Five Things to do in August 2016

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Caduser2003

Eden Corn Festival – Thursday through Sunday, August 6-9 on Route 62 in Eden. Featuring midway rides, food and beverages, live entertainment, craft show, baseball and softball tournaments and more. Get a complete schedule of events and more information at edencornfest.com.

Taste of Williamsville – Sunday, August 7 from noon to 8 p.m. in Island Park on Main St. in the Village of Williamsville. The 28^th annual edition features food and beverages from numerous local restaurants plus live music, car show (noon-4 p.m.) and a pie contest. New this year: 12 Gates Brewery and local food trucks as well. See this year’s menu and get more information at tasteofwilliamsville.com.

Erie County Fair – Wednesday, August 10 through Sunday, August 21 at the Hamburg Fairgrounds. The 177^th edition of the Fair features unique foods, lots of animals, music and magic, concerts featuring Hunter Hayes (Sunday, August 14) and Lee Brice (Monday, August 15), and much more Fair fun. Regular admission is $10 for adults, $7 for seniors (60+) and free for kids 12 and under; check the Fair’s website, www.ecfair.org, for discounts available throughout the event.

Buffalo Irish Festival – Friday through Sunday, August 26-28 at Wilkeson Pointe Park on Buffalo’s Outer Harbor. Celebrate everything Irish with live entertainment, food and beverage, raffles, the Parade of the 32 County Flags of Ireland (Friday at 5 p.m.) and more. Entertainment will include The High Kings, The Glengarry Bhoys, St. Mary’s Road, Seamus Kennedy, Penny Whiskey and the Blarney Bunch. Hours are Friday 4 p.m.-midnight, Saturday noon-midnight and Sunday noon-10 p.m. – find out more at www.buffaloirish.com.

Elmwood Avenue Festival of the Arts – Saturday and Sunday, August 27-28 on Elmwood Ave. from W. Ferry to St. James Place in Buffalo. Featuring more than 170 artists and craftspeople, live entertainment, Kidsfest, Environmental Row and Cultural Row. Hours are Saturday from 10 a.m.-6 p.m. and Sunday 10 a.m.-5 p.m. – find out more at the festival website.

BfloGirlSports: August 2016 Buffalo Bisons schedule

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• Tuesday through Thursday, August 2-4 – on the road against the Syracuse Chiefs (all games 7:05 p.m.)
• Friday through Sunday, August 5-7 – on the road against the Pawtucket Red Sox (Friday – 7:05 p.m., Saturday – 6:05 p.m., Sunday – 1:05 p.m.)
• Tuesday through Thursday, August 9-11 – at home against the Indianapolis Indians (Tuesday and Wednesday – 7:05 p.m., Thursday – 1:05 p.m.)
• Friday through Sunday, August 12-14 – at home against the Pawtucket Red Sox (Friday and Saturday – 7:05 p.m., Sunday – 1:05 p.m.)
• Monday through Wednesday, August 15-17 – at home against the Rochester Red Wings (Monday and Tuesday – 7:05 p.m., Wednesday – 1:05 p.m.)
• Thursday and Friday, August 18-19 – on the road against the Rochester Red Wings (both games 7:05 p.m.)
• Saturday through Monday, August 20-22 – on the road against the Charlotte Knights (Saturday – 6:05 p.m., Sunday – 5:05 p.m., Monday – 7:05 p.m.)
• Tuesday through Thursday, August 23-25 – on the road against the Gwinnett Braves (all games 6:35 p.m.)
• Friday through Monday, August 26-29 – at home against the Lehigh Valley IronPigs (Friday – 7:05 p.m., Saturday – 6:05 p.m., Sunday – 1:05 p.m., Monday – 7:05 p.m.)
• Tuesday through Thursday, August 30-September 1 – at home against the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Railriders (Tuesday and Wednesday – 7:05 p.m., Thursday – 6:05 p.m.)

Summer 2016: August cruise nights and car shows

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Cruise nights (ongoing):

• Mondays – Elma Towne Grill Cruise Night (6650 Clinton St. in Elma) starting at 5 p.m. through August 29
• Mondays – Lockport Monday Cruise Night at Ida Fritz Park (Main and Transit Sts. In Lockport) – 5:30 to 8:30 p.m.
• Tuesdays – Dug-Out Entertainment Complex (6856 S. Transit Rd. in Lockport) – 5 to 8 p.m. – also on Friday nights – 5 to 8 p.m.
• Tuesdays – Pautler’s Cruise Night (6343 Transit Rd. in Clarence) – 5:30 to 8:30 p.m.
• Wednesdays– Lancaster National Speedway and Dragway (Gunnville Rd. in Lancaster) Cruise Night – 6 to 11 p.m. – free admission; grudge racing $5 per run.
• Thursdays – Polish Falcons Auto Club Cruise Night (445 Columbia Ave. in Depew) – 6 to 9 p.m.
• Thursdays – Akron Cruise Night (Main St. in Akron) – 6 to 8 p.m.
• Thursdays – 97 Rock Classic Cruise Night at Transit Lanes (7850 Transit Rd. in Williamsville) and Santora’s (7800 Transit Rd. in Williamsville) – 6 to 9 p.m.

