Elena Cala Buscarino: November 2009 Archives

Yesterday was the most perfect of days to be at a Bills game.  First, there was the 50+ degree weather on November 29th.  Then, there was the win over Miami.  And naturally, the 4th quarter interceptions were an absolute thrill.
It was a fast game, and the 50-yard line seats from way up high on the west-facing side of the stadium kept the sun on our faces and gave us a great view of the playing field.  The bare-chested zanies with painted bodies weren't the only ones peeling off layers of unneeded extra clothing; it was warm and comfortable as we watched

A few weeks back, Newell brought designer Lesley Horowitz to the WBFO studios to meet News Director Mark Scott and to talk about the time she has spent documenting the industrial landscape. (See her Facebook album here.)
Now

Last weekend, 36 students from Syracuse University, the University of Rochester and Cornell convened to address the problem of brain drain in the region, that sends recent college graduates elsewhere to seek jobs.
Several different entities and institutions in Buffalo have begun their own separate meetings to address the same.  There is the upcoming "I Will Stay if..." meeting hosted by Great Lakes Urban Exchange (GLUE),

For a family-friendly activity the day after Thanksgiving, especially for out-of-towners who want to reconnect to the city, Buffalo Tours is conducting tours and a special event during the long Thanksgiving weekend. There's a good reason to avoid those frenetic trips to the mall! 

The Broadway Market, after decades of being thought of as the place to go for Easter shopping, is celebrating Christmas for the third year in a row.

The Christkindlmarket

Two local groups, Pixie Mamas Dog Rescue and Pole Play Dance Studio, are coming together On December 19th at the Riviera Theatre to help raise money for mans' best friend (the 4-legged kind).

After taking a little ribbing about my recent vacation and surfing in Mexico (below), WBFO News Director Mark Scott, Newell and I rolled up our sleeves and got down to Buffalo business on this segment of the Buffalo Rising Roundtable.

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Everyone's favorite mounted sheriff, Wayne Wolf, is back at it with a seasonal slant on keeping his off-duty horse gainfully employed.
As explained in this Buffalo Rising Magazine article by Lynn Roberson, the horses within the Sheriff's Mounted Reserve Unit are owned by the officers, and are not paid for or covered under county funds.  The yearly $4K and up to keep a horse cared for and healthy is a big ticket, but Wolf has found ways for the horses to help

A while back, Newell wrote a story about Habitat for Humanity's ReStore outlet on Amherst Street.  While he extolled the virtues of the store, he also lamented the unfriendly outside of the shop - so very opposite from what one finds within - and its lack of decent signage.
Brendan Ryan, an Americorps volunteer with ReStore contacted us yesterday to say that Meredeth Lavelle, of Lavelle & Lavelle Signs and Graphics, saw the story

Brandon Schlia is a musician, music instructor, and sometimes BR music writer.  He recently launched a new teaching endeavor he calls Alternative Sonic Instruction.  Brandon's idea is to guide a musician by their predilections and then he helps their hands to go where their ears are most pleased.  So, music is coaxed out as much as it's taught.  
It blows music theory to the wayside as a step further down the road, if at all.  
Brandon

The Northwest corner of Hertel and Parker is seeing new life, and it's all due to one local family's investment into their own much-loved neighborhood.  It all started two years ago when John Daly and his wife Ruthanne were on a walk around North Buffalo. As they passed the then vacant Parker Hertel Pharmacy, Ruthanne said,/author/elena-cala-buscarino-1/2009/11/index.html

On my return from Mexico yesterday, I was greeted with an email from my friend Mitch asking what was up with Guy Fieri.  How could Mitch have known I was with a group of people (including my sister) from Humboldt County, and that we were in the jungles of Mexico discussing Fieri?  The topic was the small world phenomenon of his presence on BR, and the fact that he hails from Humboldt and is seen around town there frequently.
Reading further, I saw that the faux

These pictures, courtesy of Joe Cascio, tell the story of ABC's Extreme Makeover project at 228 Massachusetts.  Enjoy!
Top image: A rash of volunteers.
Below: The Powell family.
Below: Mayor

West Side Buffalo resident Delores Powell and her four children are enjoying a stay at Disney World in Florida while their home at 228 Massachusetts Avenue gets a much needed redo.  In truth, it's the plot of land the single mother's house sits on that is being redone because the house - slated for demolition before Powell bought it - is coming down, with all of its problems, and a new house will go up in its stead.
All of this, courtesy of ABC's Extreme

Buffalo's own Alan Friedman, President of Great Arrow Graphics and President of Buffalo Astronomical Association has shot the sun, and it appears as the "Astronomy Picture of the Day" on this NASA site.
This isn't Friedman's first play on the NASA page, as his moon shot got their attention back in February

This was a rather spirited week for the Buffalo Rising Roundtable in Studio B with WBFO News Director Mark Scott.
There was yelling...or close to it, and argument, and then some pretty good laughs.  In talking about the panel Newell and I will be sitting on come Thursday night, Mark got all fired up about anonymous commenters who act trollish, and addressed one in our pre-recorded

Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, an ABC show, is coming to Buffalo this weekend, and will announce the name of the lucky family who will receive a whole new house on Saturday, November 7th. Word from our man behind the construction scenes is that with 700 volunteers asked for, an estimate of 2,500 showed at the Rich Products Atrium for on October 30th (above),

In an effort to compile their own StoryCorps of sorts, The Tonawanda Castle invites the larger community to take part in "A Day of Memories: Remembering the History of the Armory at the Tonawanda Castle."  Regionally, the organizers feel there are a lot of stories out there that pertain to this part of Western New York.="mso-spacerun:

Sitting on a sofa on a Sunday afternoon /
Going to the candidates debate /
Laugh about it, shout about it
/ When you've got to choose
/ Every way you look at it, you lose.

This is how a lot of people may feel, looking over the upcoming regional elections with its obvious slam-dunks or otherwise scant offerings of candidates.

Buffalo Mayor's race/author/elena-cala-buscarino-1/2009/11/index.html