City of Buffalo News, Events & Information

City February 9, 2010 7:11 AM

My Favorite Buildings: Bird Feathers STEEL February 9, 2010 7:11 AM Comments: 13

After a long hiatus, I thought I should get back into my "favorite building" series. I started this series back in the day, when I first started writing for BRO, as a means to highlight the very large collection of wonderful Buffalo buildings that most people tend to take for granted and which the mainstream media probably don't even know about. (Whoa I sound like Limbaugh saying that.) Not that I am some super, all knowing guru of architectural knowledge. Anyone who walks down a great Buffalo street and just takes a small portion of their life energy to notice what they are walking past will be rewarded by some great unheralded buildings (I guess walking is the operative word there). I just get tired of the fact that so many people think that Buffalo's architectural heritage starts and ends with the Martin House, City Hall, a few mansions, and...

City February 8, 2010 6:52 PM

Sign Up And Suit Up For Some Powder Keg Games queenseyes February 8, 2010 6:52 PM Comments: 4

By now you may have heard of the Buffalo Powder Keg Festival's attempt to build the World's Largest Arctic Glacier Ice Maze, or tubing down a closed-to-traffic Skyway exit ramp... but there's a lot more going on and this post kicks off a series that will keep festival-goers up to date with myriad activities and events.

Chris Catanzaro (photo) is happily heading up the All-Pro Competitions that will be scattered throughout the weekend of February 27th and 28th. This guy is doing a bang up job in wrangling participants who will be going head to head in all sorts of winter games, some of which you can enter and all of which you can cheer on. So sign up and suit up for some of the best snow action this side of the equator. Here's the line-up so far:

Street Broomball: Using corn or whiskbrooms,...

City February 8, 2010 1:20 PM

The Entertainers and Writers of Forest Lawn Buffalo Rising February 8, 2010 1:20 PM Comments: 0

What do Red Jacket, author Taylor Caldwell, artist Tony Sisti, and rock star Rick James have in common? All have an artistic connection to the Western New York community, and all are buried in Forest Lawn Cemetery. And on February 14th at 2PM, you can learn about them and many other WNY artists at Forest Lawn's second Sunday in the Cemetery concert and lecture program.

Approximately 40 talented people will be featured in this unique concert and lecture event.

The program begins with a 30 minute concert by two of Buffalo's favorite local musicians - Billy McEwen and Joe Head. Billy and Joe have a long-standing connection with Forest Lawn, having portrayed characters in the ever-popular summer history tour programs. They both were thrilled to have a chance to entertain in other ways at the Cemetery - McEwen portrays George Norman Pierce, and Joe has had several roles, including...

City February 8, 2010 12:57 PM

The Hydraulics: The Demolition of St. Patrick's Buffalo Rising February 8, 2010 12:57 PM Comments: 23

The talk of moving St. Gerard Church generated a lot of controversy on BR over the weekend. In addition, it prompted local preservationist, blogger and board member of the Campaign for Greater Buffalo Chris Hawley to recall another lost parish on his site, The Hydraulics.

See Hawley's story about the removal by demolition of St. Patrick's Roman Catholic Church that took place in 1982 at the corners of Emslie and Seymore Streets. In his blog, Hawley calls the demolition of the church "an act of vandalism against the public memory of the Hydraulics as Buffalo's first Irish neighborhood - later, a largely German and Polish neighborhood."

Likewise, Hawley says,"The demolition of St. Gerard's, regardless of the future use of materials salvaged from the site, would permanently remove hope from the Delavan/Bailey neighborhood. The structure is a cultural marker that establishes a neighborhood identity and potentially represents an economic...

City February 8, 2010 12:06 PM

BRO on BFO: Jordan Levy and Bass Pro Elena Cala Buscarino February 8, 2010 12:06 PM Comments: 8

The Buffalo Rising Roundtable welcomed Erie County Harbor Development Corporation Board Chairman Jordan Levy for our podcast discussion this week. Newell was off doing Powder Keg Festival press, which you can read about in this Donn Esmonde Buffalo News column. Note that Levy says in the podcast that we can use a thousand more Newells, and Esmonde writes that Newell "makes Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm look like a chronic whiner," and it would be hard to disagree with either of those assessments.

We invite you to read the Esmonde article, but please don't miss the conversation with Levy in this full 26-minute podcast. In it, Levy candidly discusses the developments at Canal Side, as well as the great possibility that Bass Pro will be an anchor there "if we don't do anything to screw it up."

