On Dec. 26, 2006, we gathered to say goodbye to our ‘home away from home’

“Last call at Anacone’s” doesn’t mean the same thing to people who never made 3178 Bailey Ave. their home away from home. 

For me, “last call at Anacone’s” is a happy thought. 

“Last call at Anacone’s” will always evoke frisky Dalmatians skidding on tiles around the pool table, scampering to sniff and amiably tail-whip the evening’s tenants. They are blinking into lights snapped on at 3:30 a.m. to prepare them for the separation anxiety of the looming expulsion to the cold world, and a home of their own.

Puppy love before having to go back out into the cold, hard world. 

The vast majority of 2023 Buffalonians never heard of Anacone’s. If you are among them, my wish for you is that you once had an Anacone’s of your own, at least for a while.

The last last call, Dec. 26, 2006, saw Douglas Levere, Scott Frauenhofer, Jacob Drum, Sean O’Sullivan, and other friends who’d made Anacone’s their base of operations during UB years return for a last beer and pitcher of Molson Golden. Plus a whole lot of other people, most kicking themselves for not coming by more when it might have made a difference.

Levere’s photos of that night are presented here for the first time. He’s a professional photographer and has made images available for purchase at his website printcollection.com, if you’re interested in hard copies. 

Looking over the images, one by one, is the best sort of time travel I know. 

The unfortunately placed radiator-adjacent pool table making the shorty stick necessary. No masse shots. 

The jukebox with a mix I’ve yet to see duplicated: disco, blues, Social Distortion, Peter Tosh, Johnny Cash, and lots more musical giants I heard for the first time in my music-deprived life.

Anacone’s Inn is dark, but the light and warmth we found there lives on in our memories. In times of solace-seeking, I can call upon its knowledge for comfort. I hope that light burns forever.

#30#