Why? Playhouse Square Partners Bowl-a-Rama!

***A bit of blogkeeping: Have you entered to win 2 tickets to Band Aid Bash? Check it out! Remember, you can tweet daily for additional entries.***

Last night, Matthew and I attended the Playhouse Square Partners’ Bowl-a-Rama. Neither of us is a very good bowler (Wii bowling excluded), but (1) we have never failed to have a great time at a Partners event and (2) Kimberly and Amanda planned the event, so we had friend peer pressure to participate.

Organizers/Attendance Police

The Bowl-a-Rama was held at Mahall’s 20 Lanes, a great spot for tasty food and drink, bowling, and live music.

Our admission got us two drink tickets, as well as food. We enjoyed some unique selections from Mahall’s beer list (I recommend the Two Brothers’ Domaine DuPage French Country Style Ale), as well as sliders, tacos, soft pretzels with the hottest hot mustard sauce I’ve ever tasted, and curry or cinnamon sugar popcorn.

Mahall’s is old school, so scoring is done by hand. I refused to download a scoring app either. In high school, for junior-year phys ed, we had to learn how to score bowling among other things. So, I took the helm with that task. I wanted to fudge the results, since we bet that the loser had to unload the dishwasher for a month!

I didn’t even come close to winning, but I got one spare, which caused this ecstatic reaction:

Yes, I posted this. No, I don’t have any pride anymore.

Look how Sara is judging my dance moves (and probably my bowling skills too)…

While I may not have had the most successful night score-wise, we had a great time hanging out with friends and once again enjoying our time with Playhouse Square Partners! There are some great Partners events coming up:

On Thursday, May 2, there is a Dine Around in Little Italy. You pick from Mama Santo’s, Trattoria on the Hill, Michaelangelo’s, or Mia Bella for a small group dinner, then meet up with all the Partners on the Dine Around for a nightcap at Washington Place Bistro. Click here for more details.

On Thursday, May 16, head over to Around the Corner in Lakewood for Bartending for Buses. Playhouse Square Partners members will be guest bartending and all funds benefit the Playhouse Square Bus Fund, which provides transportation for school children to visit the theater. Click here for more details.

Finally, on Thursday, May 23, get in on some massive fun at Life Size Game Night. There will be life-sized Jenga, Operation, Cornhole, and more. Tickets are $20 for Partners and $25 for non-Partners and include food from Sammy’s, drinks, and games. Click here for more details.

Whether you’re a member of Partners or not, these events are a great way to mingle with other engaged and interested Clevelanders and, often, help out one of CLE’s finest institutions. Hope to see you at a Partners event soon!

Why? Band Aid Bash Giveaway!

Two things I really enjoy are helping out great organizations doing good work in our community and beyond and going to a fun, swanky party. MedWish has combined these two things for their annual Band Aid Bash.

Image Source – cleveland.cbslocal.com

This year, MedWish is celebrating twenty years of repurposing medical supplies and equipment to send to developing countries. For more on MedWish’s mission and programs and my recent volunteering experience there, click here.

Image Source – medwish.org

Band Aid Bash is MedWish’s gala fundraising event, which transforms the warehouse space into a night club scene. Chef Chris Hodgson of Hodge’s and food truck fame, will be serving up delicious morsels. Master mixologist Joseph DeLuca will be shaking and stirring tasty concoctions.

There will be both a silent and live auction, as well as a raffle. In fact, you can buy raffle tickets online now for only $20 to win a Porsche!

Image Source – medwish.org

After eating, drinking, and bidding, you can dance the night away with the Party Crashers Band!

Tickets are $150 for general admission or $250 for VIP admission and can be purchased online. Or you can enter here to win 2 general admission tickets. Here’s how to enter (leave a SEPARATE comment for each entry):

1. Leave a comment telling me about a great volunteering experience you’ve had recently.

2. Follow @medwish and @WhyCLE on Twitter and leave one comment letting me know you’re following both.

3. Tweet the following phrase:

I want to eat, drink, dance, and #DoGoodCLE thanks to @medwish and @WhyCLE: http://wp.me/p1fb9r-1pv

You can tweet daily for additional entries, just leave a separate comment each time you tweet.

