Forever Young May 2019

MAY 2019 |

FREE

Western New York’s FREE Monthly Magazine For Adults 50+, With More Than 70,000 Readers

Derby Day at the Downs Musical Mothers | Memories of Mom | Masters of Architecture Tour

MAY 2019

Bee happy

6

"Real" mothers

22

Home & Garden 6

American architecture tour

23

Let's Talk About...

Why I Keep Bees...................................... Carol Ann Harlos

Arts

22 "Real" Mothers...........................................Judith A. Rucki

My WNY Story

7

Big Band Sound....................................... Edward Adamczyk

23 Jacki Albarella: Renaissance Woman..........Michael Billoni

8

Musical Mothers............................................Rick Falkowski

Getaways

10 May Theater Preview.......................................Donna Hoke

Cover 16 Derby Day at Batavia Downs.....................Ryan Hasenauer

24 Masters of American Architecture.......... Olivia McCarthy

Being Well 26 Magnesium................................................. Catherine Stack

Features: FY Writers Honor their Moms 18 Imprinting................................................ Rebecca Cuthbert 19 If It's Not One Thing...................................Gabe DiMaio 20 Faith, Family, and Friends..........................Michael Billoni 21 Memories of Mother...................................Judith A. Rucki

Ever y Issue: Calendars 3 | Bingo Buzz 12 | Classifieds 28 | Noteworthy 29

Senior Housing Designed With You in Mind!

COLONIAL MEADOWS

6018 Broadway, Lancaster 683-3244

 1 BRs for Persons 62 & Up or Disabled Adults Regardless of Age

TOWNVIEW APTS. 50 Grambo Dr., Lancaster 684-3509

 1 BRs for Seniors 62 & up

716-884-7791 TDD 711

WOODLAND PLACE APTS.

4791 William St., Depew 668-9534

 1 & 2 BRs for Seniors 55 & Up

2136 Baseline Rd., Grand Island 773-2416

SOUTHWIND LANDING

5074 Transit Rd., Depew 206-0281

 1 & 2 BRs for Seniors 55 & Up

JULIANNA APTS.

ISLANDVIEW APTS.  Studios / 1 BRs for Seniors 62 & Up

505 Abbott Rd., Buffalo 825-5611

 Studios & 1 BRs for Seniors 62 & Up or Adult Disabled Head of Household

SENECA WOODS

TRUE BETHEL ESTATES

 1 BRs for Seniors 62 & Up

 1 BRs for Seniors 62 & Up

245 Indian Church Rd., West Seneca 825-7200

871 E. Ferry St., Buffalo 322-1282

 Income limits apply.  Non-senior households must include at least one adult with a disability.

• ONE PIECE WALL • SLIP-RESISTANT • DURABLE, EASY-TO-CLEAN

% 20OFF

OR

48 MONTHS

NO Interest Financing

+Free Moen Shower Head with Purchase if you call 716-332-7518 by May 31st. Offer expires 5/31/2019

Call by May 31st to receive a free Moen Shower Head with purchase!

2851 Broadway St Suite 800 Cheektowaga NY 14227 • 716-332-7518 * Special offer good on the purchase of a bathtub or shower, wall and faucet kit. One offer per customer. 20% off up to $900. May not be combined with any other offer. Offer must be presented at the time of estimate. Discount applies to same day purchases only. Previous orders and estimates excluded. Offer valid only at the above location. Moen Shower Head Free with purchase. ** Subject to credit approval. Minimum monthly payments required. Subject to certain limitations.

EDITOR’S NOTE OUR 31ST YEAR

1738 Elmwood Avenue, Suite 103 Buffalo, NY 14207 Phone 716.783.9119 Fax 716.783.9983 www.foreveryoungwny.com

PUBLISHER

Barbara E. Macks Editor-In-Chief............................................................................Elizabeth Licata

elicata@foreveryoungwny.com

Editor......................................................................... Wendy Guild Swearingen wswearingen@foreveryoungwny.com

Creative Director..................................................................... Chastity L. O’Shei

coshei@foreveryoungwny.com

Production Director........................................................................ Jennifer Tudor

jtudor@foreveryoungwny.com

Traffic Coordinator........................................................... Adam Van Schoonhoven Lead Designer............................................................................ Nicholas Vitello Senior Graphic Designers.............................................. Josh Flanigan, Kim Miers,

Andrea Rowley, Jean-Pierre Thimot Director of Marketing...................................................................... Brittany Frey

bfrey@foreveryoungwny.com

Director of Advertising............................................................. Barbara E. Macks

bmacks@foreveryoungwny.com Special Projects Manager ......................................................... Marianne Potratz Senior Account Executives................ Wendy Burns, Leigh Hinkle, Mary Beth Holly,

Keren Green, Caroline Kunze, Robin Kurss,

Robin Lenhard, Michael O'Connell, Betty Tata, Lori Teibel National Ad Director...................................................................... Terri Downey Spree Marketplace..................................................................... Louis J. Aguglia

From the Editor

We depend on our writers to produce interesting, factual articles for this publication every month, which they do with grace and good humor. So, I thought it would be nice to get to know them a little better. For May, I asked several of my regular writers to create pieces that are rather personal: essays about their own mothers. They are beautifully written with affection, love, and, in some cases, they are bittersweet.

I could fill these pages with stories about my own mother, Rosemary, who passed away two years ago– whether ice skating with the kids, her funny sayings ("go pound salt," "tig a dig") or getting mad at my brother and bonking him on the head with a bag of marshmallows, which promptly burst. I only hope my kids will be kind when they share stories about me.

Wendy Guild Swearingen wswearingen@foreveryoungwny.com 783-9119 ext. 2253

Administrative & Finance Director.......................................................................Michele Ferguson Administrative & Marketing Coordinator...............................................................Angela Dowdell Classifieds Sales............................................................................... Robin Kurss BUFFALO SPREE PUBLISHING, INC.

President & CEO....................................................................... Sharon C. Levite Publisher/Chief Revenue Officer............................................... Barbara E. Macks Associate Publisher/Editor-In-Chief............................................... Elizabeth Licata Senior Vice President/Creative Director...................................... Chastity L. O’Shei Vice President/Director of Production.............................................. Jennifer Tudor Vice President/Administrative & Finance.....................................Michele Ferguson Corporate Counsel....................................................... Timothy M. O’Mara, Esq. Forever Young is published monthly, with an annual Senior Directory. Copyright ©2019 by Buffalo Spree Publishing, Inc. 1738 Elmwood Avenue, Suite 103, Buffalo, NY 14207 and is open Mon.–Fri. 8:30 a.m.–5 p.m. The entire contents of Forever Young are copyrighted 2019 by Buffalo Spree Publishing, Inc. and may not be reproduced in any manner, either whole or in part without written permission from the publishers. All rights reserved.

Display advertising information and rates may be obtained by calling (716) 783-9119 ext 2250. Standard mail postage paid at Buffalo, NY 14207. POSTMASTER send change of address to Forever Young, 1738 Elmwood Avenue, Suite 103, Buffalo, NY 14207. Manuscripts and free calendar listings should be sent to the editor (wswearingen@foreveryoungwny.com) at 1738 Elmwood Avenue, Suite 103, Buffalo, NY 14207. Material cannot be returned unless accompanied by a self addressed, stamped envelope of adequate size and strength. The publisher does not take responsibility for the accuracy or legitimacy of the advertising message or any aspect of the business operation or conduct of the advertisers in the paper.

This publication is a member of the North American Mature Publishers Association.

Membership in NAMPA includes verification of member’s print & circulation totals.

2

www.foreveryoungwny.com | May 2019

Tune into WECK Radio at 8:40 a.m. on the second Friday of each month when I discuss highlights of the issue with Tom Donahue and Gail Ann Huber.

Never miss an issue of Forever Young!

Call 972-2222 to subscribe today for just $12/year.

Facebook @ForeverYoungWNY

FOREVER YOUNG MAY CALENDAR 1+

Erie County STAY FIT DINING PROGRAM offers a hot noon meal at 45 locations in Erie County. Menus and site list at erie. gov/stayfit or 858-7639.

1+ Gowanda HEALTH

COMMUNITY ALLIANCE Activities open to the public age 50+, (no residency requirements), Concord Senior Center, 1 School Street, Gowanda; for schedule visit communityalliance.org; 5321010, or beemana@hcanetwork.org

1+ Niagara Falls SENIOR

COMPANION/FOSTER GRANDPARENT PROGRAM Looking for seniors who enjoy working with their peers or children.

Volunteers receive a tax-free stipend, transportation assistance, and supplemental insurance coverage while volunteering. If you are 55+, have a minimum of 15 hours per week to give and want to make a difference, contact Nora Aloian (SCP) at 285-8224 ext.

217or Jennifer Britton (FGP) at 2858224 ext. 228

1, 15

1+ Orchard Park TAI CHI

Advanced Tai Chi in the Park at Brush Mountain, Wednesdays at 1pm. Build endurance, increase flexibility and balance.

New students are welcome. Contact the Orchard Park Senior Center at 662-6452 for information. Cost $30 for a 8-week session

1+ Boston HATHA YOGA Wednesdays

at 7 pm. Gentle and meditative. Bring your own mat. Faith United Church of Christ, 8651 Boston State Road, Boston, NY. For more info call church office 716-941-3529

2+, 7+,

Tonawanda UKULELE SING ALONG Ukuleles provided during class. All levels welcome beginner– experienced Tuesdays 5:30 p.m. and Thursdays 1:30 p.m. Brighton Place Library 999 Eggert Rd., Tonawanda.

Call to register 332-4375 $5 suggested donation

2+, 7+ Orchard Park ZUMBA Day

and evening classes, Thursday at 11 am and Tuesdays at 6 pm. Sessions cost $30 for an 8-week session. Orchard Park Senior Center, 70 Linwood Ave., Ph: 662-6452.

4

Niagara Falls NIAGARA FALLS SINGLES SOCIAL CLUB, An active 50+ crowd, Game Night 1st Saturday of each month,Wheatfield; contact for location. or for more info 550-1232

4+

Tonawanda LAUGHTER YOGA Come as you are, just bring your laughter!

Thursdays 11 a.m. Brighton Place Library, 999 Eggert Rd., Tonawanda. FREE

4+

Lockport T.O.P.S. 9259, Meets every Saturday morning @ 8:30 for weighin and 9am to 10am for weekly meetings, Christ Episcopal church 7145 Fieldcrest Dr., Lockport. Offers tools, programs, support and friendship for healthy living and weight management. Contact: Wendy, 200-2618 or Mary, 433-1693

5

East Aurora CARAMEL A beauty salon in Beirut is a safe haven for five women in this romantic comedy. With the support of their friends in their familiar salon, the women search for the answers to questions of life, love and happiness.ts. 4 pm. Roycroft Film Society, Parkdale Auditorium, 141 Girard Ave., East Aurora; roycroftcampuscorp.com. $6 members, $8 non-members

Amherst FREE RESPITE CARE PROGRAM, 10:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., Trinity Old Lutheran Church 3445 Sheridan Drive. First Wednesday of the month, for those caring for loved ones with Alzheimer’s or any form of dementia. A morning snack and nutritious lunch are provided. For more information on registering for the program, call 836-4868

7+

Tonawanda T.O.P.S. CLUB, weekly meetings on Tuesdays, 9:30 a.m. at Blessed Sacrament Parish, Claremont Avenue. For information, call 834-7992

7+

Buffalo TAI CHI FOR BETTER BALANCE 10:30 a.m. every Tuesday, Tosh Collins Senior Center, 35 Cazenovia St. $3 For more information, contact monicazucco@gmail.com.

7+

Buffalo GENTLE YOGA, 11:15 a.m. Tuesdays at Tosh Collins Senior Center, 35 Cazenovia St. $3 Bring a yoga mat. Info: 828-1093

7, 21 Buffalo HEADWAY

8

Akron T.O.P.S. CLUB Every Thursday, 5:30-6:45pm, at the Akron/ Newstead Senior Center, 5691 Cummings Rd. We offer tools, programs, support, fellowship and recognition for healthy living and weight management. For information call Diane 542-4980

1

All levels welcome beginner - experienced.

