The Fredonia Film Festival was established in 2018 by Venture Productions: a group of people with a love for films and filmmaking. The Festival was created from the desire to give others the opportunity to make and show their own movies. Located in a community rich with art and culture, the Festival provides a place for people from ages nine to ninety-nine to experience film in a unique way.

Filmmakers can have their work screened to a live audience and receive recognition and prizes. From animation to experimental films and web series, the Fredonia Film Festival is the place to experience films you wouldn’t find at the movie theater. Come join us and see the world – and yourself – in ways you’ve never imagined!

This year the Fredonia Film Festival will be accepting teams for our 50 Hour Challenge. Each team will write, shoot, and edit a short film that will be screened during the Festival. This challenge is perfect for those who want to test themselves as artists and creators, and celebrate their work with family and friends.

Erie County, N.Y. – The Cornell Cooperative Extension of Erie County (CCE Erie) Master Gardener Program will hold their Annual Plant Sale, Friday, May 25th from 8:30am to 3:00pm, and Saturday, May 26th from 8:30am to 2:00pm at the First Presbyterian Church of Buffalo, One Symphony Circle, Buffalo, New York 14201.

The Cornell Cooperative Extension of Erie County (CCE Erie) Master Gardener Program Annual Plant Sale is a wonderful opportunity to obtain great plants at great prices! The sale includes a choice selection of sun and shade perennials, natives, herbs, annuals, shrubs and vegetables direct from the gardens of CCE Erie Master Gardener volunteers, as well as plants donated from area horticultural businesses. CCE Erie Master Gardener volunteers will be available throughout the sale to provide advice on selecting and growing plants.

Master Gardeners will also offer a Soil Clinic to measure pH level for those who bring in soil samples. The cost per sample is $2.00. Prior to attending, check the CCE Erie website (below) for instructions on collecting a soil sample. Funds raised at this annual event help to support the CCE Erie Master Gardener programs in our local communities.

Gretchen Lewis is a pop surrealist painter who spent her childhood in
rural Northern California reading stories about fairies and magical
worlds, or else wandering around in the woods near her home earnestly
searching for fairies or portals to magical worlds. She now lives and works
in Sacramento, where she paints noodly creatures, inspired by vintage
children’s book illustrations, 1930’s cartoons, and from a life-long love of
the natural world and the strange and beautiful creatures that inhabit it.

“The characters I paint often present themselves to me fully formed,
or close to it, when I’m least expecting it. They’ll pop into my head and
demand to be created. If I don’t put them down on paper they will follow
me around like pestering poltergeists, and I feel they’d probably hex me if
I neglected to paint them. The reoccurring characters, my shape-shifting
black cats and skeletons, nag the loudest and have taken on very personal
meaning to me over the years. For as much as my paintings don’t take
themselves seriously (I often paint what makes me laugh), they are also
introspective and serve as a way for me to explore my personal strengths
and weaknesses, my anxieties, my weird obsessions and my dearest loves.
In my series of paintings for my exhibition “Inside Out,” I wanted to
specifically explore my personal relationship to themes of mortality,
fragility and the ephemeral nature of human life.

As I have grown older I have found myself increasingly nervous and
preoccupied with mortality. I have always loved, and found an odd
comfort and humor in personifications of Death as a grinning, cartoonish
skeleton, like those in Medieval art. While I’m not sure humor was exactly
what these artists were going for, my personal affection for these works
comes from the humor I find in them. There is something inherently
silly about (personifying) Death as a character in a cloak, beckoning to
a reluctant mortal human, “Come with me!” But I also find it comforting
to see something so incomprehensible made into something tangible. In
painting specters of fear and anxiety as rubbery, grinning creatures, I’ve
found a way to help myself laugh in the face of uncertainty.”

La Lupe: My Life, My Destiny recounts the meteoric rise and fall of one of Latin America’s most iconic signers; La Lupe. In this play with music we are invited to share La Lupe’s memories as she proves her life’s work to her college professor. It is a story about perseverance,tragedy and ultimately survival.

