(NOTE: 716moms & events links require you to be a registered 716moms member. Sign up! It's free!)

Tuesday, June 11, 2019

2019 Summer List of Things to Do Around the 716

Check out this list of fun stuff! Feel free to add your own in the comments.

FESTIVALS
-Rochester Lilac Festival - May 10-19
-Buffalo Greek Festival - May 31-June 1
-Allentown Art Festival (Buffalo) - June 8-9
-Shakespeare in Delaware Park (Performances are Tuesday through Sunday at 7:30pm)
The Tempest - June 20 – July 14
Love's Labour's Lost - July 25 – August 18
-Taste of Diversity - June 29
-Pirate Festival, Olcott, Krull Park - July 12-14, Car Show July 13
-Taste of Buffalo - July 13-14
-Galbani Italian Heritage Festival - July 20-21
-Corn Hill Art Festival (Rochester) - July 13-14
-40th Annual Polish American Festival - July 19-21
-Grease Pole Festival - July 19-21
-Buffalo Garden Walk - July 27-28, 10am-4pm
-Eden Corn Festival - Aug 1-4
-Park Avenue Art Festival - August 3-4
-Chalkfest - Sept 14-15
-Erie County Fair, Hamburg - August 7-18
-Buffalo Irish Festival- August 23-25
-Elmwood Festival of the Arts- August 24-25
-NYS Festival of Balloons (Dansville)- August 29-September 2
-Clothesline Art Festival (Rochester)- Sept 7-8

COUNTY AND STATE FAIRS
-NY State Fair, Syracuse - Aug 21-Sept 2
-Cattaraugus County Fair, Little Valley - July 29-Aug 4
-Chautauqua County Fair, Dunkirk - July 15-21
-Erie County Fair, Hamburg - August 7-18
-Genesee County Fair, Batavia - July 13-20
-Ontario County Fair, Canandaigua - July 23-27
-Wyoming County Fair, Pike - Aug 10-17

SPECIAL EVENTS
Explore and More:
-Touch a Truck - June 9, 10-4pm, Quiet Time 10-12pm
Buffalo Zoo:
-Members Only Appreciation Night - June 25, 6-9pm, by ticket only
-Members Only Appreciation Night - July 25, 6-9pm, by ticket only
Art Park:
-Fairy House Festival June 9
Tift Nature Preserve
-Events
-Sky's the Limit (kites) - TBD?
Buffalo Waterfront
-Outer Harbor
-Canalside

REOCCURRING EVENTS
-M&T First Fridays: Admission to the Albright Knox is free the first Friday of every month. 10am-10pm
-M&T Second Fridays: Admission to the Burchfield Penney free all day the second Friday of every month (10am-8pm) with special events and programs beginning at 5:30 pm.
-M&T Third Fridays: Admission to the Buffalo History Museum is free the third Friday of every month. 10am-5pm
-M&T Fourth Fridays: Admission to the Buffalo Arts Studio/Tri-Main Building is free the fourth Friday of every month. 11am-8pm
-Explore and More, Play Late: First Friday of every month, The play extends late (until 8pm) for parents who work, kids who need a night of getting their energy out, or families looking for an excuse to play together! No prior registration required, included with admission.
-Explore and More, Fearless Family Fun: The first Saturday of each month for a full day of fun and engaging healthy activities located throughout the museum’s play zones and educational studios at Fearless Family Play Day presented by BlueCross BlueShield of Western New York. See Here for complete list of dates and times.
-Au-Some Evening: Explore & More: Fridays 5:00-8pm, See Calendar to read more. 2019 dates: July 12, Aug 9, Sept 13, Oct 11, Nov 8, Dec 13, Reserve your spot today by emailing: accessibility@exploreandmore.org
-Food Truck Tuesdays: April 23 - Oct 1st, 5-8pm Larkin Square
Check HERE for bands and food vendors attending.
-Artpark FREE Family Saturdays: Saturdays in July 6-27 - (12-4pm) Check HERE for schedule & themes.