Tuesdays 8 p.m. Church of the Advent, 54 Delaware Rd., Kenmore $5 suggested donation. 481-5735

6+

1+ Orchard Park TAI CHI

Classes are Wednesdays at 1 pm.

8-week session costs $30. Orchard Park Senior Center, 70 Linwood Ave., Ph: 662-6452.

Kenmore UKULELE SING

ALONG Ukuleles provided during class.

Buffalo MEDITATION, 2:30 p.m., El Buen Amigo, 114 Elmwood Ave. Free every Sunday. Meditation unites with creative arts and pain management.

Practitioner Sondra Holland welcomes people of all ages. Wear comfortable clothes. For information, Sondra: 9475092; store: 885-6343

2+ Cheektowaga T.O.P.S. MEETING, 5+

2+

7+

SUPPORT GROUPS, 2635 Delaware Ave. For individuals who have sustained brain injuries as well as their families and caregivers; exchange information and resources, and find mutual support and encouragement. Peer Support (Suite B), first and third Tuesday, 6:30–8 p.m.; Caregivers Support (Suite B), first Tuesday, 6:30–8 p.m. Info: 408-3100 or headwayofwny.org

West Falls MEMORY CAFE A gathering place for friends with Alzhiemer's and their caretakers. 1011:30 a.m. the 1st and 3rd Wednesday each month. West Falls Center for the Arts, info: westfallsartcenter.org or 570-6520

Thursdays at 9 a.m., St. Luke’s Lutheran Church, 900 Maryvale Dr. (corner of Union Road). Come for the love, support and friendship. For information, call Karen at 247-2334

7+

Farnham T.O.P.S. CLUB weekly meetings held Tuesdays at Holy Cross Lutheran Church, 10633 Church St., starting at 9 a.m. Call 934-9619.

Tonawanda TONAWANDA TOPS CLUB #50 Weekly meetings on Mondays, weigh-in 6pm/meeting starts at 6:25pm, Zion United Church Koenig & Parker Tonawanda; 912-6875

Williamsville MCGUIRE GROUP MEMORYCARESUPPORTGROUPS: General Support Group is second Wednesday, 3 p.m. at Harris Hill Nursing Facility, 2699 Wehrle Dr., Williamsville;

1 Williamsville WOMEN’S

LYMPHEDEMA SUPPORT GROUP 5:45 p.m. the first Wednesday of each month. Sheridan Surgical room, 4510 Bailey Ave., Williamsville. Call 908-4149

May 2019 | www.foreveryoungwny.com 3

FOREVER YOUNG MAY CALENDAR Daughters’ Support Group, 5 p.m.

Monthly support groups coordinated with the Alzheimer’s Association, with caregiving tips and coping mechanisms.

For more information, call 632-3700 or visit mcguiregroup.com ; kenancenter.org.

motion movements, endurance activities, balance training, resistance work, and a fun obstacle course. $25 for 12 weeks; registration is for members of the Amherst Center for Senior Services. cyensan@ amherst.ny.u; 636-3055, extension 3122

10

14

Buffalo AUTHOR'S LUNCHEON Buffalo native Roberta Rich, author of The Midwife of Venice trilogy visits. Reservations can be made payable by check to The Twentieth Century Club Preservation Foundation

by May 1. 11 a.m. 20th Century Club, 595 Delaware Ave.; 884-0578

10

Niagara Falls NIAGARA FALLS SINGLES SOCIAL CLUB, An active 50+ crowd, Meet & Greet, 2nd Friday of each month, 6 to 8 pm at Tim Hortons 8500 Niagara Falls Blvd. NF. Call for more info 550-1232.

13 Amherst BE FUNCTIONAL, BE

FIT WITH JILL BRONSKY May 13–August 5, 10-11 a.m. This program encourages moderate physical activity to help improve balance, mobility, and strength with range of

Hamburg ALZHEIMER’S CARE-GIVER SUPPORT GROUP for males at Wesleyan Church, 4999 McKinley Pkwy. 2nd Tues. 626-0600, alz.org/wnyc

14

Orchard Park ALIENATED GRANDPARENTS ANONYMOUS, INC., meetings 1 p.m. the second Tuesday of month, 4295 S. Buffalo St.

14

Caregivers Program providing support and education for people providing care for a person with Alzheimer’s Disease and other dementias. Third Tuesday each month at 5:30 p.m., Pride Center, 200 South Elmwood Ave., Buffalo, 852-7743 or pridecenterwny.org

18West

Seneca NEW HORIZONS MUSIC GROUP Calling ALL Musicians interested in forming a music group the Buffalo Southtowns. It meets in the daytime and is for people 50 & over. Email Janet Stout: 354janet@gmail.

18

Niagara Falls NIAGARA FALLS SINGLES SOCIAL CLUB, An active 50+ crowd. Dances are the 3rd Friday of each month, 7 to 11 pm at Buffalo Social Club 2565 Young St., Niagara Falls. Monthly activites include Picnics, Restaurants and Parties. 50-50 Raffles and Door Prizes. FaceBook: SINGLES SOCIAL CLUB or Call for more info 550-1232

DANCE CALENDAR

Depew BREAST CANCER NETWORK OF WNY Monthly meeting second Tuesday, 6 p.m., Bella Moglie Bldg., 3297 Walden Ave. Call 7060060 or visit bcnwny.org. Professional support group will be held at 8 pm

MONDAYS

THURSDAYS

Sloan CLOGGING LESSONS

by Kickin’ Rhythm Cloggers, 6:30 p.m. @ St. Andrew’s Parish Hall, 111 Crocker St., Bldg. 1. (585) 457-4455.

Kenmore JACKIE’S THURSDAY NIGHT DANCES @ Brounshidle Post, 3354 Delaware Ave. Lessons: 7 p.m. Open dancing: 8 p.m. 691-8654.

21

Buffalo HUSTLE FOR HEALTH URBAN LINE DANCING with Phyllis Caver at Gloria Parks: 3242 Main St, Buffalo. 12pm - 1pm. FREE for ages 55+ Call 832-1010 ext. 4

SATURDAYS

Buffalo LGBTQ MEMORY LOSS CAREGIVERS PROGRAM: The Pride Center of Western New York offers the LGBTQ Memory Loss

TUESDAYS

Buffalo LINDY FIX 8–10 p.m. @ Polish Cadets Hall, 927 Grant St. lindyfix.com, swingbuffalo.com.

WEDNESDAYS

N. Ton. DANCING WITH DOTTIE AND FRIENDS country-style line lessons, 7:30 p.m. @ Pendleton Center Meth. Church, 6864 Campbell Blvd.

625-8306.

Buffalo HUSTLE FOR HEALTH URBAN LINE DANCING with Phyllis Caver at Gloria Parks: 3242 Main St, Buffalo. 11am- 12pm.

FREE for ages 55+ Call 716 832 1010 Amherst AMHERST VICTORIAN DANCE SOCIETY Authentic music, dress and dance of Queen Victoria's time. New members and guests welcomed! 1st Wednesdays @ Buffalo Niagara Heritage Village in Amherst & 4th Wednesdays @ VFW Post in Village of Williamsville.

7:00 p.m. Info: Geraldine, 8770222 or amherstvictoriandance.org 4

com or vist newhorizonsmusic.org. 11 a.m. in the library at Ebenezer UCC, 630 Main St.

www.foreveryoungwny.com | May 2019

Buffalo HUSTLE FOR HEALTH URBAN LINE DANCING at East Community High School 820 Northampton St, Buffalo. 11:30am - 12:30pm. FREE for all ages. Free Lunch. Www.HustleforHealth.com

ONGOING

WNY BELLYDANCE CLASSES 560-1891, nadiaibrahim.com.

Kenmore JACKIE’S DANCE Monthly dance. Call 691-8654 for details.

WNY BALLROOM SOCIAL DANCE, Argentine tango and belly dance instruction with Carol Allen; N. Collins and Amherst. 337-3092 or callen8801@aol.com.

West Seneca BALLROOM DANCE classes @ 1761 Orchard Park Rd., 771-3110, ballroomiliana.com.

WNY DANCE W/ ERIN BAHN 997-7190 ARGENTINE TANGO IN BUFFALO Dancing & Classes. traviswidricktango.com.

Contact Travis @ 517-7047

ARE YOU TIRED OF LIVING YOUR LIFE IN PAIN? Have you tried all forms of treatments, injections or even considered surgery?

My name is Dr. Milioto of WNY Pain Relief and Integrative Wellness Center. My office specializes in treating those who have tried it all and had no relief. We have created a unique treatment THAT ACTUALLY GETS TO THE ROOT OF YOUR PROBLEM WITHOUT DRUGS, INJECTIONS OR SURGERY.

TIME TO GET YOUR LIFE BACK IF YOU ARE SOMEONE THAT IS SUFFERING FROM: Spinal symptoms:

These patients suffer from many spinal conditions including bulging, herniated or degenerative discs, stenosis, pinched nerves, muscle spasms or radiating pain from the neck or back into their hands, legs or feet.

Neuropathy Symptoms:

STOP LIVING YOUR LIFE IN PAIN AND FIND YOUR NATURAL SOLUTION TO PAIN RELIEF!

These patients experience numbness, tingling, burning, hot or cold feeling in the hands or feet, pins and needles feeling in the feet and hands, restless or tired legs.

Neuropathy, a nerve disorder that affects people with diabetes, individuals who have had trauma to the spine, undergone chemotherapy or radiation therapy, or taken prescription medications including statins.

WNY Pain Relief offers Specialized treatment protocol unlike any other in Buffalo utilizing and offering:

Dr. Kevin Nightingale Dr. Christian Milioto Dr. Maté Tarr

(716) 650-PAIN (7246)

4415 Union Road Cheektowaga, NY 14225 (Near Maryvale)

• Spinal Decompression

• Chiropractic

• Class Iv Therapeutic Laser

• Hydromassage

• Infrared Light Therapy • Electroanalgesia Therapy

• Weight Loss • Whole Body Vibration • Nutritional Supplementation • Massage

Mention this ad to receive 15% off your new patient assessment and customized treatment plan.

Call 650-7246 today for your FREE CONSULTATION and visit them at buffalopainrelief.com

HOME & GARDEN

Why I Keep Bees STORY AND PHOTOS BY CAROL ANN HARLOS

M

ost readers of this column know that I am a beekeeper. My husband kept a hive of honey bees in the 1980s, but it died out around 1990. Attempts to re-establish a hive with packages of honey bees did not succeed. My interest in raising honeybees was rekindled about five years ago when I attended a class for people interested in starting beekeeping. I was bitten by the beekeeping bug!

(That is a terrible metaphor you know—honeybees are not a bug, as they are in the order Hymenoptera, and thus are relatives of wasps. They also defend the hive by stinging, not biting.)

CAROL ANN HARLOS

410 Mill Street, Williamsville 716.632.3000 www.park-creek.com

“Embrace seasons past... begin life anew!”

Stimulating social, educational, & recreational activities Medication Management Access to 24-hour personal care assistance Affordable Memory care program

SAVE THE DATE:

Music to Remember Event Sunday, May 19th 1:00pm - 5:00pm Admission:

I bought all new equipment, hives, smoker, hive tool, beekeeper outfit. Then I purchased a “nuc.”

A nuc is simply a mated queen plus honeybees from the same hive. It’s like a mini-hive. This is different from the “packages” purchased by my husband.

A package consists of honeybees that have been scooped up and packaged but the queen is in a separate “cage,” as she is not their queen but has been raised and mated (either naturally or artificially). The container containing the queen has a plug in it of sugar or a tiny marshmallow. Her box is placed in the hive. The bees must get used to her pheromones and will gradually release her from the box. Sometimes this does work out successfully but sometimes they will kill her or fail to release her. Without a queen, the hive is doomed.

I have gone from one hive to two and plan to go to three hives this year.

I have seen a hive fail and die. I cried.

I have captured a swarm, which meant that someone’s hive got too big. Swarming is nature’s way of reproducing a hive. The old queen leaves with up to half of the original bees, so a new queen takes over the bees left behind. A swarm seldom stings, as the honeybees fill their stomachs with honey before leaving.

