Buffalo, NY (WBEN) As Buffalo plans to gather to celebrate Dyngus Day in person for the first time in 3 years, a focal landmark won't be part of this year's celebration. The imposing Central Terminal is undergoing repairs, and fundraising efforts continue.
Monica Pellegrino Faix with the Central Terminal says she misses welcoming folks for Dyngus Day. "We're not posting a big inside event this year. But we wanted to say hello and give a little update on what we're doing at the terminal," says Faix. One of the updates is a raffle where the winner gets a special tour of the Central Terminal.
Faix says the entry fee is symbolic of this year's Dyngus Day. "Because the next day as on April 18, we picked an amount of $4.18 that anyone can donate in and get added to the raffle," says Faix. The winner and a friend will get to take part in a hard hat tour of the concourse and other areas. "We'll also show the person the some of the new construction work that we've done. And they'll have an opportunity to meet one of our tour guides, who has a close knowledge of the building and can hear a lot of great stories about what the building has been in terms of our past, but also what it's going to be in terms of our future," adds Faix.
Faix says other fundraising efforts have taken place. "We launched our first ever annual appeal last winter, which was incredibly successful. And we are also in a good position now to raise capital dollars because we have a master plan that we worked on with the community," Faix. She says those dollars will go toward moving on additional stabilization and making the building clean and dry, while at the same time soliciting a private developer for the future.
Faix says while events are going on the outdoor grounds of the Terminal, it will be some time before Dyngus Day will be inside. "Our best guess is is a few years down the road," says Faix.
Faix is encouraging you to come down to Broadway-Fillmore for the Dyngus Day Parade, the Broadway Market, Adam Mickiewicz Library, the Matt Urban Center, Buffalo Brewing, Eugene Debs Hall, Corpus Christi Church, St. Stanislaus Parish, R&L Lounge, Arty's Grill, and other nearby locations on April 18th.