The giveaway will close on Sunday, April 14 at 11:59pm and the winner will be announced the following day. If you are the winner of another blogger’s giveaway for Band Aid Bash tickets, you are ineligible to win this giveaway.

Good luck! And for those of you keeping count, …this is giveaway three of five!

***Disclosure: I was asked by MedWish to help promote Band Aid Bash. In exchange, I will receive two tickets for myself and two tickets to give away. Due to a scheduling conflict, a special guest blogger will be using my tickets and recapping the event here. As always, all opinions are 100% my own.***

Why? American Cancer Society CPS-3!

***A bit of blogkeeping: Congratulations to Laura B. (comment #6), randomly-selected winner of two tickets to IPM’s Namaste. Please check your email and respond by the end of the day or a new winner will be chosen. If you didn’t win, you can still purchase tickets by clicking here.***

Cancer. The C word. It’s touched way too many of us and taken way too much from us. Cancer took my Grandma and the woman who would have been my Mother-in-Law before I even had the chance to know them. I know so many of you have stories of the devastating effects of cancer on your own families.

This is why I want to tell you about a way you can help on the road to eradicate cancer. The American Cancer Society, which will be celebrating its 100th birthday in May, is currently conducting a Cancer Prevention Study. CPS-3 will study the connections between lifestyle, environmental, and genetic factors in developing cancer.

This is the third nationwide Cancer Prevention Study undertaken by the American Cancer Society. The first, which ran from 1959 to 1972, established the definitive link between smoking and cancer. The second, which started in 1982 and is still ongoing, established a link between nutrition/physical activity and cancer.

These studies clearly provide important research toward the goals of better understanding and, one day, curing cancer. The American Cancer Society hopes to enroll 300,000 people nationwide in CPS-3. In Cuyahoga County alone, the goal is 528 participants. The American Cancer Society is hoping for a diverse mix of study participants. This video explains more about the study and its potential impact.

So, how can you enroll? If you are between the ages of 30 and 65 and have never been diagnosed with cancer, you qualify for the study. Registration is taking place at St. Ignatius High School on April 18 and 20 and at Case Western Reserve University on April 19 and 20. Click here for more information on times, locations, and to sign up for a registration slot. There will be more registration days in both Cuyahoga and Lake Counties in June as well.

By participating in CPS-3, you can help the American Cancer Society in its fight to end cancer, so that we no longer have to add to the list of people it has taken from us.

Why? IPM’s Namaste Giveaway!

I promised you five awesome giveaways for Cleveland events and here is number two! On Friday, April 26, International Partners in Mission is holding its Namaste benefit to raise money for IPM’s projects serving women and children around the world.

From China to Lebanon to right here in Cleveland, IPM’s programs make a difference in the lives of those in need of aid and of hope. Two of IPM’s local projects are Esperanza Threads, in which low-income women sew made-to-order clothing, and the Interfaith Hospitality Network, which provides meals and temporary housing for the homeless.

When I was first invited to this event and heard that it was called Namaste, the yogi in me was very excited. Namaste is a standard at the end of most yoga classes and means “the light in me honors the light in you.” That’s a pretty inspiring statement! And while there won’t be any yoga at the Namaste benefit, I can’t promise I won’t be tempted to bust out a downward-facing dog.

So, what is on the agenda for Namaste? Tasty food from Clark Pope Catering (you Fresh Fork-ers will recognize Clark from the delicious sauces and jams in our shares), a chance to learn more about IPM’s Immersion Experience Program, global music, and a silent auction filled with wonderful prizes. Plus, a chance to check out the newly-opened Ariel International Center, with gorgeous views of the Cleveland skyline and Lake Erie.

Tickets for Namaste are $40 for first-time attendees, $50 for return attendees, and $100 for VIP and can be purchased by clicking here. Or you can enter to win two tickets right here.

