Author: Bruce Haydon

Bruce Haydon is an obsessed runner and passionate writer who devotes his time to exploring and supporting his beloved Queen City. Bruce is originally from Ontario, Canada, relocating for work to both Bermuda and New York City before settling down in Buffalo in 2013. After initially suffering withdrawal from NYC life, he quickly grew to love his new home city, and has since become an ardent supporter and urbanist of all things Buffalo. Working in the financial sector by day, Bruce has been writing for Buffalo Rising since 2014, where he covers a number of topics relating to the city's ongoing evolution. With a love of the arts, culture and architecture, he devotes a considerable amount of his spare time researching the rich history of the area's illustrious past.

Memorial Day is only a few days away, which means the Buffalo Marathon Race Weekend is almost upon us. In affirmation of the event’s popularity, both the Marathon and Half Marathon sold out quickly for the second year in a row despite race organizers adding 21% capacity. This year’s Full and Half Marathon start earlier on Sunday at 6:30 AM instead of 7:00 AM, in keeping with a trend amongst marathon races to start as early as possible in order to minimize racer’s  exposure to higher mid-morning temperatures. Borrowing from other signature metro races like Boston and New York, the 2016 Buffalo Marathon is offering athlete “live…

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It’s almost time to break out the board shorts and bikinis, Buffalo! The Madd Tiki Winter Luau, presented by Buffalo Rising, is returning to RiverWorks.on Saturday February 6. New for this year is a 2nd floor format, with an elevated band stage on the upper level, and a dueling DJ stage, with improved acoustics for numerous heavy hitting local music acts. “In anticipation of spring, what better way to ‘shake it off’ than to recreate some island flavor in the city I love?” says festival collaborator and tattoo guru Mark Madden. “The luau at RiverWorks highlights the juxtaposition of winter, with vibrant…

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The Erie Canal Harbor Development Corporation (ECHDC) announced significant upgrades to the Buffalo Outer Harbor Monday, making way for turning the space into more of a recreational venue. They also disclosed that a Rich Products Subsidiary, “B.R. Guest Ltd.”, was selected in a competitive bidding process to manage events for a revitalized Outer Harbor area commencing in 2016. Among some of the enhancements planned are mountain bike and cross-country ski trails, an osprey nesting platform at Times Beach, public viewing areas adjacent to the Bell Slip, a visitor center, adult games area, beer garden and a host of pedestrian and…

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Buffalo Place, a not-for-profit organization “dedicated to improving the economic health and quality of life in Downtown Buffalo”, has formally endorsed a 2 AM closing within the city. The directors of Buffalo Place voted Wednesday to approve a resolution calling for bars to close by 2 AM on weekdays and 3 AM on Friday and Saturday nights, by a 9-4 split. This is in sharp contrast to the opposition expressed to changing bar closing hours voiced by prominent local politicians: Mayor Byron Brown, Erie County Executive Mark C. Poloncarz, the County Legislature and the Common Council. Buffalo Place expressed concern…

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Lexington Co-op held their annual general meeting & Oktoberfest dinner Wednesday night at the Nardin Academy for their member-owners. The mood was celebratory, buoyed by the recent announcement that the “BIG Direction Capital Campaign” had successfully managed to surpass the $2M goal of member-owner donations – one of the largest capital campaigns in food co-op history. The money was raised over a summer-long funding drive to finance the construction of the new location at 1678 Hertel Avenue. Lexington also spent part of the year remodeling their existing store at 807 Elmwood, paid for out of the $80 membership fees generated…

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The US Department of Transportation will fund $18M to return automotive traffic to lower Main Street at Canalside, as part of the ongoing “Cars Sharing Main Street” project. “The growth in the Theatre District demonstrates that returning cars to Main Street is also returning retail to Main Street. With this federal funding we provide greater access to Canalside which will strengthen the success…”, said Congressman Brian Higgins. Congressman Higgins had supported Buffalo’s application for the funding, along with the Mayor and a number of other prominent local politicians at the State and Federal level. The grant will work specifically to…

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Talk of an email circulating throughout Buffalo has sparked hope that Uber is contemplating a return to the Buffalo area. The ride-sharing service, which allows private vehicle owners to act as contractors and drive clients around for a fee, has been a controversial figure in the news as it disrupts the traditionally staid business model of the taxi and limousine business. A meeting is being set up for October 27th at 10:30 AM to discuss the company’s re-launch efforts in Buffalo, although the exact location has not yet been disclosed. The timing is no accident, as the state government will…

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The Queen City Bike Ferry launched this summer to much acclaim from locals and visitors alike, as a quick and inexpensive way to get people and bikes across from the Commercial Slip at Canalside to the Buffalo Marina on the Outer Harbor. It has proven so popular, in fact, that plans for enhancements are already underway for next year. The Erie Canal Harbor Development Corporation (ECHDC) is accepting bids for a project to rehabilitate and enhance the ferry docking area on the Outer Harbor side in order to permit an expanded ferry service next year. The scope of the project…

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Oracle Corporation, one of the largest software companies in the world, has leased space in the 500 Seneca Street building in Larkinville which is being prepared for a January 1, 2016 completion date. The company will be leasing 6,000 square feet on the fifth floor of the 300,000 square foot building, which was a former manufacturing facility converted into a mixed-use building by Savarino Companies and Frontier Group of Companies. Oracle joins Nervve Technologies, Liberty Mutual, Tommyrotters Distillery and Provident Funding among others as tenants. Other parts of the building will be reserved for residential units and eateries. Oracle, which…

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The sun continues to shine on Western New York, as another huge solar panel manufacturing plant was announced by Gov. Cuomo that is expected to employ 600 people at the Western New York Technology Advanced Manufacturing Park (STAMP) in the town of Alabama. This represents New York’s second large solar manufacturing project, right behind Buffalo’s SolarCity plant currently under construction. The new factory, which will be owned by 1366 Technologies of New Bedford, Mass., will produce “Direct Wafer” solar panels initially at a rate of a million per week. Production is expected to grow over time, boosting output and eventually…

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