A locally produced video has gone viral as part of a fundraising effort for Buffalo's Central Terminal. As WBFO's Eileen Buckley reports, the video is sure to make you smile as you watch a diverse group of citizens dance inside the historic city landmark.
More than 300 Western New Yorkers volunteered their time to participate in the filming inside the partially restored Central Terminal on the city's East Side. Citizens danced in 'flash mob' style to the song and lyrics of Happy by Pharrell Williams. It was all filmed May 22 and was created to increase the Central Terminal's worldwide presence.
Marilyn Rogers has been a longtime advocate of helping in the restoration and remains a consultant.
"Even to this day it is even more of the peoples building because it's a national landmark," said Rogers.
Many appear in the video dressed in costumes from the 1930s and 40s to display the rich history of the 1929 Art Deco structure. http://youtu.be/Pniypf5Q6E0
"A place have gone to send family members to war and receive them home, hopefully, or to greet family members if they came for a visit," noted Rogers, referring to how the Central Terminal once served as a busy transport center for traveling Western New Yorkers in Buffalo.
Attorney Erin Bahn, a partner at the law firm Kavinoky Cook in Buffalo, is a former ballerina and still dances. She learned about the filming on Facebook.
"One of my friends is the choreographer for the video, Kerry Kate Abel," said Bahn.
Bahn spent about five hours dancing as the video was shot during two shifts. She landing a lead dance role.
"Did you expect to get such a kind of a lead role?", asked Buckley. "Not at all. No. this day was filled with excited people, literally happy people," responded Bahn.
Some Buffalo charter school students are also in the video showing off their moves.
"They're from the Westminster Charter School. Actually the kids were part of a program we did last year, an education program on adaptive reuse with grammar school children," said Rogers.
Paragon Advertising worked to produce the video and aerial shots were filmed by BuffaloSkyCam.
Now that the video is viral on YouTube, organizers hope it goes around the globe.
More than 1,000 hits were already tracked late Tuesday afternoon, less than 13 hours after its release.