SPREE INSIDER March’s fantastic four By Naomi Spencer It’s been a long, cold winter, but hey—it’s March! Spring and summer are knocking. And yet … perhaps you’ve contracted a touch of cabin fever as you look out the windows at the smattering of drab scenery this month tends to bring. Lucky for you, here at Spree we take a proactive approach to fighting your possible March doldrums. Gear yourself up for four fabulous events that will not only get you out of the house, they’ll have you feeling like your regular, stellar self in no time at all. The first of these tonic events is Buffalo Spree Theatre Night on March 5—a Thursday evening of delight centered around Jewish Repertory’s production of Hello, Muddah! Hello, Fadduh! The Allen Sherman Musical. Sherman is a comedy legend, and the show, performed at the Road Less Traveled Theatre (inside the Market Arcade Film and Arts Center, 369 Main Street) should be a nostalgic treat, especially for audience members who attended summer camp in the fifties and sixties. The evening will offer a chance to meet cast members, and Spree readers who call the box office at 688-4114 (extension 391) and say “Camp Granada!” may buy two tickets for the price of one ($32). Also, if you park at the M&T Bank parking lot at the corner of Washington and Chippewa, you can get your parking fee reimbursed, as well as free desserts and coffee after the show; all you have to do is bring your receipt to the concessions counter. All of this, in addition to a great show. Next is a lovely evening spent in an ambiance redolent of the oh-so-sweet summertime. Welcome to “An Evening Under the Stars,” hosted by the Buffalo Hearing and Speech Center. Throughout the night there will be prize drawings, live and silent auctions, and of course, the finest cuisine. It’s the BHASC’s third year hosting such an event, and the goal this year is to highlight the “stars” (all the children and adults) the organization serves in the WNY community. This gala event is in a new location this year, the Hyatt Regency Hotel in downtown Buffalo (Two Fountain Plaza). So dust off your best gown or tux and mark the calendar; this event will take place Saturday, March 7 from 6 to 11 p.m. Tickets can be purchased by calling 885-8318, extension 248, or by emailing clivecchi@askbhsc.org. Individual tickets are $150, couple tickets are $275, and $1,000 buys a table for eight. After spending some time underneath the stars, why not indulge in a night in a tropical paradise? (No plane tickets required.) Shed those drab blues and grays and don that festive Hawaiian shirt hanging idle in the closet. Leave the cold, wintry weather behind, and enter Paradise Under Glass, the Buffalo and Erie County Botanical Gardens’ annual March party and kick-off to the 2009 Spring Flower Show. This fragrant, three-hour event held at the Botanical Gardens (2655 South Park Ave.) will take place on March 26 from 6 to 9 p.m. You can expect to enjoy a blissful mix of music, food, beer, wine, and lush, bountiful helpings of a certain sorely missed delicacy around this time of year: the color green. It’s a loose, informal party, really, and has grown into one of the area’s favorite charity events in just three short years. Tickets can be purchased at Wegmans, Shea’s box office, www.ticketmaster.com, www.buffalogardens.com, or by calling 827-1584, ext. 305. They are $25 presale and $30 the day of and at the door. Leave all worries behind. Everything is included in the ticket price, and you’ll receive a complementary lei upon entering. Plantasia is considered Western New York’s premiere garden and landscape show, and Spree Preview Night, a two hour event, offers a special sneak peak. Scheduled for Wednesday, March 25 from 7 to 9 p.m. at the Agri-Center at the Hamburg Fairgrounds, the theme this year is “A Garden Party.” And a heckuva party it is. Special to this night will be music by Jeff Didion as well as awards presented to garden exhibitors and vendors after judging by a panel of experts in the field. Tickets are $10 and can be purchased exclusively on the Spree website, www.buffalospree.com. If you can’t make it to our Preview Night, there are still plenty of opportunities to get out and see Plantasia 2009; it runs from March 26 to 29, from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Thursday through Saturday, and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday. Thursday and Friday tickets are $5 per person, and Saturday and Sunday tickets are $8. Spree editorial intern Naomi Spencer is a recent graduate of Spring Arbor University in Spring Arbor, Michigan. SUBSCRIBE NOW Back to the Table of Contents Back to Top