Prendergast Library Executive Director Anne Green said people can register for the hunt at jplagoosechase.org, “What you have to do is register for the game. It’s $20 per team which can be an individual or a group so that way a family of four or five, or however many, can play together and not have to pay per individual. When you register you receive a unique game code in your email confirmation that you’ve registered.”

Green said the fundraiser will support a number of goals at the library, “We have three critical goals from the library’s 2021-2024 Strategic Plan – to work with the Jamestown Public Schools to increase access to library materials and services and improve literacy ,and to enhance community outreach, and to grow partnerships with community organizations.”

Green added that the game’s mission is to get people out and about in downtown Jamestown, to learn more about Jamestown’s history, and to support the library.

Russ Diethrick, Jim Roselle, & Mayor Sam Teresi at 2014 Easter Egg Hunt

JAMESTOWN – The City of Jamestown’s 69th Annual Easter Egg Hunt will be dedicated to local radio legend Jim Roselle, who died Wednesday at the age of 89.

Mayor Sam Teresi said that During his final days, Roselle vowed that he was going to attend and broadcast from Saturday’s annual Easter Egg Hunt at Allen Park. Teresi said that while Jim can’t physically be at Allen Park this year, he will certainly be there in spirit and his spirit will live on with all of the ‘youngsters’ in attendance.

Roselle worked for WJTN and Media One Group for over 60 years. Media One Group is a sponsor of the Easter Egg Hunt.

The event will be held outside in the playground areas of Allen Park at 10:30am, Saturday, March 26th. This free event is for children age 12 and under.

Jim Roselle at Chautauqua Institution in 2009. (Image by Jason Sample)

JAMESTOWN – A local broadcasting legend has passed away.

Long-time WJTN personality Jim Roselle died Wednesday at his home in Jamestown. He was 89 years old.

Roselle started working at WJTN in 1953 and was in his 61st year at the station, spending 41 summers broadcasting daily from Chautauqua Institution.

He hosted many shows during his time with the station, most recently The Jim Roselle Show weekday mornings from 9 am to noon. He also shared the microphone with his good friend Russ Diethrick on “The Times of Your Life” program on Saturday mornings.

In 2010, Roselle was inducted into New York State Broadcasters Association Hall of Fame.

WJTN News director Terry Frank spent more than three daces working with Roselle, saying he was a true ambassador of Jamestown.

“He was very much part of the Jamestown fabric. He spoke Jamestown. He talked about Jamestown. He was an ambassador for Jamestown – not just around here and New York State, but he went to Russia as part of the Chautauqua exchanges and other programs. He was just an amazing guy… someone you model yourself after. You try to be as upbeat, as personable and as professional as possible, and that was the epitome of Jim Roselle,” Frank told WRFA.

One of the many career highlights for Roselle was broadcasting at Chautauqua Institution every summer since 1974, where he interviewed hundreds of national and internationally recognized individuals from his broadcast location at Bestor Plaza. Roselle always knew the right questions to ask, which was a testament to his skills as an interviewer.

“I think Jim also epitomized hard work,” Frank said. “He seldom, if ever, went into an interview unarmed. He had read the book the person had written. He read stories about what they had said and what they had done. If there was a controversy with the person, be it a presidential candidate or someone involved with the administration or someone involved in foreign policy, he knew what the issues were. He did the due diligence required for a good interview.

“But he also had a way of disarming the person he was talking to, and that really helped him to get people to open up and respond, so when he asked a tough question, they were more willing to answer it.”

In addition to his hall of fame career as a broadcaster, Roselle was also active in the community. He had been a member of the Board of Directors for the Lucille Ball Little Theatre for over 30 years; the Jamestown Boys and Girls Club for more than 25 years; and the James Prendergast Library. He also had been the chairman for many community events.

Funeral arrangements are being handled by the Hubert Funeral Home, with visitation scheduled for Saturday, March 26 from 1 to 4 pm and 6 to 9 pm in the Funeral Home.  A Christian Wake Service will be held at 12:30 p.m.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at 10:00 am Monday March 28 at St. James Catholic Church. Burial will be in Sunset Hill Cemetery.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the Boys & Girls Club, the James Prendergast Library, or Lucille Ball Little Theater in Jamestown.

