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16th annual Buffalo Day brings city to Chautauqua

Today, Chautauqua Institution celebrates the 16th annual Buffalo Day. On this day, Buffalo residents can come to Chautauqua Institution free of charge, celebrating the Buffalo-Chautauqua Idea first envisioned by Buffalo Day founder and coordinator Dennis Galucki.

“Buffalo Day is really a component of an idea rooted in a course that I gave at Chautauqua Institution as part of the Special Studies in 2006 and 2007,” said Galucki. “That course was called ‘Imagine Buffalo in the 21st Century: The Buffalo-Chautauqua Idea.’ ”

The goal of the Buffalo-Chautauqua Idea is described on its website as “exploring American legacy through place-based lifelong learning and imagination.”

This is why Galucki found Week Four’s theme, “The Future of the American Experiment,” in tune with the Buffalo-Chautauqua Idea’s goal. 

“I always pick a week that, I think, allows me to develop a thought,” Galucki said.

The day explores the future of the Buffalo-Chautauqua connection and the exchange of ideas through three Buffalo Day events at Chautauqua Institution, beginning at 12:30 p.m. in the Hall of Christ with “Erie Canal 200: A Lifelong Learning Experience.”

The second is a Buffalo Day Talk given by Vice President of Original Content Creation at Buffalo Toronto Public Media Lynne Bader at 2:15 p.m. at the Smith Memorial Library.

The final presentation “Creating Reading Rainbow: The Untold Story of a Beloved Children’s Series” is at 4:45 p.m. at Smith Wilkes Hall with authors Tony Buttino, Sr., Barbara Irwin and Pam Johnson.

Galucki looks to continue the Buffalo-Chautauqua Idea by using it as an avenue of learning.

“I really think we have to see all libraries, all cultures and especially Chautauqua — which has many roles — as a lifelong learning center,” said Galucki. 

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The author Cody Englander