Ani DiFranco tonight - any takers?

Our photographer for the Ani DiFranco concert tonight had to cancel due to an injury. If you want to photograph the concert - or write a review - I need to know by 2 PM and no later.

The show is at Artpark and is scheduled to start at 8 PM. You'd probably want to get there relatively early, like...6 PM...in order to park, pick up your pass, and work the grounds a bit for photos (if you're going as a photog).

Let me know ASAP if you want to go, I need to know FAST!

Thanks!

Join The Buffalo News basketball team

Buffalo.com photo by Dave Marino.

Here's the deal - the Gus Macker 3-on-3 Street Basketball Tournament has a corporate mini-tournament each year. This year, there is no Buffalo News team...UNLESS we can round up four hoops-loving volunteers.

So if any of you like basketball and would want to play with me and three of your fellow Buffalo.com volunteers on the Buffalo News Gus Macker team...let me know by Friday at the latest.

It's free, and there's a t-shirt in it for you...

...and in case you were worried, winning is not a major issue. I'm more into the "having fun" aspect. I wouldn't complain if we won, but I also wouldn't cry into my pillow if we got destroyed, either. It's more for the sake of doing it...

Oh - and we would need at least one female on the team - so ladies, consider yourself invited onto the squad. I don't care what the gender breakdown would be - if it's me and four women on the team, fine, or if it's four guys and one woman, that is OK, too.

Let me know soon!

Today at noon: Ahmad Rashad, live on Buffalo.com

If you can be in front of a computer today at noon, check out Buffalo.com - Deanna is going to have Ahmad Rashad (yes, that Ahmad Rashad) as her guest in the weekly IMportant People live chat. He's going to host the Buffalo Fan Awards on Thursday, May 21, and he's going to talk about the event and all sorts of other good stuff during the hour-long online conversation.

All you need to do is go to Buffalo.com at noon and check out the IMportant People box - it's located below the Featured Photos - and you can either read along or send in your questions, comments, and opinions to the former Buffalo Bill and celebrity TV sports personality.

If you read this after the live chat - for shame, by the way - then you can check out the archived version on the IMportant People page.

Please check it out! This is a really big deal for Buffalo.com - we're pretty excited.

Photographers: shoot Sunday event, get $25 gift certificate

Spotted photographers -

Our promotions department at Buffalo.com would love to have a Spotted photographer at the Decorator Show House reception on Sunday at 7 PM (the house is located at 697 LeBrun in Eggertsville).

Since this is last-minute and kind of a weird time, I would normally do this myself - but I will be in Syracuse on Sunday.

Therefore - if anyone can pick up this event - not only will you have my gratitude but also a $25 gift certificate to Pizza Plant (the pizza there is good, I just had it at a meeting last week).

If you can make it, please let me know ASAP!

UPDATE: A photographer has been found, so this is all set...thank you to everyone who replied!

Cystic Fibrosis fundraiser in Lewiston on Wednesday

Buffalo.com photo by Sheila Denos.

Tomorrow - Wednesday, April 29 - there will be a fundraiser for Cystic Fibrosis at 6 PM at the Barton Hotel and Spa in Lewiston. The organizer of the event, Anne DeMunda, is a big Spotted enthusiast and would love to have a photographer out at this event.

If you have any interest and can make it out to Lewiston, Anne would be really grateful. She's expecting a crowd of approximately 200 people, so it should be a nice event on a beautiful spring evening in one of the real gems of Western New York.

Let me or Deanna know if you are interested!

An event for Monday: Take Back the Night @ Medaille

Buffalo.com photo by Deborah Kreiger.

This looks like a nice event. It's on Monday, so if you are interested, please contact Deanna or me today or (early) Monday. Feel free to give me a call at 390-2715 over the weekend if you're interested...this should be no problem for a writer and/or a photographer.

Media Advisory/Photo Opportunity: Medaille College Takes Back the Night

BUFFALO, N.Y. – Medaille College’s Take Back the Night event will take place on Monday, April 6 at 7 p.m. at its Buffalo Campus, Rte. 198 and Parkside Ave., in the Main Building Lecture Hall.

The event will begin with comments by Christopher Spicer, an inspirational speaker on the roles of men in changing the culture of violence. A candlelight vigil will follow, and Crisis Services of Buffalo will be in attendance.

What: Medaille College Take Back the Night. Students, faculty, staff and community participants will gather for an indoor lecture and outdoor activity.

When: Monday, April 6, 2009, 7 p.m.

Where: Medaille College Buffalo Campus, 18 Agassiz Circle, Buffalo, NY 14214.

Events to keep in mind

Buffalo.com photo by Bill Parker.

I would be remiss if I didn't mention these events again, because the organizers were very excited about getting some Buffalo.com coverage. Deanna is booking events this week, so please let her know if you are interested...and let her know relatively soon, as they are coming up quickly.

• Kindergarten Crush, will be performing at Mohawk Place, 47 E. Mohawk St., Buffalo, on Thursday, April 2 at 8 PM. Other bands on the bill will include The Breathing Tree, Awaken North Wind! and Cry of the Union Forever.
  
  You can follow all of the links to check out the bands on MySpace - they sound pretty good.
  
  
• Make-A-Wish REACH FOR THE STARS Creative Black Tie Gala: WNY's signature gala event. Saturday, April 4 at 5:30pm, Seneca Niagara Casino & Hotel. These folks are really interested in a Spotted photographer. We shot it last year and it went over really well...so if you are free on Saturday, this would be a nice event to pick up.
  

