 Story
Ancient History
This
page, in fact the entire story section of my site, is for my family, especially my kids, and for friends from
Kenmore. Kinda like an online version of those scrapbooks many
people make with old photos, receipts and the like. I always envied
those people for making those scrapbooks....the perfect handwriting,
the precise taping and gluing, and the packaging of years of their
stories into a concise and complete album. My lack of good
handwriting and obsessive need to correct mistakes, kept me from making one of
those books. Then computers and the Internet showed up, and with it,
the ability to continuously edit until getting it right without the
mess of old tape and glue, and especially without the stress....I
digress. Anyway, I am now in the process of gathering together
whatever I can find (pictures and information) from the years
1960-1978. If any of you reading this have information or pictures of
my time with you, please contact me at my
Facebook account and let me know.
Note: Began working on this page on
12/29/2025....this is a work in progress. |
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 The
Beginning
April 1960 - Spring 1979 - Yup, this is where is all began. This is a picture of my old house, the home
on the right in the picture. This picture if from Google Maps street view which
I decided to use until I go though my pictures and find a picture
from back in the day. I
wanted a better picture but the neighbor on the right side of the house
apparently contacted Google to block the street view picture for privacy
concerns. The owner of that house, at that time, was a cop in Kenmore and maybe
still owns the house. Anyway, I think we sold this house sometime during the Spring
of 1979. This place holds some of the warmest memories of my life. Growing up in
Kenmore, a really small village, was exceptional. Playing football
in the street under the canopy of huge maple trees in Autumn as the
leaves began to change color. Everything in Kenmore seemed to
revolve around football, more specifically, the Buffalo Bills. There
was no in between, you were either a bills fan or not. I remember
going to watch the bills play at War Memorial Stadium up until the
team moved to the new stadium in Orchard Park. Yup, freezing your
ass off in an open stadium, watching the games until the last
second. The most loyal fans in America though. |
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 This
is another
Google street view of my old house. The property consisted of the
house and a detached garage which was almost unusable due to the
long narrow driveway and the metal fence which extended into the
driveway. The lot had approximately 5,344 square feet of land area
but not much frontage which resulted in a really long and narrow
property.
The house was built in 1926 and was a typical colonial style with 3
bedrooms and a shared full bathroom on the second floor with a huge
living room, kitchen, formal dining room, and a really small half
bathroom (toilet and sink only) on the first floor. There was a
front entry and a second entry off the kitchen which also led to the
basement. The total living area of the house was approximately 1,500
square feet presumably not including the basement.
The kitchen was pretty old with a walk in pantry area and a
dishwasher which didn't work, ever, and was used to store old paper
shopping bags....yup paper. The dining room was located between the
kitchen and the living room and had a window looking out to the
covered patio. The living room was huge with a main carpeted section
and an extension with wood floors. There were built in book shelves
in the room extension which is also the place the Steinway baby
grand piano was kept. The first floor half bathroom was really small
with only a sink and a toilet.
The stairs to the second floor were carpeted and there was a landing
pretty close to the top. The master bedroom was considerably larger
than the other two bedrooms. There used to be a huge outside balcony
directly off the master bedroom on the second floor which we had
turned into a regular roof as the balcony began to leak from seepage
during the annual Spring snow melt. The insurance company sucked and
did not cover the cost of the new roof. The bathroom had a toilet,
sink, and a full bathtub with a shower.
A lot of warm and wonderful memories in this house where I spent my
first 20 years before heading off to college in California. Although
the house was warm, it was old and had many issues. I remember the
old oil heating system we had in our unfinished basement with the
shiny metal ducting stretching from the heating unit to the ceiling
and then throughout the house. I thought the ducting resembled a
huge spider with outstretched legs when I was younger. We eventually
replaced it with a forced air unit. Ah the basement....the old and
unfinished section of the house, with the only light coming from
from a few (maybe four) small windows located at about eye level and
even with the ground outside. Standing in the basement, it was only
possible to see legs walking up to the house when we had friends
come over. Eventually I got it in my head to redo the entire
basement. My parents were not really into DIY much and pretty much
let me do whatever I wanted regarding the house. I remember finally
moving the huge wooden shelves which kept our often really old
canned goods and ended up painting the walls of the basement a deep
blue color. Then one year, pretty sure due to a combination of
excessive rain and snowmelt, the basement flooded up to about knee
high. |
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 Kenmore
Weather
Really not sure were to even begin about this. I spent 20 years in
Kenmore and then 30 years in warm and sunny San Diego, California.
From then it was off to Japan for 5 years in Nara (cold but rarely
any snow), then 10 years on Tanegashima Island (except for a brief 6
months in Julian, California) which has a warm subtropical climate
and now located in Setouchi City in Okayama Prefecture, Japan. The
point being that even after all these years out of the snow, it's
almost impossible to forget those years dealing with the weather in
Kenmore. The picture is from Wikipedia showing the incredible amount
of snow the Buffalo area received during the Blizzard of 1977. I had
just returned to Kenmore by bus from a six week "vacation" in New
Orleans, Louisiana where I spent most of the time drinking alcohol
and working temporarily at a few places. This storm was a doozy.
