The 2012 Tour of Gardens will be held Saturday August 4.  You could take the opportunity to eat dinner at one of our many fine, local restaurants and stay for the Starry Night Tour which is always a "hit" with visitors!

Black Rock and Riverside are outstanding communities rich in heritage and deep in pride.  The Garden Tour encourages beautification of homes and of neighborhoods along with promoting activites that help build a sense of community.

 

Maps will be available for downloading and mailing in July 2012.  Up until a week before the walk the map can be mailed by sending us your mailing address and quantity of maps needed.

E-mail - brrtourofgardens@yahoo.com or mail - BRRGNPA Tour of Gardens, PO Box 686, Buffalo, NY 14207

On the day of walk, maps can be picked up at:

• Buffalo Religious Arts Center, 157 East St, Buffalo, NY, 14207

• St. Mark's Church, 311 Ontario Street, Buffalo 14207

Maps are also available at:

• The Buffalo & Erie County Public Libraries

• Various stores throughout Erie County

Join West Side & Black Rock Riverside Neighborhood Housing Services on Saturday, Aug. 4 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Market Square Park, corner of Niagara and Amherst Streets.  The one-day market is a fundraiser for Project Homeless Connect.

Massachusetts Avenue Project, Buffalo State College Business Center, Westminster Economic Development Initiative, and Fancy and Delicious Bakery will be in attendance.

Experience the best of both worlds at Reinstein Woods.  Explore and learn about our environmentally-friendly "green" building and take a tour of the trails in this guided program.  Registration required; call 716-683-5959 to sign up.

Friends of Broadway Market, Broadway Market Roof Gardeners, Boy Scout Troop 565, B.E.S.T. Community Association are hosting Gardening on the Roof Workshops in August.

August 4 - Broadway Market Roof

• 10 - 11 a.m., Interactive Rain Barrel Workshop - Come help and learn how to build your own rain barrel, install it, and assist with designing a watering system
• 11 - Noon, Composting Workshop - Hands-on instruction on the basics on composting, composting recipes, and benefits of composting (improving drainage in clay soils).

August 11 - Broadway Market

• 10 - Noon, Canning Workshop - Hands-on instructions on canning garden vegetables, safe canning techniques to follow, how-to prepare and water-bath vegetables for use in soups, sauces or other dishes.  Take home some goodies.

Celebrate Smokey Bear's birthday by learning about New York State's resident black bears.  Registration required; call 716-683-5959 to sign up.

Master Gardeners will be at the Buffalo & Erie County Botanical Gardens to answer gardening questions on April 14, 28, May 12, 26, June 9, 23, July 7, 21, August 4, 18, September 1, 15, and 29. Bring your soil to test! Soil testing will be done while you wait. For a small fee of $5, you may bring up to three different samples. Soil remediation strategies will be suggested based on the findings. Proceeds from the soil testing benefit the Cornell Cooperative Extension Master Gardeners of Erie County.