Published: August 24, 2008 12:43 am            

GENCO: Recapping a perfect Saturday in North Tonawanda

Last Saturday was a perfect day in North Tonawanda.

I started by dropping my sons at the Kan-Jam World Championship at Gratwick Hose. More than 100 two-person teams played in the tournament, which seems to grow with the sport.

The beauty of the whole thing is that as the game grows, every bit of it, from goals to flying discs to boxes and even the labels is being manufactured in Western New York.

I can't tell you how my team did because my teammates from 2007 informed me I was the third wheel and needed to find a new partner and start my own team (which I failed to do).

For the record, the competition appeared much tougher this year. My guess is it will get better every year as the sport grows and we may end up seeing qualifying tournaments in future years.

From Gratwick, I headed over to the City Market where we are in the heart of the best season — the last of the blueberries are hanging on, but the first of the apples are in place, as are apricots and anything else you would ever want, including flowers.

I walked away $35 lighter but with flowers, fruits and vegetables that would have cost me twice as much and not been as good purchased elsewhere. I also plunked down $12 for cheese from Tina's Cheese.

Of all the produce at the market, my favorite offering remains Chippewa potatoes. I have never seen them for sale anywhere else. The skins are very thin and they have to be hand-dug, so it makes them unfit for grocery store distribution.

Cauliflower from the market is much the same — grocery stores want uniform size. Farmers growing cauliflower for sale at their own stand pick it when it is largest. There is a huge difference.

As our odyssey continued, I headed out to The Summit in Wheatfield to check out the “Smoking Eagles” Barbecue. More than 20 competitors showed up. I never caught the band's name, but as I walked up I heard them playing an old Neil Young CSNY tune. The line for barbecue sale was too long to hang around, but I was very impressed by the entire atmosphere.

It was almost enough to make me forget my fear of zombies – the inside of the mall has grown so vacant that last time I was there, I feared flesh-eating zombies might attack at any moment.

After our brief visit there, it was onward to the Taste of the Tonawandas. Crazy Jakes had the best dish I tasted with its "Chicken Michael." TC Wheeler's Reuben Pizza was excellent as well. Selections were a little on the sparse side, but I also enjoyed Vegetable Pie from Simply Sue's.

I even bought a beer without getting proofed – oh, wait, that's right, I never get proofed. Funny how an over-zealous authority can blow up two concert series for no good reason. I'd love to hear it was an actual political conspiracy or witch hunt – it would make it more palatable – but I think it is more likely the State Liquor Authority is inept, illogical and without purpose. With people like Robin Schimminger and George Maziarz serving our region for 20-plus years in Albany, it defies logic that they can't exercise enough clout to get the Saturday concert beer permit reissued or reinstated.

Anyway, that's my wrap from a great Saturday in the Tonawandas.

Thanks for reading.

Word of the Week: In Hock – a phrase that means to be in debt. Actually traceable to a card game called faro in which the last card in the deck was called the hockety and a player who bet on that card was at a disadvantage and might end up in debt.

LM Boyd of the Week: Colorado's mountains outnumber those of Switzerland six to one.

Contact Joe Genco at joegenco@gmail.com.

        

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