NBCWF

Buffalo is famous for many things, Pierce automobiles, the Erie Canal, Frank Lloyd Wright, and major Great Lakes shipping. But one things stands above all others: Buffalo is the home of the original Buffalo Chicken Wing. Made famous by the Anchor Bar in Buffalo, by a cook who had a pile of chicken wings that she didn't know how to use, the Buffalo Chicken Wing has given birth to a whole industry, and Buffalo celebrates each year with the National Buffalo Chicken Wing Festival.

Held at Coca Cola Field in downtown Buffalo, the home of the baseball team "The Bisons", it attracts thousands of visitors from all over the country and foreign countries. Local news teams are covering the event, and have noted that 500,000 chicken wings have been delivered for use at this years event.

Parking was at a premium, and expensive, but we decided to go anyway.

Inside the stadium, the outfield grass has been covered with a resilient mat that protects the grass from the thousands of feet.

Along with a couple of dozen or more vendors selling wings, there were some interesting booths with related items, like these guys selling small plastic pincers that allow you to pick up and eat the chicken wing without actually touching it!

Some vendors came from other states!

Most were local restaurants.

This booth from Bone Heads seemed to be the most popular based on the long lines.

 We elected to have a half dozen wings split between us at the original Anchor Bar stand.

We took our order up into the stands and people watched for awhile.

Leaving the stadium, we walked the three blocks to the Buffalo River and the shores of Lake Erie. The city of Buffalo has created a pretty little park along the banks of the river.

There were a lot of vendors selling everything from T shirts to photographs. It was fun to walk through, even though the temp was in the mid 80's and the humidity was high.

The Canal Way got it's name from a famous landmark.

Three ships are permanently docked along the Canal Way, including the USS Little Rock, and a submarine named the USS Croaker (?). They are open for self-guided tours, but we didn't have time to indulge.

At the end of the Canal Way, where the Buffalo River flows into Lake Erie, this lighthouse keeps watch over shipping. Not as important these days since most of the boat traffic involves pleasure boats, it still is a reminder of the importance of Buffalo to the nation's economy over the years.