I knocked the cluster of honey bees, which were about three feet above ground on an arbor vitae. into a large plastic storage box, put on the cover, and placed the box onto the back seat of my Mini Cooper. I had prepared a deep box and a super for them in our yard, and literally poured them into

$5 Donation presale $7 door Call Jane @ 632.3000 for tix or more info.

6 www.foreveryoungwny.com | May 2019

A partly filled frame of honey from Carol Ann's garden

the hive. They were doing well, but I didn’t have the heart to replace the old queen...a mistake. She died, and I eventually lost the hive.

I was down to one very strong hive.

So, I did a split. I took some frames containing eggs and placed them into a box, shook some nurse bees onto the frames, and put in several frames filled with honey. It would take at least twenty-four hours for the bees to realize there was no queen. The nurse bees create a new queen by feeding some larvae only royal jelly.

I waited three weeks before I opened the hive to see if all this was successful.

I checked to see if there was a new queen and whether egg laying was occurring. It was! I was thrilled. This grew into a strong hive with lots of bees who made lots of honey.

If you have read this far you may understand why I keep honeybees.

They are fascinating! I am so humbled by this experience. I am continually learning something new about honeybees.

People ask if I sell honey. That is not my purpose, although I do take some honey from my hives and give it away to friends and relatives. I am trying to increase the number of pollinators in the world. As an avid gardener, I can’t help but do that. I have been asked if honeybees compete with native bees.

I doubt it. I also raise mason bees and their number on our property increases each year. To those who say, “You know honey bees were brought

over here from the Old World” I reply, “Well, they have been here about four hundred years, longer than the ancestors of most of us.”

And yes, I do get stung on occasion. How would you like it if someone took the roof off your house to see how you were doing or to steal some of your food? I got stung on my face a year ago when I opened the hives during late winter to feed the honeybees. I assumed the bees would not be interested in me because it was cold out, so I was not wearing my veil, suit, or gloves. Another time, I got stung on my hand when some bees found a tear in my leather gloves.

One time, a feisty honeybee followed me into the house and waited for me to take off my beekeeping suit before it stung me. If one decides to keep honeybees thinking they will never get stung, I advise against it, because it will happen sometime. (Less than one percent of people are truly allergic to honeybee venom, and it should be taken seriously, because they can go into anaphylactic shock.) I swell up and itch, which is a normal response.

Thank you so much to those of you who have written and asked, “Carol Ann, how are your bees?” FY I love hearing from you: caharlos@ verizon.net

ARTS

Dance to the Big Band Sound

BY ED ADAMCZYK

T

hink of it as a one-night pop-up festival, organized in the spring or summer by a local government, a church, or sometimes a concert hall. A twelve-piece band sets up, and, suddenly, you’re dancing to Big Band music.

There is something so modern about this, yet so retro. Big Band music, that ensemble-driven cruise to yesterday, is all over town. The style may be before your time, but the jazz standards and what’s known as “the Great American Songbook” are familiar and wildly popular, with a number of bands performing regularly in Western New York, and several more in the Toronto area.

The short list includes the Buffalo Jazz and Swing Band, the Easy Street Big Band, the Alex Rene Big Band, the MoB (Musicians of Buffalo) Band and the allfemale Ladies First Big Band, who sometimes bring along the Buffalo Dolls trio singing in the exacting style of the Andrews Sisters. There are bands organized by local luminaries George Scott, Phil Sims, Bobby Militello, and Carol McLaughlin.

Each typically offers a dozen or more musicians, with saxophones, trumpets, and trombones. Wherever they play, it’s a night club experience straight from Hollywood, and yes, you can dance to it.

The bands generally bring singers—Katy Miner, Melissa Kate, and Mari McNeil are among the audience favorites—as well as a few Sinatra devotees.

“It’s danceable,” says Jennifer May, leader of the Ladies First Big Band.

“All ages enjoy dancing to it, and the college-age people have caught on to swing music. And baby boomers are always looking for a place to dance.”

May noted the popularity of Michael Bublé.

“Western New York has a huge number of Big Bands,” notes local vocalist Melissa Kate. “They rehearse and work consistently. It’s a rare privilege to sing with a Big Band.”

The Terrace at Delaware Park and Hotel Henry are the latest to add this memorable music to their entertainment schedules, and groups play at outdoor band shells, sponsored by municipalities, all summer. There is something exciting about hearing these musicians playing together—drums crashing, saxophones bleating out the melody—that can take a listener back to a time vaguely remembered, and those could be the best kind of memories.

The actual Big Band era was roughly 1936 to 1945 and was the soundtrack for World War II. If you regard it as jazz, it was a casualty of the expense of hauling a bus full of musicians across America, and jazz turned more to trios and quartets with a piano typically in the mix. If

Maggie Roston of the Ladies First Big Band Photo courtesy ladiesfirstjazz.com

it was pop music for a generation, with radio airplay and record sales, it was diminished by the rise of rock and roll but never disappeared, only receding until it could be regarded as another historic genre of made-inAmerica entertainment.

So, it’s not really back, just flourishing again. You remember the songs: “The Way You Look Tonight,” for example, or “They Can’t Take That Away From Me,” romantic music from a more romantic time.

They don’t write ‘em like that anymore because they’ve already been written, and they’re performed in a way that makes you wish you were back there, whether or not you ever were.

Local bands offer plenty of free concerts. Pull up a lawn chair and relive, or imagine, a time when men and women sang together, danced

together, and fell in love over it all.

A listener can enter the world of the big band with imagination fueled by those black-and-white movies in which actors go on dates and are transfixed by the orchestras.

On any given night, some Big Band is likely playing somewhere in town, with professional arrangements of time-tested music performed by skilled practitioners.

They are redirecting audiences, not to a simpler time, but to one in which romance carried weight and musicians knew what they were doing. Anyone can hum a tune from the old days, but, put it in the hands of a Big Band, and you are swept away. FY Ed Adamczyk is a historian and contributing writer for the Niagara Gazette and Forever Young.

Safety, comfort, affordability.

We know what it takes to keep you Safe, Secure, Comfortable, and most importantly at a price that seems too good to be true. For over thirty-five years, our family owned and operated business strives to offer you this and so much more. Come be a part of our family.

Studio Apartments Starting at $520

NOW ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS FOR QUALIFIED SENIORS. • 1 & 2 Bedroom Apartments • All utilities included • Number one in WNY for Maryvale East Senior Complex crafts and activities 100 Moorman Drive • Coin-op laundry Cheektowaga, New York 14225 • Pet friendly Income Eligible Seniors 55 & Older • 24 hr. maintenance (716) 681-5061 • Meals program

May 2019 | www.foreveryoungwny.com 7

ARTS

Musical Mothers Perform with their Children

BY RICK FALKOWSKI

W

hile many mothers encourage their kids to study music, some are a bit more involved—even performing with their talented children. In celebration of Mother’s Day, we highlight three local mothers sharing musical roots with their offspring: Kathy Carr, Debbie Derwald, and Lynnie Durusky.

Kathy Carr began performing very Wine & Roses, right up until a week at Eastman. When Zach was four, before having a baby. So, her son Zach he participated in piano recitals and young and, at age five, won an Accordion Association of WNY competition. As was on stage before he was born. Carr by the time he was twelve, he was recalls, “At times, I could feel Zach playing drums for his grandfather’s a teen, she sang with her father Matt predominantly polka band. At age Piokowski’s band. When Carr was keeping the beat to the music.” sixteen, he was teaching piano and Carr always wanted Zach to be eighteen, she toured the East Coast drums at his grandfather’s store, Matt’s Holiday Inn commercial rock circuit involved with music. Instead of telling him bedtime stories, she had an electric Music in North Tonawanda. as a vocalist with Mirage, returning to In 2006, Zach went to NYC where he piano next to his crib and sang songs WNY to perform the dueling pianos studied vocal performance at Concordia of Kristoff and Kathy at the Sassafras to him every night. Zach took piano College and interned with Manhattan Restaurant on Niagara Falls Boulevard. lessons from his Aunt Debbie, who graduated from Fredonia and studied Concert Productions, performing at In 1988, she sang with her father’s band Carnegie Hall. He studied vocal jazz at Eastman School of Music, returning to Buffalo in 2011, when he began working as a vocal teacher at Matt’s Music.

A PROGRAM OF UCHS, INC. For four years, he sang and traveled with the UB a cappella group Buffalo Chips. He is now completing his PhD at University at Buffalo in nonverbal communications. His dissertation is on

UNITED CHURCH MANOR

UP

E CH T I K S! ED ATH T DA & B

Zach and Kathy Carr Photo by Lisa Gellerson

teaching young performers how to use facial expression and body language on stage.

Currently, Kathy and Zach Carr perform together in the Anderson Big Band and Pyramid Big Band.

They also work together at various nursing homes and clubs, with their rendition of dueling pianos available on YouTube. In addition, they are completing the remodeling of Matt’s Music, doubling the space to expand their vocal performance lessons. Carr was very influential in getting her son into music. And, for the past two years,

NS

SUBSIDIZED SENIOR APARTMENTS IN A PARK-LIKE SETTING

OFFERING:

Parking, elevators, laundry facilities, heat & water included, Erie County Senior Lunch program, and more!

50 North Ave | West Seneca, NY 14224 | 716.668.5804 | ucmanor.org 8

www.foreveryoungwny.com | May 2019

Debbie Derwald and children Photo by Richie Derwald

ARTS church when they were still teenagers.

They started performing at churches, campgrounds, and coffee houses, with Lynnie on guitar and John on bass.

They had no intention of having their children join them on stage but, to keep their son Stevie occupied while they were rehearsing, they gave him drum sticks to play on a chair, and eventually bought him bongos. One evening, when Stevie was four or five they had a performance scheduled at Ethereal Dreams Coffee House in North Tonawanda but couldn’t find a babysitter. Stevie came along and sat onstage, making faces and playing his bongos. He enjoyed it and was a hit with the audience, so he continued going to jobs with his parents.

Stevie started taking violin lessons in fourth grade, his father taught him bass, his mother taught him guitar, and he began playing mandolin in high school. He performed with his parents in a group called Blue Roadhouse Trio.

In his early twenties, he took an interest in playing rockabilly guitar.

Though Lynnie had no intention of performing with her children or having them become musicians, fate had different plans. Lynnie has another son who records under the name of Chris Mason; he relocated to Nashville and performs nationally. Now Lynnie is backing up her son Steve in the band Rockabilly Steve & BR3.

Happy Mother’s Day to Kathy, Debbie, Lynnie, and all the other musical mothers who encourage and perform with their children on the stages of WNY. And a special Mother’s Day greetings to Joanie Marshall, who performs with her children and grandchildren in the Ramblin’ Lou Family Band. FY Rick Falkowski gives Buffalo Music History presentations, is the author of History of Buffalo Music & Entertainment, and is co-founder of the Buffalo Music Hall of Fame.

Send questions or comments to info@ buffalomusichistory.com

Stevie and Lynnie Durusky Photo by Robert W. Schwan

Zach has been named top male jazz vocalist in the JazzBuffalo Poll Awards.

Debbie Derwald met her husband Richie in the recording studio in 1985.

They began performing together in the Richie Derwald Show Band in 1988.

They were married in 1992 and did a lot of traveling and touring of the East Coast dinner theater and show circuit.

They were married for eleven years, before they decided to have children.

Before their children were born, Debbie and Richie knew they wanted them to be home schooled. Summer was born in 2003, Jada in 2006, and twins Sawyer and Hunter in 2011.

The kids always attended their parents’ performances. Debbie and Richie hoped the children would eventually join them on stage, but left the time table up to them. Summer began singing with them when she was three years old, Jada became the show comic at the same age, and the twins also decided to join the show at age three.

Since they were being home schooled, their children were able to travel, so Richie and Debbie took their show on

the road as a Las Vegas-style variety or cabaret show. Every year, they traveled the East Coast and performed extended engagements in Florida.

