Blasdell

My Grandfather’s Garage

By Chris Carosa on September 15, 2020

More than a half century ago, at the dead end of a not quite rural road, a garage was built. It was a plain but sturdy garage. Made of concrete block. With a solid concrete floor. And a peaked roof high enough to form a spacious second floor. Perfect for storing planks, loose building materials, and a few other odds and ends that existed in that limbo somewhere between trash and treasure.

It was my grandfather’s garage. My father and his father built it the way you’d expect bricklayers to build something. More masonry, less wood. They used concrete block because it was less expensive than brick. It also took less time and work to build with Continue Reading “My Grandfather’s Garage”

Posted in Memoir of a Real Life, The Compleat Carosa Commentaries Tagged Abbott Parkway, Blasdell, Dad, Fontecchio, grandpa, Highland Parkway, Kenny, mom, Morra, Rousch, Tetazine, Tutta Morre, Uncle Pauley

A Memory of Frank Ricci

By Chris Carosa on November 5, 2019

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You probably never heard of Frank Ricci.

You probably never met Frank Ricci.

But I have and I did. He is among the thousand points of light that have illuminated my life. This is my salute to him. As you read this, I’m confident you may find some familiar tidbits that you didn’t expect to be there. I promise you, before you come to the end of this column, you’ll discover why.

Francesco “Frank” Ricci was born in the mountains south of Rome, Italy on February 10, 1935. He immigrated to America in 1959 after marrying his wife Teresa. Teresa DeAngelis grew up on Abbott Parkway in Blasdell, New York. I grew up on Abbott Parkway, only many years later.

I remember much about growing up on Abbott Parkway. On the other hand, I don’t Continue Reading “A Memory of Frank Ricci”

Posted in Memoir of a Real Life, The Compleat Carosa Commentaries, Western New York State of Mind Tagged Abbott Parkway, Angelo, Blasdell, Buffalo Bills, Jeanmarie, Kenny, Markie, Robert

The Stormy Beginning When the Erie County Fair First Waded Into The Rock and Roll Craze

By Chris Carosa on August 13, 2019

On the subject of Pat Boone. It’s really interesting. It’s so interesting I thought readers might have a fun time with it.

I found this out while researching the history of my grandfather’s pizzeria in Blasdell, New York. Specifically, I discovered this little factoid when I began reading about my grandparents various marketing efforts. One of those ventures turned into a wholly separate business. To promote their new pizzeria, they accepted an invitation to operate a pizza stand at the Erie County Fair.

The first year they were at the Fair (1956) featured the Erie County Fair’s first ever Rock and Roll concert on its first two nights (Saturday, August 18^th, 1956 and Sunday August 19^th, 1956). Box seats for the concert were $1.50; grandstand and front row bleacher seats were $1; and other bleacher seats were 50 cents.

Remember, Rock and Roll was a relatively new phenomenon at the time. Elvis had his first big hit in 1954 and Little Richard (“Tutti Frutti”) and Chuck Berry (“Maybellene”) had big hits in 1955. In many ways, though, 1956 was to become a breakout year for Rock and Roll. It Continue Reading “The Stormy Beginning When the Erie County Fair First Waded Into The Rock and Roll Craze”

Posted in The Compleat Carosa Commentaries, Western New York State of Mind Tagged Bill Haley, Blackboard Jungle, Blasdell, Blue Suede Shoes, Butera, Carl Perkins, Chuck Berry, Donna Rice, Elvis Presley, erie county fair, Gary Hart, Gene Vincent, grandfather, Happy Days, Heartbreak Hotel, Hound Dog, Johnny Burnette, Jump the Shark, Lassie, Lillian Briggs, Little Richard, Maybellene, Milton Berle Show, Monkey Business, Pat Boone, pizza, Rock and Roll, Rock Around The Clock, Ron Howard, Sonny Dae and His Knights, Stage Show, Steve Allen Show, Superman, The Ed Sullivan Show, Tutti Frutti

You Can Create a Pleasant and Unforgettable Memory by Following These Three Rules

By Chris Carosa on June 12, 2018

It was a small planting bed, not more than 20 feet wide and three feet deep. Located beneath the cantilever on the north side of the family’s newly built raised ranch, the moist topsoil glistened in the summer shade. “You’ve got to mix it in with the old dirt,” said my father.

You could tell the difference. The dusty brown dirt stood apart from the rich loam we had just imported from the nursery. We spent that morning doing the rough work. We dug the hard clay and turned it over. Actually, Dad did that job. The dense dirt proved too tough for me and my brother, then mere pre-schoolers.

