http://www.boston.com/dailynews/009/region/An_order_of_Buffalo_snow_to_go:.shtml

An order of Buffalo snow to go

By Carolyn Thompson, Associated Press, 1/9/2002 15:32

BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) Nearly out of space to stash all the snow after a 7-foot dumping, Buffalo thought it couldn't give the stuff away.

Wrong.

The nearby city of Rochester, still green as its winter festival nears, wants to come cart some away.

That's OK with Mayor Anthony Masiello. ''The more the better,'' he said.

A convoy of trucks was to make the 90-mile trip west Thursday to collect.

In five days beginning Christmas Eve, Buffalo was socked with 81.5 inches of snow nearly a winter's worth.

''We have enough to spare,'' said resident Gregory Coley, who stopped to snap a picture of a mountainous dumping area and had no problem with giving some away.

Better yet, said eBay entrepreneur Don Loschiavo, why not sell it? A pint of his ''official Buffalo snow'' was fetching $22.50 on the web site Wednesday.

''It started off as a joke, I couldn't resist,'' said Loschiavo, who's posted a half dozen pictures of the product in its original state, covering his 5-foot, above-ground swimming pool and his wife's minivan and straining the boughs of the soaring pine trees in his back yard.

After a mention on a local television newscast, Loschiavo's auction where he started the bidding at a penny has gotten more than 11,000 hits and Loschiavo has been inundated with e-mail.

''A lot are from ex-Buffalonians saying they love the pictures, they miss Buffalo,'' he said.

Loschiavo's sales pitch explains he's selling the snow because he's run out of places to shovel it to. He makes no promises about getting it to buyers in its frozen form.

''I was going to end it, it was just a joke. Nobody really wants this stuff, but I have to leave it up now,'' he said. ''People want to see it.''

It was slightly more serious business that led to the give-away to Rochester. With a weekend full of events planned to promote winter tourism, including public skiing on a man-made slope downtown, ''Coldrush'' was in danger of not living up to its name.

''We never thought in a million years we would need snow for it,'' said Amanda Norsen of the Greater Rochester Visitors Association.

''We looked around and realized Buffalo had a lot and said, 'Hey, can we borrow some?''' Norsen said.

Buffalo Streets Commissioner Paul Sullivan got the call.

''Tell me when they're on their way,'' he told Rochester officials asking to deploy a convoy of trucks, ''and I'll tell them where to go and we'll load 'em up.''

It's a way for Buffalo to return a favor, Sullivan said. Rochester sent crews and equipment to help dig out Buffalo during the height of the mess.

And Sullivan, who is still looking for his first day off since before Christmas or even a workday under 14 hours has no sentimental attachment to the stuff that gets him up before 4 a.m. each day.

''If anybody else wants any, we'll send it anywhere they want,'' he offered. ''Send the trucks in and we'll load em up. ... We'll send it by rail car.''

And while Rochester asked only to ''borrow'' the snow, it's a pretty sure bet no one in Buffalo will ask for it back.

-- Anonymous, January 09, 2002