WHAT STARTED OUT LAST JANUARY AS A YEARLONG AWARENESS EFFORT AND 150TH CELEBRATION OF OUR OLMSTED PARKS HAS CONCLUDED WITH A TRUMPET OF TRIUMPH, A FEW PINK FLAMINGOS AND APPLAUSE FOR THE FUTURE.
But what does that future hold? Read More

To all Olmsted Parks members, please join us on November 28th for a complimentary gallery viewing of Our Better Nature, with remarks from the curator, Lauren Becker. Light bites and wine will be provided.
Date: November 28, 2018
Place: The Buffalo History Museum, 1 Museum Court, Buffalo, NY 14216
Time: 6:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.
RSVP by November 27 to Maggie Henderson at [email protected] or call (716) 838-1249, ext. 14.
This event is free and available to members only.
View the Facebook event at: https://facebook.com/events/331587750753689/
Learn more about the exhibit, Our Better Nature, here.
Did you know? The Buffalo History Museum is one of our membership park partners! Your Olmsted Parks membership will give you $5 off your history museum membership. Learn more here.
FOR A CENTURY AND A HALF, LOCAL RESIDENTS HAVE USED THE PARK SYSTEM ESTABLISHED BY THE DESIGNS OF FREDERICK LAW OLMSTED.
A new exhibit probes the question, Who was Olmsted?

Celebrating 150 Years of Olmsted in Buffalo & America’s First Urban Park System, curated by Lauren Becker, FLAT HAT EXHIBITS
OPENING DATE: Wednesday, September 26, 2018
PLACE: The Buffalo History Museum, Community Gallery, One Museum Court, Buffalo, NY 14216. Free parking available in the museum’s parking lot and on Nottingham Terrace
TIME: 6:00 p.m – 8:00 p.m. Our executive director, Stephanie Crockatt, will share a welcome message at 6:15 p.m.
NOTE: Museum entry fees apply
Light refreshments will be provided at this opening reception.
Facebook Event | Website Event
Our Better Nature will be at The Buffalo History Museum Community Gallery through January 2019.
About Our Better Nature
Frederick Law Olmsted.
For those who recognize the name, it usually calls to mind images of New York City’s Central Park, or maybe Chicago’s World’s Columbian Exposition, or perhaps the Biltmore Estate in the mountains of North Carolina. At the very least, we associate Olmsted with beautiful parks, but why does that matter? What makes him and his parks so special?
If we learn more, we are shocked to discover Olmsted parks are completely artificial. The meadows, the lakes, the groves of trees— they are real, but not original. Olmsted put them there by design. But why? Why set aside valuable city land only to plant trees and damn streams for the pleasure of a shaded path or a tranquil pond?
If we learn even more, we know Olmsted practically invented the profession of landscape architecture, but how? More importantly, why? Where did his ideas come from? Why was he so good at it? Why does Buffalo have so many Olmsted parks, and why should we do everything we can to protect and preserve them?
The answers begin when we discover Olmsted’s story before he became the great park-maker. The more we learn about what inspired Olmsted, the more he inspires us and brings out Our Better Nature.
Our Better Nature will be at The Buffalo History Museum Community Gallery through January 2019.
Click here to learn more about Our Better Nature.
BY JANA EISENBERG FOR NYUP.COM
Buffalo Olmsted Parks Conservancy — The Buffalo Olmsted Parks Systems includes Delaware, Front, Cazenovia, Martin Luther King Jr., South and Riverside Parks; public squares include Lafayette and Niagara; Olmsted-designed circles include Agassiz, Colonial, Gates, Ferry, McKinley, McLellan, Soldiers and Symphony. For more information, visit bfloparks.org.

2018 FLO Award Honoree – Margaret D. Jacobs
Photos – Part 1 – by Joe Cascio Photography
Photos – Part 2 – by Zhi Ting Phua
Thank you all for joining us on Friday, September 7, 2018 for a celebratory evening of 150 years of Olmsted Parks in Buffalo and an Afterparty for the Parks.
Frederick Law Olmsted Gala, co-chaired by Aaron Siegel & Amy Abrahamson
Attire: Creative Black Tie
6:00 PM
Dinner guests arrive, champagne reception, silent auction
7:00 PM
Gourmet dinner served, catered by Rich Products
Presentation of the Frederick Law Olmsted Award – Margaret D. Jacobs
Live Auction
Gala Ticket Price
Individual Ticket: $ 150, includes Dinner & Afterparty, limited quantity available!
Dinner Table of 8: $ 2,500, includes Dinner & Afterparty for 8. To make this table purchase, contact Patty Mertens at [email protected] or call 716-838-1249 ext. 10.
Frederick Law Olmsted Gala Afterparty
Attire: Dress to Impress
8:00 PM – 11:00 PM
Afterparty begins with nibbles
Featuring DJ Milk Buffalo
Open bar
Participate in the Silent Auction
Afterparty Ticket Price
Early bird pricing through August 21: $60 per person
From August 21 onwards: $75 per person
Event Location and Parking
Enter Front Park at 121 Porter Avenue, Buffalo, NY 14202. Complimentary Valet Parking is available for all Gala and Afterparty attendees.
Special Thanks to our 2018 Sponsors
THE GOLD LEAF EVENT SPONSOR
Herb & Aaron Siegel Foundation
SILVER LEAF PRESENTING SPONSOR
Rich Products
COPPER LEAF PRESENTING SPONSOR
Hodgson Russ LLP | NOCO | Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. Foundation
6,7,8 CLUB SPONSORS
BlueCross BlueShield of Western New York | M&T Bank | Wegmans
UNDERWRITER
Bank of America – Silent Auction | Buffalo Spree – Media | National Grid – Sound and Lighting | Wynne Creative – Branding and Invitations | Frey Electric – Valet Parking
All proceeds to benefit your Buffalo Olmsted Parks Conservancy
For immediate inquiries on this event and/or sponsorship details, please email Patty Mertens at [email protected] or call 716-838-1249 ext. 10.
View photos from last year in the slideshow below or click here!