Meg Walker

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• Posted Springtime Safari at Tifft: TONIGHT! (and Saturday) to Buffalo Rising
  A Springtime Species Safari is happening tonight and Saturday at the the Tifft Nature Preserve (1200 Fuhrmann Boulevard). This evening, beginning at 7PM and running until 10PM, the public can join the Tifft crew in three nature walks to listen for nighttime wildlife. From 7-8PM, guests can join Tifft Ecologist David Spiering to listen for frog calls from the Leopard and Green frogs, as well as birds of the marsh like American Bittern and Sora. From 8-9PM, it's bat hour. Justin Zoladz, an ecology and environment wildlife biologist will lead this segment using his bat detector and show what...
• Posted Part Four of Eight: Elmwood Green Campaign to Buffalo Rising
  The Elmwood Village Green Campaign has come to the halfway point in their eight-part series put on by the Elmwood Village Association (EVA), the Western New York Sustainable Energy Trust and the U.S. Green Building Council Chapter of Western New York, as this coming Thursday, June 4th will mark the fourth installment of the program from 7-9PM at the Unitarian Universalist Church (695 Elmwood Avenue). This time around the June program's theme is "Reduce, Reuse, Recycle in the Village," and the group will narrow their focus to concentrate on green choices and quality of life issues. Dave Majewski, president...
• Posted Wright's Larkin Featured in Newsweek to Buffalo Rising
  Frank Lloyd Wright's Larkin Building, though now demolished, was given plentiful and worthy attention in the pages of Newsweek in a piece titled "The Goodbye Swirl" by Cathleen McGuigan. The headline isn't referring to the Larkin, but to the Soloman R. Guggenheim Museum in New York. The two are both featured in the piece as they are the first and the last of Wright's work that will be celebrated at the Guggenheim Museum's 50th birthday beginning May 15th. McGuigan writes of the Larkin: The Larkin's interior plan was revolutionary in the world of business, and within its mighty brick...
• Posted Juniper Eyes End of the Month Opening to Buffalo Rising
  The Neighborhood Collective building, located at 810 Elmwood Avenue across from the Lexington Co-op, has been many things to many people. Soon the structure will be adding Juniper to its list.  The new restaurant that will be opening at the end of May, early June at the latest. Juniper is launching under Kate Elliott and Lindsay Malinowski. The two became friends while working together at the downtown lunch establishment Chop Chop where Kate was Lindsay's first boss. Kate, a chef for 15 years, will run the back of the house at Juniper with Co-chef Roo Buckley, former owner of...
• Posted Chow: Here, There and Everywhere to Buffalo Rising
  Chow Chocolat, located at 731 Main Street, is one venue I wish I would have hit during Restaurant Week for their offering. Alas, I didn't, but luckily they will be hosting a slew of events in the upcoming months. As Chow's website says, they are the only true chocolatier in Buffalo, also choosing to eliminate the use of artificial ingredients that equates to some awfully delicious confections. And not only is there chocolate, but Chow also offers organic free trade coffee and espresso, all served in biodegradable, environment-friendly cups, and pastries and baked goods. Go check out the chocolate,...
• Posted 1951 BPO Performance Recreated at Buffalo Seminary to Buffalo Rising
  It was back in 1951 that William Steinberg, the then-conductor of the BPO, requested that Buffalo-born artist Martha Visser't Hooft construct sets and costumes for the BPO's production of Igor Stravinsky's piece, "A Solider's Tale". Now, years later, the piece and scene from 1951 will be recreated by the Buffalo Chamber Players (BCP) and Buffalo Soundpainting Ensemble. The BCP is made up of members of the BPO and other highly-regarded area musicians, and the Buffalo Soundpainting Ensemble is comprised of a group of dancers, actors, poets, and visual artists working in the medium of structured improvisation under Christian Brandjes,...
• Posted Uncover Treasures at Trinity's White Elephant Sale to Buffalo Rising
  The Trinity Episcopal Church on Delaware Avenue has been holding their annual White Elephant Sale (WES) for 110-plus years now, but this year the rummage sale is getting a welcome update for all those recessionistas out there. Deal-seekers will still find pots & pans, furniture, and clothes for all ages, but they will also find high-end updates for their closet in the Designer Clothes and Artful Elephant departments. Household names like Liz Claiborne and Ann Taylor will meet Jimmy Choo and Sex and the City mainstay Manolo Blahnik in the form of purses, shoes, clothes and jewelry. Under the...
