Author Archives: Chuck Gregory

Sing For Hope

sing4hope

Monday, October 26 at 7:30 pm (cocktails at 6:30 pm)
Tribeca Rooftop, 2 Desbrosses Street, New York

SING FOR HOPE transforms lives throughout New York City by bringing the power of the arts to those who need it most. Through the volunteer service of dedicated artists—opera singers, actors, jazz musicians, dancers, upetteers, painters, and more—Sing for Hope provides dynamic arts outreach programming to under-resourced communities across NYC.

Our programs include collaborative concerts for hospital patients, after-school arts classes for NYC youth, and our flagship initiative, THE SING FOR HOPE PIANOS. A celebration of our vision of art for all, this beloved public art project brings artist-designed pianos to the parks and public spaces of NYC for two weeks each summer before donating them to the community-based organizations we serve year-round. Sing for Hope is defined by the volunteerism of artists, the needs of the community, and our belief in the power of the arts to uplift, unite, and transform.

See more at http://gala.singforhope.org/

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Signature Chefs Auction

dimes

Monday, October 26 at 6 pm
Carlyle On The Green, 99 Quaker Meeting House Rd., Farmingdale

Be there Monday, October 26 for an evening of networking, live music, great food, wine and spirits at one of the best tasting events on Long Island. Mix business with pleasure, while supporting the mission of the March of Dimes.

More than 24 Chefs, Restaurants, Wineries, Breweries and Dessert Designers  will be sharing their most exciting culinary delights with more than 200 guests.

For Sponsors at the Gold Level and above there will be a networking reception where they will have the opportunity to meet and greet some of our Celebrity Guests while enjoying specialty items planned just for them.

For more information visit: https://signaturechefs.marchofdimes.org/Event.aspx?EventId=17759

 

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Party Pics: MCNY Cabaret Gala

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The Museum of the City of New York was proud to present its ninth annual Louis Auchincloss Prize to Wynton Marsalis at the Museum’s annual Cabaret! gala. Among his many honors, Wynton Marsalis has won nine Grammy Awards, the Pulitzer Prize for Music, and the National Medal for the Arts, the highest award given to artists in the United States. The City Museum is proud to add the Louis Auchincloss Prize to this list.

 Honoring Louis Auchincloss (1917-2000) for his many years of service to the City Museum and for his literary contributions, the Auchincloss Prize honors writers and artists whose work is inspired by and enhances the five boroughs of New York City. Disciplines include literature, architecture, art, music, playwriting and photography.

The evening included cocktails at MCNY at 7 p.m. and the Cabaret! gala dinner, award presentation and performance by Essentially Ellington at 8 p.m. at the New York Academy of Medicine.

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Party Pics: ASPCA Young Friends

attends the ASPCA Young Friends benefit at IAC Building on October 15, 2015 in New York City.

ASPCA Young Friends benefit, IAC Building, October 15, 2015, New York City

Irina Shayk and Sutton Foster teamed up with a few adoptable furry friends to host the ASPCA’s annual Young Friends Benefit last night at the IAC building in New York City.  The Young Friends Benefit is a cornerstone of the ASPCA’s fundraising efforts to directly impact the lives of homeless, abused and neglected animals across the country.

Additional supporters included Lance Bass, Lo Bosworth, Kimiko Glenn, Adrienne C. Moore, Patina Miller, Christian Siriano, Allie Rizzo, Sierra Boggess, Natalia Beber and Hailey Clauson. The evening included dancing, drinks, a silent auction and music by DJ May Kwok.

Photos courtesy of: Getty Images

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Party Pics: Ballet Hispanico

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New York, NY – October 16, 2015 -Ballet Hispanico, celebrating 45 years of sharing and reflecting the diversity of Latino cultures through dance, announced the grand opening of Ballet Hispanico at the Arnhold Center & the Ford Foundation Lobby on Tuesday, October 13, 2015 at 167 W. 89th Street. The ceremony highlighted the recent renovation of Ballet Hispanico’s longtime home, with a Ribbon Cutting Ceremony followed by a tour and reception.

