Events Archives - East Aurora Chamber of Commerce (original) (raw)

Small Business Saturday kicks off with Chamber’s Gnome for the Holidays scavenger hunt

by | Nov 27, 2024 | Chamber News, Events, News

There’s gnome better place to Shop Small this holiday season than East Aurora and Holland, NY!

This year the Greater East Aurora Chamber of Commerce is encouraging shoppers to support our local businesses by participating in the Gnome for the Holiday Scavenger Hunt!

This fun scavenger hunt will take you to a multitude of local businesses all around the Greater East Aurora Region in search of Twinkle McJingles, our mischevious holiday gnome.

The Scavenger Hut will run from Small Business Saturday on November 30th until Christmas Eve on December 24th. Every time you scan his card and fill out an entry form, you’ll be entered into a giant gift card raffle.

When you enter the contest, you’ll have the chance to win a large variety of 25giftcardsdonatedbytheparticipatingbusinesseswith1stprizebeing25 gift cards donated by the participating businesses with 1st prize being 25giftcardsdonatedbytheparticipatingbusinesseswith1stprizebeing400 in gift cards, 2nd prize being 250ingiftcards,and3rdprizeoffering250 in gift cards, and 3rd prize offering 250ingiftcards,and3rdprizeoffering100 in gift cards.

To play, visit a participating Chamber Member business – a list is available at www.eanycc.com – , locate Twinkle McJingles, the holiday gnome, and scan the QR code provided on the gnome. Complete the online entry form with the store code to enterthe raffle. One entry per store, per person, with multiple entry locations allowed.

Mr. McJingles will be hiding out in 30 local businesses, shops and restaurants around East Aurora & Holland, NY:

189 Burger, 42 North Brewing Company, Ashley’s Lingerie & Swimwear, Aurora Paint Pot, Aurora Sewing Center, Beauty Organix, Bee Spit Meadery, Blue Eyed Baker, Blue Violet Floral Studio, Daily’s Catering, East Aurora Cooperative Market, Eight X Eight, Erba Verde Farms, LLC, Erlo Contemporary, Holland Hardware, Kickstand Culture Bike Shop, Mambrino King, Marta’s Market, Nomad Vintage Design & Antiques, Oakwood and Elm Team at Howard Hanna Real Estate, Petrocy Jewelers, Prima Oliva, R. H. Rahn Jewelers, Roycroft Campus Antiques, Rustic Buffalo Artisan Market, Spot of Tee, Taste Bistro & Coffee Bar, The Bookworm & BW Gifts LLC, The Deli, The Roycroft Inn and The Wandering Goose of Holland.

– MORE –
The festive, locally made gnomes, by Blue Violet Floral Studio and Espresso Bar, will be in different colors and styles in each business, so be sure to check all its hiding spots!

Visit as many businesses as possible to get as many entries as possible! By participating in this very merry Shop Small campaign, you not only create memories and have fun while you gift-give, but you also help support the continued vibrancy of your local businesses.

The full list of participating businesses and addresses as well as all the details of the Gnome for the Holidays Scavenger Hunt can be found at www.eanycc.com. If you have any questions, please contact The Greater East Aurora Chamber of Commerce at 716-652-8444 or EAChamber@eanycc.com.

2024 Roycroft Winter Festival returns to the Park School in Amherst Dec. 7 & 8

by Victoria Sturman | Nov 27, 2024 | Events, Member Blog, News

The 2024 Roycroft Winter Festival has expanded and will return to The Park School of Buffalo for a second year. This year’s festival will be from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Dec. 7 and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Dec. 8, 2024, at The Park School, located at 4625 Harlem Road in Amherst, with ample and convenient parking.

Roycrofters at Large (RALA) is excited to share that due to the overwhelming success of the 2023 Winter Festival, the 44th annual Roycroft Winter Festival will take place in the Rich Family Activity Center on the Park School Campus. This state of the art facility has allowed RALA to expand the festival to 35 booths and exhibitors, restoring the Roycroft Winter Festival to its previous size for the first time in ten years. Event organizers have reintroduced live art, demonstrations by Masters, artist presentations and seasonal programming, marking this as a return to the Festival that collectors and enthusiasts will recall from years past.

This year’s Roycroft Winter Festival features the work of Roycroft Masters and Artisans, two Roycroft Emerging Artist cohorts and a schedule of live and interactive art demonstrations by Roycroft Artisans and Masters throughout the weekend.

