Category: PostEvents

We continue the series on walking Buffalo, from the intrepid couple who walked every day—no matter the weather—in the first 30 months of Covid. They think (without being systematic) they walked every street in Buffalo, and many in other cities and towns, taking some 20,000 photos, some of which are shared in this series. While not itineraries, we hope to encourage others to “walk the walk,” to see, observe and appreciate Buffalo—and beyond. William Graebner and Dianne Bennett are also 5 Cent Cine’s film critics, here.

Today’s Photo-Essay: Beware of (the) Dog

Many area residents have dogs. For mail carriers, dogs are the worst part of the job. As a woman postal worker told us, “if there’s a dangerous dog, they don’t get their mail.” We have been threatened only once, by a loose Pit Bull puppy in Lovejoy. 

Some residents “employ” the dogs for security purposes, posting a sign to suggest that the home and property is protected by a dog. 

The most common signs are “Beware of Dog” and “Beware of the Dog.” 

Two signs—“Beware of Dog” and “Beware of the Dog”—may be better than one. A Mills Street porch.

For a time Dianne and I debated—it became a sort of running joke—whether there was a difference between the two, whether the “the” before Dog reflected the idea that the beast to be feared was not just any dog, but a particular dog. 

There were obvious limits to this discussion. Fortunately, we found dog signs that were more complex, and more entertaining. Several made it clear that the dog was “BAD,” perhaps meaning that it was incorrigible, incapable of being mollified, more dangerous than your average “beware-of-dog” dog:

Actually, the dog depicted, even with the studded collar, doesn’t look that “bad.”

The addition of a butterfly to the “Beware of Dog” warning may suggest that as bad as the dog might be, the owner is a good, sensitive person:

Fillmore Avenue

In only one case did the owner emphasize the badness of the dog by revealing the breed:

Pit Bull Warning, Hampshire Street

This East Side sign is so old that it’s hard to know whether it once read “Bad Dog” or “Beware of Dog.” In its decrepit state, it has become a work of art—“accidental art”: 

Dog sign as art

Now and then, a property owner will add a representation–of a dog, or of something malevolent–signaling that that the animal is especially fierce. 

Patriot dog. South Park Avenue, Old First Ward

A really mean dog, with spiked collar. Genesee, west of Jefferson

Other signs we came across described the animal as a “guard dog,” suggesting that the dog was not just any old dog, but a dog that had special training as a guard, or a genetic predisposition to “guard.” 

Lovejoy district

A related sign amped up the guard-dog idea, suggesting that the dog had a sense of itself not only as a guard, but as a guard that was fulfilling a “duty,” an obligation, or a requirement of being employed as a guard dog: “Guard Dog on Duty.” 

There’s a problem here. The dog can’t possibly be “on duty” 24 hours a day; dogs sleep a lot and have other things to do besides bark at strangers. The phrasing implies that, at any given time, the dog might be “off duty.” 

Lovejoy district

Then there’s “Dog on Premises.” That’s straight-forward. The dog is on the premises, it’s there. But is it? Maybe it’s out taking a walk with its owner, or on vacation with the family at the Cape. Or it’s on the premises but distracted, enjoying a bowl of made-in-Buffalo Milk Bone biscuits. Who knows? 

Lower West Side

And sometimes, a dog isn’t enough.

West Side

Also see:

How to Take a Walk in Buffalo – Look Up! Roofs and Roofers

How to Take a Walk in Buffalo – Buffalo’s Mini-Marts

How to Take a Walk in Buffalo – Remembering 9/11

How to Take a Walk in Buffalo – Street Humor

How to Take a Walk in Buffalo – The Yard as Spectacle

© William Graebner

The post How to Take a Walk—in Buffalo, and Beyond (Beware of (the) Dog) appeared first on Buffalo Rising.

Lead image: Rory Allen of Zoom Copy adheres a “Jumping Josh” cutout to a Hertel Hurdle sign, with a warning – “If you steal this, I hope your kids turn out to be Patriots fans.”

The post Redemption Is Josh Allen Jumping Over Everything appeared first on Buffalo Rising.

It’s been a while since we’ve heard anything about 130 Genesee Street. This is the future location of Keelin Burke’s Realm retail store, which is located directly next to Blue Cave (a new Italian restaurant).

We first discussed Keelin’s pioneering initiative back in May of 2021. Since that time, a lot has happened – some good, some bad.

On the good news front, Keelin set up a temporary shop at 441 Ellicott Street, while the 130 Genesee Street location was being renovated.

