The Chautauqua County Sheriff’s Office says 18-year-old Zachary Wadding of North East, Pa., died about 7:45 p.m. Tuesday.

Having seen a spectacular Paul McCartney show a couple years ago at Madison Square Garden, I thought about going to NYC again for his Yankee Stadium show in July. Second row field seats, dead center of the stage are a whopping $11,600. Love McCartney, but I don’t think I’ll be making that.

By Nicole Schuman aka @buffalogal:

You know the type.  Your friend who can't let go of the Smartphone. You sit down to dinner. "Hey, you ready to order?" "Oh just give me a minute.  I have to check in. Oh look, Master Chompers is also here. Let me tweet him and say hi!"... Groan.

Or is this you?

Social media has infiltrated every aspect of Buffalo life. From QR (Quick Response) Codes on posters, to Perry's Ice Cream year-long supply of ice cream Facebook contest, to following the latest Sabres' trades on Twitter (#bradrichardstobuffalo is trending lately), it's hard to escape even your grandma friend requesting you on Facebook.

Mashable, one of the most popular technology-social media-popular culture blogs on the web created Social Media Day in 2010. On June 30, fans of social media from around the globe will gather at "meetups" to celebrate and discuss all things social media. Social Media Club of Buffalo is hosting its own, open to all of Buffalo at The Eights Bistro at 888 Main Street on Thursday, June 30 at 6pm. Admission is free and will include music from DJ Lo Pro, over 40 door prize giveaways, food and drink specials when you check into "Social Media Day Buffalo 2011" on Foursquare, a Twitter wall, and of course getting to meet those people you've been "twirting" with for months-- in person.

SMCBuffalo is also asking attendees to take their own videos of the event with their Smartphone or flipcam and submit to media@socialmediaclubbuffalo.org. SMCBuffalo will be compiling guests' videos after the event for a special mash-up video project.

For more information on the event check out the Facebook and Meetup pages. Also, if you can't make it, follow #smdaybuf on Twitter for all of the live updates from the event.

New York State has given the ok for steady SUNY tuition hikes that will happen over the next five years. The legislation passed through the Senate and Assembly Friday.

Listen to Common Cents with Ken Wolf and Dave Ungaro live on Wednesdays at noon.

Download audio file (062911CC.mp3)
6/29/11 Common Cents

Orchard Park, N.Y. – The Buffalo Bills announced today a new partnership agreement with Kumho Tire USA, Inc., one of the top tire manufacturers in the world. As part of the agreement, Kumho Tire wi...

Enjoy a round of golf (with cart) at Thundering Waters Golf Club in Niagara Falls, ON at a reduced rate of $50.

CLICK HERE TO PURCHASE.

Check out attendance data for every school in Buffalo.

            Many Allentown frequenters know of the Old Pink on Allen Street, a local dive bar, and its memorable status within Buffalo nightlife. However, unlike most other bars, Old Pink earns as much attention for its steak sandwich as it does for its beverages and musical guests. While most people would assume a steakhouse would be the first-choice option for a steak lover, The Old Pink's steak sandwich can prove this assumption wrong. Not only does the Old Pink steak sandwich have over 1,000 Facebook fans, its Facebook page is devoted solely to the sandwich and is unendorsed by the Old Pink! So how does an unadvertised menu item at a bar earn such a following? Buffalo Rising decided to talk with Molly Brinkworth, who has managed the Old Pink for 20 years, to learn about the steak sandwich's history and how it became a Buffalo icon.

            According to Molly, the Old Pink created its steak sandwich in 1968 after her father and uncle, Dennis and Kevin Brinkworth, drew inspiration from a small restaurant in New York City. For their grilled steaks and steak sandwich, the restaurant used the entire loin of a strip steak. Although today the Old Pink does not use the entire loin for their sandwich, Dennis and Kevin found the recipe so delicious that they brought the idea home with them. The steak sandwich uses the best quality rolls available, similar high-quality steak today and with traditional toppings of peppers, onions, and cheese. However, these familiar toppings are spiced up with a secret ingredient that adds a special touch to the steak. Although Molly was reluctant to reveal the secret to us today, she hinted that another employee told Buffalo Rising in the past what that secret ingredient is (so look in the archives!)

