Category Archives: Fundraisers

Fat Tuesday fun with oysters and Mudbugs

Feb. 5, 201311:26 a.m.

Mudbuggin,’ cut a mean ruggin’

Normally, Tuesday — the day only slightly better than Monday — is boring, flavorless and a little dull. (See: today.)

But next Tuesday is FAT TUESDAY, and that’ll be a whole different story.

A couple of events in town on Feb. 12 are designed to deliciously celebrate Fat Tuesday, the day when New Orleans goes nuts celebrating Mardis Gras.

One is an annual event at Heroes Sports Bar and Grill, 117 N. Mosley, that always fills the place with bead tossing and Cajun dancing. The Mudbugs Cajun and Zydeco Band will perform from 6:30 to 9:30, and the bar will offer Cajun food and drink specials. Admission is free, and the group will be debuting some new songs. Plus, kids are welcome.  It’s my 7-year-old’s favorite day of the year.

Down the street at 3750 E. Douglas, St. James Episcopal Church will be putting on its annual oyster dinner, which features all-you-can-eat oysters on the half shell, breaded and fried oysters, oyster stew, beer and wine.

The event, a fundraiser for Episcopal Social Services, involves 100 church volunteers and 500 pounds of fresh-shucked oysters. The church offers two seatings — one at 5:30 p.m. and one at 6:30 p.m. Tickets are $45 in advance by visiting the church office or calling by calling 316-683-5686. They’re also available at the door for $50.

Aieeee!!!

By Denise Neil | Tags: Filed under Cajun food, Fundraisers | Comments

Get your free pancakes on Tuesday

Feb. 1, 201310:03 a.m.

It’s time again for the best publicized fundraiser in breakfast history.

Tuesday is National Pancake Day, and IHOP restaurants are giving away pancakes to celebrate. The event, a fundraiser for Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals, offers patrons a free stack of buttermilk pancakes from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m.

Diners are encouraged to make a donation during the event. The chain hopes to raise $3 million nationwide. To date, IHOP has raised more than $10 million for the cause. Wichita’s IHOPS are at 11855 E. Kellogg Drive, 3505 N. Rock Road and 515 S. Ridge Circle.

I think I’ve recieved about 123 e-mails and press releases about this event, plus there’s a poster about it in the elevator here at the Eagle. Apparently, it’s gonna be good.

By Denise Neil | Tags: Filed under Breakfast, Fundraisers | Comments

Souper Bowl offers all-you-can eat soup

Jan. 29, 201310:31 a.m.

Inter-Faith Ministries is putting on its 13th annual Souper Bowl – a throw down for the centuries among local soup cooks — on Friday.

The event features soup and bread donated by several local restaurants. Among the participants:  Adrian’s Café,  Bagatelle Bakery,  Cinnamon’s Deli,  Freddy’s Frozen Custard,  Great Harvest Bakery,  Hereford House,  Newport Grill,  Old Mill Tasty Shop,  Panera Bread, Petroleum Club, Tanya’s Soup Kitchen, Texas Roadhouse, Wichita Marriott and the Wichita Wagonmasters. Varieties available range from tomato bisque to chili to clam chowder.

Attendees get all-you-can-eat soup plus a souvenir soup bowl made by local elementary students, while they last. Designer bowls made by local artists also will be available, and door prizes will be given away every 15 minutes.

The Souper Bowl is intended to raise awareness about hunger in the community, and money raised goes toward Inter-Faith Ministries programs that help the homeless and hungry.

It’s from 10:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Friday at First Presbyterian Church, 525 N. Broadway.

Advance tickets are $13.50 by calling 316-264-9303. Tickets at the door are $15.

By Denise Neil | Filed under Fundraisers, Soup | Comments

Chili and chicken noodles: Two tasty fundraisers

Jan. 24, 20135:18 p.m.

St. Paul volunteers “pickin’ chicken”

Two local organizations are willing to find you cold-weather comfort food in exchange for you helping them raise money. Sounds like a fair trade to me.

