I talk to people all the time about attracting families to want to live in the urban core, and always they bring up the same barrier: school quality. There's no doubt that far too many urban school systems perform abysmally and that quality of schools can be a huge factor for families deciding where to live. The conventional wisdom would suggest that until we fix the schools, we'll never attract families back to the city.

But what if that reverses cause and effect? What if rather than improving the schools before we can attract families back to the city, it will be attracting families

Western New York's version of the British Invasion will take place on Wednesday, June 29 when England's Bedlington Terriers of the Northern Football League take on the FC Buffalo at Robert E. Rich (RER) All-High Stadium. The match is scheduled for 6:30 p.m.

The "friendly" between the Terriers and FC Buffalo will highlight the Bedlington football club's week long visit to Western New York, which also will include youth soccer clinics conducted by players from Bedlington and FC Buffalo at RER All-High Stadium on June 27, and with the Terriers and Niagara United in Niagara Falls, Canada

Kudos to team SOHO for a great burger experience (see background).  I really am not one who needs or wants to eat at a new, trendy restaurant right off the bat, but I just couldn't wait to try a burger on day one!  Normally I wait for the establishment to do any tweaking prior to me spending my hard earned cash there.  Regardless :), I was in the mood for a burger, so I decided to check out SOHO Burger Bar, which opened today.
 
Overall, I was impressed with almost every facet

By Thea Hassan:

Perhaps Smart Growth is on the tip of everyone's tongue. A free workshop on the economic and fiscal impacts of smart growth will be held Wednesday, June 15, at the Burchfield Penney Art Center at 5:00-6:30 pm.

The EPA and Erie County invite the public, builder and developers, insurance companies, attorneys, members of municipal planning and zoning boards, elected officials, and planners to attend.

Dena Beltzer, president and founder of Strategic Economics, an urban and regional consulting and research firm, will be speaking at the event.

You may have noticed Seatly as it's had a place on the front page of Buffalo Rising for a few weeks now. Seatly, if you're not yet aware, is a local deal site which allows small business owners - restaurateurs, retailers, etc - to promote time-sensitive deals to potential customers. And unlike Groupon and the countless Groupon clones, Seatly doesn't take any of the revenue generated from these promotions. So, while Groupon can make business owners feel like they've

This Friday The Cobblestone District is hosting the 3rd Annual BBQ & Blues Bash (5pm-9pm). Previous years have seen steady growth in this event, which adds more features each year. This year, besides great music and food, organizers are planning on introducing a vintage car show. I guess if you were looking for an ideal place to line up cool cars, this would be the perfect venue. There will also be preferred motorcycle parking, so rev up your hog and head on down to check out the cool cars, hot BBQ and the feature band - 90 west.

After the event, stick around for the post party at

In advance of the National Trust for Historic Preservation conference in Buffalo this October a production crew will be in town from the National Trust in Washington to film segments for a preservation oriented documentary called Buffalo Unscripted.  The film project is being produced as part of this year's Trust conference where it will be premiered in Buffalo.  A similar film was produced in Austin Texas for last year's conference. See some clips from that video here, here

NYS has adopted Smart Growth policies that will guide all State funding decisions.  Come hear how this will impact your business and community and how smart growth can provide a basis for successfully redeveloping our region. New York in the New Economy: Smart Solutions for Sustainable Development is being organized by Buffalo Niagara Partnership and sponsored by the Buffalo Niagara Association of Realtors.  It is being held Thursday at Templeton Landing, 2 Templeton Terrace.  Registration begins at

If you've been craving some fresh produce and you've been missing the downtown farmers' market, don't worry because Thursday marks the opening of the market's 29th year. That's pretty incredible if you think about the fact that the seasonal event is approaching its 30-year anniversary. You can head down to Main Street between Court and Church Streets any Tuesday or Thursday from 8am to 2:30pm (through October 27th).

Also, speaking of longevity, the 42nd Annual M&T free concert and event series started today featuring The Reminders. The concerts begin at 12pm at One M&T Plaza

Reader Submission Eric Stenclik:

Preservation Buffalo Niagara (PBN) and the Theodore Roosevelt Inaugural Site are joining together to host the Delaware Neighborhood Tour of Homes to be held on Saturday June 25th offer.  In addition to the mansions open to view last year on this tour, an additional six spectacular mansions have been added to the open house. This tour started last year and was a smash hit, selling out 800 tickets. This year's tour offers another stroll into the gilded reception rooms and marble floors of a legendary era, a time when Buffalo wore the homes of

The Elmwood Village Cruise Night, is taking place tomorrow from 4:30pm-7pm at a new location. Instead of being lined up on the street, per usual, the cars will be showcased in the parking lot between Wilson Farms and Globe Market. I would imagine that this location will be much more conducive for cars and for car fans. It will also allow for additional safety features to be implemented.

