Write a commentWhen I was growing up on West Seneca St., near the Forks of the road, there was a very well identified and cohesive community of people who called themselves "Forks of the Roaders".
They were woven into a loosely knit social fabric in which Wood's Tavern (Willy, George and red headed Sarah) and Pullen's ( Helen and Ralph..Tables for ladies) were focal points, and Dante Maniccia's Atlantic gas station was at the epicenter, with the horse trough fountain at the tip of the intersection. Bucklands Grill, the West End Diner, Hellards's gas station and Jack and Benny's diner rounded out the commercial establishments, and Mike's Barber shop was the focal point of political discourse.
Otis field was where we gathered to play sandlot baseball, and where the carnivals were located when they came to town. You could ride the Tilt -a-whirl, hop on the Ferris Wheel, and win a Kewpie doll plaster of paris figurine all in one stop , and end the night with a Sully's Diner original Texas Hot! Those were the days indeed.
I remember sitting on my grandmother's porch on Bridge St. across from Wood's, when the Ringling Brothers Barnum and Bailey circus elephants paraded down the brick surface of West Bridge St. , where the trolly tracks, paved over as they were, were still visible. I remember seeing the Big Top rising on the hill where Gould's race track had existed( now Romney Field House). I remember going to the circus and even going to the Freakshow to see the sword swallowing man and the bearded lady. All of this contributed to the panache of the period and place known as the Forks of the Road.
When you are 9 years old, and explore the world on the marvelous mechanism known as a red Raleigh two wheel bicycle with white sidewalls, a horn, and a mini headlight for night riding, you are on top of the world. But tires need air, and they occasionally pick up a nail and become flat, and that's where the expert mechanics at Dante's gas station came in. Mousey would patch your inner tube and never even charge for it, the guys at Dante's were always willing to help you out no matter how busy they might have been , and In times of trouble, nothing beat the compressed air pump at Dante's Atlantic station to keep those bike tires inflated to their 26 pps inch maximum.. The friendly Maniccia brothers, Dante, Mousey ( Orlando), and Joey, always welcomed the neighborhood kids and we kind of hung out there and listened to the Maniccia brothers stories. Occasionally the other brothers , Rocco and Leo would stop by as well. It was a true family business , and Dante was the kind of CEO of Maniccia brothers enterprises.
The Maniccias were a proud West Utica St. family whose roots go back, along with their next door neighbors, the Canale family, to Morolo, Italy.
The Maniccia boys became the heart and soul of the Forks of the road community. You could buy a peewee pop from their vending machine for 5 cents, and then ride your bike over to Cam Driscoll's store on Bridge St., and for 25 cents, buy a giant sized Baby Ruth candy bar and three comic books with the covers removed. Such a bargain!
We built soap box cars to race on Turrill St. Hill, often 'tuning them up' at Dante's, and we would pogo stick and stilt walk around the block, and we built kankies and tree houses in the backyard under the cherry tree, with booby trapped entrances to ward off snoopy girls, held our own circuses under makeshift tents and went to shoot sling shot u nails at rats in what we called "Rat Valley" ( the open sewer then running from the partial sewage treatment plant at the foot of Schuyler St). It flowed into the breakwall area near the steam plant. We even went swimming in the polluted waters inside the harbor, because it was warmer there than at Sheldon's beach.
Summer always brings back such fond memories for me of the people and places who shaped my youth . I think I earned my political spurs by delivering newspapers on one of the largest Pall Times routes which ran from West Eighth St. to Fifth avenue, including the entire forks of the road neighborhood. Years later, I ran for County Legislator from the First Ward, and my Forks of the road neighborhood came in for me with flying colors. I guess it pays to deliver the papers on time, and to try not to skip anyone. The Forks of the road neighborhood was my foundation, and many years later, when I grew up to become Oswego's Mayor, I was proud of the fact that we found and restored that Forks of the road horse trough, a veritable icon of that period, and got the fountain flowing again in West Park.
It was a long way, back then, from 180 West Seneca St. to 59 West Fifth St, but I made it, thanks to lots of help along the way from folks like Dante Maniccia and his brothers who helped to show us what being neighborly was all about.
As Yogi Berra once famously said, "When you reach the Fork in the road, take it"! I did, and it has been, and continues to be, a phenomenal journey. To take a page out of the Jimmy Fallon playbook, " Thank you, Forks of the Road, for being my solid foundation. And thank you brothers Maniccia, for some great guidance along the way."
