The Courtyard
Sept. 4, 2013 By Christian Murray
Ten bars and restaurants on Queens Blvd—known as Sunnyside’s Boulevard of Bars—are hosting a joint Irish music festival this Saturday.
The event, titled Halfway to St. Patrick’s Day, will feature fiddlers, accordion players and Irish guitarists. The music will simultaneously begin at 7pm at all the participating bars where Buds/Bud lights will be sold for $3 all evening.
The festival will also be used as a means to raise funds for the Sunnyside Woodside Boys & Girls Club, which was founded in 2010 and provides after school programming six days a week for about 150 children at PS 199 and St Teresa’s.
The bars will be selling raffle tickets, with the proceeds going to the club, and donating funds. The bars helped raise $3,000 for the fire house at Engine 325/Ladder 163 on 51st Street when they hosted the St. Patrick’s Day music event in early March. That event drew hundreds of party goers.
Liz Taylor, the manager of Bliss Street Station, came up with the idea to raise funds this time for the Sunnyside Woodside Boys & Girls Club. She has developed a strong relationship with the organization and said the funds will go a long way to helping the club develop its programs.
“We’ve come a long way in just three years [since the club started],” said founder Mark Wilensky. “We keep kids off the streets, teach them leadership – but we need more in the way of donations.”
The total annual cost for a child to participate in the programs is just $25.
The lineup for Saturday night’s event is extensive, with the participating pubs offering the following:
The Courtyard Ale House – The Prodigals
Bar 43 – Soundalicious and John Malone
Maggie Mae’s – Without George
The Gaslight – Krash
PJ Horgan’s Bar and Restaurant – Matt Mancuso & Trad Session
McGuinness’s – Allen Gogarty
Molly Blooms – Enda Keegan
Arriba Arriba – 3 DJs!
Bliss Street Station – Karaoke!
Sidetracks – Steve Reilly Band
DETAILS
Date: Saturday, Sept. 7
Time: 7 pm
Location: Any of the participating bars
