Thursday, September 29, 2016

These Old Walkin' Shoes: Set Up Like a Bowling Pin

I promised this past Sunday that today’s article might have a little bit something extra. That little extra is Howie Balaban. Who doesn’t love Howie? If you’ve followed us from the old Shenanigans days, you know how much we love Howie. Without even trying, he becomes the butt of his own jokes. Just ask him some time about Girl Scout Cookies in Iowa. Well, anyway, I think this time the joke’s on me.

Wednesday, September 28, 2016

Catching Up With the Lockport Express: Week 4

The Lockport Express returned after a long weekend in New Jersey with two blemishes on their record. The Jersey Shore Wildcats were able to reverse the tables on visiting Lockport with a pair of wins. The wins were the first of the season for the defending champions, and the losses were the first for Lockport. This upcoming weekend will be no easier for the Express as they travel to take on the division-leading Binghamton Junior Senators.

Tuesday, September 27, 2016

Literally the Best Reviews: The Curious Charms of Arthur Pepper

The Curious Charms of Arthur Pepper -- Phaedra Patrick
MIRA Publishers
336 Pages

Sometimes there are books that I grab from the shelves at the Lockport Library simply on a whim. Sometimes, there are really good books with which I’m glad I took a chance. Rarely, those books are terrible. Even more rarely, those books make such an impression that I automatically consider them one of my favorite books of the year. The Curious Charms of Arthur Pepper  by Phaedra Patrick is the rarest of the rare in that I put in the Top 5 running for favorite books of the year.

Monday, September 26, 2016

Dictionary to Change Some Definitions

Editors at Mirriam-Webster and Oxford English Dictionary have reached a new agreement on some of the words listed in their pages for the 2017 update. This latest business is an addendum to the early session that oversaw the addition of “biatch,” “YOLO,” and “moobs,” and is an attempt to streamline the English language in a digital world.

Defiant Monkey Improv At Taylor Theater October 5th

Defiant Monkey Improv will perform their live "Master of Improv Comedy Show" at the Kenan Center Taylor Theater at 7:00pm on Wednesday, October 5th, 2016.  The Kenan Center is located at 433 Locust St, Lockport, NY.  The show runs approximately 90 minutes and is suitable for adults and families. Admission is $10.

Genealogical Society to Present Cemetery Program

The Niagara County Genealogical Society will be hosting the free program "Getting the Most from Cemeteries in your Genealogy Research” on Wednesday, September 28th at 7pm at 215 Niagara St., Lockport. Cemetery research is an integral part of genealogical research.  Join us as Michelle Ann Kratts teaches us the importance of visiting cemeteries, how to find a cemetery where your ancestors are buried, how to locate graves, how to make a gravestone rubbing, what records are available, cemetery photo tips, online cemetery resources, and local helpful information.

Sunday, September 25, 2016

Jersey Shore Hand Lockport Second Loss 3-1

The Lockport Express left the Atlantic shores of New Jersey with a pair of losses. The Wildcats delivered a second consecutive loss to the visiting Express Saturday evening, 3-1. The Express returns to Lockport 3-2 on the season, ready to take on division-leading Binghamton Junior Senators at the Ice House Sports Complex Saturday and Sunday.

REMINISCING: A Writing Life

If any of you have been paying attention, you’ve noticed that the updates on Niagara’s Watercooler have been a little bit more intermittent than normal. That’s completely my fault. Sometimes life happens, and sometimes I just don’t have “it.” By “it” I mean those moments when I sit down to the computer to write and the ideas just come. This block happens once in awhile but it always ends with a flourish of extra writing.

Saturday, September 24, 2016

On the Homefront: (One of) The Most Wonderful Times of the Year

Before we get into this week's edition of my stay-at-home adventures, a quick apology for my absence on this site last week. I was in fact not at home. A trip planned months ago finally came to fruition, and I was fortunate enough to travel to Toronto with my brother, father, uncle, and cousin to see the first game of the World Cup of Hockey. Team USA lost (it was not a good tournament for the Americans) but aside from the game's result, the weekend was excellent.

Express Blanked in Jersey, 5-0

The Lockport Express visited Jersey Shore with high hopes on their young season. They headed to the Garden State riding a 3-game winning streak to meet the defending champions who were reeling after a pair of losses to open the season. Instead, it was Lockport who was reeling after a 5-0 drubbing Friday night.

Wednesday, September 21, 2016

Catching Up With the Lockport Express: Week 3

The Lockport Express head out on the road this weekend for a pair of games against the Jersey Shore Wildcats Friday and Saturday evenings. Lockport comes off a weekend that saw the team continue their winning ways with a pair of wins over the Roc City Royals. Meanwhile, the defending champion Wildcats have found themselves winless so far this young season.

Monday, September 19, 2016

Theater Review: Mark Twain Live!

It was date night again for Wendy and I at the Historic Palace Theater in Lockport. Saturday night was the kickoff for the newest season, and being season ticket holders for the third year, we were in attendance. The show was a one-man show starring Mike Randall as Mark Twain.

Sunday, September 18, 2016

Express Wins in Shootout 7-6

The Lockport Express capped off a home and home series with the Roc City Royals with a 7-6 shootout victory at the Lakeshore Arena in Rochester. Four different Express players scored during the contest.

