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Sunday Lifestyles

Western New York Writers Conference planned in Westfield

WESTFIELD – Lake Shore Center for the Arts announces it is hosting the first Western New York Writers Conference on Oct. 11 at the Art Center, 49 S. Portage St., from 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. The goal is to create a community for writers with educational workshops, inspirational speakers, and a full day to immerse yourself in the writing and publishing world. This event is made possible with a grant from the Northern Chautauqua Community Foundation. Building on existing writing programs at the art center, the need for an annual writers’ conference was identified. Attendance is limited ...

Old white guys

Maybe it’s like when you get a new car. All of a sudden you start noticing your make and model on the roads everywhere you go. On one hand, you might feel some comfort knowing that lots of other people have made the same choice. Yet another part of you might say, dang, I wanted to be special, unique, impressive! Regardless, you’re stuck with it, just like you are stuck with whatever age you are at in the river of time, as well as all the rest who are still swimming. I swear we are everywhere. Gray hair, dyed hair, fake hair or no hair, we are increasingly conspicuous. As we go ...

Bird baths offer one more invitation

When I moved into my house, there were a few things the previous owners left behind. The highlights were a stack of manuals for every appliance in the house, 150 feet of hose, and a bird bath. Bird baths come in many shapes, sizes, and designs. The one I acquired is a shallow, concrete bowl ...

Healing with horses: A place beyond the noise

There’s a place that exists beyond the stresses of the material world, where you can leave your worries behind and simply revel in the beauty of nature. I remember the first time we hiked the land that would become Centaur Stride Therapeutic Riding Center. It was a seemingly unwanted piece ...

It’s hell on earth waiting for next meal in Gaza

I’ll call him Ahmad. The 6-year-old boy dresses in American T-shirts or hoodies, jeans, baseball hat and sneakers, items likely donated through some charitable organization. His eyes, like dark figs in bowls of milk, glisten as he surveys the streets as a kind of playground – a place of hide and seek in alleyways, of foot races, of make-believe gunfights, and of course football (soccer). He was born here, and it is all he knows. Later in the day, he does not see the worry in his mother’s eyes as she comes home from work at the hospital. He does not comprehend the urgency of the ...

Trip back in time: South Dayton celebrates 150 years Sept. 6

Village of South Dayton’s Depot celebrates 150 years on Saturday, Sept. 6 from noon to 3 p.m. Enjoy the 1800s by wearing your favorite old hat, bring your picnic lunch, a blanket to dine on the Village Green. Also the Firebells will have a one price hot dog, chips, and a drink available in ...