With a November farewell salute and auction on the calendar, The Erie Harbor Development Corp is leading the media and some top officials on one last walk through the remnants of Buffalo's Memorial Auditorium today, before demolition in Spring.

With that in mind, Buffalo's Early News and WBEN.com have collected several memories of the arena that the Buffalo Braves and Buffalo Sabres called home for several years.  Here's a sampling:
 

"It was our home away from home for such a long time. it was a wonderful era for Buffalo... For me the Aud was just a wonderful place in Buffalo, We went to concerts, we went to the circus, and of course we went to hockey. It was just such a wonderful time." -- Jean Knox, widow of Sabres Founder Seymour Knox

"It was a kind of dreary place inside, but I guess we brought a lot of cheer into it. " --Paul Wieland, former Sabres PR director

" I played hockey there. I watched hockey there. It was a piece of Buffalo's history... " -- Cong. Brian Higgins (D-Buffalo)

"In grammar school that was our Saturday night out...  The arena is new and it's exciting and it's spacious but it doesn't have the rickety old sounds, and the noise echoing,  vibrating off the roof and the sides, and people right on top of the ice or the basketball court." -- Former Buffalo Mayor, and Canisius College basketball star Anthony Masiello

"Back in the old days, people could see you sweat,  they were so close to you, they could see the sweat drip off your face, and every given night it was the same fan sitting in the same seat. You became familiar with them, you became friends with some of them," -- Rene Robert,  Buffalo Sabre forward, 1970-1979.

The Aud was mothballed in 1996 and is being demolished to make way for a proposed mega-sized Bass Pro fishing store on the site. 

While many of the items inside were waterlogged and moldy,  47 salvageable dasher boards, various pieces of  Sabres and Buffalo Braves memorabilia and about 1,800 arena seats will be auctioned off at a  two day event November 15 and 16,  being described as a fan party and farewell celebration in honor of the old building.

Showcase Sports Marketing, an Amherst-based promotions firm that specializes in collectibles and is organizing a Kevin Everett Golf Tournament, has been selected by city officials to run the auction.

The auction will be held at the Buffalo Convention Center, with several seats also available through an online sale on E-bay or a similar site.  Admission to the "Farewell Old Friend" Party will be set at approx. $5 per person.

City officials say interest in the interior items from the aud has been strong, with several former season ticket holders expressing interest in purchasing the seat they sat in during many Sabres or Braves games.

Click here to hear Barbara Burns who toured the Aud.

WBEN Online Extra:

Exclusive WBEN Audio
Click Below to Listen:

WBEN's Steve Cichon with Rene Robert

WBEN's Barbara Burns with Anthony Masiello


On the Liveline with......
Jean Knox, widow of Sabres Founder Seymour Knox

Paul Wieland, former Sabres PR official

Cong. Brian Higgins