Stories & Events for Social Connection

By Seamus Gallivan

• Emotion Into Action
• Musings on Music: Are you tuning into The Bridge?
• Featured Events: 20+ this week, encouraging submissions!
• Listening Links: Tuning up with GObike

Welcome to the Buffalodown, thank you for your attention!

Grateful for the feedback that folks are opening this email in search of ways to make sense of the current political climate and get involved – to “look to the light,” as has been my mantra since Election Day 2024. Especially grateful for y’all who reply and say so directly!

Got a note last week from this here’s now-newest subscriber saying, “Please let me know if you’re working on any political actions. I know you’ve got an organizer’s heart. Lots of folks struggling at how to respond to this continued fuck fest.”

   Appreciate that he sees both the individual heart and our collective struggle – here’s to the power of channeling our emotions over national politics into action at the local level. Also appreciate this submission of an opportunity to do so with an array of community organizations led by Voice Buffalo, which states:

  “Join us for the Buffalo Votes Day of Action, a powerful day of civic engagement and mobilization! From training and food to community canvassing, we’re coming together to reach over 600 doors and educate voters on a range of critical issues—including Ranked Choice Voting (RCV).

  “We’ll kick things off with a brief training session, enjoy food together, and then head out in teams to connect with our neighbors. This is a chance to amplify our voices, build community power, and make a real impact ahead of this election season.”

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Become a paying member to support social connection!

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Musings on Music

Are you tuning into The Bridge?

While the former WBFO 88.7 FM radio is being rebranded as BTPM NPR under the umbrella of Buffalo Niagara Public Media – which also covers the former WNED-TV, now BTPM PBS – the station is increasing its hours of music programming, along with complementary community events and online content.

Are you tuning in? Care to share your thoughts? Seeking feedback and future support as I intend to get more involved…

…in case you missed it in the Listening Links a few weeks back, their Sound Barriers series of interviews featured music industry folks whose work covers both sides of the US-Canadian border; or here in this section, featured again below, their Hear Here podcast collaboration with Visit Buffalo Niagara spotlights local music venues and festivals. And now they’re hosting happy hour vibes, the next one this coming Tuesday after being postponed a bit due to the current cold front – I attended the previous one and enjoyed the vibe, gave some feedback as prompted by a sort of name-that-tune game and won a gift card to event host Mister Goodbar.

Radio station pop-ups usually rock sweet swag like that – concert tickets, gift certificates and such – and there’s such a “root for the home team” vibe about BTPM and public media in general right now, someone go to this next event of theirs and lemme know whatcha think! Let’s help our local public media support the music scene and support them back while we’re at it, as the fascists in the White House and their cronies in Congress have taken aim on this essential institution to democracy.

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Become a paying member to help us present and promote more music!

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Events in the Week Ahead

Thanks to all who’ve submitted their events! Welcoming submissions with a flyer and link to seamus@reconnecter.org.

Visit and subscribe to The Buffalo Hive for the comprehensive community events calendar we’ve been calling for!

Also from Slow Roll:

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Listening Links

Buffalo, Bikes & Big Vision: Reclaiming Streets with Justin Booth of GoBike Buffalo – Beyond Streets – “From “Recycle-a-Bicycle” to regional trail planning, Justin shares the journey of GOBike’s 25-year evolution and the coalition-building needed to reconnect communities fractured by expressways. We discuss what it really takes to make change: listening to neighborhoods, rethinking parking culture, and focusing on the basics—like sidewalk snow removal and safer crosswalks.

“Buffalo’s past holds lessons for every city rethinking its future. This one’s for planners, parents, advocates, and anyone who believes cities should work for people and a variety of transportation modes, beyond cars.”

   The Emergency is Here – Ezra Klein Show – “The president of the United States is disappearing people to a Salvadoran prison for terrorists: a prison built for disappearance, a prison where there is no education or remediation or recreation, a prison where the only way out, according to El Salvador’s justice minister, is in a coffin.

“The president says he wants to send ‘homegrown’ Americans there next.

“This is the emergency. Like it or not, it’s here.”

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Thank YOU for reading this far and being part of it all – extra thanks to everyone supporting this work with a membership at www.reconnecter.org!

Please share with friends to sign up for next week’s Buffalodown, and reach out with any feedback, all ideas welcome!