southside

When you hear the term block party, what comes to mind?

For City Councilman-at-large Bob Bialkowski, he thinks of idyllic picnics on Kingsbury Avenue for a barbecue, children's games and everyone going home by sundown, whereas Jerry Smith Jr. envisions food and craft vendors, a heavy musical lineup, T-shirts to commemorate the event and fun that goes well into the evening.

While block parties can stray in structure and size, they typically have one thing in common: they are meant to bring folks together to get to know one another and — ideally — strengthen the neighborhood.

While Smith believed that happened for his southside block party last year, others in his neighborhood had different feelings, as expressed to various council members. Before the summer party season begins this year, members of council wanted to revisit a few elements of that party that seemingly went off the rails, Bialkowski said.

“The whole thing was a disaster last year,” the councilman-at-large said, adding that nearby residents complained about various issues. “People sat on (one resident’s) front porch and on her lawn furniture, and wouldn’t move. She was afraid to tell him to get off her driveway, and she couldn’t leave. And other people had the same problem. The neighborhood hadn’t been notified about the block party, people couldn’t get into their driveways.”

Bialkowski asked to put the issue on Monday’s conference agenda for the group to discuss. There were other complaints, apparently, about loud and late-night music, street access being blocked off by barricades, a barbecue and smoker grill blowing volumes of smoke into adjacent homes and concerns that streets were full of vendors with little room for emergency vehicles to access if necessary.

Council President Eugene Jankowski Jr. said he doesn’t think anyone purposely did anything wrong; it’s just a matter of following through on some ground rules. Yes, sometimes a neighborhood party may inconvenience folks a bit, but it shouldn't prevent them from getting into or out of their own homes or otherwise enjoying their environments, he said. 

“It's not a problem. I mean, as long as they follow the rules, there's no problem,” Jankowski said. “No one called the police, no one called the authorities, no one knew who was running the party, the people that complained really weren't sure what was going on. So they didn't know who to contact. So later on, they contacted council members and said that they were upset because the block party had caused them some inconvenience. Some of those inconveniences were being unable to get in their driveway, strangers walking on their front lawn and such. And they didn't know what was going on. And they were concerned.”

Smith told The Batavian that he was unaware of any complaints, as none had been addressed to him directly. He had not attended the council meeting when his application was reviewed last year either.  He is planning to have another block party this year, and he said that he will notify the street of the event. 

He was bothered that there might be something else going on related to the complaints, primarily that he and many party attendees are black.

Jankowski said that their racial makeup has no effect on him, and he lives on the southside and has no issues with anyone. He then took pause to reflect on that issue for a minute.

“Let's just talk about the elephant in the room here. It's not uncommon that any time somebody has an issue, it's a race-related issue, right? Everybody's got this on their mind. And they're in, so everybody's trying to say, Well, it's because we've had a block party and because we're black. Yeah. Nice try, but no, it’s because people couldn't get to their driveways,” Jankowski said. “And, you know, I live on this side of town. And it's a diverse side of town. Italian, Polish, black, Hispanic, everybody's fine. I don't see any problem. It's a peaceful place to live, it’s the best-kept secret of Batavia.

“So, you know, like I said, some disconnect took place within the parameters and, and if everything is done safely and through the health department, if you're going to be charging people for food … parties sometimes, it causes inconveniences, but maybe we should put a mechanism for someone to be aware of one of those, if you're gonna have a block party, you need to make sure everybody in the neighborhood knows what's going on,” he said. “And that they can get in and out of their driveway at all times. And that emergency traffic can go through at all times, you’re not blocking it off.”

City Manager Rachael Tabelski summarized the main points to be highlighted to applicants:

• Local traffic must be able to get through, you certainly can't block the driveway.
• You can't block emergency access.
• You're not to go on other's property who don't offer it as part of the celebration, things of that nature.
• You have to make outreach to the neighbors, whether it's knocking on doors, flyers -- something personal -- so that everyone understands what is going on and how it will affect their neighborhood.

“The last question I had was a topic that came up, do you have to be a neighborhood resident to throw the party? Council member Richmond brought it up, I just want clarity on how the rest of the council feels,” Tabelski said, getting her answer. “Okay, so in this case … the majority of times when these parties are thrown, it is a resident of that neighborhood who tries to open their yard or their home in the street.”