Written by Carmen Rivera
Directed by Victoria Pérez
Starring Melinda Capeles as La Lupe
With:
Steve Brachmann
Rolando Martín Gómez
Smirna Mercedes Pérez
Dewel Pérez
María Pérez-Gómez

Performances are Friday and Saturdays at 8 PM, Sundays at 6 PM. There are also two Pay-What-You-Can Thursday shows on May 31st and June 7th at 7:30 PM. Tickets are $20 general admission and $15 students/seniors.

May 25th!
Join us for another night of Comedy on the Rocks featuring Buffalo’s finest comedians and top-shelf spirits

Produced & hosted by Don Johnson
(His credits would go here but this ain’t about him so just mind yo business and keep reading fool)

Featuring in no particular order:

Ryan Fay
(Recently featured on 103.3 Edge Comedy Night as well as last years widely successful Tralf Comedy Series)

Justin Brown
(Hailing from Rochester and paid Regular at Comedy at the Carlson)

Jameel Key
(Helium Comedy Club’s 2017 Buffalo’s Funniest Person contest winner)

Johnny Batta
(Competed in last years Rochesters Funniest contest at Comedy at the Carlson and has performed across Canada)

Jesse Singh
(Featured on the Just for Laughs Comedy Festival and regular performer at Absolute Comedy Club in Canada)

Sean Marciniak
(Former host of Comedy Night at the Gypsy Parlor, An accomplished Improv performer throughout Buffalo)

Come for the laughs stay for Buffalo’s finest spirits made by the best bar staff around.

Cheers!

How does music speak the language of God? The Rev. Robert Duerr, conductor and organist, will discuss and demonstrate the connections between music and the divine.

Duerr is widely accomplished, with experience at the Metropolitan Opera, New York City Opera, and the opera house in Basel, Switzerland. He is also a renowned organist.

The event is Friday, May 25. 8 pm.

Cover: $10 inc. wine and cheese reception – register at https://www.nickelcityforum.com/this-month

The Nickel City Forum is a monthly drinks & discussion series. We ask big questions about faith and life with intellectual honesty.

Location: Westminster Presbyterian Church, Holmes Chapel – 724 Delaware Ave. The church parking lot is available for this event.

Erie County, N.Y. – The Cornell Cooperative Extension of Erie County (CCE Erie) Master Gardener Program will hold their Annual Plant Sale, Friday, May 25th from 8:30am to 3:00pm, and Saturday, May 26th from 8:30am to 2:00pm at the First Presbyterian Church of Buffalo, One Symphony Circle, Buffalo, New York 14201.

The Cornell Cooperative Extension of Erie County (CCE Erie) Master Gardener Program Annual Plant Sale is a wonderful opportunity to obtain great plants at great prices! The sale includes a choice selection of sun and shade perennials, natives, herbs, annuals, shrubs and vegetables direct from the gardens of CCE Erie Master Gardener volunteers, as well as plants donated from area horticultural businesses. CCE Erie Master Gardener volunteers will be available throughout the sale to provide advice on selecting and growing plants.

Master Gardeners will also offer a Soil Clinic to measure pH level for those who bring in soil samples. The cost per sample is $2.00. Prior to attending, check the CCE Erie website (below) for instructions on collecting a soil sample. Funds raised at this annual event help to support the CCE Erie Master Gardener programs in our local communities.

One of Buffalo’s newest and most exciting festivals is coming back on Memorial Day Weekend for its 2nd installment to celebrate all things Buffalo in one of the WNY’s most historic locations. The second annual ‘Totally Buffalo Festival’ will be held on Saturday, May 26th, 2018 at Buffalo Riverworks.

Building off the success last year’s debut, The Totally Buffalo Festival is once again all about Buffalo and everything that makes us love it – the food, the drinks, the music, the sports, the historical events, the art, the architecture and most importantly – the people. All of the food offered will be creations that originated in Buffalo. The beer, wine, soft drinks: all Buffalo brands. The live music will feature 6 WNY-based bands playing genres with a rich history in Buffalo – rock, pop, r & b, Latin, country, jazz and blues.

