Waterkeeper Wednesday

photo from Buffalo Niagara Waterkeeper website

Today for Waterkeeper Wednesday I’m highlighting the importance of Waterkeeper Weekend, the “Un-Gala Fundraiser” and Shoreline Sweep which are all coming up next weekend - May 10th-May 12th, 2019.

Let’s begin with Waterkeeper Weekend as a whole, I want to provide you with some facts. Since 2017 thanks to the help of BN Waterkeeper’s donors 7,845 linear feet of shoreline has been restored. 2,200 volunteers have been engaged and donated over 9,000 hours of their time and $10 million has been launched for the Buffalo Blueway Project with Empire State Development. 40 tons of trash has been cleaned out of the river thanks to the help of people like yourselves in the local community participating in the shoreline sweep that Waterkeeper hosts, and while there has been great progress its not done yet. Monthly cleanups like the one being held on May 11th are vital in efforts to restore our waterways.

The Great Lakes are one of the world’s largest surface freshwater ecosystems. 84% of North America's surface fresh water comes from the Great Lakes - right in our backyard…

photo courtesy of Buffalo Niagara Waterkeeper

Before rolling up your sleeves and helping at one of the 50 sites for Shoreline Sweep Waterkeeper is hosting an “Un-Gala Fundraiser” at Lakeward Spirits at the Barrel Factory on May 10th to celebrate advocacy and access to our water. It’s a fun evening with food, beverage, raffles, distillery tours and live music supporting a wonderful cause. Tickets for the event can be found here

photo courtesy of Buffalo Niagara Waterkeeper

Whatever you choose to do, try to be a part of the celebration of Buffalo Niagara Waterkeeper’s 30th anniversary.

-B

As part of the Shoreline Sweep I’m raising money for Waterkeeper, if you feel generous no amount is to big or small, please consider donating to the cause - Just a Blonde In Buffalo’s team page

Waterkeeper Wednesday

It’s officially spring and with that people are leaving there homes and heading outdoors. Over the course of the next few weeks I’m going to be sharing information about a great organization in town who has and is continuing to do amazing things for our waterways.

Buffalo Niagara Waterkeeper protects and restores our water and the surrounding ecosystems and helps prevent new pollution from forming. Getting the community involved and connecting people to the water through the variety of programs they lead inspires those involved to do more.

PROTECT. RESTORE. CONNECT. INSPIRE.

I sat down with Chris Murawski, Director of Community Engagement from Waterkeeper to learn more about the organization, programs and events that are coming up and just general information we should all know as we head to our waterways as the warm weather approaches.

One of Chris’s roles is to educate the community on issues with our waterways and how we can help. His role is also about listening to the community and addressing what the community needs, the problems we face and inspiring people to do more, get more involved and help with hands on activities Waterkeeper hosts.

photo courtesy of Buffalo Niagara Waterkeeper

As most are aware this past Monday was Earth Day and Waterkeeper spent the day planting trees at Ellicott Creek Park. Why are trees important to us? “They help 1. Reduce pollution that goes into our waterways. 2. Provide habitat for wildlife. 3. Improve water quality along shorelines. “ - BN Waterkeeper

In case you missed out on Earth Day festivities, don’t worry this coming Saturday, Waterkeeper is hosting another tree planting event from 1-4 p.m. at Ellicott Creek Park. You can register for the event here - Ellicott Creek Planting

Image courtesy of BN Waterkeeper

And if that’s not enough you can join Waterkeeper (and myself) on May 11th for their Shoreline Sweep from 10-12 p.m. There are multiple locations you can chose from and can find a complete list here - Spring Shoreline Sweep 

Next week I’ll be diving more into information on the Shoreline Sweep and why it’s so important to the region, the “Un-Gala” Fundraiser and Waterkeeper Weekend, so stay tuned!

