Burgos hair salon brings a little Puerto Rico to Niagara St.

 Efrain Burgos celebrates Hispanic heritage with his son Alexandre with a display room in his hair salon, 472 Niagara St., containing items he has collected from his home in San Juan, Puerto Rico, over the years. When Burgos moved from Puerto Rico to Buffalo in the 1980s, he opened one of the first Hispanic hair salons in Buffalo. When his first son was born in1990 began bringing back items such as musical instruments, paintings and figurines from San Juan every time he visited to put them in his salon. Burgos started doing this because he missed his home but also understood Buffalo was his new home, so this was a way for him to combine the. This summer, Burgos remodeled his storefront through a $40,000 grant from Erie County. He says his was the first Puerto Rican hair salons in Buffalo. Now there are many. “It makes me feel proud and makes me feel like I contributed something to the area,” Burgos said. By George McClendon Jr.

Bflo Pizza Bistro throws new shape into pizza

Bflo Pizza Bistro, 388 Porter Ave., is a new pizza shop that opened earlier this month. Bflo Pizza Bistro belongs to Chris and Samantha Flynn. Chris is the chef who makes the pizzas and other foods like pasta and fresh salads. But his pizzas take on a unique style not found in other pizza shops in the neighborhood. His wife, Sam, is the one who takes the orders, works the register, and makes desserts. Chris started making pizzas during Covid. He got into the pizza business because numerous people were telling him after seeing his pizzas that he should start selling them. Bflo Pizza Bistro is open from 4-8 p.m. Wednesdays and Thursdays and 1-8 p.m.Fridays and Saturdays. By: Ariel Scarbrough

 

 

Plants need special care in winter months

Put a Plant On It owner Johanna Dominguez

 

By Andrew Forsyth

            As seasons change, gardeners must know the best methods to winterize and weatherproof their gardens. When to plant, when to stop planting, and when to expect weather changes all play a massive factor in gardening.

             Special attention must be paid to both outdoor and indoor plants in the fall and over the winter.

            It is essential to weatherproof outdoor plants, although Johanna Dominguez, the owner of Put a Plant On It, 715 Elmwood Ave.,  says changing patterns for indoor plants in the winter is also crucial.

            Cutting back on watering and giving the plants more indoor light and attention is vital to sustaining an indoor plant in the winter. During the winter season, indoor plants do not get nearly as much light due to filters in windows. Dominguez recommends intentional and artificial lighting such as grow lights for indoor plants during the winter.

            The needs of a plant differ from region to region, so it is essential to know what is best for the area you live in, she said.

            “It is really easy to overwater plants, it is easy to over fertilize, it is a little bit more nuanced taking care of an indoor plant, compared to outdoor plants,” Dominguez said.

            When it comes to outdoor plants, there are many more factors to consider, such as weather patterns, soil health, fluctuating temperatures and pests.

            “This will likely be an El Nino winter, which in the past means that there is a likelihood that we may experience a milder winter than normal. The National Weather Service seasonal outlooks call for a greater chance of above-normal temperatures for the winter and less precipitation,” Dr. Stephen Vermette, professor of Meteorology and Climatology at Buffalo State University, said.

            There are many different philosophies to winterizing gardens as well. It used to be a method where you remove all of your perennials from the garden, though now the formula is to leave any hollow stalks, as beneficial insects will winter in them.

            “It is kind of like closing /not closing the garden. Things like hostas that have really big leaves, when they fall they can smother the area, so you wouldn’t want to remove that large foliage that decomposes slowly,” Patti Jablonski-Doplin, general manager at Urban Roots, 428 Rhode Island St.,said.

            Any trees and shrubs can be planted until the end of October because you want them to be able to build a root system before the spring. Fall and winter are good times to amend your soil to see the deficiencies. It is good to amend in the winter, as the soil will return healthier in the spring.

You don’t want to fertilize in the fall. It will trick plants into thinking it is the growing season, and they will come out of dormancy. The most that Doplin recommended was composting the soil for some nutrients. You just want to establish the root system in the fall.