FARMERS MARKETS/PRODUCE SCHEDULES
Farmers Market Schedules

Produce Schedule
March - April: Asparagus
May-June: strawberries
June- July: cherries
June-August: blueberries, blackberries
July-September: peaches, figs, tomatoes, green beans
July-October: raspberries
August - Figs, Fall raspberries start, early apples
September-October: apples and grapes
October: late apples, Pumpkins

SUMMER MOVIES & ENTERTAINMENT
MOVIES
-Regal's Schedule $1 Movies, 10am Tuesdays and Wednesdays
-Flix Free Family Film Series TBA - Saturdays 10am
-Aurora Theatre Wednesdays & Saturdays 11:00am
-Green Acres Icecream Movies Wednesday Evenings July 10th - Aug 14th at dusk
-East Aurora Movies in Hamlin Park, every Friday during July 12-August 30 at Dusk
Movie schedule

OTHER FUN ACTIVITIES
Bowling
-Kids Bowl Free 2 free bowling games a day all summer long
GPS Games (if you have a smartphone, chances are, you have a GPS)
-Geocaching: Treasurehunting with a GPS
-Munzee: Track down QR codes for points using a GPS
-Letterboxing: Treasurehunting for special stamps

MUSIC
-Buffalo and WNY 2019 Free & Community Concert Schedule

Thursday, May 31, 2018

2018 Master List of 716 Summer Events

Check out this great list of fun things for summer! Feel free to add more in the comments.

FESTIVALS
- Rochester Lilac Festival - May 11-20
-Buffalo Greek Festival - June 1-3
-Allentown Art Festival (Buffalo) - June 9-10
-Shakespeare in Delaware Park (Performances are Tuesday through Sunday at 7:30pm)
King Lear - June 21 – July 15
Much Ado About Nothing - July 26 – August 19
-Taste of Diversity - June 30
-Pirate Festival, Olcott, Krull Park - July 6-8, Car Show July 7
-Taste of Buffalo - July 7-8
-Galbani Italian Heritage Festival July 12-15
-Corn Hill Art Festival (Rochester) - July 14-15
-40th Annual Polish American Festival - July 20-22
-Grease Pole Festival - July 20-22
-Buffalo Garden Walk - July 28-29, 10am-4pm
-Eden Corn Festival - Aug 2-5
-Park Avenue Art Festival August 4-5
-Chalkfest TBD
-Erie County Fair, Hamburg - August 8-19
-Buffalo Irish Festival- August 24-26
-Elmwood Festival of the Arts- August 25-26
-NYS Festival of Balloons (Dansville)- August 30-September 3
-Clothesline Art Festival (Rochester)- Sept 8-9

COUNTY AND STATE FAIRS
-NY State Fair, Syracuse - Aug 22-Sept 3
-Cattaraugus County Fair, Little Valley - July 30-Aug 5
-Chautauqua County Fair, Dunkirk - July 16-22
-Erie County Fair, Hamburg - August 8-19
-Genesee County Fair, Batavia - July 16-21
-Ontario County Fair, Canandaigua - July 24-28
-Wyoming County Fair, Pike - Aug 11-18

SPECIAL EVENTS
Explore and More:
-Touch-a-Truck 2018 - Aug 5, 11-3pm
Buffalo Zoo:
-Members Only Appreciation Night - June 25-27th, 6-8:30pm
Art Park:
-Fairy House Festival June 16
Buffalo Harbor
-Insectival Aug 5
-Sky's the Limit (kites) - TBD?

REOCCURRING EVENTS
-M&T First Fridays: Admission to the Albright Knox is free the first Friday of every month. 10am-10pm
-M&T Second Fridays: Admission to the Burchfield Penney free all day the second Friday of every month (10 am-8 pm) with special events and programs beginning at 5:30 pm.
-M&T Third Fridays: Admission to the Buffalo History Museum is free the third Friday of every month. 10am-5pm
-M&T Fourth Fridays: Admission to the Tri-Main Building is free the third Friday of every month. 11am-8pm
-Explore and More, Play Late: First Friday of every month, Explore & More is open late, from 10am until 8pm. Pizza, veggies and a drink available from 5:30pm – 7pm for just $3.
-Au-Some Evening: Explore & More: Fridays 5:30-8pm, See HERE for dates and to register.
-Food Truck Tuesdays: April 11 - Oct 4th, 5-8pm Larkin Square
Check link for bands and food vendors attending: http://www.larkinsquare.com/things-to-do/food-truck-tuesdays/
-Artpark FREE Family Saturdays: Saturdays in July 7-28 - (12-4pm) Check HERE for schedule & themes.

