Tonawanda News — Do you enjoy the “Do You Remember?” column that recently returned to the News’ pages? That was always a favorite and now that Ned Schimminger and the Historical Society of the Tonawandas has taken it over, it’ll prove to be a best-read. Kudos to Ned for following through on the idea of housing the microfilm of all the Tonawanda newspapers and pulling out some interesting reading. How about going back even further, Ned? (Don’t you love it when someone gives you even more to do?)

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The other night a friend stopped by and was talking about the “new” Webster Street with its myriad of new and old restaurants, something for everyone’s palate. The one that I’m anxious to try is Romeo’s Ristorante with its homemade pasta and classic Italian fare. Right down the street is the Thai restaurant that offers great menu items in a very home-like atmosphere. And the old Nestor’s will soon be a French style bistro and bar.

And who couldn’t enjoy the remarkable wings and things offered at Dwyer’s Irish Pub especially sitting on the patio exchanging news with your neighbors and Lou’s Restaurant on the other side of the Riviera Theatre with its homestyle cooking? Then there’s Crazy Jakes with its outdoor patio. The long-awaited Remington Tavern in the Remington building on Sweeney Street will be open soon adding to the fun.

Carol Moore noted that years ago friends of her husband would come visit just to go to the bars on Oliver Street. 

“Now,” she commented, “people will come to go to all the eating spots on Webster and Sweeney streets.”

And let’s not forget the restaurants on the Tonawanda side, in particular the new Smoke on the Water at Young and Delaware streets. 

If you like good food, friendship and fellowship, the Tonawandas are the place to be.

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How refreshing to read that the projects planned by the Tonawanda school board, from roofs to additions to the school to the new Clint Small sports complex at the junior-senior high school have been scaled back, thanks to the board taking into consideration the thoughts of the teachers. Then, there’s the roof on the school that was going to be replaced, but after closer scrutiny the repairs weren’t as bad as first thought. Tonawanda goes about doing things right in a quiet way with the taxpayers in mind. Kudos to the board.

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Did you wonder in the aftermath of the horrific killing in the Colorado theater, how things might have changed if, when the gunman exited by the “emergency exit” door, propping it open, an alarm would have sounded either in the box office or the projection booth alerting theater staff to check the door? Someone using that door might have been doing something as simple (and wrong) as letting friends in free.

Do local theater and other places with emergency exit doors have an alert? It’s seems like such a simple thing. Some stores that have such doors have a sign that says an alarm will sound if you use that exit. As for gun controls, it seems with all the data bases that can be created, one could certainly be created that tracks down gun buyers. Having to give a Social Security number and/or prove who you are and then that information put across a data base network could certainly go a long way to keeping gun buyers honest. 

How much power does the NRA have and how big are their blinders that the organization won’t even consider changes? Very sad all around.

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A closer-to-home tragedy, that of the house explosion in Wilson, has drawn such a heartfelt response to that suffering family. We should all take a moment and say a prayer for them all.

Contact community editor Barbara Tucker at 693-1000, ext. 4110 or email barbara.tucker@tonawandanews.com