-B

A Staple on the East Side of Buffalo

I said this in my blog post from 2015, the Broadway Market has been a staple in my childhood. Growing up on Fillmore my family and I would frequent the Market on what seemed to be a weekly basis stopping at the comic book stand (Blind Eddie’s) to pick up the latest Betty and Veronica comic on the corner of Fillmore and Broadway afterwards. Since moving to the suburbs in my junior high years we still would visit the Market but not as often. Fast forward to my adult life now and I visit it multiple times a year and with this week being Holy week I am there a couple times within just a few days.

Seeing the Market back in the 1980’s-1990’s and comparing it to now - my oh my how it has changed, I can only imagine how it was when it first opened. From being a place that people would make a part of there daily and weekly routines to now only visiting during the Easter season, it makes me thankful for the time I was able to see it really active.

The Market was created “As immigrants flocked to the east side of Buffalo in the late 1800’s. They looked for the continuation of old world customs in their new and unfamiliar environment. While they wanted to enter the mainstream of city life, they also sought to preserve their Eastern European traditions and heritage. The Broadway Market would prove to serve these needs quite well.” (The Broadway Market -History).

“Started by a group of citizens on a city donated parcel at 999 Broadway in 1888, the Broadway Market quickly became a community meeting place–a place ideal for combining business with socializing and for sharing with one another the latest in gossip and news from the old world. “ (The Broadway Market - History).

As people visit the Market during this week to pick up their traditional Easter pieces, it makes me think what is being done during the rest of the year to help activate the Market. I know last summer they tried to host a series of farmers markets, how successful was that I’m not quite sure. In a news piece Spectrum News posted on 4/14/19 it sounds like plans to make improvements are in the works and over the course of the next couple of years visitors should be able to see those improvements, hopefully calling people to visit more often than just during Holy week.

Visiting my friend Shanna in Milwaukee this past Fall she took us to Milwaukee Public Market - a gathering place where people can eat, get fresh food and even take a cooking class from time to time. To have something like that in Buffalo I think would be great and I think taking ideas from that Milwaukee Public Market and applying to the Broadway Market may be what it needs to reactivate and reinvigorate that area on Broadway and the Market in general. Right now in my opinion Its the dedicated vendors who have been there for decades and the families who are passing down there traditions to the younger generation that keep the Broadway Market thriving. Hopefully if the City invests in the East Side and allots money for improvements in the Market it will last for many more years to come, I guess only time will tell. Maybe its because its been a part of my life, but I feel that at the end of the day the elected officials need to invest more time and efforts in seeing the Market improve.

Lastly here is a shameless plug - follow me on Instagram as I visit the Market this week and come visit me on Monday, I’ll be one of the judges for Buffalo’s Best Kielbasa contest at the Market beginning at noon. Come join in the Dyngus Day festivities.

-B

A special thank you to Aniela Baj from Council Member, Fillmore District David Franczyk’s office and Beverly McLean, President of the Friends of the Broadway Market District, for providing me with information for this piece.

Art of the Brick at the Buffalo Museum of Science

Last night thanks to my friends at the Buffalo Museum of Science and Visit Buffalo Niagara, I got to attend a preview night for the new exhibit - Art of the Brick opening tomorrow - February 9. The exhibit is labeled as one of CNN’s Top 10 ‘Global Must See Exhibitions’ and I can see why. It is such a cool exhibit, like none other! Running through May 5th, make sure to check it out!

Here are just some of the gazillion photos that my sister and I took last night.

Pointing

Piece Count: 21,454

Strength of Spirit

Piece Count: 8,050

Lumagination 2019

Its been a few years since I’ve attended the Lumagination event at the Buffalo Botanical Gardens so this past weekend my sister along with my niece and nephew went with me to see “The Magic of Air.” Running until February 24th I suggest getting there early (you may have to wait in line for a few minutes) but walking through the exhibits isn’t as crowded.