RALA and Park are joined by the Buffalo Society of Artists and the Hunt Gallery, thanks to a new collaboration between RALA and The Buffalo Society of Artists. As part of their presence at the festival, live artists demonstrating will include select exhibiting members of the Buffalo Society of Artists on Sunday. The Buffalo Society of Artists is the oldest continuously operating art society in the nation, whose previous members include such members as Claude Monet and Camille Pisarro. RALA is proud to partner with their peers in the WNY fine art sector to showcase the combined talent of our two respected organizations.

The Roycroft Winter Show is a traditional opening of the gift giving season, and offers a wonderful selection of handcrafted fine art and high craft made with the highest standards in craftsmanship.

This year’s Festival Poster highlights the work of Master CJ Hurley of Oil City, Pennsylvania. “Winter Rose” is a significant work by Hurley and RALA is grateful for the opportunity to spotlight this fine work as a collaborative celebration of the White Rose’s 20th anniversary. A limited series of commemorative posters will be released for purchase at the Winter Festival to festival goers and available to membership following the festival.
NEW to the Roycroft Winter Festival in 2024: Visitors with children can sit with Santa Claus from 11:00 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday on a Roycroft Antique “Santa’s Throne,” a donation from Board of Directors member Bill Pictor from his private collection. Santa Jim and his winter wonderland is made possible by collaboration with the Park School Student Photography Club.

A nominal admission fee of 5willbechargedforadults.AdmissionforchildrenandRALAPatronsandmembersisfreeofcharge.5 will be charged for adults. Admission for children and RALA Patrons and members is free of charge. 5willbechargedforadults.AdmissionforchildrenandRALAPatronsandmembersisfreeofcharge.4 Advance Pre-Sale for parties of two or more is available through the ticketing link or RALA website. Tickets purchased online are non-refundable.

In furtherance of RALA’s mission to educate and foster, the work of Park School student Anna Dyshlova will be highlighted as part of the 2024 Winter Festival as the first Emerging Park Artist. Dyshlova, originally from Ukraine, is a 17 year old painter currently residing in the United States and attending Park School of Buffalo. Roycrofters at Large is proud and touched to have the opportunity to help Dyshlova hone her practice and will work with her to help develop a CV, a portfolio, proper pricing and assistance with sales. A collection of assembled work by Park Students of Note, recommended by Park School of Buffalo art faculty in collaboration with the Roycrofters at Large Emerging Artists Chair will also be on display during festival.

Founded in 1912, The Park School of Buffalo is WNY’s only co-ed, PreK – Grade 12 and Montessori school, and was also ranked #1 Best Private K-12 School in Buffalo and Erie County by Niche for its second consecutive year. Park was founded by a group of Buffalo parents who had met with the influential philosopher John Dewey. Under Dewey’s guidance, Park philosophy draws from Dewey’s key insight that deep learning occurs through constant experimentation and problem solving. The curriculum has always been interdisciplinary, as such, the arts are integrated into all academic subjects. Park students are academically and socially prepared problem solvers equipped with confidence, critical thinking skills, and a desire to make the world a better place. Park’s philosophy and shared tradition in the Arts & Crafts Movement represents significant mission overlap and shared vision, and RALA is pleased to partner with Park to further its charter and to expose what the East Aurora based Roycroft community has to a wider audience. Park School’s proximity to both the northtowns and the City of Buffalo is in keeping with RALA’s mission to promote and further the evolution of Roycroft and the Roycroft Renaissance.

The collaboration with Park continues to an exciting opportunity to connect the Roycroft community with a broader segment of Western New York Arts & Crafts collectors. “We are thrilled to partner with the Roycroft to host their winter art show. Art education is core to the Park educational experience and our students, families and teachers are very lucky to have the opportunity to learn from and be inspired by the wonderful artists who will be showing their work, “ said Keith Frome, President of Park School.

Raffle tickets for the RALA “Goodie Box” will also be available. The Goodie Box is a tradition of the organization for over 20 years, and is the backbone of its non-profit fund-raising initiatives. This year’s box contains items created by Roycroft Artisans and Master Artisans valued at over $9,000. The drawing will be held in February 2025, at the National Arts and Crafts Conference, at the Grove Park Inn in Asheville, NC. The winner need not be present.

