West Side figured notably in War of 1812

Historical sign marks a War of 1812 battle fought on the West Side

By Ebony Linzy

Bengal News West Reporter

Located near the corner of Grant  and Amherst streets,  the stand-alone sign appears be out of place. With bold gold letters  navy blue background,   the sign is almost unnoticeable among the passing traffic and pedestrians.

However the sign is actually a historical marker for a significant part of our American history. And while it may be posted on a busy city street near the entrance of a major highway, it marks one of the many battle sites between America and the superpower Great Britain during the War of 1812.

Often described as very brief but bitter time period, the war of 1812 is not only essential to the history of Western New York, but especially essential to the West Side. Although the area was young and developing during the time of the war, the West Side was actually home to a lot of its key events. 

Starting in June of 1812, the war resulted due to a number of growing issues between Great Britain and America, including British attempts to restrict American trade and growth. As Canada was the nearest British colony at the time, American troops began a series of attacks using areas in Buffalo as a station for its troops, meanwhile using the Niagara River as a forefront for fighting the war. 

“There were burial grounds, cannon batteries and several battle sites on today’s West Side,” said Author and Paranormal Expert Mason Winfield. 

Having studied the war for years, ultimately publishing a book  of the war titled “Ghosts of 1812: History, Folklore, Tradition and the Niagara War,” Winfield said that regions in Buffalo were gravely impacted by the war which lasted until December 1814.

“Buffalo’s West Side   was taking a lot of cannon fire constantly for three solid years of the war,” said Winfield.

Referring to a number of battles including the first battle of Black Rock in July 1813, the second battle of Black Rock in December 1813   and the battle of the Scajaquada Creek in August 1814, the areas we   see today are actually where a lot of these events took place, said Winfield.

Of course with these challenging battles, there were also came a number of casualties.

“I think a lot of people are not aware of the tragedies,” said Historian John Percy.  “Buffalo was totally destroyed. The sad thing was that a lot of people were killed.”

Working for the Town of Tonawanda Historical Society Museum, Percy said that Buffalo has come a long way since it was completely destroyed during the tragic burning of Buffalo in December   1813.

“After the burning of Buffalo, there were only three buildings left standing. Oh yes, a jail, a cottage and a blacksmith shop,” said Percy. 

Professor Andrew D. Nicholls, on the War of 1812:

Speaking positively of the short lived war, Andrew D. Nicholls, said that although there were hundreds of casualties, Buffalo did play a large role in the American victories.  

“Buffalo was the place of training that helped American forces bring in those victories including the Battle of Chippewa in 1814,” said the chair and professor  of the history department at SUNY Buffalo State.

Nicholls is among many people who have studied the war over the years and say that there is no doubt about important role of the West Side in the war.

In celebration of its 200^th anniversary, there also have been a number of events taking place locally to commemorate the war.

Celebrating peace between the United States and Canada, “Flames Across Niagara” took  place on Dec. 8 in Squaw Island Park. The bi-national event  included a bonfire, canons and re-enactment of certain parts of the war.

Hosted by a number of organizations including The Niagara 1812 Legacy Council, Nicholls  said that such events usually have a wonderful turnout.

As 2014 is right around the corner and will still be within 200^th mark of the war, similar events and commemorations are also set to take place.

In the meantime Professors like Nicholls are spreading the word teaching the facts about this unforgettable war.

“The U.S. stood up to fight a superpower,” said Nicholls. “It was a coming of age for us.” 

W.S. beer gardens: What's old is new again

By Lauren Coppola and Samantha Wulff
Bengal News West Reporters

The year was 1946 when Lottie Gall  took a boat from her hometown in Michigan to Buffalo.

“I just came to visit my Aunt Sally, she lived on Roswell,” Gall said. “She introduced me to Ellen Jensen, she took me to the bars – the beer gardens they called them a long time ago.” 

            Gall had never been to a bar or beer garden before coming to the Queen City, but they, along with the people inside them, convinced her to stay. Gall has seen Buffalo beer gardens in their heyday, seen them fall apart, and, with the opening of Resurgence Beer Company and beer garden at 1250 Niagara St. come April, is now witnessing their rebirth.

Gall and her future husband both relocated to Riverside in July 1946. Stanley, a Polish accordion player, soon became the apple of Gall's eye. She recalls them dancing and drinking at Peggy's.  What made Peggy’s more than just a bar was that it had a spot to play shuffleboard. Such games are quite common in beer gardens, for they allow patrons to bide their time while having a pint or so. 

