The Buzz: This Week in Buffalo

Popes, Pews, and Pickle-tinis

Husband Howard and his ham at the Hyatt. Details below.

QUOTE

“Make Love, Not Fluorocarbons.”

— Homemade sign held by a girl in an Earth Day parade in Delaware Park

An Easter toast

Being no stranger to Forgotten Buffalo tours, Buzz knows the historic partnership between churches and taverns. St. Louis Church, where Buzz sings in the choir, illustrates this synergy with two practically adjacent gin mills, the Spotted Octopus and Founding Fathers Pub. At the Easter Vigil on Saturday evening, we were glad for them. One friend, when the confided: “It’s past my wine time.” And as the two-hour service concluded, a tenor spoke what many were thinking: “Mass is over, time for the bar.” Ten minutes later we were at the Octopus. “Here’s to the St. Louis Choir,” the tenor toasted, as glasses clinked. And here’s to the age-old Buffalo bond between pew and pint. Prosit!

Smingus Dyngus!

Dyngus Day festivities triumphed over the weather, maybe thanks to Father Cole Webster, who blessed the parade and, no doubt, helped keep the rain at bay. At the Ukrainian Center, bartenders were slinging Pickle-tinis. At Wiechec’s Lounge, a friend ordered the Polish platter— enormous! As he gawked at it, the waitress fluttered up. “I forgot your rye bread,” she gasped. “I’m so sorry!” Wait—there’s more? Best of all, the bowling lanes at Corpus Christi are back in action. People were bowling! Just steps away, you could duck into the church, light a candle, and marvel at the architecture. A greeter reminded revelers with a smile: “You know, we’re open all year round.”

The Swallow’s swan song

It’s żegnaj to the Happy Swallow, the beloved Polish tavern on Sycamore Street, now closed. Buzz loved chronicling this charming bar in The Buffalo News—its mini beer museum, its vintage linoleum floor, the delightful esoterica on display. For Dyngus Day, the Swallow’s final bow, owner Tom Golimowski had invited patrons to purchase treasures off the walls. In the hubbub, though, someone apparently forgot to ask. The tavern later posted on Facebook: “To the customer that STOLE the Winston calendar off the wall can you please bring it back? … It was a family heirloom. Please bring it back, no questions asked!” Żegnaj, Happy Swallow. With luck, we’ll see you in heaven.

What a ham

Howard, the guy Buzz married, is excited about Corpus Christi’s bowling lanes. He used to bowl there in the Traveling Pepsi League. Not to be confused with the Traveling Ham, which joined him last week at Lounge Academy — the happy hour he plays at the Hyatt Regency from 5 to 9 p.m. Fridays. Mid-song, Howard reached under Jackie Jocko’s old piano and pulled out — yes —

… a frozen ham! “I’m multitasking,” he declared. “I’m entertaining, and I’m thawing our Easter ham.” What do you say to that? One guest blinked and said: “I did not expect that you would bring out a ham.” And another cracked: “Cause he’s a ham.”

The buzz

Buzz can’t wait to tour the Decorator Show House in the George Urban Mansion. We saw it before its transformation, and now we love imagining city fathers George Urban and Grover Cleveland looking down, bemused at all the fuss. … The passing of Pope Francis got everyone talking popes. Janet Mazzio, a violinist with the Amherst Symphony, recalled playing for Pope John Paul II with the Women’s Symphony in San Francisco, then led by JoAnn Falletta. “I played the pope gig,” she said. That’s what they called it. … Scrutinizing the Primates of the Church who might be our next pope, Buzz was charmed by the name of one Italian contender: Pierbattista Pizzaballa. Imagine—a pope with “pizza” in his name! If elected, he has to take the name Pius.