Floating into football season with the Bills Mafia Boat Parade

BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) — Is it a celebration of the end of the boating season – or the beginning of football season?

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

Even if you weren’t sure what the celebration was all about, you knew folks were having a ball as you looked across the literal sea of dozens of pleasure boats decked in Bills blue, red, and white bobbing along to various strains of the ‘Shout’ song and heading south on 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 highlights not only the fan passion for the Buffalo Bills, but also the generous spirit of Bills fans.

Proceeds from the sign-up fee (one fan said it was $50 and came with a Bills Mafia flag) are donated this year 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 get a prime spot docked along Canalside and didn’t want to give it up when it came time for the fan flotilla to line up and move out. “We’re part of it, but we’re safely part of it docked here.”

Several boaters expressed concern about the gusty winds along the waterfront and the close quarters for boats navigating the parade waters. Some chose to stay tied up at the dock and at least one told us he had witnessed a collision, with no real damage, involving two boats.

The aptly named “Just Wingin’ It” stayed tied up at the dock with a tailgating vibe as the parade floated 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 close proximity of parade boaters. “Boats don’t have brake lights,” said Bradley. “I’ve got a prime spot here.”

The lively event drew spectators lined up all along the boardwalk at Canalside.

Debbie Keenan of Tonawanda, looking out at the water from the fence line with her husband and friends, said she texted a friend aboard a parade boat, hoping to catch a ride.

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

Josh Karn of North Tonawanda has steered his boat “Karnival” in all three of the 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 this colorful event with people decked in shorts, T-shirts, and sunglasses signals the end of the boating season instead of the start of football season. “Next weekend,” he said, “we’ll all be wearing hoodies!”