saturday june 28th 2008
Summer Camp Comprehensive (with links!)
Sandra Williams Gordon
Summer time, and the living is easy…well, not so easy if you are a parent or guardian of a youngster.
Dual income, single, and working parents, often start to sweat long before the summer heat arrives, worrying about how they are going to provide quality childcare during summer vacation.
Many parents remember their summer vacation as a simpler time. If you lived in a city, you got together with your friends, played make believe, arranged a baseball or basket ball game, played hide and seek, worked on building a hovercraft. And if you lived in the country, you may have done some of these things, or you explored nature, rode your bike, your horse, went fishing, discovered birds nests and fireflies, and planted gourd seeds in your mother's flowerbed (hehe). You had your own little science lab in your backyard.
Today, for myriad reasons, that is not an option for most families. The days of kids getting together for a quick game of baseball, or hoops is sadly fading away. Not to me…
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queenseyes
It was only a few days ago when someone asked me how progress was coming along with The Wine Thief. I told the person that I had received an update from co-owner Dave Cooper that plans had been held up temporarily (go figure), but not to worry, the place was coming along nicely. Yesterday I swung by and the signage was up on the building and it looks as if the space is finished and now the final details are coming together. Back in April Dave sent me a cool note about the project:
“Eight years ago when I was living in Virginia, I had the idea of opening a wine bar. My first ideas of what I would like to see in a true wine bar are details such as wine lockers, a lounge area, and temperature controlled wines by the glass. Well, seven yea…
buffalorising
For those of you making your way about the city today as part of Buffalo Homecoming, don't forget to stop by for an In-Home and Neighborhood Tour with architectural historian, Martin Wachadlo and NGCP block club President, Kathy Mecca. Enjoy this tucked-away treasure-trove of architectural styles, including 3 in-home tours with residents who will be either evacuated or "left behind" — in continuing peril, in the name of transportation "progress".
Though in recent weeks, the architectural tragedy of the crumbling White Livery Stables (just East of the Columbus Park Neighborhood) has taken precedence in the headlines, this neighborhood needs to be remembered for the endangered area that it is.
Mecca and Wachaldo will take you through the historic community and introduce you to the residents who live there.…
Jennifer Lawandus
Whether you're a bicyclist or a savvy cyclist, Green Options Buffalo is offering a Savvy Cyclist class this Sunday, June 29 from 10 AM-3 PM. The class will be held at Buffalo Blue Bicycle, which is located at 98 Colvin Avenue, and taught by a certified instructor from the League of American Bicyclists.
Limited to 15 people due to the intensity of the class, cyclists lucky enough to attend will learn how to fix a flat tire and get their cycle inspected to make sure it's safe and working properly.
Furthermore, students will walk away from the course with a "confidence to ride safely and legally in traffic or on the trail, knowledge of how to maintain their cycles, and an overall full understanding of vehicular cycling", says Justin Booth Director of Green Options Buffalo. But, don't worry, this class is not all classroom, it's mostly hands-on and bike-riding activities.
Unfo…
queenseyes
The bad news is that The City of Buffalo has removed 50% of the parking meter poles to date. The good news is that there are more than enough parking poles left to attach plenty of bike locking rings. And the news gets even better. The City has agreed to temporarily cap the remaining poles in order to initiate a program that will eventually go towards making Buffalo a more progressive and bike-friendly city.
The CIty has even agreed to find a solution for the areas around town where the poles were yanked. That means that there will be a combination of racks and rings in our commercial districts. Councilman David Rivera was excited to learn that the parking poles on Grant Street that were not even in jeopardy of removal (due to the new Pay and Display system) can benefit from the project. During Friday's meeting at City Hall, Justin Booth (Blue Bikes - photo) announced that the s…
friday june 27th 2008
Meet Me on the Lake
Jennifer Lawandus
Today, at 11:30 AM the Buffalo Olmsted Parks Conservancy proudly launched the first boats of the season on Hoyt Lake. On hand to celebrate was Assemblyman Sam Hoyt and Olmsted CEO, Thomas Herrera-Mishler.
The decision to bring back the boats was marked by the vision of Frank Law Olmsted and William Ballard Hoyt II "who wanted to highlight the beauty of Delaware Park while offering visitors a place for relaxation", said Sam Hoyt. The boats will do just that, allowing boaters to view the beauty that is Delaware Park in a different and fun way.
The boats were designed specifically for the lake by John Montague with the help of volunteers from the Police Athletic League and the Maritime Center. Montage said, "It's important the boats are on the lake, but the real importance was seen through the process of building the boats. The volunteers who helped build the boats worked on …
Elena Cala Buscarino
Three West Side community programs received a sizeable shot in the arm from HSBC Bank and the Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC)*. Thanks to these two organizations, The Massachusetts Avenue Project (MAP), People United for Sustainable Housing (PUSH) and Micro-Biz Buffalo will share $100,000 in grant funding for a variety of community projects.
HSBC and LISC each put up $50,000 toward the groups' West Side revitalization efforts.
Buffalo LISC Executive Director Michael Clarke said, “When you have partners like HSBC to help lend a hand, it brings other organizations on board and forms collaborations that are destined to succeed.”
LISC is providing funding to the three organizations for staff and operating expenses, as well as resources to help PUSH acquire properties for redevelopment.
According to HSBC Bank Senior Vice President for Community Development Kathle…
buffalorising
How many of you watch Last Comic Standing on NBC? They’re on Season Six now, but if you’ve regularly watched the show since it kicked off in 2003, then you may remember Debra DiGiovanni from Season Five. DiGiovanni was one of the top ten finalists that season and now is taking her talent on the road.
DiGiovanni was voted Canada’s Best Female Comedian at the 2007 Canadian Comedy Awards and is currently touring Canada and working in clubs across America as part of her Stand Up tour. Now, locals will get a chance to hear her at the Allendale Theater at 203 Allen Street, home to the Theatre of Youth Company.
DiGiovanni will be joking alongside with Richard Ryder, Kristen Becker, and
Sandra Williams Gordon
One of summer's most anticipated events in Buffalo is the popular Elmwood Village Association's Free Summer Concert Series in Bidwell Park at Elmwood.
For many, summer doesn't officially begin until the BPO opens this series. It's a great place to meet up with folks you haven't seen in a while for great music, great food and great fun.
Come with just yourself, or the whole works. No time to plan a picnic? No worries! Grilled food, wine and beer will be sold at the concerts, with proceeds benefiting the EVA. And with the variety of eateries in the area, it is just a short walk for a quick, yummy picnic to go.
A fun community spirit takes over as kids and adults of every age get up to dance to OCO's driving rhythms, the Latin Jazz Project's jams, or the sweet sounds of Neville Francis and the Riddim Posse. (I remember an elegant older couple dancing to a BPO waltz one summer…
Eli George
Buffalo has two major Flickr groups. Betty’s Restaurant at 370 Virginia Street makes great food and runs art exhibits in their restaurant. When Kathy Sherin, who curates the exhibits for Betty’s, was approached by a member of the one of the Flickr groups, she was more than delighted to match Flickr with Betty’s.
Sherin was approached last year and promptly set up a G-mail account for submissions. “After looking at what came in…the show really has some great images of Buffalo from an artistic point of view,” she says. The photography encompasses familiar places but with a unique perspective. There is also some pin-hole shots of the grain elevators, shots of the Richardson Building, and some intriguing shots of the demolition of the Balcom/Chandler House with the Statler Hotel in the background.
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