Finger Lakes business helping Olympic history in Lake Placid

CANANDAIGUA, N.Y. — “Do you believe in miracles?” For one local winery owner, that answer is yes.

Randy Agness is one of just two corporate sponsors fundraising to build a monument dedicated to the 1980 U.S. Olympic hockey team.

“It’s going to have all the players on the podium, with them in the USA jackets, medals on, hands in the air,” Agness described. “It’s all bronze.”

The statue will greet visitors to the Herb Brooks Arena in Lake Placid, which is named after the coach of the Miracle on Ice team.

A die-hard Olympic fan, Agness didn’t hesitate to get involved.

“We just think it’s a good thing to do and we’re hoping other people see what we’re doing,” Agness said. “You simply have to buy a bottle of our wine and we make the donation.”

And Agness isn’t alone in this. He’s got some Olympic-sized support helping him with the campaign.

“We had Cathy Turner walk in and she tried our wine,” Agness said. “A friend of mine found out she loved our wine and wanted to work with us.”

Turner was born in Rochester. She won two gold medals for speed skating in 1992 and 1994.

The goal is to have the statue complete by January 2023 for the Winter World University Games.