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The OBSERVER’s View

EMPTY BOWLS: Fundraiser helps in feeding area

A north county tradition that has a partner in Jamestown will again benefit those facing food insecurities. This Saturday, the annual Empty Bowls fundraiser will be from 11 a.m. until 2 p.m., at Fredonia’s Wheelock School gymnasium. Approximately 1,200 custom bowls will be available for purchase at Wheelock, with proceeds to be donated to combat food insecurity in the community through local food pantries. The event is organized by Ron Nasca, the owner of Mudslingers Ceramics Gallery in Fredonia. A handful of professional potters, including the Chautauqua County Society of Artists, ...

County: Purple Heart trail worth support

A trail to honor the efforts of area veterans is in the works. An advisory committee envisions a three-year project that will create a trail from the Dunkirk Lighthouse and Veterans Museum to the Yorkers Museum in Sherman for Purple Heart recipients. According to a press release, the plan is to gather donations, grants and sponsorships this year; complete the Dunkirk Lighthouse site in 2026; and finish the Sherman site in 2027. “The Chautauqua County Purple Heart Trail will be a lasting tribute to the veterans who shed their blood for our many freedoms,” the trail committee ...

DUNKIRK: City budget is far from realistic

Recent budget concerns from the city of Dunkirk fire and police chiefs speak to the realities of a number of upstate New York municipalities. It does not just come down to the costs of manpower — which is the contractual agreement, but additional expenses due to the fact these agencies are on call 24-7 for 365 days. Consider what happened earlier this month during a budget meeting. Both chiefs, who are doing an excellent job considering the turmoil the city is going through, discussed shortfalls in the 2026 proposal. To begin, personnel is more than $6 million for both departments, ...

HOLIDAYS: Region’s giving already underway

With the holiday season quickly approaching, the awareness of need is rising greatly within the Dunkirk-Fredonia region. How great is the need? Chautauqua County, in many metrics, is the poorest upstate New York county. Our poverty rate is nearly 17% — and higher in both the city of Dunkirk and the village of Fredonia. Over the weekend, numerous individuals participated in the Chautauqua County Rural Ministry Thanksgiving food basket project. Overall, there were 110 frozen turkeys along with some hams, turkey breasts and pork loin and a lot of produce, canned goods and stuffing ...

Final salute: Ceremony again a proper send off

One day after Veterans Day, we note our admiration and respect for the work of the American Legions, Veterans of Foreign Wars and other related military and veterans organizations. In October, the Fredonia legion Post 59 continued an important and significant tradition of the flag burning ceremony on Chautauqua Street. A flag is no longer usable if it is tattered, worn, faded or dirty beyond being able to be flown respectfully. The U.S. Flag Code allows for the dignified burning of a flag that has reached the end of its usable life. The local American Legion has collected such flags ...

Veterans day: Thanking brave freedom fighters

On the eleventh hour of the eleventh day or the eleventh month 106 years ago, the hostilities of World War I came (for the most part) to an end. But though it was billed as the war to end all wars, American troops have continued to put their lives on the line for the rest of us and the world during another century’s worth of fighting. And so, since 1954, we have paused on Veterans Day to honor those men and women who have served us, in the U.S. Armed Forces. Those who chose — and those who had no choice — to serve sacrificed everything. Some did not come home. Others bear the ...