The WNY Summer Appreciation Thread

[BillsPride12]

In honor of the first official day of Summer I wanted to start a thread to pay tribute to how awesome WNY Summers really are!  I know most people posting over here no longer live in the area but the majority at least have roots in WNY.  What are some of your favorite Summertime memories growing up in the Buffalo area?  Favorite traditions and activities?

 

We might only get 3 true months of Summer but from June to August those 3 months are usually nothing short of amazing....Backyard BBQ's and Bonfires, Outdoor concert series, Patio bars, Neighborhood parties, golfing, hiking, boating, grilling...Nobody does Summertime like the 716!  Use this thread to post all things Buffalo Summers

 

CHEERS! 🍻

 

 

[teef]

from june 1st to january 1st, i absolutely love this area of the world.  we've already had a number of cook outs, an end of the school year party for the kids, trips to thousand islands, canada, adirondacks, etc.  just got an outdoor movie theater set up so we can drag the nights on a bit longer.   love this time of year in wny.

[BillsPride12]

40 minutes ago, teef said:

from june 1st to january 1st, i absolutely love this area of the world.  we've already had a number of cook outs, an end of the school year party for the kids, trips to thousand islands, canada, adirondacks, etc.  just got an outdoor movie theater set up so we can drag the nights on a bit longer.   love this time of year in wny.

In my parents neighborhood a neighbor is having an end of the school year party tomorrow for the kids and we are taking my nephews.  Growing up over there we always had some awesome block parties in the Summer.  I know a lot of other neighborhoods around here do the same thing, not sure how common that is in other parts of the Country.  

[Gregg]

I don't have WNY roots. Born on Long Island and now live in NJ. When I was young, I had friend who went to the University of Buffalo. I visited him up there in the summer of 89 and we saw the Grateful Dead at Rich Stadium.

[Mr Info]

5 minutes ago, Gregg said:

…I visited him up there in the summer of 89 and we saw the Grateful Dead at Rich Stadium.

Before Jerry bid adieu.

[teef]

54 minutes ago, BillsPride12 said:

In my parents neighborhood a neighbor is having an end of the school year party tomorrow for the kids and we are taking my nephews.  Growing up over there we always had some awesome block parties in the Summer.  I know a lot of other neighborhoods around here do the same thing, not sure how common that is in other parts of the Country.  

it was the first time for us.  we moved into our neighborhood 8 years ago when our daughter was 3 months old, and we were by far the youngest family.  since then there's been a turnover, and we've started to hang out.  we had a blast.  all the kids from my daughters class, neighborhood kids and friends kids.  we rented a couple of bounce houses, have a pool, trampoline, etc.  it was a blast.  even the parents got a little nuts, so the plan is to make this a thing.  we've even sneaked in an early summer carnival already.  giddy up.

[muppy]

I would love it if any of the brethren here know this place. It's called Godfreys Pond. It was our WNY go to place in the summer. From my earliest memories I remember this place. Idyllic place.

 

 

Edited June 21, 2023 by muppy

[WhoTom]

1 hour ago, Gregg said:

I don't have WNY roots. Born on Long Island and now live in NJ. When I was young, I had friend who went to the University of Buffalo. I visited him up there in the summer of 89 and we saw the Grateful Dead at Rich Stadium.

 

I saw that show too - one of my favorites! The professional recording was made into an official DVD - "Truckin' up to Buffalo" - and later the band made it available on YouTube.

 

 

[Mr Info]

2 hours ago, muppy said:

I would love it if any of the brethren here know this place. It's called Godfreys Pond. It was our WNY go to place in the summer. From my earliest memories I remember this place. Idyllic place.

 

 

I have been there a few times…as recent as a couple of years ago when we had a high school reunion there. It’s a fantastic place. I moved from the area long ago so not there often. 
The organization that manages is much better. Long ago, they were discriminatory in accepting applications. There are notes about this if you want to google it.

[BillsPride12]

2 hours ago, muppy said:

I would love it if any of the brethren here know this place. It's called Godfreys Pond. It was our WNY go to place in the summer. From my earliest memories I remember this place. Idyllic place.

 

 

I'm not familiar with this one at all Muppy but glad you brought it up because that emphasizes another point....there are so many hidden gems in WNY!  This area gets a bad rap for being a small town with not a lot to do but I feel like it's impossible to do everything you want to do in one Summer.  