There are some special themed nights, like, Family Night with the Buffalo Zoo where Zoo members receive Botanical Garden member prices. They also offer Lumagination Happy Hours for those looking to grab a drink or two before (or after) experiencing the exhibit

You can find pricing, dates, times and more information at Buffalo Gardens. com

Hatchets & Hops

As I get older I am more and more a fan of experiences and trying something new whenever I can. I have had on my (long) bucket list to visit and experience Hatchet and Hops when it opened over two years ago, so as a Christmas gift this year I decided I would book a Hatchets and Hops outing for my family and I.

A few weeks ago we made it to 505 Main St. (located downtown near the Hyatt) and had a pretty cool experience. For $40 a person and guaranteed two hours of ax throwing we went head to head with some family members and some strangers to see who could win that free drink from the bar and more importantly gloat about being the best ax thrower in the group (note - I did not win that title). Jake was our instructor and score keeper for the duration of the outing, teaching us the scoring system, how to hold and throw the ax and answering any questions we may have had.

Going head to head with my Dad (I let him win that round)

You can host group parties, sign up for the weekly ax throwing league or simply go and cheer on your friends and/or family. It would even make a good team building or bonding experience for you and your co-workers. Overall the experience was unique, fun and memorable which are three things I always hope to get out of trying new things.

-B

Buffalo Boss Babes

Cover photo - Buffalo Boss Babes Facebook page photo

This photo - Buffalo Boss Babes Instagram post

This Sunday 1/20/19  Buffalo Boss Babes Speakers Series: Community features a kick ass list of women

Beth Voseller from Ace Flag & Visual Promotion
Katharine Phillips from Roaming Buffalo & Exhale Events 
Lindsay Williams from Hoopla House Creative
Raelyn Woltz from West End Interiors

If you haven't been to a Buffalo Boss Babes Speaker Series yet, you have to put it on your list of things to do. This will be my third one and It is one of the best networking events in town, hands down. Not only do you meet amazing women leading the way in WNY but I also find myself more motivated and inspired each time I leave. 

Get your tickets right in the event page below
https://www.facebook.com/events/609412126165616/

-B

WE ARE HAPPY

If you aren’t a skier, snowboarder or just don’t like outdoor winter activities, this season could be bringing you down right about now. Let’s face it, the bitter cold, gloomy skies are just down right yuck, so thank goodness the Happy Place was created and chose to make a stop in Toronto, Ontario.

Happy Place is a massive social, pop-up experience filled with larger than life size installations, multi-sensory immersive rooms, giving you lots of opportunities to “Capture Your Happy”. It was founded in November of 2017 all because the founder Jared Paul believed our world today could use a lot more happiness.

Happy Place began in Los Angeles and continued to Chicago this past summer before heading to Toronto in November of 2018 and currently making it there home until January 27, 2019. My friend Kelsey and I hit up Toronto this past Sunday for a nice day trip. We began the day visiting the well known Trinity Bellwoods Flea Market before grabbing brunch at Ottos Bierhalle. After that we headed to Happy Place to “find our happy”. The whole experience was quite something, from gumball machines, to rubber ducks, confetti, cookies and ball pits there were plenty of photos, Insta-stories and lots of laughs.

Tickets are $35.31 (tax included), that is Canadian though so with the exchange rate they are a little less in American dollars (score!). It took us about an hour or so to go through the whole experience and it was never overcrowded which made taking photos and getting through each room nice and easy.

After that experience we ended the day with a quick stop at Lavish and Squalor a super cool store/coffee shop. It offers an array of merchandise from hats and scarves to home decor, kitchenware and more.

If you are looking for something to do during this time of year definitely consider Happy Place as a place to visit before the end of the month.

-B

A Reason to be Excited for the Winter

Solo operators must be age 6 or older. Duo passengers are limited to ages 3-5 and must be accompanied by an operator age 18 or older. Riders must wear flat, closed-toe-shoes.

