78.4 F
The Villages
Thursday, March 28, 2024

Villagers with Buffalo ties keeping eye on record-breaking snow storm

Ron San George at Lake Sumter Landing.
Ron San George at Lake Sumter Landing.

Goodbye Villages, hello Buffalo.
Snowbird Ron San George will soon leave his warm, sun-drenched abode in Tamarind Grove and head into the snowy tundra of Buffalo, New York.
San George is going home
 for the holidays as the Western New York area, especially the Southtowns, digs out from this week’s historic snowstorm. Some places in the surrounding Buffalo area have recorded up to six feet or more of snow, thanks to the lake effect snow machine. Other areas, including  the northern part of the city where San George lives, only have a few inches.
“That’s the way it goes in Buffalo,” San George said. He should know. He is a lifelong Buffalo resident who has seen his share of whiteouts. San George survived the great Blizzard of ’77 and proudly wears a tee-shirt proclaiming that feat.

“Listen, Buffalo is a great place to live,” San George said. “What happened this week is a freak thing. It’s happened before and it will happen again. At least we don’t have hurricanes and tornados in Buffalo.”
And what about those wiseguys ready to kick Buffalo when it’s down?
“Some people are always going to knock Buffalo,” San George said. “They think is snows every day: The heck with them.  I always tell people, ‘don’t let the weather deter you from visiting or living in Buffalo.’ We know how to handle snow. Give us a few days and you’ll see, the roads will be plowed, the snow removed and things will get back to normal. The people in Buffalo are a lot tougher than any snowstorm.”

Abbie Pace and Emma RIccio make snow angels.
Abbie Pace and Emma RIccio make snow angels.

Including Melissa Pace, San George’s daughter, who lives smack in the middle of the current storm in Orchard Park, south of the city.
She woke up Wednesday to about five feet of snow outside her door and some drifts that were higher.
“For now, things are a little strange,” Pace said. “They say another lake effect storm is on the way and it could bring another two feet. You might say this is the calm before the second storm.”
This storm has made history for Pace.
“In my 44 years living here, I’ve never seen this much snow in such a short period. I never had to deal with this kind of snow before and it’s weird.”
Kids in Western New York love snow. It means no school and lots of fun jumping on top of drifts and also making snow angels. That’s exactly what Abbie Pace, Melissa’s 13-year old daughter, did with her friend, Emma Riccio.
“They’re having a ball,” Melissa Pace said. “Me, I’d rather be in The Villages.”

Margaret Loomis' house in West Seneca, N.Y.
Margaret Loomis’ house in West Seneca, N.Y.

Margaret Loomis has friends and relatives in The Villages and is riding out the storm in West Seneca, another Southtowns snow spot. She and her husband, Roy Loomis are spending lots of quality time together.
“We feel lucky to be at home and not stranded in our car out on the road,” Margaret said. The couple, like everyone else in the area, is waiting for the second round to hit on Thursday. “I love snow but this is a little crazy,” she said.
Like most people in Western New York, Loomis is keeping her chin up. “I’m just happy that my family and friends are safe and sound and that we will survive this and laugh about it one day. And that true Buffalo spirit is still alive as neighbors are helping neighbors.”
Ken Yager lives in The Village of Liberty Park but spent most of his adult life in the Cheektowaga area.
“Another snow storm in Buffalo – big deal,” Yager said. “Every once in a while we get these really crazy storms, you deal with it. It’s not as bad as people think. Eventually all this snow will melt.”
Yager still has a soft spot in his heart for his onetime home off the shores of Lake Erie.
“I miss Buffalo,” Yager said. “I miss the change of seasons. I miss the cool summers and colorful falls. I miss the friendliness of the people. There’s no other place like it.”
Bob Daniels, is an ardent Buffalo Bills booster and fan of Western New York who lives in The Village of Largo. Before coming here, Daniels spent much of his life in Amherst, north of the city.
“I think it’s hysterical that the media and everyone else make so much fuss about snow in Buffalo,” Daniels said. “Don’t get me wrong, it’s tragic the people have died and been hurt by this storm. But this kind of storm has happened before in Buffalo. Most of the time, the weather is good, and people forget that.
“Buffalo gets a bad rap for snow. Other cities have snowstorms. Other cities have hurricanes. Other cities have floods. But everybody picks on Buffalo. Don’t believe the stereotype about the weather in Buffalo. It’s a wonderful place to live.”

Robert Fox shot this photo in Cheektowaga, N.Y.
Robert Fox shot this photo in Cheektowaga, N.Y.

Robert H. Fox, Daniels’ son-in-law, is fighting the storm in Cheektowaga, where at least 51 inches of snow are on the ground, he said. Fox stands about six feet tall and when he went for a walk on Wednesday, he said in some spots the snow came up to his shoulders.
“I’m 33, and I’ve never seen anything like this,” Fox said. “You wake up in the morning, everything is paralyzed and your street is filled with five feet of snow with no plows in sight. It can get to you, if you let it.”
Fox strives to keep all the snow in perspective.
“This is a once in a lifetime storm,” he said. “We’ve seen a lot of snow in Buffalo, but this is shocking. Still, we’ll get through it. I put my garbage out this week and now it’s buried and frozen. I don’t know if I’ll see it again.”
Snow like this causes people to fantasize and dream.

Robert H. Fox III enjoys a snowball fight.
Robert H. Fox III enjoys a snowball fight.

“Oh man, I wish I could get on a plane to Florida,” Fox said, thinking of his father-in-law’s home. “I love The Villages.”
Bernie Martin lives in Santo Domingo and is a snowbird now back home in Wheatfield, New York, not far from Niagara Falls. It’s far north of the city.
“Right now, we’ve only had about two inches of snow,” Martin said. It’s the classic example of lake effect, areas near the lake and south of the city get pounded, while the northern towns often escape. “Life is pretty much normal in my neighborhood.”
Martin, though, has felt the sting of Buffalo critics.
“When I tell people I’m from Buffalo, they look at me like I’ve got fur coming out of my ears,” he said. “They say, ‘How can you live in all that snow.’ If I tell people I live near Niagara Falls, they say, ‘Oh, what a great place to live.’
“People don’t understand how Buffalo weather works. We get these wild storms once in a great while. But most of the time, everything is fine.”
Snow or no snow, Martin is happy to be in Western New York this time of year.
“You come to Buffalo, and it looks and feels like Christmas,” he said. “I love The Villages, but it’s good to be home for the holidays.”

A dead end street in Cheektowaga, N.Y. from Robert Fox.
A dead end street in Cheektowaga, N.Y. from Robert Fox.
A hotel parking lot just south of Buffalo.
A hotel parking lot just south of Buffalo.

The world knew we had a strong leader in Trump

A Village of Fernandina resident looks back on the record of former President Trump. Read his Letter to the Editor.

Neglect of golf course maintenance now costing us millions of dollars

In a Letter to the Editor, a Village of St. Charles resident argues that neglect of golf course maintenance is now costing residents millions of dollars.

Karen says her intent has been misinterpreted

A Village of Belle Aire resident who stirred quite a discussion with a previous Letter to the Editor, follows up to say that her intent was misinterpreted.

Our amenities are being used by families with kids

In a Letter to the Editor, a Village of Citrus Grove resident says she is not happy about families with kids using amenities paid for by residents.

Finally allocating funds to the golf courses!

A Village of Hadley resident said he is happy that more money is being allocated to the golf courses. Read his Letter to the Editor.