Minutes ago on Facebook, I received notification that a group of 'Merry Rioters' would be congregating at Bidwell Parkway to sing Christmas carols on Thursday December 23rd from 7pm-9pm. The group is looking for people to come out and 'cajole, carol and cavort', though mainly the idea is to bring back caroling to neighborhoods that have gone without for some time. Back in the day, caroling was a popular pastime - one that has fallen by the wayside only to be replaced by TV and video games. There are those who long for the

For those people who have never attended a Peepshow, be prepared for Squeaky Wheel's upcoming event being billed as 'It's Complicated'. Peepshow is an adventure in interactive art installations and performances that changes in theme from year to year. The event also moves about from location to location, much like Artists and Models, though this will be the second year held at DNIPRO. In previous years the event has been held at The Broadway Market, The Hotel Lenox and the DNIPRO="font-size: 10pt; font-family:

Has anyone tried a food delivery service in Buffalo? I am aware of Takeout Taxi Buffalo, a delivery service that works with a limited number of urban businesses (but its numbers are growing). We've seen bike delivery services take a stab at offering in-home customers the ability to eat from a plethora of non-delivery restaurants. Still, there are missing components such as extensive restaurant listings, and grocery and sundry delivery services. A BRO reader recently wondered when Buffalo was going to get a Peapod grocery delivery service. Good question.

I wasn't intending on highlighting a second local candle maker, but these Fire and Light candles made by Philip James are too good to pass up. Philip has been making the candles for 30 years, and in that time he has been able to add an inherent mystical characteristic to his collection. I bought a few of these over the weekend after seeing a photo of one of them lit up at night. Somehow Philip has managed to create a mood candle that not only provides light via the flame - the entire candle illuminates as well. Once lit, the striations within the candle - a blend of the finest waxes - give the

By Julia Foy:

For the third year running, block clubs on the West Side have put together a 'Festival of Lights'.  Between November 26th and January 7th, households from Richmond to the Peace Bridge get in the holiday spirit and participate in a friendly competition to see who can make their houses look the most festive.  Originally, the Cottage District Neighborhood Association came together as a block club to beautify their small section of the neighborhood with lights. 

The Festival of Lights brings in people from all over Buffalo to see the improvements

Second Chance Sheltering Network, Inc. is an all-volunteer, not-for-profit animal rescue group serving the Western New York area.  Their goal is to help place homeless animals while simultaneously helping interested individuals find a new furry companion.  Every Sunday, we will be running a homeless pet spotlight to help these animals find families.

Here's a little about Sadie, our "Pet of the Week":

Ms. Sadie gave her Christmas wish list to Santa and it had only one item on it: a new "furrever" home with a family who would love and cherish her.

This two

By Maximilian C Quinn-Loeb:

Since I last wrote about Frack Action Buffalo a number of important things have taken place.  In that time the signatures that were collected sent the strong message to the Buffalo City Council that the people of Buffalo want a strong resolution to ban natural gas drilling the the City of Buffalo.  They do not want it watered down and the core meaning altered.  The ordinance has passed a critical vote in being moved to the City of Buffalo Law Department before going back to the City Council for a final vote.   We have stepped

TEDxBuffalo recently announced that they would be holding the TEDxBUffalo "Igniting Ideas in Buffalo" conference at the First Presbyterian Church of Buffalo on April 7, 2011.

The conference will feature 18 to 20 speakers who have experience in the areas of urban development and revitalization, education, technology and art.  These individuals will share their ideas and encourage group discussion on how to revitalize the city.  The conference will also feature TEDTalks video to encourage discussion of ideas and prospective solutions.
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By Michael R Weekes (inspired by Tim Tielman & Mark Goldman) - see Part 1

Green & Gardens

Everywhere you look in Lausanne, there are green spaces.  Even in metro stations there are leading edge hose-gardens using recycled old hoses to irrigate and encourage growth.  The gardens that adorn the waterfront adjacent to the Beau ravage Hotel and the nearby Musee Olympic

When I first learned that there was another Greek restaurant coming to Elmwood Avenue I wondered how another could survive with all of the competition. It was just after Captain Jack's closed its doors that Vasilis Express charged onto the scene. I soon learned that the operation was being headed up by Vasilis Panagopoulos, the former owner of Plate-Oh's on Forest near Elmwood. After sitting down with Vasilis, I was happy to discover that the eatery was indeed offering up a formula that was not presently found in the neighborhood... even with Pano's being situated right across the street.