The ice at Canalside opens this Friday 11/23. For more information on this and all the fun events and activities taking place this winter go to Canalsidebuffalo.com

Guys! Whether you love the winter season or not, there is a new reason to be excited for the season. Canalside has a new activity this winter - Ice Bumper Cars!

Ice Bumper Cars will be available on a first come, first serve basis. You can make your reservation at the Canalside Kiosk or Winter Lodge. Each experience is 15 minutes long including the 7 minute on-ice session.

BlackBird Cider Works - Cider Hall

Last weekend BlackBird Cider Works opened their new Cider Hall at 155 Chandler Street in Buffalo. When visiting the spot it took me to a pretty cool neighborhood (Black Rock neighborhood) that I haven’t explored a lot of recently. The Cider Hall is a decent size with a decent amount of seating and offering an assortment of cider, cider flights, light food and craft beers.

The outside (while not completely finished with the patio area) was a pretty cool spot offering graffiti art collages on most of the outside building walls and a nice lawn that I think will become a pretty cool hangout in the warmer months. Overall I loved the space and can’t wait to take more friends and family to visit over the upcoming Holiday season.

-B

I tend to like drier ciders so I asked for recommendations from the staff, this is what they gave me for my flight - Dry Oak Aged, Semi Sweet Oak Aged, Chandler Street Cherry Tart, Cherry Perry. ALL of them were delicious, but I think if I had to pick a favorite it would have been the Dry Oak Aged.

A Basic Fall Day in Western New York

Savy and I apple picking

A couple weeks ago I took the day off to simply hang out and do your basic “Fall time” activities (think apple picking, pumpkins, farm animals and more). When choosing a place to visit, it was quite hard - I mean Western New York has a lot of great places to visit this time of year. After narrowing my list down, I randomly selected Blackman Homestead Farms in Lockport, NY.

About a 40 minute drive north of Buffalo, my niece and I picked a great day to go, it was early afternoon and the weather was just right . The selection of apples we picked from was perfect (perfect in my terms), the apples weren’t picked over, there were a lot still on the trees to pick from and it wasn’t overly crowded, making it easy to walk around and explore.

While there we picked out some pumpkins, visited with the goats and pony’s and I even got myself a few mums for my front lawn.

I would highly recommend this location for your Fall activities.

Next time I’m out that way its on my list to stop and check out their cidery (Blackman Cider Co.)

The Buffalo Lighthouse

Being at the Outer Harbor for last few years, I decided this year for the end of season staff outing I wanted my staff to get something out of the Harbor (outside of just the programs and events we run) so I scheduled a private tour of the Buffalo Lighthouse with Mike Vogel.

We walked the property, learned about the history of the space and future plans. And at the end of the day we were able to experience a cool opportunity that provides much history about Buffalo.

I encourage anyone looking for something new to experience to look into the Buffalo Lighthouse Association. If you’d like to learn more about the 1833 Buffalo Lighthouse go to www.buffalolight.org

Getting ready to climb the lighthouse!

Did you know the Buffalo Lighthouse is the oldest structures on the Great Lakes. Located at the foot of the Buffalo River.

Another fun fact - The Buffalo Lighthouse is the oldest still standing in its original location in the city of Buffalo. It is 60 feet tall and has an octagonal limestone shape.

(Photo on the left) Group Shot (missing part of our staff)

(Center photo) City of Buffalo Shots

(Photo on the right) Oh hey guys!

Featured Exhibition: Robert Indiana: A Sculpture Retrospective

I was looking for something to do earlier today so I stopped by the Albright Knox art gallery and visited the Robert Indiana exhibition that is currently on display. Today is the last day for the exhibition, but his Numbers ONE through ZERO are on display at Wilkeson Pointe until September 2019.

It was a nice way to spend part of my day. Check out my photos below showcasing some of his work that was on display.

TWO - Robert Indiana’s Favorite Number

Summer time...