Staying aware of fluctuating temperatures during the fall season is also essential. When temperatures are high, water a lot. A minute or two is not enough. Water slowly and deeply. As temperatures cool, they will still go into dormancy as usual. However, if you have a particularly windy section of your property, you should put burlap or cloth around certain plants to avoid wind burn.

 

 

 

 

          

Kavinoky to stir passion among young theater-goers

 Kavinoky Theatre’s new Executive Artistic Director Katie Mallinson arranges a display promoting a recent production. Since taking on the role in August, Mallinson’s number one priority has been attempting to fill the venue’s 250 seats, which she says has been especially difficult post-pandemic. With the decline of newspapers also came the disappearance of traditional printed advertisements, write-ups and reviews. And as the theatre enters its 44^th season, Mallinson hopes to introduce the passion for live performances into the culture of younger generations through digital communication and word of mouth. “It takes time. There’s no one-size-fits-all,” Mallinson says. “it’s going to be a lot of baby steps and relationship-building with different audiences to get them here.” By Angela Caico

Hispanic Cultural Institute to open in 2025

By George McClendon Jr.

            Members of the Hispanic Heritage Council of Western New York, Gov. Kathy Hochul and other elected officials broke ground on a new $30 million Hispanic Heritage Cultural Institute on Sept. 15,  the first day of Hispanic Heritage Month

The 37,000-square-foot building will be built on the corner of Niagara and Hudson streets.  It will serve as a center to celebrate Hispanic culture, arts, and heritage for the community. The project is estimated to be completed in 18 months.

It is a "gathering place for people from many different backgrounds, to want to learn about the great contributions of the Hispanic community," Gov. Hochul said, "but also, not just learn about the past, but celebrate with theater and dance, and broadcasting to the world the stories of what people are doing. So, your grandson will know the proud story of the struggles. They have an eye toward the future and know that’ll be better because of those who came before and built a place to celebrate this great story.”

The center will feature three floors. The first two will be for all the amenities provided in the facility and the third floor has been allocated for tenant leased space, allowing people in the community to host their own events there.

The facility will have energy efficient amenities, including solar panels.

“It’s going to be a one-of-a-kind hub,” said council Vice President Maritza Vega.  “It’s going to be good for the community in general, not just Hispanic. We are going to feature experimental learning and we’re going to have a theater, along with a TV and radio station for our youth to learn about all of this.”

Additionally, the interior spaces will include a museum, art gallery, café, and a gift shop. The entire facility will have flexible, multi-functional spaces to accommodate various types of programs. 

The council has received funding from both state and federal offices to help fund this project. A year ago, Gov. Hochul announced a $5 million grant through Empire State Development for the institute’s construction.

In addition to that, in 2021, the Western New York Regional Economic Development Council awarded a $725,000 grant. The New York Power Authority also provided a $300,000 funding award.

“This project is very important not only to this organization, but to this community. This project represents art and culture, with many of our partners in the community, but we also envision this project to be the economic engine of this area. The gateway to America, it is going to be a tourist attraction not only locally, but across the state and Canada,” said council President, Casimiro Rodriguez Sr.  

 

 

 

Massachusetts Ave. farm sets winter schedule

Katherine Pfohl, Massachusetts Avenue Project farm manager, picks eggplants from the garden for the last days of this year’s harvest. “Our market still operates over the winter. We wrap up our CSA distribution obligations as the season ends. The soil needs to take a break. And the market still stays open every Thursday,” Pfohl, said. The Massachusetts Avenue Project, 387 Massachusetts Ave., is an urban farm in the heart of the West Side bringing farm fresh food to its residents. West Side residents can pick up eggs, bread, staple products, beauty products, and storage crops from 3-6 p.m., Thursdays, from November through April.  During December, the farm offers a special holiday market that sells handmade gifts like knit wear and clay pottery from local businesses. By Brittany Whalen

Rowing club wraps season, plans for winter conditioning

The West Side Rowing club is wrapping up most programs and gearing up for the off season in the coming weeks. Head Coach Lily Keane highlights the programs connected with schools across the West Side and what a winter training program utilizes to maintain its  athletes and keep them ready to row for next season. By Joseph Cali