Buffalo Rising Online

Oct 5th 2008, 8:46am By RaChaCha

Late last month, with fond memories of Buffalo’s busy, festival-filled summer still perking, Buffalo Homecoming boosters gathered at the Beau Fleuve for the first monthly “Happy to Be Here Happy Hour” of the new Buffalo Homecoming season. The Beau Fleuve Bed & Breakfast, in a fine Buffalo historic house in the Linwood Preservation District, provided a quintessentially Buffalo backdrop for the event.

And the friends of Buffalo who gathered couldn’t have had more gracious hosts than owners Rik and Ramona Whitaker, who toured the group through the painstakingly refurbished Victorian mansion, with rooms named and decorated in honor of several of the city’s principal ethnic groups. Although I had heard Rik and Ramona give a preservation talk about the restoration of the Beau Fleuve, and seen photos of the house, it didn’t prepare me for the up-close striking beauty of the art glass windows, arts and crafts woodwork, and fine furnishings such as William Morris wallpaper.

After mingling, noshing, and touring, the group gathered in the central foyer to focus on Homecoming 2009. In one of the evening’s big announcements, Realtor Colleen Kulikowski of Hunt Real Estate told us that 2009’s plans also include “Niagara Homecoming,” with parallel events organized in Niagara County. It’s exciting to see the idea of “Bringing Home the Herd” catching on and spreading in western New York. Colleen and others in Niagara County have been involved in an effort they’re calling “Niagara Rises", inspired by community-promotion efforts in Buffalo. Niagara Rises and Buffalo Homecoming were recently featured in Good Morning America’s broadcast from Niagara Falls.

Former expat Christina Abt told us about the origins and future of her initiative, Buffalo Style, and efforts to get community leaders to focus on the positives of the area. Her son James, also a former expat, told the group about his his new media venture, and his view that Buffalo is the ideal base for such endeavors.

Marti turned everyone into a focus group for feedback on the opportunity to use the web domain “GreaterBuffalo” as an umbrella site connecting people with progressive groups and initiatives such as Buffalo Homecoming. Marti also gave us a heads up on the next Buffalo Homecoming “Happy to Be Here Hour.” It will be held on Thursday, October 23, from 6–8 at Stillwater.

Details:

The next Buffalo Homecoming “Happy to Be Here Hour” will be held on Thursday, October 23, from 6–8 at Stillwater. If you’d like more information, or if you are interested in hosting or speaking at the October, November or December event, contact Marti Gorman of Buffalo By Choice or marti@martigorman.org

Get connected:

Buffalo Homecoming
Buffalo By Choice
Buffalo style
Beau Fleuve

Photo credits: Chuck LaChiusa (exterior), Rik and Ramona Whitaker (interior), Colleen Kulikowski (event)