REMINISCING: Lockport the Movie

This week’s Reminiscing came about by total fluke, and only because I was cleaning out my library. For those of you who know me, know that me and neatness do not exactly go hand in hand. I’m a disaster, and so was my library. Once I got to the point that I couldn’t get through the room without moving things, I knew it was time to take action and organize my room. In the course of attempting to organize the piles of….stuff...I ran across something that took me back to some special events that took place during my school years.

Express Notches Another Win Saturday Evening

The Lockport Express improved to 2-0 on the new season with a 4-2 victory over the Roc City Royals Saturday evening. The same two teams will face off Sunday afternoon at 1:30 in Rochester at the Lakeshore Arena.

Thursday, September 15, 2016

These Old Walkin' Shoes: Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is?

This week’s “Walkin’ Shoes” is about things that seem to be changing around Lockport all of a sudden. Northwest Bank just took over some of the Lockport Savings Bank sites in the area. Yes, I know it was First Niagara, but I still call it Lockport Savings Bank, just like it’s always going to be Harrisons rather than Delphi. That doesn’t mean that I’m completely stuck in the past. There are just some things that should not be changed as easy as flipping a switch.

Wednesday, September 14, 2016

Catching Up With the Lockport Express: Week 2

After a single game weekend to start the new season, the Lockport Express hope to continue on the big opening night win during a home and home series against the Roc City Royals. The Express defeated Southern Tier Xpress 6-2 last Friday evening.

Tuesday, September 13, 2016

Literally the Best Reviews: The Sun, the Moon & the Rolling Stones

The Sun, the Moon, & the Rolling Stones -- Rick Cohen
Spiegel & Grau
400 Pages

The Rolling Stones have been touring for over fifty years, delivering some quintessential rock songs along the way. As a result of their success and longevity, they have been the subjects of countless books and articles. The Stones hold a special place in my heart. Their concert at Rich Stadium in 1997 was a part of our honeymoon celebration, held only four days after our wedding. They played “Memory Motel,” which has always been one of my favorites.

Saturday, September 10, 2016

Express Rolls to Big Win Opening Night

The Lockport Express began a new season in a new league with a resounding 6-2 victory over visiting Southern Tier Xpress. In a Cornerstone Ice Arena crowd that was nearly equally divided between the two teams, it was Lockport which ended with the biggest cheers of the night.

Thursday, September 8, 2016

Royalton Historical Society Meeting September 10th

The Town of Royalton Historical Society will be holding a meeting, Saturday, September 10th, at 1:00 PM. The event will be held at Royalton Town Hall, 5316 Royalton Center Road, Middleport. Craig Bacon, Deputy Historian for Niagara County will be the guest speaker. He will be speaking on the "Do's" and "Don'ts" of research in historic projects. This will cover anything from genealogy to news articles and research papers.

Wednesday, September 7, 2016

Lockport Express Season To Start Friday

The Lockport Express will be kicking off its third season in downtown Lockport at the Cornerstone Ice Arena on Friday evening. The game against Southern Tier Express will take place at 8:00 PM on the main rink.

Monday, September 5, 2016

Looking at Movies - Pete's Dragon (2016)

I'm going to go ahead and admit that I did not see the original Pete's Dragon, but luckily that does not affect my ability to enjoy this one. For those of us who grew up in the 1970s and 1980s, Disney was the source of movies where you could just turn off your brain and watch the story. Suspension of disbelief was easy because it was Disney and you didn't care. None of the movies were going to win awards, but they were fun to watch. The new Pete's Dragon brought me back to my childhood to those Sunday evenings where I had just taken a shower and was curled up on the couch waiting for this week's Wonderful World of Disney movie. It isn't a great movie, but it doesn't have to be.

Sunday, September 4, 2016

Reminiscing: Back to School

Here it is. It’s the last weekend of the summer. By Wednesday, everyone will be back to school full-time until the end of June. Some people are ecstatic that the kids are finally back to school. Meanwhile there is probably a very large contingent of people, mostly between the ages of 6 and 18, who just collectively groaned.

Saturday, September 3, 2016

On the Homefront: Thanks for the "Wild" Times

If there is one thing most parents can agree on it is that watching certain movies with our children can be one of life's simple joys. Movies capture our imagination and entertain us. They can teach or they can simply make us think. They can make us laugh and they can make us cry.

Thursday, September 1, 2016

These Old Walkin' Shoes: Lazy Lightning

This week’s “Walkin’ Shoes” has less to do with walking and much more to do with driving. Yes, I know it seems like this goes against everything that the name “Walkin’s Shoes” implies, but I think it’s a pretty good exception for this week. Since I run the website, I guess I can write it any way I want. So, if you’re still interested in the nonsense that my mind has culled forth today, please keep on reading. If you’re not, read along anyway. You might be surprised.

Family Is A Big Word

When you think of your family, you think of those relatives immediately close to you - and that is normal. After a while, your thoughts may drift to extended family members you feel close to and those cousins that you grew up with. All of that goes into making up what we commonly refer to as family. But does it end there?