Summer is now attending a local high school, so she is only available on weekends for larger shows. But Jada, Sawyer, and Hunter have the flexibility to perform at churches and community and senior centers during the week. They still go to Florida on spring or Easter break. The family’s Superstars Live show features costumed appearances by Sinatra, Cher, Elvis, Judy Garland and more. It is a true family show: Richie’s father, 84-yearold former 1950s recording artist, Richard “Mr. Fitness” Derwald, joins them for special shows.

The Derwald family enjoys performing together, but how long will it continue? Debbie summed it up perfectly. “Interests change when children age, but we will perform with them as long as they want.”

Lynnie Durusky, a Buffalo Public Schools International School #45 art teacher, met her husband John at May 2019 | www.foreveryoungwny.com 9

ARTS

May Theater Preview

BY DONNA HOKE The all-female cast of 1776 Courtesy O’Connell & Company

Do You Have Cataracts?

Learn About Your Options for Cataract Procedures at Our

LUNCH AND LEARN Wednesday, May 8th at Noon There’s no obligation and we welcome new patients.

Come learn about the different options available to those with cataracts including

Laser-Assisted Cataract Surgery

Call 896.8831 or visit ATWALEYE.COM Reservations recommended • 3095 Harlem Rd., Cheektowaga

“Your Vision | Our Focus”

We participate with Medicare & Major Insurance Plans Visit us at www.atwaleye.com

10

www.foreveryoungwny.com | May 2019

Dragons Love Tacos Theatre of Youth Adapted from the book by Adam Rubin Director: Kyle LoConti Cast: Melinda Capeles, Joe Isgar, Dan Torres, Alexandria Watts, Carlos Perez, Alejandro Perez, and Preston Williams Robbie and his dog, Leroy, discover that dragons love tacos, but don’t do so well with spicy salsa. Next thing they know, there are four dragons in their living room, and you can probably guess what happens next! Children will be delighted to see it play out in this stage version of Adam Rubin’s best-selling children’s book of the same name. Dragons Love Tacos is directed by Artie Award-winning director Kyle LoConti, who won her second Artie Award for directing last season’s Stellaluna, also at Theatre of Youth.

“Stellaluna was my first show for TOY for this age group,” says LoConti. “Artistic director Meg Quinn gave me lots of great

guidance. For Dragons Love Tacos, keeping the action moving, telling the story clearly, while making it a bright, colorful, and fun experience are all important.

Designer Ken Shaw is creating some fabulous dragons, and there are some pretty crazy scenic effects at the climax of the story that you will just have to come to TOY to see.”

In addition to tacos, LoConti has discovered that dragons also love dancing, and has incorporated a lot of it into the show. “I think those are my favorite moments, and there are lots of them,” she says, adding that this script has more humor than Stellaluna, which provides a challenge. “Spending time with little children and observing what amuses them is probably the best way to approach the humor. There is a lot in this play and some of it works on multiple levels; kids are laughing for one reason, while grown-ups are laughing at something different.

In addition to making the humor accessible to everyone, it’s important for us to deliver the underlying message, which is to believe in yourself, and never give up.”

Both the book and the stage play are intended for children up to seven, but LoConti thinks it’s great for all ages. “Lots of great ideas percolate in rehearsal to give us something so much more engaging than is even written in the pages of the script,” she says. “You get to discover the unique personalities of each of the characters, dragons included!” FY Playwright Donna Hoke writes about theater for Buffalo Spree and Forever Young.

ARTS OPENINGS May 3 Three Sistahs In 1969 Washington, DC, sisters Olive, Marsha, and Irene are all that remain of the Bradshaw family after burying their mother, father, and now, younger brother. (aaccbuffalol.org/on-stage, 8842013) May 4 Dragons Love Tacos When a boy throws his new dragon friends a spicy salsa taco party, redhot trouble ensues. (theatreofyouth.org, 884-4400) Looking Through Glass In this world premiere, Leah is possessed by the soul of her true love who she has met shortly before her planned wedding. (jewishrepertorytheatre.com, 2810092) May 10 Bakersfield Mist Lancaster Opera House presents this Stephen Sachs comedy about a woman who finds a million-dollar painting at a thrift store. Inspired by true events. (lancopera.org, 683-1776) CLOSINGS May 4 Buffalo Quickies Alleyway closes its 28th feast of short plays, this year featuring all local playwrights and a host of world premieres. (alleyway.com, 852-2600) May 5 Desde el Puente The musical version of this short play festival takes its final bow. (raicestheatrecompany.com)

May 18 Annapurna New Phoenix closes the curtain on this two-hander with Lisa Ludwig and John Profeta. (newphoenixtheatre.org, 853-1334) May 19 Hamlet Say good night, sweet prince, to this Shakespearean classic at Irish Classical Theatre Company. (irishclassicaltheatre.com, 853-1380) Equivocation This political thriller ends its run at Kavinoky. (kavinokytheatre.com, 716-8297668) The Undeniable Sound of Right Now It’s 1992, and gentrification has hit bar owner Hank with higher-rents and new fads in fashion and music.

Last chance to see if Hank saves his bar. (roadlesstraveledproductions.org, 716-629-3069) 1776 Give a final salute to the all-female version of this musical. (oconnellandcompany.com, 8480800) May 26 Late in the Evening MusicalFare closes its world premiere of this story told in Paul Simon songs. (musicalfare.com, 839-8540) Bakersfield Mist Lancaster Opera House ends this short run. (lancopera.org, 683-1776) Three Sistahs The moving musical closes at Paul Robeson. (aaccbuffalol.org/on-stage, 8842013)

May 2019 | www.foreveryoungwny.com 11

Bingo Calendar VALLEY COMMUNITY ASSOCIATION 93 Leddy, Buffalo 7:30 p.m......... 823-4707 MATTHEW GLAB POST 1965 Abbott Rd., Lackawanna 7:30 p.m........ 825-3733 HAMBURG–KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS 36 Pierce Ave., Hamburg 7:30 p.m..649-9830/649-4340

Bingo Calendar Times and days may change without notice. Call to confirm.

MONDAY AMERICAN LEGION #1322 STEPHEN SIKORA POST 950 Payne Ave., Nort Tonawanda 7:25 p.m......... 693-1740 CONGREGATION SHIR SHALOM 4660 Sheridan Dr., Williamsville 7:30 p.m......... 633-8877 AMERICAN LEGION MCKEEVER POST 1770 South Park Ave., Buffalo 7:30 p.m......... 822-6400 HOLY MOTHER OF THE ROSARY CATHEDRAL Fellowship Hall, 6298 Broadway, Lancaster 11:30 am......... 683-7527

FATHER JUSTIN K OF C 2735 Union Rd., Cheektowaga 7:30 p.m......... 681-7251 AMERICAN LEGION POST 1041 533 Amherst St., Buffalo 7 p.m.............. 875-9276 AM. LEG. POST NO. 567 3740 N. Buffalo Rd., O. Park 7:30 p.m......... 662-9780 ST. AMELIA 2999 Eggert Rd., Tonawanda 7:15 p.m......... 836-0011 SENECA GAMING AND ENTERTAINMENT 11099 Route 5, Irving 7 p.m.............. 549-4389 DOWNTOWN POST NO. 64 A.L. INC. 1770 South Park Ave., Buffalo 7:30 p.m.

TUESDAY AMVETS MEDALLION POST NO. 13 25 Review Pl., Buffalo 7:30 p.m......... 874-0559 ASSUMPTION PARISH 435 Amherst St., Buffalo 1 p.m.............. 876-1038 FATHER JUSTIN K OF C 2735 Union Rd., Cheektowaga 1 p.m.............. 681-7251 ST. ANDREW’S CHURCH 1525 Sheridan Dr., Kenmore 7:30 p.m......... 873-6716 OUR LADY OF POMPEII 129 Laverack, Lancaster 7 p.m.............. 683-6522 WHEATFIELD NO. 1451 6525 Ward Rd., Sanborn 7:25 p.m......... 731-4712 GEORGE F. LAMM POST 962 Wehrle Dr., Williamsville 7:30 p.m......... 204-2405

RESURRECTION BINGO 130 Como Park Blvd.

7 p.m.............. 683-3712 HARTLAND VFC 8945 Ridge Rd., Hartland 7:30 p.m.

ARMOR VOL. FIRE CO. 4932 Clark St., Hamburg 7:30 p.m......... 649-9821 ST. ANDREW CHURCH 111 Crocker St., Sloan 7:30 p.m......... 892-0425 SENECA GAMING AND ENTERTAINMENT 11099 Route 5, Irving 7 p.m......................... 549-4389 B.O.Y.S. ASSOCIATION OF LACKAWANNA VFW, 2909 South Park St., Lackawanna 7:20 p.m.................... 948-0316

WEDNESDAY ST. FRANCIS OF ASSISI 4263 St. Francis Dr., Athol Springs 7:30 p.m.................... 627-2710 SHAWNEE VOL. FIRE COMPANY 3747 Lockport Rd., Sanborn 7:30 p.m. .................. 731-3666 AM. LEG. MCKEEVER POST 1770 S. Park Ave., Buffalo 7:30 p.m.................... 822-6400

Holy Mother of the Rosary Cathedral MONDAY @ 11:30 AM COME EARLY - LUNCH BEGINNING AT 10:00 AM

Featuring possible Double Payouts!!

Queern ts

of Hea JACKPOT

Ball s u n Bo !

Play r A Buck Fo

Fellowship Hall 6298 Broadway, Lancaster, NY (between Schwartz and Ransom Rds) Hall Phone 683-7527

up to

$2560 GUARANTEED + $1000 PROG, STW & RWB NO SINGLE GAME UNDER $60 * 5 ROUND ROBINS with $120 COVERALLS TRY YOUR LUCK with the QUEEN OF HEARTS GAME

12

www.foreveryoungwny.com | May 2019

Bingo Calendar

(continued)

KENMORE K OF C 1530 Kenmore Ave., Buffalo 1 p.m......................... 875-5780 FATHER JUSTIN K OF C — SPONSORED BY THE JUSTINETTES 2735 Union Rd., Cheektowaga 7:30 p.m.................... 681-7251 FATHER BAKER K OF C 2838 S. Park Ave., Lackawanna 12:45 p.m.................. 825-5150 LANCASTER K OF C 6114 Broadway, Lancaster 11:45 a.m................... 684-2901 SENECA GAMING AND ENTERTAINMENT 11099 Route 5, Irving 1 & 7 p.m.................. 549-4389 ST. ALOYSIUS RCC 156 Franklin, Springville 7:30 p.m.................... 592-2701 ST. AMELIA 2999 Eggert Rd., Tonawanda 7:15 p.m.................... 836-0011 ST. MICHAEL’S BINGO 140 Warsaw, Lackawanna 7:15 p.m.................... 825-9415

ST. BERNARD’S CHURCH Clinton @ S. Ogden, Buffalo 7:30 p.m.................... 822-8856 PVT. LEONARD POST 2450 Walden Ave., Cheektowaga 7:30 p.m.................... 684-4371 ST. JAMES DEPEW 500 Terrace Blvd., Depew 7:30 p.m.................... 683-2746 ST. ANDREW’S CHURCH 1525 Sheridan Dr., Kenmore 7:30 p.m.................... 873-6716 SENECA GAMING AND ENTERTAINMENT 11099 Route 5, Irving 7 p.m......................... 549-4389 FOURTEEN HOLY HELPERS 1345 Indian Church Rd., West Seneca 7:00 p.m.................... 674-2374 K OF C MADONNA COUNCIL NO. 2535 755 Erie Ave., North Tonawanda 7:20 p.m.................... 693-5470 VFW COL. WEBER POST 989 2909 South Park Ave., Lackawana 7:30 p.m.................... 823-9605

THURSDAY

FRIDAY

FATHER JUSTIN K OF C 2735 Union Rd., Cheektowaga 1 p.m......................... 681-7251 BLESSED TRINITY 317 Leroy Ave., Buffalo 8 p.m......................... 833-0301

AM. LEG. MCKEEVER POST 1770 South Park Ave., Buffalo 7:30 p.m................... 822-6400 ASSUMPTION PARISH 435 Amherst St., Buffalo 7:30 p.m.................... 876-1038