Our father, aware of our physical limitations, knew precisely the kind of activity that motivates young bucks like us. “OK, boys,” he said, “after I turn it over you come in behind me and Continue Reading “You Can Create a Pleasant and Unforgettable Memory by Following These Three Rules”

Posted in Memoir of a Real Life, The Compleat Carosa Commentaries Tagged Abbott Parkway, Blasdell, Dad, Kenny

Live from the 2017 Buffalo Bills Snow Bowl

By Chris Carosa on December 12, 2017

Photo courtesy of Catarina Lena Carosa

Unless you grew up on the western shores of Lake Erie, it’s kinda hard to describe just exactly what “lake effect” conjures up in the brain. I was reminded of this last Friday, when I traveled once more to the land of my youth. I left merry old Mendon with nary a hint of the white stuff anywhere to be found. By the time I had arrive in Amherst ninety minutes later, the mushy roads were only then being plowed. In three hours – smack dab in the middle of the morning rush hour – a devilish lake effect band targeted the North Towns of Buffalo.

I was “lucky” enough to be there before the plows to witness first hand the blissful blessing of the new fallen snow. It was Christmas card perfect. Pristine and sparkly, with the look of a soft blanket, it almost took me back to those fuzzy days of yore, but then I Continue Reading “Live from the 2017 Buffalo Bills Snow Bowl”

Posted in Memoir of a Real Life, The Compleat Carosa Commentaries, Western New York State of Mind Tagged Abbott Road, Blasdell, Buffalo Bills, Christmas, hamburg, Ilio DiPaolo's, Indianapolis Colts, Jack Nicholson, Lackawanna, lake effect, Lake Erie, New Era Field, Orchard Park, Pepsi, The Shining, thundersnow

Life is a (Small Town) Carnival

By Chris Carosa on May 30, 2013

Like any kid growing up in the snowbelt otherwise known as Blasdell, I looked forward to three things each summer. The beginning of summer would signal going to Fantasy Island to celebrate a good report card, ride the steamboat and watch the live shootouts. The end of summer meant going to the Erie County Fair to see the vast array of other-worldly side shows on the Midway, the acrid smell of burnt oil and rubber at the demolition derby and the taste of my grandfather’s sumptuous pizza. Sandwiched in between, both chronologically and geographically was the Big Tree Fireman’s Carnival. I think it was actually called the Big Tree Firemen’s Annual Field Days. But for kids (and headline writers short on space) it was the Big Tree Carnival.

Here’s the real difference between Fantasy Island, the Erie County Fair and the Big Tree Continue Reading “Life is a (Small Town) Carnival”

Posted in Western New York State of Mind Tagged 50 Hidden Gems, Big Tree Carnival, Big Tree Fireman's Carnival, Big Tree Volunteer Fire Company, Blasdell, CougarTech Team #2228, erie county fair, Fantasy Island, Hamburg Fair, Mendon, Mendon Academy, Mendon Carnival, Mendon Fire Department, Mendon Fireman's Carnival, Monroe County, Pack 105, South Park Avenue, St. Catherine's, Troop 105, Woodlawn Firemen

A Bridge Too Quiet

By Chris Carosa on November 1, 2012

I never understood the lure of trains. Don’t get me wrong. I love trains. I just can’t figure out why. I mean, I was born at the dawn of the Space Age, watched Star Trek when it was still on the air and followed NASA’s lunar program with diligent pride. Heck, I even majored in physics and astronomy, served on the Strasenburgh Planetarium’s 40^th Anniversary Task Force and created an official astronomy outreach project (AstronomyTop100.com) that received the official endorsement of the United Nations during the International Year of Astronomy in 2009.

Many were the times when I thought I was finally done with trains. But, like the mob to Continue Reading “A Bridge Too Quiet”

Posted in Western New York State of Mind Tagged 20th Century Limited, 50 Hidden Gems, Alden, Allegany County, Batavia, Belfast, Bethlehem Steel, Blasdell, Blasdell Junction, Buffalo, Caneadea, Charlie Hogan, Conrail, Crittenden, Cuba, Dansville, Dansville Hill, Delaware Lackawanna and Western Railroad, DL&W, Dunkirk, East Hill, Empire State Express, Engine 999, Erie County, Erie Railroad, Erie-Lackawanna Railroad, Filmore, GB Tower, Genesee County, Genesee River, Genesee River Railroad, Genesee Viaduct, Growing Up, Harry Benjamin, Lackawanna, Lackawanna Railroad, Lake Avenue, Letchworth State Park, Livingston County, New York Central, Niagara Falls, Nickel Plate, Phoebe Snow, Portage, Railroad, River Line, Rochester, South Buffalo, trains, Victory Avenue