On the bad news front, there was a partial collapse of 324 North Oak, which led to a total demolition of the building, unfortunately. Seeing that 324 North Oak bookended 130 Genesee Street, along with the Blue Cave building, the unfortunate set of circumstances caused a significant setback for Realm renovations.

As Keelin attempted to wrap her head around the delays caused by the demolition, and the pandemic (including supply chain problems and slowdowns at City Hall). She calls it the perfect storm. In the end, she figured that it was best to keep her nose to the grindstone. She took a freelance design position at Oxford Pennant, which soon-after led to her being promoted to Brand Marketing Manager.

Future home of Realm. Blue Cave to the left

“Oxford Pennant has been so supportive through all of the ups and downs,” said Keelin. “It’s been so much fun – I will continue to work for them for the foreseeable future, as I move into the Realm building. It’s essentially going to be a new building once all is said and done. It would have been easier and cheaper to knock it down and build a new building, it had fallen into significant disrepair. It required a lot more TLC than I imagined. But due to the historic nature of the district, it was more moral and ethical to rebuild. The building has been completely gutted. Work has been done on the foundation, the facade has been reinforced with steel, there’s a new roof, new floors… it’s basically a new building. It’s been a super long journey – almost two years since I entered into lease negotiations for the space. When it’s finished, it’s going to be another game changer for downtown though, with more events, and different activations. It’s going to look really really awesome, especially at one of the busiest traffic lights in downtown.”

The opening of Realm will go a long way towards creating a more vibrant and walkable neighborhood. A stone’s throw from the retail store are a number of restaurants, including The Salty Chefs, Jacks Corner Café, Fitz Books and Waffles, Eddie Brady’s, Toutant, Marble & Rye… and numerous others within short walking distance.

Starting in early November, Realm will add its own vitality to the neighborhood, which is just in time for the holiday season to commence. That bodes well for anyone looking to do some shopping, eating and drinking in downtown Buffalo. Hopefully Realm will be one of many retail stores to come. If Keelin gets the proper support from the entire community, that would certainly be possible, if not probable.

The post Realm is Back On Course appeared first on Buffalo Rising.

On this special Halloween episode of WNY Soundstage, Host Daniel Lendzian speaks with Kevin Donovan, founder and director of terror of Everhaunt Haunted House. Everhaunt actor, Moe Hosken, joins the podcast late in the episode. 

This episode continues the theme of agritainment that was featured in the last episode of the podcast.  Agritainment, the portmanteau that combines the words for agriculture and entertainment, encapsulates haunted house attractions, or “haunts” as they are affectionately known.  Everhaunt Haunted House opened in 2019 and is housed in the old Angola Roller Rink. It offers many attractions, including the classic walk through haunted house experience, but also escape rooms, coffin rides, carnival style games, Horror Icon Days, and Family Fall Festival days.

This episode includes:

The history of Everhaunt Haunted HouseGrowth of the business since its opening and the importance of a team mentalityCharitable partnershipsActivities that go beyond the haunted house walkthroughDependence on ticket sales for agritainment venuesImportance of Revenue DiversificationExperience of being an actor at a Haunted House

Everhaunt Haunted House
144 Lake Street
Angola, NY 14006
info@everhaunt.com

The post The Business of Halloween Haunts with Kevin Donovan, founder and director of terror, and Moe Hosken, Everhaunt Haunted House appeared first on Buffalo Rising.

A new mural has been unveiled at the corner of Jefferson Avenue and Landon Street, which honors those who lost their lives during the Tops massacre. The concept for the mural – Jefferson 10 – is that of Gary Heard who is a longtime resident of the cold Springs Neighborhood. Heard personally knew six of the victims. His wish is “…to bring hope back into the neighborhood and lift the community’s spirits. Those who have their heads down can ‘look up’ at the mural. If it lifts one person’s spirits, I’ll be happy.”

Along with Heard, the mural was a collaborative project between several artists, community organizations and businesses, and individual donors. In this case, the community really came together to show its support. It also demonstrated that, in the face of hate, people and unity will always prevail. There are ten doves depicted on the wall, each representing a victim in the shooting.

The mural offers a contemplative backdrop for visitors to the memorial site. Along with the artwork, the hope is to install heave benches (and cement flower pots), where people may sit and reflect. In the future it would become a natural setting for people to bring flowers and other peaceful decorations. To that end, donations are still being accepted.