Inductees of the Class of 2015 are Jehuu Caulcrick, Chuck Crist, Bill Davenport, Jack Keeney, Scrubby Olson, Vincent Powers, Ramsay Riddell, Jim Roselle, Dan Stimson and Mel Swanson.

The guest speaker will be Shane Conlan, former linebacker at Frewsburg Central School, Penn State, the Buffalo Bills and the Los Angeles Rams.

The CSHOF will also honor 42 of Chautauqua County’s top teams and athletes for achieving New York State championships, All-American status or All-State status in their respective sports during the past year.

The CSHOF induction banquet on February 16 will begin with a hospitality session at 5:00 p.m. followed by dinner at 6:30.

Tickets may be purchased at Jamestown Cycle Shop on Harrison Street in Jamestown. Tickets can also be ordered from Chip Johnson at 716-485-6991. The price per ticket is $50. CSHOF members receive a $5 discount.

Frewsburg native Shane Conlan during the 2014 College Football Hall of Fame induction ceremony. (www.centredaily.com)

JAMESTOWN – The Chautauqua Sports Hall of Fame has announced the keynote speaker of for the 2015 Induction banquet – scheduled for Feb. 16.

Hall officials say Former Buffalo Bill and recent College Football Hall of Fame inductee Shane Conlan will be the featured speaker at the 2015 Induction Banquet at the Lakewood Rod & Gun Club.

Conlan, who is a Frewsburg native and Chautauqua Sports Hall of Fame Member, was recently voted to the ‘Mount Rushmore of Penn State.’ That means in the long and storied history of the Penn State football team, Conlan is considered one of the four best players to ever don the blue and white uniform of the Nittany Lions.

His appearance will be part of an evening that will include the induction of 10 new Hall of Fame Members. They are: Jehuu Caulcrick, Chuck Crist, Bill Davenport, Jack Keeney, Scrubby Olson, Vincent Powers, Ramsay Riddell, Jim Roselle, Dan Stimson and Mel Swanson.

Tickets for the induction dinner are priced at $50. Banquet reservations can be made by calling chairman Chip Johnson at 716-485-6991. Tickets are also available at the Jock Shop, 10 Harrison Street, Jamestown.

In a media release sent out Sunday, hall of fame officials announced that the 2015 inductees will be Jehuu Caulcrick, Chuck Crist, Bill Davenport, Jack Keeney, Scrubby Olson, Ramsey Riddell, Dan Stimson and Mel Swanson.

In addition, two other individuals will also be honored. Vincent Powers will be inducted from a newly created historical category and Jim Roselle will be enshrined as just the second honorary inductee in CSHOF history.

These ten individuals will be formally inducted at the CSHOF’s 34^th Annual Banquet, Monday, February 16, 2015, at the Lakewood Rod and Gun Club.

Tickets for the induction dinner are priced at $50. Banquet reservations can be made by calling chairman Chip Johnson at 716-485-6991.

The James Prendergast Library in Jamestown

JAMESTOWN – The board of trustees for the James Prendergast Library will have several new faces the next time it meets in January.

During Thursday’s monthly meeting, the board approved the appointment of four new trustees to the board. They are Karl Holmgren, Linda Larkin, Michelle “Micki” McCray and Lynn Warner. The four were selected from a pool of nine individuals who expressed interest in serving on the board to fill several open seats. In addition, the board also recognized three outgoing trustees – Russ Diethrick , Jim Roselle and Anne Hedin.

During Wednesday’s meeting, the board also received an update on finances from Treasurer Tom Rankin, who said that despite some fundraising challenges, the library’s revenues will exceed expenditures for 2012. He said the library experienced lower costs than projected, and that was largely due to the work of former Executive Director Linda Mielke, along with members of the staff.

When it came to fundraising, however, the library was still well below its goal of $155,000. As for the middle of December, a total of $103,000 had been donated, compared to over $140,000 that was brought in the previous year. Acting Executive Director Tina Scott said that she and her staff, along with the new board, will begin exploring various ways to bring those fundraising totals up when they meet again in January.

The library also discussed looking into possibly splitting the position of Executive Director. Currently, the executive director heads not only the operations at the Prendergast, but also oversees the operation of the Chautauqua-Cattaraugus Library System. Trustee Pat Smith said that she and Scott will be looking into that possibility in the coming weeks and may have more information during the next meeting.