One is the 67th annual chicken noodle dinner at St. Paul’s United Methodist Church, 1356 N. Broadway. It’s scheduled for 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday and features chicken and noodles made by the church members plus mashed potatoes and gravy, fresh-cut coleslaw, dressing, bread, pies and other desserts. The dinner, a fundraiser for the church, is $10 per person, free for children 6 and under. It’s all-you-can-eat and is served family style. Carry outs also are available. For more information, call the church office at 316-267-3263.

The Wichita Airport Lions Club also is putting on its annual chili feed from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday at the Sedgwick County Extension Office, 7001 W. 21st St. N. Tickets are $7 at the door for adults, free for children 5 and under. The meal includes all-you-can-eat chili, crackers, coffee and tea. Soft drinks and desserts are extra. The proceeds from the feed will benefit various community service projects.

By Denise Neil | Filed under Fundraisers | Comments

Red Stocking Breakfast is Thursday

Dec. 3, 201211:08 a.m.

Ah, memories. At last year’s breakfast, I dished up fruit and mugged with Brett Harris.

I feel a little lost this Christmas.

I can’t remember the last time I wasn’t on the line of “celebrity servers” at the Red Stocking Breakfast, an annual fundraiser for the Kansas Children’s Service League.

But this year, they’ve scheduled it at the same time I teach a class, so they’re going to somehow have to get the biscuits and gravy and eggs ole dished out without me.

The event is from 6:30 to 9:30 a.m. Thursday at Carlos O’ Kelly’s, 7703 E. Douglas Ave. It features a buffet of delicious and hot breakfast items served by recognizable politicians, media folks, etc. Proceeds raised go toward KCSL programs and services.

Tickets are $12 in advance or $15 at the door. Children age 10 and under eat free. Advance tickets are available online at www.kcsl.org.

By Denise Neil | Tags: Filed under Breakfast, Fundraisers | Comments

Wichita “Restaurant Week” planned

Nov. 29, 201210:36 a.m.

Now this is a cool idea.

The  Boys & Girls Clubs of South Central Kansas is teaming up with Go Wichita and the Kansas Restaurant & Hospitality Association to put on a “Restaurant Week” in Wichita. They’re planning it for June 21 to 30 and hope to get 25 local restaurants involved.

Restaurant Weeks are big deals in big cities, where many of the more expensive, trendy, hard-to-get-into restaurants agree to spend a week offering prix fixe meals to participants. A prix fixe (price fixed) meal is a set, multi-course meal that costs one price. About 30 big cities around the country, including Dallas, New York and Chicago, put on popular Restaurant Weeks. I attended a Restaurant Week dinner at a fancy place in Dallas years ago, and it was memorable. (Even though I can’t remember the name of the restaurant I visited. Ha.)

Restaurant Week won’t be quite the same animal in a smaller city like Wichita, but it could still be fun and offer Wichitans an excuse to try places they haven’t been to. Though organizers haven’t signed up any participants yet, they’ll ask restaurants on the list to donate 10 percent of each meal back to the Boys & Girls Club.

I already know who I’d put on a dream list. The new Siena Tuscan Steakhouse  that will open in the Ambassador Hotel in December has to join in. Harvest Kitchen/Bar inside the Hyatt should, too. I could see Luciano’s on this bill as well as some of Wichita’s ethnic restaurants such as Pho Hot Bistro and Taqueria El Paisa. Maybe this would be a good way for Lakeside Club and Candle Club to lure potential new members, too.

The organizers have promised to keep me updated as plans progress. I’ll keep you updated, too.

In the meantime, let me know which restaurants you think should participate in a Wichita restaurant week. Tell me in the comments section below.

By Denise Neil | Tags: , , , , , , , Filed under Dining events, Fundraisers | Comments

Deli Day is on the way

Nov. 2, 20123:43 p.m.

Freddy’s Frozen Custard’s Scott Redler, right, and his pal Lou Medvene man the meat line at last year’s Deli Day.

One of my favorite dining events of the year is just a little more than a week away.

Deli Day, an annual celebration of Jewish cuisine, is scheduled for 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Sunday, Nov. 11, at Congregation Emanu-El, 7011 E. Central.

