Brass City Comic Con 2013

This show, once again held at Naugatuck Valley Community College, has been getting bigger and better every year. I had to leave early to go to work, but I definitely could have hung out all day. Between the artists, vendors, and special programs, there was a lot to do and see.

Some great finds at conventions: comics and art you didn't know existed.

The bargain boxes, always worth checking for affordable treasures.

Teeny tiny superheroes.

Look closely--Doctor Who is shopping for comics.

R2D2 making its first appearance of the day, with its builder and operator,
Daniel Rodriguez, standing discretely behind. Kids came running to see the droid.

Art Fight!

Two participants are given a subject to draw. They have two minutes to complete the image, then the spectators vote by applause for their favorite rendition.

The first battle begins, pitting brother against brother.

The spectators, watching the dueling artists at work.

The final drawings. There were numerous art fights throughout the day.

Artists' Alley

There were so many creative people present, they had to open up a second floor to fit them all in. Here's a sampling of who was there (apologies to everyone I missed).

Dan Moser, writer for Chaotic Soldiers and FUBAR, originally from Waterbury.

Jack Purcell, currently an inker at DC comics.

Connecticut artist Frank McLaughlin has been in the comic book industry since the Silver Age.
I can't even begin to list everything he's done--Wikipedia has a decent overview of his career.

Cesar Feliciano, Tyler James, and David Meikis.
Feliciano and James are currently collaborating on The Red Ten.

Cesar Feliciano, working on a commissioned artwork.
The final piece can be seen on Instagram.

Dave Meikis, working on a sketch of Spider-Man. Meikis grew up in Waterbury. He started out as a fan of Star Wars. When he spotted a Star Wars comic book on the spinner rack at Rite-Aid, he became hooked on comics, making regular visits to the spinner racks Rite-Aid and the Bunker Hill Pharmacy. Now he has a career in comic books, working for Marvel and DC.

The finished sketch of Spider-Man by Dave Meikis.

Matthew J. Fletcher, a New Haven artist.

Bronx native Emilio Velez, Jr., creator of The Dodgeball Teens.

Nick Palazzo, another Connecticut artist (so much talent in this small state).

Alex Simmons, creator of BlackJack.
Seated to his right is Ric Meyers, who's done so much stuff there's a Wikipedia entry about him.

T.C. Ford, artist and publisher of United Comics, kept busy with caricatures.

Batgirl poses for T.C. Ford while her little sister supervises.

Kids love comics--and comic conventions!

If you want to stay up-to-date with comic conventions in Connecticut, stop by Legends of Superheros on Straits Turnpike. It's a great comic book store, and they have their finger on the pulse of region's comic book world.

The Other Waterbury

Ever try to do an internet search for something here in Waterbury, and find yourself directed to Waterbury, Vermont?

The Vermont Waterbury was chartered in 1763 by a group of 65 men from Connecticut and New Jersey. According to tradition, they chose the name Waterbury because many of them were from Waterbury, Connecticut.

The two Waterburys have occasionally assisted one another. When Waterbury-VT was devastated by a flood in 1927, Waterbury-CT sent $10,000 in aid. When our Waterbury needed assistance in 1955, Waterbury-VT sent $5,000 in aid.

Last week, I drove through Waterbury, Vermont, stopping for gas and coffee (from what I can tell, all coffee in Vermont is Green Mountain Coffee), and snapping a few photos. The name may be the same, but there are some definite differences.

One of the most striking differences is the Police Department. In Waterbury, Vermont, the police department shares a building with a chiropractor and a currently vacant office space.

Like our Waterbury, the Vermont Waterbury has a weekly Farmers' Market on the Green.

Their Farmers' Market is larger and includes a wine tasting table.

The Vermont Waterbury also has a nonprofit group dedicated to revitalizing their downtown, which seems weird, since their downtown is so picture-perfect, but I suppose strip malls have taken their toll on downtowns everywhere.

Waterbury, Vermont also has the Ben & Jerry's factory. I didn't have time to tour the facility, but it's only a three and a half hour drive from here, so maybe I'll go back someday.

Greek Fest!

Waterbury's 2013 season of ethnic festivals has begun! Here are photos from this weekend's Greek Festival on Chase Parkway in Waterbury. Also, if you want to check out the gamut of great ethnic food and culture in Waterbury, be sure to visit Library Park on Saturday, May 18, for The Gathering of nearly all the city's ethnic groups.

The big tent, with dining and a bazaar. The very long line for food was for gyros and hot dogs.

