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Carvings For a Cause (June 18)

In the wake of the October 2006 storm, Therese Forton-Barnes saw an opportunity to make lemons into lemonade—or, more precisely, to turn fallen trees into historically themed art. Forton-Barnes lobbied public officials to allow her to requisition tree trunks suitable for carving from the cutting and clearing crews that crawled through Western New York in the months following the storm. She then matched tree trunks with financial sponsors and wood-carvers, who turned the eight-foot trunks into carvings of famous Buffalonians. These now stand in public places throughout the city and the money raised from the sponsors has been turned toward reforestation efforts. Now Forton-Barnes is raising money for the second phase of Carvings for a Cause, which includes a sculpture park for the carvings plus a map of the carvings in their various homes and an audio tour, as well as funding for maintenance of the statues. At Wednesday’s fundraiser, there will be food, live music, a documentary about the project produced at the Canisius College Video Institute, and—apparently—some folks dressed as some of the people the carvings represent: Frank Lloyd Wright, Ben Franklin, Frederick Law Olmsted, and Teressa Bellisimo, to name a few. Visit carvingsforacause.com for more information.

geoff kelly

6pm. Town Ballroom, 681 Main Street (852-3900/townballroom.com). $30 presale, $40 at the door