The day's guest speaker was Jay Kuntz, co-president of the Bemus-Stow Ferry and who was introduced by Vince Horrigan. Jay is from Pittsburgh, but has strong ties to Chautauqua Lake and the Stow community, with his grandparents having honeymooned on the lake in 1917. Jay is a life-long visitor and since retirement, spends May through October living here. Jay is a 1977 graduate of Kent State University. Prior to retirement, Jay worked as an independent/freelancer in both video and television - coordinating the crews and equipment needed to create footage for both cable and network stations. He also worked instant replay for live sporting events. Upon retirement in 2016, Jay became involved with the Ferry because he wanted to spend more time looking across the narrows.
Jay provided a very detailed verbal presentation about the Ferry, which first opened in 1811. In fact, the first act of the newly formed government in Chautauqua County was to issue a license for the operation of a Ferry across the narrows of Chautauqua Lake, between what is today Stow and Bemus Point. Jay, along with co-president Martha Anderson and a dedicated group of 50+ volunteers, help the vessel run every weekend from Memorial Day to Mid-September. It was also noted that the Ferry's continued operation in recent years is great news, considering it failed inspection in 2018, 2019, and 2020. In the fall of 2020, a plan was put together, with input from New York State, and repairs were made to help the Ferry finally pass inspection, with the general terms of the services paid off by Labor Day 2021. He noted that despite the various challenges the past decade, the Ferry is stronger than ever, with an estimated 20,000 people riding the vessel this year.
The presentation primarily focused on the success of the Ferry. He said first and foremost, as a nonprofit the Ferry is only successful if it can cover expenses, while also building a reserve to help cover the cost of maintaining and repairing the vessel. Income for the Ferry comes from donations from the public, with neither the County, the State, nor the Federal government providing funding for its operation. To help keep costs down, both labor and equipment is donated - including an engine that was given to the Ferry in 1996 by Cummins. Jay noted that a new engine is expected this year. The support from the community and businesses like Cummins is what helps to fuel enthusiasm for the volunteers.
Jay also noted that the success of the Ferry is also driven by strong communication, including sharing details of any planning efforts, raising awareness about the operation through publicity and promotion, communicating with volunteers to ensure they are aware of everything involving the Ferry, and engaging with riders to make it an enjoyable and personal experience for them so they will want to ride again and again.
Keeping people happy is another reason for the Ferry's success. The organization works to provide giveaways including magnets and posters to all riders, provides props for photos to help remember the ride on the Ferry, and all volunteers always say "Thank You" to show their appreciation.
Perhaps most important to the Ferry's success is the quality workforce, with over 50 volunteers helping to make the Ferry operate each year. Volunteers are asked to contribute 17-18 hours each month while the Ferry is in operation. If it wasn't for the volunteers, the Ferry likely wouldn't be a sustainable operation!
Finally, the Ferry's success is due to something you can't buy, which is a rich History. The Ferry has been in operation in some form or the other for 214 years, with the current vessel being in service for 100 years.
As noted earlier, the Bemus Point-Stow Ferry operates from Memorial Day weekend to Mid September, 8 hours each day Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. It is also available for special events, including field trips, Monday through Thursday. In fact, Jay noted that in 2021, 60 kids from one local school district came to the Ferry for a field trip. For years later in 2025, an estimated 600 students from 10 different districts took a field trip to ride the Ferry.
Following Jays presentation, the meeting was adjourned.
Following Jays presentation, the meeting was adjourned.
