OLAF FUB SEZ: A favorite lyric from blues singer Willie Dixon, born on this date in 1915, “Well, the men don’t know, but the little girls, they understand.”

GRAND TOUR—Spending the day in Buffalo and Niagara Falls today are 10 students and two faculty members from Belmont University in Nashville, Tenn., who are about two-thirds of the way through something they call “The United States in 40 Days.” Their assignment? Soak up local culture and experiences and find out what it means to be American these days. Their reward? Three credit hours in Cultural Sociology and three credit hours in Third Year Writing.

If all goes well, their chartered sleeper bus will roll in from Cleveland overnight. They’ll pick up a rental van and head first to Buffalo State College for showers, then go spend the rest of the morning in Niagara Falls. They return to downtown Buffalo for lunch and an afternoon that includes a visit to City Hall. The evening itinerary is labeled simply “Small Town New York (?)”

After that, they head to Boston, Mass., and New York City for the holiday weekend. The students are posting blogs, photos and videos online. To follow their journey, visit www.belmont.edu/40states.

PASTA ALERT—Start the holiday weekend early with a spaghetti dinner from 5 to 7 p. m. Thursday in Sikora Post 1322, American Legion, 950 Payne Ave., North Tonawanda. For $6, you get spaghetti, meatballs, salad, bread and butter, and a beverage; for an extra $1.50, a choice of homemade desserts.

FOREVER NEWMAN— The Riviera Theater, 67 Webster St., North Tonawanda, is celebrating summer with a Paul Newman Film Festival at 7 p. m. every Thursday, starting this week.

First to hit the screen is the 1967 prison movie “Cool Hand Luke,” which earned Newman an Oscar nomination for his role as an inmate with an unquenchable desire to escape. George Kennedy, as his prison gangmate, won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor. It’s also got the classic line, “What we’ve got here is a failure to communicate.” Tickets are $3.

MORE REUNIONS— Maryvale High School’s eighth annual All Classes and Staff Reunion will be held from noon to dusk July 25 in the largest shelter in Cheektowaga Town Park on Harlem Road. Cost is $5 per household to cover the cost of the shelter, hot dogs and pop. Barbara Nero Reardon also reports that the annual photo of everyone attending will be taken at 2 p. m.

Lackawanna High School’s Class of 1979 will hold its 30-year reunion from 7 to 11 p. m. on Aug. 14 in Lucarelli’s Banquet Center, 1830 Abbott Road, Lackawanna. Cost is $30. Deadline for reservations is July 24. For information, call Jackie Burke Abad at 648-3278.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY— Sharon Pokorny, Doris Wodzinski, Christine Yaskow, Al Zabawa, Andrea Prioli, Debbie Knauber, Sharon Guarino, Steven P. Hayes, Sophia Cieply, Kristen Dygon, Judy Vangalio, Dolores Refermat, Barbara Schlant, Carol Allgrim, Ken Goliszek, Dorothy Szafranski, Lou Michel, Jeff Bender, Sister Mary Marcilla Slomka and Naomi Lally.

AND THURSDAY— Nicholas Burns, Jeanne Stresing, Cathy Riso, Bernie Weber, Ray Kickman, Jamie Kuminski, JoAnna Fiorella, Noah Matthew Tybor, Steve Hietanen, Maureen Zaranek, Larry Michalski, Mary Beth Sopic, Joan Pascarella, Bernie Weber, Declan Matthew Tomaka, Jodie McCabe and Kristie McCabe.