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June 2012: Spree Insider

It’s June, and that means it’s time for Buffalo Spree’s Best of WNY party. But that’s just one element of a busy month of Spree-sponsored events.

 

Buffalo Spree’s Best of WNY
You voted, and now it’s time to find out who takes top honors—and party, too. Spree’s Best of awards are highly coveted, and the event that celebrates the winners has become a June tradition. Held from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. on June 20 at Shea’s Performing Arts Center, the event features great food from local restaurants, a wine tasting, silent auction, photo booth, music, and more.
“We celebrate all the amazing elements that make our community such a great place to live in with delicious food in a hip, fun, cocktail party atmosphere,” says Spree director of marketing and public relations, Lori Johnson. “Many of WNY’s movers and shakers come back each year.” Plus, it gives you a chance to find out before anyone else who took everything from Most Innovative Fundraiser and Most Unique Theater Space to Chef Who Should Get a Book Deal and Best Use of Your Taxpayer Dollars.
For tickets, call 783-9119, extension 2202, or visit buffalospree.com.

 

COLLISION
The Albright-Knox Art Gallery is calling COLLISION, running from 7 to 11 p.m. on June 21, a “massive summer celebration,” and that’s fitting. The AKAG is celebrating 150 years in 2012, and COLLISION is inspired by its current special exhibition, Wish You Were Here: The Buffalo Avant-garde in the 1970s.
Guests can enjoy the exhibition inside the gallery, while outside is a retro extravaganza of food, cocktails, and—get this— dancing on the original Saturday Night Fever dance floor, which was made in Buffalo in 1977 by Litelab Corp. Complimentary self-parking will be available at the Burchfield Penney Art Center, Buffalo State College, and the Buffalo Psychiatric Center (valet parking will also be available), and an open bar runs from 7 to 8 p.m.
For more information, call 270-8274 or visit albrightknox.org.

 

The BASH
Another June favorite returns from 8 p.m. to midnight on June 1. Dig through your closet to find your camouflage apparel, because the American Red Cross Greater Buffalo Chapter’s annual BASH is back. The Spree-sponsored event attracts a huge crowd to enjoy the unique BASH atmosphere, food from top restaurants, and the music of DJ Mike Setlock and local legend Lance Diamond.
Communications coordinator Joseph Bonafede says, “People think of the BASH as the unofficial kickoff to summer in Western New York.” The military-themed fundraiser is held at Red Cross headquarters, 786 Delaware Avenue.) Guests will have the opportunity to bid on such auction items as trips, sports memorabilia, and artwork, and there is even a chance to win up to $10,000 in the BASH raffle. All the proceeds stay right here in WNY to support the American Red Cross.
For details, visit buffaloredcross.org.

 

MusicalFare 24 Hours
Imagine a show that was created in only twenty-four hours—from writing to rehearsal to production. MusicalFare 24 Hours (MF24H) is just that. The resulting four short musicals will have their world premiere at 8 p.m. on June 23 at the former Studio Arena Theatre, 710 Main Street.
Featuring local theater artists along with some returning Buffalo natives, this is a 2012 must-see.
For details, visit musicalfare.com or call 839-8540.

 

Camp Good Days Gala
The eleventh annual Camp Good Days Gala raises funds to provide year-round programs in WNY for children with cancer, and it also supports the recreational facility located on Keuka Lake. Held from 5:30 p.m. to midnight  on June 23 at the Hyatt Regency (2 Fountain Plaza), the event, says Camp Good Days regional director Lisa Donato, is all about raising funds to “give children with cancer the childhood that cancer may have stolen.”
For more information, see page 34, or visit campgooddaysgala.com.

 

Buffalo Citybration
Throw some confetti in the air to celebrate Buffalo’s many accomplishments from June 21 to 24 as Citybration takes flight in locations and events throughout WNY. The four days will feature a photography contest, a scavenger hunt, a sunset reception at City Hall, a floating cocktail party, tours, an all-day festival on Canalside, and more. It all adds up to non-stop fun for both current and returning residents.
For the complete schedule, call 903-7155 or visit citybration.com.    

 

 

Spree editorial intern Anna Walters is studying to receive an M.S. in Publishing at Pace University.