The First Buffalo Herf-In-The-Snow Cigar Crawl to be held on February 21, 1998 starting at 10:00 a.m.. This event, inspired by the alt.smokers.cigars (ASC) internet newsgroup will bring together cigar lovers from the western New York, southern Ontario, and western Pennsylvania regions. We will be visiting five cigar retailers in the Buffalo area and will be having lunch and dinner at cigar friendly restaurants.

I have a list of shops that we will visit, although the itinerary is a rough one at this point.

We start at the Tinderbox (in Williamsville) at 10:00 AM where Steve and Jim Dvorak will be supplying the crawlers with coffee to rev us up.Carpools will be arranged there as ample parking is available.

Afterwards (approximately 11:15 to 11:30) we head for Bernstone's, Buffalo's oldest tobacconist (established 1932) where Jay will give us a short history of the store.

From Bernstone's we will travel down Elmwood Ave. to Jimmy Mac's, a cigar friendly eatery where we have reserved the side room for the Buffalo Herf-In-The-Snow attendees.

After lunch, (approximately between 1:30 and 2:00) we head to Hertel Avenue and stop at the Virgil Avenue Tobacconist with the largest walk-in humidor in the Buffalo area. A lounge is available for relaxed herfing while crawlers browse the humidor and their selection.

From there, (2:45 to 3:00) we head for Mancuso's Cigar and Tobacco on the corner of Sheridan Drive and Harlem Road and Bellezia's Tobacco Shop on Main Street in Snyder, just a short drive down Harlem Rd. from Mancuso's. Due to the size of both of these shops and depending on the number of crawlers, we may have to split into two groups and switch shops, with some going to Mancuso's first and others going to Bellezia's first.

Depending on the time, we have an opportunity to go to Alternative Brews, a cigar friendly pub with many microbrews on tap and many more in bottles, in order to regroup.

From there we go to the Riverside Inn in Lewiston, a short drive up the I-190 for dinner and post dinner festivities. This location was chosen for it's food and it's cigar friendly proprietor and philosophy. As we will have many crawlers coming from Canada, this location will provide them with a head start when they head home.

Sample packs and door prizes will be part of the picture. This crawl is planned as a pay as you go event, so there will be no fee involved. Expect to pay $6 to $10 US for lunch and perhaps from $10 on up for dinner depending on the individual's choice. The full menu will be available at both restaurants.

If you have any questions or suggestions please email me at batman@buffnet.net. I look foward to hearing from you.

Nathan