Dave Mik, Buffalo beer historian,  said that places like Peggy's were formed in response to prohibition being lifted. The typical German beer gardens were suddenly a thing of the past.

“Once prohibition took effect in 1919, the beer gardens closed, along with most of the breweries in the city,” Mik said. “Once prohibition ended in 1933, neighborhood taverns and saloons were opened, taking the place of the large German beer gardens.”

Gall, now 90, often passes by the old bars in the town where she used to live.

“The bars look so broken down,” she said.

Although Gall said she is past the age of going to such places, a new look to Niagara Street would give her hope for a beer garden similar to what she experienced in her youth. Jeff Ware,  owner of Resurgence Beer Co., hopes his brewery and beer garden will foster a family-friendly environment to the West Side.

“We really like the West Side,” Ware said of him and his wife. “Elmwood is our neighborhood so we feel the West Side is just an extension of our neighborhood.”

Ware met his future wife when he was working at the Boston Brewing Company in New York City. He soon became enamored by the large beer gardens in the area.

“They had these big beer gardens down there, they're these really great places,” he said. “They're probably like 20,000 square foot places that are really a community style.”

He thought: “Wouldn't it be even cooler if these places made their own beer on site?”

That thought turned into an inspiration for his own business. Originally from Orchard Park,  Ware came back to Western New York to take a risk on a new beer garden. Such waters are basically uncharted.

“I don't think it's a huge risk,” Ware said. “I think that people are going to appreciate it...I think people will take the opportunity to go outside and get a pint.”

Ware will have the traditional back yard game, bocce, available for patrons to play outside. He wants his establishment to be the type of place where somebody can sit next to a complete stranger or bring their children down in strollers, have a pint it the garden, and feel comfortable doing so. Resurgence will not be open late, nor will it have a party-atmosphere such as Chippewa Street.  It will be community and family based. 

“I think the idea of opening a new beer garden on Niagara Street is very interesting,” Mik said, “and if done properly, could be very successful.”

Magazine keeps 'old neighborhood' alive

By Marybeth Calabrese and Ally Selva

Bengal News West Reporters

            Italian families left their windows open and doors unlocked and when the smell of Sunday sauce wafted through the street, everyone was invited for dinner.

             That’s what the West Side use to be like. 

The memories and history of Italian culture on the West Side are kept alive through the magazine and club called "Per Niente", which means “for nothing” in Italian. Per Niente is a way for subscribers to share their experiences of living on the West Side.  

Per Niente started out nine years ago as a way for the publisher Joe Di Leo, to remind his close group of friends what their childhood was like on the West Side.  Little did Di Leo know that the articles he had written for fun would soon turn into an ongoing success. 

“People started asking me to write more articles so that they could share their own memories with others. Word of mouth began to spread time about us and more people wanted to contribute as well,” Di Leo said. 

Per Niente editors, on the magazine's mission:

The goal of the Per Niente club is to share the history of what the West Side use to be like.   The members of the club have bonded over the friendships and cultural connections that they’ve made growing up. Membership in the club is $40 a year, which covers four quarterly issues made per season.  Per Niente is non-profit and uses the membership money towards the magazine’s publication fees and uses the leftover money to donate to local charities. 

“Putting together the magazine has been very enjoyable for me because I get to listen to the heartfelt  stories about the West Side. It has helped others relive their childhood and the relationships they had with their families and friends, “ Di Leo said.

What started out as a one-page newsletter, turned into an anticipated publication for Italians who have once lived on the West Side who moved else where in the city and in the country. Di Leo had his hands full trying to write, print and edit the articles himself for his friends. In early 2009, about 150 people wanted to start contributing stories as well.  That’s when Di Leo decided to ask his old friend Joe Giambra to help out with the editing and publication. 

After the pair began working together the magazine’s popularity skyrocketed to having about 400 people subscribe.  Today, the club brings in enough money so that Keller Bros. and Miller Inc. ? can do the magazine’s printing layouts.

“I remember when Joe first came to me and asked me to write an article for the magazine and of course I was willing to help out my friend. Later down the road, Per Niente became so popular that for the last six years this is what I’ve been doing all year round,” Giambra said.

The working relationship between Giambra and Di Leo has been going strong, as they both share the same passion for their Italian culture. The way of life that was once shared on the West Side doesn’t exist anymore, which makes the Italians of Buffalo eager to get their voices heard. 

