By Joshua Bauer (Football Nation):
These aren't your parents' Buffalo Bills anymore.
Free agency just began Tuesday afternoon at 4:00 pm and already Buddy Nix and Ralph Wilson are flying in some of the biggest free agents for a little meet and greet at 1 Bills Drive. According to reports, both defensive end Mario Williams and wide receiver Robert Meachem are already going to talk with the Bills about maybe improving their

Although not recognized as the official park renderings (yet), the latest placeholder for the upcoming Broderick Park public meeting has come through. I would imagine that this is the rendering that we will most likely see unveiled at the meeting as the initial direction that design firm Trowbridge, Wolf and Michaels Landscape Architects LLP is heading. 
You will note that although there are some similarities to the previous released designs (seen here), and there is now a vehicular 'turn

By Joshua Bauer (Football Nation):
Yesterday, Bills oft-injured linebacker (and future 4-3 defensive end) Shawne Merriman showed he may have some worth to the success of Buffalo, whether or not he plays another down on the field. Though he's spent two years with the Bills, Merriman has played in exactly five games in the red and blue, all of them in 2011. He's well down the rehab road now, almost ready to start back on the field again, but it's

Two years ago, teacher, actor, and director Megan Callahan founded the Buffalo Actors Learning Lab (B.A.L.L.) with the hope of providing local actors with an opportunity to explore new techniques and make connections with others who share their passion. 
As a transplant to the Queen City, Callahan brought with her a desire to continue her exploration into the Michael Chekhov acting technique and to share this concept with fellow actors. According to Callahan, Chekhov's approach is centered

By Joshua Bauer (Football Nation):
This one was tough, kids. With nine picks over seven rounds (an extra fifth rounder for Lee Evans, an extra sixth for Marshawn Lynch), there's a lot of players to look at. The Bills' greatest needs lay with their pass rush (28th in sacks, with QBs finding all the time in the world to throw) and, ironically, their pass protection (Fitzpatrick ran for his life the second half of the year, as his line was decimated by injury), but they could

A former hospital turned apartment building will have a new use later this summer: a school.  West Buffalo Charter School (WBCS) has finally found a school site in the former Lafayette Hospital at 113 Lafayette Avenue, corner of Barton Street.  WBCS is expecting to welcome its first students in the fall.

"We are so excited to have a building and begin preparing for our opening in August," says Andrea Todoro, School Leader.

WBCS is leasing the entire building from Ellicott Development Group with long-term plans to purchase it from the developer.  Ellicott Development

The Virginia, Edward, Trinity, Tupper, Elmwood Block Club, known as the VETTE is comprised of sections of the streets within its name, invites the community to join members of the club for an evening of great music, comedy and poetry at a fundraiser to help with the beautification efforts of the neighborhood.  This includes sustaining the neighborhood's Grassroots Community Garden and to fund a new garden on the corner of Edward and Virginia.  The fundraiser will be held on Sunday, March 25 from 3 to 6 pm at Nietzsche's, 248 Allen Street.

The event will be headlined

Who doesn't love a fabulous feast? Especially when the feast is one that helps to support of the largest free Shakespeare festivals in the country. Maybe you've been going to see the free Shakespeare plays for years and have always thought about making a financial contribution? Or maybe you're a theater junkie and know how important it is to offer a free shows to the public in order to enhance the cultural climate in the city. Whatever the case may be, the annual Fabulous Feast, which takes place on Saturday March 31 from 6pm to 10:30 pm is the perfect opportunity to support the series, while

If you've ever been lucky enough to see a dragon boat competition (soon to be an Olympic event) then you know that it's something that you will never forget. Dragon Boats are some of the more interesting rowing vessels used for team racing. On Saturday June 16 at 9am Gallagher Beach, located at the NFTA Boat Harbor, will be the place to be on the waterfront as over thirty boats congregate to battle it out for a charitable event on the waters of Lake Erie. Each boat accommodates twenty-two rowers - that's around 600 participants who are expected to attract over 2500 spectators.
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Have you been reading about certain waterfront developments, but can't pinpoint exactly where everything is? Have you wanted to take a bike ride along the waterfront though you've hesitated due to being unfamiliar with the trails? On Saturday June 9, a group bicycle ride along the Riverwalk bicycle path is being planned that will lead riders from the Erie Basin Marina to the Ontario Street Boat Launch and Black Rock Canal Park. 
Upon completion of the seven-mile ride, participants will then embark upon a 2.3-mile paddle, beginning at the Ontario Street Boat