May 2019 | www.foreveryoungwny.com 13

Bingo Calendar KENMORE K OF C 1530 Kenmore Ave., Buffalo 7:30 p.m.................... 875-5780 OUR LADY HELP OF CHRISTIANS 4125 Union Rd., Cheektowaga 7:30 p.m.................... 634-3420 SENECA GAMING AND ENTERTAINMENT 11099 Route 5, Irving 7 p.m........................ 549-4389 ST. ALOYSIUS GONZAGA 157 Cleveland Dr., Cheektowaga 7:30 p.m.................... 833-1715 ST. ANDREW’S CHURCH 1525 Sheridan Dr., Kenmore 7:30 p.m.................... 873-6716 DALE ASSOCIATION CENT. 33 Ontario St., Lockport 7 p.m......................... 433-1886 SANBORN VFC 5811 Buffalo St., Sanborn 7:45 p.m.................... 731-4616 MILLGROVE VFC 11621 Genesee St., Alden 7:45 p.m.................... 937-7612 GASPORT CHEMICAL HOSE 8412 State St., Gasport 7:30 p.m.................... 772-7751 OUR LADY OF PERP. HELP 115 O’Connell St., Buffalo 7:30 p.m.................... 852-2671 ST. PHILIP THE APOSTLE 950 Lossen Rd., Cheektowaga 7:30 p.m.................... 668-3344

SATURDAY

SOUTH WILSON VFC 4193 Chestnut Rd., Wilson 7:30 p.m.................... 751-6079 CORPUS CHRISTI CHURCH 199 Clark St., Buffalo 2 p.m......................... 896-1050 OUR LADY OF BISTRICA 1619 Abbott Rd., Lackawanna 7:15 p.m.................... 822-0818 BUFFALO GAY BINGO/ AIDS PLUS FUND OF WNY Westminster Church, 724 Delaware Ave., Buffalo 7 p.m (2nd Sat.)......... 882-7840

ST. AMELIA’S RCC 2999 Eggert Rd., Tonawanda 1 p.m......................... 836-0011 ASSUMPTION PARISH 435 Amherst St., Buffalo 7:30 p.m.................... 876-1038 BLESSED TRINITY 317 Leroy Ave., Buffalo 8 p.m......................... 833-0301 ST. JOHN XXIII 1 Arcade St., W. Seneca 7 p.m......................... 823-1090 INFANT OF PRAGUE 921 Cleveland Dr., Cheektowaga 7:15 p.m.................... 634-3660 ST. ALOYSIUS GONZAGA 157 Cleveland Dr., Cheektowaga 1 p.m......................... 833-1715 OUR LADY OF POMPEII 129 Laverack, Lancaster 7 p.m. (1st Sat.)........ 683-6522 SENECA GAMING AND ENTERTAINMENT 11099 Route 5, Irving 1 & 7 p.m.................. 549-4389 ST. ANDREW CHURCH 111 Crocker St., Sloan 7:30 p.m.................... 892-0425 PALLOTTINE FATHERS 3452 N. Falls Blvd., Wheatfield 7 p.m......................... 694-4313

Sundays 1:00pm

(continued)

SUNDAY

OUR LADY OF THE SACRED HEART 3148 Abbott Rd., O. Park 2 p.m......................... 824-2935 KENMORE K OF C 1530 Kenmore Ave., Buffalo 7 p.m......................... 875-5780 ST. BERNARD’S CHURCH Clinton @ S. Ogden, Buffalo 7:30 p.m.................... 822-8856 OUR LADY HELP OF CHRISTIANS 4125 Union Rd., Cheektowaga 7 p.m......................... 634-3420 SENECA GAMING AND ENTERTAINMENT 11099 Route 5, Irving 1 & 7 p.m.................. 549-4389 DELEVAN VFC N. Main St., Delevan 7 p.m......................... 492-1910

BINGO Saturday 7:30pm $1 3-Face Admission

$10 Admission Package EARLY BIRD (PLAYED AT 12:50PM)

THE ONLY BINGO CHARGING $1 FOR ADMISSION

No Game Under $50 Average Payout Over $3,000 4 Regular Round Robin Games Share the Wealth 60/40 Split Rags to Riches with $300 Coverall $1,000 Progressive with $250 Consolation Bonus Ball 70/30 Split

Average Payout Over $4,000

Queen of Hearts & Bonus Ball

Red, White, & Blue Sponsored by

3 SUPER Round Robin Games Progressive Share the Wealth $300 Consolation

CASINO SENECA GAMING Broad St., Salamanca 945-4080, 877-860-5130 ONEIDA INDIAN HIGH STAKES BINGO AT TURNING STONE 5218 Patrick Rd., Verona 800-782-1938

LG R O MILLUNTEVE ER VO

DE F I R E T PARTMEN

Millgrove Volunteer Fire Department 11621 Genesee Street Alden, NY • 937-7612

$1,300 Guaranteed

BIG

PROGRESSIVE STW

GOLDEN BONUS BALL now at $6000

in designated #or less - if not 50% to winner & 25% carried over to following week** STW 2-Face $1

Red, White, & Blue

N EW

Queen of Hearts & Bonus Ball

* CONCESSIONS *

* PLENTY OF PARKING *

39 O’Hara Road | Tonawanda, New York | 716.695.2600 x326 (Take Delaware to Joseph, 1st Signal North of Youngman, to O’Hara Rd. to O’Hara High) www.foreveryoungwny.com | May 2019

UNCLE SAM’S 427 Garrison Rd., Fort Erie 905-994-0505 GOLDEN NUGGET 655 Garrison Rd., Fort Erie 905-871-1277 DELTA MONTE CARLO 4735 Drummond, N. Falls 905-356-8104

75% to Winner

Weekly Lunch Specials

14

BINGO IN CANADA

Two $500 Round Robin Games

Cardinal O’Hara Home School

* HANDICAP ACCESS *

ST. ANDREW’S CHURCH 1525 Sheridan Dr., Kenmore 7 p.m......................... 873-6716 OUR LADY OF POMPEII 129 Laverack, Lancaster 7 p.m......................... 683-6522 LOCKPORT ELKS LODGE 41 6791 N. Canal Rd., Lockport 7 p.m......................... 434-2798 PVT. LEONARD POST 2450 Walden, Cheektowaga 7 p.m.......................684-43710

New Prizes!

FRIDAYS 7:45 PM All Paper!

Refreshments

COVER

Celebrate Derby Day with Western OTB and Batavia Downs STORY AND PHOTOS COURTESY OF BATAVIA DOWNS GAMING

the way to go tours inc.

DAY TRIPS Jun. 11- St. Jacob’s Farmer’s Market & Live Play Jun. 26- African Lion Safari, Canada Jul. 17- Rochester – Park Ave. Grill Jul. 30- Skaneateles Lake Luncheon Cruise Aug. 10- Shaker Woods Craft Show

MULTI-DAY TOURS

May 20-24 - Outer Banks, NC Jun 17-22 - Michigan Inc. Frankenmouth, Mackinac Is. & Soos Locks July 6-13 - Princess Alaska “Voyage of the Glaciers” Aug. 11-19 - Colorado with 5 National Parks-Call!

I

f you want a thrilling experience celebrating the Kentucky Derby, look no further than Western Off Track Betting and Batavia Downs Gaming. Over the years, the public benefit corporation has added more and more activities and promotions surrounding the most exciting two minutes in sports.

This year, the Run for the Roses takes place on May 4, which, coincidentally, is also Star Wars Day. With this in mind, the folks at Batavia Downs and Western OTB have designed this year’s Derby shirt to include many references to one of the most famous movie franchises of all time. The shirts can be won at local OTBs and EZ Bet locations on Derby Day via free drawings.

Folks can also get official Kentucky Derby glasses, while supplies last, when purchasing the official drink of the Kentucky Derby—the Mint Julep— at either Champions Sports Bar, 1042 Wehrle Drive in Williamsville, or Lucky’s, 2500 Military Road in Niagara Falls.

If you’re looking for an exciting atmosphere complete with wagering, fancy hats, outrageous outfits, and great food, you’ll want to head down the Thruway to Batavia Downs Gaming at 8315 Park Road in Batavia.

Onsite at Batavia Downs Gaming,

Sept. 3-7 - Cape Cod & Martha’s Vineyard Feb. 1, 2020 - Winter in Yellowstone Aug. 3-13, 2020 Oberammergau Passion Play Splendors of Eastern Europe

716-693-0793 or 1-800-953-0793

www.thewaytogotours.com 16

www.foreveryoungwny.com | May 2019

you’ll find no fewer than four locations to wager and party.

The crown jewel of Derby parties is the Second Annual Derby Gala taking place in the Grandstands Banquet Room. Guests must be twenty-

one years of age or older to attend.

Admission for the Derby Gala at the Downs is $75 per person and proper attire is required. A best dressed contest and best hat contest will take place, with prizes from the Hotel

COVER

A special Mint Julep, which includes a free Derby glass

at Batavia Downs and Four Roses Bourbon. Guests can enjoy an open bar from 4:30 p.m. to 7 p.m., tasting stations, a $10 wager on the Derby, $25 in free play, and a free Derby program. Televisions will broadcast the days’ races and mutuel clerks are available for patrons to place wagers.

Tickets went on sale in February and are nearly sold out. You can purchase them on www.bataviaconcerts.com.

The longest running Derby Party at Batavia Downs takes place inside Park Place (formerly known as the Paddock Room) from 11:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. This party regularly attracts more than 600 guests. New this year is the Superfecta Deal. Patrons receive their choice of several delicious meals, $15 in free

play once one point is earned on the gaming floor, a $5 wager on the Derby and program, and a commemorative Kentucky Derby glass, all for just $20.

Five-dollar Mint Julep specials, which includes a free Derby glass, and samplings from Angry Orchard Rose are also available. Many big screen televisions will show the races and there will be mutuel clerks available to take wagers.

The third party, located inside Hall of Famer Thurman Thomas’ 34 Rush, will have Woodford Reserve Bourbon, Blue Moon beer, and wine sampling throughout the afternoon, with a live broadcast by a local sports radio station. Patrons may place Derby wagers using self-service terminals.

The $5 Mint Julep with free Derby commemorative glass special is also available.

Wagering is also available at the second floor Downs Simulcast center.

Prize drawings for Derby t-shirts and glasses will take place there beginning at 10 a.m.

The hotel at Batavia Downs is sold out for this special day, but other local hotels do have availability, and a shuttle will be running that day to take patrons to Batavia Downs beginning at 3 p.m.

“We’re looking forward to another great day of parties surrounding our Kentucky Derby events,” says Todd Haight, General Manager of Racing at Batavia Downs Gaming. “The success of the Derby Gala last year adds to the already tremendous day of wagering and entertainment that our guests have come to expect from Batavia Downs. Based on the recent Kentucky

A COM M U NIT Y OF C A R IN G

Kentucky Derby t-shirts are among the prizes at this year's Derby Day.

Derby prep races, this year’s Run for the Roses seems more wide open than ever.”

No matter what your budget, if you’re looking to enjoy this most special of sports days, the folks at Batavia Downs are looking forward to entertaining you and your friends. FY

GREATEST CARPET IS

ON SALE!

2.22

$

SQ. FT.

INSTALLED with the cushion at NO EXTRA CHARGE

Brand new COMPLETELY renovated apartments!

Beautiful City Gardens Stay fit dining program w/ balanced hot meals 5 days a week!

On Site Parking Secure Building Spectacular Patio

276 Linwood Avenue

881-1120

www.baptist-manor.org • All Faiths Welcomed

got kids? got pets? got spil s?

FORTUNATELY THE WORLD’S

NOW ON SALE FREE Wifi NEW Beauty salon Affordable Independent Living Walk-in showers Emergency pull cords Huge amount of activities

Batavia Downs & Gaming 8315 Park Rd., Batavia, NY (585) 343-3750 www.bataviadownsgaming.com

This unbelievable group of carpets will even stand up to a rhinoceros! You must see it to believe it!

4 great colors to choose from!

• Lifetime stain resistance warranty • 20 year manufacturing defects warranty • 20 year anti-static warranty

IT’S EVEN RESISTANT TO BLEACH!

www.kennycarpets.com

BUY NOW!

