It was a state of nirvana at PS 23 on Thanksgiving morning, where the annual ‘Budda Bowl’ took place without a hitch on Thursday.
Despite reports of heavy storms in the forecast for the entirety of Thanksgiving day and rainfall from the night before, there wasn’t a dark cloud in the sky, nor a rain drop on the ground, on an unusually warm and sunny November morning at the Richmondtown school.
Friends and family turned out by the dozen, traveling from across Staten Island and New Jersey, for the timeless neighborhood tradition -- estimated to be the 35th Annual ‘Budda Bowl’, which first began in the mid-1980s.
The yearly two-hand-touch football contest was founded by the late Stephen ‘Budda’ Crea, a “neighborhood legend” who passed away in 2014 at age 54, as a means to bring his buddies together before they dispersed to be with their families on Thanksgiving.
“It’s a way of getting all the old neighborhood kids back together,” said Barbara Crea, Budda’s wife of 28 years. “People put their holiday on hold to reminisce with childhood friends.”
A photo from one of the original Budda Bowls -- featuring Stephen "Budda" Crea (far right).
Crea, a father of three and fixture in the Richmondtown community, is still revered by friends and family -- who travel from near and far to celebrate the memory of their friend, father, and husband.
Known as “the life of the party”, Budda would make 30 or 40 calls each year leading up to Thanksgiving to ensure that everyone would be present -- even if it was only for an hour or two of catching up and throwing the pigskin around.
The game has since evolved into a full-blown gathering of those young and old, and the phone calls have become obsolete -- everyone knows where to be.
“It’s become a tradition that everyone looks forward to and now some of them are even bringing their kids,” said Barbara.
Despite rainfall from the night before, there wasn't a dark cloud in the sky on Thanksgiving morning.
While the game takes place, family and friends, who socially distanced throughout the schoolyard, share old and new memories.
“We thought we wouldn’t be able to get the game in, but people came and suddenly the sun came out,” said Crea. “It turned out to be one of the better days for a Budda Bowl.
“It was amazing,” she concluded.
A photo from last year's Budda Bowl.