The blizzard of 1977 hit Western New York, Central NY, Northern NY,
and Southern Ontario from January 28 to February 1 of that year.
Daily peak wind gusts ranging from 46 to 69 mph (74 to 111 km/h)
were recorded by the National Weather Service in Buffalo, with
snowfall as high as 100 in (254 cm) recorded in areas, and the high
winds blew this into drifts of 30 to 40 ft (9 to 12 m). It was
almost possible to do anything or go anywhere. The schools and
businesses in Buffalo and the surrounding areas were closed. All you
could do is stay in the house or, for those of us who were brave
enough, go out for a walk or play in the snow....crazy times. |
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 Places
Hey Friends from Kenmore. Now a couple of days before New Years 2026
and I am updating this page....finally. Trying to add a few places
which were the usual hangouts for me and you guys as well.
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There are places I remember
All my life, though some have changed
Some forever, not for better
Some have gone and some remain
Beatles - "In My Life" |
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Kiener's
(Google maps link) - kind of a snack store owned by three old sisters on Rowley Avenue
between Warren Avenue and Euclid Avenue....I think. Google maps show a couple of
newer homes where the store should be. I used to ride my bike there to buy
really cheap snacks. The old sisters would watch you like hawks while you were
looking around but it was fun going there though. There was this utility
building that housed probably the heating units for the store. The units looked
like aliens and can remember going there with friends and getting kinda freaked
out from that building.
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Joes store
(Google maps link)
- vaguely remember this place but pretty sure it was on Myron Avenue. If this is
correct, it seems like there is now a single story building there (check Google
map link), maybe a house. This was a really small snack store.
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Mike's Subs
- Copied from
Mike's Subs About Page - as best as can be determined the store at 2862
Delaware Avenue in Kenmore, just a few short blocks north of the northern border
of the City of Buffalo in New York State, opened its doors in 1956. The store
was opened by Mike Davis originally. Mike sold the store to a Kenmore Policeman
and his wife in the mid-to-late 1960’s. It was then sold to the current operator
and his family in 1981, and has been operated by them from 1981 to the present
day. In spring of 1992 the name was changed to Hoagie Brothers. This was in an
effort to join with a budding franchise in the area and take part in important
things like cooperative advertising and purchasing. However, in August of 1994
the ownership decided it would be best to stay with the original "Mike's" name.
Mike's Giant Submarines. In the beginning there was a very simple menu of
cold-cut subs. The menu was just a few subs; mixed, ham, salami, spice loaf, and
tuna. Rolls were not toasted (there was no toaster on the premises), Mike's
Special Oil was the only condiment (sorry, once again, in the beginning there
was no mayo on the premises), but there was the hot pepper relish Mike's is
famous for! Prices were low. Are you ready? A ham sub was only 59 cents, and a
mixed sub, 79 cents. Through the 1970's several subs were added. Steak, Sausage,
Pizza, Meatball, Capicola, and a few more. The hot subs were cooked in
microwaves. A toaster was brought in if you wanted your buns toasted. And mayo
was added as an option.
Google maps link
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Bocce Club Pizza
- Copied from the Bocce Club Pizza website - Running the most successful
pizzeria in Western New York wasn’t even a dream for Dino Pacciotti when he
returned from the Second World War and began work as an accountant for General
Mills. Dino, who was born in Buffalo to Italian immigrants in 1922, had spent
his war service years as a court reporter at the Nuremberg trials. His travels
led him to the homeland of his parents, where he renewed his experience with
Italian traditions like bocce ball, pizza pies, and other dishes. Eager to get
ahead after the war, Dino took a part-time job in addition to his day job at a
bar on Hickory Street called Bocce’s. Many of Buffalo’s World War II veterans
gathered there to participate in one of their favorite pastimes, bocce ball.
Dino and his sister, Melvina Sacco, soon saw a future at Bocce’s. They purchased
the bar in 1946 and began serving sandwiches and their favorite Italian foods.
The bar developed quite a following, due in part to the tasty pizza snacks Dino
created. Upon returning from WWII my Dad, Dino Pacciotti,
started working at the Bocce Club on Hickory St. in Buffalo. The club had bocce
ball courts in the yard and served drinks and sandwiches inside. In 1946, Mr.
Pacciotti seized the opportunity to purchase the club. He soon found an old
pizza oven in the basement and started experimenting. He formulated his own
unique pizza recipe and Bocce Club Pizza was born. In 1959, Dino moved into the
Bailey Ave. location in Amherst, seeing the proximity to UB South Campus as a
big positive. In 1988, our Hopkins Rd. location in Williamsville opened, not far
from UB North Campus.
Google maps link
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Mil-Sher Bowling Lanes
(now Classic Lanes) -
Business listings show “Amf Mil-Sher Lanes” / Mil-Sher Bowling Lanes at 1840
Military Road, Kenmore, NY — but this name isn’t actively used for the bowling
alley today.
The location is now operating as Classic Lanes, a modern bowling center that
hosts leagues, open bowling, parties and other events.
Classic Lanes has recently undergone renovations and continues to serve bowlers
in the area.
Google maps link
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