“We’ve given a lot of people a whole new perspective on the way they look at their past and the future of their children. Per Niente has also helped share with today’s generation the Italian lifestyle that once existed and was never forgotten,” Giambra said.

The members of Per Niente feel passionately about sharing their stories and experiences. They all intend to stay in touch and remind each other of where they came from. Local resident and Per Niente club member, Carmella Gata, decided to join in 2010, as a way for her to get in touch with her roots. Gata’s family had owned a  bar on the West Side in the 1930s - called Nick’s Tavern.

“Ever since I joined Per Niente I have been actively keeping in contact with other members who share the same memories as me about the West Side,” Gata said.  “If you grew up in my neighborhood, everyone was family to you and that’s just the way us Italians are.”

Winter weather warrants warmer clothing

By Matt Bove and Gabrielle Mediak

Bengal News West Reporters

Linda Nguyen hangs donated coats at New to You

         The Buffalo area is known for its fluctuating weather and blustery winters. Sometimes, the temperature may drop 40   degrees in one day.  This makes life for those who live on the streets harder to deal with.

But help is on the way. West Side organizations and businesses are doing their best to ensure that people living on the street can be as warm as possible. Along with frigid temperatures comes a need for warm winter clothes.  

            New to You is a thrift store located at 289 Grant St. in the heart of the West Side. It  always accepts new donations from clothing to furniture, giving it   the nickname of “The Everything Store.”  But when the seasons change and the temperatures drop, its  main focus is to keep the community warm at an affordable price. 

            “We try to maintain a store where people can buy household goods and clothing for a discounted price,” Jasmine Milton, store manager of New to You said. 

 According to Milton, the shop negotiates   prices with customers and arrange pick-ups for receiving donations. As winter approaches, the need for donations grows. New To You has always kept up with the demand. By having an abundance of winter wear, people can usually find what they need. 

         “A lot of times there are other organizations specifically holding events for winter items,” Milton said. “They bring the excess over here. We have a lot of coats, sweaters and winter things.”

Although the store gets a lot donated, with people coming in everyday, it is   always in need of contributions. Linda Nguyen, an employee from New To You, said that there is a specific need for toddler winter jackets. People look for them everyday. 

“Since the weather has changed people come in all the time looking for winter stuff,” Nguyen said. “Right when it changes to fall people come in an find their coats, winter gear hats, scarves and all that.” 

But for those who can’t afford the used clothing at New To You, there is always the option to visit Friends of Night People, located at 394 Hudson St. Its main objective is to provide homeless, poor and destitute individuals food, clothing, medical care and counseling. Friends of Night People’s clothing cupboard is a place for those in need to get the articles of clothing necessary to make their nights as warm as possible.

“Everything is free, no questions asked,” Joseph Heary,  executive director of Friends of Night People, said. “People are hit with unexpected bills and expenses and we try to help them stretch their budget as much as possible.”

Blankets are another big item at Friends of Night People because of their functionality and versatility.

 “We’re in need of anything that will keep people warm when they’re outside,” Heary said. “When you’re walking and that’s your only mode of transportation, you need gloves and a hat, and forget how easy it is to misplace them when you need it 24 hours religiously.”

For those who spend almost all of their day outside, the clothes on their back could be the most important things that get them through the night.

“A normal person gets in and out of their car or their house and aren’t outside very long,” Heary said. “When you’re moving from place to place sometimes, it’s easy to forget that one item.”

Michele Gardner, a volunteer at Friends of Night People, stressed the importance for people to come out and donate for those in need.

“You see a lot of people in need that you would never expect to see,” Gardner said.  “I’ve seen people who look just like you and me, and are just simply down on their luck.”

           

West Side murals celebrate art, diversity

By Sean Dwyer and Youleidy Vega
Bengal News West Reporters

You may have seen them while going for a morning jog, or perhaps while drinking coffee near a window at your favorite coffee shop.                  

Maybe you have stopped in your tracks just for a second to admire them, or you could have possibly been so disturbed after seeing one that you vented to your friend about it later.

There are many murals on the West Side. Each one not only has its own story, but contributes to the ultimate urban experience.

Philip Ogle, on urban murals:


        Take a stroll down Allentown and stand right in between the intersection of Allen and College streets. There alone you will be able to see three murals on three different buildings all at once.

