Griffis Sculpture Park is teaming up with the folks at Eclipse Multi Sport to present the Finn McCool 4 Mile Odyssey!  Participants will navigate a 4 mile course loaded with challenging obstacles, difficult terrain and a mud pit at the finish, all building up to the moment when the race is over – and the real fun begins!

The Finn course at Griffis will be the most challenging ever. Griffis Sculpture Park has multiple terrains, steep hills to climb, slick descents, and some very tight trails to navigate. And then of course there is the obstacles…

The course itself is still under construction, but we will have the most eclectic group of Irish Obstacles ever assembled, including:

Celtic Climb: giant rope wall you will need the luck of the Irish to get up and over.
Slip ‘n Slide: at least one…a Finn classic.
Cargo Chaos: massive cargo net and rope wall combo.
Monkey Bars: yep, just like back in elementary school…but a LOT bigger!
Terrible Tubes: dark, wet, tough on the hands and knees…yeah, terrible like it says.
Leprechaun Leap: not once, not twice, but three times.
Pond Scum: try not to lose your shoes in the muck.
Hay Pyramid: going up is the easy part – and that isn’t easy.
Run The Plank: there is no walking here.
Mud Madness: the way we close every race…perfect!
PLUS many more including all new and never before seen at previous races.

Please check out the official Finn McCool Website to register:

www.finnmccool4mile.com

Don’t miss out on this great event!

Please join us for this years annual Moonlight Snowshoe Tour on February 23 from 5pm – 8pm.  We will be adding a few new twist to our great event – with all the regulars still present especially snowshoes from City Garage and chili from Balloons Restaurant.   Bring out your finest dancing shoes to warm up after a fantastic tour provided by Mark and Damian Griffis! Smackdab a local Buffalo Band will be rocking the gate house and adding some new dance off categories!

$50 covers snowshoe rental; some of the best local chili, cookies and snacks; a mooonlit snowshoe tour of Sculpture Park; and live music afterward.  During the tour, snowshoers will be stopping at some of the sculptures to learn who created them, who installed them, and a little history behind them.

Reservations are required and limited.  To register, please contact us at 716-667-2808 or e-mail GriffisPark@aol.com.

The Ashford Hollow Foundation with Big Orbit Gallery will be sponsoring and hosting the opening reception for the event on November 15 at the Essex Arts Center! The gallery will be featuring conference registrants as well as great music from both 12/8 Path Band and Don Metz!

The Nor’Easter Conference is hosted by the Fine Arts Department at Buffalo State and highlights Buffalo’s history rich in iron and steel making. Buffalo was once home to three of the largest steel manufacturing plants in America including Bethlehem Steel, Republic, Steel and Lackawanna Steel.  These foundries as well as several smaller iron and steel foundries, made Buffalo one of the leading producers of cast iron in the world.  While the last of these major iron foundries went out of business year ago, Buffalo State has emerged as the keeper of the region’s great founding heritage.  Buffalo State is proud to pay tribute to the past and look into the future as the Nor’Easter provides a forum to teach, learn and develop withing this practice.

Starting at 7:30pm $10 pre-sale and $15 at the door.

East Otto, New York – Thinking about catching a last glance at the fall foliage in the hills of the Southern Tier?  Griffis Sculpture Park in East Otto, NY, part of the Ashford Hollow Foundation, will hold a Fall Walking Tour on Saturday, October 27, 2012 from 12 noon to 5 pm. Guided group walking tours are scheduled for 1 pm, 2 pm and 3 pm. It’s the last weekend of the Park season and a great chance to enjoy a beautiful fall outing with the family and friends amidst art and nature.

Other featured activities include a scavenger hunt at 2 pm; rock painting for kids; a Halloween Costume parade at 3 pm; or bring a homebaked pie to enter the pie tasting contest at 4 pm. There will be a beer tasting by the Ellicottville Brewing Company. Free grilled hot dogs will be served while they last. Park-goers are encouraged to bring their own beverages, snacks and picnic if they wish. The event is free and open to the public. Donations will be accepted towards the Park’s new public washrooms project.

The event will be held weather permitting; check the Griffis Sculpture Park Facebook page for cancellation info.

Griffis Sculpture Park is located off Route 219 between Springville and Ellicottville, NY. The park is actually split into two sections: Rohr Hill Road Site in Ashford Hollow, NY and Mill Valley Road Site in East Otto, NY. The Fall Walking Tour will be held at the Mill Valley Road Site.