Tuesday's planned meeting to discuss the future of the Trico building has been postponed.  From Preservation Buffalo Niagara:

Preservation Buffalo Niagara met with the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus and, in the interest of greater participation, the public information session scheduled for Tuesday, March 13, will be postponed. We have chosen to postpone in the desire to include the BNMC and other interested parties in the discussion.  PBN continues to advocate for the development of a reuse study.   A new date for the public information session

On Saturday May 12 at Tralf Music Hall, guitar enthusiasts will be treated to a special line-up of world class guitarists from the Greater Buffalo area. For one night, guitarists Dave Constantino, Mick Hayes, Frank Nicastro and Michael Distantro will come together to bring The Tralf walls down. The line-up is described as an evening filled with music ranging from the "Buffalo rock-n-roll royalty of Dave Constantino to hot young gun Frank Nicastro to the blues and soul of Mick Hayes to the soul and R&B of Michael DiSanto. 
Here's a taste of what you can

By Joshua Bauer (Football Nation):
Amidst the whirlwind of signings of late, it's almost easy to forget that Buffalo ended the season with many of their prime players healing from the bumps and bruises of the game. Major names fell to season-ending injuries too often throughout the year and while it's wonderful that names like Steve Johnson and Scott Chandler have gotten so much attention lately, there are some still recovering in the off season.

Broderick Park has been one of the dumpiest parks in our city, and that's too bad considering that it is located along the Niagara River at the foot of West Ferry. Fortunately the park is about to get a much needed overhaul and The City is asking residents to come out to take a gander at the most up to date plans. It was back in June of '09 when Councilman David Rivera and I headed down to Broderick to take a look at the incredible missed opportunities. Broken signs, dead fish, sprawling parking lots, closed amenities,

The idea of a barge hotel might not be as far-fetched as you might think. I'm sure that there are already readers who are cringing at this idea, but for a short term solution to get more people out on the waters of the Inner Harbor, Buffalo River, etc. the concept is one that should be examined. At Macro-Sea.com, a team has looked closer at what a Barge Hotel might look like (see below). By incorporating a few vintage trailers, a train car, and dumpsters (that second

I'm so happy that spring is almost here, not because I don't like winter, but because I'm a fan of outdoor farmers' markets. Visiting your local farmers' stands is like heading to the farm without spending money on gas. The way that I feel about this growing trend of urban markets is the more the merrier. Most of the times these favorable food options start off as grassroots initiatives, which makes the overall healthy 'farm to table' trend that much more impressive. The only problem is that many of these markets arise in

By Lisa Ludwig: Neil Garvey was my friend. I feel so honored to be able to be able to say that.  Many many people are proud to be able to say that Neil was their friend as well. A few weeks ago, as I sat at his funeral, I could not help but look around, see the room overflowing with people, and think what an exceptional man he was, how truly loved he was, and by so many.  I thought of his beautiful, caring family, and of Neil's remarkable ability to make anyone feel special, even those for whom he didn't particularly care

975 PARKs / 162 Cities / 35 Countries / 6 Continents...
Although PARK(ing) Day may seem like a long way off, there isn't a better time than now to formulate a plan and to get Buffalo on the PARK(ing) Day map. PARK(ing) Day is Friday, September 21 2012. That day will be dedicated to those who feel that utilizing a parking spot for most anything other than a car is a good idea. The idea started in 2005 in San Francisco, where a parking spot is prime real estate dedicated to the car. Since the cars sit all day taking up space, the

To continue our focus on Trinity Place at the southern edge of Allentown I want to call attention to a couple of buildings (lead image) with tremendous potential on this charming street that currently act only as a lead weights to improvement.  I have long anguished over the condition and long decline of these two which sit on the southwest corner of Trinity at Elmwood.  They have sported a pair of for 'for sale' signs for several months or more now.   The building directly on

It is not often that we get a chance to recreate history. To actually rebuild it. Fortunately that is not the case with Buffalo's historic boats. The Inner Harbor was once teeming with Harbor Ferries. As larger boats anchored in the water, and were looking for ways to get workers to shore, the ferries turned out to be a fast and convenient way to make that happen. If you observe historic images of the harbor, you will see that the small crafts played a crucial role in delivering goods and people - something that the Buffalo Maritime Center (BMC) would like to see once again (in smaller numbers