One popular mural has been the one located on the corner of Grant Street and Auburn Avenue. That particular mural was created by Philip Ogle, chair of the Fine Art department at Buffalo State.

“The mural deals with cultural diversity and the immigration to the West Side over the last 200 years starting with the Irish and railroad workers, to Italians to present day Burmese and Ethiopians,” said Ogle. “It helps to beautify vital areas but it also communicates to the residents that they are important by celebrating their ethnicity.”

Ogle said that murals have been in existence for more than 10,000 years and that there’s a lot that goes into the creation of each one.

He said that when putting together a mural, the artist generally talks to the residents of the community to get possible ideas. By doing so, the artist assumes the role of a journalist getting a collection of perspectives to potentially incorporate into their final products. 

Once the mural is finished, “it’s a look good, feel good,” for the community, said Ogle.

        Someone who would know exactly what Ogle was referring to is local artist Max Collins. Collins is a graduate of Michigan University with a dual-degree in Arts and Journalism.

Collins has contributed in numerous public arts projects in both Buffalo and Michigan. Now he owns his own business where he combines photography and a passion for murals for a living.

Collins said that one of his projects, a mural on the wall of Ro furniture store on Elmwood Avenue was done by taking a picture of a friend, tracing the photo on a piece of paper, enlarging it, and then tracing it again on the wall.

The subject of Collins’ photo was another local artist, Ian de Beer who also collaborated on the mural.

Collins said that they were trying to not only combine their styles, but to touch on the issue of graffiti on the West Side and the amount of attention it garners. Ian does graffiti, while Collins focuses more on large-scale photographic murals.

“We really simply just wanted to present a new angle in graffiti writing. So we took a photo of Ian holding a marker and made it look like he is tagging and we blew it up and put it on the side of the building,” said Collins.

Often confused, Collins said that graffiti and murals are completely different forms of art.

“Graffiti is illegal: illegal writing; illegal street art. A mural is picturesque commissioned by building owners. But as graffiti has become more mainstream, the two do overlap. Sometimes you find graffiti-styled murals,” said Collins.

De Beer was also able to take part in is the graffiti-styled mural located at Allen and College streets on the wall of Holly Farms.  De Beer’s inspiration for this mural was Spain Rodriquez, a successful 19^th century aristocratic artist.

Although he specializes in graffiti, de Beer has always had a passion for murals and considers them to be essential in keeping communities together.

“Murals are the glue of our society. Without public art who knows where we would be today. Without murals, I think our society would fall apart, and I think it’s because it’s a part of the human condition to need to see artwork on walls,” said de Beer. “Without it people would have no relationship to their surroundings and chaos would ensue.”

His fellow artist Collins also believes that art can exist as a symbol and has a way of speaking to a wide variety of people.   

“They are a symbol of human activity,” said Collins.  “And is something powerful enough to make you forget your next meal.”

West African inspires West Side boxers

By Patrick Lawler and Joe Sarro
Bengal News West Reporters

Boxers at the West Side Boxing Club get a smile from ear to ear when they see local pro boxer, Anges Adjaho walk in to train with them.

“Boxing is my life,” said Adjaho. “If I’m not training, I’m training the kids. They’re like my family here.”

Adjaho was an Olympic talented boxer. He trains professionally and is currently training for a fight that could put him back on the map to compete for a welterweight title. When he doesn’t train he helps with other amateur boxers and beginners to give them advice on what it takes to become a pro.

 “They look up to him as a role model,” said trainer Andrew Upchurch. “He has an amazing effect on the amateurs. They look to him for pointers in the sport because of his experience. He shares his wealth of knowledge of boxing with the rest of the boxers in the club.”

Adjaho emerged as a professional boxer back in  Benin, Africa. He had his first 20 matches in Africa and was recognized as one of the great boxers to come out of the country due to his undefeated record and a three time African champion.

He says he always wanted to be an Olympic champion. He was strongly encouraged to start boxing from his father, who was also the coach for Benin’s Olympic national boxing team, according to number1contender.net Adjaho was Benin’s only qualifier for the 2000 Sydney Summer Olympiad. However, with Benin being so poor, the country could not afford to send Adjaho to the Olympics.

Adjaho moved to the United States after being discovered by the boxing promoter Don King. Adjaho moved to live with King in Cleveland, Ohio after he signed a contract with him to fight in the United States. He faced professional fighters such as Shawn Porter, Antoio DeMarco and Joel Julio. Adjaho was even featured on ESPN’s Friday Night Fights.  Adjaho didn’t agree with some of King's requirements after the contract was signed.

