Five Things to do in February 2015

February already? Yep – and that means one month closer to spring! Here are a few things to check out in February to keep your mind off the cold that is bound to still make its way through the Buffalo-Niagara region.

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Support the Buffalo Zoo – the Buffalo Zoo, located at 300 Parkside Ave. in Buffalo, is open year round – hours through June 30^th are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. (with a few exceptions) – but if you’d rather support the Zoo indoors, check out Polar Bites, the Zoo’s annual fundraiser, on Thursday, February 19^th from 6 to 9 p.m. at the Buffalo-Niagara Convention Center on Franklin St. in downtown Buffalo. There will be food and beverages from some of Buffalo’s most popular establishments, plus basket auctions, silent auctions and visits from animal ambassadors. Find out more about the event and purchase tickets at www.buffalozoo.org.

Satisfy your sweet tooth – help out the Food Bank of WNY and indulge in specialty food, desserts, wine and beer tastings at the ninth annual Sweet Charity on Thursday, February 5^th from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. at the Atrium at Rich’s, One Robert Rich Way in Buffalo. There will also be silent auctions and live auctions, and chocolate roses will be available for purchase. Tickets are $60 per person and available at www.foodbankwny.org.

Check out the Pond Hockey Tournament – the Labatt Blue Pond Hockey Tournament returns to Buffalo for its eighth season, and to its new site at Buffalo RiverWorks for the second year. The 2015 tournament takes place Friday through Sunday, February 20^th through 22^nd, and will feature approximately 1,000 players across 11 men’s and one women’s division. Hours are Friday noon to 8:30 p.m., Saturday 10:30 a.m. to 9:15 p.m. and Sunday 9 a.m. to 7:45 p.m. – find out more at www.labattbluepondhockey.com/buffalopond.

Sample some hot stuff – the Lake Effect Furies, part of the Queen City Roller Girls, will host their 2015 Chili Cook-off on Saturday, February 7^th from 6:30 to 10:30 p.m. at Appliance Associates of Buffalo, 200 Amherst St. in Buffalo.  There will be meat and vegetarian categories as well as 50/50 and basket raffles – tickets are just $10, and more information can be found here. If soup is more your style, check out Buffalo SoupFest on Sunday, February 15^th from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. at the Buffalo-Niagara Convention Center. Tickets are $5 and available at the door.

Buffalo History Museum
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Kick off your weekends at a local museum – did you know there are now FOUR M&T Fridays at Buffalo-area museums? M&T First Fridays begins the month at the Albright-Knox Art Gallery, 1285 Elmwood Ave. in Buffalo, followed by M&T Second Fridays at the Burchfield-Penney Art Center, 1300 Elmwood Ave. on the Buffalo State campus in Buffalo. The Buffalo History Museum, located at One Museum Ct. in Buffalo, hosts M&T Third Fridays, and the Buffalo Arts Studio, located at the Tri-Main Center (2495 Main St., Suite 500) in Buffalo,  recently joined in the fun with M&T Fourth Fridays. Take advantage of museum freebies in the Buffalo area!