PAY NO INTEREST FOR ONE FULL YEAR!*

*For qualified buyers.

REMEMBER ... DO THE KENNY! 2995 Sheridan Dr. 7600 Transit Rd.

(Opposite Eastern Hills Mall)

631-0028

3240 Transit Rd. (at Niagara Falls Blvd. (at Seneca Creek)

656-0426

next to Northtown Plaza)

836-8100

SHOP AT HOME SE May 2019 | www.foreveryoungwny.com 17

Kenny Carpets will bri of this outstanding sa home and give you a fr

FEATURE

Imprinting

BY REBECCA CUTHBERT

M

y mother died just before I turned ten. I made it through the fog of adolescence and found my way to adulthood, all the while assuming I was nothing like her—she, who married at age twenty and had her first of six children less than a year later, whose abbreviated life was full of skinned knees and household chores. I remained childless by choice, focusing on my education instead, trying to make it as a writer and teacher. More like my father—the tinkerer, the dreamer—I thought all the essential elements of Marilyn Jean (Shrader) Schwab must have gone to my siblings.

Wrong, my father informed me.

My mom pursued motherhood with the same determination I had for earning my Master of Fine Arts in writing. “She wanted to be a homemaker; you wanted a career. But you both knew what you wanted,” he says. And the parallels continue. Where my

mother devoted her extra time to Cub Scouts, Girl Scouts, and the Catholic church, I advised student groups, led writing workshops, and keep part of my heart at the Lakeshore Humane Society. I am not my mother’s copy, but I am not her opposite, either.

My dad says my mom was “a

Celebrating Lives and Preserving Memories since 1901

Spring savings event thru May 31, 2019 3 Mausoleums 6 Historic Veteran Sections Serving all Faiths • Historic Chapel New Legacy Lawn for urns and caskets now open New Tranquility walk for urns and memorialization now open New Montefiore II now open

3939 Delaware Ave. Kenmore, NY 14217 716-876-8131 www.elmlawncemetery.com 18

www.foreveryoungwny.com | May 2019

Rebecca Cuthbert in her garden. Photo by Rachel Spangler Photography

budgeteer. If she couldn’t save $1,000 a year in coupons, she called it a loss.” She was an expert yard sale treasure hunter. She wouldn’t buy anything at full price.

Same here—my friend jokes that I should have set up my wedding registry at a thrift store.

My mom appreciated nature and loved being outside. She taught me to do the same. I spend hours in my garden. If she had lived long enough, I wonder if she would have taken up that hobby, too. She was into canning—I think she would be proud of the jam my siblings and I make from the black raspberries that grow in the yard. Dad and his grandkids help pick them.

She and her mother played Scrabble on the porch every summer. I still have her board, and though I rarely beat my lawyer sister, we keep the tradition alive.

We even replaced the missing E from spare letters we found at a yard sale.

My mother never let her thick hair grow long—she had more

important things to do than primp. I have her hair, and her attitude about it. Her style was more utilitarian than flashy. Give me jeans and a men’s flannel shirt any day.

When there was work to do, my mom wasn’t afraid to get her hands dirty. What better lesson could there be? Thanks to my father’s reminders, from now on, when I turn over the tomato bed, wash a shelter dog, pull jam jars out of their hot water bath—I will think of her hands, and all they did to shape me.

Rebecca Cuthbert lives, writes, and cares for shelter dogs in Dunkirk. She is a frequent contributor to Forever Young.

FEATURE

If It’s Not One Thing, It’s Your Mother…

STORY AND PHOTO BY GABE DIMAIO

M

y mom is in her eighties and takes ballroom dancing lessons, for God’s sake. Until recently, she volunteered at a local hospital and still helps them out from time to time. She attends book club meetings and lunches with her “lady friends.” At a time when I sometimes need an elaborate system of ropes and pulleys to get me out of bed in the morning, my mom is running around town, doing the things that make her, well, my mom, Brigida DiMaio.

NT E V EE

E

FR

EXPO THURSDAY, OCTOBER 24 9:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.

Millennium Buffalo 2040 Walden Ave. Buffalo

Gabe DiMaio with his mother, Brigida, upon his return home from Operation Desert Storm

A couple of years ago, we celebrated my mom’s eightieth birthday with a big Italian family dinner that included all her children and grandchildren. It was a rare occasion that we were all in the same place at the same time.

Over the antipasto, braciole, ravioli, and wine, I asked my mom if she thought eighty was what she expected it to be when she was younger.

She said that she was glad it wasn’t.

When mom was young, women in their eighth decade wore plain black dresses and were likely to be homebodies who didn’t venture past the supermarket, church, or relatives’ homes.

For anyone who knows her, this absolutely does not describe my mom—and it never did. Mine was always the glamorous mother on the block. While growing up, my female friends commented on her style and fashion sense. She was a hairdresser by trade and always made it a point to be “put together.”

When my sisters and I were little,

Mom went to school to get her college degree with the goal of becoming a school teacher. That was no small feat considering she worked at the hair salon, ran the house, and picked up the slack when my dad was on the road as a sale rep.

It was not unusual for me to wake up in the dark hours to find her at the kitchen counter doing homework, studying textbooks, or writing term papers. Before we woke up, she was on the road to make the hour-long commute to do her student teaching.

After she graduated, she had a long and rewarding career teaching Cosmetology to disabled students at BOCES on Long Island.

I can only attempt to have my mom’s incredible work ethic. I will never have her style and class, but she gave me a great example to follow.

Gabe DiMaio is a communications professional, instructor, and freelance writer in Buffalo.

• Dozens of vendors • Giveaways every hour* • Meet Forever Young writers • Free parking

NEW THIS YEAR:

Coffee Break Brought to you by BlueCross BlueShield of Western New York

PRESENTED BY:

SPONSORED BY:

FLU SHOTS PROVIDED BY:

*One giveaway per person BlueCross BlueShield of Western New York is a Medicare Advantage plan with a Medicare contract and enrollment depends on contract renewal. A division of HealthNow New York Inc., an independent licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association.

May 2019 | www.foreveryoungwny.com 19

FEATURE

Faith, Family, and Friends STORY AND PHOTO BY MICHAEL J. BILLONI

P

eople often say, “I will pray for you” when tragedy strikes or a death occurs. Our mother, Josephine Bianchi Billoni, truly had a list of names she prayed for before she went to sleep and upon waking in the morning.

“Josephine was a strong woman of faith,” says Mom’s dearest friend, ninety-seven-year-old Fr. Dino Lorenzetti. “She truly believed in the rosary, and I recall her telling me she would call a friend and they would recite the rosary together at night. They would do this rather than gossip or engage in small talk.”

Faith. Family. Friends. They were paramount for our mom every day

of her eighty-two years. Attending daily Roman Catholic Mass was mandatory for her, regardless where she may have been.

Mom grew up with parents who came here from Italy. Financially, they were extremely poor. However, they were rich in faith, family, and friends. Holy Cross Church on Niagara Street became the center of their lives, and it was there, during a

Josephine Billoni in her kitchen

weekend dance, that my mom and dad met for the first time.

Through Mom’s desire to always help those in need, my brothers, Paul and Anthony, and I learned valuable life lessons, such as the importance of treating others as you would like to be treated. And, regardless of how much money you have in your pocket, always do something for those in need.

Good deeds and the charitable work Paul, his wife, Cyndee, and their children do at our eighty-eightyear-old family dry cleaners, Colvin Cleaners, is clearly a reflection of our upbringing. My wife, Debbie, never had the opportunity to meet mom, but she truly understands and is totally supportive when we take on charitable efforts. It is as if she knew my mom her entire life.

Like all parents, Mom and Dad 20

www.foreveryoungwny.com | May 2019

longed for their first grandchild.

When Christopher was born, Mondays became Pasta Monday.

“To this day, I still miss Pasta Monday at Nana’s,” Paul explains.

“Nothing brightened her day more than seeing her grandchildren, Chris and Erica, and Anthony’s daughters, Bianca and Jianna. Mom and Dad’s lives revolved around them.”

Our mother was not judgmental and always found the best in everyone.

She remains in our thoughts and we miss her ever-present smile, the perfect word she knew we needed, and her prayers. RIP Mom and Dad. FY Mike Billoni is a storyteller and publisher.

FEATURE

Memories of Mother

Pants were an entirely different issue. After years of working as a “Rosie the Riveter,” Mother said she would never again wear pants. She refused to wear a pantsuit I bought for her. Then, one day, she put it on. I invited her to dinner and suggested as long as she was looking so modern, we sit at the bar and have a drink first. I expected an adamant, “Certainly not,” but she sat right down and ordered a Pink Lady.

My father never understood how we could be gone most of the day and come home with nothing more than a lipstick and a pair of tights. Shopping never was about the acquisition of goods as much as it was a chance for us to talk and laugh together.

I’d give anything for one more trip to the mall with Mother. FY Judith Rucki is a frequent contributor to Forever Young.

STORY AND PHOTO

BY JUDITH A. RUCKI Harriet Rucki with her daughter, Forever Young writer Judith Rucki

M

y mother, Harriet Rucki, and I used to joke that our relationship was defined by shopping. If it were an Olympic event, we’d take all the medals.

It started when I was very young.

Mother never drove, so we would take the bus downtown. Early on, our excursions centered on a tuna fish sandwich and a chocolate soda. Once I was fed, Mother could shop in peace.

As time moved along, we would go out dressed in our finest, right down to white gloves. Ladies did not venture onto Delaware Avenue unless they were appropriately turned out.

Once I learned to drive, we no longer had to walk to what had been the Thruway Plaza. Malls were within our reach. By the time the Walden Galleria Mall opened, we were veteran shoppers who could, as Mother would say, “do the Galleria, both floors, endto-end, in heels.”

We had our routine down pat. We would get to a mall early, shop, have lunch, shop, stop for coffee, and then shop some more.

Tearooms were a great place to linger over a fancy salad or quiche and talk.

And talk we did. Mother was always a great listener, non-judgmental, and full of encouragement.

Sometimes we might try on clothes that were nothing like what we would ordinarily wear. That was always good for a few laughs.

Over time, Mother’s wardrobe got updated. When I convinced her no one was wearing girdles anymore, she went along with the idea. Later she blamed me for her lack of stomach muscles.

May 2019 | www.foreveryoungwny.com 21

LET’S TALK ABOUT... enough to understand. They enjoy a close relationship as Andria grows into a strong, professional woman.

Like her late adoptive father Paul, Andria is drawn to social work and providing counseling to her clients.

“Real” Mothers

BY JUDITH A. RUCKI

Sandra and Andria Edwards in London Photo courtesy Sandra Edwards

T

here is a chapter in Erma Bombeck’s best seller Motherhood – The Second Oldest Profession called “What Kind of a Mother Would Go in Search of Her Daughter’s ‘Real Mother?” Bombeck writes as if she were speaking to an adopted daughter’s biological mother, questioning when Bombeck is going to become the “real” mother.

Before we began using the term “birth parents,” it was more common to say “real parents.” This term was bothersome for adoptive parents who poured heart and soul, not to mention finances, into their adopted children.

As Bombeck writes, “Real is what shows up everyday!”

Motherhood was written long before there was DNA testing that could help adoptees locate their biological parents.

Today, social media and better record

22

keeping are making the process easier.

Adoption was shrouded in secrecy and anonymity for most of the last century in the United States. It was hard work for adoptees to find birth relatives, and there was no guarantee that they would discover their roots.

Adoptees have many reasons why they search for their biological parents.

They include curiosity, a better understanding of who they are and where they came from, health reasons,

www.foreveryoungwny.com | May 2019

to form a bond that may not exist within the adoptive family, and to fill a nagging void.

So, what happens when someone does find their biological parents, and how does this affect the adoptive parents?

Adopting Andria Buffalo natives Sandra Edwards and her late husband, Paul, had been married fourteen years when they decided to adopt. To their delight, in 1987, they were chosen to be the parents of a beautiful baby girl, whom they named Andria.

