Stir Crazy after-work party to benefit Blue Ridge Food Ventures

Tickets going fast for July 24th after-work ‘party with a purpose’ benefiting Blue Ridge Food Ventures

Silent auction items at ‘Stir Crazy’ include outdoor gear, weekend getaways, tickets to cultural and sports events, restaurant gift certificates, and a $1,400 fishing boat

Attention fishermen, foodies and fitness buffs. Gather ‘round, daredevils and dancers, cinema-watchers and symphony-listeners, and lovers of books, brews, and baseball.

An upcoming after-work party on July 24 has whatever makes you happy – for the right price, that is.

It’s all part of Stir Crazy, a benefit for Blue Ridge Food Ventures, the agribusiness incubator and shared-use commercial kitchen and manufacturing facility that provides space, equipment and coaching to entrepreneurs seeking to take their food and natural product business ideas to market. Blue Ridge Food Ventures is a program of AdvantageWest, the nonprofit regional economic development organization serving Western North Carolina.

Held 6 to 9 p.m. at the Boathouse pavilion at 318 Riverside Drive in Asheville’s River Arts District, Stir Crazy will be more than just a great opportunity for networking, noshing, and nipping on craft brews, wine and a signature “Summer Stir” cocktail. It will also be the hot spot for shopping, with the silent auction of the summer season.

Among the wide range of goods, services and experiences donated by area businesses are the following, with 100 percent of proceeds going to Blue Ridge Food Ventures:

·         A Slayer 14.5 fishing boat, donated by Legacy Paddlesports (Native Watercraft), worth $1,400

·         Weekend getaways donated by Arbor Cabins at Lake Lure and RTX Resort Travel & Exchange – plus, passes to Walt Disney World and Asheville Wine & Food Festival

·         Tickets to sports and cultural events, movie theatres, and area attractions, as well as zipline and fitness club passes

·         Gift certificates to an array of restaurants, from diners and coffee shops to fine dining, plus wine, spirits and brewery gift baskets

·         Vouchers for legal, accounting, car maintenance, tattoo and veterinary services

·         Art, photography, crafts and books

See a full list of sponsors and contributors here.

Stir Crazy is open to the public and tickets are going fast. Admission is $20 online and $25 at the door, and covers all food, beverages and live entertainment by the upbeat gypsy jazz band One Leg Up. Parking is limited and carpooling is strongly encouraged.

For more information and to register online, visit the Stir Crazy page on the AdvantageWest website (go to AdvantageWest.com – then search “Stir Crazy”). To learn more about some of the entrepreneurs Blue Ridge Food Ventures has assisted and the organization’s impact, view this video, or click on the “Food & Natural Products” tab on the AdvantageWest website.

Stir Crazy is presented by the Asheville Affiliates, an organization of community-minded professionals who partner with nonprofits to plan and execute “parties with a purpose”– that is, fun networking events that help raise funds (and friends). Since the organization’s founding in 1999, the Affiliates have raised over $265,000 and helped more than 50 organizations. Learn more at AshevilleAffiliates.com.

The first facility of its kind in the state and the largest in the Southeast, Blue Ridge Food Ventures has helped launch more than 250 businesses, many of which distribute products to retailers nationwide. Support through attendance at Stir Crazy will enable Blue Ridge Food Ventures to continue its work helping farmers and small businesses in Western North Carolina. Blue Ridge Food Ventures is on Facebook here.