Several people were injured when a fight inside the Rapids Theater on Main Street spilled outside early Sunday, leading to about 1,200 people rioting on the street, police said.

On a weekend filled with celebrations for Independence Day, a visit to the emergency room is probably one of the last places you want to end up. But as YNN’s Kaitlyn Lionti reports, when alcohol is involved, a trip to the hospital can be an unfortunate reality, especially for those under age.

A garage fire in Pendleton quickly spread to a house Sunday, setting off a large amount of fireworks.

Interview by Tara Sasiadek:

The Buffalo Expat Network, the Emerging Leaders in the Arts and HandsOn Greater Buffalo are pleased to present the echo: Art Fair which connects experienced collectors and first-time buyers with emerging local, regional and international artists in a centralized and creative environment; the Buffalo Central Terminal. echo: Art Fair will showcase a broad scope of fine art disciplines, including painting, photography, sculpture, print, works on paper, video and combined-media. echo will commence with a VIP Reception on July 8th, 2011. On July 9th, the echo: Art Fair will run from 9:30am until 5:30pm. The After-echo party, also to be held in the Terminal, will take place shortly after the ending of the fair featuring live music from The Albrights, Alex Kelly, and will wrap up with a dance party featuring DJ Cutler and AVDJ PROJEX. Here is the next in a series of Buffalo Rising interviews with one of our featured artists, Mary Begley:

Who are you, and what do you do?

Mary Begley - Painter

What are the most essential elements of your work?

Abstract Forms in space work together to create an atmosphere. I have always called them Atmospheres or Space-scapes and in my more recent UFO Series I embrace that concept and I bring forth an other worldly quality within the work and in the titles.

If you had to choose only 5 materials or tools to work with, what would they be?

Oil Paint, Canvas, Pastels, Paper and most importantly Myself.

Would you describe your artistic education as a guided or self guided journey?

Although I went to school for Fine Art at Buffalo State and UB and had some wonderful mentors along the way I feel like my education in life as well as Art is a Self Guided journey. Especially because I deal mostly in the abstract realm.

Do you have a connection to Buffalo?

I was born in Buffalo but grew up in upstate NY. I returned to my home town to go to College. I liked it so much I stayed on here.

Is there a Buffalo landmark or meal you plan to visit or have while here?

I would recommend to anyone visiting Mothers Restaurant for either dinner or an appetizer (try the shrimp fritters).

How do you define success as an artist?

The answer to this question is unique to every person answering it. There are also different levels of success. To me success is being a self sustaining artist and living off doing what you love. Until I reach that goal my everyday success is when someone feels so strongly about my work that they purchase it. I feel most successful when I can touch other people with my art work.

Can you share with a us a harrowing tale of an artistic disaster?

I was commissioned to paint a version of The Thinker by Rodin. The woman wanted a very large painting in all white. I worked very hard on it and in the end it was rejected. The woman was a doctor of sorts (sex therapist). I worked in a local record store after Grad school and she called me while I was on the floor and said I needed psychological help. I hung up the phone and went back to selling rap tapes. The painting hangs in my bathroom to this day and is a constant reminder of the joys of commission work.

Do you have a set schedule for studio time?  How do you structure your creative life?

I do not have a structure to my time spent in the studio. I try to spend as much time in the studio as possible outside of my 9 to 5 job at Righteous Babe Records. I have a third floor loft space right in my home and a room on the ground floor I call the "Studio Annex" where I can work on smaller items or drawings.

Can you tell us about where you find resources or inspiration for your work?

In my abstract work I draw from my experiences in life and the manipulation of the materials.

What quote or mantra or words of wisdom do you have for other creative types?

When I am painting I always remind my self to "let the painting happen". That is to say don't force it or stick to any one set formula. If something wonderful happens work with it and let it live its life.

Where can we find more of your work?

www.marybegley.com

I will also be having a show at The Hardware in Allen in August 2011 and a show at Betty's Jan-Feb 2012.

For full details on echo: Art Fair, visit the site at www.echoArtFair.com, or find us on Facebook.

Interview by Tara Sasiadek:

The Buffalo Expat Network, the Emerging Leaders in the Arts and HandsOn Greater Buffalo are pleased to present the echo: Art Fair which connects experienced collectors and first-time buyers with emerging local, regional and international artists in a centralized and creative environment; the Buffalo Central Terminal. echo: Art Fair will showcase a broad scope of fine art disciplines, including painting, photography, sculpture, print, works on paper, video and combined-media. echo will commence with a VIP Reception on July 8th, 2011. On July 9th, the echo: Art Fair will run from 9:30am until 5:30pm. The After-echo party, also to be held in the Terminal, will take place shortly after the ending of the fair featuring live music from The Albrights, Alex Kelly, and will wrap up with a dance party featuring DJ Cutler and AVDJ PROJEX. Here is the next in a series of Buffalo Rising interviews with one of our featured artists, Lesley Horowitz:

Who are you, and what do you do?