This community effort would not be possible without the help of coordinators Gary Heard and Paula Connors, as well as the following people, groups, and businesses that contributed to the effort:

Justice Heard (Gary’s son) for input on the designMariah Kegler (conceptual drawing)Johnfredrick Daniels (artist & painter)Grady Lewis (Bottle/can collector who spoke with the shooter the day prior to the shooting)David Jones (aka New York: painter)Roseann Scibilia, UDCDA Executive Director (501-c3 for management of funds)Basil Chevrolet ($1000 donation)Karol Kirberger, Owner of Wild Things Artisan Gallery, (fundraising event)84 Lumber (donation of lumber for benches, ultimately stolen from the site)Home Depot Elmwood Ave (paint donation)William Paladino, DEO Ellicott Development Company (permission to paint the mural)Northtown Garden Center (floral pots donation)Jody from Manifest Millions Tee Shirt (monetary donation)American Paint (paint donation)Sneakertown (storage of paint supplies)Top’s Market on Jefferson (electricity access and water)Franco’s Pizza (food donation)Paula’s Donuts (food donation)

The post Unity Mural honoring the “Jefferson 10” appeared first on Buffalo Rising.

The oh-so-popular game of pickleball is coming to Bidwell Parkway. On Sunday, October 23, the community is invited to attend Buffalo Seminary’s annual pickleball tournament, as a spectator or a participant. This is Buffalo Seminary’s way of introducing a fun, family-friendly outing – an outing that takes place annually at the school’s “front lawn.”

It turns out that Bidwell Parkway’s linear landscape is perfect for setting up grass pickleball courts, which is a more casual way to play the game. The all-ages event includes Buffalo Seminary students, alumnae, parents, faculty staff, and community pickleball players.

Anyone interested in playing in the tournament (12pm-4pm) can register here. The $40 registration includes a complimentary t-shirt, refreshments, and other giveaways. Players can either choose their team, or be assigned to a team.

“Pickleball on the Parkway”

Sunday, October 23, 2022

12pm-4pm

205 Bidwell Parkway, Buffalo NY

Lead image: Public domain image

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A brewery celebrating a “Lucky 7” anniversary is a pretty big deal, especially considering the trials and tribulations of the pandemic. While there is certainly plenty of business “and brewing” acumen to attribute to the success of 42 North Brewing Company turning 7, there’s always a little bit of good luck and good fortune to consider. It is that bit of luck that the brewing company is recognizing, as the optimistic anniversary date quickly approaches.

“Our theme for our 7th anniversary is built around being lucky,” stated 42 North Founder, John Cimperman. “And, for us, we are lucky to have a loyal customer base, exceptional employees, and a supportive community that allows us to do what we love. Quite frankly, without these, I am not sure we would have made it through the pandemic.”

Throughout the course of three days (Friday, October 21 – Sunday, October 23), 42 North Brewing Company will be celebrating the auspicious occasion with live music, taproom games, a Gear & Beer event, plus a special collaboration beer with Buffalo’s favorite whiskey bar, Lucky Day.

Under the theme, “Lucky 7”, 42 North has programmed the weekend with

The celebration begins on Friday night when taproom favorite, the Leroy Townes Band, hits the stage. The Leroy Townes Band played 42 North’s First Anniversary Celebration in 2015.On Saturday, the brewery will launch its collaboration beer with Lucky Day Whiskey Bar. This beer, a Gose, will allow customers to add their favorite fruit flavors to create their custom beer. Additionally, the tap keepers at 42 North will be mixing up some special cocktails for the celebration. Throughout the afternoon, guests will also have a chance to win brewery merchandise. Saturday night, The Brothers Blue brings their Americana and bluegrass sounds to the taproom starting at 8 p.m.Finally, Sunday, the 7th Anniversary Celebration wraps up with the 2nd annual Gear & Beer event in partnership with Mud, Sweat, n’ Gears. This event is a great opportunity to get ready for the winter sports season. In addition to a full offering of ski gear for sale, Gear & Beer will be attended by Holiday Valley, Swain Resort, HoliMont, Buffalo Ski Center, and other outdoor recreation partners from the region. A DJ will rock the beer garden in the afternoon, followed by the acoustic sounds of Owen Eichensehr and Pat Harrington in the taproom.

