It was July 1976; we had just purchased our first home for $26,000 in the southside of Batavia. I knew this home because my grandfather built the house in 1924.
It has been our home for over 45 years. Over the years, I have heard comments about living on the South Side, the other side of the tracks. I was always confused by certain statements. Many friends lived on Pringle Ave, Jackson, Cherry, and Wood Street. We all went to high school together; why the stigma? When I was little, I remember visiting my grandparents, and the kitchen was always full of relatives eating. I recently found a picture of my father and grandparents sitting under a grapevine trellis, eating and drinking wine. My brothers and I were in the picture. I could almost feel the love and warmth coming from that black-and-white photo. My family lived on the South Side when I was born in Highland Park, and eventually, my family moved. When I married my husband in 1974, I was exposed to wonderful Polish customs. Our daughters were lucky to be Polish, Italian-American Southsiders. They were fortunate to have their grandparents live down the street next to Jackson School.
When our daughters walked home from Jackson School, neighbors would watch them like little protectors, waving and smiling as they walked by. Where else could you live that you could walk down the street and buy furniture at Max Pies or Wortzman's? A TV repair shop was across the street when we first moved in. Every corner had a mom-and-pop store, but I loved the most about living on the south side: walking to Saint Anthony's Church and smelling the aroma of frying garlic, peppers, and onions. You could imagine them being added to homegrown tomatoes and simmering for hours on the stove for Sunday's sauce.
I was introduced to Polish food upon my marriage. Today golumpki is one of my favorite meals, along with the Polish custom of breaking the Christmas wafer Oplatki before dinner.
Every neighborhood took such pride in its park. It didn't matter how small or if it had a wading pool; your park was the best. I was a supervisor for three years at Farrall Park. I loved meeting all the children, even if many were teenagers. Trying to spell all those Polish and Italian names for the newspaper for the winners of the sandbox contest was very challenging.
It was true that the people did not lock their doors, and there was always enough food for an uninvited guest for dinner.
My husband remembers getting large pieces of cardboard from Max Pies and sliding down the South Jackson Street overpass hill.
A favorite memory of mine was when the St. Nicholas Club members would celebrate the feast la Festa di Santa Nicholas di Bari. I remember hearing the band and gathering our daughters on the porch to wave to the men carrying the statue of Santa Nicholas di Bari. I was curious about this celebration's history, and this is what I learned from John Marchese. The St. Nicholas Club existed at St Anthony's church for years. The society was responsible for carrying on the traditions associated with la Festa di Santa Nicholas di Bari. It would start Saturday night when the members would carry the statue from the church down Liberty Street to Cherry and back to the church. People would follow the statue along with the band. Sunday would be the distribution of the bread around the southside.
We had great restaurants and stores on the southside. For example, Angie's Restaurant, Penthouse, Pok-A-Dot, Gino's Pizza, Surprise Store, Enterprise, Louie's Bar, A to Z garage (Mogavero's Automotive), Gioia's Drug Store, Star Market, Polish Falcons, and St. Nick's Club, to name only a few. All of these establishments were located on the South Side.
After Mass, we would all go to Riccobono's Deli (Southside Deli) to buy a wedge of Romano cheese to grate for Sunday sauce. I also remember a fun store called Joe Rose Toys and Tricks. In addition, we had a plumbing store, hardware, GLF, Agway, and Firehouse 2. So many physical things have changed on the south side, thanks to Urban Renewal, but as the saying goes, some things stay the same, like the Pok-a-Dot, Max Pies, Wortzman's, and the memorable Kelly's Holland Inn. I hope these gems will not disappear from the south side landscape. I can still smell garlic and onions cooking, walking down the street, and having a neighbor wave and ask if I need a ride to church that is now and always will be Sacred Heart Church. I can still lean over our fence and talk to my neighbor. I am proud to live on the south side and to be a Southsider for life.