Postcard Perfect, In Any Season

By Chris Carosa on October 30, 2012

On July 4^th, 1928, nearly three years after the opening of the Erie Canal, Charles Carroll, 91 years old and the last surviving signer of the Declaration of Independence, turned over the first shovel of dirt, marking the beginning of construction of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad, America’s first railroad.¹ With this single action, the Erie Canal’s death notice had been signed. Even before the B&O was created, the Mohawk and Hudson Railroad was incorporated in New York on April 17^th, 1826, less than six months after Governor Dewitt Clinton dedicated the grand opening of his “ditch.”² Ironically, the purpose of the Mohawk and Hudson was to compete with the Erie Canal. When New York’s railroad finally managed to finance itself, (delayed financing allowed the B&O to be constructed first), it could be built. Completed a year later in August, 1831,³ it took less than an hour to travel the 17-mile rail line compared to the all-day meandering 40-mile segment of the Erie Canal it replaced.⁴ The name of the steam locomotive to make this first run: none other than Continue Reading “Postcard Perfect, In Any Season”

Posted in Western New York State of Mind Tagged 50 Hidden Gems, Arcade, Arcade and Attica Railroad, Attica, Attica and Allegany Valley Railroad, Attica and Arcade Railroad, Attica and Freedom Railroad, B&O, Baltimore and Ohio Railroad, Birdsill Holly, Blasdell, Boonton, Buffalo, Buffalo Attica and Arcade Railroad, Cattaraugus County, Charles Carroll, Chautauqua County, Cuba, Curriers, Delaware Lackawanna and Western Railroad, DeWitt Clinton, DL&W, Dunkirk, Erie Canal, Erie County, Erie Railroad, Hydraulic Tunnel, Kenneth Springirth, Lackawanna, Lockport, Millard Fillmore, Mohawk and Hudson Railroad, New York Central, Ridge Road Bridge, Sandusky, Seneca Yard, Tonawanda Valley and Cuba Railroad, Tonawanda Valley Railroad, Wyoming County

The Magician Reveals His Real Trick

By Chris Carosa on September 26, 2012

One by one the hockey heroes skate up towards the camera from the far blue line, stop with a spray of ice just missing the lens, then announce their name and team. Finally, the last professional pumps his legs forward with the smooth motion of the others and stops in the same controlled fashion. But when he announces his name, I’m shocked to discover he’s no hockey player.

“Bill Shatner. Loblaws,” states the confident former Captain Kirk.

For those not familiar, Loblaws is a Canadian grocery chain. In the 1960’s and early 1970’s they had stores in Buffalo (primarily) and Rochester (maybe just one, but I lived next to it). It was an era before Wegmans went on supermarket steroids and totally dominated the market. Loblaws was Canada’s pride but eventually sold out to Bells Markets.

In 1975 Loblaws was a player – at least in my neighborhood – and no more so because Continue Reading “The Magician Reveals His Real Trick”

Posted in Western New York State of Mind Tagged 50 Hidden Gems, Abbott Parkway, Bells Markets, Blasdell, Buffalo, Buffalo Sabres, Canandaigua, Captain Kirk, Chautauqua County, Crystal Beach, Darien Lake, Disney World, Disneyland, Erie County, erie county fair, Fantasy Island, French Connection, Grand Island, Irondequoit, Jamestown, Lee Fogolin, Loblaws, Maple Springs, Martin Dipietro, Midway, NHL Action Stamps, Ontario County, Rene Robert, Rochester, Roseland, Seabreeze, Stanley Cup, Wegmans, William Shatner

Size Doesn’t Matter

By Chris Carosa on April 12, 2012

It may have been my father’s greatest embarrassment, but it was my greatest loss, a loss erased only by 25 years and a chance plumbing mishap.

How my family sees my long lost 1970 trophy.

It all started on a day which lives in “famy” (as opposed to“infamy”). No, I’m not exaggerating. It really was a famous day.

On Saturday, March 7, 1970, I found myself bowling three games at Leisure Lanes in Hamburg, New York, among several dozen participants in the first Bowling Tournament my Cub Scout Pack ever had. The rest of the Northern Hemisphere spent the bulk of that sunny midday experiencing the greatest total eclipse of the sun our corner of the Earth will have until April 8, 2024. (For my own account of that day, see “Solar Eclipse, 1970 – A True Story,” Mendon-Honeoye Falls-Lima Sentinel, August 17, 2017.)

I had won the Big Tree Cub Scout Pack 489 Bowling Tournament that day. My father, the Pack’s Cubmaster, bought a nice bowling trophy and a brass plate to etch the name of the winner. He didn’t expect his son to take the trophy home.

That’s what embarrassed him.

So struck by the genuine joy I showed in winning it, he couldn’t bear telling me of his Continue Reading “Size Doesn’t Matter”

Posted in Memoir of a Real Life, The Compleat Carosa Commentaries Tagged 1970 Total Eclipse of the Sun, Big Tree Cub Scout Pack 489, Blasdell, Blasdell Bowling Academy, bowling, Brongo Bowl, Buffalo, Chili, Cub Scout, Dynamo, erie county fair, Estes rockets, hamburg, Honeoye Falls, Leisure Lanes, March 7 1970, Mendon, Rochester, Solar Eclipse