Presented by signature sponsor Concrete Countertoppers, The Totally Buffalo Festival has the honor of showcasing 90 vendors offering stunning Buffalo-themed signs, shirts, towels, jewelry, photographs, paintings and more. The event also features a Sports Zone and many other interactive and family-friendly activities. Portions of the proceeds will go to Kaely’s Kindness (www.kaelyskindness.org).

“Last year’s kickoff festival drew over 5,000 people and we are so excited for version 2.0,” says Scott Celani, Festival Co-Founder and Buffalo-based musician. “With so many great festivals in Buffalo during the warm months, what makes the Totally Buffalo Festival unique is that it’s about Buffalo and Buffalo only. We hope this year’s event will be even bigger and better than last year’s debut.”

The Totally Buffalo Festival runs from 12 Noon to 8:00pm on Saturday, May 26th. Admission is $5 at the door and kids 5 and under are admitted for free. Advance tickets are available at totallybuffalo.com . Buffalo Riverworks is located at 359 Ganson St. in Buffalo.

The Totally Buffalo Festival is sponsored by Concrete Countertoppers, Perna-Niagara, WNY Jobs, Frey Electric, Ficel Transport, Ali’s Rally, Braymiller Builders, Axa Advisors, Lewiston Music and WKBW-Channel 7.

ANDY KRZYSTEK: WAVE MOTION (SUGGESTS)
Exhibition On View May 3 – May 26, 2018
Opening Reception Thursday, May 3, 2018, 6-9pm
Exhibition Hours: Saturdays 12-3pm or by appointment
Argus Gallery: 1896 Niagara Street, Buffalo, NY 14207

Buffalo, NY – Argus Gallery is pleased to announce Wave Motion (Suggests), an exhibition of recent works by local artist Andy Krzystek.

Approachable complexity is a signature style in Krzystek’s work. The process by which each piece is made creates a nonlinear layering, one that is so familiar because of the universal thought process it represents. Krzystek adds layer by layer of drawn, painted, or printed material, allowing each to mingle with the surface for a time before removing sections, leaving a trace of the initial image and creating a new mark via this deletion. This practice offers room for surprise – as the artist says, “Every image is equally informed by intent as it is by error.”

Process is at the forefront of Krzystek’s work, not only materially speaking but conceptually as well. The work reveals an unsettled process of working through ideas and a wonder at how we arrive at certain knowledge. Krzystek specifically questions personal history, one’s own knowledge base, and also the knowledge of our culture as a whole. The works in Wave Motion (Suggests) display a visual tangle, a tangible illustration of the difficulties of separating fact from perception.

Taking a critical look at accepted history is a very current, relevant action. While often a sobering subject, these works are not without humor and a sense of play. Describing his intent, Krzystek says, “I strive to capture the restlessness in waiting, the pull on your cheekbone as you first begin to smile, the jostle in your brain as you’re trying to decide.”

ABOUT THE ARTIST:
Andy Krzystek is an artist native to the Buffalo/Niagara region. His work is based in print and mixed media, with a heavy lean towards mark making. Krzystek completed his B.F.A. in printmaking at the University at Buffalo. His work has been shown around the region, most recently at Hallwalls.
Andy Krzystek’s website: https://adkrzyst.myportfolio.com/

“Honest and Effective Conversations about Race,” Saturday, May 26, 2018, 1 p.m. to 4 p.m., at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Buffalo, Elmwood and West Ferry.

The facilitator, Nanette Massey’s goals are twofold: first, she wants to offer attendees an opportunity to explore their own feelings and knowledge regarding interracial conversations; and second, to collect data for a book she is currently writing about how we talk with one another about racial issues. The book, like this workshop, will explore cultural sensitivities for those who want to become involved in improving racial relations. It is intended to improve understanding of where others are coming from, and to help find common ground in opening lines of communication.

The Run4Leah/CureNF Team will participate in its 11th Annual Cure NF Fundraiser at the Buffalo Marathon on Sunday, May 27th. The Manth family of North Tonawanda, NY will be joined by hundreds of volunteers, runners and supporters to run or walk to find a cure for neurofibromatosis (NF) in the full marathon (26.2 miles) or half marathon (13.1 miles). There is also a 5K the day before on Saturday, May 26th.

