What's Happening This Week in Jamestown

Jeff Allen: Stand-Up Comedy at Reg Lenna Center for the Arts

If you're looking for a night out that won't leave you cringing, comedian Jeff Allen brings his signature brand of clean, sharp observational humor to the Reg Lenna Center for the Arts on Friday, May 15 at 7 PM. Allen, a veteran of the stand-up circuit with decades of touring behind him, has a gift for finding the funny in everyday life: marriage, parenthood, getting older, all delivered with warmth rather than edge. The Reg Lenna itself is one of the genuine gems of downtown Jamestown: a beautifully restored historic venue that punches well above its weight. Tickets are available at the box office or online. More info at reglenna.com

Heritage Brass — Free Concert at Reg Lenna Center for the Arts

The Reg Lenna is also hosting a free concert from Heritage Brass May 21st and free is hard to argue with. Heritage Brass delivers a wide-ranging performance that moves from soaring orchestral transcriptions to jazz standards to patriotic favorites, showcasing the versatility and precision that come with serious musical training. No tickets, no reservations, just show up and enjoy one of the more underrated pleasures of living in a city with a venue like the Reg. More info at reglenna.com

Clymer Tulip Festival

Just a short drive from Jamestown, the village of Clymer transforms this Friday and Saturday (May 15-16) into a celebration of spring. The Clymer Tulip Festival brings together live music, Dutch dancing, local food vendors, jump houses for kids, and the kinds of fire trucks and tractors that make small-town festivals genuinely fun for all ages, not just something to keep the children occupied. And of course, the tulips themselves: rows of them in full bloom, doing exactly what tulips do when the weather finally cooperates. It's the kind of event that reminds you why living somewhere with actual seasons has its rewards. More info on Facebook

Audubon Community Nature Center: Bird Banding + Plant Sale

The Audubon Community Nature Center is worth making a dedicated trip to this Saturday. Starting at 7 AM, ornithologists open the Bird Banding Pavilion to the public with no reservations and no admission fee, where you can watch migrating birds get carefully banded and released and hear from the scientists about what the data reveals about population trends over time. Spring migration is in full swing right now, so the variety of species passing through is at its peak. Then from 9 AM to 1 PM, the Center's annual Plant Sale gets underway, with a wide selection of native plants, annuals, perennials, trees, and shrubs. Over 230 people have already responded on Facebook. Natives in particular are worth the trip, since they support local pollinators in ways ornamental varieties often don't. Bird banding info at auduboncnc.org | Plant sale on Facebook

Fredonia Farmers Market

The Fredonia Farmers Market is ramping up, running every Saturday from 9 AM to 1 PM, and May is when it starts to hit its stride. Local growers bring early-season produce alongside vendors who are there year-round: handmade crafts, fresh flowers, artisan jewelry, soy candles, baked goods, and the kind of browsing that's genuinely hard to replicate online. It's a short trip up Route 60 and a reliable way to start a Saturday morning, especially as the weather turns. More info at tourchautauqua.com

Hands On Neighborhoods: Community Cleanup Day

Saturday, May 16 is Hands On Neighborhoods day in Jamestown, the city's annual community cleanup initiative organized by the Department of Development. Volunteers fan out across the city's neighborhoods to pick up litter, clear debris, and do the kind of unglamorous work that makes a real difference to how a place looks and feels. It's worth noting that this lines up with Jamestown's Curbside Cleanup Week, which runs through Saturday, so if you've been meaning to drag that old furniture to the curb, this is your window. Registration is available at chqlandbank.org and the city's Public Works department coordinates pickup afterward. More info at jamestownny.gov

Hands On Day at the Busti Mill

Hosted by the Busti Historical Society, Hands On Day at the Busti Mill is exactly what it sounds like: a chance to step inside a working piece of local history. This Sunday from 1 to 4 PM, visitors can watch the Society's historic grist mill running in action and see firsthand how grain is transformed into flour the old-fashioned way. It's the first Hands On Day of the 2026 season, free to attend, and the kind of quiet, unhurried experience that tends to stick with people, especially kids who've never seen machinery powered by anything other than a battery. Event details on Facebook | Add to Google Calendar