Kate Lear, Chair of the Board of Directors of Ballet Hispanico, welcomed the crowd and introduced speakers, including Gale A. Brewer, Manhattan Borough President, City of New York; Lee Koonce, Executive Director, Ballet Hispanico; Eduardo Vilaro, Artistic Director, Ballet Hispanico; Margaret Morton, Program Office, Creativity & Free Expression, Ford Foundation; and Jody Gottfried Arnhold, Member & Honorary Chair of the Board of Directors of Ballet Hispanico. Notable attendees included: Vin Cipolla; Diana DiMenna; Tom Finkelpearl; Joan Finkelstein; Norman Lear; Sharon Luckman; Christina McInerney; and Nancy Ticotin, among others. Following the ceremonial ribbon cutting, attendees enjoyed a champagne toast, hors d’oeuvres and a special performance featuring young dancers from Ballet Hispanico’s School of Dance.

“The Arnhold Center will help us expand our programs and become a true and much needed Latino cultural center. And the Ford Foundation lobby will provide a sunny welcome to our students, guests and their families,” said Ms. Lear. “We are thrilled to celebrate this important milestone in Ballet Hispanico’s 45-year history and we extend our deepest gratitude to Jody Gottfried Arnhold, the Arnhold family and the Ford Foundation.”

The facades of Ballet Hispanico’s two historic carriage houses were restored and redesigned to give new life and improve accessibility to the building. Newly opened doors and windows, now with glass, welcome the community and enable passersby to see School of Dance classes. A complete refresh of the lobby, featuring interactive digital displays and historical photos, now enhances the impact of Ballet Hispanico’s artistic home.

SUK Design Group supervised the restoration of the façade and redesigned the layout of the first floor. Interior designer Carolyn Wharton, senior principal at Deborah Berke Partners, designed the lobby and reception furniture. A grant from the Ford Foundation allowed for the lobby make-over and technology improvements, including three large digital displays that will greet visitors and students. Additional funding from the Ford Foundation funded other projects and bolstered the organization’s reserve. A major gift from the Arnhold family celebrates Jody Gottfried Arnhold’s 30 years on the Board of Ballet Hispanico, 16 of those years in the role of Board Chair.

“Ballet Hispanico has brought individuals and communities together for 45 years to celebrate and explore Latino cultures through dance,” said Jody Arnhold. “Our family is very proud to usher in an exciting new chapter with the opening of The Arnhold Center where new programs and collaborations will further enhance Ballet Hispanico’s position as a source of connection and inspiration.”

“Under the artistic leadership of Eduardo Vilaro, Ballet Hispanico continues to thrive, and the new Arnhold Center and Ford Foundation Lobby embody the strength of his artistic vision over the past six years. We are looking forward to an exciting autumn and beyond,” said Lee Koonce, Ballet Hispanico’s Executive Director.

This fall, Ballet Hispanico is featured in the inaugural Great American Dance film seriesalong with the San Francisco Ballet, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, and New York City Ballet. On Thursday, November 12, 2015 at 7pm (local time), over 600 U.S. cinemas will screen Ballet Hispanico’s CARMEN.maquia and Club Havana. The event will also include a special behind-the-scenes look at the company’s rehearsals and dancers.

In addition, Ballet Hispanico makes its annual holiday return to the Apollo Theater in Harlem with an expanded New York Fall Season from November 20-21, 2015. Highlights of the season include the World Premiere of an evening-length work by Brazilian choreographer Fernando Melo set to live music, and Saturday en Familia, a special matinee for families featuring fun Ballet Hispanico repertory favorites. The company continues to tour nationally and internationally and will return to The Joyce Theater in April 2016 for its New York Spring Season.

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Birch Run

birch

November 7 at 1 pm (Registration at 12 noon)
Hudson River Park, Pier 64 @ West 24th Street and the Hudson River, New York

Join Birch Family Services community in a 5k run to benefit children and adults with autism and other developmental disabilities.

For more information visit https://birchfamilyservices.webconnex.com/2015birch5k
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Review: Coffee Wine

coffee wine cans

I got a sample of Coffee Wine, so now I’m reporting what I thought.