By this time, they had moved to Sparks, Nevada, for work. Sandra’s parents, Fred and Mary Borkowski, had retired and moved from Cheektowaga to Nevada to be nearby.

As Paul once recalled, the first time Andria made a sound, four adults and two dogs rushed into the nursery to see what she needed.

Sandra says Andria knew she was adopted from the time she was old

The power of DNA testing About two years ago, Sandra’s hospital offered free DNA testing through 23andMe. She decided to take the test because, she says, “I thought it would be fun and beneficial to see if I had any genetic ‘bug-a-boos.’” Later, Andria decided to take the same test.

Andria’s results provided her with enough information to find her birth parents.

“I was apprehensive when Andria wanted to find her biological parents,” says Sandra. “I had no idea how they would react to her and her to them. I think I was just trying to protect her from any adverse reactions.”

As it turns out, the birth mother was a disappointment. However, the birth father, who lives in Michigan, was warm and welcoming. As a bonus, Andria discovered two half-sisters she did not know she had. She plans to stay in touch with her newfound family.

Since Andria discovered her biological family, Sandra says, “I think my relationship with Andria is stronger. She knows I am always there for her and always will be there. She may not be my biological child, but she is my child through and through.”

Andria wrote a thank-you note to 23andMe for helping her connect with her biological family. As a result, they asked if they could take her story public. So far, filming crews have worked with both Sandra and Andria.

Asked if she had any advice for people looking to find their biological families, Sandra says, “I think they should expect anything to come at them. You have no idea how a biological parent will react to being ‘found out.’ Our story turned out well, but theirs may not.” FY Judith A. Rucki is a frequent contributor to Forever Young.

MY WNY STORY

The Multi-talented Jackie Albarella

BY MICHAEL J. BILLONI

W

hen what is now Sahlen Field opened in 1988, it was the finest ballpark in minor league baseball and the model used by several major league teams. At the time, I was the Vice President/General Manager of the Buffalo Bisons, and inside the park, televisions in corporate suites, the restaurant, concession stands, clubhouse, and team offices showed live broadcasts of the game. That had never occurred in minor league baseball before, so, as this stadium was being built, wiring for our own video system was installed with the sound eventually coming from the radio broadcast.

The local company we contracted with was Avid Productions, owned

by Jackie Albarella and Kathy Vogel Matthews. They visited many major league ballparks before designing our system, which included an inhouse video team of a producer, three cameras, a graphics artist, and another who handled replays.

“We would create a highlight package after each game for the team to send to the local TV stations for coverage during its nightly sportscasts,” Albarella says. “We also produced pre-game highlight shows and end of the season highlight tapes as well.” She is president and founder of Albarella Media with more than thirty years of experience in multi-media, ranging from the development and production of cutting-edge social documentaries to being Executive Director of the Arts in Education Institute of Western New York.

An accomplished photographer, her work has been in many private collections and exhibited at galleries throughout New York State, including a one-woman show at the Burchfield Penney Art Center. Albarella has also authored and photographed several books, including The Hotel Lafayette: Restoring Louise Bethune’s Masterpiece and WOMEN in the City of Good Neighbors.

Winning national awards for television and writing, Albarella’s work also includes developing and creating technology-based

educational programs for young people. These projects range from building and operating a student-run radio station to student entrepreneur camps. She has been an artist in residence in many urban, suburban, and rural schools, and she currently teaches animation and digital design at the Lewis J. Bennett High School of Innovative Technology, a Buffalo Public School. Teaching in a cutting-edge classroom, she helps prepare the next generation of media professionals. She is also a committed community member, serving on several boards, and is a cofounder of the Artists/Veterans Art Collaborative, which uses art to help returning veterans transition back home.

As if this weren’t enough to keep her busy, Albarella is a lifelong gardener, and is featured in a Saturday morning segment on WGRZ-TV Daybreak called 2 The Garden. She is a published garden columnist and has authored three books about gardening, her latest being Dirty Tricks from the Garden.

“I have been gardening since I was young. My mother was raised on a farm, and she taught me all of the tricks,” she says. “I have been fortunate to travel throughout the country and visit some of the greatest gardens where I have also met some amazing horticulturalists who taught me so much. I had a national television show on gardening for about six years, and I once visited

gardens in London for two weeks.”

Albarella, who lives in a section of West Seneca literally called Gardenville, is sharing her best spring garden tip for home gardeners: “Be patient and stay out of the wet beds. You will do more harm than good. Take stock of what worked and what needs to be changed and then wait for things to dry out and warm up. Half the fun is in the planning and preparing your garden!”

For fun, Albarella suggests planting herbs. “They are easy to grow, can add texture and color, can be grown in pots or in the ground, and are great to add to those summer dishes and in your summer drinks,” she says.

Here are just a few ideas for your summer herb garden and drinks they can be used for: mint (mint julep, a mojito, or a sprig of mint in some fresh ice tea); basil (this wonderfully fragrant herb is popular in martinis, COME HOME TO

Shaarey Zedek Apartments

Renaissance woman Jackie Albarella Photo courtesy J. Albarella

mimosas or in a perfect summer punch); dill (excellent with any vodka or gin based drink); cilantro (great in a tomato-based drink such as a Bloody Mary or Margarita); lavender (sparkling wine, such as Prosecco); rosemary (this pungent annual is great as a stirrer or in a gin and tonic).

“Whether the drink is alcoholic or not, herbs can add a new layer of refreshment. What about fresh fruitand herb-infused water?” she says.

For more information about Albarella, visit www.jackiealbarella. com. FY Michael Billoni is a publisher and storyteller.

1 & 2 BEDROOM STYLES

Stop by for a Tour M, W, F 9 am - 4 pm 834.3711

410 Hartford Road Amherst, NY 14226

A quiet senior community nestled in the heart of Amherst.

(off Millersport - 1 Block, North of Sheridan)

May 2019 | www.foreveryoungwny.com 23

GETAWAYS

Masters of American Architecture

BY OLIVIA MCCARTHY

C

heers to May and the launch of our 2019 tour season! Explore Buffalo’s tour of the month is Masters of American Architecture, our premier downtown architectural walking tour available seven days a week. On this tour, we work to connect several landmark buildings downtown, of varying styles and construction dates, with a common thread. Each building featured on the walking tour was designed by a renowned American architect.

At the turn of the twentieth century, Buffalo had grown to become the eighth largest city in America. The wealth generated by commerce and industry following the opening of the

Erie Canal in 1825, enabled the city’s businesses, organizations, and citizens to hire some of the nation’s most prominent architects and use the finest materials available.

Ellicott Square Building entrance Photo by Chuck LaChiusa; courtesy of Explore Buffalo

Guests explore signature works by some of America’s greatest architects, including the Guaranty Building by Louis Sullivan & Dankmar Adler, the Ellicott Square Building by Daniel Burnham & Co., and St. Paul’s Episcopal Cathedral by Richard Upjohn. It’s a

chance to learn about the prominence of Buffalo on a national scale at the turn of the twentieth century while visiting spectacular buildings like the Old Post Office, now Erie Community College’s City Campus, St. Joseph’s Old Cathedral, and Old County Hall.

HOW DO YOU WISH TO BE REMEMBERED?

Preplanning your funeral arrangement is a healthy step toward putting your affairs in order, it affords you the opportunity to detail your wishes

Leader in interventional and diagnostic radiology services

and to secure funding at today’s prices.

To get started, visit our website at

DenglerRobertsPernaFuneral.com 873-7825 or 632-8200

DENGLER, ROBERTS, PERNA

PERNA, DENGLER,ROBERTS

716.631.2500 | windsongwny.com

3070 Delaware Avenue Kenmore, NY 14217

1671 Maple Road Williamsville, NY 14221

Amherst | Hamburg | Lancaster | West Seneca | Williamsville

FUNERAL HOME

24

Mammograms, MRI, PET/CT, X-ray, Ultrasound, Dexa, Interventional and Vascular Services including vein care

www.foreveryoungwny.com | May 2019

FUNERAL HOME

GETAWAYS My personal favorite is the Italian Renaissance Revival/Beaux Arts Classical Ellicott Square Building at 295 Main Street. There’s something about the building’s design that transports you back in time. Whether it’s the cast iron lamp posts and brass revolving doors at the entrance or the spectacular hand-laid mosaic floor of the interior courtyard, experiencing this building inside and out is a must.

The land was originally set aside by Joseph Ellicott for his personal estate. In 1803, as an agent of the Holland Land Company, Ellicott laid out the original street plan of Buffalo, then known as the Village of New Amsterdam.

It wasn’t until 1895 that a year-long construction effort began on the tenstory, $3.5 million office building.

We discuss the architectural details designed by renowned architectural firm, Daniel H. Burnham & Co. with Charles Atwood as the principal architect on the job. The Ellicott Square building is a fun building to take in downtown because of the amount of

detail inside and out, including classical imagery of Victory and Mercury above the entrance, the Medusa heads that line the top of the building, and the grand compass placed at the center of the mosaic floor inside.

Catch the Masters of American Architecture Tour every day of the week this summer–brand new for 2019. Starting on Monday, May 5, this popular downtown tour is Monday through Friday starting from the Hotel at the Lafayette. Monday through Wednesday the tour begins at 1 p.m. and Thursday through Sunday the tour begins at 10 a.m. (Please note that due to the annual Buffalo Skyride and Buffalo Marathon there will be no downtown tours on Sunday, May 19 or Sunday, May 26.) We welcome residents and visitors of all ages to experience Buffalo’s incredible architecture up close and personal.

Revisit some old favorites and learn more about buildings you’ve driven past for years.

The Masters of American

Architecture Tour begins in the lobby of the Hotel at the Lafayette at 391 Washington Street. Two-hour metered parking is available on surrounding streets, and the Adams Ramp is one block away at the corner of Washington and Eagle Streets. The Lafayette Square Station of the Metro Rail is one block away, across Lafayette Square on Main Street. General Admission is $15, Student Admission is $5, and Explorer Pass Holders receive free admission.

Please visit our website www. explorebuffalo.org for more information about this tour and Explore Buffalo’s 2019 season offerings!

FY

Explore Buffalo is a volunteer-driven nonprofit charitable organization dedicated to promoting Buffalo’s history, architecture, and neighborhoods to learners of all ages.

THE ALL

NEW

Jewish Federation Apartments

RENT ASSISTED APARTMENTS FOR SENIORS & MOBILITY-IMPAIRED ADULTS

Open to all religious denominations

All new Remodeled community space with stone hearth gathering area

Medical Director: Laszlo Mechtler

MD, FAAN, FEAN, FASN

A COLLABORATIVE RELATIONSHIP will be established between your treating physician and our physician(s) within the DENT Neurologic Institute.

3980 SHERIDAN DRIVE AMHERST, NY 14226

200 STERLING DR. ORCHARD PARK, NY 14127

Most major insurance plans accepted.

Visit our website to download a physician referral form

716-250-6000

WWW.DENTINSTITUTE.COM

Laundry facilities • Full-time social worker Activities • Transportation 24-hour emergency maintenance Computer center Emergency medical call system Chapel and various religious services Pool table Two elevators • Card room Community room • NEW! Fitness facility • NEW! Beauty Salon • Wifi Home theater room with hi-tech equipment And of course our beautiful aquarium!

275 Essjay Road | Williamsville, NY 14221

For application information please call 716-631-8471 • www.JewishFederationApartments.org *Jewish Federation Apartments does not discriminate on the basis of handicapped status in the admission or access to, or treatment or employment in, its federally assisted program and activities.

May 2019 | www.foreveryoungwny.com 25

BEING WELL

Magnesium More important than calcium

BY CATHERINE STACK

N

ext to Vitamins B12 and D3, magnesium ranks as one of my favorite supplements. No other supplement has noticeably improved a variety of conditions in such a short amount of time.

Magnesium is needed for more than 300 biochemical reactions in your body. It helps to maintain muscle and nerve function, helps keep heart rhythm steady, supports a healthy immune system, and keeps bones strong. Magnesium also helps regulate blood sugar levels, promotes normal blood pressure, and is known to be involved in energy metabolism and protein synthesis.

