Looking for some unique antiques or collectibles to adorn your mantle or end tables, original artwork or photography to add a splash of color to your walls or perhaps some memorabilia for your rec room or man cave? If so, you’ll want to visit the first annual Collectors’ Expo to take place from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 9 in the historic Buffalo Irish Center, located at 245 Abbott Road in South Buffalo.

The event will feature dozens of vendors and artisans offering sports memorabilia, local artwork and handcrafted products, coins, music memorabilia and records, comic books, photography, political memorabilia, movie and theatre memorabilia, car and train memorabilia, jewelry, fossils and minerals, antiques and more.

Pre-sale tickets for Buffalonia, the annual fundraising event for the Matt Urban Human Services Center and a celebration of our great city, are currently available for purchase. Buffalonia will take place from 5 to 10 p.m. Friday, Sept. 22, at 500 Seneca St., Buffalo.

Tickets are priced at just $25 each or 10 for $200 and can be purchased at the Matt Urban Center, 1081 Broadway, Buffalo. Admission includes beer and a food voucher. Lloyd's Food Truck with be there, and DJ Jickster from 97 Rock will join in the festivities. Individuals purchasing a pre-sale ticket at the Matt Urban Center will receive a free Buffalonia T-shirt or a Buffalonia beer mug.

Like many of us with a few years under our belt, Dave Bauer grew up in an era before video games and cellphones, when children enthusiastically played in the great outdoors until the streetlights went on. He thoroughly enjoyed exploring his natural surroundings, leaving no stone unturned and being completely intrigued by the creepy crawlers found in the soil beneath. 

Bauer’s youthful appreciation of nature led to a successful career as a teacher of environmental science and training others in creative thinking, change leadership and living sustainability. Following his retirement from the teaching profession, he turned his attention to several projects focused on reconnecting today’s youth with nature.