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Friends Beverage Group (aka/The Fun Wine Company) of Miami, FL, has launched the World’s First Coffee Wines ™ — Cabernet Espresso ™ and Chardonnay Cappuccino ™ — in New York under the FRIENDS FUN WINE ® brand. Imported from the EU, FUN WINE ™ is a friendly tasting recreational drink that makes wine fun for the general population with refreshing flavors. The New Lifestyle Drink ™ comes with half the alcohol of wine and has no preservatives, gluten or caffeine. It is very affordable, so everyone can enjoy it. Joe Peleg, CEO, explained, “We believe in ‘Responsible Fun’ and ask consumers to ‘Reduce the alcohol…and Increase the Fun!” Lower alcohol translates to lower calories as well.

COFFEE WINE ™ is an everyday beverage for:

  • Women
  • Millennials, age 21-35
  • New, occasional and casual wine drinkers
  • Consumers who seek alternatives to wine and beer
  • Consumers who prefer lower alcohol

Benefits include:

  • Multiple flavors – Coffee, Strawberry/Peach Moscato, Red/White Sangria
  • Affordability-$1.99 -$2.29/can (~ $1.00/serving)
  • Lower alcohol than wine
  • Lower calories than wine or beer (75-94 calories/serving)
  • Attractive, portable, lightweight, unbreakable, tamper-proof, quick chilling, recyclable cans
  • 33% more wine than 187.5 ml wine bottles

WHAT DIFFERENTIATES FUN WINE ™ FROM TRADITIONAL WINE?

FUN WINE™ is a new beverage category of recreational wine drinks for the general population. It is defined not by vintage, heritage or other highbrow hallmarks of wine, and is not for wine aficionados.

You do not sniff it. You do not swirl it in a glass. You do not tout its origin. You do not pour it into red or white wine glasses. FUN WINE ™ does not compete with wine, but is an everyday fun and affordable recreational drink for the masses – and The Alternative to Beer. ™

Check out this video about Breakfast in Bed!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5W1A5FQVQpU

The new beverage category is distributed in Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, Bronx, Staten Island, Nassau and Suffolk by Union Beer Distributors. Upstate distributors include Try-It Distributing — Niagara and Erie, and DeCrescente Distributing — Albany, Columbia, Fulton, Greene, Montgomery, Rensselaer, Saratoga, Schenectady, Schoharie, Washington, and Warren.

Retailers include CVS Health ®, 7-Eleven ®, Tops Markets ® and many convenience stores.

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I had a nice selection of flavors so I waited till I finished all of them before writing the review. The one I liked best was the Peach Moscato.

My overall impression of these is that they are interesting. They aren’t as gross as I thought they might be, in fact I drank all of them… If I were looking for a quick alcohol buzz from a store that didn’t have hard liquor I might be tempted to buy these.

I’m still not convinced that coffee and wine really go together. But it was nice to have a can of something that wasn’t beer, since I hate beer.

These are definitely worth checking out if you, too, are looking for an alternative to take to the beer bashes. Have fun!

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Party Pics – Boxer Bowtie

Founding Members Glen Kendall, Kale Butcher, Matt Silver, Luke Dudley, Brett Reis, Emil DeFrancesco, Adam Luchansky, Ryan Squillante and Andy Porter

Founding Members Glen Kendall, Kale Butcher, Matt Silver, Luke Dudley, Brett Reis, Emil DeFrancesco, Adam Luchansky, Ryan Squillante and Andy Porter

BOXER BOWTIE CLUB’S CASINO CRUISE RAISES $75K TO SEND KIDS TO CAMP

On the evening of September 26, hundreds of philanthropists  joined The Boxer Bowtie Club, a nonprofit formed by friends to gather their communities around a select cause annually, on a casino cruise around Manhattan. The voyage aboard Hornblower Hybrid Yacht launching from Pier 40 had one mission: to send 40 kids to Paul Newman’s Hole in The Wall Gang Camp – a camp that offers a different kind of healing to seriously ill children.

“All children deserve to discover the excitement of life no matter their diagnoses,” said Boxer Bowtie Club Founding Member, Andrew Porter. “All parents deserve to see their children lost in a moment of fun. Through the Hole in the Wall Gang, we are fortunate to support our neighbors at the most vulnerable times in their life.”

The Boxer Bowtie Club’s inaugural fundraiser raised $75,000. As overhead costs were covered by the founding members with support from their employers, 100 percent of proceeds go towards sending children to camp.