After council’s discussion on Monday, they agreed that city staff would be more communicative with applicants so that both sides would be better informed about events. Bialkowski was satisfied with the end result, he said.

“What I had hoped to accomplish, I think, is accomplished. The staff’s going to review these things from here on in. Police should need to send somebody down when they have one to make sure everything's copacetic,” Bialkowski said.

He also had a suggestion for Smith, who is planning to submit an event application for an ambitious-sounding block party this year: maybe he’d want to consider having it at a park instead.

When Jerry Smith Jr. moved to Batavia 32 years ago, he enjoyed the friendly, active vibe.

The then-8-year-old Smith would visit the Wing Ding with family and friends, eat good food, enjoy fun activities, and be part of a community spending time together.

He has missed those summer get-togethers of his younger days, he said and decided to do something about it.

Smith organized a block party in his South Swan Street neighborhood Saturday.

“Definitely, when COVID came, people were more separated. It’s the last weekend of the summer to get together,” he said while serving as DJ and selling commemorative T-shirts under a tent in front of his home. “Bringing people together is always my vision. I’ve always been doing this.”

Although the party was a first, Smith has walked his talk as a youth coach for groups such as Batavia Bulldawgs, organizing three-on-three basketball tournaments, “old school barbecues,” and other similar events, he said. When asked if he had family at the event, with outstretched arms, he said, “Pretty much everyone here,” he said. “They’re all family.”

“Hopefully we can make it a bigger event next year, on the last weekend of the summer,” he said.

He estimated about 100 people had attended the first portion of the event, and more were certain to show up later, when The Songbirds, Ray Williams and the All-Stars, and Tray da Don would take to the makeshift stage for live performances.

Smith’s mom, Willeen Woods, sat nearby under another tent as Michael Jackson and other energetic musical artists filled the air from nearby speakers.

“It’s a good day,” Woods said. “I think it’s a good thing.”

After polishing off a hotdog and other foods available by four or five vendors, 10-year-old Derrick Ponder agreed with Wood’s assessment.

“It’s good,” Derrick said, adding that he knows a lot of people at the party. “People are getting together.”

He would come again next year, he said, as he ran off to play with some other kids there.

Myrin and Dannielle Lumpkin live just around the corner, and they had a tent with some fried chicken, and are known for their barbecued, soul and Caribbean fare. The Lumpkins own Mama Dee’z, and have been happy with the interactions and feedback they’ve received at recent events, Myrin said.

“It’s a beautiful thing, this is a nice small town. It’s a beautiful thing when people come together,” he said. “I think it’s worth it. Everything they’re having, we’re going to be there.”

The catering company — soon to be a restaurant with dine-in and take-out available, he said — was at the Italian Festival and plans to pitch a tent at many more warm-weather events in the future.

“We’ll do this again,” he said. “We’re looking forward to the Italian Fest next year, we liked that.”

Any food that doesn’t get sold is given away, he said, to folks who may appreciate some good home cooking.

One attendee who asked to remain anonymous wasn’t quite as enthusiastic about the block party. The “community of Batavia is not getting together,” she said, pointing to what she felt was the lack of diversity at the event. Smith disagrees with that statement.

"I thought it went very well," he said Sunday. "And it was diverse."

Those that did attend seemed to be enjoying themselves, feasting on saucy chicken wings, grilled, barbecued and fried items, talking and joking around with each other and taking in the 80-plus sunny day.

Several years ago, a city initiative was to help organize block parties throughout Batavia. While some streets latched onto the idea of a neighborly gathering, others formed neighborhood cleanups. It didn't blossom universally in the city, but there have been sporadic events ever since, including a block party earlier this summer on the city's east side.

Hopefully, for Smith, his end-of-summer Swan (Street) song brought some of those fond memories back as a first step toward an annual tradition.

Top photo:  Organizer Jerry Smith Jr., aka Venue Entertainment, serves up some music at the first-ever Swan Street block party Saturday in Batavia. June June Woods and Carline Santiago keep busy at their food station; Hanna Woods checks out the commemorative Block Party T-shirts that state on the back: Southside Thang; Tyrone Woods enjoys some vendor street fare; and above, Terry Smith fries up some chicken.

It was July 1976; we had just purchased our first home for $26,000 in the southside of Batavia. I knew this home because my grandfather built the house in 1924.  

