By Elmer Ploetz

When most people think of Buffalo history, they think of the War of 1812, the Fenians, Grover Cleveland, the boat to Crystal Beach or maybe even even Jimmy Griffin. 

But history happens every day, and a prime example of that is a display of photos and paintings of the Pink Flamingo – The Old Pink – at the Buffalo History Museum. There will be a celebration there of the Old Pink, which was burned down in an arson last June, on Friday (Jan. 17, 2024) at 6 p.m. 

It’s not a huge exhibit – hence the “pop-up” label. But it’s huge for Jean Claude Wouters, who put the display together. 

“The history of Pink Flamingo … It had a lasting effect on so many people, so that’s probably why they wanted to be involved,” said Wouters.  “I asked the history museum if they could take on this thing and they said, ‘Yes,’ which is amazing!”

The images come from Joe George, Adam Zyglis, Jesse Zuefle, Joshua Underscore, Michael Mulley, Mickey Harmon, Jean-Claude  Delettrez, Emmitt Fitzhughmes and Johnny Mayhem.

The display is an example of the museum embracing contemporary history. 

Anthony Greco, the museum’s director of exhibits and interpretive planning, said the institution has made a conscious decision to document recent happenings in the region. 

“We’ve always done it, but there’s been a conscious push toward contemporary collecting in the last five or six years,” Greco said. “ So this came about very, very hurriedly. The objects that we have aren’t ours. They’re being lent.”

The museum has been collecting items related to the Blizzard of 2022, the COVID pandemic and the May 14 shootings for possible use in future displays. 

“We want stuff that people can connect to make those intergenerational connections between parents, grandparents, grandchildren,” Greco said. “We want to stay relevant.”

Meanwhile, he said, the History Museum does have in its own collection at least one artifact of the Old Pink: A brick that was collected from the site after the fire last year.