MMC at MSL in NYC & THX to GWB Committee

Here's Margaux Meursault Charlier, with Stacey Hirvella, Senior Associate Garden Editor, Martha Stewart Living, rooftop, at the Martha Stewart Living offices in NYC this morning. Wife & daughter are in NYC and Long Island for a week as I get back to doing work that pays bills, as opposed to the garden event stuff that's occupied a majority of my billable hours for the last five months.

Garden Walk this weekend was another smashing success. I'll be posting about the Walk over the next couple weeks. I've talked to a few of the GW committee members already today and we're all sort of hung over, but jazzed about the weekend.

Everybody in Buffalo should be thanking the Garden Walk committee members, that work year round, for hosting an event that is really starting to make an impact on how Buffalo is perceived by out-of-towners (and in-towners for that matter). This is no longer a small garden tour, it is a national tourism draw. Buffalo's rustbelt/snowbelt image will not be changed by any politician, it will not be changed by an ad campaign or clever tagline, and it will not be changed by the national media. It will be changed by these people:

Jo Alfano, Secretary, Richmond-Summer HQ Leader
Joann Belliotti, Buff Sem HQ Leader
Frank Belliotti
Barbara Cavanagh, Chair Headquarters
David DePasquale, Chair Finance, Sponsorships
Ellie Dorritie
Robert Fink
Elaine Friedhaber, past Co-Chair
Gretchan Grobe
Jennifer Guercio
Jim Guercio
Tom Halloran
John Hochadel, Chair
Joe Hopkins
Sue Hough, Chair Merchandise
Elizabeth Licata
Cindy Loomis, Chair Entertainment
Becky Leahy, Shuttle Bus Coordinator
Concetta Muscarella
Stephen Muscarella
Tom Peglowski
Arlan Peters, Past Chair of Garden Walk
Victoria Sapienza
Onda Simmons
Nancy Somit
Jeff Tooke, Treasurer
Pat Wahl, ACS HQ Leader
Ginny Williams, "Garden Talk" coordinator
Jim Williams
Gail Willig-Smith
Don Zinteck, photographer

(And a shout out to the Buffalo Niagara Convention & Visitors Bureau!)