A pitch is being made to bring the Chautauqua Lake Pops back to Bemus Point.

The Fish, a restaurant located at 61 Lakeside Dr., posted on its Facebook page its desire to have the Pops leave Mayville and return to its original home in Bemus Point. “We know that the (Pops) stage is currently homeless and we were wondering if anyone had an interest in bringing it back home to the Fish. Dan (Dalpra, Pops President/CEO) and I can make it happen. We would need sponsors and community support to get this done. As we head into our fifth year and look back at all the friendships we have made we want to make sure that we will continue to see your faces if we pull the trigger on this. What do you think?”

The suggestion seemed to strike a chord. There were about 100 comments in a 24-hour period, with just about everyone saying they wanted to see the Pops back in Bemus Point.

Messages to the owner were not returned this week.

For 18 years, the Chautauqua Lake Pops operated out of Bemus Point. In 2019, it relocated to the village of Mayville and rebranded itself as the Chautauqua Pops.

The Pops had a three-year contract with the village of Mayville, in which it would pay $1 for the first two years and then in the third year the entertainment venue would pay $2 per ticket sold for the first 2,000 tickets and then $1 per ticket had they sold beyond that.

Because of the pandemic, there were no performances in 2020. Dalpra asked the Mayville Village Board to declare that year null and void and instead treat 2021 and the second year of the contract. However the majority of the elected officials wouldn’t back that move and insisted Dalpra pay what was owed in 2021.

Last month he wrote a check for $3,394. He also sent a letter to the village board criticizing the partnership, stating he felt Trustee Rick Syper, and Planning Board member Sharon Smead wanted him to fail.

Smead was one of a few residents who filed a lawsuit against the Pops regarding the volume. Dalpra was able to turn his speakers away from boaters and told them to listen on a radio to hear the performances. He was also able to secure a temporary permit from the state in order to perform weekly.

Attorney Daryl Brautigam noted that an injunction was requested for last year and his clients are undecided if they will go forward with the lawsuit should the Pops return to Mayville.

But Dalpra didn’t say it was impossible for them to return to Mayville in 2022. In the last paragraph of his letter he wrote, “We still believe that the Pops has the potential to provide significant benefit to the Village, but we are not willing to continue our efforts in the environment that has existed during the initial term of the Licensing Agreement. We are willing to consider a new arrangement with the Village, but as of now, the Pops intends to reevaluate its options. We are extremely disappointed by this outcome.”