FARMERS MARKETS/PRODUCE SCHEDULES
Farmers Market Schedules: http://www.bestofwny.com/farmers_market/#erie

Produce Schedule
March - April: Asparagus
May-June: strawberries
June- July: cherries
June-August: blueberries, blackberries
July-September: peaches, figs, tomatoes, green beans
July-October: raspberries
August - Figs, Fall raspberries start, early apples
September-October: apples and grapes
October: late apples, Pumpkins

SUMMER MOVIES & ENTERTAINMENT
MOVIES
-Regal's Schedule $1 Movies, 10am Tuesdays and Wednesdays
-Flix Free Family Film Series/Saturdays 10am
-Aurora Theatre Wednesdays 11:00am, Schedule TBA
-Green Acres Icecream Movies Wednesday Evenings July 11th - Aug 15th at dusk
-East Aurora Movies in Hamlin Park, every Friday during July/August at Dusk
Movie schedule TBA

OTHER FUN ACTIVITIES
Bowling
-Kids Bowl Free 2 free bowling games a day all summer long
GPS Games (if you have a smartphone, chances are, you have a GPS)
-Geocaching: Treasurehunting with a GPS
-Munzee: Track down QR codes for points using a GPS
-Letterboxing: Treasurehunting for special stamps

MUSIC
-Tuesday in the Park & Coors Light Wednesdays
Tuesdays in the Park
JUN 12 STEVEN TYLER AND LOVING MARY BAND
JUN 19 BRUCE HORNSBY & THE NOISEMAKERS WITH THE WOOD BROTHERS
JUN 26 BLUE RODEO WITH COLIN JAMES
JUL 3 STEVE MILLER BAND
WITH PETER FRAMPTON
JUL 10 BARENAKED LADIES
WITH BETTER THAN EZRA & KT TUNSTALL
JUL 17 TEDESCHI TRUCKS BAND WHEELS OF SOUL 2018
JUL 24 GOV'T MULE WITH LUKAS NELSON & PROMISE OF THE REAL
JUL 31 BRIT FLOYD: ECLIPSE WORLD TOUR
AUG 7 JEFF BECK WITH SPECIAL GUEST
ANN WILSON OF HEART
AUG 14 TROMBONE SHORTY & ORLEANS AVENUE WITH GALACTIC, PRESERVATION HALL JAZZ BAND AND MORE
AUG 21 THE SPINNERS WITH DAVE SCHULZ & C.O. JONES
AUG 28 BOY GEORGE & CULTURE CLUB, THE B-52S AND THOMPSON TWINS' TOM BAILEY

Coors Light Wednesdays
MAY 23 PRIMUS & MASTODON
JUN 2 NATHANIEL RATELIFF & THE NIGHT SWEATS + THE HEAD AND THE HEART
JUL 27 FLEET FOXES
JUL 28 AN EVENING WITH WEEN
AUG 1 PORTUGAL. THE MAN
AUG 10 SLIGHTLY STOOPID WITH STICK FIGURE AND PEPPER
AUG 12 ALL TIME LOW AND DASHBOARD CONFESSIONAL
AUG 22 O.A.R. WITH SPECIAL GUEST MATT NATHANSON

-$5 5pm Thursday Canalside Concerts
See Link for Line-up
-Jam in the Valley July 5-7
-Backyard Bash Concert Series - Free concerts held in the public parking lot behind Vidler's, Thursdays from 6:30 to 8:30 pm.
July 5 - Singlecoils sponsored by 42 North Brewing Co.
July 12 - Dave Constantino Band sponsored by Vidler's 5 & 10
July 19 - NY Rockin' Revue sponsored by Sammy's Car Wash
July 26 - Never Ben sponsored by East Aurora Advertiser
Aug. 2 - Limelite University (rising stars) sponsored by Limelite Music
Aug. 9 - Krossfire sponsored by Larwood Pharmacy
Aug. 16 - Young Relics sponsored by Andrews' Barber & EA Ink
Aug. 23 - Folkfaces sponsored by Great Erie Federal Credit Union
Aug. 30 - Scott Celani Band sponsored by Comfort Funeral Home




Friday, September 22, 2017

Cake Mix Cookies

Craving homemade cookies that are quick and easy? Here is a great recipe that only has a few ingredients.

