Buffalo Old Home Week celebrates 100 years By Christopher Schobert Last year, Buffalo Old Home Week wasn’t your typical summer festival. It was about new jobs, new businesses, and relocation back into the city of Buffalo—i.e., a focus on Buffalo’s future, not just nostalgia. That said, it was also fun, fascinating, and very affordable. This year’s BOHW has expanded to eight days, from July 1-8, and features a long list of events, including some new ones. Organizers have been working on getting the word out for months now via “Happy to Be Here Hours” at various bars and restaurants, and by spreading the word of the importance of the event. “Last year’s Old Home Week proved to me and others that there really is a renaissance underway in Buffalo,” says event co-chair Marti Gorman. “We hope to continue to be a catalyst and to fuel that renaissance. We think Buffalo has every ingredient to be a world-class city.” Christopher Smith is a fellow event chair. He says expanding from last year was a necessity. “Last year’s event was such a rousing success that we felt it necessary to expand our celebration to a full week to adequately showcase all that’s special about our beloved hometown.” July 1 is the official kick-off day for BOHW, and it begins with “Tapestry Buffalo” at the Central Terminal, a festival celebrating Buffalo’s diversity and ethnicity. Next up is a Canada Day boat tour exploring the Niagara region’s history. Also that day is a special tour of Western New York’s Polish-American community, titled “Heart of Polonia: It Still Beats Strong.” The Buffalo-Niagara Medical Campus has some time in the spotlight on July 2, with several walking tours and presentations focusing on the downtown jewel and its community impact. Also scheduled that day is an alumni reunion at the Pearl Street Grill and Brewery, featuring Buffalo’s colleges, universities, and high schools. July 3 features two events that focus on Buffalo’s future—“Downtown Now: The Development Tour” and “Buffalo Enlightenment & Design.” The tour will focus on downtown development and renovation, while the conference is a brainstorming session featuring such participants as Buffalo ReUse and Steel Winds. July 4 will not only commemorate Buffalo’s 175th birthday, but also the anniversary of the dedications of both the McKinley Monument and City Hall. Local history buffs may wish to attend “Downtown Revealed,” a tour of some of Buffalo’s most notable buildings. July 5 showcases a neat feature of Old Home Week, the fact that it encompasses other local favorites, like the Buffalo Zoo, which is hosting “Kids Day at the Zoo,” and the Buffalo Bisons. A tent party will be held before the Bisons take on the Durham Bulls. July 6 is the popular career fair and entrepreneurial seminar at the Hyatt Regency, which will feature speakers and presentations. Gorman says this was last year’s highlight event. “People have moved back to Buffalo and businesses are starting because of that career fair.” Also scheduled for July 6 is the “City of Light” bus tour, the Lincoln Parkway tour, and a special Old Home Week edition of Gusto at the Gallery. July 7 starts with the “Who’s Who on the Avenue” tour of Delaware Avenue, focusing on the street’s neoclassical row houses. The walking tour will end within walking distance of that weekend’s Taste of Buffalo and launch a trivia quiz at Founding Fathers Pub on Edward Street. Attendees can take to the water with a tour of the Edward F. Cotter Fireboat, followed by tours of Buffalo’s prettiest and most historic neighborhoods—Allentown-Kleinhans, downtown Buffalo, Elmwood, Hamlin Park, Parkside, and University Heights. Best of all, the tours will feature real estate for rent or purchase, along with open houses and knowledgeable docents. Old Home Week comes to a close on July 8 with a Sunday brunch and a “Buffalo Made” fair at Shanghai Red’s on the waterfront, followed by a tour of historic Central Terminal, and the new “Gold Medal by Foot” tour. This tour will offer an up-close view of developments in the Cobblestone District and the grain elevators. It’s a stunning lineup of events—diverse, interesting, and fresh. Old Home Week’s website, www.buffoldhome.com, offers much more information, including the latest event news and a complete list of times and locations. Also on the site, visitors can register for events, or send e-invitations to out-of-towners who might be interested. Bringing in people who might wish to make Buffalo their home is an important part of Old Home Week, Gorman says. “We’re changing people’s minds about Buffalo,” she says. “If we can celebrate all that’s great about Buffalo, and if we can showcase people who are in Buffalo by choice, those who don’t know that they want to be here might think, ‘Maybe I do want to be here.’ And we’ll start to change people’s minds.” Christopher Schobert is assistant editor of Buffalo Spree and editor of Spree’s City Guide. Back to the Table of Contents Back to Top