• Posted Turning Attention Back to the Skies to Buffalo Rising
  2009 is a big year for astronomy. Deemed the International Year of Astronomy, 2009 celebrates the 400th anniversary of the telescope, the 400th anniversary of Kepler's Laws of Planetary Motion, and the 40th anniversary of the lunar landing. As NASA works diligently to spread the word in the astronomy community to those who are already interested in astronomy as a hobby, four months in, it is appearing that the hobby is dying a slow death. As Tim Collins says, who is perhaps more readily known as Mr. Galaxy or the senior operator at the Whitworth Ferguson Planetarium, "Whether it's...
• Posted A Different Kind of Love Story: Zombie Loves Vampire Screening to Buffalo Rising
  Buffalo State theater student Jason Lee Klinger zeroed in on the idea of a vampire love saga long before the relatively recent Twilight phenomena began, but his version is just a bit different. His story chronicles a zombie going after a vampire in "Zombie Loves Vampire".          Klinger's digital HD-short, a romantic comedy of sorts, is set in the streets of Buffalo. Receiving permission for filming at certain areas of the city proved difficult for the film maker, but others weren't quite as difficult, Klinger says, like "the exterior of the Unitarian Church at Elmwood and West, an undisclosed...
• Posted Returning a Voice: Take Back the Night to Buffalo Rising
  Every year Buffalo State College hosts Take Back the Night. This year marks the 30th anniversary of the event that is dedicated to returning a voice to survivors of sexual violence. In previous years over 300 students, faculty and staff have attended the event.For Take Back the Night 2009: Do Something!, performances by Tha Ink Club and Casting Hall have been scheduled, as well as a special performance by two Buffalo State students. Two survivors of sexual violence will also speak about their experiences. The event takes place from 6:30-9PM this Friday, April 24th in the Campbell Student Union...
• Posted ECMC Donates to Harvest House, Good Neighbors Health Care to Buffalo Rising
  ECMC  has presented a donation of $8,673 to Harvest House and Good Neighbors Health Care, which they accepted gleefully. The check was presented to the founders of Harvest House, Gary and Linda Tatu, by ECMC Board of Director Chair Sharon L. Hanson and CEO Jody L. Lomeo. It was 16 years ago that the Tatus chose to purchase the former South Presbyterian church and Sunday school building at 1782 Seneca Street in Buffalo, following with renovations that transformed into a Baby and Children's Ministry and Christian Retreat Center. Today these buildings are now known as Harvest House. In the years after...
• Posted CMAC's Dynamite Summer Lineup to Buffalo Rising
  Tickets are going on sale this Saturday for the whole range of summertime shows that will be coming to Canandaigua's Constellation Brands-Marvin Sands Performing Arts Center (CMAC). Including national and local entertainers, CMAC is known for the variety it brings to the table, and this year is no different. Each year CMAC collaborates with its partners, Metropolitan Talent (securer and promoter) and SMG, a world leader in facility management. All three parties are ecstatic about the range and diverse nature of the talent they've booked this year. And with no further ado, this year's CMAC lineup: June  2         David...
• Posted Preserving WNY Video: Launch This Friday to Buffalo Rising
  Buffalo has been chosen as home to a major video preservation initiative called Migrating Media: Upstate Preservation Network. The initiative will serve to rescue thousands of fragile videotapes that are at risk of decaying completely by transforming them into digital format. After completion, the tapes will not only be restored, but also accessible to audiences for the first time in years. Through the new partnership of Squeaky Wheel, Hallwalls Contemporary Arts Center, and the Experimental Television Center (Owego, NY), these videos will be saved, but not without a little help from technology. The technology of the SAMMA Solo System,...
• Posted Plan an August Day Trip to the Finger Lakes to Buffalo Rising
  Attention all wine-lovers: Here's the perfect opportunity for a late summer family weekend away from it all, complete with loads of delicious, world-class wine, and activities to keep the kids occupied. The Finger Lakes Riesling Festival will be held August 15th and 16th along Lakeshore Drive and the City Pier in Canandaigua, NY. Founded by three entrepreneurs local to the Finger Lakes region, the festival provides a chance for area wineries, restaurants, artists, musicians, and farmers to show off their goods and celebrate the bounty the region possesses. "Our region is making a name for itself with its world-class...
• Posted Nominate Your Community Heroes! to Buffalo Rising
  Do you know of a local unsung hero who deserves to be recognized for their contribution to our community? Now is your chance to get them the props they deserve. It's time to nominate individuals for the 2009 WNY Heroes Awards. The awards will honor those community members who have gone beyond the everyday to innovate, inspire or live selflessly.  Specifically the sponsors, the United Way and Time Warner, are looking for people in these award areas: Active Artist: furthering and enriching the arts or artists Community Fixer: creating innovative solutions for problems/concerns in our area Education Leader: fostering change...
