What do you think of trying to do our our Garden Tour next year in the North Shore Triangle?
Would you be willing to show your garden?
Do you know of a garden you would like to nominate?
Want to be on the planning committee?
comment here or contact Heather Gray at hsgray@mac.com
The Pennino family is a fixture in this neighborhood. You can hardly talk about the North Shore Triangle without hearing their name. Perhaps some “old-timers” recall the Pennino boys and their wild ways (it was rumored that the second son Richard was responsible for the bent swing pole at Parkovash, but actually it was his older brother Steve.) Or maybe you’ve heard of Buffy, wife to the youngest Pennino son, Tony. Buffy and pal Judie Mengel are the masterminds behind the annual yard sale and also co-organizers of the neighborhood Halloween party with Denise Sullivan.
Tony and Buffy Pennino are central to many of the exciting neighborhood events that make The Triangle such an enviable address. And their home, across from the park, on the corner of Lafayette and Parkovash, keeps them, literally, in the center of things.
Their house, two story, white with burgundy shutters, faces Lafayette and they have a screened porch that looks out towards the park. Buffy and Tony got the house on Lafayette in 1996. Buffy swears it is much smaller on the inside than it looks from the outside. And as their family grew, so did their house. They added a large family room in 2001. The addition matches seamlessly with the rest of the house, which was built in 1934.
They also added a large two-car garage for Tony’s “toys.” You may have seen some classic cars around this Pennino home, including Buffy’s ’74 Volkswagen Bug.
Between the detached garage and the house is a picturesque yard that Buffy has worked hard to beautify with abundant colorful flowers and this unique swing.
Buffy and Tony love living in The Triangle and have given back to their community in so many ways, including the work Tony and his brothers have done rehabbing and selling and renting “needy” homes here.
Twelve years ago when Tony and Buffy had found their house but before it was officially theirs, Tony would come with their baby, Nick, in the stroller and walk around these streets introducing himself to his future neighbors and reintroducing his family to those that knew him as a boy when he grew up here with his four siblings on 708 N. Angela.
It all started back in 1966 when Karen and Frank Pennino moved to Tonti. A year later they moved to their house on Angela. Karen had been through thirteen moves in thirteen years. She remembers telling Frank that she hoped they could stay there for at least five years. Well, it has been forty-two years and the Penninos continue to make the North Shore Triangle their home.
Frank coached the North Side Little League team when they used to meet at the St. Joseph High School track field. He even coached Buffy’s brother Rich at one point.
Buffy and Tony’s paths also crossed when they both went to Madison Elementary School. In a small town like South Bend it may not be that rare for a boy and girl to go to the same elementary school, grow up, get married and send their own children to the same school.
And even in a small neighborhood like the North Shore Triangle it is not that unusual for many generations, siblings, cousins, etc. to reside on adjacent streets. But we think Tony and Buffy have the most family members (living in separate houses) residing here.
Parents Frank and Karen live on Angela. Tony’s older brother Richard, his wife Chris, their children Chloe and Nico live on the corner of Tonti and Iroquois. They have lived there for eleven years but Chris, one of four girls, actually grew up on Wakewa.
Tom Pennino and his wife Caroline and their son Frankie have been at 320 Ostemo for twenty years.
Even the previous owners of Buffy and Tony’s house didn’t go far. Louis and Lois Haber moved to the North Shore Condos. Buffy kept one fun memento from their time. The Habers papered the down stairs bathroom door with New Yorker magazine covers and the Penninos just couldn’t bring themselves to take them off. Buffy and the kids started making up stories about the covers and why the Haber family might have chosen that picture.
Buffy has kicked around the idea of doing a magazine border in that 1/2 bath that would tell about her family.
Buffy’s family also desired to live in the neighborhood. Buffy’s mother, Winnie Kilbase, moved into the Triangle about twelve years ago. She first lived in a house on Marquette, which was coincidentally identical to the house Tony Pennino grew up in. After five years she moved to her beautiful house on Lafayette. Buffy likes to tell the story that she bought her home on 1250 N Lafayette at a yard sale. The owners were renting to their daughter while she attended Notre Dame and were in town for her graduation. Buffy and her mom stopped at their yard sale and commented about the house, which wasn’t on the market. They showed Winnie around and she asked to be contacted when they were ready to sell. Over the past seven years Winnie has grown a gorgeous garden on her property there.
Buffy’s sister Andrea is also a neighbor. She got her house on 325 Ostemo ten years ago. Andi loves the Sunburst race. She sets her sprinklers and downloads special music for the runners. Andi’s daughter Katie is a 7th grader at Clay and is a figure skater and swimmer. Andrea welcomes anyone else who is interested in figure skating to contact her.
You can see this family is involved not only in our neighborhood but in many areas of the community. Buffy, who has been with the South Bend School Corp. for 11 years, teaches kindergarten for Muessel. Niece Chloe is starting IU in the fall, nephew Nico will be a junior at Clay High, nephew Frankie is starting kindergarten at Holy Cross, eldest son Nick is in 8th grade at Clay, eldest daughter Cecilia and niece Madison are starting 5th, and youngest daughter Bella will be in 3rd at Madison.
Maybe the younger generation will put down its own roots in this neighborhood some day. Perhaps Nick, Buffy and Tony’s eldest son, will want to get a home on Parkovash Park. Nick was two when they moved here. Buffy and Tony told him they were buying a house on the park. He must have thought the park was an extension of his yard because after they moved in little Nick yelled to some kids “Get out of my park!”
Another favorite memory from The Triangle is when the girls gave their dog Comet a birthday party. They made and passed out invitations to his doggie pals. Every single one of the dogs and their owners came to the party. They each said they were watching to make sure the party was still on. Buffy asks, “Where else would that happen?”
One of Buffy’s favorite things about living in the North Shore Triangle is being here in the spring. “Spring is my favorite. During winter everyone is in hibernation. In spring the neighborhood wakes up and you get to see everyone again.”
And like spring, Buffy feels like our neighborhood has been going through a change and is becoming more welcoming, “The neighborhood is rebuilding, almost reborn, with all the young families coming in.
Buffy and Tony and their families contribute so much to our little slice of the American pie. Their story is remarkable, and not just for the sheer number of their family members in our little Triangle.
Is anyone interested in finding space for a community garden project?
Comment by Michael — June 30, 2008
Sadly the Saint Mary’s community gardens, which was open to members of the Saint Mary’s community, is no more–I gardened there for 10 years and really miss it. Would definitely be interested in a Triangle garden with individual plots for members.
Comment by Elizabeth — July 6, 2008
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I want to thank everyone who came out this morning to the Triangle park for the 4th of July Celebration. Your participation is what makes our neighborhood such a wonderful place to live.
I want to especially thank Kate Lee for the extraordinary job she did making this event happen.
Here are the pictures from the 2008 North Shore Triangle July 4th Celebration:
