Monday, July 31, 2017

American Revolution on Niagara Frontier at Old Fort Niagara

Old Fort Niagara will share American Revolution history with the public on August 5 and 6, when it presents “Soldiers of the Revolution” from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily. This reenactment complements the daily summer programming currently happening at the fort, which features the British occupation of the fort from 1775-1783.

Sunday, July 30, 2017

Howie Balaban: Thinking Out Loud - Everyone's Got an Opinion And...

A lot has happened since any of my thoughts last appeared in this virtual space. ComicCon descended upon San Diego. Congress held a vote. Trump tweeted a ban. Please note, the order in which I listed these things was not unintentional.
Avid readers of niagaraswatercooler.com will be well aware, by now, of my personal affinity for pop culture and all that goes with it. True fans will probably also know how little I think of the current state of American politics. While I've never truly written my feelings and thoughts out, they have been alluded to once or twice.

REMINISCING: Pushing Buttons for Sun Tea & Green Stamps

Once in awhile you get shown the light in the strangest of places. That’s how we've gotten to this wonderful edition of Reminiscing. Where was that strange place, you ask? It came in the form of a glass jar full of water and tea bags that was on the front porch in the sun. How does sun tea give birth to an article on the Cooler? I'm about to tell you. So, sit back and relax.

Quick Thoughts of Bacon Vol. 11

Regular readers of the Cooler are probably scratching their heads wondering where the heck has Bacon been? It sure has been awhile, so I thought I’d give you the rundown on the insanity that has been my life for the past week or so. Hopefully, this will get me over the hump with regard to the piece of writer’s block that has stifled me lately.

Saturday, July 29, 2017

Let's Eat! - Village Eatery

The Village Eatery is a Lockport icon that has been around about as long as I can remember. It is the default place to go for Friday fish fry and a handmade pizza. But does this long-standing restaurant earn its reputation, or is it all smoke and mirrors? As a life-long Lockportian, I have been to the Village Eatery more times than I can count, and I can tell you that it has a reputation that has been earned through hard work.

Wednesday, July 26, 2017

Who Are You Guys?

What the hell do you guys do at that Watercooler, anyways?

We get this question from time to time, and we would like to think that we created a strong enough business model to be able to answer it. Our one redeeming quality is that we took two words that are often used together and crammed them into one word. Look it up, we invented the word "watercooler." But what about the content? Well, that explanation is not quite as cut and dry.

Tuesday, July 25, 2017

Literally the Best Reviews: The Secret Room

The Secret Room - Sandra Block
Grand Central Publishing
368 Pages

I have reviewed the other books by Sandra Block that feature her protagonist, Zoe Goldman. I like to review books by local authors, especially ones who I have met. Sandra has been to the Lockport Library to speak about her books. It’s always fun to read books that are set locally and have familiar sights along the pages. The Secret Room has less of those than in the first two books, but enough for Western New Yorkers to feel comfortable.

Monday, July 24, 2017

Looking At Movies - War For The Planet Of The Apes (2017)

The new line of Planet of the Apes movies is most obviously the prequel story line to the 1968 movie Planet of the Apes. I would suspect that whenever they are done making this set of movies, you could play all of the prequels in order and then play the 1968 movie and it would all line up. One of the things I like about these prequels is that I am starting to see bits and pieces of the 1968 movie falling into place. For example, this newest movie explains why some humans in the 1968 movie cannot talk. While most of the movies that followed the 1968 film are poorly written, the 1968 movie is often considered a masterpiece. Another thing I like about the new movies is that they continue that tradition of excellent screen writing and character development.

Friday, July 21, 2017

Let's Eat! - Carson's Deli and Bakery

You know that a restaurant is successful when it is a mile or two out of the center of the city and it is so busy during lunch and dinner that it takes time to get served. Carson's spent years building its reputation for excellent food, and now people literally come from miles around to enjoy a lunch or dinner there. Carson's has even started serving breakfast as well. The truth is that Carson's is well worth the drive.


Wednesday, July 19, 2017

The Day Is Coming

I am a huge Pink Floyd fan, but I could honestly take or leave Roger Waters. His solo music does not excite me, and his attitude in general towards people turns me off. He claims he is all about love, yet a month ago he did an interview where he said that he is "twice the musician [deceased bandmate] Rick ever was." The guy has no respect for anyone but himself, and he stands by his political beliefs. This country had endured a lot of controversial live productions in its history. But when Republicans are able to shut down rock shows because the performer outwardly criticizes the president, then it is almost time to kiss those rights you hold so dear goodbye.