Here’s how to enter (leave a SEPARATE comment for each entry):

1. Check out International Partner’s in Mission’s website and leave a comment letting me know one thing you learned about IPM’s work.

2. Tweet the following phrase and leave a comment letting me know you tweeted:

I want to experience global culture and help a global mission by attending #IPMNamaste from @WhyCLE: http://wp.me/p1fb9r-1ou

You can tweet daily for additional entries, just leave a separate comment each time you tweet.

The giveaway will close on Monday, April 8 at 11:59pm and the winner will be announced the following day. Good luck!

***Disclosure: I was asked by International Partners in Mission to help promote Namaste. In exchange, I will receive two tickets for myself and two tickets to give away. All images in this post were provided by IPM. As always, all opinions are 100% my own.***

Why? Market at the Foodbank Giveaway!

Since 1979, the Cleveland Foodbank has been serving our community and working to eradicate hunger. With a state-of-the-art warehouse facility, a brand new phone bank to help register people for the food stamp benefits they deserve, and an ambitious list of programs and meal goals, the Foodbank continues to raise the bar on doing good in Cleveland.

Image Source – clevelandfoodbank.org

As part of the annual Harvest for Hunger campaign, the Cleveland Foodbank is hosting a fundraiser known as Market at the Foodbank. On Sunday, April 14, the Foodbank’s warehouse will be filled with with tasty bites, delicious beverages, and wonderful auction items, all to raise money for Harvest for Hunger.

Image Source – clevelandfoodbank.org

Participating restaurants include AMP 150, the Zack Bruell Group restaurants, Press Wine Bar, Spice Kitchen and Bar, and many more. Auction items range from box seats to sporting events to a private tour of the Cleveland Whiskey distillery. This event is not to be missed!

Image Source – clevelandfoodbank.org

Beyond just the culinary delights and great prizes at Market at the Foodbank, the feeling you’ll get from knowing you are benefiting an organization dedicated to serving one of the most basic human needs is invaluable. As a council member for the Cleveland Foodbank’s YP Pantry and a regular Foodbank volunteer, I can tell you the satisfaction from helping this worthwhile organization is truly beyond measure.

Image Source – cleveland.com

Tickets for Market at the Foodbank are $85 for regular admission if purchased by March 31 or $175 for VIP admission. To purchase tickets, click here. Or you can enter here to win 2 regular admission tickets! Here’s how to enter (leave a SEPARATE comment for each entry):

1. Check out the complete list of participating Market at the Foodbank restaurants and tell me which you’re most excited to try.

2. Follow @CleveFoodbank and @WhyCLE on Twitter and leave one comment letting me know you’re following both.

3. Tweet the following phrase and leave a comment letting me know you tweeted:

I want to win tickets #MarketatFB to benefit @CleveFoodbank from @WhyCLE: http://wp.me/p1fb9r-1o1

You can tweet daily for additional entries, just leave a separate comment each time you tweet.

The giveaway will close on Monday, April 1 at 11:59pm and the winner will be announced the following day. Good luck! And stay tuned: this is the first of FIVE awesome event ticket giveaways coming up on Why CLE!

***Disclosure: I was asked by the Cleveland Foodbank to help promote Market at the Foodbank. In exchange, I will receive 2 regular admission tickets for myself and 2 regular admission tickets to give away. I am also a council member for the Cleveland Foodbank YP Pantry. As always, all opinions are 100% my own.***

Why? Ohio Blogging at MedWish!

On Tuesday night, the Ohio Blogging Association rolled up our collective sleeves to volunteer at MedWish. MedWish is a Cleveland-based non-profit that re-purposes medical supplies and equipment to provide humanitarian aid to developing countries.

First, we got a tour of MedWish’s impressive warehouse, with supplies either waiting to be packed or already set for destinations like Pakistan, the Turkish/Syrian border, and Haiti.

MedWish provides hospitals and clinics with supplies they might not otherwise ever be able to afford. Heidi, one of the MedWish staff members, told us about a 40-pound box of supplies that MedWish packed to be taken by a doctor to a refugee camp. The cost was a nominal $3-per-pound shipping fee. The doctor told MedWish those 40 pounds of supplies would have cost $27,000 through a U.S. hospital.

