It’s August, and while we’ve seen a lot of summer tourists all around Chautauqua County already this summer, things are about to get even busier.

This weekend is the annual Gerry Rodeo in Gerry, America’s Grape Country Craft Beverage Festival at the Chautauqua County Fairgrounds in Dunkirk, the Ellington Town Picnic, Sherman Days, the Bemus Point Summer Fest, the Chautauqua Region Vintage Book and Paper Show in Mayville, the Cat Video Fest at the Fredonia Opera House, and the opening of Groundhog Day The Musical at Lucille Ball Little Theatre in Jamestown. That’s just a sample of what’s happening throughout Chautauqua County right now, and the next few weeks will bring even more.

The annual Lucille Ball Festival of Comedy runs August 7-10 in Jamestown featuring a sold-out Evening with Jon Stewart and a Stand-Up Showcase featuring music by Bill Murray & His Blood Brothers. Additional events include Mikey Day and Streeter Seidell from Saturday Night Live, late-night comedy, Lucille Ball trivia, and much more. You can find all the details at ComedyCenter.org.

Also coming up in August are the Chautauqua Lake Dragon Boat Festival in Celoron on the 9th, the Gus Macker Basketball tournament in Jamestown the 9th-10th, the Babe Ruth 13-Year-Old World Series August 16th – 23rd in Jamestown, the Summerjam on the Avenue 3-on-3 Street Basketball Tournament in Dunkirk August 16th, and the Innovative Outdoors Walleye Challenge in Dunkirk August 15-16th.

All these events draw visitors to local businesses including other attractions, restaurants, retailers, gas stations, and more. Is your business stocked and ready? Do you have the supplies and staff you need to meet a high-traffic moment? Is your signage in good condition so customers can find you? Is your social media up to date with accurate hours? Each year Chautauqua County gears up for the summer tourism season. Some weeks (and weekends) create an even larger draw than our usual warm-weather attractions including our lakes, hiking trails, golf courses, and the summer-long Chautauqua Institution and Lily Dale program seasons.

If you are ever uncertain about upcoming events that may boost tourism and traffic for your business, we urge you to check the Chautauqua County Visitors Bureau online calendar at www.tourchautauqua.com. This comprehensive calendar includes events from all over Chautauqua County and provides valuable information for visitors and residents alike.

Chamber Presents Elected Officials Luncheon August 8

The CHQ Chamber opened the year by restructuring our advocacy events, and now the third of the three planned events is quickly approaching. All are invited to attend the Elected Officials Panel Discussion at noon, Friday, August 8 at Chautauqua Suites, 215 West Lake Road, Mayville.

Our special guests for this event will be New York State Senator George Borrello, Assemblyman Andrew Molitor, and County Executive PJ Wendel. This will be a question-and-answer session for our elected officials. We encourage local businesspeople to come with questions related to state and county issues that impact our local economy and the business environment in our region. We will moderate the event and direct questions either to our county executive or state representatives – or both – as the issues come up. Our goal is to maximize the benefit to our member businesses and organizations by providing a direct opportunity to meet with some of our highest-level elected officials.

The other two advocacy events offered by the CHQ Chamber this year have been well-received including our State of Business breakfast in January and the Official Introductions networking event in June. At the end of this year, we will do a thorough evaluation of these new advocacy events as we shift into planning mode for 2026. We welcome all feedback from attendees.

The cost for this buffet lunch is $30 and pre-registration is required. Limited space remains for this event. Please register through the Chamber’s web calendar at www.chqchamber.org no later than Wednesday, August 6. The CHQ Chamber Elected Officials Panel Luncheon is sponsored by Brooks-TLC Hospital System, County of Chautauqua Industrial Development Agency, LaBella Associates, National Grid, Phillips Lytle, Southern Chautauqua Federal Credit Union, and UPMC Chautauqua, as well as Jamestown Community College, Media One Radio Group, Observer, and The Post-Journal.

Golf With the CHQ Chamber

Networking doesn’t get much better than on the golf course, and the CHQ Chamber tournament is always a fabulous day of golf and camaraderie. Get your foursome together and spend a great day on the golf course with the CHQ Chamber! The annual CHQ Chamber Golf Tournament is Thursday, August 21 at the beautiful Peek’n Peak Resort. We begin the day with a shotgun start at 10am.  (This is an hour earlier than last year.) Lunch is served on the course, and after a great day of golf we end with dinner. The total prize purse is $1,000 payable in ShopLocalCHQ Gift Cards.

Remember to add your golfer’s special Super Pack for $30 per player. The Super Pack includes two mulligans, the Ring of Fire, Play with the Pro, raffle prize drawings, and the 50/50 drawing. Please purchase your Super Pack online when you register, as prizes are drawn prior to play the day of the tournament. New this year: there will be one special golfer’s raffle prize drawn at the close of the tournament.

Our tee gift sponsor is the Basil Family of Dealerships. Par sponsors are Brooks-TLC Hospital System, Cattaraugus County Bank, Chautauqua Patrons Insurance Agency, DFT Communications, Koester Associates, LaBella Associates, Lake Shore Savings Bank, National Grid, Nestle Purina PetCare, and Southern Chautauqua Federal Credit Union. Lunch and snacks at the turn are sponsored by M&T Bank.

It’s easy to register online for the CHQ Chamber Golf Tournament when you visit www.chamberrsvp.org.