“Our family is so proud to have partnered with the Buffalo Marathon for the past 11 years,” said John Manth whose daughter Leah Manth is affected by neurofibromatosis type 2 (NF2). “This relationship has helped raise over $400,000 for NF research. Run4Leah/CureNF has helped us raise much needed awareness about neurofibromatosis with over 100 NF volunteers and runners that are present marathon weekend! This year we are hoping to have a great turn out with the Run4Leah 5K participants.”

All the money raised in the Buffalo Marathon by the Run4Leah/CureNF Team will go toward NF2 research with the hopes of finding a meaningful treatment or cure for Leah and the many others with this terrible disorder. To join the team or for more information, please contact Anne Patterson at run4leah@gmail.com.

Neurofibromatosis (NF) is a genetic disorder of the nervous system that causes tumors to form on the nerves anywhere in or on the body at any time and affects three times as many people as cystic fibrosis and muscular dystrophy combined. Neurofibromatosis Northeast’s mission is to find a treatment and the cure for neurofibromatosis by promoting scientific research, creating awareness and supporting those who are affected by NF. For more information, please call
(781) 272-9936 or visit the website www.nfnortheast.org.

La Lupe: My Life, My Destiny recounts the meteoric rise and fall of one of Latin America’s most iconic signers; La Lupe. In this play with music we are invited to share La Lupe’s memories as she proves her life’s work to her college professor. It is a story about perseverance,tragedy and ultimately survival.

Written by Carmen Rivera
Directed by Victoria Pérez
Starring Melinda Capeles as La Lupe
With:
Steve Brachmann
Rolando Martín Gómez
Smirna Mercedes Pérez
Dewel Pérez
María Pérez-Gómez

Performances are Friday and Saturdays at 8 PM, Sundays at 6 PM. There are also two Pay-What-You-Can Thursday shows on May 31st and June 7th at 7:30 PM. Tickets are $20 general admission and $15 students/seniors.

Love good food? Join us for a healthy cooking class!

The Independent Health Foundation’s Healthy Options program has partnered with local businesses – D’Avolio to provide you with a fun, educational experience. Work closely with a professional chef – Chef Vincent to learn simple cooking techniques and enjoy the tasty results! These classes are perfect for a date night or a night out with friends!

This week’s class features a summer sides menu: Shrimp Ceviche with German Potato Salad and Summer Orzo Pasta Salad.

Pre-registration required. All classes are $25. Independent Health members receive $5 discount.

Go to https://www.healthyoptionsbuffalo.com/event/100024/healthy-options-cooking-class-with-chef-vincent-may-29 for more information or call 716-635-4959.

Draw in three-dimensions using metal rod as line — create a sketch in steel. Learn basic metalshop skills as you transform your 2D work on paper into a 3D shape. In a small group, make an object that can be displayed either as a garden sculpture or stunning indoor piece. Animals, geometric designs, personal totems, classic icons can all transition from the page to the pedestal (or to the wall) as you learn to cut and weld.

You’ll learn about:
The process of transforming a drawing into sculpture
Cutting and measuring metal to size
Forming curves in rod
Preparing cut metal for welding
Using a MIG welder
Safely operating a grinder or wire brush to finish your work.

Class Cost: $55 (all materials included)
Class Size: Min 4/ Max 8
Ages: 18

Cancellation Policy: http://www.thefoundrybuffalo.org/cancellation_policy

More about The Foundry: http://www.thefoundrybuffalo.org/the_foundry

Want to give competitive pinball a try? Check out one of our monthly three strikes tournaments this summer — entry is now FREE for new players! All skill levels welcome!

Play begins at 7 p.m. on the following dates:

– Tuesday, May 29
– Monday, June 25
– Monday, July 30
– Monday, Aug. 27

Where: GameOn LAN, 3660 Delaware Ave., Kenmore, NY, 14217

Cost: In addition to the cost to play the games for the night (usually $1/game), tournament entry is $10 for players in the top 5,000 in the IFPA standings or $5 for all other players. NEW: No entry fee for new players!