Tuesday, July 18, 2017

Literally the Best Reviews: Blackout

Blackout -- Marc Elsberg
Sourcebooks Landmark
320 Pages

For the second week in a row, I am reviewing a book immediately after I finished it. This time it is the the debut novel by Marc Elsberg, Blackout. I put this one to paper immediately for two reasons. First, it was just that good. Secondly, it was damn scary. This is a book that we should all hope never actually happens.

Thinking Out Loud: Perfection is a Rarity

Last time I graced this space with my thoughts I talked about movies. I'm going to do the same thing this time, only shift the focus.
Let's get to it, shall we?
For years Hollywood has found some of its greatest source material from the written word. According to the American Film Institute's list of the Top 100 Movies, three of the top 10 were based on previously written novels. On the more contemporary IMDB.com, four of the top 10 ranked movies by Internet users were adapted from already published works.

Monday, July 17, 2017

REMINISCING: A Class Act

This weekend is/was my 25th class reunion. I say is/was because I am writing the bulk of this before the actual get-together on Saturday evening at the New York Beer Project. Yes, for all you non-mathletes out there, that means I graduated from high school in 1992. I’ve run out of fingers and toes to count those years on. It’s a good thing I have kids who will stick their feet into the pot for the extra digits.

Looking At Movies (Special Edition) - Wonder Woman (2017)

When Wonder Woman first came out, I stayed away because of all of the political nonsense surrounding it. I wanted for all of that to die down before I invested two hours in a movie that I did not have a lot of faith in to begin with. DC Comics has struggled to put together anything to compete with Marvel's Avengers universe, and I really did not think that this movie would be anything worth worrying about. Wow, was I wrong. I can tell you that, at least this once, DC really got it right.

Saturday, July 15, 2017

My Imperfect Plot: From Garden to Table - If it Makes it That Far

A few weeks ago my garden LOOKED fantastic.  I was so excited.  The squash plants were huge, the peppers were just starting to form fruit, the tomatoes too had bulbous flowers just on the verge of resembling tomatoes, and the beans….the beans plants, were almost a foot tall with light purple buds beginning to unfurrow. It was beautiful!

Friday, July 14, 2017

Let's Eat! - Kalamata Family Restaurant


This week's eatery: Kalamata Family Restaurant
Website: https://www.facebook.com/Kalamata-Family-Restaurant-124269667676826/
Address: 5690 South Transit Road, Lockport, NY
Phone: 716-433-2626

Thursday, July 13, 2017

Who Loves An Adventure in Books?

If you’re walking down the towpath on the south side of the Erie Canal near Day Road, you may stumble upon a bit of a surprise. Situated at the edge of a dock anchored to the rocks along the shore of the waterway is a TARDIS. While you won’t see the Doctor jumping out from its doors, it can take you away to another world.

Attention Local Bands

Dear Local Bands,

Craig and I have been enjoying local music for a long time now, and we know how hard it is for original bands to get their music reviewed. We have no intentions on stepping on the extensive work our friends at AllWNYRadio do with the local music scene because those guys are legitimately busting their butts to help local music. But we do want to help local bands to have another outlet for getting their music heard.

Local Album Review - Spacelord (New Horrible Menace)

I am a classic rock kind of guy at heart, probably because I am old. But I just cannot get into any of the electronic stuff that passes for music these days, and every pop singer and song written today sounds the same to me. I want to dig deeper and find talent that is not being forced down our throats, so I decided to start reviewing local albums. This first review is from a brand new band out of Buffalo that is going to be really hard to ignore as time goes by. Spacelord has the image, sound, and look it needs to start making waves all over the world, but it all starts right here in Western New York.

Wednesday, July 12, 2017

Fireworks Over the Canal

It was a last minute call to head downtown to the fireworks over the canal in Lockport. Well, I actually had planned to do it for awhile, but family plans went completely crazy and I wasn’t sure that we’d be able to make it. We did make it down there, and we were very impressed by the whole scene down at the locks.

A Sit-Down (Kinda) With Vlad Putin



This is satire. This is not real. This better not show up on Snopes. This is a test. This is only a test. If this had been an actual emergency and you were turning to us for information, you would be screwed. This is only a test.