Food Truck Tuesdays at Larkin Square 

Its been a while since I posted on my blog and its for the simple fact that summer is the busiest time of the year for me. work wise. BUT I do try my hardest to have some sort of a work/life balance as I possibly can during this time of year. 

Tonight was one of those nights that reminded me that its ok to take a step back and put your phone away and not respond immediately to an email, text or phone call. 

My very good friends Nicole and Jessi did just that. We all met at "Food Truck Tuesday" at Larkin Square {an event I haven't been to since it began}  and enjoyed our glasses of rose wine, the food trucks and just catching up and making new memories. 

Rose all day.. cheers

If there is one thing I'm learning more and more each day, its to enjoy the little moments. Laugh more, experience more and just be in the moment. 

Until next time,

-B 

The Maned Wolf at the Buffalo Zoo

If you know me you know my love for animals and you know my love for the Buffalo Zoo. A couple years ago I decided to sponsor the Maned Wolf exhibit at the Zoo. Located in the Vanishing Animals North section of the Zoo, the Maned Wolf's exhibit is near Zebras, Scout the {adorable!} red panda and the snow leopards exhibits. 

Vanishing Animals North is located in the upper right hand corner of the Zoo map

I reached out to my friends at the Zoo to see if I could learn more about the beautiful animals in the exhibit I sponsor and meet their keeper. Thanks to the Zoo staff I was able to meet with Catherine Carroll about two weeks ago to learn more about Kev and Elisa the two maned wolves that call the Buffalo Zoo their home. To spare you a long, long post {because I could talk forever about animals} I summarized what I learned below...

Photo courtesy of the Buffalo Zoo 

Kev is 11 and Elisa is 15, similar to a dog a unique feature guests may not know is the maned wolf has a unique bark/howl that is not 100% a bark, nor howl. Both animals have access to the outdoors at night as long as the temperature outside is over 30 degrees. They have enrichment every day that includes everything from toys, moving around exhibit pieces {such as logs and putting natural spices on them} and hiding toys in hay piles to name a few. They each get a "wolf smoothie" everyday to get the fruits and veggies they need for their diet and they are fed separately. The keepers track records of what they eat, how much they eat and do daily exams on both of them. Kev and Elisa enjoy to snuggle and you can often seem them cuddled together on top of the tall rock on the right hand side of the their exhibit. 

Photo courtesy of the Buffalo Zoo

Catherine is born and raised in Buffalo and has been a keeper at the Buffalo Zoo for over 25+ years. Let me tell you she is an amazing person! She always knew she wanted to be a keeper and has a love for all animals, saying they are like her"children." She is a lead keeper so not only does she care for the animals and clean the exhibit and prepare meals for them, she also is in charge of scheduling other keepers on her team, ordering supplies and much, much more. She works with other animal departments and other Zoo's to see what enrichment programs they do with their animals and to bounce ideas off of each other. 

Photo courtesy of the Buffalo Zoo

One thing many people may not know, is a lot of keepers do more than just take care of animals. In their spare time they may run fundraisers or programs that focus on other conservation efforts that play a very important role in not only our lives, but in the lives of the animals they care for each and every day. 

Talking with Catherine only made me appreciate more of the work her and the rest of the keepers at the Buffalo Zoo and around the world do to care for animals. There is a lot of work that goes on behind the scenes that we {the general public} may take for granted. The next time you're at the Buffalo Zoo make sure to pay a visit to the Vanishing Animals North section and appreciate all the beautiful animals you can see and learn about. 

Thank you Catherine {& team} for all that you do each and every day. 

-B

Harlie's Spring Fever

We've all been sick of this weather so its no surprise when the temperatures rose yesterday everyone probably did the best they could to go outside and soak up some sun and fresh air. That was no different for Miss Harlie girl. 

photo cred - K/Sweet 

Yesterday we went to our favorite park - Knox Farms and we had two special guests take part in her "adventure" this time. My friends Kelsey and Chad came along for the fun. Harlie was so excited not only to be out and about, but to be around other people and dogs. It was a fun afternoon by all and Harlie's looking forward to her next trip back to the Farm.  

