Author: Tara Mancini

Tara Mancini's interest span from Microbiology and Chemistry, Research and Development, Manufacturing, Quality Assurance, and Process Improvement Analysis to New York History, Early Civilizations and Child Development and Education. Part of the Quality Assurance jobs was food taster, both sweet and savory. When I travel I make a point of eating everything. Recent projects include founding the Friends of Schenck Hose in Buffalo, NY - an 1823 pioneer and farm estate - that seeks to restore and put into adaptive reuse the historic buildings to recently being awarded a patent for a new chemical production system. Specialties: Operations, Plant Start up, R & D, Pilot plant testing, operations, quality, Sales and Marketing, Production line or plant start up, streamline production, material waste management, recycling, process improvement, Biodiesel, Renewable Energy, Project Development.

Coming along the lake one would need to have either a canoe or a flat-bottom French “bateaux” to make it over the sandbar that was deposited at the mouth of the Buffalo river. The inability to access the river with a larger boat likely delayed the development of the area by outsiders. The sandbar worked as an economic barrier to entry, that until a solution was developed secured the area for the Senecas, Wenney, Joseph Hodges, and William Johnston.  The area that downtown Buffalo now occupies was once heavily wooded, with rolling hills, a healthy watershed and plump quail, pheasant…

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I believe one of the points that makes New York State a reasonable place to live is the fact that we bring all sorts of news to the forefront. Here in our State, and more specifically in Buffalo, while there will be people with multiple points of view… there is a lack of social pressure to stay quiet. Instead, we are willing to discuss things that may be painful. With this in mind there is a short-yet-sad point in our collective history that needs recognition, discussion, and hopefully public acknowledgment.  Imagine it is 1810 and you live in a village…

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The year was 1888, the Park had gone through a series of issues, each of which was addressed by Superintendent William McMillan. McMillan was the engineer responsible for taking the drawings made by Frederick Law Olmsted and making them a reality. McMillan had a major impact on the parks – how the hills were shaped, where the paths were finally placed, what materials paths were made from, where plantings were placed, and even what the species of trees and shrubs were used. He took this role even further. McMillan would count the number of visitors, to see if the finished…

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On December 24, 1840 a story was penned that included a full description of how the the average Buffalonian celebrated Christmas. While the prose was written by an educated person, it acknowledged that families this particular year had a little less food and fewer presents than previous years, yet noting that there was still plenty, as the words were meant for the average ‘ordinary’ Buffalonian with simple tastes. The setting is a double on the west side of Buffalo; making a reference to the idea of living down or upstairs from another family. While side-by-side row houses are symbolic of…

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Maryland has Fells Point, Boston has Charles Street, New York City has Bleecker Street, and Seattle has Columbia City… neighborhoods with only 2-3 storied buildings. Sometimes a four story is tossed in but they tend to be narrow, and in keeping with the rhythm of the street. Every city has at least one, if not two or three neighborhoods that are encased in a bell jar and under heavy preservation. They do this because as a city morphs and changes, whole neighborhoods need to be intact or risk loosing tourism, a mix of character and attracting families. Of the three,…

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The keepers of beer, spirits, and the like, never served just alcohol. These houses of alternative worship were often co-located; taverns also served dinner, and saloons offered pool or card tables. Sometimes, they offered rooms for boarders from the local factory and, if fancy, were called hotels. It is an occupation that has had people of all backgrounds enter into regardless of gender. The French have always been interested in the Buffalo region, with many from France and Canada moving across borders to start anew here. Napoleon Prenevau arrived in Buffalo by 1893 and opened The Napoleon Hotel and Saloon…

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Every year we’ed decorated our tree with tiny books that held tiny printed stories and songs. Little birds were tucked up in branches, with a few glittered pinecones, peppermints and fake cranberry chains. It stood nine feet tall. After we finished, feeling the need to tend to dinner we’ed leave the tree to eat. Then Crash! You would think, after the third year we would remember, that our pesky pet would climb and then perch itself as if a quail in a pear tree at the very top. But the tree could not hold the 35 pound mass we called…

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The toll house sat on Main St. where the border divided the City of Buffalo from Amherst, before there was even a Bailly Ave. The toll-man, from his shed, would have been able to look out and see the twinkling lights across the field shining through the window panes from the Schenck’s house. Paper flowers, lemon drops, candied oranges, and other treats would have been carefully made and used to decorate the little evergreen that stood upon a table. The kitchen fireplace would turn the wood into the coals that were shoveled into the stove to heat the parlor; and…

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Rochester is putting the sudden spike in crime rates on the list of demands for solutions this voting season. Candidates are trying to make sense out of the latest wave of crime, but their higher than the national average crime rate has been constant for over 50 years. Rochester Institute of Technology puts out a report every year that compares Rochester to a bucket of 24 other cities. This “bucket” allows Rochester to compare itself to other cities that are ethnic and socioeconomic diverse such as Detroit, New Orleans, Pittsburg, Buffalo, and Albany. Not being ones to shy away from…

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After pulling up to my parking space, I got the package out of the car, walked to the corner and hit the button on the pole. The green light went to yellow, and a good three seconds later it switched to red. It is a simple curb to curb transfer, as I juggle the delivery through the crosswalk and into the store. It was a gorgeous day, so I stopped for a minute outside of the suburban building, to chat with one of the customers. After a couple of minutes she explains how she loves going out to eat downtown.…

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