The Chautauqua Lake Pops is not expected to return to Mayville this summer. Submitted Photo

The Chautauqua Lake Pops is weighing the best place for its future, from Bemus Point to Jamestown and even as far away as Buffalo.

Originally known as the Bemus Bay Pops, the organization spent 18 years there bringing music and other shows to the waterfront. But after owner Dan Dalpra sold the Italian Fisherman in 2018, the Pops relocated in Mayville a year later.

After a three-year run, it appears Dalpra is looking to move on. His contract is up and he paid the village $3,394 for the 2021 season. He had offered to extend his contract in Mayville through 2022 by voiding out 2020 when there were no performances, but officials refused to agree to that.

Dalpra noted that he is ready to look outside of Mayville for the Pops’ next home. “The Pops did its best to bring a successful program to the Mayville community for three years, however, it was met with resistance from many fronts. We do not want to be where we are not welcome. We can’t afford to continue sustaining financial loss and dealing with conflict,” he said.

One place Dalpra is considering is back in Bemus Point. Tom Meyers, who now owns The Fish in the village, said he supports bringing the Pops back to his local area. “Once we knew that Mayville wasn’t a viable option for Dan, he approached me on possibly bringing it to Bemus Point,” Meyers said during a phone interview.

Meyers believes not only The Fish, but all local businesses would benefit from the Pops’ return. “It would help all the small businesses in Bemus. It would get a lot more foot traffic in Bemus on the weekends,” he said.

Meyers had put the possibility on Facebook before and was met with lots of support. He’s also talked to a number of individuals in the Bemus Point area who say they are at least interested in helping sponsor the Pops.

The price tag of the program is the biggest question for Meyers. ” It costs a lot of money to run the Pops programs. Trying to figure out who is going to pay the bill is the hardest part,” he said.

According to Dalpra, the minimum annual budget for the Pops series is $350,000. “The shows are expensive. They’re really good shows. They come from all over the country,” he said.

Meyers said they’re ready to donate $20,000 and provide the space on their lakefront property and utilities at no cost.

There are other places Dalpra is considering as well. In his letter, Dalpra said the Pops has approached the city of Jamestown, the village of Celoron and the city of Buffalo. Long Point State Park and Midway State Park have also been considered for possible locations.

Even though Dalpra has been frustrated with his time in Mayville, Mayor Ken Shearer hopes he will still consider returning to the village for a fourth year. “I know I haven’t given up on it. I can’t speak for the whole board,” he said during a phone call Friday.

The Mayville Village Board’s next meeting is Tuesday. Shearer said the Pops will be on the agenda, to see if there’s anything they can do to salvage the relationship and bring them back.

Part of Dalpra’s issue was a lawsuit that was brought up against the Pops for volume. Although they were able to turn their speakers inward and have shows in 2021, that lawsuit has not been dismissed and the four plaintiffs could again bring it up if he brings the Pops back to Mayville.

Dalpra has not given a timeline of when he hopes to decide where they will end up in 2022 or if they’ll take the year off and research their options. The Pops took 2018 off when they made the switch from Bemus Point to Mayville.

Meyers said it’s up to Dalpra when he decides what is best for his organization, but the sooner he knows the better. “All the businesses are planning for a great year in 2022, so we’re trying to figure out how to put the Pops into all of our plans so that would have to come in pretty soon,” he said.

In a phone interview, Dalpra said no decisions have been made. “We have no idea how this is going to play out,” he said.

Because they’ve been doing this for so many years, Dalpra believes once they settle on a place, if the infrastructure is available, he can get things together pretty fast. “We’re good at what we do, so we can make it happen quickly,” he said.

The biggest question, he noted, is the funding. “We have to know how we’re going to fund it,” he said.

Dalpra said a return to Mayville is unlikely due to the lawsuit. “Our sponsors want us to be where there’s no controversy,” he said.

He blamed a small handful of individuals for him leaving the village. “It got so uncomfortable that last year our volunteers don’t want to come back and they’re volunteers,” he said.

He believes better leadership is needed in Mayville. “There’s some serious soul searching that needs to be done,” he said.