When Russell J. Salvatore created the Patriots & Heroes Park in front of his Steaks Chops & More Restaurant and Salvatore’s Grand Hotel at 6675 Transit Road in Williamsville, he envisioned the park as being a gathering place for veteran’s celebrations. On Sunday, November 11 at 11 a.m. he will celebrate that vision when the third annual “Jump In On PTSD” patriotic and elaborate Veteran’s Day tribute is held. What makes this year’s celebration so special is that it will mark the 100th anniversary of the end of World War I. The local Veteran’s Association of the 3rd Battalion, 19th Special…
Author: Michael J. Billoni
William Edward “Bill” Fichtner, Jr., an American actor who has appeared in a number of notable films and television series, will experience one of his greatest thrills and honors next month. Cold Brook, an independent film he co-wrote, produced, co-starred and made his directing debut in while filming in his hometown of Buffalo last summer, debuts during the 19th annual Woodstock Film Festival. “It feels great,” he said in a humble understatement after nearly a year of overseeing the entire post production of his first film project. He will be in Woodstock with his actress wife Kim, co-star Kim Coates…
From the third floor roof of the recently renovated Johnnie B. Wiley Amateur Athletic Sports Pavilion tower at Jefferson and Dodge on Buffalo’s East Side, Cedric R. Holloway looks across a beautifully manicured baseball field and over what was the right-centerfield wall of the old War Memorial Stadium where Roy Hobbs (aka Robert Redford) knocked out the light standard with a dramatic home run in The Natural. Beyond that, he looks directly down Grape Street, the scene of two gruesome drive by shootings last month, including the murders of a grandmother and her 17-month old grandson. Holloway is the founder…
Growing up as a sports fan in Buffalo and beginning my career as a sports writer for the Tonawanda News and then the Buffalo Courier-Express, it was obvious my favorite television show was ESPN’s SportsCenter and it did not take long for my favorite broadcaster to become Chris “Boomer” Berman. Fast forward to 1988 when I was Vice President/General Manager of the Buffalo Bisons and we had just opened Pilot Field in downtown Buffalo and were solidly behind the Rich family’s effort to secure a major league expansion franchise for the Queen City. Back then, we used every connection we…
Tania Wisbar has fond memories of Buffalo after being invited here by Jonathan Sanger, one of the producers of the major motion picture, Marshall, when it was being filmed here two years ago. Tania and the acclaimed three-time Oscar winning producer work together in their Los Angeles- based Argyle Road Productions company. Through that company Sanger is producing the theatrical performance, The Red Dress, a true story based on the lives of the parents of the play’s renowned playwright, Ms. Wisbar. After opening in Los Angeles, the play will make its Buffalo Premier May 31-June 23 at the New Phoenix…
The internationally known and Buffalo-based band Taylor Made Jazz will celebrate its 30th year of creating music and entertaining audiences world-wide with a black-tie gala at the Buffalo Marriott Niagara Hotel, 1340 Millersport Hwy, Amherst on April 21, 2018. The event will kick off with a private V.I.P. reception at 6:00pm. Doors will open at 7:00pm for general admission. This evening of continuous music will begin with the original vocalists of Taylor Made Jazz. In 2003, the City of Buffalo declared July 22 as Taylor Made Jazz day in the City of Buffalo – and the band has only continued…
The Restoration Society, Inc. is one of those quiet success stories in Buffalo catering to a clientele mostly overlooked by too many—those suffering from mental health conditions, substance abuse or homelessness. The organization is a peer operated recovery center that offers holistic, person-centered self-directed services for its customers. The programs its staff of highly dedicated individuals offer include rehabilitation, housing, vocational and homelessness services as well as a Youth Clubhouse for young adults with chemical dependency diagnoses. The services focus on managing and maintaining wellness, increasing independence, developing friendships and natural supports and accessing desired opportunities. Its Mission is followed…
I am proud to announce Billoni Associates Publishing has published its second book–All In–the memoirs of Buffalo businessman, Ron Zoeller. It is full of unique personal experiences that span his life, including how he was able to help keep our beloved Bills in Buffalo, and how he brought the Cleveland Browns Dawg Pound to Buffalo in 1999 for the last Bills’ home playoff game. The book goes into detail about: How he led the Western New York region in saving the Buffalo Bills. His behind-the-scene dealings with former Buffalo Bills owner and founder, the late Ralph C. Wilson, Jr.; his…
The 22nd annual Colvin Cleaners Coats 4 Kids Program, sponsored by The Allstate Foundation and Fidelis Care and supported by NEWS 4 Buffalo and KISS 98.5 with Janet Snyder, distributed a record 13,350 winter coats, along with hats, gloves and scarves for local children in need, according to Paul A. Billoni, President and CEO of Colvin Cleaners, Inc. Since its inception, Colvin Cleaners has distributed nearly 95,000 coats through its Coats 4 Kids Program. Coats 4 Kids distributed 5,350 coats in 2016, which was a record then. The announcement was made on Dec. 21 with Bishop Darius G. Pridgeon, Pastor…
Hours before the ribbon was cut to open ICONS: The Makers and Moments of Buffalo Sports on Nov. 14 in The Buffalo History Museum, Melissa Brown, its passionate, visionary Executive Director, escorted Mary Wilson through Western New York’s first-ever, comprehensive exhibit of Buffalo’s professional sports history from 1880 through today. Thanks to the generosity of her late husband, Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. and his Foundation, Mrs. Wilson would announce that evening a $600,000 gift to the museum’s ongoing “Restore, Reactivate and Reconnect” capital campaign, which helped fund the rehabilitation of the second floor West Gallery. Icons is now housed in…