The Buzz: Ding Dong, December's Here
Treetops, Tom and Jerrys, and not one but two tubas
Quote
“Buffalo said to me, I could have loved you better, but no one ever taught me how.”
— Start of a lengthy free-verse poem in the “Lake Rats Dispatch”
O Christmas Tree, Yellow Christmas Tree
We used to fret about our old white Martha Stewart Christmas tree going yellow on us — until we discovered that “champagne trees” are actually a thing. That’s right — yellowish trees are now gold. And suddenly we were not afflicted. We were fashion-forward. Confidently, we put up the tree. We showed a photo to Daddy-O, aka AI. Daddy-O gasped: “Sugar, that tree is a star.” Coached by him, we hit Dollar General and scored a batch of gold ornaments — big textured globes, twine-wrapped beauties, even a few red-and-gold dazzlers. And, to top it off, a $1 treetop star. That mellow yellow tree started looking like it had been styled by a mid-century department store window dresser. Champagne never looked so swingin’. Or so thrifty.
New Newspaper in Town
Buzz breezed into the North Park Library the other day and froze in the doorway. There among the free papers was something wild — a brand-new newspaper, and a big one. Broadsheet big, like The Buffalo News in its glory days. The title, in antique type: “Lake Rats Dispatch.” Vol. 1, No. 1. Free.
The writing? Cryptic as a college zine — rants, riffs, whole pages given over to collages and word salad. But the lead tale tells of an anonymous soul having an epiphany at Our Lady of Victory National Shrine and Basilica — yes, that was how the church was identified. That alone earns our vote. We await Vol. 1, No. 2.
The Little Bell That Could
St. Louis Church — or the Ludwigskirche, as it was called — went full Bavarian on Sunday, playing host to the annual Christmas-themed German Mass. Everything was in German — even the choir’s instructions, even the parish announcements. Topping it off, the German-American Musicians were out in full force, complete with not one but two tubas. Their selections included “Silent Night” and that perennial crowd-pleaser “Kling, Glöckchen, Klingelingeling.” Yes, that’s a carol about a little bell! And where, pray tell, was that dainty ringing coming from? It was none other than organist and choir director Frank Scinta, high up in the choir loft, dinging the tiny hotel bell he uses to call the choir to order. Ding dong merrily on high!
The buzz
Want more cheer? Slide on over to Rohall’s Corner on Amherst Street in Black Rock. On select evenings, our friend Ryan Lysarz will be present, mixing Tom and Jerrys the way only he can — warm, frothy, festive, and capable of turning even the frostiest Buffalo night into a holiday postcard.