Car shows in August:

• Monday, August 1 – Taste of Clarence and Cruise Night from 3-9 p.m. at Clarence Town Park, 10405 Main St. in Clarence.
• Saturday, August 6 – Ninth annual WNY Cruise Against Cancer at the Greater Buffalo Gymnastics Center, 1641 N. French Rd. in Getzville from 10 a.m.-2 p.m.
• Sunday, August 7 – Buffalo History Museum Antique and Classic Car Show at the Buffalo History Museum, Nottingham Ct. in Buffalo from 9 a.m.-4 p.m.
• Sunday, August 7 – Eden Corn Festival Car Show at Eden Elementary School on Route 62 in Eden; registration from 8-11:30 a.m., judging starts at noon.
• Sunday, August 7 – 31^st annual All Thunderbird Show at West-Herr Resale Center, 5535 Transit Rd. in Clarence from 9 a.m.-4 p.m.
• Sunday, August 14 – Clutch Artists Autorama at Canalside from 9 a.m.-4 p.m.
• Sunday, August 21 – Buick Club of America 25^th annual All Buicks Car Show at Cheektowaga Town Park on Harlem Rd. from 9 a.m.-3 p.m.
• Saturday, August 27 – UAW/GM Lockport Component’s All American Car Show and Auto Expo at the GM Component Plant, 200 Upper Mountain Rd. in Lockport from 9 a.m.-4 p.m.

2016 Buffalo Bills training camp schedule

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The Buffalo Bills will open their 2016 training camp schedule on Saturday, July 30 at St. John Fisher College in Pittsford.

There will be five night practices, which will require free tickets. In all, there will be 16 practices open to the public, beginning July 30 and closing Monday, August 22.

2016 Buffalo Bills Training Camp Schedule:

• Saturday, July 30 – 10 a.m.-noon
• Sunday, July 31 – 10 a.m.-noon
• Monday, August 1 – 10 a.m.-noon
• Tuesday, August 2 – 6-8 p.m. (ticket required)
• Thursday, August 4 – 10 a.m.-noon
• Friday, August 5 – 10 a.m.-noon
• Saturday, August 6 – 6:30-8:30 p.m. (ticket required)
• Monday, August 8 – 10 a.m.-noon
• Tuesday, August 9 – 10 a.m.-noon
• Wednesday, August 10 – 10 a.m.-noon
• Thursday, August 11 – 6-8 p.m. (ticket required)
• Monday, August 15 – 10 a.m.-noon
• Tuesday, August 16 – 10 a.m.-noon
• Wednesday, August 17 – 10 a.m.-noon
• Thursday, August 18 – 6-8 p.m. (ticket required)
• Monday, August 22 – 6-8 p.m. (ticket required)

Information on how to obtain remaining tickets for ticketed Training Camp practices can be found here.

A list of off-field training camp activities can be found here, and the schedule for the Autograph Tent will be published soon on this page.

Find out more about Bills Training Camp at www.buffalobills.com. 

Botanics & Brews: July 21, 2016

Support renovations to the Botanical Gardens at Botanics &
Brews - credit: paulathompsonfreelance.com

Support the Buffalo & Erie County Botanical Gardens and sample some of the Buffalo area’s best craft beers at Botanics & Brews from 6-9 p.m. on Thursday, July 21 at the Gardens, 2655 South Park Ave. in Buffalo. Tickets are $30 for Garden members and $35 for non-members.

The event features craft beer tastings from Resurgence Brewing Company, Flying Bison Brewing Company, New Belgium Brewing and 12 Gates Brewing Company, as well as beer and cheese pairings from Cabot Cheese and more tastings from Oliver’s. There will also be live music from Breakaway, raffles, Garden tours and more.

Find out more about the event and purchase tickets here.

Main-Transit Firematic Tournament – July 8, 2016

Main-Transit Fire Dept. in Williamsville hosted their annual WNY Firematic Tournament on Friday, July 8 at the facilities on Main St. In spite of the looming weather forecast (of course, we didn’t see any rain that night!), plenty of people were on hand to see what it was all about.

Main-Transit will host the NYS Firematic Tournament, featuring more than 50 teams from throughout the state, on Saturday, August 20 – find out more here.

Canal Fest: July 17-24, 2016

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The 34^th annual Canal Fest of the Tonawandas takes place Sunday, July 17 through Sunday, July 24 on both sides of the Erie Canal in the Cities of Tonawanda and North Tonawanda. The eight-day festival celebrates the twin cities and promotes local businesses and organizations.

Among the highlighted events at Canal Fest this year are the Chalk-It-Up Street Art Contest on Sunday, July 17; the annual Canal Fest Parade on Tuesday, July 19; the annual Car Cruise on Wednesday, July 20; the Diaper Derby on Thursday, July 21; the Webster St. Bike Cruise on Friday, July 22; and the annual Arts and Crafts Show on Saturday and Sunday, July 23-24.

