By the end of January, it’s hard to find a reason to get outside, get moving and be social. Area residents can do all those things — while raising money for a good cause — at the 41st annual Tony Dolan Ski for Cancer.
Set for Jan. 25 this year, the fun will take place between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. at the Westline Inn and along the Kinzua Valley Trail.
Proceeds from the event go to the American Cancer Society.
Participants can walk, hike or snowshoe along the trail, and Jamestown (N.Y.) Cycle Shop will have a limited number of skis for use, said Betsy Dolan Eschrich, event organizer. People are welcome to bring their own skis or snowshoes, too.
“It’s a beautiful trail,” Eschrich added, noting that the Kinzua Valley Trail Club keeps the trail well maintained and makes sure it is ready for the event.
There will be a pig roast, too, she said. For $10, attendees can get a sandwich, a side such as baked beans or pasta salad, a drink and a dessert. For a little less, they can get a sandwich and a drink.
Attendees can enjoy live music, with Jim Copeland and other musicians from the band Second Act providing entertainment.
“He does it every year for us,” Eschrich said of Copeland. “He does a fantastic job entertaining everyone.”
Also, “We have raffles all day long,” she said.
People can buy 50/50 tickets or take a chance to win items including a Trek bike donated by Just Riding Along, a Michael Kors bag and wallet and a one-of-a-kind knife engraved with the date and event donated by W.R. Case & Sons Cutlery.
Eschrich is selling raffle tickets now at Ott & McHenry Pharmacy at 102 Main St., Bradford.
For participants who start to get chilly in the winter weather, there will be a bonfire going all day at the trailhead, and possibly hot chocolate.
There is no cost to register, but anyone who brings in a minimum of $25 in donations can get a T-shirt, which will be available on a first-come, first-served basis. People can register right up through the day of the Tony Dolan Ski for Cancer, but Eschrich recommends people sign up early if they want to be guaranteed a shirt of the correct size.
At the event, attendees will be able to buy items such as hoodies, commemorative cups, coffee mugs and glasses with the logo on them.
Another way people can help is by purchasing memorial trail signs to honor a loved one. For a one-time donation of $100, they can have a sign made with their loved one’s name on it that will be posted along the trail every year that the fundraising event takes place.
Eschrich noted that many people will come out to walk or ski the trail the day of the event just to find their sign.
The deadline to purchase a sign this year is Jan. 17, which will ensure the committee has enough time to make the signs so that they can be posted at this year’s event.
This year, the goal is to raise $23,000 for the American Cancer Society.
To register or learn more about the event, visit https://secure.acsevents.org/site/STR?pg=entry&fr_id=96774 or see Eschrich at Ott & McHenry. More information can also be found on the event Facebook page.
Eschrich reported to The Era last year that the event raised more than $24,000 in 2019.
Her late father, Tony Dolan, a local pharmacist and former president of the McKean County chapter of the American Cancer Society, founded the event in 1979. Since that time, hundreds of thousands of dollars has been raised by the event for the American Cancer Society.