The schedule of events is as follows:

Friday, October 21

8 pm -11 pm: Leroy Townes Band

Saturday, October 22

12 noon: Open and tapping of Lucky Day collaboration beer

2-5 pm: Fun and games in the taproom

8-11 pm: The Brothers Blue

Sunday, October 23

12-5 pm: Gear & Beer event in beer garden

4-7 pm: Owen Eichensehr and Pat Harrington

Feeling lucky? You should! Especially knowing that this auspicious occasion is right around the corner. There’s no need to roll the dice for this one… simply save the date, grab some friends, and consider yourself a “Lucky 7” winner.

For more information on 42 North and the anniversary weekend, visit www.42northbrewing.com or check out Facebook.

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Conducting a Life

Seemingly endless credits roll before the film even begins. What follows is equally pretentious: a too-long on-stage interview by Adam Gopnik, of The New Yorker magazine fame (playing himself), with Lydia Tár, the first woman to be the principal conductor (rather than a mere “guest conductor”) of a German orchestra. She’s also an EGOT—winner of an Emmy, a Grammy, an Oscar and a Tony.

As Tár in this interview, Cate Blanchett (already with 2 acting Oscars) comes across as inauthentic: at times stiff, at times stagily facile. In high-egotist form, she offers the vision of a post-feminist world; she acknowledges women conductors who preceded her and alludes to her “Accordion Prize,” awarded to a promising female conductor, yet interprets her own success as unhampered by gender. And Tár goes on to name-drop for her New Yorker audience, from JoAnn Falletta (photo inset), one of the first contemporary women conductors of a major orchestra (the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra) to Saint Paul—as long as you understand the reference to “Paulism” and falling off the horse. All of which could signal the film is aimed at coastal elites, or that Tár isn’t interested in communicating with ordinary people.

Some of the existential threats Tár faces are of her own making; Here, Blanchett portrays the conductor in one of her more troubled moments.

The inauthentic character here isn’t Blanchett the actress; it’s the protagonist, Lydia Tár, who was once named “Linda,” a hint that she’s guilty, among other transgressions, of having abandoned her roots. The power of the script by director and writer Todd Field (nominated for 3 Oscars, this is his first film in 16 years) lies in its gradual revealing of this enigmatic celebrity.

Tár later proceeds to a Julliard master class in conducting, where she struts her stuff—her confidence, her knowledge, her hipness (“I’m a U-Haul lesbian”), and then eviscerates a young “woke” student (Zethphan D. Smith-Gneist) who explains that he doesn’t like Bach because the man had 20 children, a perspective subtly foreshadowing Tár’s ethical lapses. Belittled by a preening Tár, the student storms out, calling her a “bitch.” “You need to learn from me,” she responds, unflustered.

In another early scene, Tár has lunch with a long-time colleague and friend, Elliot (Mark Strong). A minor conductor lacking her gravitas, Elliot pesters Tár to let him see her annotated score for Mahler’s 5th Symphony, which her Berlin orchestra is preparing to perform. Continuing her post-feminist musings, she poses the question of whether the Accordion Prize should no longer be limited to women.

These potent early encounters will come back to haunt Tár, and the viewer. They contain “plants”—the master class, the annotated score, the mention of the accordion—that will emerge in very different contexts. The scenes deepen one’s understanding of Tár, as more layers of the onion are peeled back.

Lydia Tár is a complex person: worthy of admiration and yet cold and impersonal, ready to satisfy her own needs at the expense of others. She brings to mind other great artists with deeply flawed personalities, among them Frank Lloyd Wright, Roman Polanski, Woody Allen and Frank Gehry. She can dismiss her assistant with the wave of a hand and brazenly betray her partner. She also can provide dignity for her aged mentor Andris (Julian Glover) and unmitigated love for her child, Petra. Petra’s “is the only relationship you have that’s not transactional,” her partner Sharon concludes.

Blanchett’s compelling performance reveals the complexity of her larger-than-life character. While the other roles are decidedly secondary, most are inhabited by internationally acclaimed actors with strengths of their own, strengths needed to counter Tár’s forceful and authoritative presence. Important women in her life are Sharon (Nina Hoss), the orchestra’s concertmaster; Francesca, her beleaguered assistant and up-and-coming conductor (Noémie Merlant, radiant in “Portrait of a Lady on Fire” [2019]); and Olga, the flirtatious Russian cellist who is the object of Tár’s desire (Sophie Kauer, who is a cellist, in her acting debut).