The 49th Roycroft Summer Festival will be held on June 28 and 29, 2025 at the Classic Rink on Riley Street in East Aurora. The 2025 commemorative poster will spotlight the work of Master Laura Wilder as featured artist.

Information on the Roycrofters-at-Large and membership options can be found online at www.ralaweb.com. Follow the Roycrofters-At Large Association’s social media pages at Facebook and instagram, @roycroftartisans, for updates and information on the 2024 Winter Show and to experience the Roycroft Artisans’ exceptional work.

Local Gallery Collaboration Invites Public to Celebrate LIGHTS OUT event on June 21

by Victoria Sturman | Jun 17, 2024 | Events, News

The public is invited to celebrate LIGHTS OUT at 17 Elm Street with the curators and artists of Blubird Studio and The COMMA Fine Art Gallery on Friday, June 21.

The COMMA, which opened on July 28, 2023 as a collaboration between artists Liz Birardi and Tami Fuller of East Aurora and Christina Paul of Orchard Park, is showing it’s final exhibit and will host a LIGHTS OUT celebration from 3 to 7 p.m. on Friday, June 21.

This celebration will coincide with the closing reception of the current shows on view: CONVERGE, CONTRAST, ILLUDE at The COMMA and With These Hands at Blubird.

The COMMA Gallery has shown the work of over 100 regional artists in a fast-paced four-week exhibition schedule, creating a community of artists and supporters that numbers in the hundreds in the short time in operation at the corner of Elm and Main Street.

A self-described “experiment,” the gallery was founded after the seed of an idea was planted between Fuller and Paul while showing at the 2022 Fall Artwalk at the former Redfish building at 21 Elm Street. In order to bring the project to a reality, Birardi joined the group, forming what the three female artists turned curators refer to as “The Triad,” and assumed the remainder of Vanessa Frost’s lease at 17 Elm Street in July 2023 as a radical experiment in fostering community and creating opportunities for fellow artists to exhibit their work and pause, changing “the way we see,” both in fine art and in fellowship.

Besides showing visual art, the young gallery has hosted artist panels on mediums, processes and practice called CONVO @ The COMMA forums, offering organic conversation and insight from artists working in a variety of mediums.

Blubird Studio, Fuller’s fiber art studio and teaching space, transitioned from a personal studio space to fine fiber exhibition space through Fuller’s time at 17 Elm Street. Blubird and The COMMA entities will go on a physical hiatus while consulting on curation, teaching and off-site exhibition projects throughout the summer and fall of 2024 while they work on plans for the construction of a new gallery and teaching space in the East Aurora area.

CONVERGE, CONTRAST ILLUDE represents nearly 50 pieces of art by 36 artists from East Aurora and beyond working in WNY. Artists were asked to submit works that contemplate visual intersections, perspectives, vanishing points, and forms arising from line, wave and negative/positive space. The art traverses these themes while suggesting concepts that include counterpoints, crossroads, illusions, differing or converging points of view and linear interplay.

With These Hands combines photographs by Sedwick that capture and compare the working hands and portraiture of local artists and writers and tactile fiber sculpture work by Fuller, emphasizing the value of creation and the beauty of the “hand of the artist.” Sedwick’s photographs and artifacts of Fuller’s creation are shown together with biographical anecdote and written prose by Sedwick produced as a result of his conversations with the artists.

In its final viewing days for the exhibit, The COMMA Gallery will host Buffalo Society of Artists Exhibiting Photographer Ann Peterson as a guest gallerist on Thursday, June 20 and a Live Figure Painting demonstration by Peter Fowler on Friday, June 21. Fuller will sit as model for Fowler from 1-2 p.m. Gallery viewing hours are 12 p.m. – 3:30 p.m.

All are invited and encouraged to attend and help “punctuate and celebrate.” Said the curators, “If you’ve shown with us, shown up for us, supported us, been intrigued by us, wondered what’s up with us, we want to share next Friday with you as we look ahead to something new and larger.”

Information on upcoming events and projects can be found online at www.thecommafineart.com and on social media at @thecommagallery and at www.oneblubirdstudio.com and @blubirdstudio.

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Rustic Buffalo hosts Sip & Shop In Lockport this weekend

by Victoria Sturman | Apr 18, 2024 | Events, News

RUSTIC BUFFALO AND THE KENAN CENTER PARTNER TO RAISE MONEY FOR PROGRAMS AND

A NEW FACILITY BY HOSTING A SIP & HOP THIS COMING WEEKEND!