For full tournament information, visit http://www.buffalopinball.com

Larkin Square is proud to present Larkin Moves – an urban wellness festival. Bringing together movers & shakers in the local fitness community to offer a full day of free workouts and more!
Ready for this packed schedule?! The day begins with November Project Buffalo – a free workout starting at 6:10am in Larkin Square. From 12:00pm – 1:00pm, enjoy a free yoga class with Kelly Tripp on the Larkin Square boardwalk (BYOM!) At 4:30pm, the wellness festival will kick into high gear! The square will feature a small vendor market, lululemon Buffalo lounge, food trucks, beverages and lawn games. The final free fitness class of the day begins at 5:30pm with Fitness in the Parks instructors from the YMCA, plus teachers from Revolution Buffalo and a sunset yoga session with Love in Motion Yoga. After class, relax and have fun with the Gay 5K after party! One of the most popular Pride Week events, the Gay 5K presented by Evergreen Health & the Pride Center of WNY will be taking over Larkinville! The race is open to everyone and participants are encouraged to don their gay apparel, with rainbows, drag and more. Not participating in the race? No problem! Everyone is invited to the race after party in Larkin Square at 7:30pm.
Join us for one, two or all of the events happening during Larkin Moves!

The Buffalo Branch of the American Association of University Women, will open its 64th annual Scholarship Book Sale May 30, 2018, to be located at 4687 Transit Rd., Williamsville, NY 14221 (next to Eastern Hills Mall).

More than 150,000 books, DVDs, CDs, games, and puzzles will be on sale during the five-day event that ends June 3. Most items sell for 50 cents to a dollar. Collectibles and new books are priced higher. Proceeds benefit scholarships and interest-free college loans to Western New York high school and college students, community projects and programs, and fellowships awarded by the national AAUW.

Special bargains include children’s books, some of which sell for as low as 25 cents. Hardcover and paperback books are arranged in more than three dozen categories of fiction and non-fiction.

Opening day admission price on Wednesday is $20 from 9 a.m. until 11 a.m. and $10 from 11 a.m. to 1.p.m. The fee drops to $5 from 1 p.m. to 8 p.m. Admission is one dollar from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. on May 31 through June 2. Admission is free June 3 when the sale is open from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Proceeds benefit scholarships and interest-free college loans to Western New York high school and college students, community projects and programs, and fellowships awarded by the national AAUW. More than $600,000 has been awarded in the past fifteen years.

Join us the last Tuesday* of every month at 8:30 a.m. for a live webinar with CEL’s Executive Director, Tom Ulbrich.

*Note May’s date change due to Memorial Day

Thursday, May 31st, 2018 @ 8:30 a.m.
Webinar #5:
“Why Most Businesses Are Lost and Drifting Aimlessly”

Description:

Way too many businesses are caught in the day to day “fire fights” of running their business. Through sheer determination and a little bit of luck they survive, but they never thrive. They are just hanging on for their dear life. This month’s webinar will focus on the need for every business to have a roadmap pointed to a clearly defined destination, a strategic plan. We’ll talk about how you can forego the time consuming, expensive and often painful process of building a strategic plan through a simplified process called the “one-page” plan. Our goal for you…an actionable, simple, living, strategic plan that you will really use to take steady consistent steps towards your company’s growth, sustainability and profitability.

For forty-three years, Hallwalls has supported the creation and presentation of new work by artists of every ethnicity, age, and gender. On May 31, 2018, Hallwalls presents an art auction featuring forty internationally and regionally acclaimed artists. Every artwork will be auctioned live.

