The Grosvenor Room, the Buffalo & Erie County Public Library’s Special Collections Department, will present a speaker series with Explore Buffalo in 2026.
This free speaker series will take place in the Ring of Knowledge in the Central Library in downtown Buffalo at 1 Lafayette Square. Admission is free and no registration is required. All presentations will be approximately one hour in length, including time for Questions & Answers.
Learn more about the Grosvenor Room and the Buffalo & Erie County Public Library’s Special Collections here.
2026 Series Dates:
My City Smells Like Cheerios: A History of Cereal in Western New York
Saturday, March 7, 2026 at 1:00 pm
On a warm, breezy summer day, that sweet aroma wafting over the city will tell you they’re making Cheerios. But why here in Buffalo? And how did breakfast become a thing, what is the connection to health sanitariums? Hear the story of how Cheerios came to be made in Buffalo and how dry, ready to eat cereal right out of the box began in central New York, and even cereal’s connection to Mar-a-Lago!
Saturday, May 9, 2026 at 1:00 pm
Buffalo’s history is a story of immigrants. Among the first immigrants were people from the German “states”. In fact, individuals of German heritage comprise the largest immigrant group to settle in the United States as a whole. The nation of Germany as we know it was not established until the completion of the Franco-Prussian war around 1870. The talk covers early immigration prior to this period through the early part of the 20th century. It will also include information about the speaker’s family that came from what is now the Alsace region of France.
Saturday, June 6, 2026 at 2:00 pm
Italians migrated to Buffalo in the latter part of the 19th century escaping famine brought on by drought and high taxes. Those with Italian ancestry are the third largest immigrant group to make their home in Buffalo. The Italians settled in areas of Buffalo where people from their regions previously settled. The waterfront was the home of the Sicilians to name one example. As they climbed up the economic ladder, they moved into Buffalo’s West Side and into North Buffalo, forming neighborhoods known as “Little Italy.” This presentation will cover the movement of Italian immigrants in Buffalo, the businesses they were involved in, (including the influence of the Mafia), prominent Italian-American citizens and their eventual absorption into the melting pot of cultures that gives Buffalo its character.
Saturday, August 8, 2026 at 2:00 pm
Polish immigration to Buffalo began in the last quarter of the nineteenth century. The Poles came from a region divided among three empires in the 18th century. The Poland that we know of today did not exist until after WWI. Still, those who came were fierce in their tenacity to hold onto to their cultural identity. One of the best examples of this is the Polish enclave that formed in the east side of Buffalo known as “Polonia”. Drawn to migrate to Buffalo with the promise of Catholic parish communities, the first of which was St. Stan’s, the Polish began coming in earnest in the 1870s.
The Polish culture is still going strong in Buffalo today. With the many festivals, foods, dance and singing, we can celebrate the Polish culture that has been preserved by the descendants of the original immigrants.
World War II: Buffalo Women on the Homefront
Saturday, October 10, 2026 at 1:00 pm
During World War II, Buffalo focused its industry and manufacturing on helping with the war effort, and women played an especially important role. Learn about the services and jobs women performed on the Homefront to help the Allies secure victory.
Presented by:
