Father Conway Park

I play at the softball fields at Conway park and they could be maintained a lot better than they are. There are two softball diamonds and whenever there is a rain storm, you can guarantee the games are going to be cancelled because the field don’t hold water well at all. The grass is overgrown and the woodsy areas could be much more well kept. Parking at field two is difficult. You either have to ride over the grass or park in the lot behind the field and trek through the tall grass and weeds and cross your fingers that you don’t get poison ivy. There also aren’t any porta-​potties nearby which makes for a difficult situation in the 5^th inning after you’ve consumed three beers and a 16 oz water bottle. What? It’s a beer league. Anyways, in addition to having no porta-​potties around, there really isn’t anything around here. There is one gas station attached to a convenience store that is in rough shape. They have a bathroom, but regardless of whether or not you buy something from the store, they won’t let you use it. I have to give Conway Park three stars however, because we have way too much fun when we play at these fields.

On the Buffalo River there is an older park. Its not part of the Olmstead System. Views of the river and the silos from here are very nice.
Named after Father Conway, who was a WWII chaplain. Father Conway was not a Buffalo native, but he did have his parish here. He attended Niagara University and was ordained in 1934 to the priesthood for the Diocese of Buffalo. He worked in many of the local area churches, including St Rose of Lima and St Brigid. His hobby was sailing Lake Erie in a small sailboat. He was very much appreciated by the blue collar parishioners he tended to.
He enlisted in 1942, and eventually found himself on the USS Indianapolis, which was torpedoed. While he survived for three days tending to the other sailors in the water with him, he was one of those lost. About 300 survived and they all told tales about Father Conway going from man to man to preach and encourage him as they treaded water waiting for rescue.
Upon the news of his death, locals in Buffalo wanted to do something to remember him. Initially the park was not as well kept up as it is now, but under Mayor Masiello the park got signage and fencing and became a real neighborhood park, which is used by many today.
Nice place to have a picnic with the breezes off the water.