GLYNN: Olcott lures couple to wed in park

By Don Glynn<br><a href="mailto:glynnd@gnnewspaper.com">E-mail Don</a>

NIAGARA FALLS — A West Virginia couple that fished for several years off Olcott has literally fallen in love with the quite lakefront community.

In fact, Robin Morris, 47, and her fiance, Mike Schooley, 47, have enjoyed the atmosphere so much that they intend to exchange wedding vows Saturday in Krull Park.

“We just thought it would be a great place to get married,” Robin said.

The event is bound to provide a slight boost to the area economy with nearly 50 guests from the Morgantown, W. Va., and Ohio booking 19 rooms at the Lighthouse Motel & Harbor Resort.

All the food and beverages will be purchased in the town and served by a caterer in the county.

Looking back on their link to Olcott, Robin recalled how Mike and his buddies had fished a few times in the county, starting along the lower Niagara River.

On Valentine’s Day 2003, she traveled with him to the village in Newfane and they chartered a boat to fish Lake Ontario. “During that stay, we became engaged,” she added.

In recent years they’ve been spending upwards of 30 days in Olcott, participating in the annual salmon derby, perhaps visiting over the long Independence Day weekend and then often returning for another week or more in August.

Eventually they agreed that an even bigger boat would make their trips more pleasant so they upgraded from a 13-foot outboard to a 23-foot vessel.

In the best tradition of looking after out-of-town guests, the couple is providing favors and packets for all the reserved hotel rooms, including directions for sidetrips to Old Fort Niagara and Youngstown, shops and restaurants in Lewiston and Niagara Falls attractions like the Aquarium and the state park.

The Little Lighthouse in Olcott, of course, is high on their list.

They’ve obtained stacks of brochures and guides to keep their guests fully informed of their options — before and after the wedding.

“That’s wonderful story,” said Bev Mandaville, tourism director for Newfane. “We opened our first cottage here 18 years ago and some people from those earlier days still come back, year after year.”

If Olcott indeed was their No. 1 site, did the couple consider other places?

“None, really. We have visited Niagara Falls, naturally, but we decided that Olcott was the place to be. In fact, we’re going to spend our honeymoon there.”

The bride, a certified public accountant, is a trust officer for a regional bank based in Wheeling, W.Va. Mike of Kingwood, W.Va., is employed as a coal handler at a power plant.

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A WORTHY CAUSE: The 19th annual Niagara Hospice Cocktails & Cash, a major fund raiser for the facility, will be held at 7 p.m. Sept. 5 at the Kenan Arena, Lockport.

Guests are invited to attend the birthday-themed party to celebrate Niagara Hospice’s 25th year of service to Niagara County residents.

All proceeds will benefit patients and their families with insufficient resources to pay for care.

Anyone who has ever dealt with Niagara Hospice knows about their tremendous efforts to help people at a crucial time.

Additional information about the event is available by calling 439-4417.

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IN THE SPOTLIGHT: Tickets for the Jessica Simpson concert Aug. 28 at the Fallsview Casino in Niagara Falls, Ont., sold out so fast that a second performance has been scheduled Aug. 27. Prices start at $70.

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WORD OF CAUTION: That stretch of Third Street, between Ferry Avenue and Niagara Street, poses a risk for all motorists because it’s virtually impossible to make out the strip down the center, which should remind drivers to stay on their side of the now-narrow two-way street.

Contact reporter Don Glynn at 282-2311, ext. 2246.