[BillsPride12]

24 hours later and I am disappointed in the lack of responses...C'mon TBD you can do better than this....not even one old-timer chiming in yet about family trips to Crystal Beach! 

[muppy]

20 hours ago, Mr Info said:

I have been there a few times…as recent as a couple of years ago when we had a high school reunion there. It’s a fantastic place. I moved from the area long ago so not there often. 
The organization that manages is much better. Long ago, they were discriminatory in accepting applications. There are notes about this if you want to google it.

I am aware they were racial discrimination issues with enrollment back in the day. If my memory serves they were mostly bigoted about Italians and Blacks. I didnt learn about that until well past my childhood.

 

See that huge donut looking millstone on the slope hill down to the pond. We had MANY family picnics in that very spot right in front of it

 

That was ME lil bebe muppy jumping off the high diving board lol ...in memory lane.  

[T&C]

45 minutes ago, BillsPride12 said:

24 hours later and I am disappointed in the lack of responses...C'mon TBD you can do better than this....not even one old-timer chiming in yet about family trips to Crystal Beach! 

The kiddie rides at Glen Park..

[Draconator]

Boat rides with bands on the Miss Buffalo. Such a fun party. 

 

Horse-drawn carriage rides in Niagara on the Lake. 

 

Golfing at Bob o Links at 8 pm, and finishing your round under the lights. 

Edited June 22, 2023 by Draconator

[PromoTheRobot]

Up here in northern New England we've been trapped in a nor'easter type of weather system than keeps pumping cool moist air off a chilly Atlantic ocean all month. It's been a disappointing June to say the least.

[qwksilver]

I lived near railroad tracks Blasdell as a kid. I remember the Erie county fair strolling down the tracks each summer. That meant in a few days, rickety rides, fried dough and the rest of the summer fair.

 

FYI i'm back "home" for 10 days next week. Can't wait!!!! Though too early for the fair.

[BillsPride12]

On 6/21/2023 at 9:43 AM, teef said:

it was the first time for us.  we moved into our neighborhood 8 years ago when our daughter was 3 months old, and we were by far the youngest family.  since then there's been a turnover, and we've started to hang out.  we had a blast.  all the kids from my daughters class, neighborhood kids and friends kids.  we rented a couple of bounce houses, have a pool, trampoline, etc.  it was a blast.  even the parents got a little nuts, so the plan is to make this a thing.  we've even sneaked in an early summer carnival already.  giddy up.

Went to the end of school/ beginning of Summer party in my parents neighborhood yesterday and it was a great time.  The kids had a blast with the bounce houses, dunk tank and slip n slides and it was cool meeting some of the new neighbors and seeing alot of the OG's I hadn't seen in forever that I knew growing up.  Tons of food and booze, half the people there wearing a Bills hat or shirt lol.  Prime Summertime in Western New York!

[Nextmanup]

On 6/21/2023 at 7:17 AM, BillsPride12 said:

In honor of the first official day of Summer I wanted to start a thread to pay tribute to how awesome WNY Summers really are!  I know most people posting over here no longer live in the area but the majority at least have roots in WNY.  What are some of your favorite Summertime memories growing up in the Buffalo area?  Favorite traditions and activities?

 

We might only get 3 true months of Summer but from June to August those 3 months are usually nothing short of amazing....Backyard BBQ's and Bonfires, Outdoor concert series, Patio bars, Neighborhood parties, golfing, hiking, boating, grilling...Nobody does Summertime like the 716!  Use this thread to post all things Buffalo Summers

 

CHEERS! 🍻

 

 

They're great!  Problem is they are over in about 20 minutes.  Then it's back to at least 6 months of misery.

 

 

[Another Fan]

On 6/21/2023 at 7:17 AM, BillsPride12 said:

In honor of the first official day of Summer I wanted to start a thread to pay tribute to how awesome WNY Summers really are!  I know most people posting over here no longer live in the area but the majority at least have roots in WNY.  What are some of your favorite Summertime memories growing up in the Buffalo area?  Favorite traditions and activities?

 

We might only get 3 true months of Summer but from June to August those 3 months are usually nothing short of amazing....Backyard BBQ's and Bonfires, Outdoor concert series, Patio bars, Neighborhood parties, golfing, hiking, boating, grilling...Nobody does Summertime like the 716!  Use this thread to post all things Buffalo Summers

 

CHEERS! 🍻

 

 

Not really that popular or stuff I participated in summers in New Jersey.  
 