Now the only thing missing is the retro diner situated towards the back of the lot. Although the diner is absent, there will be live music to entertain visitors. Instead of being confined to a narrow

Buffalo Could Star in New Movie
What started as a whimsical investment by Robert Rich Jr. and his wife, Mindy, in a down-on-its-luck "football" club in Bedlington, England, has captured the imagination of Hollywood studios and screen writers hoping to put the improbable story on the big screen.

Rich, Chairman of Buffalo-based global food company, Rich Products, confirmed a screen play is in the works and discussions are underway with a major film studio. The movie could be in pre-production later this year with filming

Apparently Common Council is holding a special meeting today to discuss the problem of new medians on Main Street. I have some input that could help to protect the medians and the cars that are hitting them. Remove the medians and install bike lanes, as they should have been installed since day one. Each year the number of cyclists grows, and since cycling on sidewalks is illegal, there is only one place for bike riders to go - on the street. Why do we need medians filled with bushes that die off due to the winter salt? The medians are being hit by cars, which means that they're a hazard and safety

Maintaining historic cemetery markers is a challenge for volunteers and professionals alike.  Many repair methods commonly used, despite the best of intentions, actually cause additional damage to these precious headstones and other monuments.  Preservation Buffalo Niagara is seeking the volunteers and staff who deal with caring for cemeteries, especially persons from smaller, often rural cemeteries, to attend a workshop on how to make appropriate repairs.
 
Preservation Buffalo Niagara is sponsoring a workshop next Saturday, June 18, at the Concordia

By Hannya Boulos - Assistant Director, Buffalo ReformED:

Someone has to steer the ship. Our school system has been traversing rocky waters for years, and with the growth of the parental movement, and the emphasis on reform both locally and nationally, it has become increasingly clear that we need our leadership to take responsibility and meet the challenges facing this district head on.

Through the web of statistics, turnaround models, deadlines, and money, the leadership of Buffalo's Public Schools is losing sight of the mission they are supposed to uphold: putting

Despite the rain last Saturday, artists came out to interpret a little yellow barn at the corner of Mills and Best on the East Side.  The barn, designed by Frederick Law Olmstead's partner, Calvert Vaux, was once located in MLK Park (Humboldt Park).  It would be wonderful if this barn could be returned to the Olmstead Parks System - possibly as a donation as it is just sitting there decaying at the moment. 

While doing a little backtracking online this morning I came across a past video of Allen West at the Allentown Arts Festival and figured that there would be no better day to repost than today. It was fun to see some of the changes that have taken place over the past couple of years. The video marks the opening weekend of Lagniappes and Divine Machine Tattoo. Steel Crazy, which will soon become Cantina Loco, also made the scene with its great patio. Unfortunately the patio did not go with the building due to it being in the possession of an absentee

By Thea Hassan:

Looking for some urban-grown organic produce?  Head down to the Massachusetts Avenue Project's urban farm at 389 Massachusetts Avenue.

They will be hosting a farm market every Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday. You can pick up seedlings for your own garden while you're down there.

Seedlings include:

collard greens
eggplant
habanero pepper
jalapeno pepper
thai basil
lemon grass
watermelon
vietnamese hot pepper
cilantro
pak choi
slicing tomatoes
cherry tomatoes
mustard

In 1873, German landowner Joseph Bork began building cottage-style homes on the Eastside of Buffalo to accommodate the newly formed Polish colony near St. Stanislaus Church.  62 Wilson Street is one of the last remaining structures from the original Polish neighborhood of 1873.  By the turn-of-the-century, this section of the city would become home to the 2nd largest Polish community in North America.  This form of "telescoping" residential architecture in Buffalo's Historic Polonia District has been labeled "Bork Cottages."

62 Wilson was occupied until early this spring

Tenants of The Larkin @ Exchange Building have got it made. Not only do they have access to the coolest cab in the city, they now have a fleet of Larkin bikes to choose from whenever they feel the urge to head out for a spin. Keeping consistent with the originality of the Larkin Taxi, the Lark 'n Ride bikes have a distinguished look about them that identifies with the original Larkin vision as well as the current redevelopment and retro rebranding of the district.

Not only is the style of the bike something that