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Veterans Day tribute at Buffalo Central Terminal

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Thu, Nov 10th 2016 04:25 pm

Free building tours to follow ceremony

The public is invited to pay tribute to the men and women of the armed forces by visiting the Central Terminal for a special ceremony and free public tours of the building at 11 a.m. on Veterans Day, Friday, Nov. 11.

Scheduled to take part in the patriotic tribute are students from PS 192 Academy for Visual and Performing Arts, Hutch-Tech JROTC, singer Melissa Kate, Hogs and Heroes Foundation, Dog Co, 16th Infantry Division WWII re-enactors, the Central Terminal Restoration Corp., Forgotten Buffalo and Buffalo Councilman David Franczyk.

Following the presentation, the CTRC will offer free tours of the terminal, along with complimentary coffee and doughnuts courtesy of Potts Deli & Grille. The public (both civilian and veteran) is invited to attend.

When Buffalo's Central Terminal opened in June of 1929, train travel had already been declining in favor of other modes of transportation. Compounded by the stock market crash in October of that year and the subsequent Great Depression, the art deco transportation hub looked as if it would never fully achieve its purpose of transporting people as designed.

Ten years later, with the U.S. involvement in World War II, the rail station became a crucial element in transporting troops to various points for training and deployment. For many, it was the last time they would see their families before going off to war and sacrificing their lives for our freedom. The Central Terminal's role as a military transportation hub continued through the Korean Conflict and the Vietnam era.

The last train left the Central Terminal in 1979. However, with the search for a new Buffalo train station, perhaps the final chapter for this skyscraper has yet to be written.

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