Published: October 18, 2009 12:35 am      

DRINKWALTER: Neighborhoods are interesting things

LOCKPORT — Webster’s Universal College Dictionary defines a neighborhood as 1. an area or region around or near some place or thing — a vicinity; 2. a district or locality, often with reference to its character or inhabitants — a fashionable neighborhood; 3. a number of persons living in a particular locality.

Four years ago, we became part of a great neighborhood as unique as the styles of homes that grace the winding roads in the development. They have a neighborhood picnic each summer and recently began having a chili festival in the fall. We have an e-mail connection to many of the neighbors. They share anything from a photo attachment of a missing family cat with a note inquiring if anyone has seen the pet wandering around, to contact them; to “Does anyone know of a good carpenter?” I’ve retrieved some of the e-mail inquiries from my SPAM.

Sometimes in the winter, the guys go outside — my husband is one of them — and play Nanook of the North with their push snowplows and plow the sidewalks in front of several houses down the road and the ends of driveways when they look too tough to tackle with a shovel. It’s a guy thing!

You get the picture. One can be as involved or uninvolved as they choose and still be kept in the loop. We look out for one another and gather one another’s mail and newspapers when needed.

Before moving here, we spent several years living in Lockport’s North End. We bought an affordable house there and did a lot of renovation. We developed a very small neighborly connection there. I was from the suburbs and my husband from the country. Neither of us was city-savvy.

We were thankful for a few of the nice people we socialized with. I remember painting our house one summer and watching others begin to do some home improvement, as well. I referred to it in my mind as “The North End Renaissance.” The concept never seemed to take off though; the enthusiasm seemed to wane.

There were many bizarre, colorful occurrences over the years. One time, a large boa constrictor was found right on our street corner. The children had walked to and from school that day and never noticed it.

Some people around the corner owned a pig and they would occasionally take the oinker for a walk around the block. That was a sight to see!

For a time, there was a motorcycle group that congregated at a house up the street.

That brought an intermittent rough-and-tumble tough guy being tossed over the bushes — that was worth an occasional chuckle.

Fortunately, we were all so busy most of the time that we weren’t home to see many of the hi-jinks. Ah, city life!

There is such history there. When the Erie Canal was being built, many people settled into that area. Lots of the homes were handed down to other family members.

When we first moved in, the longtime residents took such pride in their homes, yards and community. I hope as young people move into the older homes in that area, a new sense of neighborliness comes back to the old North End neighborhood.

I have fond memories of our cute little house in the city, but now I am pleased to live in what I believe is a good example of what Webster’s would refer to as a “fashionable” neighborhood.

And it’s great to be able to look out the window where the most unusual sighting lately has been an occasional fox, deer or coyote romping through the field.

Deb Drinkwalter is a Lockport resident. Her column appears every Sunday. Contact Deb at d.drinkwalter@yahoo.com