BUFFALO, N.Y. — Almost five months since the "Bubbleman of Allentown" passed away, his neighborhood is still remembering him in more ways than one.
Local artist and designer Jim Charlier won the Allentown Art Festival Poster Contest back in 2020.
"I won it the year they cancelled it. The first year, in I think 63 years, I think they cancelled it is the year I won," he explained. "They didn't use my poster for anything because it was cancelled and then the next year it was cancelled ahead of time and this year they thought that they would just ask me since it never got produced, no T-shirts, nothing. They thought they would ask me to design it again."
Charlier submitted eight ideas for this year's big return of the festival. The committee selected his tribute to Allentown's own "Bubbleman." Chuck Incorvaia, who was known for blowing bubbles outside his apartment above the Jim's Steak Out at Elmwood and Allen, passed away earlier this year.
"I took a picture of the building, I added in some bubbles," Charlier said. "I took some photos of other Allentown area architectural interesting buildings and I put them on the poster as well."
The artist didn't know Bubbleman personally, but he says the design was a no brainer.
"It's a sweet thing," he said. "Neighborhoods need like characters, and he was was one of our Allentown characters."
"When I saw the image of the building with the bubbles coming out of his window, it was touching. So it's great," said Shawn Richter, Director of Operations for Jim's Steak Out and Incorvaia's nephew.
But the Art Festival poster isn't the only way his uncle's legacy lives on in Allentown.
"You see people just walking around and looking up to the sky, smiling," Shawn said. "A lot of people gathering on the corners with their kids just to watch still. So I've had some messages saying oh my god, the bubbles are back."
Shawn and his family bought bubble machines for all four tenants in the building with front facing windows. Walk or drive by these days, you'll still find that familiar sea of bubbles.
"I asked all the tenants if they would be interested, and they were more than happy to do it," Shawn said. "We provided them with their first gallon of bubbles, and now they've just bought bubbles after bubbles, and they actually love doing it."
Tenants like Steve Fried, who calls himself the "Allentown Bubble Main in Training."
"I am the new intern. I'm definitely in training," he joked.
Chuck was Steve's next door neighbor.
"I've known Chuck for over 30 years, I've known Jim and the whole family, so when he did pass away, we felt it was kind of important to keep up the tradition," Steve said.
Even though it's early in his tenure, Steve takes his newly assumed duties very seriously.
"I try to do it when I first wake up in the morning to get people going for work," he explained. "Certainly when people are out bopping around the bars and happy hours, you try to do it then. Certainly when the sun is going down. We do have a machine that does lights and we do it sometimes with lights so that's kind of a nice show."
He's also enjoying the perks that come with being the bubbleman.
"It does a little bit for me as well. You can't be sad blowing bubbles. It's really tough to not be in a good mood when you're blowing bubbles for the world," he said. "It's the best when the school kids. when the parents are out there with the kids and they're looking up like that. and they see it and it's like magic for them. Easy for me because I have the machine but for them it's like magic."