Independent Women Celebrate The Rosie The Riveters of Buffalo

Rosie the Riveter is perhaps the most iconic image of working women, representing independence, especially during World War II. Everyone knows who she is, but what about the Rosies of Western New York?

Donna Kerr

This Saturday at 1:00 pm, the annual Rosie the Riveter Tea Party returns to the Steel Plant Museum in WNY, located at 100 Lee St., Buffalo, NY 14210. This is the sixth year in Buffalo to celebrate the Rosies.

Donna Kerr, a member of the Rosie the Riveter Association Chapter in Buffalo, called the Steel Plant Museum “a hidden treasure in South Buffalo.”

“The displays that they have in there are incredible,” Kerr said. Those displays will feature artifacts from the Buffalo Naval Park and mementos from World War II.

Donna Kerr

While this event is meaningful for many, the connection to the Rosies is deeper than one could imagine for Kerr. Her grandmother was a “Rosie” during World War II to help support her family.

“It is an honor to celebrate these strong women who showed such strength and perseverance to do what they could to support the war effort and their families,” Kerr said.

“[The Rosies] made it more acceptable for women to be in the workplace and showed what women can do and we’re capable of performing as many tasks and jobs as the men.”

Kerr is also a member of the Buffalo Dolls, which is a band made up of music educators and performers dedicated to keeping the spirit of the “Swing Era,” by singing the hits of the 1940s, ‘50s, and ‘60s in the style of the Andrew Sisters. The music that the Buffalo Dolls perform takes the Rosies back to when they were young and the war effort by taking part in the workplace.

Donna Kerr

The Buffalo Dolls will perform at 2 pm at the Rosie the Riveter Tea Celebration tribute event this weekend.

If you need a reminder that women can do it all, come to the Rosie the Riveter Tea Party this Saturday at the Steel Plant Museum. It’s only $5 to get in, and visitors are asked to wear their best Rosie outfits. Photos of the Rosie look-a-likes will be sent to the American Rosie the Riveter Association.

Relive the Glen Amusement Park and Casino

There are parts of Western New York that you never knew existed, and one of those places may be the Glen Amusement Park and Casino.

If you can’t remember an amusement park at this location in Williamsville, that may be because Harry Altman’s Glen Amusement Park and Casino, a center of attractions for western NYers, was destroyed by a massive fire September 1968. A fire destroyed the park in September 1968.

Thankfully, Ron Urban, who grew up in WNY and lived inside the Glen Amusement Park and Casino complex, has held onto photographs from as far back as 1946 when he lived in that childhood home, along the banks of Ellicott Creek and located below the falls.

Even if you weren't able to see the Glen Amusement Park and Casino in person, now you can relive the memory of this historic part of WNY -- all thanks to Ron Urban and the photographs he has kept over the years.