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Resurrected: Festival begins revival of Cockaigne Ski Resort

The new lodge and stage at Cockaigne Ski Resort nears completion. It’s projected to open in December.

CHERRY CREEK — It’s been seven years since a fire devastated the Cockaigne Ski Resort. Due to the efforts of Chief Executive Officer and owner, Rex Butcher, owner Issac Gratto, and owner Adam Pirtz, Cockaigne Ski Resort is nearing its long awaited revival in December. Ahead of this revival was the first Brewgrass Festival, featuring David Grismon, Ricky Skaggs, and Kentucky Thunder.

In years prior, this ski resort was primarily winter-focused, meaning that little was featured during the warmer seasons. Butcher and Gratto made it a point this time around to change that. Gratto made that clear when he said “we’re going to become a four-season ski resort, something for all seasons provided.”

Gratto also stated that Cockaigne “needed something to fill our summer months. We feel that we can pull off some amazing music shows. The ski slope provides a perfect backdrop for this, and the way the sound travels through it. This is super exciting to see all the bands here, and the weather’s been great.”

Butcher stressed their initiative for community involvement.

“We are trying to bring artists that are not only family friendly, but of this region as well. Several of our acts are from our general area. We are using local contractors, trying to bring in as much community involvement as possible. We’re trying to bring back a lot of fun for the people.”

According to Debbie Makowski, director of human resources and community relations, “so much has been put into local businesses. We have been working with Chautauqua County Industrial Development Association, and they have been really helping, as well as New York state in which they have been helping get everything up and running.” Makowski said Cockaigne will employ around 50 full-time employees in the winter. For the other months, the amount of employees varies depending on the type of event being held.

Gratto add that music festival was created not only for the summer months, but to “get our name out there,” particularly to hype up their additions to the winter activities.

The current stage for this year’s festival is the not the one planned for the future, Makowski said. “The next festival will be bigger and better, that it rivals that of Darien Lake’s in size.”

Jay Allsup, Chief Financial Officer, said that “right now, this is probably one of the top four stages in Western New York, in terms of size and things like that. It’s an incredibly large stage, and we should be able to accommodate a variety of acts.”

However, the summer months were not the sole focus of this revival “We’re going to ramp up our plans for winter” Gratto said.

“We’ve added a tubing hill, a terrain park and freestyle park. There’s going to be some new stuff, along with the snow. We’re also inviting snowmobiles in trails where people can ride” Butcher explained.

For the winter improvements, the lodge in nearing completion, and projected to be completed Dec. 1, ahead of the opening of the ski resort.

“This lodge is gorgeous. It’s a shame that the new lodge and new stage wasn’t ready for this one. We are just waiting for the roof to get done. The inside frame is all finished. Once the roof is completed, the rest should be a breeze,” Makowski

When asked about why he got involved, Butcher said “My wife and I attended the meeting about Cockaigne ownership at the Grainery. My wife and I started dating here many, many years ago. So there’s a lot of nostalgia and memories here for us. So we’re happy to get involved with it. After the meeting, we liked their ideas and made some stuff happen. “

“We’re trying to bring back this iconic destination. We’re trying to make a sustainable business, not only for the ski resort, but the general area, to try and bring back the nostalgia and sense of pride in the community” Butcher said.

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