MedWish also has two domestic programs: one which provides training and work to people with developmental disabilities and one which donates supplies not fit for human use to non-profit organizations such as animal rescues.

Our volunteer task for the evening was making suture kits to be taken to South Africa and Panama. Heidi explained the contents of the kits and then our assembly line was off and running.

We packed nearly 100 suture kits, which will help provide basic medical care to those in need: a concrete task that is just a small piece of the aid that this organization provides.

In attendance were bloggers/tweeters from:

@anitalily10

Big Shot (Dot the i)

Craveable Cleveland

Happiness is a Hot Pierogi

@KaseyCrabtree

Poise in Parma

ROJ Running

To find out more about how you can help MedWish, with time, money, or supplies, click here. And to get all the details on Band Aid Bash, MedWish’s gala fundraising event happening Saturday, April 27, click here.

The next Ohio Blogging Association event will be a meet-up at the Cleveland Museum of Art on Wednesday, April 17 for dinner in the new Provenance Cafe and a tour of “The Last Days of Pompeii” exhibit. Space is limited! Click here for more information and to RSVP.

Why? Upcoming Events!

Spring is almost here! Can you feel it in the air?! Here are some great upcoming events to put a spring in your step, too:

St. Patrick’s Day

Sunday, March 17

Everywhere!

Image Source – cleveland.about.com

We know how to do St. Patrick’s Day right in Cleveland! Maybe because we’re so cooped up in the winter. For a run-down of great green events, from the parade to kegs and eggs, check out this post from Flee to the Cleve. Have fun and be safe!

cleveland.com Tweet-Up

Wednesday, March 20 at 5pm

Collection Auto Club at Progressive Field

Image Source – cleveland.com

Join cleveland.com and lots of your tweeps for a tweet-up in the new Collection Auto Club seating area at Progressive Field, a 5,000-square foot lounge next to the Press Box (If you click the link, Hammy will talk to you. WAAAY BACK!). You’ll get to taste some new concession items for the Indians upcoming season, as well as receiving 2 complimentary drink tickets. For more information and to RSVP (there is limited free parking if you sign up early), click here.

Cleveland Foodbank YP Pantry Happy Hour

Thursday, March 21 at 5:30pm

Noodlecat

Image Source – clevelandfoodbank.org

The Cleveland Foodbank YP Pantry wants you to enjoy one of Cleveland’s best happy hours to benefit one of Cleveland’s best organizations. Enjoy Noodlecat‘s regular happy hour specials, plus bring 3 cans of food or a $5 donation to the Cleveland Foodbank to receive 1 complimentary drink ticket. You can also sign up that evening to become a member of the YP Pantry. Click here to RSVP.

Bowl for Kids’ Sake

Saturday, March 23 at 12:30pm

Brunswick Zone

Image Source – bowlbigforkids.org

Sign up with your friends, raise $50 per bowler, and bowl away to benefit Big Brothers Big Sisters of Lorain County. For registering, you receive one game of bowling, a t-shirt, refreshments and snacks, and a chance to win some great prizes. For more information and to register, click here.

Dyngus Day

Monday, April 1

“The Polish Triangle”

Image Source – facebook.com

It’s Dyngus Day: a bonanza of Polish awesomeness! From DJ Kishka to pierogi to a parade to Miss Dyngus, you cannot miss this festive day. From Tremont to the Shoreline District to the Flats, many of your favorite restaurants and bars are participating. For a full list of events, locations, and specials, click here or check out the Dyngus Day Cleveland Facebook page.

Cleveland’s Finest Hors D’Oeuvre Contest

Thursday, April 4 at 6pm

Terrace Club at Progressive Field

Image Source – facebook.com

Join Our Lady of the Wayside for this tasty event! Nibble away and then cast your ballot for Cleveland’s finest hors d’oeuvre. Among the competitors will be chefs from Battery Park Wine Bar, Corleone’s Ristorante and Bar, John Q’s Steakhouse, and the Zack Bruell restaurant group. Tickets are $80 and proceeds benefit Our Lady of the Wayside’s mission of helping those with developmental disabilities. For more information on the event and to purchase tickets, click here.