Cake Mix Cookies

Ingredients:
  • 1 box vanilla or yellow cake mix
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 2 eggs
  • 1/2 cup vegetable oil
  • 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1 cup sprinkles

Preheat oven to 350°.

Directions:
1. In a large bowl, mix together the cake mix and baking powder.
2. In a small bowl, mix together the eggs, oil and vanilla. Add the liquid mixture to the dry mixture.
3. Stir in the sprinkles.
4. Drop by spoonfuls onto a cookie sheet.
5. Bake for 10 minutes and allow to cool for 5 minutes  before transferring to cooling rack.

This makes about 25-30 cookies.




































































But don't stop there! Think of all the fun ways you can change this up:
  • Chocolate cake mix and peanut butter chips 
  • Funfetti cake mix and M&Ms Red 
  • Velvet cake mix and white chocolate chips
  • White cake mix and crushed candy canes 
The possibilities are endless!







Thursday, August 17, 2017

Homemade Play Dough

With four kids, I've tried a lot of different homemade play dough recipes. My all time favorite is one I found years ago on the Counting Coconuts blog. The recipe makes a soft dough that has a much nicer texture than name brand stuff. You can make any colors you want and even add scents. It's so easy to make too!

Homemade Play Dough

Ingredients:
-1 cup Flour
-1/2 cup Salt
-1 tablespoon Cream of Tartar or lemon juice
-1 tablespoon Cooking Oil
-1 cup Water
-food coloring, glitter, extracts (optional)


Directions:
1. In a medium sized bowl, combine all the dry ingredients and mix well. Add wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and combine.

2. Pour the mixture into a cooking pot and cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly until the contents form a ball.

3. The dough is ready when the mixture pulls away from the pot and when the wet parts begin to look dry.

4. Turn the dough onto a cutting board or countertop and knead until smooth. Use caution! It will be hot!

The original recipe says to add food coloring, glitter, extracts, etc. AFTER the dough has cooled. She advises that the color and scents won't "take" as well when the dough is hot/very warm. I like to half the recipe and add the food coloring while the ingredients are in the pot because the colors blend better. I then add the glitter and/or scents after the dough has cooled.

Store dough in a Ziploc container or bag in the refrigerator. It will last months! It's time to throw away the dough when it starts to look dry and crusty or when it gets very sticky and gooey. What you want it a nice, smooth, elastic consistency.

For more play dough fun, scroll through and check out the play dough themes at the Counting Coconuts website!

Sunday, May 21, 2017

Gift Bag Contest Winners!

Our gift bag contests ended yesterday and our winners have been chosen! Congratulations everyone!
If your username appears below, we will be in touch with you about claiming your prize. Please log in to 716moms.com to check your private messages for details!
lms2468
kimmy106
emilydorothea97
Ashley_Hund
kkeitz
Gail
Julie
NocturneAlli
Sami.Nola.Haz

Saturday, May 13, 2017

CONTEST ALERT! - Who Needs a Fabulous Gift Bag?

How to Enter: In honor of Mother's Day, in this post's comments, share a favorite memory about a special woman (or child) in your life. Three (3) winners will be selected to win a gift bag prize. Make sure you leave your email address or log onto 716moms.com and comment on the Contest Post, that you have entered here and which comment is yours.

Donated by Babies & Bumps, these gift bags are perfect for new or expecting moms with lots of samples and full size items included, plus coupons and information about local services. (Valued at approx. $60!) Even if you are not a new or expecting mom, these would make a great gift. There will be three (3) gift bags awarded. Entries will be accepted until May 20th, 2017. Drawing will take place on May 21st, 2017. This contest is not associated in any way with Blogger. 







Thursday, May 11, 2017

It Happened to Me - A Mom's Worst Nightmare

Combing Out Lice
This serene and beautiful painting certainly does not depict the tense feeling of dread in the pit of your stomach when you encounter head lice for the first time. Yes, lice. I bet you're feeling a little itchy right about now. I know I do, just typing the word. The only thing worse than finding "A case of head lice has been discovered in your child's class..." letter in your child's take home folder is when that letter is about your child. I know, because it happened to us.

