I think I have firmly established my feelings on crime in Lockport. But when I open up like that on the bad things we have going on here, it allows people who have never been here to make their little comments. I have seen Lockport referred to as a “slum town,” “dump,” and “pathetic” by people who have never even been here. All they know is what they read on the Internet, which means that these are the same people who believe that the Earth is only 2,000 years old.

I don’t rail against crime to give crime unwarranted face time. I did not intend to make it look like all we have here is crime. Lockport, like any other city or town in the United States, is having some problems right now with idiots who prefer to deal in drugs as opposed to getting a real job. We all know the problems exist and I need to stop feeding the trolls by pointing those problems out.

If you have never been to Lockport, then your comment is invalid. If you have been here but you only prefer to comment on the negative aspects, then your comment is invalid. Even the Emerald City was hiding secrets. No city or town is perfect and there are plenty of “bad parts” of every city. I could take you on tours of Amherst, Williamsville, and even Orchard Park that would make you think you are in Afghanistan. But those are only small parts of those wonderful areas. Just like the bad parts of Lockport are only small parts of what we have here.

I am certain that this entire discussion will come off as a plea for legitimacy, but it isn’t. Lockport never cared what anyone outside the area thought and we still don’t care what you think. We worry about our own and we work hard to try and make our area the best it can be. What you do with your city is up to you.

We have a new ice rink going up and it is looking rather spectacular. It cuts a figure across the skyline that has not been seen in this area in a while. Cornerstone Arena looks like it is less than half done, but it is supposed to be open for business by September. I cannot wait to check it out and I certainly cannot wait to start ice skating again.

Has anyone been to the Old City Hall lately? If the last thing you saw at the Old City Hall was the lead singer for a local cover band hanging from the balcony guard rails in the main chamber, then you need to get over there and check it out now. There is a chocolate shop and a wine bar on the second floor that are well worth the visit. They are just some of the little treasures you can uncover when you look for the best parts of a city that has been incorporated since 1865.

I think the best kept secret in Lockport is its history. I have the good fortune of being friends with a local historian who is passionately involved in preserving the history of the area. If you really want to see what Lockport has to offer, then walk the trails along the locks or take the cave tours. If you have the time, then make a reservation for a boat ride down the canal. It is hard to appreciate the nostalgic properties of the canal until you have actually experienced it first-hand.

Now, I understand that it isn’t cool to check out the history of Lockport when there are drugs to be sold and guns to be fired. I get that. But these little pieces of our history are what makes Lockport, Lockport. Have you been to Upson Park lately? Lockport looks very different when you look at it from the bottom of the Flight of Five.

The caves, the canal, the locks, the Old City Hall, the new community market – all of these things come together with everything else going on in Lockport to make life here a little more charming than it is in other places. When you talk about Lockport, you need to talk about the entire city and not just about the things you read on the Internet.

There is a lot to see here in Lockport that does not involve visiting hours or yellow warning tape. There is a lot more good in Lockport than there is bad and there is a large contingency of us who will work hard every day to make sure that it stays that way.

We are the ones you insult when you talk about our city without even giving it a chance and we are the ones who don’t mind one bit if Lockport is not the kind of place you would ever want to live. We know what you are missing out on, which is what always makes us laugh in the end.

Nick Oliver is a Niagara County resident who has been to Upson Park and is anxiously awaiting the opening of Cornerstone Arena. His column appears every Wednesday.

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