I am a visual artist and a partner in a branding and design agency in New York City. Originally from Buffalo, I did my MFA at Rhode Island School of Design and moved to New York City where I started my company, Officelab.

Currently I split my time between New York City and Buffalo. In New York City I live in a loft in Hell's Kitchen, and in Buffalo I have a church on the far west side which I use as my studio.

My photographic work is about a certain counter-narrative - one that explores the paradoxes of failed promise, futures unrealized and the industrial sublime. I have spent the past several years exploring the increasingly ephemeral landscape of the post-industrial Northeast, trespassing through abandoned factories, powerplants, steel mills and derelict landscapes. My work explores what remains -- not only in terms of the physical structures but also in terms of enduring resonance, and the immaterial.

What are the most essential elements of your work?

Light, absence of light, the industrial sublime.

If you had to choose only 5 materials or tools to work with, what would they be?

Red-Epic for video, Hasselblad 503 for stills, my dad's paints and brushes from the 50's, powdered graphite, bolt cutters.

Would you describe your artistic education as a guided or self guided journey?

Both. I was very lucky in that my father taught painting at Buffalo State for 40 years and taught me to see the world in terms of questions to be asked rather than answers to be accepted.

In graduate school I had incredible instructors and peers at who challenged every assumption and point of view. I was encouraged to look at a lot of art that made me uncomfortable, and pushed to develop work that resonated within a cultural context.

In NYC I've had the benefit of brilliant friends and colleagues - writers, artists, musicians, choreographers and curators, who have guided and supported my process. I consistently refer back to their insights and intelligence as I develop my work further. I have great respect for instruction manuals and a deep appreciation of the value of age and experience.

Do you have a connection to Buffalo? Is there a Buffalo landmark or meal you plan to visit or have while here?

McCarthey's bar in the Old First Ward for an ice cold Corona

How do you define success as an artist?

When I return to a work after a year and it still resonates - when I can see more into my work than I was conscious of creating.

Can you share with a us a harrowing tale of an artistic disaster?

The time we were taking pictures in an abandoned factory and were surrounded by the SWAT team with guns drawn. As it turned out they thought we were part of Bruce Willis' scouting crew who were arrested the previous day.

Do you have a set schedule for studio time?  How do you structure your creative life?

Because I also am a designer in my own company I am constantly challenging myself with creative processes. With my photography, most of the shooting happens on the weekends or late at night as a fair amount of it involves trespassing. I find that when I sit down to process an image I need a long amount of time to focus - often I'll work eighteen hours at a stretch. I come back to those images on and off for years, refining and reworking

Can you tell us about where you find resources or inspiration for your work?

Derelict highways, abandoned railroad tracks, anywhere with years of unmowed weeds.

I also see as much of other artists' work and go to as many galleries as I can fit into a week. I'm particularly inspired by artists like Olafer Eliasson, Mark Di Suvero, Richard Serra, Charles Sheeler, Romanian contemporary painters like Zoltd Bodoni, as well as contemporary choreographers, from Merce Cunningham to Stephen Petronio. I see a lot of dance, as dance is all about space, light and the ephemeral.

What quote or mantra or words of wisdom do you have for other creative types?

Trespass when necessary.

Where can we find more of your work?

My photographic work can be seen here:

and here:

and if you're on facebook, here:

My company's work can be seen here:

www.officelab.com

For full details on echo: Art Fair, visit the site at www.echoArtFair.com, or find us on Facebook.

Every two weeks the Broken House Club, a group of people on Buffalo's West Side, get together to help each other repair their homes.

Second Chance Sheltering Network, Inc. is an all-volunteer, not-for-profit animal rescue group serving the Western New York area.  Their goal is to help place homeless animals while simultaneously helping interested individuals find a new furry companion.  Every Sunday, we run a homeless pet spotlight to help these animals find a good home with a loving family. Please consider adopting an animal...

Meet the Sisters!

These two 1.5 year old sisters are bonded at the hip.  The have come to us together and they want to find a new home together.  They are like typical sisters with two different personalities... Carly is somewhat shy and Charlotte is outgoing and ready for anything.  They like to chase balls, sit in windows and watch whatever runs by, but most of all they love to be loved.  If you would like to make these beautiful calico sisters part of your home and double you pleasure and definitely double the fun, call Second Chance to put in an application at 652-6051. Adoption Donation: $90 per cat. Both sisters are spayed, negative for feline leukemia/FIV, had rabies/distemper vaccinations, flea control applied, 1st deworming and come with one month of free pet insurance.

More wonderful adoptable animals can be seen on our website:  www.secondchanceshelteringnetwork.com.

