Explore the unknown this summer

Written for The Villager

As you look into the night sky, have you even wondered what is up there? What all the little flickering lights are? In February you will have your chance to get those questions answered, when Bert Probst teaches a two-night course on observing the night sky.

Probst, a Cleveland, Ohio native, was an engineer for the NASA Lewis Research Center in Cleveland. However, during the winter season Probst leaves Cleveland behind and comes to a place he loves: Ellicottville. Serving on Holiday Valley’s Ski Patrol and as a Ski School instructor there, Probst is on the slopes six days a week.

After retiring, Probst returned to a natural curiosity that began over 45 years ago when he looked up into the night’s sky.

“I was curious as to finding my way around the sky and finding the constellations,” Probst said. “I purchased a small telescope and that was the start of it all.”

Ellicottville Oasis: Relaxation is closer than you think

Written for The Villager

After a day on the slopes, don’t you feel that you deserve some pampering? Well, if you’re like me, the answer is yes! And Ellicottville Oasis just might be the perfect place.

Opened in 2004 by Joanne Bennett Timkey, Ellicottville Oasis provides more than just massages. Since last year they have been offering their own line of skin care products.

“We work with a lab in Vancouver, Canada,” Timkey said. “They manufacture a fresh batch of product as we order it.”

Timkey has been in the field since 2002, graduating from Trocaire College in South Buffalo certified in massage therapy and Continental School of Beauty in West Seneca for esthetics. Since then, Timkey has worked at Earth Worn Body Company, Peak Performance and the St. Elmo Day Spa at the Chautauqua Institution until she opened Ellicottville Oasis at 23 Jefferson St., Ellicottville, N.Y.