It has been our home for over 45 years. Over the years, I have heard comments about living on the South Side, the other side of the tracks. I was always confused by certain statements. Many friends lived on Pringle Ave, Jackson, Cherry, and Wood Street. We all went to high school together; why the stigma? When I was little, I remember visiting my grandparents, and the kitchen was always full of relatives eating. I recently found a picture of my father and grandparents sitting under a grapevine trellis, eating and drinking wine. My brothers and I were in the picture. I could almost feel the love and warmth coming from that black-and-white photo. My family lived on the South Side when I was born in Highland Park, and eventually, my family moved. When I married my husband in 1974, I was exposed to wonderful Polish customs. Our daughters were lucky to be Polish, Italian-American Southsiders. They were fortunate to have their grandparents live down the street next to Jackson School.

When our daughters walked home from Jackson School, neighbors would watch them like little protectors, waving and smiling as they walked by. Where else could you live that you could walk down the street and buy furniture at Max Pies or Wortzman's? A TV repair shop was across the street when we first moved in. Every corner had a mom-and-pop store, but I loved the most about living on the south side: walking to Saint Anthony's Church and smelling the aroma of frying garlic, peppers, and onions. You could imagine them being added to homegrown tomatoes and simmering for hours on the stove for Sunday's sauce.

I was introduced to Polish food upon my marriage. Today golumpki is one of my favorite meals, along with the Polish custom of breaking the Christmas wafer Oplatki before dinner.

Every neighborhood took such pride in its park. It didn't matter how small or if it had a wading pool; your park was the best. I was a supervisor for three years at Farrall Park. I loved meeting all the children, even if many were teenagers.  Trying to spell all those Polish and Italian names for the newspaper for the winners of the sandbox contest was very challenging.

It was true that the people did not lock their doors, and there was always enough food for an uninvited guest for dinner.

My husband remembers getting large pieces of cardboard from Max Pies and sliding down the South Jackson Street overpass hill.

A favorite memory of mine was when the St. Nicholas Club members would celebrate the feast la Festa di Santa Nicholas di Bari. I remember hearing the band and gathering our daughters on the porch to wave to the men carrying the statue of Santa Nicholas di Bari. I was curious about this celebration's history, and this is what I learned from John Marchese. The St. Nicholas Club existed at St Anthony's church for years. The society was responsible for carrying on the traditions associated with la Festa di Santa Nicholas di Bari. It would start Saturday night when the members would carry the statue from the church down Liberty Street to Cherry and back to the church. People would follow the statue along with the band. Sunday would be the distribution of the bread around the southside.

We had great restaurants and stores on the southside. For example, Angie's Restaurant, Penthouse, Pok-A-Dot, Gino's Pizza, Surprise Store, Enterprise, Louie's Bar, A to Z garage (Mogavero's Automotive), Gioia's Drug Store, Star Market, Polish Falcons, and St. Nick's Club, to name only a few. All of these establishments were located on the South Side.

After Mass, we would all go to Riccobono's Deli (Southside Deli) to buy a wedge of Romano cheese to grate for Sunday sauce. I also remember a fun store called Joe Rose Toys and Tricks. In addition, we had a plumbing store, hardware, GLF, Agway, and Firehouse 2. So many physical things have changed on the south side, thanks to Urban Renewal, but as the saying goes, some things stay the same, like the Pok-a-Dot, Max Pies, Wortzman's, and the memorable Kelly's Holland Inn. I hope these gems will not disappear from the south side landscape. I can still smell garlic and onions cooking, walking down the street, and having a neighbor wave and ask if I need a ride to church that is now and always will be Sacred Heart Church. I can still lean over our fence and talk to my neighbor.  I am proud to live on the south side and to be a Southsider for life.

"Immigration and the Southside of Batavia" is an event being sponsored by the Holland Land Office Museum featuring a genuine ethnic food buffet and traditional music from Poland and Italy.

It will be held starting at 12:30 p.m. on Sunday, April 10, at Ascension Parish Hall, 15 Sumner St., Batavia. Cost is $20 per person. Tickets on sale now at HLOM. Reservation deadline is NOON Wednesday April 6. Call 343-4727.

Come celebrate immigration from Europe to Western New York. Guest speaker is local historian and teacher Gregory Kinal.

The buffet will include: golumpki, polish sausage, spaghetti, Italian sausage and more!

Live music will include traditional polkas, tarantellas, and other ethnic music!