Party for the Parks Preview Pictures

Here is a sneak peek at the entertainment and the visual delights that will be featured at this year's Party for the Parks. By Friday September 24th the Marcy will be transformed into an authentic South Beach oasis. the emcee for the evening will be Bridget Blythe from channel 7 news. Entertainment for the evening will include fire performances by Pyromancy and music that will feature The Wendell Rivera Latin Jazz Ensemble. As the pictures reveal, the South Beach atmosphere will include muscle cars, models, and bodybuilders. Tickets are $20 and $25 at the door. Tickets can be purchased at http//tiny.cc/m9by7

Hoyt Lake Clean-Up With Riverkeeper

Last Saturday, September 18, 2010, the Buffalo Olmsted Parks Conservancy teamed up with Buffalo Niagara Riverkeeper for the Hoyt Lake Clean-Up in an effort to keep our parks beautiful! The event proved to be a success after three hours of hard work spent by volunteers removing trash from Hoyt Lake in Delaware Park.


The Hoyt Lake Clean-Up is part of Buffalo Niagara Riverkeeper’s Fall Shoreline Sweep. For those of you who are not familiar with Riverkeeper, over the past 15 years, they have organized biannual cleanups of local waterways to remove litter and other accumulated debris.

Be sure to check out the pictures from the event and keep an eye out for our next clean-up! The Conservancy would also like to extend a big thank you to our volunteers – it wouldn’t have been possible without you!

Buffalo Olmsted Open Golf Tournament

On Saturday August 21, 2010 the 5th Annual Olmsted Open; Junior Team Challenge took place in Delaware Park. Perfect weather conditions allowed for 94 players to participate, including 7 teams competing for the Olmsted Junior Cup. The Olmsted Open overall best score was by Willie Johnson, Ron Langhorne Sr. Rudy Bryant and Richard Thompson with a score of 55. The winner of the Junior Cup was by M&T Insurance Agency; Wayne Tahara, Nick Ortiz, Ron Langhorne Jr. and Alexis Pointer with an overall score of 62.

This year's event raised $10,000.00 for the Buffalo Olmsted Parks Golf courses & the Buffalo Inner City Youth Fan Club for Golfing.

All of this would not have been possible without tournament sponsors: Michael LoCurto (Delaware District Councilmember) and M&T Insurance Agency. Additional sponsors that helped to make this event a success were Lawlwy Insurance, NOCO Energy Corp., New Era Cap and Howard Zemsky.

With the great support from sponsors, and our participant turnout, the Annual Olmsted Open is excited for next year's competition!

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A Guest Blog from Dan Farrell

Ok Buffalonians, former Buffalonians, Tree and Park lovers, let's step up to the plate to support a great cause. The Buffalo Olmsted Parks Conservancy is currently in the running for $50,000 from the Pepsi Refresh project. Their goal is to plant 1000 new trees to replace some of the trees lost in the freak Ice Storm of October 2006. The $50,000 will be used to purchase trees, equipment, shovels and to train volunteers. This is obviously a worthy cause that benefits all of WNY. So, please not only vote, but promote this great cause through your contacts!

Digital Billboard

If you're on the 33 Expressway, make sure to look for the digital billboard advertising our Party for the Parks (Friday, September 24th).

Outdoor Screening

On Friday, August 27th, the Buffalo Olmsted Parks Conservancy held a free outdoor screening of "The Olmsted Legacy", a documentary film by Rebecca Messner. Below are a few photos from the event.

Pepsi Refresh

A freak snow storm in October of 2006 destroyed 90% of the trees in the historic Buffalo Olmsted Parks System. At its zenith, the parks boasted 40,000 spectacular trees. Sadly now, we are down to 14,000. Since that devastating storm, wonderful volunteers throughout Buffalo have replanted 3,000 of the park's missing trees, but there is still a long way to go. This impoverished city, the 3rd poorest in the nation, needs some help to purchase the trees and equipment needed to continue to reforest our historic parks. Our goal is to keep planting 1000 trees this year, to continue to replace all of the lost trees in the system. Re-Leafing the Buffalo Olmsted Parks system, over 1200 acres of green infrastructure through parks, parkways and traffic circles, will improve our diverse neighborhoods throughout the city, create green jobs, beautify the community, and improve the overall quality of life in the city of Buffalo, and ultimatley, for the planet.



Please take the time to vote for the Buffalo Olmsted Parks in the Pepsi Refresh Contest.  We are in the running to win $50,000 to plant 1,000 new trees in the Olmsted Parks!