Playhouse Square Partners Bowl-a-Rama

Thursday, April 11 at 6pm

Mahall’s 20 Lanes

Image Source – playhousesquare.org

Playhouse Square Partners wants you to let the good times roll at Mahall’s 20 Lanes, Cleveland’s hot new bowling spot. There will be a happy hour at 6pm and bowling begins at 7pm. Tickets are $25 and include 3 hours of bowling, shoe rental, food and one drink ticket. For more information and to purchase tickets, click here.

Microsoft Retail Store Grand Opening

Saturday, April 13 at 11am

Beachwood Place Mall

Image Source – microsoftstore.com

Come check out all the tech goodness available at the grand opening of the Microsoft Retail Store at Beachwood Place Mall and score tickets to see Kelly Clarkson perform! The store opens at 11am and the first hundred people in line not only receive the first peek at the Microsoft wonderland, but also two free premier viewing tickets for the Kelly Clarkson concert to happen that afternoon at 4pm. One of those tickets gets you in to not only the concert, but also a meet and greet with Kelly! The next 1,000 people in line will receive 2 premier viewing tickets to the concert. For more information, click here.

What upcoming events are you most looking forward to as we welcome Spring?

***Disclosures: I am a member of the council for the Cleveland Foodbank YP Pantry. I was invited by Microsoft to attend the grand opening of the Microsoft Retail Store. As always, all opinions are 100% my own.***

Why? Bright Pink!

One of the great things about this blog is getting a chance to spotlight organizations and people who are making a difference in Cleveland. Today I want to share with you a “blog-terview” with Betsy Coy, a Cleveland native who is starting the local chapter of the national Bright Pink organization. This seems especially appropriate today, since it’s International Women’s Day, too!

Image Source – pinterest.com/source/brightpink.org

What is Bright Pink?

Bright Pink is the only national non-profit organization focusing on the risk reduction and early detection of breast and ovarian cancer in young women while providing support for high-risk individuals. It is an organization that strongly believes in empowering young women to be proactive advocates for their health. Bright Pink hopes to educate young women to develop and live by a personalized breast and ovarian cancer risk reduction or early detection strategy. We do this by hosting Breast Ovarian Health workshops. Our first one is scheduled for mid-June at Athleta at Beachwood Place.

The workshops help participants learn the basics about breast and ovarian cancer and why it is so important that we, as young women, start to be proactive with our health. They are one-hour, interactive workshops that help young women understand what these cancers are, lifetime risk, and how to be proactive with their health. Our support arm is centered in Experiential Outreach Groups, which are Bright Pink’s version of a support group. These gatherings bring young women at high risk for breast and ovarian cancer together for a fun activity, like a yoga class or pottery painting, and facilitated discussion about a topic related to being young at high risk.

Image Source – pinterest.com/source/brightpink.org

What inspired you to get involved with this organization?

I became involved in Bright Pink when I found out I was positive for the BRCA1 gene mutation about 3 years ago. I have a long family history of cancer. After my dad passed away from Pancreatic cancer 6 years ago, I started digging further into my family’s history. There are so many cancers on my dad’s side (breast, ovarian and pancreatic). I shared my worries with my internist who suggested I have genetic testing to find out if I was at a higher risk. It’s a scary thing to learn that your risk of cancer is so elevated. Women with the BRCA1 mutation have up to an 86% lifetime risk for breast cancer and up to a 46% lifetime risk for ovarian cancer.

During that time, I found Bright Pink. The women of Bright Pink really helped me feel comfortable with the facts I was facing and the decisions I was making. I chose to have a prophylactic double mastectomy with reconstruction. I also had a prophylactic oophrectomy to control my risk for ovarian cancer. My risk for both is now reduced to 1-2%. I have served as a Pink Pal for Bright Pink and really wanted to help bring an in person group to Cleveland. We started out as an “ally city” for the national organization and they just notified us that they are making us an official Chapter!