The cinematography of “Tár” enhances its downward trajectory. It’s full of dimly-lit interiors, exterior shots of tunnels and underpasses, even a horror-film-like basement: spaces that are restricted, confined and enclosed, inward- rather than outward-looking. Hildur Guðnadóttir’s music (among her many awards is an Oscar for the score of 2019’s “Joker”) is apropos as well. The orchestra—the real-life Dresdner Philharmonie—is energetic and robust, even in the short bursts of the musicians performing in rehearsals. And Lydia, who is “sound sensitive,” is haunted by musical sounds from a metronome to a beeping refrigerator, signifiers of a tortured, disturbed personality or the over-sensitivity of a great artist.

The narrative of Tár’s life unfolds chronologically, with little inventive editing. The story line is also not particularly innovative, deriving its strength in part from the gender of the arrogant, egotistical, sexually-prowling central character, resulting in an initial reluctance to assess her as negatively as one might a man. The critical event is over-determined, the ending excessive. These shortcomings, however, do not tarnish a rare acting performance and the in-depth portrait of a multi-faceted human being.

Tár experiences several blows to her exalted existence, most of her own making, though not entirely. The viciousness of social media plays a role. And if she represents the triumph of feminism, then feminism may also be on trial. In Shakespearean fashion, Field raises the question of the protagonist’s responsibility for what goes awry, while sparing us the Hollywood-satisfying, clear-cut answer.

Date: 2022

Stars: 3.5 (out of 4)

Director: Todd Field

Starring: Cate Blanchett, Nina Hoss, Noémie Merlant, Sophie Kauer, Adam Gopnik, Mark Strong, Julian Glover, Zethphan D. Smith-Gneist

Country: United States

Languages: English, German, French, the latter two subtitled in English

Runtime: 158 minutes

Other Awards: 3 nominations to date, all at the Venice Film Festival, and one win, Blanchett for Best Actress.

Availability: showing nationally in theaters now; streaming set for February 2023; see JustWatch here for future streaming options.

Lead image: Cate Blanchett as Lydia Tár in her element; Tár is the first woman to be the principal conductor of a German orchestra.

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Bike season is far from over. There’s still time to get out around town on two wheels before the snow flies. And if you’re looking for a good excuse to not park your bike for the winter yet, then look no further than The Haunted Buffalo Ride.

The Haunted Buffalo Ride is Buffalo Bike Tours spooky ride that introduces people to notoriously haunted hotspots around the city. The ride features “several ghosts along the way to join in recalling some of our city’s most ghastly deaths.”

This will indeed be a special tour – so grab the kids and helmets, and hang on…it’s going to be a spooky ride.

“Our fourth year has been another incredible year and we wanted to celebrate with a final ride,” said Buffalo Bike Tours founder, Mark Moscato. “This year, we unveiled a new mural we created honoring Buffalo’s chicken wing pioneer John Young, we moved into The Watchtower, we purchased e-bikes to flatten the curve for all riders, and we hosted special events with Burning Books, On The Canals, No Illusions Tours, and the Buffalo Awesome Foundation. Seeing support for this work, especially during a pandemic and recession, has surpassed any expectations and we can’t wait to see what next year holds.” 

Buffalo Bike Tours returns with its annual Haunted Buffalo Ride on Sat, Oct 22, 2022 (4pm-6:30pm).

Featured guests:

The legend of John Maynard, Buffalo’s heroic sea captainMargaret St. John, the lone survivor of the War of 1812The gory murder of mafia boss John Cammilleri

New spooky stories in 2022, and paranormal investigator and author Daniel Klaes, will join up with cyclists to uncover some truly haunted Buffalo history!

Get tickets here

Facebook event

Costumes strongly encouraged!

The post The Haunted Buffalo Ride appeared first on Buffalo Rising.

Each year, Buffalo’s best, notorious, and most celebrated bartenders are recognized for their efforts, at the Buffalo/WNY Bartenders Hall of Fame, located at the Buffalo Bar and Grille. These are the bartenders that have made us laugh, listened to our stories, made sure that we didn’t get into too much trouble, and rolled up their sleeves to make our favorite cocktails. Now, their names will forever be emblazoned upon the walls of the Buffalo/WNY Bartenders Hall of Fame, as their favorite customers cheer them on during the 9th Annual Bartenders Ball.

The community is invited to attend the Bartenders Ball on Monday, October 17, from 4pm to 10pm at the Buffalo Bar and Grille – “a historic meeting place for the famous and famished,” located at 307 Louisiana Street in the Old First Ward (est. 2002). The illustrious occasion will feature a ceremony of new inductees, plenty of yarns, and drinks at the bar, of course.

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