Off Main Street: Oh deer!
The offbeat side of the news
The saga of the China King restaurant in Hamburg, where a witness reported seeing a deer being slaughtered on the premises and the owners were subsequently fined, has attracted national attention. Jay Leno offered advice during his monologue this week.
“So if you live in the Buffalo area, you might want to avoid the new Bambi hot wings,” Leno said.
Dressed for duress
Clarence Councilman Peter DiCostanzo said an irate constituent contacted him not long ago and asked him to consider instituting a dress code in the town. This came after she saw something that shocked her.
The woman, he said, had seen a fifty-something woman jogging one morning in her neighborhood in a workout outfit that “showed her stomach.” DiCostanzo said he was frankly baffled.
“It’s not like she was running around naked,” he said of the jogger.
But not to worry. Clarence will not be told what is and is not appropriate attire anytime soon.
“Sometimes, you just have to suck it up,” he said. “We can’t do everything.”
Lord of Lancaster
Lancaster Village Trustee Edward Marki has just been granted a “royal” title.
Just call him Lord Edward. Marki was elevated to his new, exalted status during a recent visit to Toronto’s Medieval Times after proposing to his fiance, Jennifer Kulp, on Oct. 13.
As the couple entered the Medieval-themed feast hall, they were asked if anything special had happened in their lives recently. The two happily related the news of their engagement in Allegany State Park.
A short time later, the couple was summoned to the dais by the king and queen of Medieval Times, photographed with them dressed in medieval costume and bestowed with the titles of Lord and Lady.
“They charged us with ‘going out into the realm and doing good deeds,’ ” Marki said.
Pressure’s on, Lord Edward.
For love, not money
Amherst’s elected town officials aren’t getting any raises in the 2009 budget. Supervisor Satish Mohan, however, informed the board that he received correspondence asking that town justices be granted higher pay.
No one seemed keen on that idea at a recent Town Board work session.
“The philosophy is that if you are elected, you have to pay your dues — and suffer,” Mohan said.
Judges who are appointed get more salary, Mohan said. “Versus if they are elected, that is an honor in itself. People love you, and therefore your salary should be very low.”
One resident later asked why the town supervisor and board members make so much less than the department heads who answer to them.
Council Member Barry Weinstein responded, “Dr. Mohan suggested it had something to do with love.”
“And suffering,” added Council Member Mark Manna.
Collins preserve us
Mention the name Chris Collins, and various labels come to mind: Businessman. Politician. Executive.
One word that may not spring to mind: Preservationist. But maybe it should.
Collins’ biotechnology company, ZeptoMetrix, is reviving the long-vacant, circa-1850s Hoyt Mansion at 878 Main St. The three-story brick building is next to the company’s current space near the Buffalo-Niagara Medical Campus.
The restoration does not just give the company new office space. It brings back to life another of downtown’s great old buildings.
As company President James Hengst put it in a recent newsletter, “This is not just a building restoration; [it] is a major historic restoration.”
Chalk one up for Chris Collins, preservationist.
Written by Bruce Andriatch with contributions from Matt Glynn, Niki Cervantes, Sandra Tan and Donn Esmonde.
