If you were a Sunday School kid growing up, you probably remember the old standby song, Brighten the Corner Where You Are:

     Do not wait until some deed of greatness you may do,
     Do not wait to shed your light afar,
     To the many duties ever near you now be true,
     Brighten the corner where you are!

Even though Matt Carlucci of the Buffalo B-Team claims never to

Erie County Medical Center is planning an expansion of its 'Health Campus' that includes $150 million in work on a new long-term care facility, a 333-vehicle parking ramp, a transplant and kidney center of excellence, an orthopedic expansion, a refurbishing of the adolescent psychiatric clinic, and other major projects to enhance patient care at the Grider Street campus.

Expansion work on the Health Campus commenced this fall on a $27 million Center of Excellence for Renal Disease and Transplant Services (entry image) that is part of a consolidation

With the second annual Powder Keg Festival taking place (announcement soon) and the return of holiday decorated windows to Main Street, along with yesterday's announcement of the Olmsted Nights Winter Lights, Buffalonians are finally starting to embrace winter. As if that wasn't enough, the Olmsted Parks Conservancy is unleashing a park-oriented winter festival called Flurrious! to the mix. On the weekend of January 15-16, a 15-acre site surrounding the Parkside Lodge will be dedicated to family-friendly winter

Our friends at RaiseTheHammer, a group dedicated to the livability of Hamilton Ontario, is somewhat similar to the mission of Buffalo Rising: "Raise the Hammer is a group of Hamilton, Ontario citizens who believe in our city's potential and are willing to get involved in making the city a more vibrant, livable, and attractive place to live and work. We are non-partisan and our members come from diverse political backgrounds. Our common interest is revitalizing our city, a goal that benefits everyone."

They have consistently focused

Several months ago, Mayor Byron Brown and Mayor Ozgen Keskin of Bursa, Turkey signed a Sister City agreement that created an international bond between these two distant places.

On November 9, the two mayors met once again to solidify this agreement by dedicating a friendship memorial given to the city of Buffalo by the city of Bursa.  The memorial, which resembles the public fountains found in many Turkish cities, is located in Lafayette Square.  After the dedication ceremony, Mayor Brown, Mayor Keskin and Mehmet Erdogdu of the Turkish Cultural Center of Buffalo met for a

By Salvatore Sciandra:

Imagine a beautiful snow laced tree lined canopy in Delaware Park.  Now imagine that same tree lined canopy in Frederick Law Olmsted's urban forest adorned with more than 50,000 energy-efficient holiday lights on a crisp winter evening.  Over the next few weeks, the Buffalo Olmsted Parks Conservancy will be converting the jewel of the park system into a veritable winter wonderland. 

With that, the Buffalo Olmsted Parks Conservancy has just announced "Olmsted Nights Winter Lights", the premier indoor/outdoor family event of the

Roger Schroeder:

Sometime back when the first solar powered carrousel was proposed, I produced this rendering to help imagine what it might look like in the canal harbor development. The design was rejected by some as not being exciting enough for a solar powered carrousel and I can understand the thinking.

The original proposal was much more complex and a challenge to integrate into the site. I suggest this project as a way of thinking of small parts contributing to a whole that

Progress and development is gaining momentum in the Larkin District and if a trio of local developers have their way, the restoration of one of the largest buildings in the city will add to the transformation of the neighborhood. 701 Seneca will be restored and reused at the tune of $50 million. Seneca Holdings, LLC has big plans for redevelopment, according to Jim Cornell of Praxiis Business Advisors, one of the three principal investors involved with the project.

The property

By Charles Gordon:

Much has been argued about the importance of stabilizing and resurrecting the Statler Building.  I agree.  This effort will be more successful by extending improvements beyond the building to include the public realm surrounding Niagara Square.  Any future development plan should place special emphasis upon energizing Niagara Square as a pedestrian friendly urban civic space that is complemented - not dominated - by vehicular traffic.  Ultimately, the municipal cost to complete

Business is good at the Embassy Suites Buffalo. So good, in fact, that the hotel chain operating in Uniland Development's recently completed Avant mixed-use building on Deleware Avenue is expanding. The eighth floor, previously reserved for office tenants, will be converted to additional hotel rooms. When completed in April, the 29-room expansion will bring the total number of rooms

In their first venture into the realm of solar installations, CIR Electrical Construction Company recently completed a grid-connected Solar Electric Photovoltaic (PV) system on a house on Winter Street.