Almost immediately after Dennis and Kevin Brinkworth brought the new steak sandwich idea to Old Pink, the restaurant began selling the item. It has been offered since with no hiatuses, even as the restaurant management occasionally changed. As Brinkworth noted, "[when my father] rented [the Old Pink] out to another person, they offered the sandwich too, so it's kept up." Still today, the steak sandwich has retained its status on the restaurant's menu while other aspects of the restaurant have changed. Even the recipe has never been, and never will be, altered in the slightest. As Molly noted, "for 20 years it's been like this, and we'll keep it like this for the next 20."

              The traditional recipe has rightfully been kept consistent, as it made an indelible impression in the Buffalo community that has not wavered over time. The sandwich, which gained widespread attention due to word-of-mouth recommendations, was revealed to be a hit to the Brinkworths as other local restaurants and bars started to prepare their strip steak in a similar way.

The sandwich's popularity in the Buffalo community expanded as the item became part of a Buffalo tradition. As Brinkworth notes, "everyone has their own favorite steak sandwich story," sharing many of the restaurant's stories. She tells of one memorable moment in the history of the Old Pink steak sandwich. Nelson Starr made a visit to the Old Pink to premiere the steak sandwich and the popular grilled bologna sandwich on No Reservations, a television show highlighting food from different cultures and locations. Additionally, she shared another humorous story. When the Old Pink received a call from GQ Magazine asking about the sandwich, she misinterpreted the call as a prank call from her brother and acted sarcastic to the caller. Although she says she feels bad for being rude to the legitimate caller, she says that in retrospect "it is a pretty funny story." However, word-of-mouth and storytelling have worked as trustworthy advertisements for the steak sandwich on their own. The reliance on customer satisfaction has gained the local favorite attention nationally from popular television shows and magazines!

What is even more incredible is the Old Pink's dedication to maintaining the quality of their sandwich is the fact that the restaurant earns little profit off sandwich sales. As Molly notes, the business "likes the sandwich so much, we keep the sandwich [on the menu] although it only makes 50 cents per sandwich. [Since] the sandwich uses steak that would cost 18 dollars [at a minimum] in another restaurant, and we only charge 10 dollars for the sandwich, we are making no real profit." However, the sandwich's positive impact on the business as a whole exceeds the slight drawback of the sandwich's lack of profit.  As she notes, people often come to the bar solely for the sandwich itself, but then buy a drink or two, and become frequent customers to the bar. The unique influence the sandwich has on the bar, and the bar has on the steak sandwich itself is one that cannot be found elsewhere.

For a restaurant that has taken such a distinctive approach to their business, a Facebook page devoted to the sandwich seems to be an uncharacteristic marketing choice. However, it made more sense when we learned that the Facebook page was an unofficial fan page that even Molly herself was unaware of! When Molly learned Buffalo Rising decided to cover a story based on the Facebook page, she said, "I was not aware of the Facebook page, but I am flattered [to hear about it]." However, she would like to contribute her own opinion to the page. As she replied, "I'd like to look up the page now and add my own two cents!" The fact that the page became so popular without the business owner's knowledge of its existence is an impressive testament to the sandwich's profound impact on the business.

