The 2nd Annual Sunnyside Santathon presented by Sunnyside's Boulevard Bars will
take place on Saturday, December 7th, starting @ 3 PM. It's a festive pub crawl
for charity that celebrates the community of Sunnyside, local businesses,
residents, visitors, and the jovial spirit of the holiday season.
Santa attire is required and all proceeds from the
sale of wristbands will go to buy toys for local kids most in need this holiday
season. All participating bars (Bar 43, The Courtyard Ale House, Maggie
Mae's, The Gaslight, Arriba Arriba, Sidetracks, Molly Bloom's, PJ Horgan's,
McGuinness's, and Bliss St. Station) will also be collecting new, unwrapped toy
donations from now until Christmas.
Anyone looking to
participate can pick up $10 wristbands, at any of the bars, that will entitle
them to $3 drink specials on the day of the event. They can also submit their
email addresses to be entered to win gift vouchers to any one of the Boulevard
Bars.
Last year's
Santathon raised almost $5,000 and collected hundreds of toys in the first
holiday-themed pub crawl of its kind in Sunnyside. Additional toys were bought
with the money donated and delivered to St. Teresa's in Woodside, St. Raphael's
in Sunnyside, the 108th Precinct, the MercyFirst Angel Guardian Orphanage in
Brooklyn, the post-Hurricane Sandy 94th Street toy drive in the Rockaways, the
Metro homeless shelter on Queens Boulevard, and the Hour Children Center in Long
Island City.
Since its inception
a year ago, Sunnyside's Boulevard Bars has held multiple events in the
neighborhood. Most recently, their Halfway to St. Patrick's Day Music Festival,
featuring live Irish music and food and drink specials in all the bars, raised
$5,530 for the Sunnyside/Woodside Boys & Girls Club. They also raised $3,000
for the Leary Firefighters Foundations and local 51st Street Fire Station
(Engine 325/Ladder 163) back in March. Council Member Jimmy Van Bramer was
present for the check delivery.
Pat Burke, owner of
The Courtyard Ale House, says: "We formed Sunnyside's Boulevard Bars to create
events as a group that would bring more business to the area, really make it a
destination spot, and highlight what a great neighborhood we have here. Once we
got together, we also saw the opportunity to raise funds for charities,
specifically local organizations. Our group is still relatively new, but we are
excited about what we have done and will continue to do to promote Sunnyside and
give back to the community.
For more
information about Sunnyside's Boulevard Bars, as well as pictures from past
events, please visit their Facebook page:
About
Sunnyside's Boulevard Bars
Sunnyside's
Boulevard Bars is a collective of 10 bars and restaurants on and around Queens
Boulevard: The Courtyard Ale House, Bar 43, Maggie Mae's, PJ Horgan's, Arriba
Arriba, Bliss St. Station, McGuinness's, Sidetracks, Molly Bloom's, and The
Gaslight. Dedicated to our neighborhood and customers, our mission is to elevate
our community by utilizing our joint efforts to organize monthly events that
bring people together, give back to organizations in the community, and keep
locals and visitors alike up-to-date about what's happening in Sunnyside.