Harlie and Friends  

Check out my Insta-story (@bybuffalob) for some of the videos taken yesterday. 

Pit stop at the Library in the Woods 

B

Providing Inspiration Over Coffee and Conversation

In one week I will be a part of an evening where people will be sharing stories of hope, love and inspiration. Things I think this world needs a lot more of nowadays. When I was asked to partake in this event, I was honored. Honored in the sense that one of the most important things to me, is inspiring people {whether I know them or not} to never give up and to know there is always someone there for them.

One of the best things I've gotten out of starting my own blog was getting to meet people within the local community who continue to inspire me each and every day. Next Thursday at 6:30 pm I'll be alongside my very good friend Kate from Hope Rises  who invited me to speak about Just a Blonde in Buffalo at the upcoming Daily Chatter event at Daily Planet Coffee Co. Inc. 

Not only will Kate and myself be sharing our stories, but you will get to meet a handful of amazing speakers who will be sharing their stories about hope and love. 

Come enjoy a delicious cup of coffee followed by some good conversation  on the 12th. 

-B

Paczki Day!!

Today is Paczki Day,  a Polish tradition that on the Tuesday before Ash Wednesday, the people of Poland would use up food so that it would not be spoiled or wasted. The reason for this was because  Lent was 40 days of fasting; meaning one meal a day and full fasting on Friday. Any rich foods were not allowed. Families would use up their eggs, butter and sugar and fruit by treating themselves one last time before Lent began with these rich donuts.

While I am sad to miss it this year because I'm out of town {maybe I'll search for something similar, here in Costa Rica..hmm..}, I'm excited for those who are celebrating {I'm talking to you Ben & Chad, don't let me down!} and heading to the Broadway Market  {my favorite place to get them} or their favorite local bakery to enjoy these "oh so bad" for you, but "oh so good" treats. If you are going to the Market, it is open from 7am-5pm today. 

Enjoy! 

-B

More fun wintertime activities

Guys, today on my feature for fun wintertime activities I'm talking about some places I have mentioned before, but all offer great activities to get you through this winter slump. 

throwing it back to 2017 when me and my friends from work took a trip to the zoo 

The first is the Buffalo Zoo. Continuing with embracing the winter in Western New York, head to the zoo during February for Polar Bear Days where admission is only $5 and parking is free. Enjoy the beautiful animals as they embrace the winter season. I love the Zoo year round, but if you hate going in the summer when its crowded this is the perfect time to go.

You can stop by exhibits {indoor and out} and see the animals up close without dealing with all the people. Make sure to check out the Maned Wolf, I heard there's a pretty cool blogger who sponsors that exhibit {lol}.

Next up on my list is fishing, not ice fishing, but the real, fun fishing with Ryan from Brookdog Fishing Co. Check out his website to get more info, but trust me, its a once in a lifetime experience. You can also check out my past posts too {Nov. 2017, Fishing in the Lower River & July 2017, My newest adventure with Brookdoh Fishing Co.} 

this photo was from my trip with Ryan back in November, you have such a good time that the cold weather becomes secondary. 

Lastly is the fun village of Ellicottville. Of course Holiday Valley offers tubing, skiing, snowboarding and much more, but the heart of village has a variety of different shops, coffee houses and pubs that make it a special place to visit and embrace the winter in the heart of "ski country."

learn to snowboard at Holiday Valley 

I could sit here and list a dozen more things to do from spending a day at the Aquarium in Niagara Falls, NY to learning about science at the Science Museum, or visiting your local library and finding some good books to read on those days school is cancelled or during Presidents Day week. Or go on a distillery or brewery tour, there are so many in town now, that you could make a day of it with your friends. Whatever you decide to do with the rest of this winter season, just embrace each day and all it offers because each day is about creating new memories with those you love. 

-B