By Thea Hassan:

Riding past Lafayette Square yesterday afternoon, I noticed some men with t-shirts reading, "get trashed in the square." Intrigued, as this is one of my favorite summertime activities, I biked over for a closer look.

To my surprise, and only mild disappointment, it wasn't booze they were talking about. They were collecting trashed electronics. The event was EcycleBFLO, sponsored by Sunnking Electronics Recycling. Sunnking is a business located in Lancaster that recycles electronics in an environmentally-friendly way. After removing components that are

By Thea Hassan:

Buffalo ReUse has announced plans to expand to a second location in the Schiller Park area.

ReUse is set to open the new location on the corner of Genesee Street and Hagen by August. The former bank branch site was donated by HSBC Bank USA, and will feature a recycled home improvement supply store, a tool lending library, and space for workshops ranging from first time homebuyer programs to home energy seminars.

"It will be a small satellite store... a smaller version of what is already up and running," said Michele Johnson of Buffalo ReUse.
/city/index.html

On July 12th and July 13th, the Erie Canal Harbor Development Corporation will host Placemaking Workshops for the Buffalo Harbor Bridge.  Each night is dedicated to a single bridge location - Erie Street and Main Street.  In addition to the "null" or "no build" scenario, these two locations were determined to be feasible alternatives under the scoping process completed in 2010.

The public is encouraged to attend the Workshops, walk the proposed sites, find out about the progress of the project, engage in breakout sessions to

Interview by Tara Sasiadek:

The Buffalo Expat Network, the Emerging Leaders in the Arts and HandsOn Greater Buffalo are pleased to present the echo: Art Fair which connects experienced collectors and first-time buyers with emerging local, regional and international artists in a centralized and creative environment; the Buffalo Central Terminal. echo: Art Fair will showcase a broad scope of fine art disciplines, including

It was just about a year ago today when I posted on what I felt was an opportunity to take a dead space on Court Street and turn it into a vibrant urban plaza. Since then I have run into various staff members at Visit Buffalo Niagara - VBN (formerly the Convention and Visitors Bureau), and each time I have made it a point to mention the opportunity. Surprisingly, the powers that be expressed a serious interest in the concept and even began to research what it would take to pull it off.

This past Wednesday

The mural at McKinley high school is underway. After weeks of preparation (see background), artist Augustina Droze has begun to paint the massive work of art that will eventually portray the parks within the Olmsted Parks System. I was fortunate enough to run into Augustina yesterday morning as she was preparing to go over the process of painting a mural with a Buffalo State College class called Public Art and Murals. Professor Philip Ogle, Chair of the Fine Arts Department, was going over

By Andrew Delmonte, Buffalo First!

Buffalo First! is proud to announce the passage of legislation allowing for Benefit Corporations in New York State. The measure was passed by the New York State Senate (bill S79-a, 62-0) on June 16, 2011 and by the New York State Assembly (bill A4692-a, 139-0) on June 17, 2011. The bill has been sent to Governor Andrew Cuomo.
 
When signed into law, the bill will make New York the fifth state to allow businesses to be recognized by law as Benefit Corporations.

The National Trust for Preservation's "Buffalo Unscripted" project has released a detailed filming schedule for dates from July 16 through July 23.  Buffalo Unscripted is a film project being produced in advance of and as part of the upcoming National Trust conference in Buffalo this August. From the "Buffalo Unscripted"  web site:

This July 16-24, the National Trust for Historic Preservation will hit the streets of Buffalo to tell the real story of a city that everyone seems to have an opinion about - whether they live here

By Rebecca Bratek:

Ten years ago in the fall of 2002, James Burritt and a friend sat around a table at SpoT Coffee discussing what was missing in the Buffalo music scene in terms of choral groups. They threw some names around, made a few phone calls, and hoped to form something out of this dream. Only two months later, this new group was established and performing its first concert.
           
Now, ten years later, the Vocalis Chamber Choir is ending its ninth season in the Western New York music scene and is a

-Emma Fabian, Buffalo, NY
 
Now you can have your ceremony at home
my mother said to me
during a late night phone call
on June 24th
 
and in all my life
never had a better phrase been uttered.
What followed was
the best sigh of relief,
 
then the best smile
and, eventually, the best tear.
At least it felt that way at the time.
For I can finally allow myself imagine getting married in Buffalo, NY.
 