Last year was my first time visiting the fundraiser dinner, and it was as fun as it was delicious. I met several nice people and feasted on corned beef, matzo ball soup and homemade brisket, prepared using Freddy’s Frozen Custard founder Scott Redler’s secret recipe.

For $14, diners can either eat-in or carry-out either a brisket dinner or corned beef sandwich meal with latkes, strudel and more. Homemade baked goods, such as rugelach and mandelbrot, also will be for sale.

For more information, call 316-684-5148.

By Denise Neil | Tags: Filed under Fundraisers | Comments

Spay-ghetti and No-Balls: Crazy name, good cause

Oct. 26, 201211:33 a.m.

A local animal rescue group is putting on a spaghetti dinner at the Cotillion, 11120 W. Kellogg, with a rather, um, interesting name.

Spay-ghetti and No-Balls is a fundraising event for LAPP, which stands for Lifeline Animal Placement & Protection, a group that helps place homeless animals.

Pat Morriss, the director of the group, borrowed the dinner idea — and its title — from a rescue group in Colorado that’s had big success with its event.

Morriss thought the name, a reference to the outcome of spaying and neutering procedures on pets, was pretty funny, but she wasn’t sure others would. So far, though, most people have said they think the title is clever.

“I was kind of worried, but everybody thinks it’s great and says, ‘That is so funny,’” she said.

The dinner will feature spaghetti and (despite the title) meatballs prepared by Felipe’s at 21st and Woodlawn. Diners also will get garlic bread and ice cream, and there will be a cash bar. A dance with a disc jockey will follow, though dancing is not required, Morriss said.

Tickets are $35 a person, and people are encouraged to make reservations soon so organizers can get a spaghetti head count. The dinner starts at 7 p.m. All proceeds will benefit LAPP.

For reservation and information, call 316-722-4201.

By Denise Neil | Filed under Fundraisers | Comments

Dash and Dine was delicous — but hot

Oct. 22, 20124:57 p.m.

I wish I could the moves these pizza slices had. From left, Pizza Slice No. 1, Jill, me, Pizza Slice No. 2.

About 1:30 p.m. on Sunday, I seriously regretted pre-registering for the Dash and Dine 5K Run/Walk, a first -year event that started at 2 p.m. in Sedgwick County Park.

It was Oct. 21, but it was HOT (nearly 90 degrees), and it was 2 p.m. The race itself was sweaty and somewhat miserable.

But the after-race was a lot of fun. Several restaurants and food vendors were gathered out the park passing out delicious food. I sampled a healthy brownie from Green Acres, tried a hot dog from Relish It, gobbled down a no-bake cookie from Cake Face, and had my photo taken with dancing Papa Murphy’s slices. I also finally got to try one of Panera’s pumpkin bagels, which was totally worth the sweaty run.

It was a small race, but the crowd was fun. The race shirt was quite attractive, and my friend, Jill, won a medal for placing second in her age category.

I hope the run, which raised money for United Way of the Plains, returns next year. I’d definitely run it again, though I’d prefer some more October-like weather next time.

By Denise Neil | Tags: , , , , Filed under Fundraisers | Comments

Dash and Dine: A 5K that ends with eating

Oct. 10, 201210:20 a.m.

The 5K is the trendiest way to raise money in Wichita these days, but the one coming up in a couple of weeks sounds like my kind of race.

It’s called the Dash and Dine 5K Run/Walk, and it ends with food from local restaurants.

The race is being put on by Cargill as a fundraiser for United Way of the Plains. It starts at 2 p.m. Oct. 21 and snakes through Sedgwick County Park. When racers are finished, they can try food from several local food vendors, including Pita Pit, Papa Murphy’s Pizza, Cake Face Bake Shop, B&S Sandwich Press, Green Acres, Panera and more. Non-racers can sample the food, too, for a suggested $2 donation.

Registration is $25 for individuals, $20 for teams and $15 for kids ages 4-12. Participants must register by Oct. 19 at this website or at GoRun Wichita East and West or at New Balance East and West.

Cargill hopes to make the race an annual event. I share that hope.

By Denise Neil | Tags: , , , , , Filed under Fundraisers | Comments