            Our visit to the Old Pink also provided another testament to the one-of-a-kind environment at Old Pink beyond Molly Brinkworth's comments and Facebook reviews. The bar's atmosphere also likely plays a role in the success of the sandwich, and the business as a whole. Its close-knit atmosphere reflects Buffalo's reputation as a friendly city. When regulars visited the bar, Molly and bartender Nick remembered their favorite drinks down to the smallest details. They included their customers in their conversation about the Facebook page about the sandwich, clearly valuing their customer's input. Perhaps the social atmosphere at the Old Pink also contributes to the steak sandwich's following.  If you are exploring bars or even looking for great food in the Buffalo or Allentown area, it is worth checking the Old Pink out. The sandwich costs $10 and Old Pink is located on 223 Allen Street, and can easily be spotted on Allen Street due to its wall, a bright blue background covered in yellow and orange flames. Try a steak sandwich in the near future and celebrate this marvelous Buffalo business. 

Bartender Nick waits on customers at Allen Street's Old Pink. 

Top image is of Joey "Dynamite" Andriaccio wearing a Blackhawks' jersey given to him by Pat Kane. 

By Thea Hassan:

Riding past Lafayette Square yesterday afternoon, I noticed some men with t-shirts reading, "get trashed in the square." Intrigued, as this is one of my favorite summertime activities, I biked over for a closer look.

To my surprise, and only mild disappointment, it wasn't booze they were talking about. They were collecting trashed electronics. The event was EcycleBFLO, sponsored by Sunnking Electronics Recycling. Sunnking is a business located in Lancaster that recycles electronics in an environmentally-friendly way. After removing components that are toxic to the environment, such as mercury, lead, or brominated flame retardants, the company recycles 97 percent of the materials collected, according to their website. Metals are crushed to be reused, and computers that can be refurbished are donated to schools in need.

Items being collected included laptops, desktops, televisions, fax machines, printers, and circuit boards. This is the third year the company has held the event, and it has since been a successful collection. Unfortunately, the downtown collection event only lasted until 3 pm - fortunately Sunnking Electronics Recycling also does pick-ups, so if you have any electronics laying around, consider recycling it instead of sending it to the landfill.

Or you can wait for next year, and get trashed in the square! 

Orchard Park, NY – The Buffalo Legacy Project, which is focused on designing a modern, multi-purpose athletic field for residents in South Buffalo, will receive a $200,000 grant from the Buffalo Bi...

North East, Pa., teen and three friends were jumping into the lake from cliffs at Ripley Beach, deputies say.

By Thea Hassan:

Buffalo ReUse has announced plans to expand to a second location in the Schiller Park area.

ReUse is set to open the new location on the corner of Genesee Street and Hagen by August. The former bank branch site was donated by HSBC Bank USA, and will feature a recycled home improvement supply store, a tool lending library, and space for workshops ranging from first time homebuyer programs to home energy seminars.

"It will be a small satellite store... a smaller version of what is already up and running," said Michele Johnson of Buffalo ReUse.

The new location will also house administrative offices. No major modifications are necessary to prep the building for the ReUse purpose, with only cosmetic changes like painting planned.

"The building is beautiful, it's in impeccable shape," said Johnson. "We're really excited about it."

Johnson also noted the councilmen for the Lovejoy district, Rich Fontana, was excited as well, due to the need in the area for a ReUse store. Fontana was unavailable for comment.

Buffalo ReUse has also hired a new executive director, James Green. The US Army Colonel has a background in strategic planning, management and development. He also has served as President of the NAACP for the Parkersburg West Virginia chapter for 8 years and as a board member for the Mid-Ohio Valley United Way for 3 years. 

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A couple of players on my tennis team were singing the praises of HBO’s “Game of Thrones” recently before asking me if I had seen it and if I knew whether there would be a second season.
I hadn’t seen it at the time ( I watched the first episode via HBO On Demand the next night and understood their praise) but I knew it had been renewed because HBO sent me a release about it after the first or second episode aired.
Now that The Buffalo News frequently makes the former TV page into the pop music page, I feel it is my duty to share with you a few emails about TV news that you have missed as the paper uses my former space for reviews of Taylor Swift, Peter Frampton and anyone else with a voice and a guitar who comes to town for a one-night performance.

I get about 100 emails a day – not counting the ones reacting to this blog.

