Kick off the football season with the Bills Mafia Boat Parade

BUFFALO, NY (WIVB) — Is it a celebration of the end of boating season – or the start of football season?

“Good question,” said one Bills fan on the dock at Canalside on Sunday.

Dozens of boats full of Bills fans took part in the third annual Bills Mafia Boat Parade in Canalside.

Even if you didn’t know exactly what the party was about, you knew people were having a good time as you looked out over the sea of ​​dozens of pleasure boats, decorated in Bills blue, red and white, bobbing to the beat of the song “Shout” and heading south down the Buffalo River toward RiverWorks.

This was the third annual Bills Mafia Boat Parade, first conceived, according to their website, by Ashleigh Dopp and Brandon Bova. The event not only highlights the fan passion for the Buffalo Bills, but also the generous spirit of Bills fans.

This year’s entry fee (one fan said it was $50 and included a Bills Mafia flag) will be donated to the Firefighter Arno Memorial Foundation to support Western New York first responders and their families.

Judd Quimby of East Amherst says he got up early to secure a prime spot at Canalside and didn’t want to give it up when it was time for the fan flotilla to line up and leave. “We’re a part of it, but we’re a part of it, safely moored here.”

Several boaters expressed concern about the gusts along the waterfront and the tight space for boats traveling on the parade waters. Some chose to stay tied up and at least one told us he witnessed a collision, with no real damage, involving two boats.

The aptly named “Just Wingin’ It” remained moored at the dock with a tailgating vibe as the parade drifted by. Ralph Bradley of Sloan says he arrived at 8 a.m. and had to “parallel park” to claim one of the prized positions at Canalside. He, too, was concerned about the wind and the proximity of parade boaters. “Boats don’t have brake lights,” Bradley said. “I got a prime spot here.”

The lively event attracted large crowds who lined the entire Canalside promenade.

Debbie Keenan of Tonawanda, who was watching the water from the fence with her husband and friends, said she texted a friend who was aboard a parade boat, hoping to hitch a ride.

Sarah and Drew Schiavone of South Carolina took their twin girls, Emmy and Mary Charley, for a walk along the waterfront on Sunday. Sarah grew up in Western New York and heard about the boat parade. “We’re hoping to bring some of that Bills spirit back to Charleston.”

Josh Karn of North Tonawanda has piloted his boat, “Karnival,” in all three Mafia Boat Parades on the Buffalo River. He invited several friends to join him Sunday, including Don Lange and his newly adopted puppy, Oreo.

Lange decided that this colorful event with people dressed in shorts, T-shirts and sunglasses would mark the end of the boating season rather than the beginning of the football season. “Next weekend,” he said, “we’re all wearing hoodies!”