CHAUTAUQUA, N.Y. – It’s always good to come back to my hometown area in Western New York, and there’s no better time to do so than in June. The weather this weekend was perfect; not too hot during the day, and not too cold at night.

My wife and I grew up in Jamestown, New York, just 15 miles east, along Chautauqua Lake, from where we were staying. My wife’s family all pitched in to rent a beautiful, large, home right on the lake, and although I spent many days on the lake while growing up, I never stayed at a home – right on the lake. This was a special treat, as all 16 of us were able to reside together for four days, and split the cost.

We were here to memorialize my father-in-law, who passed away last October, and had an ashes ceremony in his honor on Chautauqua Lake. I was honored to be asked to conduct the memorial service.

Although, some of New York state is beginning to reopen, the restaurants were still limited to take out and delivery. However, you can’t go back to Jamestown without getting some of those delicious Texas Hots from Johnny’s Lunch. These hot dogs may seem ordinary, but Johnny’s sauce is what makes them so special. It’s a family secret that goes back to 1936, when Johnny Colera first opened a restaurant in downtown Jamestown.

For the past several decades, the restaurant has been located on Fairmount Avenue in the Jamestown suburb of Lakewood.

On one of our days here, I picked up Johnny’s hots for lunch for the whole family, and most everyone ordered them the way they are meant to be eaten, with everything; mustard, sauce and onions. I also purchased several jars of sauce to bring back to family here in Tulsa. It was nice to say “hello” to longtime owner Gus Calamunci, and former high school classmate, Gioconda, through the takeout window.

We spent one afternoon cruising up and down Chautauqua Lake on a pontoon boat my brother-in-law rented.

It reminded me of my days working at WJTN, when we would do what we called “Remote-A-Floats.” As a member of the on-air staff at the local radio station, I would be in the rotation of hosting these remote broadcasts from aboard a house boat on Chautauqua Lake. We would invite listeners to send in a postcard and then we drew cards out of a bucket for those invited to be on one of these trips on the lake.

Sponsors and others would also be invited. It was the announcer’s job to make the guests feel welcome on the boat, and then to interview each guest on the air while on a two-hour tour of the lake. I loved these days; there’s nothing like getting paid to be out on the lake on a beautiful summer day, and talking to people.

One day, my wife and I gave our daughter a tour of our hometown, taking her to where we grew up and to some of our favorite places around Jamestown. We went by the baseball stadium where I worked for 11 years, and where we first met; Russell Diethrick Park.

 Sadly, no baseball is being played there this year. The city lost its minor league baseball team a few years ago, but is currently home to a summer collegiate team in the Perfect Game Collegiate Baseball League. The team did a total rebranding and name change this year, and is now known as the Jamestown Tarp Skunks. The PGCBL postponed the 2020 season due to COVID-19.

One surprising thing we noticed was the lack of bowling alleys around town. The Jamestown area had six or seven bowling facilities when I was growing. We drove by four locations where bowling alleys used to be, and they have become something else. There is now only one bowling alley in Jamestown and one in the suburb of Frewsburg. That’s disappointing.

The city has done a great job of creating a river walk area downtown along the Chadakoin River, and it goes by the back side of the newest tourist attraction in town, the National Comedy Center. Also located downtown, is the Lucy-Desi Museum and the Northwest Arena, which hosts hockey tournaments and figure skating competitions year around, on two ice rinks.

Although we were limited on what we could do, since the museums were closed, we enjoyed our time “back home,” and spending time on the lake with family really made it special.