Author: grazian1

The Buffalo Central Terminal will be celebrating Deco-Fest tonight, June 24th. The first of its kind to benefit the restoration of the deco landmark, featuring dance demonstrations, art deco merchandise, displays and a performance from national recording artists, the Cherry Poppin’ Daddies. The event is planned to coincide with the 82nd anniversary of the terminal’s grand opening in 1929.The Cheery Poppin’ Daddies became famous in the late 1990’s thanks to their hit “Zoot Suit Riot” which many believed to be a revival of swing dancing in the late 90’s. There will be three opening acts performing as well including Rochester’s…

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There’s a new LaSalle Park playground that has virtually sprung up overnight. It’s situated directly in front of Centennial Pool, and creates an interesting visual for anyone who might be passing by. At first we weren’t exactly sure what we were looking at when a group of us pulled into the park this past Monday. As we walked up to the herd of buffalo we realized that they were meant to be climbed on since there were platform stones stationed by each figure. The buffalo were part of the playground. How cool!Next to the herd was an organic looking playground…

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With 352 Facebook shares and 11 Tweets, comprised of some haters and some lovers, The Street (digital financial media company) sent Buffalo some props last week, stating that although this city’s population may not be rebounding (yet), there are plenty of reasons for residents to be happy. It was of special interest to me that the short article focused partially on quality of life for young Buffalonians, because over the weekend I ran into a bunch of enterprising youth in the Fargo Estates neighborhood who were in the midst of planting a garden next to yet another newly restored residence.…

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Reposted from BRO on Memorial Day 2005. I’m back from Forest Lawn with an updated photo, which I will do each Memorial Day:While driving down Main Street earlier today, a couple of I couldn’t help but notice the thousands of little American flags adorning the grave markers at Forest Lawn Cemetery. I remembered that when I was younger a friend of mine’s job was to plant all of those little flags. I never thought too much about it other than they were an awesome sight to behold. Today was different. There was a beautiful light shining on the motionless flags.…

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It’s refreshing to read articles touting Buffalo as a leader when it comes to gardening. With the advent of Buffalo in Bloom, the Garden Walk, and the National Garden Festival, other cities are coming to Buffalo and taking home more than a few gardening tips. The Wall Street Journal (AP) has a great article on garden tourism, where Buffalo is featured as a forerunner when it comes to flowery attractions. The article reminds us that these types of grassroots initiatives not only bring visitors to our city, they also bring much needed outside dollars. From the article:Buffalo’s self-guided free Garden…

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I always wondered why this large parking lot in Allentown at the corner of Arlington and Wadsworth was always empty. Especially since it’s so hard to find a parking spot in Allentown. Not that I’m a big fan of frontage parking lots to begin with, but if they exist already then they should be used. Even the mini marts in Allentown charge for parking. Apparently Mark Goldman, owner of Allentown Hardware, had the same idea – he and three other businesses are renting the lot in order to alleviate parking in the neighborhood. “We’re going to stripe it this week……

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When I first heard that a t-shirt company was opening on Elmwood I wasn’t sure if the everyday concept would fly. After all, the competition for t-shirts is tough because it’s a fairly low barrier to enter the market. Also, a business would have to sell a ton of t-shirts to hang in there… the place was going to need a good hook. Fortunately Michael Bowen, the owner of Pasteurized Tees, does have a hook, and it’s a good one at that. Actually, the premise behind the business is fascinating. This is how it works:1. Send almost any design to…

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There’s a new café in town, though not one that you can readily track down. Why? Because it’s on wheels, which gives this mobile café the ability to seek out those who thirst for coffees, teas, gourmet hot chocolate espresso drinks and iced mochaccinos. It’s called Rolling Joe Café*, and its owner Rich Spears has struck up an agreement with Olmsted Parks to deliver a variety of hot and cold drinks to a clientele that might not expect to encounter a café in a non-commercial district. That’s kinda the beauty of the operation – when I first encountered the coffee…

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After hearing about the recent vandalism that took place at Delaware Park, the community has come together in a way that shows just how tight-knit Buffalo can be. Small donations have poured in to help defray the cost of the repairs that include graffiti removal, fountain fixing, playground slide replacement, etc. As much as the small donations have helped to alleviate expenses, Olmsted weighed the damage against the incoming funds, leaving the non-profit organization wondering where additional support would come from – especially with the wedding season so close at had. It would be two additional phone calls that would…

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In light of the recent vandalism incident at Delaware Park (and other Olmsted Parks), some people are wondering what they can do to help. As much as the Olmsted Conservancy loves all of the help with tree plantings, there are even easier ways to make a difference that don’t involve rolling your sleeves up. By texting PARKS to 20222, you will automatically be making a $10 donation that goes towards park improvements, including tackling vandalism. Sometimes we don’t think about how much our Olmsted Parks play an everyday role in our lives. What would Buffalo be without this historic park…

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