The Juneteenth Festival is not unique to Buffalo, any more than it is to African Americans. The fifth largest Juneteenth celebration nationwide, Buffalo’s chapter celebrates emancipation of African Americans and others from slavery, but more importantly it signifies freedom for all people, as set forth in the of the Declaration of Independence that is celebrated every Fourth of July. Juneteenth, however, celebrates June 19, 1865, the day Major General Gordon Granger of the Union Army rode into Galveston, Texas in final execution of the Emancipation Proclamation. It is the oldest known observance of the ending of slavery in the United…
Author: Sarah Rose Stone
I got an email from BR Art Director Nicholas Barone saying that Google had added Street View to its Maps function and I might want to do a short post on it. I had no idea what I’d find, but I am one of those people who believes that Google adds around 20 IQ points to everyone’s basic intelligence by virtue of the instant information it places at one’s fingertips. (Remember trips to the library and the endless huge volumes of encyclopedias with dated information?) I never expected to find a function that would allow the user to pan down…
Newell and I met up with News Director Mark Scott at WBFO 88.7 FM for our weekly Buffalo Rising Round Table in order to recap the previous week’s posts on BRO. Mark pointed out at the end of this week’s 25-minute taped broadcast that the podcast resulting from our discussions is carried on each of our web channels. It’s also a lot longer than the five minutes that airs. And it’s usually full of interesting tidbits and bloopers. The previous week, when we were talking about the new beach at the Erie Basin Marina (which we talk about a lot…
Frank Hotchkiss, United Steelworkers (USW) District 4 believes Buffalo is perfectly poised to create jobs and boost the local economy through green industry. Add to that the global aspect of helping to create clean energy, and everyone wins. From his statement: “Achieving a clean energy economy through green industries like wind and solar are just part of the story. This report is also about job security. Making homes and offices more energy efficient not only saves money and energy, but also represents growth opportunities for workers who build our communities and keep them running,” said Frank Hotchkiss, United Steelworkers, “We’re…
This past Saturday was opening day for the Elmwood-Bidwell Farmers Market. Every year I head off to market with my reusable shopping bags, fully prepared to do my part by purchasing lots of yummy produce. Week after week last year, I would find myself refilling a veggie drawer that was already half full. I began with the intention of using all of my produce over the course of the week, but I found that on some days I was too busy to cook the meal I had purchased them for. Some weeks I even had to throw some of my…
Off the beaten path, far south in South Buffalo, the Buffalo and Erie County Botanical Gardens are one of our greatest treasures. Designed between 1868 and 1876 by Frederick Law Olmsted, the plans for the Botanical Garden buildings and South Park were featured in the 1876 Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia with Olmsted’s plan for the city’s parks. There, our Buffalo was applauded as “the best planned city as to its streets, public places and grounds in the United States, if not the world.” Buffalo’s design inspired future plans for Boston, Washington, D.C., and Chicago. The public space in South Park…
Ah, New Year’s resolutions. We all start the year off with the best intentions. Lose 10 pounds, eat right, exercise more. Every year, there’s always some challnege that can derail even the best intentions. Let’s address a common weight loss challenge: eating light while on the run or out on the town. Not everything mentioned in this article is categorically “healthy” and a number of the dishes are not served in appropriate portions, but they are all lower in calories and fat than most of the items you’ll find on a typical restaurant’s menu. With that in mind, here are…
Home just in time for Christmas, Buffalo guitarist Doug Yeoman and his band return for a show at Hardware on Allen Street on this upcoming snowy Tuesday evening. The music will play, the wine (and whatever) will flow, and the windows will steam up as the faithful stream in to share some holiday cheer and hear one of their favorite bands. Back from six-months on the road as as the star of the Johnny Cash show Ring of Fire, Yeomans is back in Buffalo with his hot rock-a-billy band, The Blue Light All Stars. If you like early rock ‘n…
The Allendale Theatre in Allentown was packed for Friday night’s opening performance of The Greatest Christmas Pageant Ever. Theatre goers from 2 to 90 were all smiles with anticipation of this popular show. And that anticipation was well rewarded with a wonderful performance. Director Meg Quinn has brought together a great cast of actors, and certainly has brought out the best of each of the young performers. It was impressive to see 28 kids from the ages of 8 to 13, with just 4 weeks of rehearsal, do such a great job. There was not a disappointing performance or awkward…
The Best Christmas Pagent Ever opens the second production of Theatre of Youth Company’s 2007-2008 Season at the historic Allendale Theatre. The play, by Barbara Robinson, adapted from her book, opens tomorrow and continues Saturdays and Sundays until December 16th. The Best Christmas Pagent Ever is recommended for the whole family and is sponsored by Fisher-Price. This is TOY’s 36th season, and the 9th season at the Allendale Theatre. From the release: The whole town will learn a great lesson in compassion and understanding when Grace Bradley and her husband put on the annual church pageant, despite having to cast…