We've been getting those letters since my son was in kindergarten. I've heard lots of advice: Lice like dirty hair, keep their hair a little greasy, lice hate tea tree oil, just mix with water & spray on hair, keep long hair up. We've always told our children not to share hats, headphones, combs or brushes with anyone! I've done all those things and I will admit, I felt pretty confident that lice would NEVER happen to us. We had one close call when a girl in my daughter's class, who was also her partner in dance class had lice. But we were immune.

Imagine my surprise two weeks ago when, before school, I parted my daughter's hair to put it up and saw a little bug. At first, it didn't even dawn on me. Hmm, she has a little fruit fly in her hair. I pulled it out and killed it on a napkin. My husband looked at me and asked, "what was that?" "A little fly?" I said. I looked up, saw the look he was giving me and realization hit. I pushed the napkin over to him and started looking through her hair again. He said, "I don't think this is a fly," as I spotted another one in her hair. Nooooo! "You can't go to school today," I said to my daughter, "You have lice." While I mentally began to freak out, my daughter sat silently crying at the table. Watching the tears roll down her face, put me in check. I could not let her see me upset. "It's ok honey, we're going to take care of this." 

Facts:
Having head lice does not mean you are dirty. Most people get head lice when they have head-to-head contact with someone who has lice. Head-to-head contact lets lice crawl from one head to another head. The lice do not care whether the person has squeaky-clean hair or dirty hair. The lice are looking for human blood, which they need to survive.

Millions of people get head lice each year. Head-lice infestations are especially common in schools. In the United States, it is believed that about 6 to 12 million children between 3 and 12 years of age get head lice each year.

So many thoughts and questions. Where did she get lice? Do I have lice? What do I have to do? Could the dog have it? How long has she had it? Do I have to throw her stuffed animals out? I felt itchier and itchier. My husband looked through my hair as I started Googling. He said he didn't see anything. I checked his hair and didn't see anything. Why was I so itchy? Did he miss something? I read a ton. Here is some advice in case you ever have to deal with lice. These are all things I learned from this experience.

1. Notify school ASAP - most schools have a no live lice policy and your child will have to stay home. As embarrassing as it is, your child got lice from someone. If you treat your child, you certainly do not want to send them to school and have them get it back again from a child who has it and does not realize. The students in your child's class will be checked by the nurse. 

2. Strip bedding for washing as well as any clothes or towels that your child has been in contact with, used, or worn within the last 48 hours. They must be washed on hot and dried on high heat for at least 20 minutes. Anything that cannot be washed or dried on hot/high heat should be stored in an airtight bag for two weeks. This is to ensure that nothing survives if there happen to be lice or nits (lice eggs) attached. The temperatures had been so chilly I had to also wash ALL hats, scarves, and gloves in our house, simply because they were stored in such close proximity.

3. Soak any brushes or combs in hot water for at least 10 minutes. (I dumped vinegar in for good measure)

4. Vacuum the floor and furniture, particularly where your child has sat or played.

I will note, I was told by a professional that lice cannot live more than 2 days off of a human head, so I shouldn't go crazy cleaning everything. The CDC says, the risk of getting infested by a louse that has fallen onto a rug or carpet or furniture is very small. Basically if they fall off a person and cannot feed, they die. Spending much time and money on housecleaning activities is not necessary. My daughter had laid on the couch the day before, so I vacuumed the furniture, as well as all the carpets in the house just in case. Especially since her hair is long. How many hairs do you shed in a day? Exactly.

To treat your child, you have a few options.

If you have a boy (or even a girl), one super easy solution is to shave his head. Ha, ha, unfortunately this was not an option for us. Here are a few other methods of treatment:

1. You can buy an over the counter, medicated shampoo. The active ingredient in the shampoo should kill the live lice (it may take more than a day) however it will not kill the nits. You will need to use a fine tooth, nit comb, section the hair, and comb out the dead lice and nits. It is recommended that hair is retreated in 7 days in case any nits were missed (as they stick to the hair like cement). Otherwise they can hatch and start the entire process again; laying eggs and re-infesting. It is also recommended that you nit comb hair daily.