Suffer from muscle cramps, muscle pain, and restless leg syndrome? Taking magnesium can improve your symptoms in as little as a few days. Chronic headaches, including migraines, will likely become less frequent and may resolve themselves all together.

For those of you who worry about your heart and may have high blood pressure, magnesium may help you as well. Magnesium

has been shown to regulate heart rhythm, prevent angina, control high blood pressure, and limit the complications of congestive heart failure.

We have had amazing results at Journey II Health helping those with IBS and chronic constipation.

Magnesium deficiency is a common finding in the constipated individual. Constipated people typically suffer from frequent headaches and magnesium helps both problems.

In the world of obstetrics, magnesium plays a very important and potentially lifesaving role in preventing seizures in women who have pre-eclampsia or HELLP syndrome.

Many pregnant women also suffer leg cramps and constipation, and oral magnesium supplementation will help both of these common complaints.

There’s always something happening at

Deficiency of magnesium can present psychiatric symptoms including depression, anxiety, restlessness, and irritability.

Children with ADHD are deficient in many common minerals, most often magnesium, zinc, and iron.

Magnesium supplementation significantly decreases the hyperactivity symptoms in children with ADHD. Some foods that contain magnesium are green vegetables such as spinach, nuts, seeds, and whole unrefined grains. But food alone will not easily remedy a magnesium deficiency.

While there are many reasons for poor sleep, it is believed that using a magnesium supplement could be your best bet for insomnia relief.

Because magnesium relaxes your body muscles and has a calming effect, it will help bring you a more

Spring has Sprung at Vinecroft!

Open House Friday, May 3rd, 1 pm -3 pm lite snacks

For Independent Seniors

Maintenance Free Apartments and Patio Homes Make Our Neighborhood Your Neighborhood!

Hospice Luncheon Fundraiser Thursday, June 27th Entertainment by Judd Sunshine minimum $10 donation for Hospice

Call for

Spring Move-I Special!n

Call For a Tour | 716.741.7741 | 5945 Vinecroft Drive | Clarence Center, NY 14032 | www.vinecroft.org 26

www.foreveryoungwny.com | May 2019

restful sleep by reducing stress and anxiety, as well as calming jumpy legs and jerkiness. Much research points to the fact that magnesium deficiency is often related to restless leg syndrome, insomnia, and other sleep disorders. In many cases, upon taking magnesium supplements, people have awakened less often and have slept for longer periods of time through the night, giving them their much needed deep sleep, which is imperative for the body to regenerate itself.

Multiple sclerosis and epilepsy have also been linked to magnesium deficiencies. Symptoms of MS that are also symptoms of magnesium deficiency include muscle spasms, weakness, twitching, muscle atrophy, an inability to control the bladder, nystagmus (rapid eye movements), hearing loss, and osteoporosis.

My personal opinion and years of observation have led me to believe that magnesium supplementation is far more beneficial than calcium supplementation, and we have become even more magnesium deficient due to our over consumption of calcium.

Females in the United States take more calcium than all other countries combined, yet we still rank number one when it comes to osteoporosis. If you suffer from any of the symptoms mentioned above, I highly recommend you try magnesium. Take 400-800 mg of magnesium per day depending on the type. I look forward to your email responses. FY Catherine Stack (RN, ND) is a practicing Doctor of Naturopathy, Certified Nurse Midwife, and the founder and CEO of Journey II Health Center for Rejuvenation.

Her book, Free Yourself from a CONSTIPATED Life, is available on Amazon. Visit her website at journeyiihealth.com or email journeyIIhealth@gmail.com.

FY FIND & SAVE

FIND SAVE $

Bar

Restaurant • Enjoy all the Buffalo fare that’s as famous as our history... wings, beef on weck, fish fry & more.

• Just a short walk from the Darwin Martin House and across the street from the Buffalo Zoo.

AND

• Open Mon-Thur 11:30am-9:00pm Fri & Sat 11:30am-10:00pm

2 RUSSELL STREET • BUFFALO, NY 14214 • 716.834.8348 •

Timeless Music.

Timeless Personalities.

· Lamp Repairs

· Decorative Finials

LISTEN FOR SENIOR MATTERS EVERY SATURDAY MORNING FROM 10AM-11AM WITH HOST BUDDY SHULA. THE ONLY ONE HOUR RADIO SHOW IN BUFFALO FOCUSED ON LOCAL BABY BOOMERS AND SENIORS. SPONSORED BY PBM ELDERLAW LAWYERS AND INDEPENDENT HEALTH

YOUR STATION FOR GOOD TIMES AND GREAT OLDIES

WHEN YOU MENTION THIS AD

parksidemeadow . com

Purchase

896-7393 3035 Genesee (between Harlem & Union) www.shades-unltd.com

BUFFALO’S #1 OLDIES STATION

ANY APPETIZER WITH YOUR DINNER ENTRÉE

10% off Any

· Custom Recovering · Largest Selection of Replacement Lampshades in WNY

50% OFF

Prior sales & custom work excluded.

Not valid with any other offer.

Shades Unlimited 3035 Genesee St. Cheektowaga

15% OFF WINE 10% OFF SPIRITS 750 ml or larger, excludes sale items

Must present coupon • No Limit • Coupon Expires 5/20/19

1430 DELAWARE AVE. • BUFFALO, NY 14209 716.884.1346 • GATESCIRCLELIQUOR.COM

DELIVERYE AVAILABL

May 2019 | www.foreveryoungwny.com 27

RADIO

CLASSIFIEDS APPLIANCE REPAIR

PAYING CASH

Washer, Dryers, Dishwashers, Gas And Electric Ranges Repaired And Installed. Reasonable Guaranteed!

Senior Discount 684-7786 or 8774799

Buying US Gold & Silver Coins, Early “Railroad” Pocket Watches, Vintage Sports & Historical Autographs, Pre-1970 Baseball Cards.

Over 40 years of experience buying/selling coins and collectibles. We make house calls. Call Doug @ 695-0750

CLOCK REPAIR Grandfather Clocks & All Others.

Free In-Home Estimate, Pick Up, Deliver. 773-8930

PAYING CASH

From the desk of WECK Radio owner and local business advocate Buddy Shula

It’s a Buffalo Thing WECK Radio is so Buffalo, it was named after a weck kummelweck roll! It’s a very Buffalo radio station.

If you aren’t from Buffalo, you may not get what WECK radio is all about. Sure, we’re Buffalo’s only radio playing the best oldies from the ‘50s, ‘60s and ‘70s, but WECK is much more. Including legendary DJ’s you grew up with like Danny Neaverth, Harv Moore, TV and radio personality Jon Summers, and, of course, Tom Donahue and Gail Ann Huber in the mornings.

Plus, and most important, WECK is locally owned and operated. When someone has a suggestion or even a complaint, I get back to that person right away.

Try having the owner of a Wall Street radio company do that. In fact, here is my cell: 716.570.4141.

Call me anytime.

It’s all what makes WECK a “Buffalo Thing.”

Now, you can listen to WECK everywhere. Download our free app, ask Alexa, or listen online at WECK buffalo.com or over the air on 1230am, 102.9fm, and 100.5fm We are proud to be the only station exclusively built for baby boomers and seniors!

Thank you for listening.

28

Cash For Your Old Toys: Trains And Railroad Items, 1 Piece Or Entire Estate, Collections Wanted!!

Working Or Broken, Check Your Attic Or Basement. Call 684-7786 Or 877-4799.

YOUR PAGE Forever Young readers: we want to hear from you! Do you know someone who deserves to be recognized?

Tell us more. Do you have a story you’d like to share?

Drop us a line. We want to devote space in Forever Young to what matters most: you. Send your story ideas to editor Wendy Guild Swearingen at wswearingen@ foreveryoung.com or 1738 Elmwood Ave., Suite 103, Buffalo, NY 14207.

www.foreveryoungwny.com | May 2019

WANTED TO BUY Buying Costume Jewelry, School Rings and Scrap Gold. We make house calls. Carol & Jack 876-8283.

AD DEADLINE IS NO LATER THAN MAY 21 FOR THE JUNE ISSUE. To Place your ad Call NOW! 783-9119 x2235

Place your ad for ONLY $11.50 for 25 words, each additonal word 30¢.

Add your picture for ONLY $5.25

LIKE US ON FACEBOOK! Go to www.facebook.com and search for “Forever Young”

JOIN LINDA PELLEGRINO ON

A Tuscan Adventure Oct 10-18, 2019

Get to know Italy at its finest.

Slow down and learn the true meaning of la dolce vita as you explore three of Italy’s most inviting destinations: Florence, the birthplace of the Renaissance; Tuscany’s iconic red rooftops and green hills, and the sunny, colorful shores of the Italian Riviera.

YOUR TOUR PACKAGE INCLUDES • 9 days in the glorious Tuscany region • 7 breakfasts • 3 dinners with beer or wine • 1 cooking class • 1 wine tasting • Guided sightseeing tours • Expert Tour Director & local guides • Private deluxe motor coach

Additional optional excursions available For more information speak to a travel expert today:

1-800-438-7672

Presented by

NOTEWORTHY 2

10

17

5

15 May 2

Resoundings: The Shallows Buffalo native Joseph Murray Myers’ penchant for melancholic songwriting has been described as lush and emotional modern folk ballads.

7 p.m. at Burchfield Penney Art Center (1300 Elmwood Avenue; Burchfieldpenney.org, 878-6011)

May 10-11 World’s Largest Yard Sale This event is a bonanza for buyers and sellers; expect close to 300 vendors.

11 a.m.–7 p.m., Friday; 8:30–4 p.m., Saturday, at Hamburg Fairgrounds (5600 McKinley Parkway., Hamburg; the-fairgrounds.com, 649-3900)

May 5 Music of the Ages This fundraiser for the Black Rock Historical Society features a presentation by Forever Young writer and music historian Rick Falkowski, plus music by The Heenan Brothers, Big Wheelie, and Joe Giambra Jazz Quartet.

2 p.m. at Sportsmen’s Tavern (326 Amherst St.)

May 15, 22, 29 Meet Me at the CAM The film program Civilizations is being presented on successive Wednesdays, with commentary relating the documentary to the museum’s collections.

10 a.m. at the Castellani Art Museum (97 Varsity Drive, Niagara University; Castellaniartmuseum.org, 286-8295)

May 17–18 The Great Plant Sale A huge variety of perennials, annuals, shrubs, and trees is available at this sale. Expect to find native plants, unusual tropicals, hanging baskets, flats of annuals, Japanese maples, and much more.

10 a.m.–8 p.m., Friday; 9 a.m.–4 p.m., Saturday at the Buffalo Botanical Gardens (Buffalogardens.com, 827-1584) May 2019 | www.foreveryoungwny.com 29

www.buffalo.va.gov

Take Advantage of the Health Care VA Offers We encourage all veterans to enroll in VA health care.

Whether you need health care services right now or not, it is important to enroll.

Enrollment is easy.

• In person at the nearest VA Medical Center or outpatient clinic • By calling VA’s toll free health care number at 1-877-222-VETS (8387) • Or online at: www.vets.gov/health-care/apply VA has health care providers trained to evaluate and treat the injuries and health care concerns of veterans. You do not need to give up your current health care plan or private doctor to receive VA health care services.

VA health care offers a full range of care including: • Comprehensive inpatient and outpatient services • Preventive health services and primary care • Women’s health care • Rehabilitation • Home health care • Behavioral health services - individual, family and group counseling services, smoking cessation, vocational assessment for retraining or employment, transitional housing, job placement, and education benefits • Pharmacy benefits - including a convenient prescription service that mails medications prescribed by VA providers directly to your home

Batavia 222 Richmond Ave (585) 297-1000

Dunkirk 166 East 4th St (716) 203-6474

Lackawanna 1234 Abbott Rd (716) 821-7815

Niagara Falls 2201 Pine Ave (716) 862-8580

Buffalo 3495 Bailey Ave (716) 834-9200

Jamestown 608 West 3rd St (716) 338-1511

Lockport 5883 Snyder Dr (716) 438-3890

Olean 465 North Union St (716) 373-7709

For more information, visit us online at: www.buffalo.va.gov

Springville 15 Commerce Dr (716) 592-2409