This next weekend is a big weekend for the Downtown Jamestown Development Corporation.
The DJDC has combined two events to make one huge event on Friday. Starting at 5 p.m., we will be hosting the 18th annual Cruisin'. It will be held rain or shine and it will be held on Third Street, east from Washington Street. The center of activity this year will be at Potter's Terrace, where we will have the great rock and roll band, The Untouchables, along with a beverage garden. The street will be closed at 3 p.m. In order to spice up the event, we have a new and added attraction this year. The General Lee of Dukes of Hazzard fame and KITT, featured in Knight Rider, will be on display and they will be joined by Jamestown's own LaMancuso Dodge Charger - rebuilt, repainted, bored out and ready race-fresh from a run at Stateline Speedway. There will be music, food, fun and games for young and old alike. Entries for the Cruisin' are still being accepted.
The second part of this event will be our seventh annual Thunder in the Streets. This event was started for motorcycle enthusiasts. It will kick off at noon Friday on Third Street west of Washington Street. The street will be closed the first thing in the morning. There will be music, food and bands all afternoon and evening. We have a return visit of the Krazy White Boys stunt team, who will do several performances on Third Street in front of the Jamestown Savings Bank Ice Arena. The bands will be located on Renaissance Square located on Third Street between the new BWB Building and the Jamestown Savings Bank Ice Arena. If you like the sound of squealing tires and the smell of burning rubber these two events are the place to be. All are invited to attend.
We have had to change the venue of the events this year to accommodate the construction of the Washington Street Bridge. Main and Washington streets will remain open to regular traffic. In addition, Second Street will also remain open for east west traffic. This is a change from the past and we want everyone to be aware of it. For information on either event, call our office at 664-2477 or visit our website at discoverjamestown.com.
My last topic today is not about downtown. Rather, it focuses on the many great people who have come from Jamestown and Chautauqua County. Judge Lee Town Adams falls, without a question, into this category - he is truly one of the greats this area has produced. I am very proud to say I am related to Lee Town Adams through my mother's side of the family. To say that he was brilliant and a scholar does not even scratch the surface. The celebration of life held for him in Silver Creek is truly what Judge Adams would have wanted.
I first met Judge Adams as a small child when my parents used him as their attorney. I can remember a small building and office located right on the curve in downtown Forestville with a little stove. He grew from those roots and from that location. Every year we had an Adams family reunion and most of the time, it was held at the Adams' home in Forestville. Judge Adams had a great family for which he cared for a great deal. He cherished his family and the history revolving around it. We were always great friends and the family even had a pony and horse for the children.
I have tried to think about how to describe Judge Adams and I am having a very hard time, though I'm going to try. He had a great sense of humor and he was precise and crisp. He wanted things done correctly and he wanted fairness to all involved. He loved his family, his country and his work - knowing him like we did was always a very humbling experience indeed.
From our hearts, Lee, our heads are bowed in honor of the greatness you bestowed on us all!