Lesson learned

The students from the middle school in Utica picked their spots carefully on the floor on a high story in the refurbished building on the west side of Syracuse that houses the offices, studios, everything that makes public television station WCNY. It was the start of the program called Enterprise America. Mrs. Straub announced herself…

The kids from across the street

Remember the family that always seemed to be there when you were growing up, the troop that had somebody who pretty much matched up in age to somebody in your own tribe? Chances are good that your mothers hung out. Dolores Bialczak and Kitty Dorazio were quite pleased that their combined seven offspring were growing…

Here’s to another 500

Big wheels keep on turnin’, Proud Markie keeps on churnin’ … Rollin’ on the WordPress. I received the Big Blue 500 this morning. My story about Syracuse veteran guitarist Mark Doyle got me to that nice, round number. Not bad for a writer who pushed the button for his first markbialczak.com piece — “Yeah, I’ve…

Syracuse Dreamin’

This is not my beautiful lawn. This is not my beautiful house. This is not my beautiful yard. This is not where I hang out with my beautiful friends. I have showed you all of those places in the days gone by, people. Here we have Bellevue Country Club, on the grounds of which I…

Business wear suits you perfectly, young Linus

Our friend Judy held up her iPhone this morning to show off the picture of her nephew Linus. The dozen-plus of us at breakfast to talk about our next group cruise collectively put down our silverware. I clapped and exclaimed: “Send that picture to my Facebook page, please, Judy.” Yes, young Linus was really dressed…

Morrisville soccer ruled, and Papa Jobe was royalty

There was a time when soccer was king in Morrisville, N.Y. … A rush of emotions hit me last month when I saw the news that Peter McAvoy, the young man who was captain for the Herikimer County Community College soccer team in upstate New York, collapsed and died. So tragic, so sad, so heart-breaking…

At this huge nursery, it’s easy to welcome spring

Last Saturday my dear wife Karen and I walked the aisles of Chuck Hafner’s Garden Center in North Syracuse for more than an hour, and I was a lot closer to getting bushed than I was to getting bored. Every year we take the drive from our Syracuse city neighborhood of Eastwood to North Syracuse…