Though it has been a wet spring, the blooms of summer are soon to emerge.   Get your gardens ready, because the Burchfield Nature and Art Center is sponsoring the “West Seneca in Bloom” gardening contest.  

Residents are invited to share the beauty of their gardens. Entry forms are available at the Burchfield Nature and Art Center 2001 Union Road, West Seneca, or online at BurchfieldNAC.org.  Entry forms must be received at the Burchfield Nature and Art Center by July 15.  There is a $10 fee for each garden entered.

The Elmwood-Bidwell Farmers Market, a Western New York tradition featuring more than 30 vendors selling fresh, seasonal and local products, is open from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. every Saturday, rain or shine. Providing musical entertainment at the open-air venue this week will be violinist David Adamczyk, who will perform from approximately 10 to 11:30 a.m.

The market also welcomes several community groups this week, including Community Beer Works, WNY Land Conservancy, Crisis Services, Green Options Buffalo “I BIKE,” and the Farm Sanctuary. Art Alive 2011 will have information about their upcoming event available at the Elmwood Village table. Arrowhead Spring Vineyards and Schulze Vineyards & Winery will be offering wine-tasting.

In keeping with the mission statement of community support, American Repertory Theater of Western New York has created a website and Facebook Page dedicated to opening up online forums to discuss issues facing WNY Artists. This new Website Public Forum page is entitled "The Voices of Western New York Artists."

These public forums are designed for all members of WNY Cultural Groups, media, individual artists and anyone with an opinion that faces Artists in Western New York.

Those visiting The Voices of WNY Artists website and the Facebook page are encouraged to post opinions, offer links to blogs & websites, announce upcoming shows and, most importantly, utilize their voices for the sole purposes of creating dialog and being heard.