• Posted BAS Spring Classes for Budding and Mature Artists to Buffalo Rising
  The Buffalo Arts Studio (BAS) supports the arts community by offering both adult and youth classes of an ever-increasing variety. Through the Project Create Education Program, classes in pottery, digital photography, print making, painting and drawing are offered to children (7-18) and varying adult levels. At BAS, students are taught by professional teaching artists, who anticipate and expect a high level of commitment from their students, no matter the age. BAS offers classes during the fall, winter and spring. Recently, they released their spring class schedule to the public, and many classes are starting within the next week or...
• Posted Another Opportunity to Learn and Be Green to Buffalo Rising
  The third annual Enviro-Fair will be taking place on Arbor Day, which is on Friday, April 24th. The fair will run from 11AM-2PM at Niagara Square, right in front of City Hall. There will be loads of Green giveaways of reusable items, like CFL light bulbs, tree seedlings and reusable shopping bags. Booths will be set-up with knowledgeable individuals running them, educating the general public on ecology, recycling, alternative energy, and greening their own environment. The event is put on by Re-Tree WNY, who will be planting new trees near the event area, WNY AmeriCorps, and the City of...
• Posted Another Enticing Chance to See the Restoration at Graycliff to Buffalo Rising
  If you were unable to make it to Graycliff for the Easter holiday tours, here's another opportunity to the recently completed restorations at Frank Lloyd Wright's lakeside structure, with a twist. A special tour with a unique focus on the relationship between Frank Lloyd Wright and his client, Isabelle R. Martin, will be explored. Isabelle was the wife of industrialist Darwin D. Martin, for whom Graycliff was built as a summer home in Derby, NY, south of Buffalo. For 30 years, Isabelle and Wright enjoyed a complex and fascinating relationship, even after her husband's death. Embark on this tour...
• Posted BSC Fashion Hopefuls, WNY Professionals Show Off at Runway 2.0 to Buffalo Rising
  Fashion students at Buffalo State College will finally be able to show off a semester's worth of hard work on garments they've designed to fall in line with the exhibit at the Burchfield Penney's East Gallery. The event, Runway 2.0, is slotted for Saturday, April 25th. The designers have been creating men's and women's pieces that connect with the notion of the "Romance of Urban Decay," which is the current exhibition at the gallery. One student, Tiffany, took herself on a self-guided tour of Buffalo to check out the architecture. She spotted lots of gargoyles and griffins sitting atop...
• Posted Health Services the Focus of Towne Gardens Event to Buffalo Rising
  Towne Gardens Pediatrics, a satellite location of Women & Children's Hospital, is holding a family-fun event, complete with tons of prizes and hometown team mascots, from 10AM-2PM on Saturday, April 18th at the center, located at the Judge James A.W. McLeod Community Health Center, 461 William St. in Buffalo. The event, Spring Into Good Health, aims to raise awareness about the child heath services Towne Gardens Pediatrics offers. Kids will enjoy the wealth of prizes that can be won at the event; a home-style kitchen play set, a Ford F-150 radio control truck, and a Power Wheels vehicle. There...
• Posted BECHS Welcomes Rail Barons, Buffalo My City to Buffalo Rising
  The Buffalo and Erie County Historical Society is bringing back the popular Rail Barons model train display for operation from 1 - 4PM, Tuesday, April 14th through Sunday, April 19th, and also on the following Sundays: May 24th, June 28th, and July 26th. The Rail Barons display has more than 200 feet of track, on which HO-gauge model trains run, as well as a scale Erie Canal lock and 100 miniature buildings that portray Buffalo and Western New York at the turn of the 20th century. Another new exhibit, Buffalo My City, will also be on display along with...
• Posted Eat for a Cause! to Buffalo Rising
  Eighty-seven restaurants throughout Western New York are now taking reservations to satisfy appetites for a cause on Tuesday, April 28th for the 7th annual Dining Out For Life, a cause that helps to fight AIDS. Last year, $103,000 was raised with 103 restaurants.Participating restaurants contribute 25 percent or more of that day's food sales to AIDS Community Services (ACS) of WNY. Now in its 25th year, ACS is dedicated to stopping the spread of AIDS in our community and providing vital care to those living with the disease. Buffalo restaurateur Michael Militello and his wife, Marilynn, director of meeting...
• Posted CarShare Ready for May Launch to Buffalo Rising
  Founded by a diverse group from the University at Buffalo in June of 2008, Buffalo CarShare is now ready to launch in May.For those who aren't familiar with the concept of CarShare, it's a non-profit initiative put forth by the Green Options Buffalo that offers an alternative to owning a car privately. "You can borrow a car for things like a trip to the supermarket or the hardware store for between $5 and $8 an hour," Michael Galligano, co-founder, explains. "It frees you from the need to own a car if you live in a walkable neighborhood."Currently, those neighborhoods...
