BUFFALO, N.Y. — Buffalo is not one of the first cities thought of when it comes to boating season. However, that didn’t stop the founders of the Bills Mafia Boat Parade from forming an annual water celebration to welcome in a new NFL season.
“We have currently 220 registered and over 450 people on these boats,” says Ashleigh Dopp-MacDonald, founder of the Bills Mafia Boat Parade.
They know the temperature will drop and the snow will start to blow soon, so for the past few years, the self-proclaimed Bills Mafia have decided to take to the water while they can for a rowdy, fun-filled party.
“Honestly, we retire the boats when it becomes fall and it’s really sad,” Dopp-MacDonald said. “So, if we ever won the Lombardi, we can’t really have a parade, kind of like Florida does, so with that said, I want to kick off the season and get the boaters out here and get the fans super hyped.”
It’s the fourth year for the Bills Mafia Boat Parade, where hundreds of boats hit the canal on Saturday and hundreds of dollars are raised for a local charity. Dopp-MacDonald says that’s what the Bills Mafia stands for.
“We are through and through there for one another,” he said.
When it comes to the Bills, the community surrounding Buffalo has had a lot to celebrate lately. The team has won its division five years in a row and is the favorite again this year.
And their season began on Sunday with a comeback for the ages against the Baltimore Ravens on "Sunday Night Football." The team was down 15 points with less than four minutes left before pulling out the win.
“The Buffalo Bills, we’ve been the underdogs for so long,” Michelle Bradley, a boat parade participant, said on Saturday. “I mean, come on, going to four Super Bowls in a row and not getting one," she said, referring to the team's oh-so-close stretch in the 1990s.
This season, the Bills Mafia has put reigning MVP quarterback Josh Allen center stage as their beacon of hope to finally end the drought and get them to the promised land.
“I just think it’s got to be our year,” Dopp-MacDonaldn said. “You know, sometime, it’s got to be our year.”
The main culprit standing in way of the Bills' having their year over the past several seasons has been the Kansas City Chiefs, who have eliminated Buffalo from the playoffs four of the last five years. However, the main sting lies with making the Super Bowl four straight years, after the 1990 to 1993 seasons, but not coming away with a win.
“It hurts,” Bradley said.
“It does, but no one’s ever done it before, four in row,” said her husband, Ralph.
“It’s like a great record, and it’s also the worst thing to ever happen to Buffalo all at the same time,” said Bills fan Steve Golonka.
Despite never winning the big game, the devotion of the fans in Buffalo knows no bounds and their love for their team on a bright fall day cast aside any doubt for a big party on the water.