“When I came to the United States with Don it didn’t work out like I thought,” Adjaho said.  “Sometimes I would fight only once a year when we agreed on three fights per year, and so he eventually dropped me down.”

Adjaho has lost his past three fights. Andrew Upchurch is one of the head trainers at the West Side Boxing Club. Upchurch says Adjaho brings such a great upside to the area and the club.

He’s had opportunities to be a number one contender, but in order to get a decent paycheck you need to win those fights. Unfortunately with the fights not going in his favor, he is forced to work outside of his boxing career.

Adjaho eventually came to the West Side when he met head trainer of West Side Boxing club, Ricky Diaz. Adjaho said he likes living on the West Side. He said he loves the facility he works out at and that it reminds him of home. He has become a great influence on some of the Amateur and beginner boxers that participate in the club.

 “He helps with everything. He will do any thing that we ask,” said 17-year-old beginner boxer, Benjamin Serrano. “You look up to him. You admire to him. Its not often you get to train in the same gym with a pro.”

Bicyclist prepare for winter riding season

By Lauren Coppola and Samantha Wulff
Bengal News West Reporters

Andrew Johnson, a mechanic at Rick Cycle Shop, grins ear to ear as he fawns over his bike of creation. It's nothing flashy; an old rusty steel frame with knobby tires and recycled cables. But it gets the job done, and it's function over form when it comes to combating Buffalo winters on two wheels.

Within the next few weeks, Johnson will be making the transition from his summer bike to his constructed winter one. And he is not the only one. As the weather turns brisk and the snow begins to fall, fellow year-round cyclists will decorate bike lanes with tread marks.

Johnson recommends using old bikes and old parts for winter bikes, because no matter how good one treats their bike, the snow and salt will wear the parts down. He said that it is not uncommon to see people own two bikes for the different seasons.

Henry Raess, West Side resident and event coordinator for GO Bike Buffalo, has been cycling through the snow since 2005. After having his car impounded, he was met by surmounting fees when he tried to reclaim it. The whole process seemed ridiculous to him, and he no longer had interest in dealing with a motor vehicle.

“I was like: 'This is extortion, I don't care for it. Keep the car,'” he said. “And I went out and bought a bike for 50 bucks.”

 Henry Raess, on Buffalo's winter biking season:

Raess has relied solely on his bike and public transportation since then. When it comes to prepping a summer bike for winter, Raess recommends getting fenders and thicker tires.

“Having thicker tires is good,” he said. “Sometimes people get giant tires and that can actually collect snow, so having thicker tires but not giant knobby tires is often good.”

Tom Rick, owner of Rick Cycle Shop,  said that the biggest thing for someone to look over would probably be the tires and brakes.

“Put better brake shoes on so you stop better,” he said. “Make sure everything’s working properly.”

Rick Cycle Shop also sells used, refurbished bikes that are winter ready.

Emma Feldman, member of GO Bike Buffalo, knows that gearing up goes beyond the bike. Wearing layers upon layers of clothes is necessary to protect oneself during the frigid winter months, but the problem arises once the layers have to come off.

“One of the most known things is when you go out and have like nine million layers on and when you get to your destination, you have to guard a mound of clothes,” she said.

 Feldman moved from Montrael to the West Side in February. A big difference she has found between her hometown and Buffalo is that Montreal had convenient coat checks for cyclists to keep their excess clothing in, while the Queen City does not.

According to the League of American Cyclists, Buffalo is ranked number 14 in the nation for the number of bicycle commuters. While the city has tried to make the lives of Buffalo cyclists easier with bike lanes, Johnson  feels that more encouraging steps should be taken. He said that the city should tell cyclists where they could ride, instead of telling them where they cannot, and use bright, positive colors like green to illustrate the point. 

Sharing the road with cars in the winter can be taxing at times, with the slick streets, high winds and occasional wipe out. However, it seems that Buffalo cyclists would not have it any other way. Raess said there are different cycling communities around bike hubs like GO Bike Buffalo and Rick Cycle Shop, but that they are all in it together. 

“There's definitely a sense of camaraderie,” he said. “Where you see another cyclist out there on a windy day and you just go... 'I'm with you man'. ”

5 Loaves gives city kids farm experience

Juma Bienvenue and Matt Kaufman at 5 Loaves Farm

By Ebony Linzy
Bengal News West Reporter

In a track jacket, blue jeans and sneakers Juma Bienvenue seems at home, as he strolls through the farm with his bike. Scanning the season’s harvest and analyzing its progress, Bienvenue nods his head in agreement at the success of the crops thus far.