Artwork and jewelry for sale.

Awesome clothing for sale.

Coin scarves! skirts! tops! Great stuff, normally hard to find.

Kaftans

Icons

More jewelry

Desserts to take home for later.

Hanging flowering plants for Mother's Day.

Dining in the Gym: full platter meals and live music.

Young dancers continuing age-old traditions.

I wasn't the only photographer there. Check for photos from the Waterbury Observer soon!

A perfect evening--not too warm, not too cold, and no rain.

Tearing Down Blight

As much as I love old houses and historic preservation, sometimes tearing down blighted buildings needs to be done. It's best as a last resort, when all other avenues have been tried. In some cases, it's also a good way to improve a row of houses. Many streets in Waterbury have triple-deckers that were built so close to one another, you can barely walk between them. Strategic removal can help a street to "breathe" and can make more off-street parking or outdoor living possible.

168 Wood Street started life as a beautiful triple-decker. Great details to the woodwork, classic proportions, good design. Unfortunately, it was abandoned a long time ago, probably several decades ago. By 2006, it had become not only an eyesore, but a magnet for garbage, drug dealing, and worse. At least one murder was committed in the abandoned house, in 2006. Despite repeated community efforts to clean up the property, it has continued to accumulate trash, litter, and drug dealing. Meanwhile, other triple deckers on that part of the street are well-maintained, but the owners of those buildings struggle to find good tenants, thanks to their proximity to 168 Wood Street.

168 Wood Street in October 2007

In January, Waterbury Development Corporation put the demolition of the property out to bid. Today, the house was torn down.

Hopefully something good will come of this. Dividing the empty lot in half, increasing the yard space for the houses on either side, might work well. Both properties gain more land, and no one can fill the lot back up with another cramped building.

The remains of 168 Wood Street.

Aldo of Italy

When I was a teenager, I spent a few summers working at my dad's shop. Once every week or so, he would take me out to lunch at the Expresso Restaurant in the Naugatuck Valley Mall. This was a big treat for me, eating out at an Italian restaurant. I usually ordered a ginger ale, and either a lasagna, baked ziti, or ravioli, with a house salad and bread to start.

Both the mall and the restaurant are long gone, but tucked away behind where the mall used to be is Aldo of Italy, which has some strong similarities to Expresso. Aldo is one of those solid, traditional, Waterbury Italian restaurants that I've been eating at for decades. The menu includes all the staple dishes you would expect from an Italian restaurant, served up in large, delicious portions.

I had been planning to go there for my birthday dinner -- dinner at Aldo's, followed by a movie at Creative Cinemas next door -- but the blizzard squashed that plan. Last night I decided it was time to get that birthday dinner. The cinema is closed, but Aldo's is still there. Someone else also decided it was a good place for a birthday dinner. There was a group of about 30 people enjoying a birthday celebration while we were there, making for a festive atmosphere.

The front area of Aldo is their pizza shop. Thin crust, brick oven pizzas, available by the slice at the counter, or you can call in an order for take out. There is a wide variety of toppings available, and about eighteen different gourmet combinations to choose from.

The interior decorations are all inspired by the Italian countryside. Tromp l'oeil murals on the long wall mimic the illusion of viewing mountains and lakes through stone arches. Framed photos of famous Italian-American actors line the walls.

First up at our table was a basket of warm bread. I ordered a glass of sangria from the specials menu--very fresh and light. The house salad was the classic Italian restaurant salad, with tomato quarters, slices of cucumbers, carrot shavings and fresh lettuce. The Italian dressing was perfect for sopping up with the warm bread. The pasta fazool soup was good too.

I didn't get good photos of everything. In fact, I completely forgot that I want to blog about Waterbury's restaurants until I started the main course. When I took the photo of my dinner, a conversation started up between our table and the birthday party group. Younger women declared that they always photograph their food, older men declared that they would never do such a thing. I suppose I fall somewhere in the middle. Normally, I don't photograph food, but I'm doing it now for this blog.

Whenever I eat out, I try to order something I can't make at home. At an Italian restaurant, that really limits the options. Last night, I ordered the Zupa di Pesci Alla Aldo. Technically, this is something I could make at home, but the amount of work required to include so many different types of seafood is more than I want to get involved with: mussels, clams, shrimp, half a lobster tail, calamari, and scallops, in a sauce of garlic, butter, white wine, and parsley. A classic favorite, and so much more tasty when someone else makes it.

I ate so much dinner, there was no room left for dessert!