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By Cheryl Gorski:

Trina's Family Restaurant, located at 1373 Clinton Street (also known as 'Ghost Town'), is an excellent diner at which to eat on Saturday and Sunday mornings (see BRO article) - I'm sure you'll soon agree!  I stumbled upon this establishment while shopping at the farmer's market right next door a few weekends ago. When I strolled in, my first impression was 'Home Sweet Home'. At the same time, I couldn't help but wonder what compelled the owner to start this restaurant

For all those hockey fans who would rather be out on the ice than sitting on the couch watching a game on TV, the 4th Annual Labatt Blue Buffalo Pond Hockey Tournament will be the place to be this winter.

"The Labatt Blue Pond Hockey tournament has become a great annual Buffalo winter tradition, which has grown in popularity, both for players and spectators, since it was first launched on the city's waterfront at the Erie Basin Marina in 2008," said Mayor Byron W. Brown. "I look forward again to this year's tournament, which showcases great hockey, but more importantly, demonstrates

Ontario Specialty Contracting (OSC) made its case to demolish a significant portion of the Grange League Federation complex on Ganson Street yesterday to the Preservation Board.  After the firm's dog and pony show in a full hearing room, and a barrage of questions by the Board, the item was tabled unanimously. 

OSC presented photographs of deteriorated internal and external portions of the property as evidence that the building must come down. 

One of the city's oldest homes was destroyed by fire Monday evening.  The five-bay center entrance home at 574-8 Michigan Avenue dates to the early-1800s.  It had been listed for sale with two of its neighbors with a $69,000 asking price earlier this year. 

Scott Glasgow is familiar with the property.  He says the house is a twin to his Black Rock home that he restored.  Both were built in the Federal Style but with a Greek Revival styled entrance. 

For those of you who can't make it to the weekly Common Council meeting, following is the briefing. From this week's meeting as provided by the council:

The Council adopted a resolution sponsored by Delaware District Council Member Michael J. LoCurto creating the City of Buffalo Green Building Code Task Force. The Green Building Code Task Force will be comprised of eight members charged with adopting standards for the construction of environmentally friendly buildings. In 2009, New York State Governor David Paterson signed into law, the New York State Green Building Construction

By Katie Campos, Executive Director of Buffalo ReformED:

Buffalo's 17 charter schools (educating nearly 20% of the public school population) collaborated with the Buffalo School Board and won a huge victory for Buffalo's charter school students yesterday. The national community of education reformers and charter school supporters, made up of the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools, DoneWaiting.org, the New York Charter Schools Association and locally, Buffalo ReformED created a critical mass to encourage and support the Buffalo

Submission by Creighton Randall - Executive Director Buffalo CarShare:



It's hard to believe we've come this far, and we're happy to report that Buffalo CarShare is now over 300 members strong. With 10 cars and a pickup truck, we're well on our way to becoming a staple in this fair city. Looking forward to an exciting 2011, I want to drop a few hints of what's to come and reflect on this year's success. I hope you'll join me at our 2nd Annual Winter Banquet to hear more (details at the end of this post).



Looking

In a city like Buffalo, where we love our winters (for the most part), it is a wonder that there are not more heated sidewalks in commercial districts. It is a rare occasion when I happen upon one, which is why I was surprised when I found out that a friend, Scott Huber, had installed one in front of his building at 491 Delaware Avenue. I called Scott to find out just what it took to pull off the project, and he told me that the hardest part was finding a contractor to take on such a small job*. That led me to wondering what it would take to pull off a large

A contemporary design for Ciminelli Real Estate Corporation's planned medical office building in the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus has been unveiled.  With an estimated cost of  $80 million, the seven-story, 350,000 square foot building,

What would a holiday gift list be without an item from New Era on it? The best part of purchasing a hat from New Era is getting to visit the company's flagship store in Downtown Buffalo. Walls and walls of caps and hats can be found, but if you truly want to buy a cap made right here in Buffalo then be sure to ask for 'a local', as not all of them are manufactured here. I snapped a photo of a couple of the designs that are manufactured in Western New York (see first row).

The 59Fifty caps seen here, and made here, retail for $34.99, and though the styles do change often, there are always