Of the skeptics, Levy says, "We're working feverishly toward development of this...

City February 8, 2010 11:59 AM

Winds of Change? The Growing Interest in Great Lakes Offshore Wind Energy Great Lakes United February 8, 2010 11:59 AM Comments: 10

GLU post by Nate Drag:

Anyone who lives on the shores of the Great Lakes knows that the waves are not the only powerful force in these ecosystems. From the days of shipping grain and coal on sailing vessels like schooners to the wind driven waves of Great Lakes surfers today, the wind is an undeniable feature of Great Lakes ecosystems and communities.

The challenges of global climate change and an energy system based on unsustainable and polluting fossil fuels, however, have recently lead many individuals across the Great Lakes basin to consider how else this immense force could be used to the power our bi-national region in a more sustainable way. The latest wave of interest in Great Lakes wind is coming in the form of offshore wind turbines. While this technology has been used by several European nations, there are currently no offshore wind energy...

City February 8, 2010 8:40 AM

Premium Child Care at Vincennes Academy Justine Smith February 8, 2010 8:40 AM Comments: 0

For working parents, child care is a necessity. Vincennes Academy at 90 Pearl Street, in the Webb Building, is a special daycare center. It provides a comfortable learning environment and unique experiences for children, plus the secure and centrally located setting that parents need.

Located in the Webb Building, which was renovated by Rocco Termini in 2007, children have ample space to play, learn and develop. The daycare center includes eight rooms, all of which possess a universal design so that each child can utilize their classroom to the fullest extent.

The interior of Vincennes boasts brightly colored walls, whimsical decorations and a fun space, which is conducive to learning. The center features a gross motor room, where children can ride tricycles, practice crawling and walking, etc.

The daycare...

City February 8, 2010 8:00 AM

Frosty February Tours Amanda Gabryszak February 8, 2010 8:00 AM Comments: 1

In Buffalo, New York, most of the February days fall below 25 degrees Fahrenheit. Weather like that may cut down on outdoor activity that doesn't involve sport, but in the Queen City, there's always something to do.

In the chilly days of the month, Buffalo Tours offers their Queen City Downtown Walking Tours, with a sliding fee based on the temperature. For each degree above 25 the cost goes up $1 to a maximum of $10 per adult ($5 for students). The price is determined through the Weather Channel Website using the 14203 zip code, fifteen minutes prior to the tour. Groups meet in the Buffalo Visitor Center at 617 Main Street, with tours beginning at 2PM.

The tour spans from M&T's Gold Dome bank to the Gothic St. Paul's Cathedral. "Maybe...

City February 7, 2010 4:40 PM

Alas, Sunday comes but once a week... queenseyes February 7, 2010 4:40 PM Comments: 3

If you're like me and you're always looking for the next great place to enjoy Sunday brunch, you should know that Juniper just added brunch to its repertoire. I was lucky enough to enjoy the restaurant's initial offering earlier today - I have been waiting ever since they opened to try it out, mainly because the dining areas are perfectly designed for brunch-style eating. Any place that has such dramatic lofted windows with an eastern exposure already has an advantage over the competition.

Then you throw in the culinary skills of Roo Buckley and Kate Elliott and it's an automatic slam-dunk. We used to be devotees of Roo's Sunday brunches at Coda, and we're very disappointed when that routine was cut short. Now it's the best of both worlds - delicious food in a sunny, warm and social atmosphere. Throw in bottomless mimosas for $10 and Sundays are...

City February 7, 2010 8:38 AM

Buyer Beware When It Comes to Pet Toys Buffalo Rising February 7, 2010 8:38 AM Comments: 3

By Timm Otterson, DVM and PEF President

The media is starting to sound like a broken record when it comes to toxic products from China. Veterinarians and pet owners remember well the deaths and illness caused by melamine-tainted pet food in 2007. Parents will recall the lead-tainted Mattel toy cars and Thomas the Tank Engine train toys from China that followed. Now pet owners and parents get to worry together about the recent study published by ConsumerAffairs.com demonstrating lead, chromium, arsenic, cadmium, and/or mercury in pet toys from China.

To summarize the report, ConsumerAffairs.com hired forensic toxicologist Ernest Lykissa, Ph. D., of ExperTox Analytic Laboratory in Texas to test four toys (two for cats, two for dogs) purchased off the shelf in a big-box store for toxins. He found significant levels of lead and chromium in a "green monster" dog toy along with traces of arsenic and mercury, and...