Here are a few things from them that you might have missed in the TV and sports world, though some items have made it into the newspaper and may be old news to you.

*Buffalo’s Mike Williams is No.83: Williams, the Riverside graduate who played football at Syracuse University, made it on the NFL Network list of the NFL’s Top 100 players selected by current players. He was picked No. 83, not bad for a wide receiver who slipped to the fourth round of the 2010 draft.

So far, 90 players have been named and — surprise, surprise — not one Buffalo Bill is among them. The Top 10 will be announced on the network on Sunday, though Time Warner Cable subscribers will be shutout.

* Cheers, Jane Lynch Will Host the Emmys on Sept. 18: The actress who plays mean-spirited cheerleader coach Sue Sylvester on “Glee” would appear to be an ideal choice based on her spring performance on “Saturday Night Live” and her recent appearance on HBO’s “Real Time with Bill Maher.” She’s multi-talented and has exquisite comic timing.

The Emmys air on Fox this year, with the Sept. 18 date meaning that almost all of the new fall network shows will begin airing on Sept. 19. In other words, you’ll be stuck with reality shows and repeats on network TV until then.

* “Curb Your Enthusiasm” Is Back July 10: I’ve seen the first episode of the new season of Larry David’s (see above) show and can report he is as annoying and as funny as ever. It also has quite an amusing takeoff on the New York City controversy involving the proposed Mosque being built near ground zero. More on the “Curb” season next week.

* “Shark Week” Returns July 31: Not to be confused with “Shark Tank,” the annual Discovery Channel series involves “SNL’s” Andy Samberg this time around as chief shark officer or host. Who knows, maybe that means Justin Timberlake will show up and start singing an underwater duet. Doubt it.

* AMC’s “The Killing” Will Be Back for 13 Episodes: The final episode that didn’t resolve who the killer was had a 2.6 rating in Buffalo, which is decent by cable standards. How many will come back the next time around is being debated online by frustrated fans. I wasn’t a regular watcher – the pace was a little too slow for me and it always seemed to be up against a big NBA game – so I wasn’t that disappointed or surprised by the ending.
It wasn’t the first time that viewers didn’t get the answers they were promised. Remember David Lynch’s “Twin Peaks”?

I certainly do. I gave the series pilot 5 stars out of 5, prompting my boss at the time to write me a message: “I saw that five star show of yours. One of us is crazy.”

The big question in the 1990 pilot was who killed Laura Palmer? It was supposed to be clear after eight episodes.  And seven episodes later, we still didn’t find out. Eventually, viewers got tired of the weirdness and stopped watching during a second season of 22 episodes. For those who don’t remember, Laura’s dad did it under the influence of evil spirit Bob.

It is hard to see how “The Killing” can go another 13 episodes without answering wko killed Rose Larsen and keep its fans happy. There was some speculation that one of the stars of the series, Billy Campbell, would be cut from the cast because of his salary. He played the politician who was arrested for the crime and looked like he was going to be assassinated in the final scene.

If Campbell leaves – and I suspect he’ll be saved – it won’t be because of money. He isn’t that big a star to demand a big salary and cable shows typically pay a lot less — as much as 40 percent or more less – than network shows anyway.

* NFL Network Switches Announcers: Three cheers, Joe Theismann is gone. So is Matt Millen. So is Bob Papa. If the NFL starts playing again, Mike Mayock (the guy who always seems to know who the Bills are taking in the NFL draft) will be the analyst alongside play-by-play man Brad Nessler. It almost makes me wish my cable system offered The NFL Network.

pergament@msn.com

Good Morning Buffalo: 6/29/11

Jackie Mordant, from Susan G. Komen of Western New York:

Download audio file (062911mordant.mp3)

Robyn Young, Breast Cancer Survivor:

Download audio file (062911young.mp3)

Joel Thomas, from the SPCA:

Download audio file (062911thomas.mp3)