• Posted Meet Your Match! to Buffalo Rising
  Dyngus Day Buffalo is not only a day of dancing, beer, and Polish sausage, but also a day that acts as a matchmaking festival with pussy willow tapping and water used to attract the opposite sex, and the results are surprising.   "Many people in their 20s and 30s who are looking for a mate with similar cultural, religious and ethnic values see Dyngus Day as the perfect place to find companionship," Dyngus Day Buffalo Co-Founder Marty Biniasz, said.   "We see young, single Polish-Americans from as far away as Wisconsin, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Southern Ontario making the pilgrimage...
• Posted Easter Sunday Tours @ Graycliff to Buffalo Rising
  After Easter morning church, and after Easter morning brunch, there's one more destination for you to take out-of-towners this Sunday - Graycliff. Frank Lloyd Wright's Graycliff has recently completed the restoration of the exteriors of all buildings on site, and this completion leads many to believe that this will be the best spring, summer and fall to visit Graycliff in over 10 years.Tours are available Easter Sunday between 11AM and 4PM. Reservations are required and can be made by calling 716.947.9217, or e-mailing graycliff@verizon.net.  Graycliff was built between 1926 and 1929. The three-building estate in Derby, N.Y., just south...
• Posted Elmwood Village Green Campaign, Part Two of Eight to Buffalo Rising
  Just over a month ago, the Elmwood Village Association (EVA) along with the Western New York Sustainable Energy Trust and the U.S. Green Building Council Chapter of Western New York collaborated to present the Elmwood Village Green Speaker Series throughout 2009, and kicked off the series with their first program on March 12th.  Now that April is here, the campaign continues with the second program in the series, titled "Getting Started...Greening Your Home or Business" from 7-9PM on Thursday, April 9th at the Unitarian Universalist Church (695 Elmwood Avenue). The first 50 attendees will receive a National Fuel Conservation...
• Posted Announcement of Solar 2009 at Burchfield Penney to Buffalo Rising
  A press conference is being held at 10AM on Wednesday, April 8th at the Burchfield Penney Art Center (1300 Elmwood Avenue) to officially announce Solar 2009 National Conference, which is being held from May 11th through May 16th at the Buffalo-Niagara Convention Center.Solar 2009 is America's leading conference on the emerging trends, technology, and opportunities shaping the new energy economy. The conversation at the press conference will center on the May conference itself, creating Green jobs in the Buffalo-Niagara region, and the potential impact of renewable technology and its application to our daily lives. The solar energy industry is...
• Posted Pierogi, Kielbasa, Pussy Willows: Dyngus Day Buffalo to Buffalo Rising
  The pussy willows will soon be flying as Dyngus Day, according to tradition, falls on the Monday before Easter Sunday. This year that date is Monday, April 13th. Dyngus Day is a post-Lenten day of polka dancing, beer, Polish sausage, flirting with pussy willows and water that brings thousands to the area for a truly unique celebration. Some things to know before the day arrives: A new Pussy Willow Pass has been created by those at Dyngus Day Buffalo to help in cutting cost for attendees. With the purchase of a $10 admission and wristband at participating Dyngus Day...
• Posted Tonight's Gusto at the Gallery to Buffalo Rising
  Weekly Gusto at the Gallery goers can look forward to a variety of entertainment tonight, including art activities for all, rare Mickey Mouse art, an April Fool's tour and a performance from the Buffalo Gay Men's Chorus at the Albright-Knox. The evening begins at 5PM with an art activity in education classroom 1 that is open to all ages. Also beginning at 5PM and on display until 10PM in Clifton Hall are the original "Plane Crazy" storyboards by Ub Iwerks and storyboard art for the very first Mickey Mouse cartoon, which is the rarest Walt Disney artwork in existence....
• Posted Art Openings Galore on Allen -- Tonight! to Buffalo Rising
  Allen Street, between Delaware and Franklin, will be poppin' tonight with three art openings at Indigo Art (74 Allen), Buffalo Big Print (78 Allen), and an open house at Studio Hart (65 Allen). At Studio Hart, the work of Dianne Baker and Georgia Trimper will be on display through Saturday. Across the street at Buffalo Big Print, the gallery will be showing off a collection of beautiful prints, all of which were taken around the city and surrounding WNY sites.The Allen Street arts community urges everyone to stop in any time between 7-9PM.  As something to keep in mind...