Lights, Camera, Action!

All of us who work here at 786 Delaware Avenue know how lucky we are to have the Clement Mansion as our Buffalo office. Today, Hollywood took notice of how special this place is and gave this beautiful building the star treatment.

Cameras were not allowed on the closed set,
but I did grab this picture out our office window.

The crew from Centre Street Film descended upon the Clement Mansion this afternoon to shoot scenes for the upcoming film, "The American Side". The movie is set in the Queen City, and has been shooting at various locations around Western New York for the past few weeks. Location scout Dan Milner told me most of the filming has been done in about a two-mile radius of our headquarters, and that producers loved our building and wanted to include it in the film.

As anyone following this story knows, the biggest name attached to the project is Ferris Bueller himself, Matthew Broderick. He never set foot in the Mansion, but there were dozens of crew members working with producer Jonathan Shoemaker and director Jenna Ricker, painstakingly setting up every shot. Even as a former TV news producer (or perhaps BECAUSE I'm a former TV person used to one-two person shoots), I was stunned by the number of people and amount of time involved in getting short video clips to use in the film. The yard was like a real movie set, complete with a catering truck (I was invited to eat, but politely declined). Everyone involved with this project could not have been nicer or easier to work with, and I'm told the Mansion looked amazing on camera.

I'm ready for my close-up, Mr. DeMille!

The set was closed, so I don't have any plot details and don't know how the Clement Mansion fits into the story. But Milner tells me co-writer and star Greg Stuhr is a Western New Yorker, and that the movie is "a love story for Buffalo." Milner himself couldn't say enough about the city, our architecture and of course, the people of Buffalo. We are very proud and honored to be a small part of this project, and can't wait to see the "The American Side"! And if you can't wait until the movie comes out to see this beautiful building, join us Sept 21-22 for our
Clement Mansion Centennial Celebration!

Play safer this sports season with Red Cross training

Back to school also means back to practice for thousands of student athletes and coaches. The American Red Cross has training and resources available for people to learn how to treat a variety of emergencies and injuries that may occur throughout the sports season.

“School and neighborhood coaches, athletes and spectators should know how to help prevent and respond to common sports injuries such as strains and sprains, fractures, cuts and concussions,” said Nancy M. Blaschak, Regional CEO.

Safe Kids Worldwide reports that a child is hurt playing sports every 25 seconds and that more than 1 million emergency room visits are made due to sports injuries each year. Sports injuries account for about 20 percent of all injury-related emergency room visits for young people, according to their study.

The Red Cross has developed a number of resources for everyone involved in sports and recreational activities:

·         First Aid, Health and Safety for Coaches is an online program for teens and adults who coach at any age level. Developed with the National Federation of State High School Associations, this course covers first aid skills including breathing emergencies and injuries to muscles, bones and joints. Coaches are encouraged to take a CPR/AED course as well.

·         Family First Aid and CPR is an online course for those not required to have OSHA-compliant certification. Participants learn how to treat cardiac, breathing and first aid emergencies until help arrives. Pediatric modules are also available.

·         American Red Cross First Aid App is a free app for smart phones and tablets. It gives users instant access to information on how to handle the most common first aid situations, and includes videos and interactive quizzes. The app puts lifesaving information right in people’s hands wherever and whenever they need it.

Information on courses and additional resources are available at redcross.org. A variety of Red Cross apps can be found in the Apple App Store and the Google Play Store for Android by searching for American Red Cross, or by going to redcross.org/mobileapps.

Beat the Heat

“Heat can be especially hazardous to anyone exercising or playing outdoors this time of year. People should avoid scheduling workouts and exercise during the hottest times of the day,” added Blaschak.  “Take frequent breaks and stay hydrated.”