In addition to these events, there will be food and beverages, midway rides, demonstrations and live music. Among the acts performing this year: the Ramblin’ Lou Family Band (Monday, July 18), polka favorites from Phocus (Wednesday, July 20), West of the Mark (Friday, July 22), Led Zeppelin tribute band CODA (Saturday, July 23) and Denzell Ward and Cool Platinum (Sunday, July 24).

The complete Canal Fest schedule can be found at www.canalfest.org.

BfloGirlTravel: Progressive Field – July 7, 2016

A number of years ago, I started going on bus trips to see my favorite MLB team, the NY Yankees, in action. My favorite place to see them – besides Yankee Stadium, of course – is Cleveland’s Progressive Field. D&F Travel puts on a great trip, complete with an all-you-can-eat smorgasbord through the middle of the seventh inning. It makes the trip worthwhile even if the Yankees don’t win…but they did, so that makes it even better!

** note – all travel was paid for by me, and all opinions are my own.**

Rock The Barn: July 15-16, 2016

Caitlin Koch will perform at
Rock The Barn
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The Rock The Barn concert at The Big Yellow Barn, 9105 Main St. in Clarence, happens Saturday and Sunday, July 15-16. The two-day concert event benefits the Meals on Wheels Services in Clarence, Akron and Newstead.

This year’s Rock The Barn features headliners Fare Trade on Friday night and local X Factor contestant Caitlin Koch on Saturday night –find the full lineup of acts here. The festival has grown to include the Taste of Rock The Barn, with a variety of food from area restaurants.

Tickets for the two-day music festival are $20 in advance, $25 at the gate; kids under 10 are admitted for free. Advance tickets are available for purchase at all Dash’s Markets locations and at Rock Oak Estates’ office at 9925 Whitwick Terrace in Clarence. Find more information on Rock The Barn at rockthebarn.com. 

Galbani Buffalo Italian Heritage Festival: July 14-17, 2016

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The Galbani Buffalo Italian Heritage Festival takes place Thursday through Sunday, July 14-17 along Hertel Ave. in Buffalo, with live entertainment, contests, cooking demonstrations and plenty of delicious Italian food.

Entertainment on the Main Stage includes performances by the Joe Di Angelo Band (Thursday at 5 p.m.), Formula Band (Friday at 7 p.m.), Allegro (Saturday at 7 p.m.) and Jack Civilletto (Sunday at 7 p.m.) among many others. Other activities include the Buffalo Italian Idol competition, the Celebrity Charity Cheese Building Contest (Sunday at 1 p.m.), the annual Bocce Tournament and demonstrations on the Galbani Cooking Stage throughout the weekend.

The Galbani Buffalo Italian Heritage Festival runs from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily – find out more about the festival and get schedules as they become available at www.buffaloitalianfestival.com.

Williamsville Old Home Days: July 12-15, 2016

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The Village of Williamsville hosts its annual Old Home Days celebration, Tuesday through Friday, July 12-15. The festivities are happening at Island Park, located on Main St. behind Town Hall in the Village.

Activities kick off on Tuesday, July 12 with the giant parade down Main St. at 6:30 p.m.; there is also a chicken dinner served by St. Stephen’s Bethlehem UCC from 4-8 p.m. Wednesday, July 13 is Youth Day, with a Bike Rodeo at 11 a.m. and other youth activities throughout the day. On Thursday, July 14, Christian Central Academy offers a chicken dinner from 4-9 p.m. Friday, July 15 is Family Day at Old Home Days, with a Krolick’s Rib Dinner sponsored by the Love Joy Church OSI of Lancaster from 4-8 p.m.

There are midway rides and games open each day, and live music in both the bandshell and the beer tent, featuring local acts including Time Pirates, Hit ‘n Run and Ten Cent Howl. For more information on Old Home Days, visit the event website. 

Taste of Buffalo: July 9-10, 2016

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It’s billed as the largest two-day food festival in the United States: the annual Taste of Buffalo takes over Delaware Ave. from Niagara Square to Chippewa St. on Saturday and Sunday, July 9-10. The festival attracts more than 400,000 visitors annually and features more than 60 of the area’s top restaurants and food trucks, as well as area wineries.

Each participating restaurant will feature “taste-sized” portions of some of their signature dishes for between two and eight tickets (tickets are 50 cents each). For participating wineries, items range from two to 15 tickets. On Saturday, visitors can also check out the Niagara East beer tent until 11 p.m. Saturday and 6:30 p.m. on Sunday.

Among the restaurants participating this year are (716) Food & Sport, Cecelia’s Ristorante, Fat Bob’s Smokehouse, Ebenezer Ale House, Paula's Donuts, Lloyd Taco Truck, Osteria 166, The Lodge, Orazio’s Restaurant, Panaro's Restaurant, Schnitzel & Co., Spices of India, Ulrich’s 1868 Tavern and Gypsy Parlor. There are also six wineries scheduled to participate this year.

For a complete list of restaurants and what they’re serving, visit www.tasteofbuffalo.com.