Bienvenue is one of the many who volunteer at the 5 Loaves Farm, created a year ago on the corner of West Delavan and West Avenue by the Buffalo Vineyard City church. The church, located on 170 Potomac Ave,  is using the farm to encourage healthy eating, education and urban economic development. 

 Matt Kaufman, on the farm's purpose:

 

The farm offers approximately 60 different fruits, vegetables and herbs all of which come from its year round harvest including the fall.

Acknowledging the growing link between poverty and obesity, the farm’s manager Matt Kaufman said establishing the farm is a big step in countering the problem at least in the area. “We grow healthy foods so that our urban neighbors will have healthier options. We’re trying to provide not only healthy food, but lifestyles,” Kauffman said.

Harvested by a variety of individuals including students of the Tapestry Charter School, neighbors and volunteers, the farm not only offers healthy produce but offers educational opportunity as well.

In fact the House of Grace After School Program plays a huge role in the maintenance of the farm, being as it’s students assist with harvesting a few days out of the month.

Dan Austin, the manager of the after school program said he thinks the farm is great when it comes to the educational opportunities and values that the farm promotes. “We try to encourage the kids to be proactive people in their neighborhoods. We talk a lot of pro-activity, and we chose the farm as an example of that,” said Austin.

The students not only gain firsthand experience about farming, but also learn about healthy living which is also what the church aims to do.

In addition to educational opportunities, the farm also offers a number mentorship and economic opportunities as well.

Interns are given an opportunity to work alongside Kaufman and gain the knowledge and skills required to operate a farm. Taking no more than about four interns at a time, the internships are paid and can be rewarding.

Bienvenue, an immigrant from Kenya, interned during the summer of last year said he enjoyed the internship and learned a lot.

“I gained a lot of experience, I thought I knew more,” Bienvenue, a student at Hutch-Tech High School. “Matt showed me how to organize things and keep them organized.”

Bienvenue who lives down the street from the farm on Normal Avenue, said although his internship has ended he still volunteers and helps Kaufman take care of the farm whenever he gets the chance. He is among the many who volunteer and dedicate themselves to the upkeep of the farm outside of the weekly Saturday volunteer hours.

Beyond economic and educational opportunities, the farm also offers Community Supported Agricultural shares that allow neighbors to invest in the farm. Through the purchase of CSAs people buy 20 weeks’ worth of veggies including beets, cabbages, and salad greens, in which the money supports the farm’s educational and economic aspects.

Kauffman also said the church is aiming to become a market farm, which would provide more youth employment opportunities as well increase produce options.

Kauffman is eyeing some additional lots that the church also owns for possible expansion of the farm. And with the growing community support expansion may be near.

“We’ve received overwhelmingly positive feedback," Kaufman said. "A community of folks have stepped up and supported us.”

Cultures unite in West Side soccer program

By Chris Dierken and Leif Reigstad
Bengal News West Reporters

It’s an overcast and muggy Saturday morning at Front Park, quiet but for the sounds of sneakers squeaking on the slick pavement of the parking lot as dozens of children play in the West Side International Soccer program’s first-ever street soccer tournament.

In the middle of the parking lot there is a tall statue of Commodore Oliver Perry, casting his gaze out toward Lake Erie’s blue waters, visible just over the I-190. A few children sit at the base of the statue waiting to be subbed into the action.

Most of these children come from refugee families, immigrants from war-torn countries like Somalia, Burma, Iraq and Kenya. Mateo Escobar, who runs West Side International Soccer with his fiancée, Amanda Swallow, had told them not to wear cleats, but flats instead, shoes that are designed for playing soccer on hard surfaces.

Swallow and Escobar, on the soccer program:

But not one of them brought street soccer-specific shoes. A few are wearing cleats. Others are wearing beat-up Jordans or torn, low-top Converses. One child’s tattered pair of black skater shoes peaks out from beneath baggy and faded blue flannel pajamas.

Last session, Escobar and Swallow purchased purple jerseys and tee shirts for the players. Next year they’ll have a full uniform.

“A lot of these kids don’t have proper dress,” Swallow said. “They come out to practice in the bitter cold wearing tattered clothing, hand-me-downs that have already gone through ten children. We try to do what we can to help with that.”

