Francesca Bond / The Sun

Friday is the last day for take-out at Major Tom's Drop Zone Restaurant, which will close for good after about a decade in business on Camp Road.

First in Sun+:  After a decade in business, the three brothers who own and operate Major Tom's Drop Zone are retiring from the restaurant industry. 

They are very close to finishing up the sale process to sell the building to its new owner, according to owner Jeremy Kiera. Kiera did not share the soon-to-be owner's name but said the building will likely not be a restaurant under the new ownership.

Kiera and his brothers Tom and Jordan opened Major Tom's Drop Zone, a World War II-themed Italian restaurant at 5842 Camp Road, around 10 years ago. They all served in the military and used the restaurant as a museum and opportunity to honor veterans.

For the first five years, Kiera said he worked 12-hour days every day of the week. Eventually, he was able to scale back, but operating the restaurant has made it difficult to spend more time with family.

The closing has nothing to do with Covid-19, Kiera said. In fact, the restaurant's takeout business did well during the pandemic, he added. They all only ever planned on spending 10 years in the restaurant business and have decided it's time to retire and be with family.

Before the Kiera brothers bought the site, it was Jacobi's Italian Restaurant. Friday is Major Tom's last day in business.

— By Francesca Bond, Sun reporter

Festival news: Hamburg Oktoberfest is officially back this year, after the Village of Hamburg Board approved the popular festival last night. It will be held from 2 to 11 p.m. Sept. 11 in Memorial Park. The Sun had previously reported that organizers were moving ahead with planning for the event.

Buffalo News file photo

The Bills' Highmark Stadium in Orchard Park.

The latest reports that the Bills are potentially looking to construct a new facility in Orchard Park has prompted optimism from town stakeholders.

It’s also prompted renewed conversation about how to make the town more Bills friendly – with some wondering if a hotel could potentially help make Orchard Park a destination location for Bills fans throughout the state. 

That might mean creating more opportunities for lodging around the stadium and the village.

Don Lorentz, the executive director at the Orchard Park Chamber of commerce, said that there has been chatter about a potential hotel in past years. Most recently, Ellicott Development proposed a massive rezoning that could accommodate a multi-story hotel back in 2019, but that has yet to move forward.

Lorentz said that investors have moved away from a hotel in Orchard Park as speculation swirled around the Bills’ future here, and rumors spread that they may look to relocate downtown or elsewhere.

If the latest reports hold true, the long-term commitment from the Bills – coupled with the fact that the Bills are now a viable playoff team – could once again attract interest from developers looking to build a hotel, Lorentz said.

Orchard Park Councilman Conor Flynn also noted that he’d like to see reconstruction of the Bills stadium come with a deeper, town-wide look at how Orchard Park can make itself a “world-class destination” for football fans.

He suggested that creating opportunities for places to stay near the village could help drive more football fans to the village's businesses.

- By James Farrell, Sun reporter

West Seneca is asking residents to share their opinions about whether marijuana-related businesses should be allowed in the town.

The survey has just two questions. One asks whether the respondent is in favor of marijuana dispensaries in the town, the other whether the respondent is in favor of establishments that allow the on-site consumption of marijuana.

The survey was posted this week at westseneca.net, and shared on the town's social media pages.

Physical copies of the survey are available at Town Hall, the Recreation Department's offices in the West Seneca Community Center on Union Road and at the Senior Citizen Center on Seneca Street.

Communities that opt out will not get a cut of marijuana sales tax revenue from the state.

Town Supervisor Gary Dickson said he doesn't think the town should rush into a decision and should take public feedback into account.

"The people I've talked to, most people are against it," he said.

- By Jacob Tierney, Sun reporter

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Michael Petro / The Sun

Will Maher, center, with his good friend and fellow Marine Mark Beyers, along with Mark’s wife Denise, who also served in the military. The crew from Lake View Lawns, which Maher runs, for a seventh year completed free landscape, mulching and tree takedown Thursday at Beyers Maple Farm in Wales. Beyers lost his right arm and right leg while he and Maher were deployed in Iraq in 2005. Maher, also a teacher at Frontier Central, had his students make Beyers a flag made from wood of an ash tree cut down, which was presented to Beyers on Thursday.

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— The Sun Team