This is the city where I was born,
the city where I played little league soccer
/city/index.html

Four experts joined together last Wednesday at Canisius College to discuss the past and the future of the Larkin District. Chris Hawley, a preservationist and an urban planner with the City, offered an in depth look into the history of the Larkin Company as well as the area before Larkin. Dr. Jack Quinan, one of the leading Frank Lloyd Wright scholars and distinguished professor at UB focused on Wright's magnificent Larkin Administration Building.

Trinity Episcopal Church, 371 Delaware Avenue, has received a $178,615 grant from the Department of Interior, National Park Service (NPS) through the Save America's Treasures (SAT) grant program, for the preservation/rehabilitation of this historic church. Sixty of these grants totaling $14.3 million were are awarded in collaboration with the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH), and the Institute of Museum and Library Services

By Thea Hassan:

The emerald ash borer beetle has reached Erie County. Discovered last week in South park, the arrival of the invasive species could be bad news for Buffalo's ash trees.

You may have read the Buffalo News article on the subject, "Tree lovers gird for beetle invasion." If you are not a tree lover, do not fear. This beetle may be destructive enough that even those with ambivalent feelings about trees can be concerned.

First discovered in Michigan in 2002, the invasive species can

Interview by Tara Sasiadek:

The Buffalo Expat Network, the Emerging Leaders in the Arts and HandsOn Greater Buffalo are pleased to present the echo: Art Fair which connects experienced collectors and first-time buyers with emerging local, regional and international artists in a centralized and creative environment; the Buffalo Central Terminal. echo: Art Fair will showcase a broad scope of fine art disciplines, including

Buffalo & Erie County Public Library Staff Review by Ann Kling:

This fourth book in the Lady Julia Grey series does not disappoint.  After an idyllic eight month honeymoon in the Mediterranean, Julia and Nicholas Brisbane are called by the eccentric March family to India to help solve the mystery of Freddie Cavendish's death.  Freddie was married to Jane, the former lover of Julia's sister, Portia.  Jane is pregnant and believes Freddie was murdered .  But why? For his brother Harry to inherit the tea plantation?  If so, are Jane and her unborn child

Now that final work is being completed on the food shack, it's time to give it a name. The ECHDC has decided that the public should have a part in naming the eatery (see rendering). Located on the Central Wharf, the shack will be open for breakfast, lunch and dinner. There will also be beer and wine served, as well as patio seating. The food venue is scheduled to open July 1st, which means that the name must be decided upon rather quickly.

"When we opened our doors last winter and asked the public what they wanted to see on the waterfront, food was one of the top three items, along with

Interview by Tara Sasiadek:

The Buffalo Expat Network, the Emerging Leaders in the Arts and HandsOn Greater Buffalo are pleased to present the echo: Art Fair which connects experienced collectors and first-time buyers with emerging local, regional and international artists in a centralized and creative environment; the Buffalo Central Terminal. echo: Art Fair will showcase a broad scope of fine art disciplines, including

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

The Association for a Buffalo Presidential Center (ABPC) held its annual meeting yesterday, which entailed announcement of filling two vacancies on the board, the election of officers/trustees, and the appointment of committee chairs.  The annual meeting was followed by a reception for board advisors, in which the board president, Maryann Saccomando Freedman, addressed advisors about the 2011-2012 ABPC agenda and discuss the progress.  Attending both the meeting on Thursday was George Cleveland, grandson of President Grover Cleveland, who has recently been named an advisor to the ABPC.

Prejudice against Buffalo? C'mon! OK, maybe there are some people out there who have a few preconceived notions about Buffalo... and I bet that many of them live in Toronto. Just take it from Torontonian Adrian Brijbassi. Growing up in Toronto, the writer, who now writes for the Toronto Star, always felt that Buffalo was good for one thing: bashing.

"I've done it, too often making fun of the city and -- as I discovered this weekend -- doing so without ever really getting to know it."

Here's