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Relieve stress with songs that make you smile: Roger Pettengill to perform April 24 BY KATHRYN ROSS
WELLSVILLE — In these stressful times, it is important to smile and be kind to others, sit back, listen to music and stress out, so believes Roger Pettengill. Pettengill will be doing just that when he offers his program, “Songs and Smiles” to the public at 7 p.m. April 24 in the auditorium at the David A. Howe Library. The program is free of charge and open to the public. Pettengill, who turns 70 in a few months, has been performing locally since 2010 after overcoming his stage fright. He was a machinist at Dresser-Rand in Olean for 42 years and retired at age 59. At 55, he’d decided to follow the
advice of bestselling author and life coach John Acuff: “Be brave enough to be bad at something new.” “I’ve always loved music, but didn’t have the courage to play in front of people,” Pettengill said. “After I read Acuff I decided that it was time to overcome my fear and do what I’d always wanted to do. This was a late in life endeavor for me, but it is never too late to try something new.” He got his first paying gig, a wedding, after running into a fellow tourist from Olean in the pool at a Jamaican resort and striking up a conversation. He first performed at the Palmer House in Cuba. Since then, he has put together a program
Photo provided Roger Pettengill during his last “Songs and Smiles” concert in Wellsville.
using video to accompany his musical stylings on guitar and harmonica. Some of the music in the show is his original compositions. The rest of the songs are covers from music by artists John Denver, Gordon Lightfoot and Neil Young as well as Hank Williams and Jimmy Buffett. The unique part of Pettengill’s “Songs and
Smiles” program are the short videos he films to accompany the music. “I’ve filmed videos that run in the background while I perform,” he said. “They’re simple videos that illustrate the songs. Whenever I go into a town, I take a video of the area, so people can relate to the songs with scenes from their own hometowns. So, in the
Wellsville concert scenes from Wellsville will be running in the background.” However, Pettengill regrets that the Wellsville concert may be the last of his video performances because it is getting more and more difficult to find appropriate venues. That doesn’t mean he is hanging up his guitar or putting down his harmonica. He will continue to perform in local bars, restaurants and at park concerts and for benefits to raise funds for ALS, Alzheimer’s and cancer research and heart health and at nursing homes, assisted living facilities and the occasional wedding. For Pettengill, his programs are a way of allowing his audience a
chance to kick back and stress out. “Music is such a great way to get people together and to get their minds off their daily woes,” he said. “My show stresses the importance of having and sharing a smile and that whenever given a chance, you should choose to show kindness.” The smiles, corny jokes and beloved songs like “What a Wonderful World,” “Puff the Magic Dragon,” “I Believe in Magic” and “The City of New Orleans” are appropriate for all ages and will take place in the restored Nancy Howe Auditorium. Take some time to stress out and enjoy the music of Roger Pettengill.
Genesee Valley/Belfast baseball coach sets all-time wins mark for NYS
Dennis Miles
Genesee Valley/ Belfast won 5-1 over Eldred Central of Sullivan County on April 14 in the Bronx to start 5-0 on the season. Coach Dennis Miles passed Craig Phillips to be the winningest coach in New York state high school baseball history with 807 victories. GVB scored two
in the second, one in the third and got two insurance runs in the sixth to break the game open. Ethan Davenport improved his record on the mound to 3-0, allowing two hits with 14 strikeouts and four walks. Ryan Daciw pitched the last two innings with three strikeouts.
Leading hitters were Ethan Davenport going 2-4, Nolan Hunter was 2-3 with two RBIs and Jacob Tice went 2-3. The former longtime Wellsville baseball coach, Miles was inducted into the New York State Baseball Hall of Fame’s Class of 2021. Inductees included former Yankees Bernie
Williams and Bobby Richardson, Mets Cleon Jones and Mookie Wilson, famed documentarian Ken Burns, former Mets public relations director Jay Horowitz and a former Yankees bullpen coach, Dom Scala. Miles coached at Wellsville for more than four decades, retiring
from his longtime post as athletic director and coach in 2018. Unable to stay away from the game, he accepted a position in Avoca and won a 2019 Section 5 championship. Miles returned to coaching in Allegany County in 2024 when he took over the Genesee Valley/Belfast team.