Wine & Food Plans

Montrose Wine & Food Festival

Warning! Shameless fundraising event plug ahead! Proceed with caution! 

In previous articles, I have touched on how the Black Canyon Boys & Girls Club (BCBGC) receives its funding. It is often a misconception that the Club receives funding from Boys & Girls Club of America (BGCA). While the BCBGC receives some administrative and training support for BGCA, all operations are funded by local fundraising and grants. The Club’s biggest fundraising event each year is the Montrose Wine & Food Festival. 

The Montrose Wine & Food Festival is in its 16th year this year. The event is the brain child of Gary Bean way back in 2002. After chatting with Mike and Weesa Hild of Cork’s Fine Wines & Spirits, and determining this would be a great avenue for charitable donation, the Festival was conceived. With an initial Festival committee of BCBGC staff and board members, and assistance from some local wine aficionados and restaurant purveyors and generally good, giving people, the Festival had its guidance. The first annual event was in 2003 and, since that date, over $850,000 has been raised. While the venue, vendors, and Festival committee has changed over the years, a few things have never changed; it will always be a fun event highlighting the best of the local community and supporting the youth of the BCBGC. 

The Bridges Golf & Country Club has been the home of the event for the last several years including this year. The Bridges’ beautiful setting and spectacular view of the San Juan’s adds a little something extra to the event. With over 30 local food vendors from Montrose, Ridgway, Delta, Ouray, Paonia, and beyond, there is something for everyone to sample. Our major partner for the Festival, The Liquor Store, has brought in over 30 amazing wine, spirit, and beer vendors including our own local Storm King Distilling. The local community has also been very giving, as per usual, with donations of over 30 silent auction gifts. Neon Sky will be playing the tunes and, fingers crossed, it will be a sunny day! This year is the first year the Festival will have a VIP tent with exclusive food and beverage vendors. Our ticket prices have changed a little from previous years; general admission tickets are $65 which includes a Festival glass, and VIP passes are limited to our event sponsors. Tickets are available online at www.montrosewinefestival.com. Sponsorships are available as well. A sponsorship not only grants VIP access to the event Saturday (May 18th from 1-5 p.m.), but certain levels get a New York, New York themed sponsor dinner on Friday night, May 17th, as well. You can also check out all the confirmed food, beverage, and silent auction vendors on the Festival website. 

This event is pivotal to the longevity of the Club as all proceeds go directly toward programming and supplies for the Club kids. You have no idea how much I appreciate the community’s continued support of this Festival. It is the community that has kept the Club going all these years and it is the community that will help it grow in the future. 

Bud Taylor is the Executive Director for the Black Canyon Boys & Girls Club (BCBGC) and had been for the past two years. Prior to that, he was a BCBGC kid, junior staff member, and board director. Feel free to contact Bud Taylor by e-mail at btaylor@bcbgc.org or visit the Club’s website for more information, www.bcbgc.org.