Tell us about Bright Pink’s upcoming events.

We have formed a team for the Cleveland Half Marathon. We are doing amazingly well with recruiting runners and fundraising. We have 20 runners already! We are certainly open to having other runners join our team, but are also going to need some people that will be on the route to cheer on our team. If there is an interest in supporting us financially, money can be donated through our half-marathon fundraising site.

Image Source – pinterest.com/source/bebrightpink.org

Also, on Sunday, April 7, we are going to have a “Turn Cleveland Bright Pink” event. We will plan a meeting for others to learn about what Bright Pink has to offer in Cleveland. We’ll have some food and drinks. Then, we are going to send people out to turn the town Bright Pink. We have mapped out coffee shops, libraries, and gyms around town (east, west, north and south) and are going to canvas the town to hang up posters. Stay tuned to our Facebook page for more information!

What’s been the most rewarding part of Bright Pink? What’s been the most challenging?

The most rewarding part of Bright Pink is meeting and interacting with the women involved. Through this process, I have met the most amazing women! First, it is a fantastic feeling to be able to be a support for women who are BRCA positive and high risk. It’s also great to help educate women about their risk and how to be proactive.

It has been challenging to get the word out to people in Cleveland. People hear breast cancer or ovarian cancer and think that we’re just another cancer organization. Not so! At Bright Pink, we believe that knowledge is power, that information is beneficial, not burdensome. The more you know about breast and ovarian cancer, the better equipped you are to live proactively. Being Bright Pink is not just about being aware; it’s about taking action.

How can we get involved? What can we do to help Bright Pink?

I’m looking to reach out to two groups of women. First: young women between the ages of 18 – 45 years old who are at high risk for breast and ovarian cancer based upon a family history, previous cancer diagnosis or genetic predisposition. Second: any other young women who are interested in being proactive with their health and helping us turn Cleveland Bright Pink. Because all women have at least a 1 in 8 chance of developing breast cancer, the Bright Pink message of being proactive is universal to all young women.

Anyone interested in participating in an experiential outreach, learning about our Breast and Ovarian Health seminars or just volunteering with us, should contact us at Cleveland@bebrightpink.org

Image Source – facebook.com

Much thanks to Betsy for sharing her story! Hopefully you all are as inspired as I am and will be helping to turn Cleveland Bright Pink!

Why? Jump Back Ball!

It’s one of the biggest, most anticipated fundraisers of the year: Playhouse Square’s Jump Back Ball. From the decorations to the outfits to the food to the music, this event never fails to provide a night that will be talked about for a long time afterward. In it’s 22nd year, Jump Back Ball had a record-breaking early sell-out on tickets, which only heightened the buzz leading up to Saturday’s party.

This year’s theme was “Jump Back Two Spaces” and the State Theater was filled with decorations based on classic board games like Monopoly, Candy Land, and Twister.

I made the bow tie at Shop Night!

I already knew Matthew and I would be hanging out with Kimberly, Chris, Amanda, and Scott at JBB, but as we arrived I got a wonderful surprise: Alicia and Hans were able to score last-minute tickets from Twitter! There’s nothing better than having the whole group together!

On the enormous State Theater stage was everything from stilt walkers to a delicious buffet from Sammy’s to awesome music from SWAGG.

We also enjoyed some tasty ice luge cocktails from Buckeye Vodka.

It may have been the cocktails which led to a spirited challenge game of Twister: husbands v. husbands and wives v. wives, for a $5 buy-in.

Team PIP dominated both games, but Team Why CLE hung in until the (almost) bitter end. The families that yoga together win (or almost win) Twister together!

The rest of the evening consisted of silly photo booth pictures, more dancing and singing with late-night band Velvet Shake in the State Theater lobby, eating lots of mini hot pretzels, and just enjoying every minute of this spectacular party.

I couldn’t have imagined a better night in such a beautiful setting with such wonderful friends. And it all benefits Playhouse Square, helping to keep the arts community in Cleveland strong and thriving. It may sound cliche, but I already can’t wait for next year’s Jump Back Ball!