In addition to holding practice sessions on Saturday afternoons, Escobar and Swallow also provide players with nutritious meals and transportation to and from practice. Swallow picks up the players herself in a large, beat-up black van, driving a route that takes her all over the city.

They also take players on service trips, volunteering at places like Friends of Night People and helping to rehab run-down homes.

“There’s just so much more that we want to provide,” Swallow said. “But sometimes it gets frustrating because we just don’t have the means.”

For most other youth soccer clubs, the majority of financial support comes from the parents paying their child’s way. That is not the case with West Side International Soccer, which serves a low-income population. Despite being financially strapped, Escobar and Swallow have seen the program grow from 40 kids to more than 150 in just over a year, since it started.

West Side International Soccer’s all-volunteer staff relies almost entirely on donations from the community—churches, schools and some other soccer programs have all pitched in.

“We want to provide them a safe environment where they can come and have fun and build relationships with each other,” Swallow said. “There are so many stresses just from being out on the street. When they’re the only English-speakers in their family, there’s a lot of pressure. Sometimes they’re raising themselves, and that gets them into trouble.”

During the street soccer tournament, one of the players—a thin, lanky 18-year old wearing worn grey sneakers, with the laces tied around his ankles—constantly jaws at the referee and trash-talks opponents.

Given the troubled backgrounds of many of these players, Escobar and Swallow said behavior like this is not a surprise. But this particular player has been with the program since the beginning, and has recently shown improvement—he has even told Esobar and Swallow that he wants to volunteer with WSIS and coach some of the younger kids.

Late in a game, he gets tripped and skins his knee on the pavement.

“I don’t want to play anymore,” he said, holding his knee in disgust.

“OK then, don’t play,” the referee said, and the player walks off the court. But he comes back a few seconds later.

He wants to play.

Hispanic parade embraces more nations

By Anthony Howard and Lars Lewis
BengalNews Reporters 

Dinorah Santos danced her way into the hearts of the committee for the 11th Annual Puerto Rican and Hispanic Day Parade using her hands instead of her feet.

Santo’s winning poster is one of the many changes to come for this year’s parade on Sept. 7.

From left, John Carter, Dinorah Santos and Charles Torres

 Each year a poster contest is held and the public is encouraged to submit artwork which relates to the parade’s theme that given year.  Santos saw this as an opportunity not only to build her resume for grad school but, to show her support for an event that brings people together. 

“It’s an opportunity for not only just Puerto Ricans but all Hispanics of Buffalo New York, to celebrate their own culture and represent how proud they are to be Hispanics,” Charles F. Torres board president said.

In recent years, the parade began to recognize other Hispanic countries such as Spain, Panama and El Salvador. This year’s flag raising event to kick off the parade will include more countries than last year. 

Over 22 nations will be represented at this year’s parade. During a coordinating meeting, many national dances were introduced by the committee and will be incorporated in the upcoming parade.

             Dances include the Merengue, a ballroom style dance from the Dominican Republic, the Bomba, a non-contact pair dance from Puerto Rico, the Dance of Chapetones from El Salvador that has twelve men dressed in tuxedos with a woman dressed in white that represents a queen joining them and several more.

The parade may also include African style dancing and drummers as part of the entertainment.

Before the parade was created, the west-side youth consisting mostly of Hispanics had no local events to celebrate their heritage. Torres believes that media coverage of crime, violence and education shamed Hispanics from embracing their heritage and where they come from.

“The parade started as a result of reports indicating that minority youth in Upstate New York, specifically Hispanic and African Americans, lived amongst the highest poverty and   lowest educational achievements in the country,” Torres said.

“We felt that in an effort to reverse self esteem of the Hispanic kids in the neighborhood they needed something to show their pride.”

The parade was just the beginning of change. Since the success of the parade, some members of the parade board branched off and became involved with other community events such as the celebration of “3 Kings Day” during the holiday season and the Miss Borinquen Latina Leadership Development Program.

The Miss Borinquen Latina Leadership Development Program encourages young women to become leaders in their communities by teaching them the skills necessary to succeed in the professional setting. The program also features a pageant in July where the winning queen and princess make a reigning appearance in the parade.

Two years ago Santos’s younger sister won the Miss Borinquen pageant and her mother had a float in the parade.

The parade board aims to bring unity throughout friends, family and communities not only to the West Side, but to all of Buffalo, New York.