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PrintOctober 2012: Spree Insider
Two very different Spree-sponsored events take center stage this month, and both honor those involved in two local passions: arts and sports. Meanwhile, WNY restaurants prepare to show off their finest dishes.
Young Audiences Goes to Town, Oct. 10
For more than fifty years, Young Audiences of Western New York (YAWNY) has worked to positively develop young people’s lives by enhancing productivity through creativity. Nationally, the Young Audiences network has been able to reach over seven million school children per year.
Locally, there is a lot to celebrate, too, and on October 10, YAWNYwill host its annual gala and cocktail party, Young Audiences Goes To Town. “The gala is a really fun way to celebrate the fun work we do with children,” says Cynnie Gaasch, executive director of YAWNY. “The whole feeling of the evening is very creative. We are really pleased with the honorees we have. They have all done amazing things for this community.” The benefit, held at Town Ballroom, will feature special performances by LehrerDance, along with speaker Nels Ross, delicious food, a silent auction, raffles, and the awards ceremony. Tickets are $150 for a patron table and $50 general admission; and a creative cocktail attire is encouraged.
This annual fundraiser has special significance for Buffalo Spree, as editor-in-chief Elizabeth Licata is among this year’s honorees. She is joined by Marvin Askew, executive director of the Buffalo City Ballet, longtime YAWNY boardmembers Gilda and Jerry Raiken, and Leslie Zemsky, “director of fun” for Larkin Square and president of the board of directors of the Buffalo Fine Arts Academy.
For more info on the event and on Young Audiences, visit yawny.org.
—J. M.
Greater Buffalo Sports Hall of Fame, Oct. 17
Gilbert Perreault, Ralph Wilson, Ron Jaworski, Rick Azar, Cindy Miller, Seymour H. Knox III—if they made an impact in Buffalo’s sports history, they’ve been enshrined in the Greater Buffalo Sports Hall of Fame. On October 17 at the Hyatt Regency, this year’s stellar crop of honorees will take their places among these greats, and help continue the Hall’s proud tradition.
The concept is simple: The inductees live, or have lived, in the Western New York area and are being inducted because of their level of performance and heart, as well as the passion they show in their sport, amateur or professional. Let’s meet the class of 2012:
• Sabres play-by-play man Rick Jeanneret currently holds the record for the longest ongoing hockey broadcaster. For more on Jeanneret, see p. 20.
• George Carter was, stunningly, drafted by the Detroit Pistons as a basketball player, the Buffalo Bills as a football player, and the New York Mets as a baseball player. He later starred in the American Basketball Association.
• Harry Jacobs was a standout Buffalo Bills linebacker, leading the team to two AFL championships.
• West Seneca native Kim Kaul went from an all-star high school and college athlete to a top-ranked amateur golfer.
• Eric Knuutila dedicated himself to the Niagara County Community College athletic department for thirty-eight years and helped build a standout wrestling program.
• Buffalo born and raised, Todd Miller, owner of the Miller Tennis Center, has coached several nationally ranked tennis teams and earned numerous awards.
• Frank Sacheli was head coach of Team Buffalo, a group of local high school hockey players who played against all-star Teams from across the U.S. In 1986, the team won the National High School Championship.
• As athletics director at St. Joseph’s Collegiate Institute in Kenmore, Joe Wolf’s career spanned over forty-six years.
• Craig Wolfley was an outstanding athlete at Orchard Park High School and had a twelve-year NFL career. Also being inducted is his brother Ron Wolfley. He too played in the NFL, earning four Pro Bowl selections.
• Being inducted posthumously are Title IX trailblazer Nan Harvey, Brooklyn Dodger Stan Rojek, nineteen-year Major League Baseball standout Wally Schang, and middle- and light-weight boxer Lou Scozza.
The 2012 awards dinner features a silent auction and reception from 5 to 6:30 p.m., followed by dinner and the induction ceremony from 7 to 9:30 p.m. To order tickets, call 693-3807. And don’t forget to check out the Hall of Fame’s display across from the Sabres store in First Niagara Center.
—J. W.
Local Restaurant Week, Oct. 15–21
If ever there is a week to dine out in WNY, it is October 15–21: Local Restaurant Week. A celebration of the independent restaurants that make this area so great, it is seven Buffalo Spree-sponsored days of tasty food and drink. The full list was unannounced at press time, so check localrestaurantweek.com for updates.
Spree editorial intern Jennifer Musone is a sophomore at the University at Buffalo, while fellow intern Jessica Wheeler is a junior at Williamsville East High School.