Did you attend Jump Back Ball? What was your favorite part of the evening?

***Disclosure: I was asked by Playhouse Square to help promote Jump Back Ball. In exchange, I received one complimentary general admission ticket. As always, all opinions and decisions to play Twister in a ball gown in public are 100% my own.***

Why? Upcoming Events!

Need a way to fight the winter blah’s? Get out and enjoy some of these great upcoming events!

Downtown Cleveland Restaurant Week

Friday, February 22 – Sunday, March 3

Downtown Cleveland

Image Source – downtowncleveland.com

From February 22 through March 3, restaurants throughout downtown Cleveland will be offering $30, 3-course dinner menus and $15 lunch specials. The theme of this year’s Restaurant Week sponsored by the Downtown Cleveland Alliance is Pierogi Power (be still my heart!) and each restaurant is encouraged to include a variety of one of Cleveland’s favorite foods on the menu. For more information, including participating restaurants, menus, and to make reservations, click here. Also, stop by East Fourth Street on Friday afternoon starting at 4:30pm for “Go Fourth and Polka,” a festive kickoff to Restaurant Week with DJ Kishka, polka music, pierogi photo ops, and more!

West Side Market Cash Mob

Saturday, February 23 at 8am

West Side Market

Image Source – westsidemarket.org

The West Side Market has re-opened after the unfortunate fire and Cash Mobs wants to show the vendors just how much Cleveland loves them. On Saturday, February 23, show up at the Market with $20 to spend, talk to three people you don’t know, and have fun. It’s that simple, but this collective action will mean a lot to the vendors at our beloved Market. For more information and to RSVP, click here.

Moet Hennessey Wine Tour of the World

Tuesday, February 26 at 6pm

Pier W

Image Source – selectrestaurants.com

Pier W, recently named one of the most romantic restaurants in the country, and Moet Hennessey are teaming up for an incredible 4-course wine-pairing dinner, with items like duck, sole, and lamb. For a complete menu for the event, click here. Cost to attend is $75 per person, plus tax and gratuity. Call 216-228-2250 for reservations.

Silver Spoon Awards Ticket Pre-Sale Party

Wednesday, March 6 at 5:30pm

Hodge’s Cleveland

Image Source – poiseinparma.com

The Cleveland Magazine Silver Spoon Awards Party is always one of the hottest foodie events in town! Join the Arthritis Foundation, Great Lakes Region for a ticket pre-sale party at Hodge’s Cleveland and be one of the first to get your tickets to this great event. At the pre-sale, general admission tickets will be $70 (a $15 savings) and VIP tickets will be $100 (a $35 savings). There will also be prizes, complimentary appetizers, and drink specials. Don’t miss this chance to save on your tickets for the fabulous Silver Spoon Awards Party!

Seafood Dinner

Friday, March 8 at 6:30pm

AMP 150

Image Source – amp150.com

Join Chef Jeff Jarrett for a mouthwatering five-course seafood dinner at AMP 150, perfect for a Friday in Lent. This isn’t your usual Friday fish fry. This is five courses of dishes such as seafood sausage, olive oil poached swordfish, and thyme-basted monkfish. Cost to attend is $55 per person. Call 216-706-8787 for reservations.

March Madness Kickoff Event

Tuesday, March 19 at 6pm

The Market Garden Brewery

Image Source – wementoryouth.org

Join Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Cleveland for an evening of networking and March Madness fun at The Market Garden Brewery. There will be free food, drink specials, a 50/50 raffle and other prizes, and March Madness brackets available for $20. Come out and support this great organization!

What upcoming events are you most looking forward to?

***Disclosure: I was invited by the Downtown Cleveland Alliance to attend the Go Fourth and Polka kickoff for Restaurant Week. Also, I was asked by the Arthritis Foundation to help promote the Silver Spoon Awards Party. In exchange, I will receive 2 complimentary Silver Spoon VIP tickets for myself and 2 general admission tickets to give away (stay tuned). As always, all opinions are 100% my own.***