“In its inaugural year, The Boxer Bowtie Club have proven themselves as an outstanding partner and friend to The Hole in the Wall Gang Camp,” said Camp’s Chief Development Officer, Ken Alberti. “The Cards for Camp event didn’t just raise a significant amount for our growing programs, but it also was a ton of fun and introduced many new friends to Camp’s mission. We are so grateful for Boxer Bowtie’s creativity, generosity and support”

Guests  enjoyed an open bar, danced to live band, Do I Do and played blackjack, craps and roulette while enveloped in views of a sparkling New York City skyline. Hole in the Wall Gang Camp alum, Kingdar Prussien, shared his experience at camp with a hushed crowd. As a child, he was a sickle cell patient who spent much of his time in clinical settings, he explained how at camp, every day was the new best day of his life.

Fundraising efforts were bolstered by a silent auction including:

  • All inclusive seven-night-stay at Esperanza resort in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico
  • Authentic Tom Brady signed jersey
  • Swarovski Jewelry

About Boxer Bowtie Club

The Boxer Bowtie Club is a registered 501 (c) (3) non -profit organization founded and operated by a group of nine former classmates from Weston, Connecticut and our close friends. Our objective  is to collaborate with each other utilizing our individual skill sets to  build a platform in which we can volunteer and raise money for worthy causes within our communities. We are proud to commit 100% of our net proceeds to the charities we support.

We take a passionate and fully engaged approach to three core principles which serve as the driving force behind our organization. Our core objectives are: Gather: we gather people together; Give: we give to those in need; Grow: together we further expand our reach and strengthen our communities.

About The Hole in the Wall Gang Camp

Founded in 1988 by Paul Newman, The Hole in the Wall Gang Camp is a community dedicated to providing “a different kind of healing” to seriously ill children and their families through a variety of year-round programs. The Camp delivers fun, friendship and a healthy dose of mischief through its signature summer program and weekend sessions at the Camp facility in Ashford, Conn. as well as outreach to hospitals, clinics and communities across the Northeast. All services are free of charge.

All photos by Daniel Federowicz

 

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Choreographers & Cocktails

choreographersandcocktails

Monday, October 5 at 6:30 pm
DANY Studios, 305 West 38th Street, New York

An evening of cocktails, hors d’oeuvres, silent auction, and open rehearsals by a variety of artists, as well a chance to mingle with the artists and dancers to the music of DJ dirty chime.

Featured companies include:
American Dance Machine for the 21st Century
Abraham.In.Motion
Dorrance Dance
KEIGWIN + COMPANY
MADBOOTS DANCE
Monica Bill Barnes & Company Productions
Pam Tanowitz Dance

For more information visit: http://www.joyce.org/event/choreographers-cocktails/

 

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Southampton SeptemberFest

Concerts-Hopefully-Forgiven-and-Black-and-Sparrow

Friday, September 25 from 6:30 pm
Saturday, September 26 from 10 am
Sunday, September 27 from 9 am
Various locations in Southampton Village

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 25 • 6:30 PM

Kickoff Party at Agawam Park, Southampton Village

COUNTY LINE BAND 6:30 pm – 9:30 pm

THE MUSIC STYLINGS OF BEAU HULSE 7:30 pm-8:00 pm

$30 per person in advance ($40 at the door)

Complimentary Beer & Wine 6:30 to 8:00 pm

Cash Bar 8:00 pm – 9:30 pm

Food available by your local food trucks

southamptonseptemberfest

 

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Catering at Four Seasons

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The catering team at Four Seasons Hotel George V has launched a brand new website, entirely dedicated to the on-site meetings and events the Hotel can design and host.

The website was created as a platform for customers to access the department’s most useful information, and provide insight into what lies behind planning an unforgettable event.

Easy and fun to use, the website offers customers access to the knowledge and talented expertise of the catering team to help create the perfect event at the George V. From the first click, one can picture one’s ideal event, browse a large gallery of photos and videos, access information on the activities offered by the Hotel or contact the team to request an online quote.

The user-friendly interface combines graphics and intuitive navigation, providing quick access to information on the Hotel’s venues, menus, floral design and much more.

The website is structured around three main topics:

Currently, the George V offers seven distinct and self contained reception and meeting venues, making it the number one luxury venue for events in Paris.

For more information, contact the Catering team on + 33 (0)1 49 52 72 31, or email at events.par@fourseasons.com

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