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FeedJuly 2012 Spree Insider: Tasty events
It’s July, and that means it’s time to dig into some Spree-sponsored events—including one that’s particularly tasty.
Taste of Buffalo, July 7–8
You’d be forgiven for thinking you’ve seen everything the Taste of Buffalo has to offer; after all, Taste has been making local mouths happy since 1984. You’d also be mistaken.
Yes, the two-day event in and around Niagara Square will feature everything you love about it—more than fifty restaurants, seven wineries, live music. And like last year, Nickel City Chef will thrill attendees with live competitions on the Culinary Stage. This time around, things will be hotter (and spicier) than ever before, with the debut of the “Smokin’ Hot Buffalo Firehouse Cook Off,” presented by Buffalo Spree. Two everyday heroes will take center stage, and battle for the crown of “ultimate firehouse chef” in a timed competition. The heat is on at 5 p.m. on July 7 at the Culinary Stage, located in the New Era Cap parking lot on Delaware Avenue.
And of course, there is everything else that makes Taste of Buffalo such an eagerly awaited July treat. It runs from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. on July 7 and from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. on July 8. For more information, call 656-1214 or visit www.tasteofbuffalo.com.
echo Art Fair, July 7-8
Regular readers know how excited we are about the second echo Art Fair, scheduled for July 7 and 8 (9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.) at the Larkin Center of Commerce, 701 Seneca Street. Buffalo’s contemporary art fair will feature the work of more than fifty artists and galleries. Site-specific installations will be on view throughout the Larkin district. A dance party will be held Saturday, July 7, 9 p.m.-2 a.m. at DNIPRO Ukrainian Hall, 562 Genesee St. (ignore the itals)
In the May Spree, echo founder Frits Abell said this year’s festival has been adjusted since last year’s debut because organizers learned plenty after year one: “We learned that it should probably be two days, more centrally located, that we needed to start earlier, and that I needed someone to run the day-to-day of it locally,” he says. “Dean Brownrout is doing that. The quality of the work [last year] was very high, and most of the artists sold work.” For 2012, Abell says echo received 175 submissions “from all over, from Toronto, Brooklyn, Syracuse, Portland—we were blown away.”
A VIP party, sponsored by Toronto’s Tecumseth Street Galleries, will be held from 6 to 8 p.m. on Friday, July 6, at the Center of Commerce. It will feature a silent auction, food and drinks, and more. Admission to the festival itself on July 7 and 8 is free.
For tickets to the VIP party and more information, visit www.echoartfair.com.
Wines in the Wild, July 25
On July 25, Spree will once again sponsor the Buffalo Zoo’s largest annual fundraiser, Wines in the Wild. Hosted by the ProZoo Board and the Zoo’s Women’s Board, the event, running from 6 to 9 p.m., features food and dessert items, wine and beer, vendors, silent auction, live music, and even visits from some “animal ambassadors.”
Tickets are $40 pre-sale (sold through July 24) or $50 at the door (if tickets remain); $100 VIP ticket provides early entry, a goodie bag, and a champagne toast. Attendees must be twenty-one and over. For more information or to purchase tickets, call 995-6131 or visit www.buffalozoo.org.
Celebration Under the Stars, July 26
Since 1972, the Kevin Guest House has been providing a home away from home for outpatients and caregivers of patients who are hospitalized or receiving outpatient therapy in Buffalo hospitals. This month, exactly forty years to the day since the House started serving the needs of its guests, the Kevin Guest House will hold its annual Celebration Under the Stars event.
Scheduled from 6 to 10 p.m. at the House, 782 Ellicott Street, the Spree-sponsored event will feature food, drinks, music, and a truly great cause. Consider this: Kevin Guest House was the nation’s first hospitality house, and has served more than 45,000 individuals and families.
For more information, email pam@kevinguesthouse.org, call 882-1818, or visit kevinguesthouse.org.
Recent Spree editorial intern Anna Walters is studying to receive an M.S. in Publishing at Pace University.
