This weekend Buffalo is home to a wide range of outings, from birding to boxing to hula hooping on Elmwood. Instead of resorting to typical weekend activities like a dinner and a movie, step outside of the box and maybe you’ll find a new hobby.
For the smarty pants
Break out your camera, your binoculars and snow pants for Saturday’s “Birding on the River” event at Beaver Island State Park. The event runs from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. You will search for migratory waterfowl and wintering birds on the shores of the Niagara River.
Beaver Island encompasses 950 acres, including a sandy beach, a marina and room for cross-country skiing, snowshoeing and ice fishing. Beaver Island is located at 2136 W Oakfield Rd, Grand Island, NY.
Whether you’ve never gone birding before or hope to bag more “lifers,” “Birding on the River” will teach you first-hand about the local bird community.
For the sports lover
This weekend you have the chance to watch boxing up close and personal. The New York State Golden Gloves Boxing will be hosted by The Tralf Music Hall in downtown Buffalo on Saturday at 4:30 p.m.
General admission to The Tralf, at 622 Main St., are $26 in advance and $31 the day of the show. If you want ringside seats, be prepared to cough up $41 the day of the show. You can buy tickets online through Ticket Master.
For the artsy type
The Western New York Book Arts Center, at 468 Washington St. in downtown Buffalo, currently has Katherine Sehr’s “Small Obsessions” on display. “Small Obsessions” is a series of “large-scale meditative color field drawings” inspired by everything from Taoism to dancing to mathematics to art history.
Sehr’s drawings are a “slow accumulation of lines across the paper” and are driven by process and pattern.
Sehr will give a free artist’s talk and workshop on Saturday from 12-2 p.m., but if you can’t make the talk, gallery hours are Wednesday-Saturday from 12-6 p.m. Admission is always free.
For the partier
Grab your favorite dancing partner because Sunday, March 1 is Tango night at The Gypsy Parlor at 376 Grant St. on Buffalo’s west side. Tango night is free and starts at 7 p.m. – a perfect way to end a busy weekend.
The Gypsy Parlor has intriguing cocktails like the 716 Vaccine and Aphrodisiac, as well as a fine selection of bottled beer and wine. If you’re looking to have dinner before dancing, order up a black sheep burger, Banh Mi poutine or even a $12 bowl of shrimp Ramen.
For the stressed out
Wind down from the stress of homework with a hula hooping session at Ultra Hoops at 1121 Elmwood Ave., near SUNY Buffalo State. Filigrees Boutique is hosting Mila & Essjay’s Social Energy Mines Launch Party. Indulge in some wine, cheesecake and raffles – what more do you need to relax?
Emma Janicki is a managing editor and can be contacted at emma.janicki@ubspectrum.com
