If I make it over to Merge this evening to catch the showing of the movie Breaking Away, it will have been the third event this week that I attended at the restaurant. Merge has proven to be a mainstay when it comes to hosting unique gatherings that range from live music to media events. Earlier in the week I happened to catch a group of young musicians playing to an audience of 50 or more fans. When I say “young”, I mean that the average age of group members was 18. How often does a venue open its doors to the young entertainers? Not often enough. Promoter Nicholas Ramirez (Incite A Riot) pulled together some of the region’s finest young players, showcasing a few of the up and coming pros – the event was sponsored by Splash Panic!
Last evening Merge hosted a tribute to Social Media Day. The promotion was packed with social media enthusiasts who came together to discuss networking 2.0, listen to a DJ spin some tunes, enjoy a few drinks meet people in the ‘industry’. “There is an entire dialogue happening about Buffalo that is easily accessible and looking for new voices and ideas,” writes Katie Krawczyk in a recent BRO post. “In
fact, if you want to know what the generation of today and tomorrow
thinks and feels about our city and what entrepreneurs are doing out
there, see what they are saying through social media. It’s actually through Twitter that the idea to do a Buffalo Meetup was first born and now is currently being organized.”
To top it all off (though there appears to be no top to the ideas that abound), Merge is kicking off a Thursdays in July movie series (called Wheel Reel) starting tonight with the showing of Breaking Away – sponsored by Green Options Buffalo. Upcoming showings of ET, Pee Wee’s Big Adventure, The Great Muppet Caper and A Little Romance are sure to draw pro-cyclist audiences to the Merge parking lot (yes, these are outdoor showings), where moviegoers can experience a bike-in cinema atmosphere with friends and family. Hopefully we will see more of these outdoor movie screenings in the future! The free movies start at 9 pm… BYO seats.
Keep up the good work Merge. The restaurant has certainly accomplished what it originally intended to do – bring people together under one roof (or under the stars) to introduce them to culturally diverse programming found nowhere else in the city. I can only imagine that this schedule is a bit grueling considering the business is not a venue as much as it is a restaurant!
439 Delaware Avenue
Buffalo, NY 14202
(716) 842-0600