Good Morning, Buffalo: Don't want to brave eclipse crowd in Niagara Falls? Try one of these places instead (2024)

March 21, 2024

Don't want to brave the eclipse crowd in Niagara Falls? Try one of these 10 places instead

Niagara Falls is billed as THE place to be on April 8 to watch the total solar eclipse in Western New York.

National Geographic designated Niagara Falls State Park as themost picturesque placealong the path of totality to watch the moon fully eclipse the sun.

The city and state park are expecting to welcome tens of thousands of people to the area that day and the weekend leading up to the celestial event.

If you want to avoid the massive crowds and crush of traffic but are still looking for a fun place to go view the eclipse, here are some other options

– Natalie Brophy

WHAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT

Woman accused of stealing $1 million arraigned on 11 felony charges:Lisa Noble – who allegedly stole from St. Amelia Church and a Tonawanda medical office while working for them as a business manager – was arraigned on an indictment charging her with felony counts of grand larceny, filing a forged instrument and falsifying business records.Read more

New Bills and Sabres COO Pete Guelli has plenty on his to-do list:When Pegula Sports & Entertainment was dissolved last year, it essentially separated the Buffalo Bills and Sabres business operations to bring more focus and structure. But the teams' owner Terry Pegula has decided to remain with one leader overseeing the business operations for both, and that will be Pete Guelli, who returns to Western New York in April as the COO of the teams. Right away, his plate will be full but the Rochester native is looking forward to that challenge.Read more

Fluoride will be back in Buffalo's public water system this summer:The Buffalo Water Board says it will resume adding fluoride to the city's public drinking water by the end of August, nine years after the city quietly stopped adding the cavity-fighting mineral.Read more

Village elections: A tie in Lancaster; four-vote margin in Springville; results from around WNY:Village elections throughout Western New York produced close results and some upsets.Read more

Erie County to launch tree nursery staffed by inmates as part of climate action plan:The grant is part of a $13 million tree grant awarded to the county, the City of Buffalo and the Village of Lancaster to grow the tree canopy in underserved communities where too few trees exist. The grant is also one component of a much larger Erie County Community Action Plan designed to help the county carve a clear path forward to deal with the impacts of climate change.Read more

Hamburg's BurgerFest to continue with changes: 'It is time for others to take the lead':The Kiwanis Club of Hamburg will continue coordinating the annual BurgerFest, while three other organizations have decided to withdraw.Read more

GiGi's Playhouse Buffalo to shine a light on World Down Syndrome Day:Look for several Buffalo Niagara region structures to be illuminated in yellow and blue tonight to help raise awareness about Down syndrome.Read more

WEATHER

Another cold one:An early mix of clouds and sun will turn mostly cloudy with a few flurries or snow showers. High around 30 degrees.Read more

GUSTO

Free eclipse programming continues through Penn-Dixie, Reinstein Woods and more:It is almost time for the April 8 total eclipse, and local organizations continue to offer free programming to help us prepare. Here is a look at some new additions and continuing programs.Read more

Sad Boys Brewing gives patrons reason to smile as it celebrates first year:Andrew Anderson, Collin Edbauer, John O’Neill and Tyler Randle will mark their first year in business with an anniversary bash from noon to 11 p.m. March 23 inside their 2,560-square-foot space at 567 Exchange St., on the fringe of Larkinville.Read more

Things to Do: Transit Drive-In opens, a boat show and the Greatest Show on Earth:Movies at the Transit Drive-In, the circus at KeyBank Center and Springtime in the Country highlight the list of things to do this week.Read more

BUFFALO NEXT

SUNY plans to phase out single-use plastics on its campuses:The new policy calls for a phased elimination of single-use plastics to take advantage of the continued development of new products and processes for a plastic-free environment. Items covered in the policy include plastic bags, beverage bottles, food service products, utensils, plastic wrap and packaging film.Read more

BILLS

NFL owners will be presented with revamped kickoff proposal next week:The NFL’s Competition Committee, which includes Buffalo Bills coach Sean McDermott, will present six playing rules changes to team owners and executives at next week’s annual meeting in Orlando.Read more

Bills find starting-caliber center fielder at safety in signing Mike Edwards:The Bills announced an agreement with six-year veteran Mike Edwards on a one-year deal. The move fills a big hole on the defense, and Edwards can be penciled in as the presumptive starter next to incumbent Taylor Rapp, who was re-signed by the Bills last week.Read more

COLLEGE BASKETBALL

St. Bonaventure: Men's basketball program withdrew from NIT consideration:The NCAA, which oversees the National Invitation Tournament, told The Buffalo News in a statement on Wednesday that St. Bonaventure indicated to the tournament selection committee that it should not be considered for the 32-team tournament. Read more

PHOTOS

Sprague's Maple Farms:Sprague's Maple Farms in Portville harvests sap from 5,000 sugar maple trees on its property and more than 20,000 other trees in the area.View gallery

#EveryDayAPhoto:Check out our photo series each morning to see our favoriteimage of the day.

View more photo gallerieshere.

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