A good event and networking opportunity (and I bet the food is good, too)

Here's a Thursday night event that will offer a writer or photographer a chance to mingle with some of the top realtors in Western New York, and have an opportunity to see some interesting new products unveiled...oh, and I bet the hors d'oeuvres are delightful. The folks in our HomeFinder department would be absolutely tickled if we had any volunteers for this event, and I know that the event organizers would love it, too...so if you are interested...please let me know.

Thanks again!

Photographer needed for Medaille Spring Jam

Buffalo.com photo by Bill Parker.

We had a photographer scheduled for the Medaille Spring Jam on Friday, and that individual had to cancel...so we have an opening. This looks like a pretty fun event - if you're in a tropical frame of mind, this would be a good activity to pick up. Music by Jimmy Buffett cover band Pirate Dreams...Pirate Dreams, people!

Here's some more info:

The Medaille College Alumni Board presents the first annual Spring Jam featuring...Pirate Dreams

Are you ready for palm trees, limbo sticks, and tikis? Bring your friends, family and neighbors. Suit up in your favorite tropical inspired clothing, giant sunglasses or get layered in leis and help us usher in the warm weather as we welcome spring. This event is open to alumni and the general public.

Pirate Dreams likes to spread the summer vibe all year long with their tropically inspired, high energy Jimmy Buffett tribute and "Trop Rock" show.

Tickets are available, in any quantity, for $10 per person. Alumni can purchase an unlimited number of tickets for alumni and guests for a discounted rate of $5 per person. Tickets will also be available at the door for $10 per person for all attendees. You must be 21 years of age to attend.

Each Spring Jam ticket includes a coupon for one complimentary beverage (beer, wine or soda). Additional beverages and snacks will be available for a nominal charge. Join us on March 20th and we guarantee a night of Pirate Dreams!

A note from Deanna about a big event TONIGHT

Buffalo.com photo by Marc Wierzbowski.

Deanna is booking events this week, so I am going to let her hijack the blog for a moment. I will add, however, that Deanna is 100 percent accurate in mentioning that the organizers of this show tonight have expressed great interest in Buffalo.com coverage...so if you can make it, they would be very excited. And now, here's Deanna...

Hi all!

We have a special request from the organizers to cover charity this event TONIGHT:

“Concert From the Heart”: A Buffalo Music Hall of Fame Spotlight Concert: The Hall of Fame Performers are: The Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra, Lance Diamond, Van Taylor and his international touring band Taylor Made Jazz, and The Historic Colored Musicians Club, represented by the George Scott Big Band, musical arranger Phil Sims with special guests: The Old School B Boys with Mark Mazur and his Little Big Band. ALL PROCEEDS benefit The Buffalo City Mission and The Food Bank of Western New York. 7pm-pre-concert mingle, show starts at 8pm, Kleinhan’s Music Hall, Symphony Circle, Buffalo

Let me know if you’re interested in writing about or taking pictures at this concert.

Thanks!

Deanna Russo
Online Interactive Manager
Buffalo.com/YourHub
Work: (716) 849-4527
Cell: (716) 390-2652
drusso@buffnews.com

Buffalo Bills/Food Bank event on Friday

Here's an interesting event, if any photographers and writers are available tomorrow morning:

BUFFALO BILLS TEAM WITH CAMPBELL’S CHUNKY SOUP

TO DONATE 12,000 CANS OF SOUP TO FOOD BANK OF WNY

Bills finish second in NFL fan’s Click for Cans Championship with 163,011 votes

Who: James Hardy, WR, Buffalo Bills

Billy Buffalo, Bills mascot

Representatives from Food Bank of WNY and area soup kitchen agencies

What: The Buffalo Bills and Campbell’s Chunky Soup have teamed up to donate 12,000 cans of Campbell’s Chunky Soup to the Food Bank of WNY in recognition of the Bills runner-up finish in the Chunky soup “Click for Cans” online food drive. Bills fans once again showed strong support for their team throughout the season and finished second in the Click for Cans Championship voting with 163,011 votes, just behind the 187,640 votes registered for Green Bay. The cans will be distributed to various agencies in need – soup kitchen clients of the Food Bank of WNY. There will be photo and interview opportunities at the Food Bank of WNY. Various agencies will be picking up the cans from the Food Bank for their soup kitchens.

Where: Food Bank of WNY

91 Holt Street

Buffalo, NY 14206 (852-1305)

When: Friday, February 6, 2009

10:30 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.

More: Each month, about 95,000 hungry Western New Yorkers turn to soup kitchens, food pantries, and other emergency food providers – 40% are children and 11% are seniors! The Food Bank of WNY helps to make sure that the soup kitchens, pantries and other providers have enough food to feed the hungry. The Food Bank ships about 1 million pounds of food every month to about 360 member agencies to help feed the less fortunate in Erie, Niagara, Cattaraugus and Chautauqua counties.

The Food Bank of WNY solicits food donations from farmers, wholesalers, retailers and other members of the food industry. Additionally, community groups hold food drives to collect canned goods and other non-perishable food for the Food Bank. The WNY Community is also very supportive in providing cash donations to the Food Bank. These funds are used along with government grants to purchase food very efficiently. About 94 cents of each dollar goes directly to providing food to the less fortunate.