HISTORICAL SOCIETY
Buffalo Bills exhibit boosts attendance
The Buffalo Bills may be a flop on the playing field, but an exhibition commemorating the team’s 50th anniversary has done wonders for the Buffalo & Erie County Historical Society.
Admission revenue of $33,590 through October exceeds the annual total for every year since 2001, when the museum held a major exhibition on the centennial of the Pan-American Exposition.
The turnstiles have been particularly cranking in the three months since the Bills exhibit opened in August.
“In addition to boosting the Historical Society’s revenue, the ‘Buffalo Bills 50th Season’ exhibit has attracted new audiences who are experiencing our museum for the first time,” said Cynthia Conides, the museum’s executive director.
Revenue is up 52 percent over last year during the same time period, and museum shop sales are 39 percent higher. Store sales are experiencing a banner year, with revenue the best it’s been since 2003.
“I’m excited to see so many fans coming to relive their memories of the team,” Conides said.
Spokesman Peter Burakowski said a lot of visitors hadn’t stepped into the museum for years before coming to check out the Bills exhibit.
“You have grandparents with their grandkids talking about the first season in the AFL, and kids talking about the current season and Terrell Owens,” Burakowski said.
The other major exhibition this year was “Buffalo My City,” featuring the watercolors of V. Roger Lalli.
Most of the Bills artifacts are on loan from Greg Tranter of Boston, Mass., who will talk about his collection at 1:30 p. m. today.
They include a timeline covering the 50 seasons, the lone blue-and- silver jersey known to exist from the team’s maiden 1960 season, and jerseys and other memorabilia from a cast of Bills greats from early American Football League stars Jack Kemp and Elbert Dubenion to Marv Levy, Bruce Smith and others of the powerhouse ’90s teams.
Photographs by former Buffalo News photographers Robert L. Smith and Mike Groll, old wooden seats from War Memorial Stadium and audio clips and film footage— including the complete game from Jan. 3, 1993, featuring the greatest National Football League comeback ever — are also among exhibit offerings.
“I’m a Bills fan myself, and I get to talk about the Bills all the time and do my job. It’s not a bad deal,” Burakowski said. “There’s a lot of Bills fans on staff, and when we come in on Monday we can talk about the game and not feel guilty because it’s part of our job.”
The Bills exhibition runs through Feb. 7. The museum is open from 10 a. m. to 5 p. m. Tuesdays through Saturdays, and noon to 5 p. m. on Sundays. Admission is $6 for adults, $4 for senior citizens and students, and $2.50 for children 7 to 12.
Log into MyBuffalo to post a comment
MyBuffalo is the new social network from Buffalo.com. Your MyBuffalo account lets you comment on and rate stories at buffalonews.com. You can also head over to mybuffalo.com to share your blog posts, stories, photos, and videos with the community. Join now or learn more.
Reader comments