Buffalo & Erie County Public Library Staff Review by P. Foley:

Any Children's Librarian will tell you they've met someone just like Ian.  He's the "different" kid, the bounce-off-the-wall annoying kid, and a voracious reader.  He's also the kid they want to SAVE.  In the book The Borrower by Rebecca Makkai, Children's Librarian Lucy Hull, in order to save him, kidnaps 10-year-old Ian Drake - or is it the other way around?

The adventure that follows spins out of control and could - or some might say should - very well land our dear librarian in jail.

Both funny and heartfelt, this debut novel by Makkai examines the moral choices we make, the beliefs we hold, and the secrets we keep.

All good books, as Ian like to say, have a "mortal" to their story.  This is one good book.

We're not just books anymore! Your free Buffalo & Erie County Public Library card is your ticket to millions of free resources - e-books, downloadable music, research databases, genealogical materials, our complete catalog, and of course, more than 3 million book titles. All of this is at your fingertips at any Library in Erie County or from your own computer - check us out at www.buffalolib.org. 

Peanut Brittle Satellite is the leading light in Buffalo's experimental rock scene.

Preservationists want to save a surviving 1858 cavernous city-owned garage on Broadway and an old drill hall built in 1884.

The news late last week that the proposal for a new companion bridge to the Peace Bridge has reached a dead end disappointed many in the community.

I’ve seen this (probably circa 1980s) Rolls-Royce Corniche around town many times over the years, but this time I had a camera handy. Check out the license plate. — Jim Corbran, You Auto Know

The Buffalo Zoo is an odd location to base a segment of Escape the Urban. “Natural oasis” would be more accurate than “escape”, with some of the oldest and most stately trees within the developed metro area. But let’s be honest: if you have a family with young children, the decidedly urban Delaware Park/Buffalo Zoo complex is one of the best and most convenient local places to connect with nature. Bored with the kids this weekend? A visit to the Zoo is probably in your future. If you are like me, you’ve worn a hole in your membership card, and the kids lead you on a tour to their favorite spots, instead of the other way around.

When at their best, zoos serve several important functions. They educate the young and old alike about the natural world by providing a direct, visceral experience. They build constituencies of environmentally-minded citizens who wish to save the natural habitats of the animals they encounter. They breed endangered species to keep the gene pool viable. And increasingly, they take an active and direct role in the ecological restoration itself.

Tucked in a corner of the Reptile House, itself a secluded and untrafficked building hidden in plain sight between the lions and the zebras, an important restoration effort is ongoing, geared to make your next foray into actual New York wilderness more vibrant and pure. The Buffalo Zoo is raising hundreds of hellbenders.

I know, cool, right?

How such a skittish, slovenly creature got such an intimidating name is unclear. I prefer several of its other monikers, as they are at least as original and much more accurate: mud-devil, snot-otter and Allegany Alligator. The last one is a reference to its historical range in the Allegheny River watershed. In the infographics accompanying the lab viewing area, the Buffalo Zoo identifies Allegany State Park and the Catskills as the only current hellbender habitat in New York. But I can say I have personally seen them in Wood’s Creek in Buckhorn State Park on Grand Island. A little concrete bridge, a relic from the park’s privately-held past, crosses the creek just as it empties in the Niagara River, creating a secluded fishing spot that’s a favorite for many locals. I regularly take my children on walks that include that bridge, and we enjoy stopping and talking to the fishermen who are nearly always present. On one such stop, an angler snagged a hard bite just as we arrived. He pulled up no bass or pike, but a twelve inch hellbender that had swallowed the hook. 

 Hellbenders are threatened, as are many species, from over development, loss of habitat and water quality. Much like frogs, hellbenders are the “canary in the coal-mine” for pollution; it doesn’t take much to force them away. To help boost their numbers, Zoo staff got a grant from the state DEC to set up a “headstart” program. In 2009, they gathered more than 700 eggs from local watersheds and brought them to the zoo to be raised for three years. Hopefully by then, big enough to avoid predators and ready to breed on their own, they’ll be ready to be released back into the rivers and streams south of us.

The hellbender lab at the zoo is a cross between a shoddy tropical fish store and the human power generations farms from the Matrix. Shaded from the sun by a partition and safely behind a wall of glass, the hellbenders occupy a grid of bubbly fish tanks, roughly five per standard ten gallon module. In the wild, hellbenders spend most of their thirty years of life happily buried in a mud hole in a stream bank. For this reason, each commandeered fish tank at the zoo has a number of plastic mock burrows for the hellbenders to hide in; when I visited Friday, nearly every salamander was hiding in their comforting narrow shelter. 

When most think of zoo breeding programs, they imagine exotic pandas and gorillas, charismatic capitol species from far away that easily attract interest and dollars. I applaud the Buffalo Zoo for not only doing important work on a local species, but an ugly necessary one.

Owners decry audits by state as ruthless

Geneva native and St. John Fisher College assistant doesn't let disability get in the way of pursuing his dreams.