Twenty years ago - 1994The whirlwind that brought the Fredonia Farm Festival to a screeching halt on Aug. 28 has been officially declared a tornado with an F-1 classification. F-1 tornadoes pack winds ranging from 73 to 112 mph. At times, the twister measured only 30 feet wide. Eyewitness ...

Editor, OBSERVER:I would like to thank the village of Brocton for hosting my yarn shop, and the people from near and far who have been both customers and friends. It was a daily pleasure to meet and talk with knitters, spinners, weavers, crocheters and those who wished to learnThank you for a ...

Twenty years ago - 1994A representative of the National Wildlife Association is coming to Ripley to help Robert and Shari Vance, who are raising wolves and coyotes on their property. The Vances returned to Ripley after being away for more than 10 years and brought a mother wolf, her cubs and ...

Twenty years ago - 1994The 40th H.K. Williams Jr. Commemorative Golf Tournament at Shorewood Country Club this year honors the namesake's son, H. Kirk Williams, former publisher of the OBSERVER and an avid golfer. His father, the late H.K. Williams Jr., who was known as "Jack," also was a low ...

Twenty years ago - 1994At about 1 p.m. today, a powerful wind-packed storm slammed into the area sending tree branches flying in various parts of the village and bringing an abrupt end to the Fredonia Farm Festival in Barker Common. Rescue crews tended to one woman who suffered a minor injury ...

Twenty years ago - 1994Pattie's Place, a Forestville restaurant, recently celebrated its grand opening. Owner/operator Ms. Pattie Pichon, with the help of her three children - Patrick, Paula and Pam - offer breakfast, lunch and dinner featuring daily specialties. Ms. Pichon has been a resident ...

Twenty years ago - 1994The Kiwanis Club of Fredonia held its monthly "Elder Salute" to honor senior citizens who have made a significant contribution to the community. This month, the award goes to Joseph Trusso, who spent many years supervising youths at "The Hub," a local teen center; and ...

Twenty years ago - 1994The Fredonia Fire Department participated in the Annual Southwestern Volunteer Firemen's Association Convention and was the recipient of six awards. The Fredonia Fire Department Prevention Committee led the way with a first place finish in the Brochure/Scrapbook Contest ...

Twenty years ago - 1994Dr. John Joy of Fredonia has begun a personal mission to honor the extraordinary life and career of George Abbott, who was born in Forestville. Mr. Abbott recently celebrated his 107th birthday by supervising a new revival of his 1955 Broadway success, "Damn Yankees." In ...

Twenty years ago - 1994Republican gubernatorial candidate George Pataki was grilled by members of the press, Jim Fox of the OBSERVER, and Hap Hazard of Jamestown, this morning at the Holiday Inn in Jamestown. State Sen. Pataki was making his first visit to Chautauqua County and was on a one-day ...

Twenty years ago - 1994Chautauqua County still leads all other counties in New York State in number of farms, according to the just published Census of Agriculture. Chautauqua County is one of the most important agricultural counties in the state with annual sales of agricultural products ...

Twenty years ago - 1994By the time acorns are ready to fall this autumn, new acorn-style lightposts will be illuminating the nights at Barker Common in Fredonia. The installation process for eight new lightposts has begun in the park. The lightposts mark the latest step of the grand plan for ...

Twenty years ago - 1994Robert Dyment, editor and publisher of Superintendent's Profile and Pocket Equipment Directory announced today that the monthly magazine has been sold to James Cropper, owner of Commercial Graphics Design Group of Lafayette, near Syracuse. The Dunkirk-based magazine is ...

Twenty years ago - 1994It took him 25 years, but Dr. Daniel Cracium finally made it to Woodstock. The Fredonia doctor explained he had tickets for the original event 25 years ago, but at age 14, his mother would not let him go. This time, Dr. Cracium and Dunkirk residents Paul and Sue Soper ...

Twenty years ago - 1994The Upper Crust Bake House and Eatery is taking advantage of a new Fredonia Village ordinance allowing outdoor dining. Their new outdoor cafe has an expanded seating capacity and offers a relaxing atmosphere. Upper Crust is located at 21 E. Main St., Fredonia.Thirty years ...

Twenty years ago - 1994The "Green Wall" on Route 20 in the town of Portland will soon be back in court. Howard Green charges that the state Department of Transportation has not rebuilt a section of a wall on their property as agreed to in a court compromise reached three years ago. The wall ...

Twenty years ago - 1994John DeTolla II, son of Mr. and Mrs. John DeTolla of Dunkirk, is in Berlin, Germany covering the New York Giants and San Diego Chargers game for NBC Sports. John is a 1979 graduate of Cardinal Mindszenty High School and a 1983 alumnus of Fredonia State University ...

Twenty years ago - 1994St. Hyacinth's Church was the setting recently for the 50th anniversary reunion of the St. Hyacinth's Class of 1944. Thirty class members and guests attended a 4 o'clock Mass celebrated by the Rt. Rev. Msgr. Casimir A. Zak, and dedicated to the memory of late classmates. ...

Twenty years ago - 1994Dr. Jon Redfield, a member of the Northern Chautauqua County Veterinary Medical Society, recently presented an award to Allison Ward, 10. She created the first-place prize-winning poster in the society's "Rabies Awareness" poster contest. Allison is the daughter of ...

Twenty years ago - 1994A program in the Dunkirk Police Department has been cited by the state for being a valuable community asset worthy of state funding. The city of Dunkirk has been awarded a $10,000 allocation in matching state aid for its new juvenile officer program with the DPD. Dunkirk ...