Artfarms and its partner, Polish Community Center of Buffalo, have been awarded a National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) Art Works grant. They are one of 817 nonprofit organizations nationwide to receive funding through the NEA grants. A grant of $35,000 has been recommended for the construction of artistic sculptures that will supplement agricultural activity on vacant east side lots.

The focus of Artfarms is

The Buffalo Architecture Foundation is inviting everyone to attend an event on Thursday at 6:00pm called "6 Minute Building Stories". Guests will be treated to a series of six minute stories about planning, architecture and landscape, as seen through the eyes of co-presenters who, through use of photos, will paint a picture of our built environment and the effect that it has on different people. 
Building Stories will

The Erie Canal Harbor Development Corporation (ECHDC) will hold the second of three public information meetings regarding the reconstruction of Ohio Street. The meeting, scheduled from 6:00 to 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, May 9th at the First Ward Community Center, will describe the key elements of the proposed roadway and provide updates on the design and construction schedules. There will also be a break-out session at the end of the presentation to gather additional input from residents, commuters and area businesses.
The reconstruction of Ohio Street as a landscaped

Buffalo Suzuki Strings (BSS), one of only a handful of Suzuki-only music schools in the U.S., will feature Suzuki Master Teachers Bill Preucil, Doris Preucil, Kimberly Meier-Sims, Christie Felsing, Pam Devenport, Dave Madsen, and Mary Craig Powell, on April 26th, 27th and 28th, during its 45th Anniversary Workshop.

"We are honored to have these Suzuki Master Teachers at our school, and are so pleased to be able to offer this extraordinary experience to our students.  From our beginners to our Advanced Ensemble students, they will have

Anyone who has met Elizabeth Triggs, founder of None Like You, We Care Outreach, will likely tell you the woman is a force to be reckoned with. Triggs has dedicated the last twenty years to improving life for members of the East Side community. And when she told me that she's been "slowing down" lately, I had a hard time believing her.
Triggs started her organization back in 1992 to help members of her community get the resources they needed. "We got the idea from working with a lot of agencies and they had so much red tape--you had to wait for this person and that

It wasn't long after Fiamma co-owner Noel Morreale opened Bambino (one of our favorite places to go these days) that his North Buffalo establishment closed its doors. According to Noel, the decision to reopen Fiamma came when he stepped back to reexamine the restaurant concept. With a change of partners, Noel has taken what he says was a solid concept when the establishment first opened, well-suited for the local restaurant climate, and he's updated the formula to keep current with local and national trends. 
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We are all aware of the vast number of clubs that adults get to participate in, but how 'bout a club for the kids? While checking out myriad activities that The Central Library conducts on a weekly basis, I came across one ongoing meet-up that parents might want to consider. It's the Lego Club! 
"The Lego Club is very cool," said Joy Testa Cinquino, Assistant Deputy Director, Development and Communications at The Central Library. "Legos have been around for ages and are still very, very popular.  Lego Club takes place on the fourth Saturday of the month,

Larkinville is not just about live music, beer and food, although those are three great reasons to pay a visit to one of Buffalo's newest hotspot destinations. What some people might not be aware of is that Larkinville also hosts a Larkin Square Author Series, which has featured notable authors such as Kathleen McCleary, Molly Stevens, Timothy Bohen and Cathy Buchanan. 
Next up in the series is Buffalo native Lauren Belfer, author of City of Light and A Fierce Radiance (see

Update: Due to some scheduling issues we have rescheduled Sunday Soup to Sunday June 9th. Please update calendar listings appropriately. The new proposal deadline is June 3rd at 10PM! Sorry for the mix up but we hope you can continue to participate in this great project! - Sunday Soup
Come join the grassroots fun with Sugar City and Buffalo Barn Raisers as they gather for good food and great ideas on Sunday May 12, 2013 from 4pm-7pm. Sunday Soup is based on a micro-grant program, where people can come to present their

