Melinda Miller The Buffalo News December 28th, 2013
Searchlights raked the midnight blue winter sky over Hertel Avenue Friday night as hundreds of people streamed under the glowing marquee of the North Park Theatre for an early glimpse at the newly restored neighborhood landmark.
Squeezing in an extra celebration between Christmas and New Year’s, the Sneak Peek Fundraising Gala had the feeling of a neighborhood block party combined with a long-delayed reunion, as attendees greeted friends and gazed in delight at what a small army of restoration workers has wrought in the past six months.
“It looks beautiful, absolutely beautiful,” said Ann Wells, who grew up in North Buffalo with one of the theater’s owners, Left Bank restaurant owner Michael G. Christiano. “We always came here, since we were kids.”