The birds chirping and flowers blooming means it’s almost time for Rustic Buffalo’s Spring Sip &
Shop at the Kenan Center. This extraordinary four-day fundraising extravaganza will take place at The Kenan Center, 433 Locust Street, Lockport NY 14094 from Thursday April 18th to Sunday April 21St.

Help Us, help the community in both Niagara and Erie County by attending this marvelous event, giving the Kenan Center the ability to raise thousands of dollars for local programming, enhanced after-school programs, Live theater to Taylor Theatre at the Kenan Center and ultimately the hopes of building of a new Arena.

Over the past two years, Rustic Buffalo’s philanthropic mission has raised over $190,000.00 for local not-for-profits by offering SIP and SHOP events that simply benefit the needs of local organizations, while promoting awareness of the importance of supporting local Artisans, allowing attendees a unique experience and fun fundraising opportunities.

You will love RUSTIC BUFFALO’S SPRING SIP & SHOP, especially if you love to Sip, Shop, and help a worthy cause such as The Kenan Center. Join us on the following dates:

~Thursday, April 18th, we will be open from 10AM to 7PM—–SIP & SHOP all day long!
~Friday, April 19th, we will be open from 10AM to 7PM—- SIP & SHOP all day long!
~Saturday, April 20th, we will be open from 10AM to 7PM—- SIP & SHOP all day long!
~Sunday April 21st, we will be open from 10AM to 4PM—- SIP & SHOP all day long!

Come enjoy the largest springtime shopping event in Niagara County at The Kenan Center, 433 Locust Street, Lockport NY 14094 and shop over 170 Local Artisans.

This year will be bigger and better than ever with over 170 crafters and Artisans, all part of the Rustic Buffalo Network. We will have Live Music, Wine, Whiskey and Vodka Tasting, a Bar with Beer & Wine, 50/50 Raffles, over 60 Baskets to Raffle and a Liquor Give-away valued at over $800.00—All to benefit the 2024 Kenan Center’s mission.

A $5.00 admission fee will be taken at the door to support the Kenan Center. In return, you will
receive a generous 5.00spendingcouponforyourpurchasesover5.00 spending coupon for your purchases over 5.00spendingcouponforyourpurchasesover25.00. (Children under 5 years of age are FREE)

Roycroft Winter Festival – December 2 & 3

by Victoria Sturman | Nov 20, 2023 | Events, Member Blog, News

47th Annual Roycroft Winter Festival to be held December 2 & 3 at The Park School in Amherst

The Roycrofters-at-Large Association (RALA) is pleased to announce that this year’s Roycroft Winter Festival, held on December 2 and 3, 2023, will have an exciting and significant change in venue. This year’s Winter Festival, a long-standing tradition in East Aurora, will be held on the grounds of The Park School in Amherst.

Earlier this year, RALA was approached with the opportunity to collaborate with Park School, and subsequent conversations revealed considerable mission overlap and a shared history in the Arts & Crafts movement, making the decision to hold this year’s Winter Festival on the grounds of the school an easy one. This temporary change in venue is an exciting opportunity to connect the Roycroft Renaissance and the modern Roycroft Artisans with a broader segment of Western New York Arts & Crafts collectors who may have been prevented from traveling East Aurora in previous years, and the Roycroft Artisans are looking forward to sharing East Aurora’s proud Arts & Crafts traditions with the larger WNY arts community. This will be the first Roycroft Winter Festival held outside of East Aurora in the organization’s history. Park School’s proximity to both the northtowns and the City of Buffalo is in keeping with RALA’s mission to promote and further the evolution of Roycroft.

The school has three visual art studios and a woodworking shop. Therefore, Park’s partnership with the Roycroft Winter Art Show is a natural outgrowth of the school’s history and mission.

“We are thrilled to partner with the Roycroft to host their winter art show. Art education is core to the Park educational experience and our students, families and teachers are very lucky to have the opportunity to learn from and be inspired by the wonderful artists who will be showing their work, “ said Keith Frome, President of Park School.