CIR Electrical joined forces with PUSH Buffalo to help create this NetZero, self-sustaining residence.  The home, which is located only a few blocks away from the Massachusetts Avenue residence that was featured on ABC's Extreme Home Makeover, will be yet another step in transforming the West side.

Waterfront activist Mark Goldman reached out to me this morning, asking that we share the following video called Imagining Buffalo's Waterfront. The video is an explanation of the process that led to the Aspirations and Inspirations event that recently took place at City Honors. From the presentation at the Parkside Lodge to the three art installations that were commissioned for the conference, the idea that the waterfront should be open to interpretation is important.

Walk through the land of the grain

I'm always on the hunt for new diners to try. In my travels around town, I have discovered some reliable standbys such as Amy's Place on Main Street, Nick's on Amherst Street and Riverview on Niagara. There's nothing better than waking up late on a Saturday morning, throwing on an old sweatshirt and heading out for coffee, a 2-2-2, and a big glass of OJ. Now there's another diner-style restaurant to add to the list of favorites. Trina's Family Restaurant is situated within eyesight (well, just about) of the Larkin District and the Central Terminal.

The first thing that we noticed upon

By Sandy Starks:

This December, you'll have a chance to meet some of Forest Lawn's famous permanent residents, as they take part in Forest Lawn's presentation of

"It Was A Wonderful Life!" which is part of its Sunday In The Cemetery concert and lecture series.  There will be two performances: Sunday, December 5 and Sunday, December 12, both beginning at 2:00 p.m.

in Forest Lawn's historic and festively-decorated chapel.

 Participating residents will include:
/city/index.html

Today,  Saturday, November 20, the Buffalo & Erie County Historical Society will be offering Buffalonians the opportunity to learn more about Native American arts and culture with two different events.

From 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., the museum will be hosting a Native American Crafts Festival and Sale, which is free with regular museum admission.  Items for sale will include traditional beadwork, pottery, jewelry and leather goods, with prices ranging from $5 to $100.

In addition to the sale, there will be a multimedia presentation given at 1:30 p.m. titled "Inventing

You're gonna' need a break from the abundance of the Thanksgiving bounties.  I know I am.  There comes a point when you're blood has turned to turkey gravy and cranberry sauce starts to trickle out your ears.  So, what is the antidote for Thanksgiving overkill?  Puerto Rican food, of course!  And let me tell you about a great little joint over on the West Side/Black Rock border - Experiencia Latina.
    
Now, until a few months ago I wasn't that familiar with Puerto Rican cuisine.  I was friendlier with its cousins - Cuban, Argentine and Mexican. 

New Age Salon (NAS) is in the process of moving into impressive new digs on Hertel Avenue. I spoke to 'salonstress' Amanda Bamberg regarding the development and what it means for the business and the street:

Will NAS occupy the whole building?

Yes! It is the perfect size for the size of my business- 1600 sq feet, gaining 400 feet from our original location.

What new services will you offer?

Everyone is asking what we are adding to our menu. Our formula has worked for so long, so why would we

By Erin Comerford:

The holiday season is right around the corner and soon the malls will be bustling with shoppers seeking out the perfect gifts. While it is the season of giving to our loved ones, it is also a time to remember those most in need. However, the question often arises, "To whom do I give?" If you are one of these people, look no further. Why not consider supporting the Buffalo Tanzania Education Project [BTEP] at their fundraiser on December 2nd.

The project, itself, is coordinated by the UB Center for Educational Collaboration and was founded as a multifaceted

For the third year in a row the ever popular Mass Appeal went off without a hitch! Fashion Maniac had a chance to sit down with Erin Habes, the producer of Mass Appeal and ask her a couple questions about the show this year. We also had a chance to chat with some of the designers who were so gracious to take time out of their busy night and talk to us backstage.

Interview conducted by: Cassie Elsaesser & Cameron Richard
All Photography & Managing Editor: Cheryl Gorski

Fashion Maniac: Did you

By Chuck Banas:

Dear ECHDC,

Buffalo's Inner Harbor project suffers from a failure of strategy, and therefore a failure of leadership. My intent, therefore, is to write to you today not to lecture as an expert (for I do not claim to know all of the answers) but yet to make a sincere and ultimately convincing argument for a shift of strategy. I submit these thoughts as my official public comments on the project.

The principles that I argue for are not new, and not radical. They are solidly