Waterkeeper hosts 3rd annual Spring Sweep

Buffalo Niagara Waterkeeper hosted the third annual Spring Sweep event on Earth Day, April 22, inviting members of the community to sites across Buffalo to clean up litter and trash before it enters the waterways and Great Lakes. The community assistance goes beyond just picking up the trash however. Jennifer Fee, director of communications and marketing, says the Clean Swell app allows volunteers to collect important data on the litter they find. “It can be detailed notes about the brand or item, but most importantly, we’re using that data to calculate how much trash we picked up,” she said, “and all of that data comes together to make a really strong case for what waterways we need to advocate for.” By Andrew DiMartino

Cherry Blossom Festival marks 10th year

 Spring brings the arrival of Buffalo’s blooming Cherry Blossom Festival.

This year will mark the 10th year annual festival, which is set to take place April 27 to April 30 in the Japanese Garden near the Buffalo History Museum.

Paula Hinz, co-chair of the Japanese Garden, says in Japan viewing the blossoms represents the importance of savoring life.

“Cherry blossoms blooming reminds us that we have to stop and enjoy the present moment, because the blossoms won't be here for long,” Hinz says.

Hinz also says that every year a few limbs of the trees break and how she would like to better educate visitors on preserving the cherry trees.

“One person can do a lot of damage in the garden without having any malice. How can we educate people on how to interact with nature? We need to take these moments and teach them,” Hinz said.

The festival partners with Olmsted Parks Conservancy, Buffalo History Museum, Music is Art, and Friends of the Japanese Garden.

“All of us bring something different to the festival. It's a really fun way for us to add new parts to the festival. I think it’s going to be  be a blast,” Hinz said.

This four-day festival will be filled with a variety of activities for visitors to enjoy. This year's activities include silent auctions, food, live music, boat rides and tea tasting. By Tanya Gamble

Pessecow talks - and cleans - trash on area streets

 Katherine Pessecow, director of the Western New York Trash Mob, says the organization was a direct response to the clean on her own street after clashes occurred with police and protestors following the death of George Floyd in 2020. “It was just a very organic call on our block after a hectic night that neighbors get together early in the morning and we just cleaned up some of the broken glass and damaged property and all the chaos that ensued from that night,” Pessecow said. Pessecow has been the director of the local non-profit for three years and says that the organization’s cleanup days, most recently on April 22,  are about more than just picking up trash. “It’s really more of a community event where we get people to host or to partner and it’s all free and community members can visit tables by our partners,” Pessecow said. By Carly Lawson

Apply now for Allentown scholarship

           The Allentown Art Festival is offering its annual scholarships for high school artists.

           The deadline for this year’s scholarships is April 23.

            Rita Harrington-Lippman, festival president, said the awards are offered for high school students across the eight counties in Western New York. There are eight scholarships available with each valuing $2,000.

            These awards are available to students who graduate from a Western New York high school and major in visual arts at an accredited college.

             The organization also has a returning student’s program for students who have previously applied for prior scholarships.

             Lippman said that the organization is also hosting an upcoming poster design competition with a $2,000 prize that students can participate in as well.

            “Students can apply in the student category, and they may even be considered for the entire for the poster for the show,” Lippman said.

            The 66th festival is running from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., June 10 and 11. By Carly Lawson

 

Southern Junction to move to Connecticut Street

 Ryan Fernandez, owner of Southern Junction, slices through brisket as his restaurant prepares for a big expansion.  Southern Junction has served as a Texas-style barbeque and curry takeout restaurant on Chandler Street since 2020.  However, this summer, the restaurant will be expanding to 367 Connecticut St., the former site of Black Sheep restaurant, which closed a year ago.  Due to COVID-related restrictions, Fernandez was never able to fully open his restaurant to the public.  This left Southern Junction as a takeout-only restaurant, which put limits on Fernandez’s menu.  “Barbeque is best eaten fresh.  There’s been a lot of menu items I haven’t been able to do because they just don’t hold well to travel.  Now I’ll be able to bring those items back,” Fernandez said.  With plenty of extra space to work with, the expansion to the new location will now allow Southern Junction to operate as a dine-in restaurant. By Justin Siejak

Cafe puts coffee in cups, cats in arms

 

The recent rise of animals entering shelters and rescues post pandemic has given more reason to  Buckminsters Café, 577 Niagara St.,  to promote cat adoptions in Western New York through its partnership with Second Chance Sheltering Network, Inc.. Molly Hutton, owner of Buckminsters Café, explains what influenced the rescue partnership. “I just thought it could be a mutually beneficial situation,” said Hutton. “We could have, you know, a nice size group of their cats here, gave them another place to showcase their cats.” All cats are medically pre-screened and socialized before coming to the café and are transported by Second Chance providers on Mondays and Tuesdays when the business is closed. Since the café’s opening over three years ago, Buckminsters has helped 647 cats get adopted and plans to continue finding each feline friend find their forever homes. By Carly Lawson

Parker takes gambit on Different World of Chess

Brandon Parker and chess grandmaster Barry Davis face off in a chess match.

 By Justin Siejak

Brandon Parker has loved chess ever since he was a child, so he decided to open up his own shop to share his passion with others.

A Different World of Chess, 661 Main St., is a brand-new chess shop for fans of chess to come together and celebrate the game that they love.  Owner opened the shop in November 2022.  Parker said it means a lot to him to be able to open his own shop.

            “I’ve been around the game for a while.  It’s my favorite pastime.  To be able to serve as a spot to continue to build the chess community means a lot to me,” Parker said.

            Being one of the few chess shops in Western New York, Parker said his shop has played host to people of all different types of backgrounds.  

  

Parker, on the process of opening his shop: 

 https://soundcloud.com/justin-siejak-129076376

 

            “We get a wide variety of people who come into the shop.  Older people and younger people.  Just the other day I had a pair of brothers come to the shop who were straight from Germany.  I played against them, and they were strategizing against me in German,” Parker said. 

            The shop serves as a place where chess fans can purchase all the chess necessities such as boards, accessories, chess pieces, and books.  On top of this, the shop is also home to open-play, as well as several chess tournaments hosted by Parker himself.

            “Fridays we have Blitz tournaments that are pretty fast paced.  Those tournaments start at 6 p.m.  Then on the weekends we have tournaments with 30-minute timers on the game,” Parker said.

  Experienced chess players come to the shop to play against each other, however, Parker says the store is also a great place for people who are new to the game and want to learn more.

“Seeing new players learn more about the game is always cool.  To help them out, we have all sorts of minigames and exercises to help newer players understand the game more,” Parker said.

Parker has been close to the game his entire life.  He said that chess is comparable to certain aspects of life.
            “There’s a lot of similarities between the game and life.  There’s always holes in the path that could derail your plan.  Especially coming from the inner-city, that’s how it was for me.  You’re always thinking about your next move,” Parker said.

Barry Davis, who is a chess grandmaster and chess teacher, is a regular at the shop.  He said that the shop has been a great spot for him and his friends to come play the game. 

“This is a great spot.  I always look forward to chatting and teaching about the game.  It’s always a great time when the fellas can meet up here,” Davis said.

            Parker worked diligently to ensure that his new shop was a vibrant, lively spot for all chess fans to enjoy.

            “I didn’t want it just to be plain-Jane. I painted the walls.  I got pictures.  I really wanted to make it look like an art gallery,” Parker said.

            The shop is still in its early stages but has already proved to be a popular spot for chess fans all over Western New York.