This year’s festival will feature 20 Roycroft Artisans and Artists representing the strongest qualify of fine art in wood, metal, fabric, jewelry, clay, glass, book arts, prints, drawing, painting, and photography. These Artisans have been accepted by the Roycrofters At Large Association’s Master Artisans based on their high standards of work through a Juried process. The Roycrofters At Large Association was founded in 1976 with the mission to keep the Arts & Crafts Movement alive guided by principles set forth by founder Elbert Hubbard. Artisans proudly display the registered “double R mark” representing the quality of their work and are the only modern working artists permitted to represent themselves as Roycrofters, honoring the design core values of Hubbard and the founding artists of South Grove Street. We are proud to carry this tradition forward.

The Roycroft Winter Show is a traditional opening of gift-giving season and offers a wonderful selection of handcrafted items made with the highest standards in craftsmanship. This year’s festival will be from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Dec. 2 & 3, 2023 in Clement Hall on the grounds of Park School, located at 4625 Harlem Road in Amherst, with ample and convenient parking. A nominal admission fee of $1 will be charged for adults.

Raffle tickets for the RALA “Goodie Box” will also be available. The Goodie Box is a tradition of the organization for over 20 years and is the backbone of its non-profit fund-raising initiatives. This year’s box contains items created by Roycroft Artisans and Master Artisans valued at over $6,000. The drawing will be held in February 2024, at the 37th National Arts and Crafts Conference, at the Grove Park Inn in Asheville, NC. The winner need not be present.

The 48th Roycroft Summer Festival will be held on June 29 and 30, 2024 at the Classic Rink on Riley Street in East Aurora.

Information on the Roycrofters-at-Large and membership options can be found online at www.ralaweb.com. Follow the Roycrofters-At Large Association’s social media pages on Facebook and Instagram, @roycroftartisans, for updates and information on the 2023 Winter Show and to experience the Roycroft Artisans’ exceptional work.

Big Brass Christmas Concert & Tree Lighting

by Victoria Sturman | Oct 25, 2023 | Chamber News, Events, News

Calling all brass instrument musicians: Join us for a Big Brass Christmas Community Concert & Tree Lighting on Dec. 6!

Calling all musicians who play a brass instrument: We need your talents!

Kick off the holidays in style and join us for the First Annual Big Brass Christmas Community Concert and Tree Lighting on Wednesday, Dec. 6 at 5:30 pm in front of Absolut Care Aurora Park, 292 Main Street in East Aurora.

The Greater East Aurora Chamber of Commerce, Absolut Care Aurora Park, and Limelite Music are hosting the village’s first ever Big Brass Christmas Concert to kick off the holiday season in East Aurora!

Anyone – from elementary school aged children and up – who plays a brass instrument is invited to participate in this flash-mob, pop-up holiday concert event!

This event is modeled after the Tuba Christmas Concerts that are taking the country by storm!

“My son plays the tuba and sousaphone with a local marching band and has participated in these types of concerts several times,” said Victoria Sturman, Executive Director of the Greater East Aurora Chamber of Commerce. “They are such a huge hit that I thought hosting something like this in the Village of East Aurora made sense. We are known for Carolcade, which is the big finale of the Holidays here, why not do something fun and musical to kick off the season, too?”

“Absolut Care Aurora Park already holds an annual Christmas Tree Lighting event, so I reached out to them and they loved the idea. We hope this is the beginning of a wonderful new holiday event in the village,” Sturman said.

Interested musicians should sign up by contacting the Chamber at 716-652-8444, EAChamber@eanycc.com, or filling out an online form at www.eanycc.com/BigBrassChristmas. Please include your name, school (if applicable), phone number, email, and the instrument you’ll be playing.

There is no cost to register.

The band will be using the Yamaha Christmas Ensemble music book, available at Limelite Music for purchase. The book may have to be ordered depending on the instrument, so please contact Limelite at 716-652-7539.

There will be no rehearsals, everyone is responsible for practicing on their own. The ensemble will gather at Absolut Care Aurora Park at 5:15 pm to warm up. The concert will start promptly at 5:30 p.m.

A tent, stage, chairs, and lighting will be provided. There will not be heaters, so please dress appropriately.

Musicians must bring their own music stand.

Feel free to decorate your instrument (and yourself) for the holidays!

This is a free community concert, and anyone is welcome to participate and/or attend the event.

For more information, please contact the Greater East Aurora Chamber of Commerce at 716-652-8444 or EAChamber@eanycc.com. Information on the concert and registration is also available on the Chamber’s website at www.eanycc.com/BigBrassChristmas.