the lecture will go to the benefit of the M.E. Church.
100 YearsFeb. 19, 1923: (SALAMANCA —) Deputy Fuel Administrator Edward Andrews of this city said today that while there was a scarcity of hard coal here, there was plenty of soft coal and coke, and that he had heard of no cases of suffering on account of lack of fuel. The chief complaints, he said, were consumers who object to moving to the soft coal or coke in the absence of anthracite. Much wood is also being burned in furnaces here. One car of anthracite is said to be booked for Salamanca in the near future.
Feb. 21, 1923: Seldom if ever has a Salamanca audience listened to a better concert than that given last evening by Mary Potter, contralto, and the Boston Symphonic Quintette, in the high school auditorium. Miss Potter possesses a rich, full contralto and sang with musicality and understanding. Particularly good was her rendition of the “Spring Song of the Robin Woman,” given with orchestra accompaniment.
50 YearsFeb. 16, 1973: Paul D. Formica, Salamanca’s Civil Defense director, who became widely known throughout the area during the disastrous June flood, received the 1972 “Citizen of the Year” award of the Salamanca Area Jaycees Thursday evening (Feb. 15).
Mr. Formica was chosen by a special board of three judges who are not members of the Jaycees. Presentation of the award, the 11th in the series started in 1962 by the Jaycees, highlighted the organization’s annual “Bosses Night” dinner attended by thirty-five members and guests.
Feb. 17, 1973: Barnes Construction Co., which built the original exterior wall for Bradner’s Salamanca Mall, is scheduled to start next week on the job of patching the big hole in the mall’s southeast wall.
The damage to the wall was unofficially estimated at $30,000 following the vandalism, but later an official estimate of $12,000 was announced. Company workmen have erected metal scaffolding to be used by bricklayers, expected to begin Tuesday or Wednesday the job of closing up the 50 by 18½ foot hole with concrete blocks and bricks.
25 YearsFeb. 17, 1998: GREAT VALLEY — Plans for a 37,500-square-foot, high-tech center for Southern Tier West’s new rural development center are moving ahead with the first tenants expected to move in by early 1999.
“The Town of Great Valley has been very helpful in this process,” STW Executive Director Ronald Rychnowski said. The site for the new building is planned for the west side of Route 219 just north of the city line.
Feb. 19, 1998: SALAMANCA — City residents applauded officials Wednesday (Feb. 18) after learning taxes will not be raised in the $3.5 million 1998-99 city budget.
The announcement was made at a public hearing set for the tentative budget which was approved at the Feb. 11 Common Council meeting. The tentative spending plan would have raised taxes 95 cents per $1,000 of assessed valuation.
However, Mayor Carmen Vecchiarella told the audience word of additional state aid was received and adjustments were made to prevent a tax hike in the final version of the budget.
Feb. 21, 1998: LITTLE VALLEY — The Cattaraugus County Sheriff’s Department has bid farewell to one of their longest-serving deputies.
After more than three decades, Duane “Chuck” Opferbeck has retired from the department as the veteran voice of KDP395, broadcasting his last 10-4.
He was hired by Sheriff DeForrest McClune on July 24, 1965, as a deputy and quickly became the “dean” of the department’s dispatchers, according to Community Officer Ron Wood.
10 YearsFeb. 21, 2013: SALAMANCA — More than 70 cats were found inside a recently vacated home in the city, and the local animal group overseeing the rescue is looking for community support now more than ever.
Volunteers from Empire Animal Rescue Society (EARS) spent five days beginning Feb. 8 searching for and trapping at least 74 cats – with even more on the way from pregnant females – and now have the task of caring for the animals and giving each one proper veterinary care.
“They were coming out of the ceilings, coming out of the cupboards and coming out of places we don’t even know how they got into,” according to EARS President Courtney Valent.
Feb. 21, 2013: CATTARAUGUS — Cattaraugus-Little Valley elementary schoolers raised more than 50 boxes of various donations by Friday, Feb. 15 for local charity organizations and Superstorm Sandy victims after a week-long Valentine’s Day drive.
The student council split the donations between Trading Post South of Cattaraugus, the Little Valley Food Bank and an unspecified shelter in New Jersey for Sandy victims to be delivered by a student’s father who works in the area.
Lisa LaQuay, Library media specialist and student council adviser, said the students chose Valentine’s Day for their drive to continue the giving season of the holidays.