Tuesday, July 11, 2017

Literally the Best Reviews: Ginny Moon

Ginny Moon -- Benjamin Ludwig
Park Row Books
368 Pages


Every once in awhile, I read a book and have to write the review as soon as I finish it. Generally that means it’s either very, very good, or it’s not. I usually give it a day or two to percolate and calm my initial impulse to write immediately. However, Ginny Moon by Benjamin Ludwig was such a great reading experience that I had to throw convention out the window and write it right away.

Monday, July 10, 2017

On the Historical Trail: Early Views of Niagara County

What was life like in the early days of Niagara County when the tree stumps were still fresh and log cabins were the McMansions of the time? Luckily for us, people in the eighteenth, nineteenth, and early twentieth century wrote diaries of their adventures. In this digital age, we seem to have gotten away from that somewhat. What follows is the 1800s equivalent to a selfie. What was the county like for them when they came? What we take for granted today was majestic and new for these people.

Looking At Movies - Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017)

I hope we are done with Spider-Man reboots because if this character gets any younger, using the term "man" is going to seem inappropriate. Marvel missed the boat on Spider-Man when it sold the rights to Sony in 1999. Even though a complicated agreement was struck to finally get the webslinger into the Avengers universe, the story of Spider-Man is so convoluted right now that it is going to take more than a couple of decent movies to straighten it out. When you also consider that Sony could just go ahead and reboot the series again if it wanted to, you start to understand why Spider-Man: Homecoming is so unnecessarily watered down and complicated.

Sunday, July 9, 2017

REMINISCING: Time to Wind Your Sundial

We didn’t always need a watch to know what time it was. We didn’t have cellphones that we could just glance at for the time, either. No, we had other means by which we could tell time. Watching my kids play outside today, I wonder if they’re able to discern when it’s time to come in other than by either Wendy and I telling them. So, today I thought I’d take a look back at some of the ways we told time when we were kids.

Saturday, July 8, 2017

Quick Thoughts of Bacon Vol. 10

Independence Day is my favorite of all holidays. Some people like Christmas, but that fourth day of July is my day. I guess it’s because it’s so nice out, so you can be at a party and not be crowded into one room. The same 25 people at a July picnic seems so much easier than when they’re stuffed into my living room and dining room.

Friday, July 7, 2017

Coping When Life Gets In The Way

Yeah, yeah, I know. The column is late this week. On week's like this, it isn't until I get a curious text message from Craig asking if I am writing a column this week that I remember that I forgot. Unfortunately, fate has added more layers to my life sandwich and I am choking on the thing as I try to deal with it. It is very true when people say that when it comes to the things you want to do, life gets in the way.



Let's Eat! - The Penalty Box

(EDITOR'S NOTE: Craig and I have wanted a food review column for a while, but our options were limited with our small budget. My wife and I go out into the city at least once a week, so I decided to be the food critic guy. This will be a recurring column every Friday. Enjoy!)





This week's eatery: The Penalty Box
Website: https://www.facebook.com/penaltyboxlockport.1/
Address: 34 Chestnut Street Lockport, NY
Phone: 716-727-0993

Monday, July 3, 2017

Looking At Movies - Despicable Me 3 (2017)


I am a fan of Illumination animated movies, and an especially big fan of the Despicable Me franchise. I, like many Illumination fans, wondered if the minions could actually carry their own movie and make it entertaining. Minions turned out to be a lot more entertaining than people had anticipated and brought in over $1 billion in box office returns around the world. Those of us that closely follow the movie industry could just tell that Illumination was concerned that Gru might not actually be the main character in the Despicable Me franchise, especially after the minions did so well in their movie. Despicable Me 3 looks like Illumination's attempt to get the franchise focus back on Gru, and it may not achieve its goal.

Sunday, July 2, 2017

Reminiscing: The House of Yesterday

A couple of weeks ago, I wrote about the trees at my grandmother’s house that had been torn down. I stated during that article that I would reprint an essay that I wrote back in college about that house and my special attachment to it. There was a lot of family history in that house. Three generations of the family owned it throughout the years. It was the place we all congregated for the holidays. I wrote this in December 1994.

Saturday, July 1, 2017

Thinking Out Loud: Happy Birthday, Mel Brooks

Comedy legend Melvin Kaminsky marked his 91st birthday this week. To me, he is a hero and an icon.
To most of you, he is simply Mel Brooks.