It’s time to mark your calendars for the annual Thanksgiving Toast – a worldwide event with roots that run deep in Buffalo. It was thirteen years ago that Buffalonian Geoff Schutte found himself living half way around the world, disconnected from his friends and family in Buffalo. At the time, he felt that it was a good idea to get everyone together, to raise a glass and cheers to the people who he was with, and those that were far away, on Thanksgiving day, at exactly 7pm (Buffalo time). Since that first toast, the tradition has grown to encompass many people…
Author: queenseyes
For ages, it was thought that only kids could play with coloring books. But recently a trend has emerged that sees adults joining in on the fun. Now artist, historian and placemaker, Dana Saylor has created a Buffalo-centric coloring book that the entire family can enjoy (no matter the age). The book is a clever nod to the colorful character of Allentown – an area of the city that is chock full of stunning architectural houses and buildings. The coloring book was made possible thanks to graphic designer Derailleur. The designer took Dana’s original works and stripped them down into black and white…
A new retail gift store called Fern + Arrow has opened on Elmwood Avenue. The business moved into 773 Elmwood, which was the former location of Positively Main Street. In a surprisingly kind gesture, before opening Fern + Arrow, owners, Joanne Dina and Gordon Scherer, helped to orchestrate the store closing sale for Positively Main Street (Pos) at the behest of Pos owner Linda Matt. The relationship that was shared between the two stores is one for the records, as Joanne and Gordon eased the closing burden for Pos owner Linda Matt who had been in business since the 70’s and was simply ready…
By taking a page out of PARK(ing) Day’s book, and amplifying the mission, forward thinking grassroots activists have been able to take a vapid parking lot in Milwaukee (MKE)and transform it into a functioning work of art called TheSpot4MKE. A Project for Public Spaces (PPS) article details how the initiative was taken from concept to reality. The plan was to transform a sterile environment into a fabulously clever social gathering arena. So often, we have a hard time realizing opportunities of this nature, because we are so trained to believe that “what you see is what you get” – a parking lot is a…
Detroit’s urban agriculture movement is becoming wildly successful, and is helping to lift the city’s spirit through land cultivation and the rewards that it reaps. Over the years, urban farming initiatives have helped a number of Buffalos’ East and West Side neighborhoods to stabilize, as vacant lots have been turned into productive, food yielding farm plots. The success of the farming ventures has allowed communities to access healthy foods, while offering job skills to people who then armed with the knowhow and desire to grow the grassroots movement. Fortunately for Buffalo, and now Detroit on an even larger scale, growing food and…
Buffalo’s beloved BreadHive is planning on opening its first restaurant location at 402 Connecticut Street in coming months. The bakery has become a food staple for artisan bread and bagels, soft sourdough pretzel and granola lovers throughout the city, ever since opening on the West Side in April of 2014. BreadHive currently wholesales its baked products to fifteen restaurants and three stores in the area (including the Lexington-Co-op), making the worker cooperative a fan favorite from Larkinville to North Buffalo and beyond. Now owners Valerie Rettberg-Smith, Emily Stewart and Allison Ewing are branching out on their next business venture by establishing a retail…
The holidays are not just about people, they are also about pets. That’s why a fundraiser is being planned to raise money for the Buffalo Animal Shelter and ancillary pet causes. On November 29, between 11 am and 3 pm, pet owners can bring their furry friends to the Ellicott Square Building for a photo op with Santa Claus. It’s the perfect opportunity to do something special for our four legged friends who are down on their luck. It’s also a great opportunity to capture a photo of your favorite Fido with Old Saint Nick. Bring Your Paws to Santa Claus | Sunday, November…
In order to protect the health of Lake Erie, it is of utmost importance to protect the waters that flow into it. By identifying and safeguarding key at-risk lands that are in danger of becoming developed, and therefore polluted, valuable tributaries (rivers, streams, etc.) are preserved in the process. Pulling off these types of environmental success stories is not an easy task however. Much of the time, virgin land is more valuable to a developer that is willing to shell out big bucks, compared to environmental interests that seek to safeguard the unspoiled treasures. Thankfully there are organizations such as Buffalo…
The University Heights CoLab program is a pretty cool grassroots activism catalyst. CoLab was designed to empower people in the community to take on tasks that help them to live better lives. The organization does this by teaching residents how to improve their lives by enhancing their skill sets. Instead of simply going out and hiring a contractor, CoLab arms people with knowledge and skills to get the jobs done themselves. Yesterday, CoLab offered a class on how to install drywall. This was an incredible hands on class for people who have always wanted to learn how to build out a room,…
Last evening I passed by Ted’s Hot Dogs’ new Chippewa location, and saw that the staff was participating in a training session. Today I learned that the restaurant is set to open this coming Monday (starting at 10:30am), marking the return of a Buffalo eating tradition that has been sorely missed since Ted’s moved out of the city in 1998. “After 17 years away, our return to the city is well over-due,” said Peter Liaros, co-owner of Ted’s, whose father, Ted Liaros, started the business in 1927. “The history of Ted’s is rooted in Buffalo, and we are extremely excited…