2. There are a ton of natural suggestions and home remedies out there. Here are some popular suggestions:

a. Apple cider vinegar & oil: First rinse the hair with apple cider vinegar to loosen the glue that holds the nits in place. Allow the vinegar to sit until the hair is fully dry, then coat the scalp and hair completely with coconut or olive oil to suffocate the lice. Pull all the hair into a shower cap and let the oil sit for at least eight hours. Lice can hold their breath for a long time! When the time is up, either shampoo to remove the oil, or comb the hair with a nit comb and then wash.

b. Mayonnaise: Coat hair thoroughly with mayonnaise and cover it tightly with plastic or a shower cap. You can even wrap a towel over the plastic. Leave it on for a minimum of five to six hours. Wash hair well with regular shampoo and dry hair using a hair dryer as the hot air ensures the lice are dead. Use a nit comb to remove the lice and nits. Repeat once a week for about two months.

c. Listerine and white vinegar: Soak head with Listerine until all hair is completely wet. Gather hair and put it in a shower cap or plastic bag. Make sure the seal on the cap or around the bag is tight and all the wetness is kept at the scalp. Let it sit for an hour or more.

After the hour is up, remove the bag carefully. You may see dead lice inside the bag. Rinse the hair, so you get rid of all the Listerine and then douse the head with white vinegar. Massage into the scalp gently and apply the bags again. Leave on for another hour.

Rinse the vinegar and then shampoo the hair as normally. Use the lice comb to comb out dead lice and eggs. Vinegar loosens the glue the females use to attach their eggs, so you can easily comb the eggs out.

3. Naughty Nits! In WNY we are fortunate to have a business that specializes in the treatment and removal of lice. Let me first say that I will not receive any kind of compensation for this endorsement and review of Naughty Nits. I heard about the company from a fellow mom who had to deal with head lice in her family. When I called to schedule an appointment, they were able to take us the same day. They offer a treatment for lice with an exclusive FDA cleared device called the AirAllé. The AirAllé™ method of removal is 99.2% effective at killing lice AND nits. What is awesome is that our insurance benefits card covered the cost of treatment so it did not cost us anything out of pocket. However, Naughty Nits advertises that they offer solutions for any budget.

After the treatment with the AirAllé machine, the technician wet my daughter's hair with water. She then coated her hair with their special enzyme conditioner and sectioned it off. She started at the bottom and I was amazed at how precise she combed through her hair, the same section, in all directions, with a nit comb. I'm not sure I would have been as thorough doing this blindly on my own, at home. She went through all of her hair, told me the total number of lice and nits removed (I won't even share because it is disgusting) and then rinsed her hair out. After spraying an all natural repel spray on her head, her hair was put up into a ponytail. I also had my hair checked while we were there and thankfully was lice free. They kept saying that 90% of moms who have kids infected with lice, get it.

I am grateful our insurance covered this method of treatment as it helped put my mind at ease. Once she was cleared for no lice, I felt confident I could finish taking care of things at home. We scheduled a follow up appointment for one week later to make sure that there were no nits missed. Since all live lice were dead, my daughter was cleared to return to school the following day as well. My husband and other children went to Naughty Nits the following evening to be checked. They too were clear which meant that I didn't have to wash all of their bedding, clothing and towels.

While this whole ordeal was stressful (I liken it to the stomach bug - dread, rehabilitate, containment and laundry) it wasn't the end of the world. It took me an extra week to catch up on the laundry I missed while washing the potentially "infected" items and another two weeks to get over the itchy feeling on my own head but no one died or was injured in the process. The special shampoo, conditioner, and repel spray I bought to use as a preventative has forever ruined the scent of tea tree oil and rosemary for me but that's how it goes. My husband says it reminds him of pizza but I disagree. If you want to purchase these items to use as a preventative in your household (as it is now a staple in ours) the brand is Fairytales. You can buy it on Amazon. Their website is also super informative regarding lice, how to treat, and how to prevent.

And one last thing I learned through this whole ordeal: While the experience feels embarrassing and you might be too ashamed to talk about it with anyone, if you did, you'd probably be surprised by the number of people you know who have gone through the same thing. Hang in there!

Informational Sources: CDC, AAD, Mommypotamus, Top 10 Home Remedies, Healthy and Natural World

This is a real life account as told by one of our members. Did something happen to you? Would you like to share your experience mom to moms? E-mail us at admin at 716moms dot com. We'd love to publish your story on our blog.