Donating artists include Bruce Adams, Laylah Ali, Jozef Bajus, Roberley Bell, Jeremy Boyle & Mark Franchino, Kyle Butler, Ellen Carey, Jay Carrier, Carlo Cesta, Charles Clough (a Hallwalls founder), Jim Dine, Laurel Farrin, Erin Finley, Pam Glick, Wayne Gonzales, Frederick Hayes, George Afedzi Hughes, Richard Huntington, Jacob Kassay, David Kramer, Mark Lavatelli, Joan Linder, Robert Longo (a Hallwalls founder), Michael Mararian, Frank McCauley, Jillian McDonald, Ruben Ochoa, John Opera, Tony Oursler, Joseph Piccillo, Joshua Reiman, Gary Sczerbaniewicz, Katherine Sehr, Guy Richards Smit, Michael Snow, Betty Tompkins, virocode, Adam Weekley, Jacqueline Welch, Katarina Wong.

Doors open at 7 p.m. for registration and an hour-long preview of the artworks; the live auction begins promptly at 8 pm. Artworks can also be viewed on the Hallwalls website.
The open bar includes signature cocktails, champagne, wine, and beer with mixologists Buffalo Bar Biddies behind the bar. A selection of hearty hors d’oeuvres is available throughout the event, catered by Joe Lyons’ Buffalo Catering Company.
DJ Undersound will be spinning tunes before and after the live auction.
Hallwalls Contemporary Arts Center presents a wide range of media, including performance, visual art, alternative jazz and new music, literary readings, community presentations and media arts, shared with the communities of WNY and beyond.
As an added incentive to bidders, Joseph Piccillo has donated a beautiful 5 x 6 feet graphite on canvas. This piece is the centerpiece of the Annual Hallwalls Auction this year, with the proceeds from the sale of this artwork designated to be invested in the modest Hallwalls Endowment to help reach the threshold of being able to draw small amount of income yearly from the endowment for general operating expenses.

AHA! Sponsors:
Somerset Management Group, LCC; Merrill Lynch Wealth Management; Cannon Design; Hodgson Russ LLP; Dent Neurologic Cannabis Clinic.
Architectural Resources; Buffalo Spree Magazine; Lippes Mathias Wexler Friedman; M & T Bank; TM Montante Group; Union Concrete Construction Corp.; University Dental Associates; Vascular Associates of WNY.
Abstract Architecture; ACP Technologies, Inc., Alan Bigelow & Elizabeth Licata; ARC Building Partners; Ciminelli Real Estate Corp; Eleven Twenty Projects; Gross Shuman Brizdle & Gilfilan p.c.; Herb & Aaron Siegel Foundation; Inspire Dental Group; Jeffrey Goldberg, dds; Landmark Wealth Management; Matrix Development Corp; Merrill Lynch-Kane/Fasanello Group; M.E. Engineering; Parkside Prints; Pegula Sports Entertainment; Print2Web; Sandhill Investment Management; Savarino Properties; WebbMason Marketing.
Acropolis Restaurant; Assemblyman Sean Ryan; Benjaman Art Gallery; Block Club; Collins Advisors LLC; Concierge Dental Group; EMS Healthcare Informatics; Essex Street Pub; Lehigh Construction Group; Marsh & Ziller, LLP; Martin Group Marketing; Modern Disposal Services; Nickle City Animal Hospital; P22 Type; Parkside Meadow Restaurant; Petrichor; Quiet Space Message; Rand & Jones Enterprises Co., Inc.; The Evans Agency; TypeWork Studio; Venkova Law Firm; Via Evaluation; Inn Buffalo.

La Lupe: My Life, My Destiny recounts the meteoric rise and fall of one of Latin America’s most iconic signers; La Lupe. In this play with music we are invited to share La Lupe’s memories as she proves her life’s work to her college professor. It is a story about perseverance,tragedy and ultimately survival.

Written by Carmen Rivera
Directed by Victoria Pérez
Starring Melinda Capeles as La Lupe
With:
Steve Brachmann
Rolando Martín Gómez
Smirna Mercedes Pérez
Dewel Pérez
María Pérez-Gómez

Performances are Friday and Saturdays at 8 PM, Sundays at 6 PM. There are also two Pay-What-You-Can Thursday shows on May 31st and June 7th at 7:30 PM. Tickets are $20 general admission and $15 students/seniors.