My favorite memory came about a story I heard about our old neighbor Tony.  He was an old school Italian guy.  The township had concerts they put together  out of a local car dealership.  Like usually the mayor and his entourage would show up.  To which Tony went one time to call the mayor a jerk to his face and had to get pulled away from him.

 

I laugh hysterically as I type this.  I miss that guy 

[PromoTheRobot]

I don't live in WNY anymore but I go back a lot. It's a real shame they don't have weekly outdoor (often free) concerts. That was such a Buffalo summer thing. My first show, and my first joint, was Little Feat at the Albright Knox Rose Garden. My last show was Elvis Costello at Canalside. Except for a couple Outer Harbor shows there's nothing now. 

Edited June 23, 2023 by PromoTheRobot

[BillsPride12]

32 minutes ago, PromoTheRobot said:

I don't live in WNY anymore but I go back a lot. It's a real shame they don't have weekly outdoor (often free) concerts. That was such a Buffalo summer thing. My first show, and my first joint, was Little Feat at the Albright Knox Rose Garden. My last show was Elvis Costello at Canalside. Except for a couple Outer Harbor shows there's nothing now. 

Some places are starting to charge a small fee for their weekly concert series but there's still a lot of them going on and most of them are free.  The weekly outdoor concert series is definitely a staple of a WNY Summer

[Augie]

On 6/22/2023 at 8:52 AM, BillsPride12 said:

24 hours later and I am disappointed in the lack of responses...C'mon TBD you can do better than this....not even one old-timer chiming in yet about family trips to Crystal Beach! 

 

Who are you calling “old-timer”, you creepy guy looking over my shoulder!

 

😋

 

…….they were not just family trips, we spent the entire summer up there in a cottage. My dad drove back in for work every day. I slept on the screened porch, which I now realize was because all the beds were full inside. To this day I love sleeping on a hammock on the back porch! 

 

EDIT: I was actually looking at WNY real estate today thinking of how lovely it is, much of the year. It’s the rest of the year that is concerning. 

 

 

.

Edited June 24, 2023 by Augie

[Miyagi-Do Karate]

On 6/21/2023 at 8:54 AM, Gregg said:

I don't have WNY roots. Born on Long Island and now live in NJ. When I was young, I had friend who went to the University of Buffalo. I visited him up there in the summer of 89 and we saw the Grateful Dead at Rich Stadium.

Don’t worry; New Jersey is also beautiful in the summer, said no one ever.   😁

Edited June 23, 2023 by Miyagi-Do Karate

[Augie]

I know this is a WNY thread, but I’ve never seen a place celebrate summer like Minneapolis! Everything is covered in flowers and the people walk, bike and jog everywhere!

 

We tried to get into a nice restaurant on our first night there, a Thursday. It was packed with a super long wait so we went with plan B and promised ourselves to be earlier the next night to get a table. We showed up Friday night to find the place EMPTY! WTF? We asked about it and were told “it’s Friday, always quiet.” Huh? They had to explain to us that all summer long people take long weekends to go to their lake houses. The city emptied out to go enjoy summer! After all, winter is the time to hibernate! Enjoy it while you can! 

[Another Fan]

On 6/23/2023 at 6:27 PM, Miyagi-Do Karate said:

Don’t worry; New Jersey is also beautiful in the summer, said no one ever.   😁

Your avatars protege was fond of them 

[Miyagi-Do Karate]

10 minutes ago, Another Fan said:

Your avatars protege was fond of them 

haha— before he moved to Reseda! 
 

BTW, I still haven’t finished season 3 of Cobra Kai! 

[Buffalo Boy]

  As a kid, summer was magic!!!

  Funny how our perception of time changes as we get older. As a kid, I liked winter. As a teen, winters NEVER ended. I remember one April, hanging out in my buddies breezeway ( The party room) when we all realized we could go fishing the next morning because our favorite pond was probably ice free.

    Summers at Sunset Bay, Darien Lake, fishing, camping out on weekends. Buffalo is amazing in the summer. 
   As we approach retirement, my wife and I think we might try to spend summers in WNY but haven’t quite figured out how as we don’t wish to own ( and pay NYS taxes) on property there.

   

[Bad Things]

It's our winter down here, so you all can bite me!

😀