Ellicottville, NY is so far north, it’s practically Canada.  It is a town of festivals, fundraisers, charities, and events.  Ellicottville has a King and a Voice.  The king is elected by popular vote every Winter Carnival.  The Voice is Bob McCarthy, who lives on Jefferson St. and speaks with a very slight brogue.  Tall and ruddy, Bob has lived in Ellicottville, working closely with Holiday Valley for four decades.  To keep himself busy, he leads private tours in Ireland and builds tiny wooden cottages and doghouses.  This season will be his fiftieth year teaching skiing.  Gulping down a mug of Earl Grey on the way to announcing the fourth annual Farm Fair Auction, he tells me the story of how snowmaking began.