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As snow falls, beer flows at Elmwood bar

twitter.com/BlueMonkBflo

Yesterday's blizzard kept many Western New Yorkers home in the warmth and comfort of their living rooms. But others embraced the wintry weather with a tradition that goes back to the days of former Buffalo Mayor Jimmy Griffin. The Blue Monk on Elmwood Avenue held a blizzard party Wednesday. The bar held a similar bash back in January for the region's first blizzard of the season. 

General Manager Lisa Cooper says word of the celebrations gets out through social media, with a little help from the late mayor.

"We actually posted him on our Facebook page last blizzard party and said, he would approve, so come down and drink some beer," Cooper said.

During the Blizzard of 1985, the late Griffin famously told city residents to "go home, buy a six pack of beer, and watch a good football game," earning him the nickname "Jimmy Six Pack."

Cooper says many college students came to the popular gastropub after their classes were canceled early Wednesday afternoon. She says some patrons used a unique mode of transportation to celebrate blizzard #2 of the winter season.

"We do have some people showing up on skis," Cooper said. "It's Buffalo. The snow doesn't bother any of us. We're all taking it in, hoping it's the last one."

At mid-afternoon, she estimated 50-60 people were already at the bar, in a party that would go on all night.

 

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