Where are you from originally?
Derek Bassett: Voorheesville, New York.
Thom Davis: Hornell, NY.  
Joelle Labert: I've lived around Buffalo my whole life-Grand Island, then Kenmore and now the city.
Nathan Montague: I grew up in Lansing, N.Y., just northeast of Ithaca.  My family lived in the rural-est part of town, beyond the reach of cable TV, sidewalks, and ice cream trucks.  
Michael Tinsmon: Greece, NY -- Suburb of Rochester
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Do you want to hear what community and business leaders think about the future of Buffalo? As a final Year of the City event, Burchfield-Penney Art Center is hosting a roundtable discussion with six people who have been instrumental in affecting positive change in some manner, in the fields of media, politics, development, energy and the environment.
Emcee: Mark Severson, dean of the School of Natural and Social Sciences and chair of the Year of the City committee
Facilitator: Susan McCartney, director of the Small

The Erie County Industrial Development Agency today approved $591,000 in sales and mortgage recording tax abatements for Schneider Design Architects, PC for its $13.6 million adaptive reuse project at 145 and 149 Swan Street downtown.

Schneider, which has completed two conversions of vacant historic buildings into residential and commercial space, plans to renovate the mostly empty five-story, 50,000-square-foot structure at 149 Swan St., as well as the neighboring 30,000-square-foot,

What is the name of your group?  
Nikki Hicks and Momma's Biscuits 
How did the name of the band come about? 
I created that name 3 years ago because nothing brings more comfort that momma's biscuits.
Who are the musicians in the band?
Richie Valentino (bass vocal), Deshawn D Ray Jackson (drummer), Rufus Cole (keyboards) AKA Brezzy
Where are you from originally?
Buffalo
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Last month the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics put out the first official release of annual job data for metropolitan areas, so I wanted to take a brief look at this for large metro areas (more than one million in population, based on old metro area definitions that the BLS still uses). Here are the top 10 cities for percentage job growth. Nashville takes the crown.

The countdown to the Stiletto Run has begun. What started off as a spirited grassroots race six years ago has become of fan favorite for a mix of shoe lovers, party-goers and supporters of the fight against ovarian cancer. On Wednesday, June 19, 2013 the half kilometer race will kick into high heel gear as participants set off down Elmwood Avenue, from Bidwell Parkway to Auburn Avenue. 
As much as the Stiletto Run is considered a race*, there are plenty of participants who ultimately walk, skip and jog over the finish line. After

BRO submission by K Christner:
Last year I was very excited to see the Outer Harbor bike paths come alive.  However, they are now being made useless by the installation of numerous paver stones on top of the asphalt.  The pavers are already heaving and are uneven.  They have sharp edges that any cyclist will tell you will lead to numerous flat tires.  The paths are being made useless for cycling, and there are no bike paths on the roads.  
Cyclists and cars will now be forced onto narrow lanes.  Usually,

Preservation Buffalo Niagara is recognizing outstanding preservation projects and those contributing to regional preservation efforts at its annual awards ceremony May 31, 11:30 AM at Kleinhans Music Hall. Buffalo Rising has been profiling this year's winners leading up to the May event.
The Orchard Park railroad depot is a former Buffalo, Rochester & Pittsburgh Railway station owned by the Western New York Railway Historical Society. The society is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization dedicated to the preservation of Western New York Railroad heritage and history.

I dug up a few more Buffalonian tattoos since I first posted this tattoo last week - it turns out that the devotion runs deep and Buffalo skin art comes in all shapes and sizes.  A search on the internet turns up plenty of the predictable sports themed tattoos for sure but I was looking for something with a bit more of a real connection to Buffalo - after all, sports teams can fly the coop

Independent Health will serve at the Presenting Sponsor of the 22nd Annual American Diabetes Association Tour de Cure cycling event, with Michael W. Cropp, M.D., IH President and CEO, named Honorary Chair.   This year's Tour de Cure will take place June 8, 2013 with more than 1,000 riders of all abilities expected to participate.  In 2012, 970 riders raised $370,271.  The fund-raising goal for this year's Tour is $394,000 and 1,100.
"I am pleased to be the Honorary Chair of the American Diabetes Association's Tour de Cure. At Independent Health, we

What is the name of your group?
My full name is Chamus Felton Hawk - My artist name is my nick name. Chae Hawk 
How did the name of the band come about? When did it form?
I use to go by Noble Truth in my hay day as a shorty. Once I got comfortable  with my myself and my material It was only right I stay true to my government.
Where are you from originally?
Born in Albany, raised in Rochester, became a man in Buffalo 
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